|
John And Mike, would it be possible for you to do a web post of stat blocks for Major NPC's? I thinking of NPC's Like the VC's and the Faction Heads, the Blackros family members. Perhaps some of the guests form he Hell Knights Feast and other reoccuring NPC's from past seasons.
This would be helpful for GM's. BTW I just ran Hell Knight's Feast Last night and it was one of the best scenarios to date you guys and the author did a great job on it. The only problem I had as a GM with it was a time issue it could have easily ran 2 more hours.
Developer
|
I do enjoy designing stat blocks.
That said, there's an important counterpoint to consider: the [not necessarily proportional] inverse relationship between establishing canon and maintaining design flexibility.
When an NPC is just a name, the author/developer has a huge range of options as to who that person is, what that person wants, what alignment he or she is, what his or her class is, and what all of his or her crunchy numbers (ability scores, skill points, feats, maximum spell level, etc.) look like. Further, the author/developer is at some liberty to use this ambiguity to the adventure's advantage, establishing skill check DCs that are appropriate for the level range as opposed to having to use DCs that are "right" for a stat block that we wrote up a year earlier—way before we knew that we would really want to use NPC A (now locked in as a 17th level rogue) in a Tier 1–5 scenario.
|
Just remember that all Faction Heads gain the You're Fired! extraordinary ability.
You're Fired! (ex) With a free action, the Faction Head verbally informs Pathfinder Society agents that they are fired. They can combine multiple agent targets within this effect. It does not matter if the Agent cannot hear or see the Faction Head when the action occurs. Any agents targeted by the You're Fired! action is removed from Pathfinder Society organised play forever. This takes place immediately, ending the game session for targets selected. In the next round, the Agent must make the Charlie Brown Sad Walk at their full speed away from the Faction Head.
Venture-Captain, Germany—Hamburg
|
When an NPC is just a name, the author/developer has a huge range of options as to who that person is, what that person wants, what alignment he or she is, what his or her class is, and what all of his or her crunchy numbers (ability scores, skill points, feats, maximum spell level, etc.) look like.
But don't forget that the faction heads and most of the Society's "celebrities" already have defined classes and levels. Even some of Golarion's major NPCs have their classes and levels defined (Pathfinder Society Field Guide, Seekers of Secrets, Inner Sea Magic).
I do agree that there's no use for an actual stat block, with one excpetion:I think in most cases, it's good not to define too much about important NPCs. If they are not meant to participate in combat (either as allies or opponents), they don't need a stat block.
All I need is their class and level to know what they might be able to do. For example, when I ran First Steps 1 one time, a paladin player tried using Detect Evil on Zarta Dralneen. But because the Field Guide clearly states she has bard levels, I just ruled she noticed what he was doing and cast Dispel Magic on that. (And of course she told him he should behave according to his position.)
|
John's concerns are valid from a scenario design point of view. As Andreas has pointed out though, we already know the race, classes, and alignment of many of the venture-captains from those published materials. In addition to GMT, Sheila Heidmarch was also printed in the Shattered Star AP.
I think it is a fun idea though, and might well be worth tossing one out in the blog now and again for funsies.
Their stats are irrelevant for PFS play as well, as in one of these posts around here someplace I distinctly recall Michael Brock having said something to the effect of "If a PC is so fool as to continue being grossly rude to a VC or dare to attack one, their efforts automatically end in failure for needs of the campaign story and they are considered to have complete failure on that scenario."
|
Venture-Captain, Massachusetts—Central & West
|
Just remember that all Faction Heads gain the You're Fired! extraordinary ability.
You're Fired! (ex) With a free action, the Faction Head verbally informs Pathfinder Society agents that they are fired. They can combine multiple agent targets within this effect. It does not matter if the Agent cannot hear or see the Faction Head when the action occurs. Any agents targeted by the You're Fired! action is removed from Pathfinder Society organised play forever. This takes place immediately, ending the game session for targets selected. In the next round, the Agent must make the Charlie Brown Sad Walk at their full speed away from the Faction Head.
Since it's an ability, they need to act before they can use it. So if they get jumped in a surprise round and die, they can't use it. Also if they are attacked by agents under Greater Invisibility, they can't use it because they have to be targeted. Loopholes such as this is why we don't stat VCs. :P
|
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
You want to kill Drendle Dreng?If you give them stats, players will start killing them. I don't think we want that.How about if we just have stats for Drendle Dreng?
I don't WANT to kill him, but i want to sleep! And killing him is apparently the only way to do that...