Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="uzirath" data-source="post: 8024353" data-attributes="member: 8495">I've run many adventures with groups of NPC rivals. Like [USER=6993955]@Fenris-77[/USER], I stat them up as much as is needed. Typically, I start with just a quick description of their goals, personality, and resources. If I expect a face-to-face encounter, I'll add stats that seem likely to come up. Anything else, I'll wing during the encounter and add to my notes to keep things consistent in the future. If I've got time, and mostly for fun, I'll build them like a full PC, but that level of detail is rarely necessary. Unlike PC parties which are usually a group of equals, I'll typically run NPC groups with a more powerful leader and some lesser minions. The minions might be quite competent and have names and whatnot, but they are less powerful and multifaceted. This helps manage the power level and gives the PCs a single personality to be the focus of their attention. A great worked example of using rivals effectively is in <a href="http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/dungeonfantasyadventure1/" target="_blank">Mirror of the Fire Demon</a> by Matt Riggsby. It's an adventure written for GURPS DF rather than 5e, but it includes about a dozen potential rivals for the PCs and a variety of minions. One neat element here was that each rival could be played as either a clever or a tough rival. Clever rivals are more open to negotiation but may not be honest about their goals. The tough rivals are more up-front, but also more likely to get into direct conflict with the PCs. The adventure plays differently every time based on which rivals rise to the top and how you play them.</blockquote>

Verification