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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wyrmshadows" data-source="post: 4449352" data-attributes="member: 56166">How one uses supporting NPCs is entirely context dependant. A sidekickA mentorA love interestA family memberA society the PCs belong to (the Harpers, church hierarchy)etc. They all provide plot hooks and the opportunity for interaction that supports the plot or adds versimilitude by making it seem that the PCs are the only 'real' people in the setting.  The heroes may be the center of any given story regarding their exploits ie. the current campaign but the setting should have heroes of lesser power than the heroes and those who are of greater power than the heroes.  IME greater heroes...those with recognized names in the setting...are, if used well and sparingly, sources of help, inspiration and potentially powerful allies/friends. Heroes of greater and lesser strength than the heroes make it seem as though the PCs are part of a dynamic setting....one that isn't in stasis until the PCs get there. The DMs job is to make sure that even if the heroes aren't the greatest heroes evah just yet, that they are the greatest heroes in any given campaign.  However, just because the campaign spotlights the heroes this doesn't mean that there aren't many, many threats that the PCs aren't yet powerful enough to combat. In a developed setting of any kind there are many regions, nations, peoples, threats, heroes and villians, some of whom the PCs may never meet.  The DM can feel free to set off a war in a kingdom next to where the PCs are currently adventuring so as to set up a potential campaign arc for five levels from now. Great warriors, priests and mages of the kingdom who are currently much more poweful than the PCs are battling the threat but when the PCs arrive they may coincidently find themselves being overwhelmed and needing the assistance of the PCs.  There are plenty of ways to have a believable setting with powerful NPCs and to not have them upstage the PCs in a given campaign. I think a lot of anti-NPC hostility (such as what I have seen in regards to FR) comes from those who read setting-based novels. Back when I DMed an FR campaign I was lucky because my players loathed FR novels so had no resentment of the all-powerful, always cool, always winning NPCs of note. IMC the PC have encountered NPCs such as Alustrial, Elminster, Storm Silverhand, the Simbul, Azoun, etc. and liked working bot for them (at lower levels), with them (at higher levels) and even even saving their lives on occasion. Well developed NPCs can and do add a great deal fo richness to a setting.   Wyrmshadows</blockquote>

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