Path: ...!weretis.net!feeder6.news.weretis.net!news.quux.org!campaignwiki.org!.POSTED.staticline-31-183-178-178.toya.net.pl!not-for-mail From: Kyonshi Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd Subject: Re: NPC classes Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2024 20:02:53 +0200 Organization: Campaign Wiki Message-ID: References: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Injection-Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2024 18:11:54 -0000 (UTC) Injection-Info: sibirocobombus.campaignwiki; posting-host="staticline-31-183-178-178.toya.net.pl:31.183.178.178"; logging-data="1231345"; mail-complaints-to="alex@alexschroeder.ch" User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird Hamster/2.1.0.1548 Cancel-Lock: sha1:Rph1H78LWGRXRE7RyH+4T9JwvJQ= sha256:g9IGq0qPBtIjKceu703uKilLtdtokG5VO/ySmNuBdC4= sha1:0RUlvLT53JBn3ofe6CD2S004lTc= sha256:cJyrqHS/3nar1hNG7I//+LqRlhcIfesYykGj9PsYYtM= Content-Language: en-US In-Reply-To: Bytes: 3086 Lines: 39 On 4/2/2024 4:14 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote: > On Tue, 2 Apr 2024 10:58:10 +0200, Kyonshi wrote: > >> I recently was rethinking the use of NPC classes in my (mostly >> OSR-style) games. Previously I had dismissed them as unsuccessful >> attempts at making overpowered PC classes. But reading them "as written" >> they make much more sense as human boss monsters in a lot of cases. > >> What are your preferred NPC classes, if any? > > Generally, I don't 'class' NPCs unless I fully expect them to go up > against the players (at which point, at least in my mind, they > transition from 'NPC' to 'monster' ;-). But when I do, I stick with > RAW and limit the NPCs to the same choices as the players. It adds > consistency to the world, and makes things more fair in terms of > gameplay. > > One of the problems I've found with 'classing' NPCs is that it leads > to power creep. The king has to be a level 15 warrior, the blacksmith > is 4th level rogue, etc. etc. Superficially this makes sense, except > D&D classes are largely ranked around their combat effectiveness, and > that's not the only way to achieve power. So I try to avoid giving > levels and classes to the NPCs. > > I was mostly thinking about using them as specific sort of monster NPCs because they would be basically boss monsters with special powers that just happen to be human. And I noticed a lot of them are kind of... lame. I mean things like the Necromancer is fine, especially with a bit of a backstory that's an amazing character to deal with... (Pulsipher published that one as a pdf on his website a while ago: https://pulsiphergames.com/DandD/NECROMANCERAnAD&DCharacterClass.pdf) ....but then there's stuff like the Bandit. Ok, that's basically Robin Hood or another named outlaw. But the Thief-Acrobat. I mean, wut? The Scout? The Sentinel? The Jester?