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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6094253" data-attributes="member: 4937">Well, I generally agree.  I feel that the tropes of having NPC's always hostile, never grateful to the PC's, never helpful, and if not villains then incompotents are grossly overdone and at this point tired.The only real issue is ensuring that that the NPC's don't steel spotlight from the PC's.My NPC's are notably compotent at just about everything that they do BUT combat.  From a very early point in their careers, the combined martial might of the PC's is a serious threat to every individual person in the kingdom with the exception of their evil counterparts or counterpart.   By the time they hit sixth level, they can be numbered amongst the most powerful combatants in an average nation in my game world, in part because not only are 6th level and up characters in my worlds fairly rare (perhaps a few hundred per kingdom) but the overwhelming percentage of those characters will be aging or elderly, with strength, dexterity, and constitution scores that are diminished by age or illness.  And even among the middle aged, few will have been built with as high of point buy as the PC's, or be so well equipped in martial magic items.  Sure, there are still a few along the Storm Coast that the PC's wouldn't want to duel, but it won't be long before their reputation will begin to spread through the region - champions with the skills of veterens and the vigor and health of the young, such amazing prodogies, the gods must be with them (often, this is literally true).  However, when it comes to skillfulness it takes a very high level to character to do what an average professional does in terms of crafting, appraisal, diplomacy, knowledge, ect.  It's just that most members of the community aren't killing monsters on a daily basis.  While the individual members of the community don't stand a chance going toe to toe with the PC party in combat, they tend to have well organized militaries that are trained in dealing with things like spellcasters, undead, werecreatures, and the like using crude but effective means.  Communities tend to be extraordinarily ruthless when dealing with threats.  NPC - even the good aligned ones - won't play fair or nice when it comes to dealing with individuals with powers they can barely comprehend.  If a PC party ever was to run afoul of the law and were captured, I gaurantee that there would be no easy escape from jail.  These are societies with medieval mentalities when it comes to crime and punishment.Unless you take attributes that just make you generally unlikable or actually do things to harm regular people, the NPC's will tend to be favorably disposed to you, either because they want to get you to do things for them, or they are afraid of you, or they are in awe of you, or out of sincere gratitude or admiration.  The PC's were honored by the city at 1st level, got an audience with thier Leige at 4th, were knighted by 6th, and now having been presented as champions at a foreign court to the most politically powerful individuals for 1000 miles.  The NPC's are happy to ingratiate themselves to heroes who seem to have the favor of the benevolent gods.   But if you abuse NPC's, then a very different result is achieved.  These societies have endured for centuries before the PC's came along.  There is nothing that the PC's can do that hasn't been tried before, and there is little that they can do for which the society has no defense.  The only reason that the world needs the PC's... is that the antagonists are just so formidable.  But eventually, even if the PC's were to fail, though it would mean a much bigger mess, someone would come along to clean it up.   And if the NPC's turn heel, well, they'll succeed for a while certainly, but eventually there will be this band of adventurers...Or not, there are certainly places in the world 'bad guys' have been ruling for centuries.</blockquote>

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