Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="QuaziquestGM" data-source="post: 3174688" data-attributes="member: 22559">When I have to run a party member NPC I try to follow a few general rules:1:&nbsp; I try to fill a need that he party has.&nbsp; If the party has no healer....2:&nbsp; I try to make it in at least some small way a burden as well as an accet.&nbsp; She is a Adept, inept at combat, with eneimies3:&nbsp; I try to keep the party from powergaming or using game mechanic knowledged to determine its complete capabilities and usefulness in all situations.&nbsp; Multiclass, classmix never revealed.&nbsp; Adept spirit shamans really keep them guessing for a while.4: I give the party a reason to bring it along.&nbsp; The 15 y.o. runaway &quot;magic girl&quot; with healing skills that the bard shot because she didn't come out from behind the bush when you approached her out in the middle of nowhere.....A good aligned party sort of feels obligated to take her along.5:&nbsp; Doesn't hog the spot light.&nbsp; She is important in every encounter, because you have to get her to heal you afterwards...6:&nbsp; i use them to introduce plot elements.&nbsp; If &quot;witch hunters&quot; are active in an area killing spell casters who are not aligned with their church.....&nbsp; I make the npc have its own plot that is no more important that the plots of the rest of the party.&nbsp; Of course, often some of the players didn't make a backstroy for their pcs, so the goals of the npc can give the party a sence of direction.&nbsp; the Dwarf pc wants a mine, the paladin wants the slay evil dragons, the wizard and rogue are along for the ride, the npc healer wants to belong and is on the run from witch hunters...the party as reasons to exist and travel together and has a backstory that affects the plot.7:&nbsp; the npc acts in its own defence, but it is up to the party to maintain it.&nbsp; it is a party resourse.&nbsp; healer girl defends herself, but she isn't that good at it. No armour profency, uses most of her prepared spell slots on healing spells.&nbsp; If the party doesn't defend her then they will lose her, same as their pack animals.8:&nbsp; it has a personality.&nbsp; i don't use her to make stragedy suggestions, but she does get miffed...&quot;but i healed you 2 hours ago....why do you keep getting into fights?&quot;I wouldn't hand off a npc with plot information to a new player.&nbsp; A new player needs to make his own character.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="QuaziquestGM, post: 3174688, member: 22559"] When I have to run a party member NPC I try to follow a few general rules: 1: I try to fill a need that he party has. If the party has no healer.... 2: I try to make it in at least some small way a burden as well as an accet. She is a Adept, inept at combat, with eneimies 3: I try to keep the party from powergaming or using game mechanic knowledged to determine its complete capabilities and usefulness in all situations. Multiclass, classmix never revealed. Adept spirit shamans really keep them guessing for a while. 4: I give the party a reason to bring it along. The 15 y.o. runaway "magic girl" with healing skills that the bard shot because she didn't come out from behind the bush when you approached her out in the middle of nowhere.....A good aligned party sort of feels obligated to take her along. 5: Doesn't hog the spot light. She is important in every encounter, because you have to get her to heal you afterwards... 6: i use them to introduce plot elements. If "witch hunters" are active in an area killing spell casters who are not aligned with their church..... I make the npc have its own plot that is no more important that the plots of the rest of the party. Of course, often some of the players didn't make a backstroy for their pcs, so the goals of the npc can give the party a sence of direction. the Dwarf pc wants a mine, the paladin wants the slay evil dragons, the wizard and rogue are along for the ride, the npc healer wants to belong and is on the run from witch hunters...the party as reasons to exist and travel together and has a backstory that affects the plot. 7: the npc acts in its own defence, but it is up to the party to maintain it. it is a party resourse. healer girl defends herself, but she isn't that good at it. No armour profency, uses most of her prepared spell slots on healing spells. If the party doesn't defend her then they will lose her, same as their pack animals. 8: it has a personality. i don't use her to make stragedy suggestions, but she does get miffed..."but i healed you 2 hours ago....why do you keep getting into fights?" I wouldn't hand off a npc with plot information to a new player. A new player needs to make his own character. [/QUOTE]

Verification