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I've done a thing now and then where, if it seems likely that a friendly NPC will join in a fight that the PCs are involved in, I won't roll for them, but instead hand a player a small sheet that lists really basic stuff like their HP, attack and damage dice, and one or two unique abilities they can use, and let them handle playing them. It'll usually be some kind of gimmick, like one guy who could create portals, and another who was a spy and could mimic anyone else's abilities (effectively letting the volunteering player be two of themselves for that fight). Naturally the encounter itself is set up to where these unique things are genuinely useful, though preferably not crucial. Mileage might vary on this, depending on how 'immersed' players prefer to be, but frankly I find it a pain to handle more than the opponents and environmental stuff during fights (and oftentimes I forget to anyway), so I like this solution when it's viable. So, I actually do have a question, sort of unrelated to that. How do you feel about fudging the dice, so to speak, in favor of opponents that are intended to be recurring? You know the old story where the PCs meet the guy intended to be the main villain but outright kill him in the very first encounter, thus ruining the GM's brilliant plan. What this involves is rather than having the opponent die, let them escape, have them go  I'LL GET YOU NEXT TIME or some such, and then gently caress off while the heroes can take care of business.Ultimately, of course, the GM has complete control over everything and can theoretically have the bad guy do whatever the GM wants, but I fear that overdoing this, even if it was just with one particular NPC, would diminish the players' sense of victory -- while doing it right, on the other hand, could give them more reason to crave a rematch so they can deliver another well-deserved beatdown.
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Apr 15, 2014 04:55
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 07:22 |
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Thanks folks! Got a better perspective now on how to handle villain survival/unexpected death. So, there's some advice I can give with total confidence on NPC portrayal: Don't be afraid to give them stupid accents. And ham it up. Players love this poo poo. If the NPC is an ogre, do hulkspeak. If the NPC is an arrogant viking swordsman, talk like Skwisgaar Skwigelf. Doesn't matter if you're a great actor, you're not in this to win an Oscar. That said, use verbal ticks (like stuttering, lisping, etc.) only sparingly. They can get kinda old. Oh yeah, also, Your game is not a brilliant original work of literature, so NPCs can be ripoffs. If you figure it would get a better reaction from the players if the shady, meddling nobleman talked like the Earl of Lemongrab, what the hell, go nuts. You're not getting this poo poo published anyway.
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Apr 15, 2014 09:13
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