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Message: <blockquote data-quote="fanboy2000" data-source="post: 5465255" data-attributes="member: 19998">Generally speaking, I like the idea that my NPCs do things I wouldn't do. In fact, I like the idea that they might do things that I think they wouldn't do. Unlike a PC, who's every action is filtered through the player's "would my character do this?" prism, NPCs provide a chance for characters who wholly unplanned for things.Consider a situation that's come up fairly regularly in my games.I used to have a group of players who, for whatever reason, love to go to the highest authority in the area and look for work. Sure, they'll take work from other people, but left to their own devices, they'll ask me where the baron or king lives and then seek an audience with them. I try not to leave them to their own devices, but their a crafty bunch. So I'm left trying roleplay the various people one has to go through to get to these people, and sometime even the noble.Now, I could just make it impossible to get to the noble. I sometimes do that. You know, so and so is out doing important things. But I like the idea that, even though I don't think the noble would bother with my pitiful party, if the party is good enough and lucky enough, the noble will aqueous to the request. IOW, the game is more interesting to me when the party has a chance of success independent of my expectations.Of course, this means that the we have a chance to enter into terra incognito, but it's a risk that I'm often willing to take.I think that, generally speaking, option a creates more meaningful choices. It also creates more excitement. The players can calculate the odd (or at least estimate them if their bad at math) and they know that both outcomes are possible. Having the outcome based on a die roll means that the wizard's choices are meaningful, by choosing to make Str a dump stat, he's made it so that this situation has a low likelihood of success, while other situations have a higher chance of success.Of course, not everyone likes this. Some people do like randomness. I've certainly had my issues with it. But I like the idea that, should the wizard succeed, it's special. The odds were stacked against him, but he pulled though. That makes for a more compelling story to me because I know it wasn't pre-ordained by the DM, or based on my own skills in interactions with the DM, but on the choices I made about the PC.</blockquote>

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