Use of NPC's rather than monsters

[Lord Zardoz]

First, a partial quote from a different combat related thread

Bo9S is a great book from the player perspective, but it's a bookkeeping nightmare from a DM viewpoint (for example, no way I'm using a crusader NPC without a pre-planned list of maneuvers recovered, and even then it's burdensome)

Now I have not had the opportunity to run much in the way of higher level games. But I suspect that a lot of DM's use villains that could very well be player characters, at least as far as having a full set of feats, skills, and spells.

I wonder how many DM's are basically setting them selves up for a book keeping nightmare by tending to prefer monsters and villains that mostly have a lot of situational and one shot abilities rather than things they can do repeatedly?

Given the emphasis on reduced prep time, we can anticipate some of the decisions they will run with. Monsters that "Do one thing and do it well" are easier to run than swiss army knife monsters that have 10 things they can choose to do at any given time. But will they also give rules that make it just as easy to spec out an NPC villain that is as easy to manage and use as a monster?

END COMMUNICATION

 

[Nifft]

In terms of complexity to run:
Crusaders are about as bad as Clerics or Wizards.
Swordsages are similar to Sorcerers.
Warblades are more like Warlocks or Binders.

There are differences, sure, but I'm just talking complexity of book-keeping. Crusaders have recovery issues, Clerics & Wizards have buffs.

Anyway. Yeah, it'd be nice to have rules which streamline the complication without removing the tactical complexity. IMHO there are classes faced with terribly complicated bookkeeping already present in the PHB.

Cheers, -- N

PS: I'd use NPC Warblades or Swordsages any time. It's just the Crusader who's too complicated IMHO.

 

[hong]

Bo9S characters become MUCH easier to run if you have props, namely, a deck of cards. One card for each maneuver. For the crusader, shuffle the deck and draw 2 cards each round; when you're out of cards, reshuffle and start again. For the swordsage and warblade, lay all the cards for readied maneuvers on the table, and tap them as they're used. Untap the cards when you refresh.