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Cleric shenanigans (metaphysical, no right answers)
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<blockquote data-quote="Staffan" data-source="post: 7600156" data-attributes="member: 907"><p>I see your point from a principled perspective. However, years of playing/running 3e and Pathfinder taught me that this principle is, well, not a particularly useful one.</p><p></p><p>See, there are a couple of big differences between PCs and NPCs.</p><p></p><p>1. PCs are usually being played week after week for months on end, for hours at a time. An NPC involved in combat is lucky to survive five rounds.</p><p></p><p>2. PCs have one player wholly dedicated to playing that one character. An NPC shares the space in the DM's head with a bunch of other NPCs, plus plots, plus dungeons, plus long-term plans, plus setting information, and so on.</p><p></p><p>3. PCs are the stars of the game. NPCs are supporting cast, there to challenge and/or support the PCs.</p><p></p><p>All of these have lead me to strongly believe that NPCs don't need anywhere near the detail PCs get. In particular, resource management needs to be simplified. An ability like the 5e bardic inspiration is awesome as a player, but a complete no-go as an NPC. If I'm making a bard-ish NPC, I'd instead give them an ability to use a reaction to add +d6 to an ally's roll, and then have it recharge on 4+ or something.</p><p></p><p>The problem in AD&D was related to the way the novels were driving various meta-plots, and how a large portion of various books (particularly in FR) were dedicated to statting out the pro- and antagonists in these books. As the novels were generally not written to hew directly to the game rules, adapting their characters to the game often required some shenanigans, and then players who got their hands on those books wondered why they couldn't do the same things. But with 5e, there aren't all that many big-name NPCs around in the books occupying a lot of space.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Staffan, post: 7600156, member: 907"] I see your point from a principled perspective. However, years of playing/running 3e and Pathfinder taught me that this principle is, well, not a particularly useful one. See, there are a couple of big differences between PCs and NPCs. 1. PCs are usually being played week after week for months on end, for hours at a time. An NPC involved in combat is lucky to survive five rounds. 2. PCs have one player wholly dedicated to playing that one character. An NPC shares the space in the DM's head with a bunch of other NPCs, plus plots, plus dungeons, plus long-term plans, plus setting information, and so on. 3. PCs are the stars of the game. NPCs are supporting cast, there to challenge and/or support the PCs. All of these have lead me to strongly believe that NPCs don't need anywhere near the detail PCs get. In particular, resource management needs to be simplified. An ability like the 5e bardic inspiration is awesome as a player, but a complete no-go as an NPC. If I'm making a bard-ish NPC, I'd instead give them an ability to use a reaction to add +d6 to an ally's roll, and then have it recharge on 4+ or something. The problem in AD&D was related to the way the novels were driving various meta-plots, and how a large portion of various books (particularly in FR) were dedicated to statting out the pro- and antagonists in these books. As the novels were generally not written to hew directly to the game rules, adapting their characters to the game often required some shenanigans, and then players who got their hands on those books wondered why they couldn't do the same things. But with 5e, there aren't all that many big-name NPCs around in the books occupying a lot of space. [/QUOTE]
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