D&D 5E DM's: How Do You Justify NPC's Having Magic/Abilities That Don't Exist in the PHB?

[Micah Sweet]

Yeah, this is a big one. Why are NPCs a special case from monsters?

In my opinion, an NPC representing a wizard (for example) shouldn't have access to anything a PC wizard couldn't theoretically get. I suppose the same could apply to a monster.

 

[Micah Sweet]

The vast majority of the time an explanation never comes up. The enemy used the ability or cast the spell and ends up dead. Nobody to find an explanation from. Sometimes you find the spell and see that it requires something unique or so hard to find that it might as well be uncastable.

That's assuming you want the ability to be inaccessible to PCs, and you want an in-universe explanation. I don't make that assumption, so any power is obtainable if you're willing and able to do what it takes to get it.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Agree to disagree on that one.

Since I don’t play Level Up I don’t know how they do it, but in regular 5e it’s pretty clear that most NPCs were not created using PC rules. I’m not sure what else there is to (dis)agree about.

 

[tetrasodium]

I usually don't need to justify it unless there might be an interesting answer that goes somewhere. It also depends on the spell/ability. Minor spells on par with what players & other monsters could theoretically get is no big deal. Start pulling out things like disjunction or worse & there probably needs to be some serious explaining already done.

 

[SkidAce]

I try not to use spells that PCs can't turn around themselves and do, but I'm not too bothered if an NPC has an ability they can use that the PCs can't replicate.

Could be that BBEG is an illusionist who has the ability to cast spells through his projected image. Maybe he used wish to have that ability.

I'm okay with using spells the PCs dont have. If its arcane, then maybe they could research it "tell me how you start researching the spell you think the bad guy cast...".

If its divine..."Tell me how you communicate to your deity/sponsor/philosophy what you what..."

Not impossible, especially if they spend resources.

Just not likely, and certainly not guaranteed.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The 5E authors are very clear that NPCs and PCs are built differently. The folks unhappy with that would be better off scolding said authors, rather than other players and DMs for that fact.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Since I don’t play Level Up I don’t know how they do it, but in regular 5e it’s pretty clear that most NPCs were not created using PC rules. I’m not sure what else there is to (dis)agree about.

I was thinking concept rather than actual.mechanics.

 

[Bill Zebub]

The 5E authors are very clear that NPCs and PCs are built differently. The folks unhappy with that would be better off scolding said authors, rather than other players and DMs for that fact.

And personally I would rather stick with the simple, clear-cut distinction between PC and NPC, than have some contorted philosophy rationalizing why certain sentient bipeds use class and level, and all others are “monsters” and thus not bound by rules. Why it’s not ok for an elf to know some trick the players can’t point to in the PHB, but give that elf a third arm or featureless face and an exotic name and suddenly it’s ok.

 

[jasper]

I don't need it up front. I can come up when it needs to, I just need an explanation to be available.

I also don't explicitly want stuff NPCs can do to be unavailable to PCs. That's up to them.

Then please become a writer. If you were a player in my game, and you did the following
1. it magic,
and you said Not Good enough
2. It is a NPC they cheat
and you said not good enough
3. I am the dm
and you said not good enough
4. You got $1k for me to write 500 words,
and you said No.
Then you would be not good enough, to play with me. This is a GAME. Not a story. And since I know authors who only write their worlds "Two Questions Deep". My first two responses are valid.

 

[dave2008]

It doesn't seem so, for those who say PCs and NPCs are made differently and thus that NPCs can do things PCs cannot and-or vice versa.

Edit to add: as per the post immediately above this one, which I hadn't read yet.

Those concepts are not mutually exclusive.