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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ruin Explorer" data-source="post: 3765085" data-attributes="member: 18">Why is it that some NPCs in some RPGs manage to be so viscerally irritating? Is it bad writing? Good writing? Personality clash? Rules violations? It's certainly not just me, because I hear the same complaints about the same NPCs from a wide variety of DMs.This is particularly true in the Forgotten Realms setting for D&D, but I'm sure it's true of many other settings too.I mean, it's been a while since I ran the Realms. I don't even really remember much about Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun. I do remember one thing - I hate him and would enjoy seeing how far I could kick his skull. I know I've somehow managed to get my players to feel the same way, without them directly interacting with him, I remember the sneers when his name is mentioned.What setting NPCs do you hate? Do you remember why? Do you use them anyway, or replace them, or what?I know that 90% of the FR NPCs I hate blatantly violate the rules in some serious way, often in a way that players would kill to do. I think part of it is that they're clearly the "pets" of writers and GMs who have little concern for how pampering said pet will negatively impact the setting, so maybe that's it.I wonder if someone has thought about this more than I, and come up with a more rational and/or detailed explanation?</blockquote>