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<blockquote data-quote="Barastrondo" data-source="post: 5668861" data-attributes="member: 3820">Or &quot;on an adventure,&quot; for those of us who run adventures that don't necessarily take place primarily in dungeons. Even then, the lines blur a lot. The NPCs that the PCs encounter over the course of actively pursuing an adventure hook may range from unrelated (the rogue shops around for a disguise kit, and makes a contact with a theater supplier) to related (they subtly question one of the courtesans about odd things going on at the brothel) to &quot;placed with every expectation of a fight&quot; (the madam's bodyguards, who are sure to get involved if the PCs decide to confront her directly). On many sessions, the players may be alternately interacting with adventure-related NPCs and &quot;home base&quot;-style NPCs: fellow House members, estranged relatives, the clergy at local temples, the local matchmakers. Sometimes the home base NPCs start serving an adventure function. Sometimes the adventure NPCs get recruited to become home base NPCs.I guess this is just a verbose way of saying that our style of D&amp;D is wholly dependent on NPCs that are placed to serve purposes other than combat challenges. The threatening &quot;I'm here to give you a fight&quot; NPCs are also critical, of course, but we absolutely need the other guys for context and motivation.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Barastrondo, post: 5668861, member: 3820"] Or "on an adventure," for those of us who run adventures that don't necessarily take place primarily in dungeons. Even then, the lines blur a lot. The NPCs that the PCs encounter over the course of actively pursuing an adventure hook may range from unrelated (the rogue shops around for a disguise kit, and makes a contact with a theater supplier) to related (they subtly question one of the courtesans about odd things going on at the brothel) to "placed with every expectation of a fight" (the madam's bodyguards, who are sure to get involved if the PCs decide to confront her directly). On many sessions, the players may be alternately interacting with adventure-related NPCs and "home base"-style NPCs: fellow House members, estranged relatives, the clergy at local temples, the local matchmakers. Sometimes the home base NPCs start serving an adventure function. Sometimes the adventure NPCs get recruited to become home base NPCs. I guess this is just a verbose way of saying that our style of D&D is wholly dependent on NPCs that are placed to serve purposes other than combat challenges. The threatening "I'm here to give you a fight" NPCs are also critical, of course, but we absolutely need the other guys for context and motivation. [/QUOTE]

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