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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Arial Black" data-source="post: 7263445" data-attributes="member: 6799649">I don't think so. Here it is again:-"NON-PLAYER CHARACTERSNon-Player Characters: You should, of course, set the ability scores of those NPCs you will use as parts of the milieu, particularly those of high level and power. Scores for high level NPC's must be high - how else could these figures have risen so high? Determine the ability scores of other non-player characters as follows.General Characters: Roll 3d6 for each ability score as usual, but use average scoring by consider any 1 as a3 and any 6 as a 4.Special Characters, including Henchmen: Roll 3d6 as for general characters, but allow the full range (3-18) except in the abilities which are germane to his or her profession, i.e. strength for fighters, etc. For all such abilities either use on of the determination methods used for player characters or add +1 to each die of the 3 rolled which scores under a 6."Both 'general characters' AND 'special characters' ARE 'the general population'! Every guard, sage, hedge wizard etc. may need stats which reflect their areas of expertise, but they are not some distinct species! The only people who aren't the 'general population' in this context are the adventurers themselves.To this end, as a DM tool the '3d-average' is a cheaty way to get nondescript NPCs, in exactly the same way as methods I to VI are cheaty ways to get the extraordinary scores typical of PCs. Not because they are a different species, but to save us the trouble of rolling twenty or thirty sets of stats on 3d6 in order until we roll a set that is good enough to be an adventurer. The 3d-average just saves the DM the trouble of rolling until he comes up with a nondescript enough set.Remember, the section starts with the advice that the DM should just set the NPC scores! But how high or low should he set them? high or low compared to what?That's right: high or low compared to the background assumption of the 3d6 bell curve!As always, there are two kinds of people:-1.) those who can extrapolate from incomplete information</blockquote>

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