It depends upon the NPC.
Commoners, Mooks & Minions? AC, HP and equipment will be as variable as their stature would suggest (IOW, regulars would have standardized equipment, brigands would have a hodge-podge). I may or may not fudge/nerf their rolls for storytelling purposes.
Important NPCs? They're set up to be normal for their type. If that means tough, they'll be tough. If that means paper kittens, then paper kittens they shall be. I may or may not fudge/nerf their rolls for storytelling purposes.
BBEGs? Tough. Intelligent. Crafty. Prepared. They'll use equipment and tactics sufficient to let the players know they've been in a fight, up to and including a possible TPK. This also means that they will NOT get fudged or nerfed unless it is absolutely critical to do so, and that's rare.
How rare? In a campaign I ran a few years ago, the players conspired while I wasn't around. They tracked down the BBEG to a meeting with a Master Weaponsmith, and approached him. (This was an unscripted encounter- I run a pretty big sandbox style of game.) In fact, it was an ambush...and a well thought out one. On top of everything else, the party rolled obscenely well and the NPCs couldn't get out of single digits. The BBEG went down in just a couple of rounds. AND they escaped the BBEG's guards with barely a scratch!
All of a sudden, I had no BBEG for the final encounter of the story arc...
I was flummoxed, and with the players laughing their collective [DONKEYS] off, I called the evening short so I could regroup.
Fortunately when we reconvened 2 weeks later, the BBEG's consort turned out to be nearly his equal in matters arcane...and she and her entourage rolled a bit better, resulting in a nice, dramatic encounter with plenty of give & take.
I didn't fudge rolls for the sake of the plot- the players planning and execution (heh, nice choice of words) was rewarded- even though it meant more work for me.
Commoners, Mooks & Minions? AC, HP and equipment will be as variable as their stature would suggest (IOW, regulars would have standardized equipment, brigands would have a hodge-podge). I may or may not fudge/nerf their rolls for storytelling purposes.
Important NPCs? They're set up to be normal for their type. If that means tough, they'll be tough. If that means paper kittens, then paper kittens they shall be. I may or may not fudge/nerf their rolls for storytelling purposes.
BBEGs? Tough. Intelligent. Crafty. Prepared. They'll use equipment and tactics sufficient to let the players know they've been in a fight, up to and including a possible TPK. This also means that they will NOT get fudged or nerfed unless it is absolutely critical to do so, and that's rare.
How rare? In a campaign I ran a few years ago, the players conspired while I wasn't around. They tracked down the BBEG to a meeting with a Master Weaponsmith, and approached him. (This was an unscripted encounter- I run a pretty big sandbox style of game.) In fact, it was an ambush...and a well thought out one. On top of everything else, the party rolled obscenely well and the NPCs couldn't get out of single digits. The BBEG went down in just a couple of rounds. AND they escaped the BBEG's guards with barely a scratch!
All of a sudden, I had no BBEG for the final encounter of the story arc...
I was flummoxed, and with the players laughing their collective [DONKEYS] off, I called the evening short so I could regroup.
Fortunately when we reconvened 2 weeks later, the BBEG's consort turned out to be nearly his equal in matters arcane...and she and her entourage rolled a bit better, resulting in a nice, dramatic encounter with plenty of give & take.
I didn't fudge rolls for the sake of the plot- the players planning and execution (heh, nice choice of words) was rewarded- even though it meant more work for me.