Bran Blackbyrd
Explorer
Oh yeah, and about races. Are there any that you don't allow in your setting? Are there any that should be more common/rare than others?
I need NPCs!
Bran Blackbyrd
Explorer
Well, I know everyone means well, but here's the deal. So many times I have seen someone post a request like this and, rather than address the request, someone posts their own idea. Then someone says something about how that idea stinks and their own is better. Then the thread becomes a debate between a bunch of people touting their own ideas while the poor person who made the initial request gets ignored.
This is mostly directed towards the well meaning individual who suggested that the 32 point buy was ridiculous (you know who you are). It's not ridiculous if that's what DerianCypher wants, end of story. Why waste his time talking about that when we can chuck out some NPCs?
An NPC is a character, a personality, not a number you reference when you need a save. And that's part of what was asked for, personalities to flesh out the city's population.
So let's quit discussing this and see how we can help, shall we? We all mean well, but the proverbial path to hell is paved with good intentions.
No offense intended of course.
This is mostly directed towards the well meaning individual who suggested that the 32 point buy was ridiculous (you know who you are). It's not ridiculous if that's what DerianCypher wants, end of story. Why waste his time talking about that when we can chuck out some NPCs?
An NPC is a character, a personality, not a number you reference when you need a save. And that's part of what was asked for, personalities to flesh out the city's population.
So let's quit discussing this and see how we can help, shall we? We all mean well, but the proverbial path to hell is paved with good intentions.
No offense intended of course.
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LostSoul
Adventurer
Bran Blackbyrd said:
Good point.
I can't think of any NPCs off the top of my head, but I can think of a strategy for designing them.
It might make your NPCs come alive if you build them in groups. A family, a bunch of regulars at the local public house, groups of friends, a certain group of town guards or soldiers, etc. Give them some dynamics and throw a wrench into thier happy little lives. Then the NPCs don't just interact with the PCs; they talk about the other NPCs and how they don't like this or that.
Example: You have an inn that you are going to use. It's run by a small family. The young woman, who has just blossomed into womanhood, is being noticed by all the regulars. The innkeeper is getting protective; but this upsets his customers ("What? Aren't we good enough for her? You seem to think well enough of us when you want our gold.") and causes strife. If you want to really mix the pot, the innkeeper's wife is upset at one of the regulars because he just broke off an affair. And now the innkeeper's daughter is carrying his child! What a soap-opera.
Anyways, my point: If you have NPCs who react to each other as well as the PCs, they'll seem more alive and realistic.
Off the bat, I must apologize for not coming up with an NPC, but I really feel I must address something someone said that really caught my eye.
"Any GM who arbitrarily uses million-hp invulnerable barkeeps is a sh*tty GM who doesn't deserve players IMO."
This has to be one of the worst sentences I've EVER read. So if you let your players start a new party at, say, 9th level, and they feel they're so powerful, you'd just let them up and KILL the weapon shop keepers, armor shop keepers, and kill anyone they want? I don't think so, sometimes there are people who should NOT be killed, "just because." Yes, it is supposed to be fun for the players, but not to the point where they can feel they can do WHATEVER they want.
"Any GM who arbitrarily uses million-hp invulnerable barkeeps is a sh*tty GM who doesn't deserve players IMO."
This has to be one of the worst sentences I've EVER read. So if you let your players start a new party at, say, 9th level, and they feel they're so powerful, you'd just let them up and KILL the weapon shop keepers, armor shop keepers, and kill anyone they want? I don't think so, sometimes there are people who should NOT be killed, "just because." Yes, it is supposed to be fun for the players, but not to the point where they can feel they can do WHATEVER they want.
Pielorinho
Iron Fist of Pelor
Well, I hate doing stats, so I usually start with PCGen and then tweak the results until they're close to what I like. Here are my favorite two NPCs to play:
Fuati, Town Guard: in a corrupt, lazy guard force, Fuati is a real gem. She's smart, tough, dedicated, and wry. She's also a real bully, and if she thinks the PCs are on the wrong side of the law, she'll intimidate the hell out of them.
Play tips: lean forward. Speak low and fast, with slightly-squinty eyes. Threaten recalcitrant PCs with dire legal consequences, up to and including treason against the crown. Be sarcastic and caustic -- but pragmatic. If the PCs are on the shady side of the law, but they're fighting worse evils, help them out. Don't ever miss a clue, and constantly look for holes in the PCs' stories. Badger them into confessions.
Gozi, cleric of a knowledge god: IMC, she's a very short human, but she could equally be a gnome. Her partner, Ezgin, is a tall, lanky scholar, with a couple levels of expert. The two of them love nothing better than a thorny puzzle.
Play tips: Gozi performs magic through pedantry. If you're wounded, she'll describe the imbalance of humors in your body, referencing the opinions of three different learned physicians, and describe how the muscular layer needs to knit itself together with an infusion of sanguinus. Bam! 1d8+4 hit points regained. She and Ezgin frequently get distracted by loud arguments with one another over entirely trivial points and will forget that the PCs are present. They're also great sources of gossip, if you can get them steered around to the right subject. Ezgin has a library that he knows backwards and forwards, and is a mathematical genius.
Daniel
Fuati, Town Guard: in a corrupt, lazy guard force, Fuati is a real gem. She's smart, tough, dedicated, and wry. She's also a real bully, and if she thinks the PCs are on the wrong side of the law, she'll intimidate the hell out of them.
Play tips: lean forward. Speak low and fast, with slightly-squinty eyes. Threaten recalcitrant PCs with dire legal consequences, up to and including treason against the crown. Be sarcastic and caustic -- but pragmatic. If the PCs are on the shady side of the law, but they're fighting worse evils, help them out. Don't ever miss a clue, and constantly look for holes in the PCs' stories. Badger them into confessions.
Gozi, cleric of a knowledge god: IMC, she's a very short human, but she could equally be a gnome. Her partner, Ezgin, is a tall, lanky scholar, with a couple levels of expert. The two of them love nothing better than a thorny puzzle.
Play tips: Gozi performs magic through pedantry. If you're wounded, she'll describe the imbalance of humors in your body, referencing the opinions of three different learned physicians, and describe how the muscular layer needs to knit itself together with an infusion of sanguinus. Bam! 1d8+4 hit points regained. She and Ezgin frequently get distracted by loud arguments with one another over entirely trivial points and will forget that the PCs are present. They're also great sources of gossip, if you can get them steered around to the right subject. Ezgin has a library that he knows backwards and forwards, and is a mathematical genius.
Daniel
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There's a line between suspension and just plain doing whatever the hell you want, and just playing an RPG with no guidelines/campaigns. It's supposed to be an adventure, and there's no adventure in saying "ok, I want that +1 longsword, but I don't have enough for it, I try to kill the weaponsmith with my dagger!"
LostSoul
Adventurer
Don21584 said:
If someone does that, that's okay.
The guard shows up and starts chasing the murderer. If he kills them too, he's probably going to be hunted down all over the place, by bounty hunters and royal guardsmen and other adventurers. And now the hunt has become the adventure.
If the players didn't want to face the consequences of thier actions, too bad. If they aren't having much fun, then you've got a problem; but however you fix it, make sure they realize that thier actions don't occur in a vaccuum.
And maybe some players would rather be that bandit lord lurking in the woods, waiting for some group of good adventurers to come and slay him.
Corporate Dog
Explorer
Don21584 said:
On the contrary, it's spot on.
Let me draw you a real-world parallel to the situation...
You walk into the neighborhood Quickie Mart and pull a gun on the hapless store clerk, because he has a package of Twinkies that you want, and which you can't afford. Which is the more likely scenario...?
A.) Apu is really a Special Forces/Green Beret type who is not only quick enough to dodge bullets, but also knock the gun out of your grip, and kill you with his bare hands.
B.) Apu either puts up some weak resistance and gets shot, or he complies with your request. Either way you get the Twinkies.
In spite of the ocassional showing of "The World's Wackiest Security Camera Hijinks" (or whatever) on TV, most store clerks just want to get the big scary man with the gun out of their store, and will offer ZERO resistance. Ergo, B. is the more likely scenario.
But does it end there? Of course not. You might've gotten away with your package of Twinkies, but your problems are just beginning. The cops will be called in, and will take down eyewitness testimony. The security camera tapes will be looked at. A sketch artist will draw your likeness, and it'll be posted everywhere. You won't be able to walk outside without being pounced on by the cops, and I can guarantee you, no matter how much of a badass you think you are, that you won't be able to take on a whole squad. The majority of thugs who participate in such holdups ARE caught eventually.
So to bring it back to the subject matter, a GOOD DM would allow the players to do what they want, without having to bring in some thin and poorly justified deus ex machina to counter them. In the real world, these things take care of themselves. The players SHOULD know this, and the DM SHOULD enforce this.
Regards,
Corporate Dog
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