Special flower NPCs rewrite:1

bryce0lynch

i fucking hate writing ...
Staff member
You need to be careful to avoid using a special NPC party members in an adventure. This could be an NPC that needs to be escorted, a NPC that helps the party, or other types. Ultimately, these NPC's rob the party of interactivity and tend to be signs that the adventure is written to played a certain way ... which is almost never good.

It can be tempting to add an NPC to help the party turn undead, heal, fulfill their destiny by slaying the Demon Prince, or other uses. These NPC's rob the party of their interactivity. The story is no longer the parties, but the NPC's ... which in reality means the designer. But, the designer is not telling a story; they are just creating a situation in which the party is creating a story. Instead consider why the NPC is being added. If it's to help the party then perhaps the adventure level range is incorrect? If it's more a story purpose then why isn't that the parties story instead of the NPC & GM's story? Don't steal the focus away from the party. Giovanni Chronicles was a real thing. Don't do that.
 
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DangerousPuhson

Should be playing D&D instead
One caveat to this - the "bonus" NPC, whose continued presence offers an advantage but is not essential. And I don't just mean some sell-sword or lantern-bearer; quite the opposite. I'm talking about people who ought to balance their usefulness by being utterly useless in a fight. I mean the doddering old man who can open the secret doors and save everyone a bunch of time, or the small child with the telekinetic ability to unlock the vault without touching it, or the floating ancestral spirit who watches the group when they sleep and wakes them if there's danger. They're fragile, and you can lose them easily, and they're only useful in specific situations, but if you can get them to where they need to be then you get to reap some cool benefits.
 

bryce0lynch

i fucking hate writing ...
Staff member
Hmmm, I see what you're saying. Is that an escort mission? Are there non escort mission uses? I'm not passing judgement on escorts, but if there are valid uses outside of that then I don't need to have an opinion on escorts. Which is good.
 

DangerousPuhson

Should be playing D&D instead
I find the term "escort" implies some sort of need to actively defend, and a consequence upon failure to do so. This is more of a "bonus"- the same kind you get any time you have the right thing in the right moment - and also the kind that should be able to be lost just as easily as any breakable potion flask or flammable scroll. But hey, sometimes the flask shatters, the papyrus burns, and the NPC dies.

The benefits of an NPC need not be weighed out in full against those of magic items, potent powers, or strong spells - an NPC will always be the most versatile addition to the game, able to emulate any manner of solution those things would provide (and always at the DM's personal discretion). Not to mention their invaluable contribution to a game's stakes, plots, intrigue, entertainment, etc. Again, all in as much or as little as the DM desires - hands tightly on the reins at all times.

The real caveat to NPCs is mishandling. Usually goes away with practice.
 
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Beoric

8, 8, I forget what is for
The real caveat to NPCs is mishandling. Usually goes away with practice.
I agree with this, although I would point out that it is possible to "bake" mishandling right into the published module. The wizard from N1 is an example of this; a lot of ink is spent on dealing with the fact that you have added a much higher level wizard to the party just so you could have a tougher boss monster.

Also, I wouldn't call it an escort mission if you get to choose whether to bring the NPC. You may want to bring a fragile NPC who unerringly detects traps, for instance. And @DangerousPuhson is right, NPCs can be more versatile, because you don't have to follow the chargen rules when you are decide what they can do.
 

DangerousPuhson

Should be playing D&D instead
Also, I wouldn't call it an escort mission if you get to choose whether to bring the NPC. You may want to bring a fragile NPC who unerringly detects traps, for instance.
Yeah, exactly. A good NPC is more of an interactive (some would say the interactive) tool, rather than being an intrusive element.
 
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