The NPC and You, Setting Standards for Convenience

[Shiroi]

Normally I am all for cutting word count from a document, because it saves a lot of print and makes it very reasonable to include more content. Sadly, I've seen a place where word count makes a real difference in quality and makes it more difficult to use otherwise excellent products. I'd like to see at least the first party Paizo NPC codex style books work with a small supplement, to set the standard and hopefully convince others to do the same. If an NPC is supplied in the book at level 7, I'd like the PDF to include his feat choices, equipment, class levels, and quickstat block at levels 1-6 and 8-20. I know this means you have to level the character up 20 whole times, and cranks up the page space and word count. For print, one level representation is fine. For a PDF, space isn't an issue in the same way so it should allow us to expand greatly for the one time cost of paying the writer to spend a few more hours on that character. An extended supplemental backstory suggestion would also be fun.

Not all campaigns are appropriate level for a given NPC, and customizing a dozen NPCs for this session can take extensive time for a DM. Doing it once for everyone gives a much appreciated 'grab and go' feeling, we can always change something we don't like but it becomes very convenient (and perhaps worth an extra $20 to buy this digital extended copy) to be able to pick our druid NPC at level 13 instead of level 10, and to make that very charming rogue a few levels lower than presented in the main codex because his minimum sneak attack roll would have one-shot the level 2 monk.

Even if this was only done with the hardback full NPC codex style books, instead of with every NPC, I would appreciate it greatly.

While I'm at it with the wish list, I'd love to see a book with at least one NPC of each class and each archetype, with more books annually or semi-annually that add NPCs from all the new classes and archetypes introduced since the previous book.

If you have anything you think would be cool to see done with NPC books, leave a comment.

[wraithstrike]

I don't agree with this, not for every level anyway. At most maybe 3 versions of the same character. As an example a 3rd level version, a 9th level version, and a 16th level version.

Having 20 different characters is a lot more useful to me than having 20 versions of the same character. I can level an NPC up or down by 1 to 3 levels without too much trouble. I did this for an AP not long ago. More than more and I'm just going to use another NPC.

With that being said I don't know how PF2 statblocks will be generated. If they're a lot less time consuming than PF1 statblocks I might be able to do go up or down by up to 5 levels. That makes the "Every level build" idea even less necessary.

Like most GM's I'm also not customizing every NPC. As an example if the palace has guards they might all be 4th level fighters with the exact same statblock.

I would like for herolab versions of any NPC codex type book to be a .por file so I Can just plug it into the software and quickly make changes. I don't need HL for the small changes, but it does help if I want an NPC to be leveled up or down by more than 3 levels.

[Mathmuse]

I have sometime found that I need a particular class, level, and theme for an NPC, and the NPC Codex has the perfect theme at a different level. For example, what if I wanted a 7th-level gnome prankster illusionist? The gnome prankster illusionist in the NPC Codex is 10th level. The wizard at 7th level is a halfling thunder wizard.

We don't need the NPC at every level; instead, we could use notes on how to strip the character of his or her higher levels. (Adding levels is easier than removing levels.) For example, on my own characters, I record how and why they obtained their feats. My bloodrager has feats Technologist (human bonus), Point-Blank Shot (1st), Precise Shot (3rd), Iron Will (5th), Power Attack (bloodline 6th), etc. This would let someone else strip away the feats as he or she strips away levels. Hit points given as 1/2 maximum on the hit die rounded up rather than actual hit die rolls can also be stripped away.

Skills have been more difficult, because current NPC stat blocks give the bonus only without the skill ranks. I have to check whether they are class skills and strip away attribute and feat bonuses to find the ranks. For stripping away levels, give the full breakdown on the stat block. The simplified skill system in Pathfinder 2nd Edition might make this easier.

Spell lists would also be a problem for spellbook classes, because the lower level version of the character might have prepared different spells. Notes in the margin might handle that. For spontaneous casters, we could pretend they never retrained a spell and strip away a few spells known at each level.

Thus, we won't need a full version at every level.

[Fuzzypaws]

I'd agree that multiple versions are useful, but only a few of them per character. I'd say a total of four versions are good, somewhere in levels 1-4, 5-8, 9-14, and 15-20, since those are generally the major power breakpoints... Or at least they were in PF1.