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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Byrons_Ghost" data-source="post: 2079511" data-attributes="member: 7396">As a player, I dislike any kind of tag-along NPCs. Either they're GM PCs who overshadow the PCs (and it doesn't always have to be power level, I've seen games where the PCs had equal power but the NPC had all of the plot hooks, back story, and campaign connections). Or, they're helpless civilians who have no business with an adventuring group and just slow down the campaign. The latter one, I can see for a session or two- a story about getting endangered villagers to a safe haven, etc. But then they should get to the haven and go about their lives.Oddly enough, the worst abuses of both of these I've seen weren't in D&D games, but in Mage: the Ascension games. Apparently, Tradition mages just collect clueless Sleepers as they go about their merry way. I have no idea why, since the Sleepers should really just be bringing down more paradox, but it's been a part of every M:tA game I've been in. The one I ran even had this- eventually, there were 5-6 helpless mortals associated with the cabal. I tried to keep them in the background, but when the mages are transporting them from the Umbra to Earth, they sort of have to pay attention to what the NPCs are wandering into.As as DM, I can't really think of a "worst" NPC that I've had. At least, I haven't had any complaints (to my face, that is). I did the "Magic Shoppe" routine in my last game, but I didn't have any problems with the players buying and selling magic items, and I had limits on what the could get. Also, the shop was run by a pair of old ladies with suspicious ties to various dark powers, so after a while the PCs were hesitant to deal with them (but still had to if they wanted that brand-new item... oh, the humanity!!!!)Oh, as for the indestructible BBEG, I've also seen this in another game more than D&D, and that was Call of Cthulhu. Some of the older CoC modules have patently ridiculous methods of saving their villains for future supplements. In D&D, it did occasionally happen that a villain would have a teleport or contingency or whatever handy, but as a player who does that sort of thing myself I just think of it as part of the game. Also, most of these guys fell into the "super-powerful wizard's council member who we really shouldn't have been messing with in the first place" category, so it was much more understandable.</blockquote>

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