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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lord Zardoz" data-source="post: 578534" data-attributes="member: 704">Min/Maxing NPC's to the PC'sAs helpful and effective as it is for a DM to design his NPC's so that they are tailored to fight the PC's of a given adventure, it is not a good habit to become dependent on.  Just because your PC's might be getting alot of use out of a Maximized Fireball spell does not mean that the bulk of NPC's should suddenly have Potions of protection from fire.  All that accomplishes is for your players to become frustrated.To that end, you should almost never completly customize your NPC's equipment and combat tactics specifically to fit the players.But, with good recon, mundane or otherwise, you can often get alot of justification.Example 1:An evil wizard gets reports of a group of meddlesome heroes attacking his minions.  He then sends out a patrol to engage them, but gives the leader an item which he can use to alert the wizard.  When the PC's are spotted, the wizard is alerted, and casts Clarvoyance and Clairaudience, and watches the fight.  The evil wizard now knows what the players look like, which ones are likely spell casters, and knows a bit about their combat capability.  He can note which players are clerics, and what holy symbols they use.  After the PC's leave, the mage might be able to have some other minions recover the bodies so he can use Speak with Dead to learn even more.Example 2:The Broken Fist Orc's are a brutal band with hostile neigbors, so they have patrolls regularly sweep their borders.  A patrol encounters the PC's.  One of the Orcs is a runner, with ranks in Hide, and Move Silently, and the Run feat.  He gets himself out of sight while the Orcs prepare for battle.  The orcs are massacared, but the runner who was hiding about 50 meters away see's and hears what happens.  He stays out of sight until the PC's leave, and then runs like hell back to the tribe.  He tells the cheif what happened.  The cheif then orders an ambush prepared.As a DM, I like the idea of a recurring villian.  To that end, I try to remember to do two things with villians I want to have around for a while.  In addition to planning how they will fight the players, I also figure out a way for the villian to gather information on the players, and I plan out a few likely escape routes.END COMMUNICATION</blockquote>

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