Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 9143857" data-attributes="member: 29398">I'm not talking about non-PC-playable monsters.  A DM can pretty much do what she likes with those 'cause there's no PCs to require symmetry against. (this is part of why I don't like so many 'monster' species becoming PC-playable)I'm talking about NPCs of species and classes* that are also PC playable, and how what's good for the goose has to also be good for the gander.  If an NPC Elf can be a Wizard of level x and cast spell y then my same-level PC Elf Wizard should also be able to cast that spell (once I've looted and studied the foe's spellbook!)...and vice versa.  If my Fighter can whirlwind attack then an enemy Fighter who meets the pre-reqs should also be able to do so.  Morale rules, if used, should apply to PCs and NPCs alike.  And so on.* - I know 3e had NPC classes; those classes should also be PC-playable IMO, but also be so obviously sub-optimal in the field that nobody would ever want to play one for real.  As an example, the Commoner class should never gain hit points after 1st level.  That said, 3e also went overboard with the idea.Not necessarily.The trick is not to go through every single step to create the NPC, it's to create it by eyeball and then quickly check to make sure it fits within the bounds of what could have been created had you gone about it the long way; and if it doesn't, either fix it or come up with an in-game explanation for the exception.For example, you're creating a Goliath opponent for the party.  You want it to be really strong so you assign it a Strength of 25.  Well, in 5e Goliaths cap out at 20 if rolled up as PCs (maybe 22 after ASIs?  not sure on that), meaning what you've just made fails the symmetry check; and you've either got to knock its Strength down to what a PC can do or give it a magic item that runs its Strength score up...a magic item you're prepared to allow the PCs to scoop up and use after the fight.  Otherwise, you've just set a binding precedent that Goliaths in your world can go to Strength 25.</blockquote>

Verification