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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CruelSummerLord" data-source="post: 4451072" data-attributes="member: 48692">Along with avoiding statting out NPCs, would it help if the campaign setting is in general lower-powered, with fewer magic items?  I think the prevalence of characters decked out like Christmas trees, with magic shops to boot, really leads to problems when players wonder why, if these characters have such vast resources, why they don't just solve the problems themselves.  They might also reasonably ask as to why the NPC doesn't at least help them with buffs, scrying, or teleportation to and from the place, as Fenes pointed out.   Part of the problem might simply be that the NPCs just don't have access to teleportation or scrying.  Even the BBEG won't have as many magical goodies and resources as he might like-sure, having multiple items of protection might be nice, but even BBEGs only have so many resources they can distribute.  Same thing with buffs-if I were in charge, I'd rule that you can have bull's strength or cat's grace, but not both-if you try to cast a second buff on someone when they already have one, congratulations, you've lost them both because they cancel each other out.   From what I'm getting in this thread, the big problem is having the players be in the NPC's shadow, or otherwise having them serve as deus ex machina.  It doesn't seem like, for example, most players would object to the Wise Old Wizard (tm) doing a lot of research to point them in the right direction, or otherwise using all the plot coupons they've gathered to create a way to defeat the villain-after all, the players still have to act on the information, and they get to do all the dangerous and glorious stuff.  The NPC just took care of the boring parts and leaves the fun ones for the players.   Would there be any objection for a high-ranking (as opposed to high level) NPC pulling some strings to help the players out, if it's handled correctly?  If, for instance, the players are continually frustrated by that band of corrupt young noblemen who they beat up for harassing the barmaids and peasants in the tavern, with the young nobles using their political power to harass the players, would they object if a more powerful aristocrat, who feels he owes the PCs a favor because they rescued his daughter when she was kidnapped by those bandits who raided the caravan, pulled sone strings to get the younger nobles off their backs?  This could potentially be used to gain a friend that can otherwise smooth things over and help the PCs when they're in town, but who otherwise doesn't get involved in their business and isn't making them do step-and-fetch quests or upstaging them.</blockquote>

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