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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Raven Crowking" data-source="post: 1880461" data-attributes="member: 18280"><s></s><s></s><s></s><s>Well, what if you said:  "The players should be presented with whatever information is available to the characters"?  I think most of us would agree with that.  And, regardless of what else may or may not have occurred, this was largely done...assuming that Ambrus was quite clear that the gnomes the PCs were dealing with had no real power.  Again, the PCs made it easy for the gnomes to change their minds.</s><s></s><s>However, that doesn't address the problem of rat-bastard NPCs.  Obviously, we all like to play r-bNPCs as DMs.  And, equally obviously, the r-bNPCs are the ones we love to hate as players.  So, r-bNPCs are an important and integral part to any campaign world.</s><s></s><s>But, they should not turn out to be the average NPC.</s><s></s><s>In order to make a world breathe for players, the PCs need NPCs that they care about.  They need NPCs that they like.  They need NPCs that they would face danger for, and, if necessary, die to defend.  In other words, they need sympathetic NPCs.</s><s></s><s>Sympathetic NPCs are, if anything, more important than r-bNPCs.</s><s></s><s>So, hey, I would have enjoyed playing in Ambrus' game, especially with "new Geas-lite" because I, for one, wouldn't have let the artifact out of my sight.  Moreover, when I discovered the Geas, I would have considered either confronting the Church ("This was not part of our contract!"  "Neither was the gold, but you accepted that readily enough."  "You #$(@!s!") or getting the Geas dispelled by a qualified practitioner.</s><s></s><s>I also note that the Geas would have no effect so long as I kept the artifact close (due to its antimagic field).</s><s></s><s>Maybe the gnomes' goals and the party's are not mutually exclusive.  As I pointed out earlier, Diplomacy only really works when both sides are capable of some flexibility.  The diplomat has to have something to offer.  I wouldn't mind knowing more about this.  Lots of available possibilities.</s><s></s><s>But I'd still want some NPCs I liked.</s><s></s><s>I also wouldn't mind knowing why the Church wouldn't take the artifact out of the city.  Still no answer on that one, and it seems a bloody obvious idea to me.</s><s></s><s></s><s>RC</s></blockquote>

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