How fast should NPCs advance?

[BiggusGeekus]

How fast should the NPCs advance in the campaign? Not the ones hanging out with the players. But the ones in the background, from The Evil Duke to the Nubile Prince to the Brave Princess.

Thoughts?

 

[bwgwl]

"background" NPCs generally somewhere from 1:2 to 1:5, depending on how "active" they are.

 

[dren]

NPC Advancement...

I usually allow gradual advancement of NPCs. I don't tally ep but bump them up every now and then. The only difference is a "nemesis", figures who will become prominent enemies. Their advancement matches the PCs one-for-one, until either one of the PCs die or the bbeg does.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

This rather depends on what the NPCs are doing. They don't all advance at the same speed.

In the campaign I used to run, the party was visiting an orc tribe and the barbarian challenged the "strongest orc" in the tribe to a battle. (I should add that in my campaign, ogres, giants, etc were considered to be mutated orcs). He fought Tharg, the tribe's ogre ranger champion. Considering that Tharg was the champion of a tribe currently at war with an aggressive neighboring tribe or orcs, he should be levelling at least as quickly as the PCs. Of course, there should also be a good chance that Tharg is dead by the time the PCs next visit the tribe and his position is occupied by a different orc or ogre.

Similar fast track advancement would be enjoyed by the orc who the PCs befriended and who left the encampment at the same time as the PCs on a separate quest to discover more about his tribe's new deity. He was adventuring just like the PCs and should maintain a similar level to them. Theoretically, he also ran a significant risk of dying but his quest was supposed to tie into the plot later so he had plot immunity. [The rest of the logic is that he was supposed to be a peer of the PCs so he needed to be of similar level when he encountered them].

On the other hand, the chief constable of the town on the border of the orcs territory (the orcs had concluded a peace treaty with the human kingdom) was about 5th level and wasn't going anywhere very quickly. His advancement wouldn't be keyed to the PCs at all and would probably only occur very slowly if at all.

In the middle range of NPC advancement would be the merchant who the PCs figured for a traitor during their first adventure but could never find any proof against. He began 8 levels higher than the PCs and when the campaign finished, he was only 3 or so levels higher than them. He advanced at half to 1/3 the rate of the PCs (and the only real risk of dying he ran would be if the PCs had uncovered his schemes and exposed him). Of course, he was advancing in Aristocrat and Expert during that time rather than fighter (which is what he started as).

 

[Nail]

How fast should the NPCs advance in the campaign? Not the ones hanging out with the players. But the ones in the background, from The Evil Duke to the Nubile Prince to the Brave Princess.

Thoughts?

"It depends."

Obviously.

The real thing to concider is how your players veiw the world's versilimitude. If background NPCs were 1st level when the PCs met them at low levels, why are they all 10th level now? Just because the PCs are 18th level?

 

[Jeph]

I voted Lemon Curry, just to show I'm old school, even though I'm not, because I just think that NPCs should advance whenever its convenient, which is what I think the essence of Lemon Curry should mean anyway. Take this down, jim.

 

[Darkness]

Hm. I think most of 'em don't advance very much at all unless they are martial (or mystic / roguish /what-have-you) types.

 

[MarauderX]

I voted 'lemon curry'. I have no idea what it means.

Why? Cause all the background NPCs don't change that much anyway, and it won't affect the PCs one bit if the NPCs are advancing fast or slow. So, lemon curry.

 

[Zappo]

Generally, they don't "advance". If an NPC is recurring, his level is always the one appropriate for the story. If he isn't recurring, well, not much point in advancement.

 

[Umbran]

I voted for the chicken vindaloo, because you didn't include the option I thought was best.

NPCs advance at a rate appropriate to the story. If, as far as the story is concerned, a given NPC is very active (even off camera), then they'll advance quickly. If another is sitting on his duff running a quiet tavern, he won't advance much at all.