In my two campaigns the PCs (at level 11 and 14) are very important in their corners of the world. They don't call the shots, but if something important has to be done, the powers that be call them in. The powerful NPCs usually are powerful because of their position (King, Noble, Archpriest etc.) and not because of their level - even if they are high-level they cannot just leave their positions to investigate and adventure.
Importance of PC's
- Thread starter Black Omega
- Start date
Importance of PCs
There are many roles. At lower levels, PCs aren't the stars of the main stage, but they are significant "bit players". At higher levels they can start to make more of a difference in the great scheme of things by getting involved with the movers and shakers, and not just going for wealth, power and prestige. At the highest levels, I find PCs either have honour and many good or lawfully aligned allies or they are stupidly rich and have a thousand daggers at their back.
PCs, however, aren't the only stars of the show. They may be assigned to a task, then get diverted and when they try to return, the quests been completed. The world and the action doesn't revolve around the PCs, actions are determined by my dice...and my random assignment of probability factors.
Dren
There are many roles. At lower levels, PCs aren't the stars of the main stage, but they are significant "bit players". At higher levels they can start to make more of a difference in the great scheme of things by getting involved with the movers and shakers, and not just going for wealth, power and prestige. At the highest levels, I find PCs either have honour and many good or lawfully aligned allies or they are stupidly rich and have a thousand daggers at their back.
PCs, however, aren't the only stars of the show. They may be assigned to a task, then get diverted and when they try to return, the quests been completed. The world and the action doesn't revolve around the PCs, actions are determined by my dice...and my random assignment of probability factors.
Dren
Numion
First Post
My current FR campaign took players from 1st to around 23rd level. At this point they're the most powerful people in the place; they could take out big el, for example, because he's such a wuss for CR 39. I think it's a good thing that there are high-level NPCs in the realms, because it leaves room for epic level play. If my players had been the movers-and-shakers at level 10, the campaign would've run out of steam by now.
Characters never once asked why someone more powerful wasn't doing their adventuring for them, and now they really don't have that option since there isn't any.
Next up in my campaign will be the City of Shade. They've got enough magical oomph to challenge any epic group.
(Although the realms good NPCs range from 20 to 35 level, they're so not powerful it's not even funny. Crippled by bad feat choices, multiclassing or equipment that they won't stand a chance against any self-respecting adventurers.)
Characters never once asked why someone more powerful wasn't doing their adventuring for them, and now they really don't have that option since there isn't any.
Next up in my campaign will be the City of Shade. They've got enough magical oomph to challenge any epic group.
(Although the realms good NPCs range from 20 to 35 level, they're so not powerful it's not even funny. Crippled by bad feat choices, multiclassing or equipment that they won't stand a chance against any self-respecting adventurers.)
francisca
I got dice older than you.
The PCs in my homebrew campaign are very important.
I got fed up with fantasy worlds which had tag lines like: "In the great days of yore, when gods and mighty mages strode across the veldt, wielding power too great for the ordinary mortal....blah blah blah..."
I want the PCs in my world to be those who gouge the eye out of vecna, or be vecna, even. I want them to possibly create the items that will persist for a millenia and become the artifacts of the future. I want them to cut the ring from sauron's finger, or tear down his forge before it can be made. Granted, they aren't epic level, but if they get there it will be a blast, and they'll get to shape the world.
In this world, the elves and dwarves are young races, meaning they haven't been around any longer than humans. Magic is just coming into prominence and the climate has been such that all of the human/humanoid/demi-human races are going through huge population explosions. War is on the horizon. Everything the players do changes the landscape, and I play off of it. I have general ideas on how the main NPCs behave, but much of their "plans" change as the PCs cause change throughout the game world.
I got fed up with fantasy worlds which had tag lines like: "In the great days of yore, when gods and mighty mages strode across the veldt, wielding power too great for the ordinary mortal....blah blah blah..."
I want the PCs in my world to be those who gouge the eye out of vecna, or be vecna, even. I want them to possibly create the items that will persist for a millenia and become the artifacts of the future. I want them to cut the ring from sauron's finger, or tear down his forge before it can be made. Granted, they aren't epic level, but if they get there it will be a blast, and they'll get to shape the world.
In this world, the elves and dwarves are young races, meaning they haven't been around any longer than humans. Magic is just coming into prominence and the climate has been such that all of the human/humanoid/demi-human races are going through huge population explosions. War is on the horizon. Everything the players do changes the landscape, and I play off of it. I have general ideas on how the main NPCs behave, but much of their "plans" change as the PCs cause change throughout the game world.
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