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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Doug McCrae" data-source="post: 6006899" data-attributes="member: 21169">Champions builds PCs and NPCs in exactly the same way, at least up until 4th edition (the last one with which I'm familiar). In 4th ed both superhero PCs and normal supervillains are built on 250 points. Though it's true that other NPCs such as ordinary humans, agents and 'boss' villains are built on different point totals. Champions has no distinct 'boss' mechanics, it leaves everything up to the GM, which can make it a hard system to run.I played in a oneoff session of 4th edition Champions about a year ago, and afterwards the GM was talking about how much of his prep time he'd spent detailing supervillain abilities and attributes that never came up in play.This idea, of building everyone more or less the same way, is, I think, pretty common in point buy systems, as you say. I'd be surprised if GURPS doesn't do things this way. It's the case with Tri-Stat (the system behind the Anime rpg Big Eyes, Small Mouth). Mutants & Masterminds 2nd edition, another point buy system, carefully builds and costs all its example supervillains, though they are mostly built on more points than the typical PC.Contrast with this section from Savage Worlds Explorer's Edition -Consider this Game Master's Rule #1 when it comes to NPCs: Don't "design" them! Don't create your NPCs with the character creation rules. Just give them what you think they ought to have in their various skills and attributes and move on. Remember this game is supposed to be easy for you to set up, run, and play. Don't sit around adding up skill points for NPCs when you could be designing fiendish traps and thinking up nasty special abilities for your monsters!My Champions GM should really have read this! It seems to me that Savage Worlds is reacting to the d20 or point buy sort of games that predominated in the 90s and noughties, taking the same approach as 4e D&D.One could argue that 3e D&D doesn't go quite as far in PC/NPC 'same-iness' as the more explicit point buy systems, as it has NPC classes and distinct monster build rules, though it's true an important feature of 3e is that PC classes, NPC classes and monsters can all be combined in one entity, and any monster can be used as a PC using the Level Adjustment mechanic.</blockquote>

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