"If this problem is so bad, why aren't YOU doing it, NPC?"

[delericho]

While writing an adventure, one detail I normally gloss over or flat-out ignore is why higher level NPCs don't join the epic struggle that the PCs are involved in. For kick down the door style of play it's less of a problem, but the question still stands as to why higher level adventurers haven't already scoured the place for every last monster and every bit of treasure.

For many, it will be a question of time. That high-level Wizard could wipe out the Goblin horde with ease, but it would involve taking several days away from his studies into the nature of magic, studies that he considers more important.

For some, it will be a matter of inclination. Sure, that high-level Rogue could deal with the assassin's guild... but what's in it for him? Indeed, for some, the existence of that assassin's guild may be occasionally useful!

For some, it may be a question of balance. They have a tacit agreement with the forces of evil that they won't take big, dramatic action, because if they do then the forces of evil will mobilise their 'big guns' in response and swarm the local area... mutually assured destruction results.

For some, it is a matter of risk. That high-level Fighter could deal with the invading Hobgoblin army... but there's always the risk he might die in the process. Problem is, he's also the crown prince, and if he dies it distabilises the entire kingdom. (And who knows how resurrection magic will affect laws about succession!)

That solution bothers me, just because I like having mentor type NPC's there...

Well, there's another thing. In D&D 3e and beyond, there aren't any effects that grant immortality (except via undeath). All those high level NPCs are going to die one day, and they really need someone to take over the good fight on behalf of the people left behind. But that means training up a new generation of heroes. Of course, that requires that they gain practical experience in fighting evil, and that means going on adventures.

It's like raising a child - there comes a point where you can't do everything for them, because you end up doing them more harm than good.

Another question is, why do adventuring parties seem to be steady around 4-6 people? Wouldn't it make more sense to take 20 able bodied adventurers into the goblins halls?

Not really, they'd just get in one another's way. Also, there wouldn't be enough treasure to go around, which means they'd end up being under paid. Ideally, from a cost/benefit point of view, you want as small a team as possible, each with a fairly narrow speciality in which they are very skilled.

Which sounds awfully familiar...

 

[JoeGKushner]

I've been playing since about... 84?

I can't recall a player ever asking me this question.

I know it sticks in the craw of a lot of people, especially in a well established setting like the Forgotten Realms, but if the players ain't bothered by it, it doesn't matter.

 

[S'mon]

"I'll be doing something more important" is a lame answer that deprotagonises the PCs. I prefer:

1. Any high level NPCs are old and feeble.

2. There aren't many high level NPCs.

3. PCs are qualitatively different - 4e supports this; PCs have much more endurance than NPCs due to their healing surges.
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In my 3.5 campaign, nearly all NPCs are NPC-class, and don't normally exceed 6th level. I don't use the 3e Monster Manuals so I don't have to worry about CR 12 monsters stomping all over civilisation. The 5th-7th level PCs are now the most powerful heroes in all the realm. A few legendary NPCs go to around 10th level, most of these are BBEGs. The Ultimate Baddy is 14th level NPC-class and a suitable foe for a PC group around 6th-7th level.

 

[steenan]

Don't have powerful NPCs give the heroes quests to save the world. Make the plot hooks personal, so that the PCs are themselves interested in taking care of them. If there are powerful NPCs, it's up to the players to persuade them to help.

Of course, local and personal plots may grow into epic ones over the course of a campaign - but then the PCs are already both powerful and invested enough to follow through with them, instead of waiting for NPCs to do it.

 

[Runestar]

Gandalf was worried he'd be too easily corrupted by the power of the ring.

How is it that a simply hobbit was able to resist the taint of the ring far longer than him?

That was the problem many gamers had with earlier versions of the Forgotten Realms. There were so many high-level badasses in the literature of the setting that it somewhat strained credulity that the world even needed yet another group of heroes. The newer version of the Realms addresses that.

The answer I have to that is that even high lv npcs only have so much time and resources to take care of so many problems that for the rest, they need to outsource. At any one time, there are easily multiple plots being hatched by all sorts of villains.

Elminster and the 7 sisters can't be everywhere at once. The Simbul and Alustriel have countries to govern, for instance. Simply put, they have more productive things to do than to spend every waking minute spying on their foes and waiting for things to happen so they can intervene.

In addition, high lv npcs might hesitate to intervene directly if they thought their actions would draw out equally powerful enemies as well. If Elminster teleports straight to the evil base, it might force Manshoon and Fzoul to retaliate with full force. So you might actually be better off getting "weaker" parties to be involved.

 

[InVinoVeritas]

Elminster and the 7 sisters can't be everywhere at once. The Simbul and Alustriel have countries to govern, for instance. Simply put, they have more productive things to do than to spend every waking minute spying on their foes and waiting for things to happen so they can intervene.

...except that, in some of the worst adventures I've seen, they can. I'm reminded of one adventure in which if the PCs fall into too much trouble, Elminster randomly teleports in with an unruly dog. He ignores the PCs. He tries to get the dog to heel, and every time he says "heel" his Wand of Healing goes off and heals a PC. Once the characters are healed, he and the dog randomly teleport away.

The real lesson here, of course, is don't do that.

 

[Barcode]

Had a PC once who was a junior member of a high-powered organization. He was always reporting in, asking for advice and help everytime the party advanced the quest one more step, to the point of being disruptive and annoying.

One day, when he reported in a particularly disturbing tidbit, I had his contact inform him that the organization would take care of the quest from here on in, that the party should consider the matter resolved and return to the city. They, mostly not being members of the organization, of course did not, but when they reached the next adventure point found that the "dungeon" was cleaned out, all helpful evidence gone, every creature dead.

Of course, this was not the end of the campaign. There was corruption in the organization, ham-handed mishandling of delicate situations, etc... The organization became a secondary obstacle to be overcome the rest of the way.

The lesson, I suppose, is that just because NPC's are high level doesn't mean they are better at solving the overall problem than the PC's are.

 

[delericho]

How is it that a simply hobbit was able to resist the taint of the ring far longer than him?

The real answer is that the story wouldn't work otherwise.

However, I believe the in-character answer works like this: Frodo couldn't use the power of the Ring, where Gandalf could. Therefore, Gandalf would forever be tempted to make use of that power to do good, and so would eventually be corrupted by it. (The same applies to Boromir, Aragorn, and the other great and good individuals in the story.) Frodo, by his simple inability to ever use the greater powers of the Ring, was therefore almost entirely immune to that temptation.

(And, of course, let's not forget that eventually even Frodo wasn't strong enough to give up the Ring.)

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

How is it that a simply hobbit was able to resist the taint of the ring far longer than him?

Quoted from the film:

"Hobbits really are amazing creatures. You can learn everything about them in an afternoon and yet, a hundred years later, they can still surprise you."

In answer to the original question, I like campaigns where it's made clear that there isn't anyone else to do what you're doing. The local guard won't stand up to the attacks of monsters. The local Cleric can't sling divine fire around. The local Mage is an old man, great on magical theory but hasn't slung a fireball in thirty years.

It's you. You're it. Do the job or people die all around you.

 

[Umbran]

How is it that a simply hobbit was able to resist the taint of the ring far longer than him?

One true answer is, "He didn't." Recall the book - at the end, at Mount Doom, Frodo loses the fight of wills with the ring. It is only Gollum attacking him and biting it off and falling that destroys the ring. If that had been Gandalf, the game would have been over, as you'd have had a second Sauron walking around.

Another answer is that Gandalf wasn't only worried about falling to the Ring, but that Sauron would notice. The Eye was not going to miss Gandalf taking the thing to Mount Doom, where it might miss Frodo.