Slit518
Adventurer
Ah, alright. I always thought the antagonist was the villain, but instead they are the opposition/opponent of the protagonist.
I got you. Thanks, Morris!
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D&D 5E WotC's Stats for Zaknafein Do'Udern
- Thread starter Morrus
- Start date
Ah, alright. I always thought the antagonist was the villain, but instead they are the opposition/opponent of the protagonist.
I got you. Thanks, Morris!
Weiley31
Legend
To quote Oda Nobunaga from the Samurai Warriors game series.
It's just....that...simple.
Weiley31
Legend
If there weren't powerful NPCs before your PCs came, the Realms/World would've been taken over by Tiamat or by whatever else the next BBEG waiting in line. There wouldn't be a need for heroes if powerful evil NPCs weren't able to defeat the forces of good or put em in a stalemate.
Likewise, your non Bladesinger human ain't gonna learn Bladesinging if your not convincing thiat disgruntled legendary Bladesinger to teach you that lost art in a world of the fallen Bladesingers Order.
King Arthur the PC met Merlin the high level and powerful NPC who began his journey to the rightful throne of Britannia. Ben Kenobi is a PC in the Clone Wars, but a high level NPC by the time he meets Luke Skywalker.
The PCs can make their own legends, but first they have some shoes to fill in first when it comes to comparing themselves to Elminster or Drizzit/ his dad or whoever else.
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On the other hand, when the PCs are the same level as the legendary NPCs, they should be on the same standing-- when they are the same level as Drizzt, they should be peers of Drizzt, and when they are the same level as Elminster, they should be peers of Elminster.
And the way the Forgotten Realms NPCs are designed, consistently, that will never be possible.
The NPCs are just somebody else's PCs.
TheCosmicKid
Hero
Powerful NPCs should look like powerful PCs. They shouldn't look like PCs that cheated on their ability score rolls.
Why? Like, why?
TheCosmicKid
Hero
Because players, especially those playing in an established setting like the Forgotten Realms, are at the table to play the same sorts of adventures they read about Drizzt and Co. having. These NPCs are not gods or monsters; they're adventurers supposedly just like any PC. So if rules come out for them and they're impossible or nearly impossible for PCs to compare to, the question arises what that's supposed to mean. Are the rules for PCs generating only some sort of minor-league hero? If so, why? Why are we playing with those rules? Can we play with the rules that generate actual heroes instead?
EDIT: Note that 5E character creation rules literally use Bruenor Battlehammer and Artemis Entreri as examples.
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Mercurius
Legend
Hmm. First of all, there are alternatives to the either/or of standary array for demigods and FR-inflated superheroes. I gave some push-back because the MF stat blocks (while overall very good) created some dissonance with the actual myths. Heracles, for instance, was never just a guy; he was a demigod and larger than life.
If I were to create such NPCs I'd utilize some kind of "Divine Heritage" sub-system that sought to address the question: What sort of statistical impact would being a demigod entail? It might include a "Mythic Array" and some kind of supernatural gifts, ala Theros, and mythic boons at earlier levels. Shoe-horning demigods and other mythic characters into the RAW without adjustment ends up diminishing their mystique. IMO. Again, in a broad appreciation for what you folks created -- which is very good.
Zaknafein, on the other hand, looks like the type of character I would have "rolled up" in middle school.
cbwjm
Seb-wejem
Looking at Zaknafein's ability scores, I have players in my game that would have similar scores by the time they hit level 20. Despite the general trend of people disparaging rolling and assuming any PC with high scores cheated on the rolls, sometimes, the legitimately roll well. Current halfling barbarian is rocking scores of 20, 16, 18, 10, 12, 13 at level 5. At level 19 they will be more or less similar to Zak's scores, at level 20 they'd be even stronger and more durable, though I don't think the campaign will actually last that long.
