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<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 7844246" data-attributes="member: 177">I think it is a small practical variation that sometimes makes a lot of narrative sense.Lots of Compels are, effectively, the Universe making life complicated for the character, a manifestation of Murphy's Law.&nbsp; Those come from the Infinite Pool.&nbsp; When your lockpicks break, and you have to find another way into the Secret Chamber, that should come from the Infinite Pool.Some Compels are more like, &quot;The villain has figured you or the situation out, and is using that directly against you,&quot;&nbsp; It makes some sense that this kind can come out of the villain's resources.&nbsp; When the villain has realized that the PC is an Absent Minded Professor, and declaims, &quot;Well, Professor Dubrovnik, you have forgotten that the Alien Frozzit Gun has only 5 chambers, not six, and you are out of ammunition!&quot; so that the Professor can't just shoot again, and the villain knows it, I think that's okay to come out of the NPC pool. This is pretty explicitly a weakening of the NPC - the latter compel can certainly be phrased as coming from Murphy's Law, and the point come from the Infinite Pool.&nbsp; The NPC could keep their point.&nbsp; But, if the PCs are a bit more on the ropes, you aren't really breaking anything.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 7844246, member: 177"] I think it is a small practical variation that sometimes makes a lot of narrative sense. Lots of Compels are, effectively, the Universe making life complicated for the character, a manifestation of Murphy's Law. Those come from the Infinite Pool. When your lockpicks break, and you have to find another way into the Secret Chamber, that should come from the Infinite Pool. Some Compels are more like, "The villain has figured you or the situation out, and is using that directly against you," It makes some sense that this kind can come out of the villain's resources. When the villain has realized that the PC is an Absent Minded Professor, and declaims, "Well, Professor Dubrovnik, you have forgotten that the Alien Frozzit Gun has only 5 chambers, not six, and you are out of ammunition!" so that the Professor can't just shoot again, and the villain knows it, I think that's okay to come out of the NPC pool. This is pretty explicitly a weakening of the NPC - the latter compel can certainly be phrased as coming from Murphy's Law, and the point come from the Infinite Pool. The NPC could keep their point. But, if the PCs are a bit more on the ropes, you aren't really breaking anything. [/QUOTE]

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