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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EugeneZ" data-source="post: 5194488" data-attributes="member: 83605">I wanted to return to this thread once I got a good read of #5 in, since it felt like Imban's core issues were never addressed. If there's truly some stupid NPCs here, I'd like to resolve that before running them. I've found NPCs in Burning Sky to be one of the highlights and want to keep the standard high.I'm assuming you're playing the 3.5 version since #7 isn't out (though some people are doing their own conversion, so you never know). I don't have that one in front of me, but I just read the 4e version and there are several options given for getting the PCs to the forbidden valley.The first, for some reason, is abducting a party member. I think the idea was less "oh, those pesky PCs!" (because as you say, the PCs are not actually anti-Caela at the time) and more the idea that Caela has been kidnapping people at random, and for the purpose of drama it happens to be a PC.However, depending on how it's handled, it could be a crappy meta move for the player. No one likes being captured via script, especially when his allies don't suffer the same fate. Surely this reason alone should be enough to not recommend this option first.(B) should be enough to warrant investigation when the PCs feel they have no better leads. But, hey, I can see them not going for it. So from a design perspective, then it's Caela's turn to take action. Your assumption here is she knowingly targets the PCs. Since she's just capturing random people for experimination, I don't see why you think this.Besides, if you don't like the idea of abducting a PC, the module also recommends either capturing a sympathetic NPC (such as a child), or simply having Eril ask them to investigate it.Regardless of which of these three options, or one of your own, you use, Caela's motivations are not targeting the PCs directly.I don't see how this makes NPCs stupid. Well, I do, but not in the way you mean, I think. Balance is, yes, making the Ragesians "stupid" in sense. But that's the entire point: besides the motivation of not wanting to attack a huge enemy force for no reason, there's no reason to do ANYTHING with the Ragesians other than wonder what's causing this lack of activity on their behalf.</blockquote>

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