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[Roleplaying Games] Schrodinger's NPC

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Posts

  • KadokenKadoken Giving Ends to my Friends and it Feels Stupendous Registered User regular
    edited March 2020
    After my last adventure, my best friend’s character that he started with in the Dark Heresy campaign five years ago in some awesome Goku/Jotaro shit complete with entrance music.

    His character was away for a year to be sanctioned on Terra but came back with only three months having passed because warp is gonna warp.

    I had a special way of showing him what he saw when he was bound to the emperor
    So he wants to take the essence of a dead Chaos god, Malal, whose banal essence is the center of the entire campaign. The Emperor knows this right when they connect their soul and mind to each other. So he gives him some advice.

    They’re in a black void. A 10 foot tall figure with long flowing hair looks down at the psyker. He states in a bassy purr, “so you want to become a god.”

    A light flashes. He’s in a top hat and ringman suit. He starts,
    Now I’m not gonna tell you
    You’re making a mistake
    Tell you not to go
    No I won’t
    I’ll only say, what I learned along my way
    The devil you know, beats the devil you don’t

    *accompaniment*
    I sing half of The Devil You from Sideshow with modified lyrics. All he could say at the end after staying silent for like 10 seconds was, “wow”.

    By the way, the devil you know is the emperor. The devil you don’t is the character taking on godhood.

    Kadoken on
  • KadokenKadoken Giving Ends to my Friends and it Feels Stupendous Registered User regular
    edited March 2020
    GURPS is so cool. I finally have a reason to use a kusarigama, halberd, whip, and any blunt weapon in a tabletop RPG.

    Edit: I also really love the emphasis on spacing and tactics with clear strategies in the book of how to maximize long reach weapons and how flanking and facing is really important vs DH where it has a weaker basis of that stuff.

    Also with the Step moves allowing you to at least move one hex every turn combat can be really mobile with natural pushes, pulls, and maneuvering along with stuff you wouldn’t think about doing like how a close weapon (knives, punches, daggers) can severely punish the other person’s ability to fight if they don’t have an answer so those old grappling fights between Samurai or knights that ended in using daggers to stab between the soft spots (which is an actual mechanic) actually matters. Also unlike DH, sneaking is handled a lot better where instead of kind of being an abstract facilitation where you play with mechanics not really meant to support that playstyle, there are multiple options of the sneaky-stab in GURPS and mechanical structures and rewards for playing as such.

    Kadoken on
  • KadokenKadoken Giving Ends to my Friends and it Feels Stupendous Registered User regular
    Map one could use for Pokemon RPG
    ddsnr1da6nby.jpeg

  • SleepSleep Registered User regular
    I might just use this for some regular D&D shit

  • KadokenKadoken Giving Ends to my Friends and it Feels Stupendous Registered User regular
    edited March 2020
    Sleep wrote: »
    I might just use this for some regular D&D shit

    Me too! But it has something that looks like a pokeball in the middle so I thought it would work well with that game. The DnDMaps and the Battlemaps reddit are really great. I have wasted so much time on google and yahoo looking for just the right ones and they just have really good ones served on a platter.

    Kadoken on
  • Endless_SerpentsEndless_Serpents Registered User regular
    Cleric of Life Mys’tai and her dire starfish, psionic platypus and... what else did she have? Just stick a sea serpent in there.

    Due to the rules of this strange realm you must control some randomly rolled monsters and defeat hers to pass.

  • SleepSleep Registered User regular
    edited March 2020
    Cleric of Life Mys’tai and her dire starfish, psionic platypus and... what else did she have? Just stick a sea serpent in there.

    Due to the rules of this strange realm you must control some randomly rolled monsters and defeat hers to pass.

    Honestly I might just go with the core pokemon, and D&D with a few tweaks, it's beastmaster rangers and other pet havers essentially cock fighting their beast companions, maybe get some pact of the chain warlocks in there for good measure. The big summon spells are like your higher level pokemon and stuff.

    I can use this for sure
    I'm gonna need to actually think up political moves for their nobles characters to be making in the audience.

    The pitch will be "let's do a pokemon night, make some alts with pets (or keep current characters with pets)". Then halfway through a few bouts I just start throwing scenes at them with their nobles and workers guild hall characters. Just light socialization skill challenges nothing crazy big or immediately pressing to action (all the action is the pokemon battles). To deliver a little lore about the changes taking place in the upper crust of society as a result of the current main adventure's story resolution.

    I'll probably try to invent some beasts and familiars and summon options that expand what we get to see for pokemon masters, but that also sounds like way more prep than I really put in.

    Gonna drop the hints in my discord now. Because this is a little ways off for when I'd actually drop it into the story (end current continuity of story, handle immediate wind down on that and move to extended downtime, then this and a few other vignettes of downtime) maybe then the players help me with half the prep and I won't forget I want to do it.

    Sleep on
  • ZomroZomro Registered User regular
    edited March 2020
    Soon we're going to start that Genesys Fantasy Pro Wrestling campaign I talked about a while ago. Though Pro Wrestling is the inspiration, it's not just going to be what we think as Pro Wrestling. It's like Roman Gladiatorial combat meets the spectacle and staged nature of Pro Wrestling. Real weapons and armor, but the matches are like Pro Wrestling, the attacks aren't real (or aren't supposed to be). In preparation, the GM is running short individual sessions with everyone to set up how they arrive at the city where the FFF (Fantasy Fighting Federation) is.

    So I am playing a minotaur named Taygar, Deathseeker of the Bloodhoof Clan. I took the name from a DnD character my late brother once played and have made my own background for him. In this world, the minotaur race were once enslaved by an evil empire. The overseers forced minotaurs to fight in gladiatorial death matches for their amusement, routinely forcing them to fight against armed opponents and ferocious beasts with no weapons or armor. Some of the strongest minotaurs volunteered to battle in the pits to save their kinsmen from having to suffer and die in this cruel sport. The overseers called these minotaur volunteers Deathseekers as an insult, but the minotaurs soon took the name as a badge of honor. These Deathseekers fought with great strength but also great resilience. Shrugging off blows that would fell lesser warriors, the Deathseekers continued to fight and win in the combat pits, knowing that by fighting and surviving, they could prevent other minotaurs from being forced to fight. Eventually the empire fell, as all empires do, and the Deathseekers were in the front when the minotaurs rose up in rebellion against their masters. The minotaur clans still honor the Deathseekers to this day, and when a clan is faced with danger, a brave minotaur will take the mantle of Deathseeker to protect their people.

    Fast forward a few hundred years, and the minotaur clans are still free, but scattered. Due to their appearance and size, other people become skittish when minotaurs live in more than single digit numbers. Years of prejudice have forced the Bloodhoof clan into a harsh tundra environment. The clan subsists by hunting and gathering, but the terrain is harsh, the weather is brutal and the beasts are vicious. There is a group of outsiders who sympathize with the Bloodhoof clan and do trade with them. Unfortunately, even the most well intentioned acts can have consequences. The outsiders brought with them a sickness, benign to them but it as been especially harsh on the minotauts. The Bloodhooves call it The Wasting. Minotaurs who have The Wasting get very sick, plagued by fatigue and a lack of strength. What's dangerous is that those who have The Wasting are still sick after weeks and show no signs of improvement, it appears to be a long lasting, or even permanent, affliction. If too many of the clan get sick, the clan will be unable to hunt or gather resources and the clan will die out.

    The clan's elders have tried to treat The Wasting through medicinal herbs, natural magic and by seeking the guidance of the Ancestors. But those who have The Wasting also seem to be losing their spiritual connection to the Ancestors, and the few who have succumbed to The Wasting appear to be Lost, unable to meet the Ancestors and cannot be guided to, what is essentially, the minotaur's Valhalla.

    Faced with the physical and existential threat of The Wasting, the Bloodhoof clan receive a letter addressed only to "Deathseeker". Inside is an invitation to come to a far off city to participate in a fighting league for a weekly gold payment, with potential bonuses for exemplary performance. Recognizing that the money could be used to buy supplies and medicine for the clan, Taygar volunteers himself as Deathseeker and travels alone to participate in these gladiatorial fights, just as the ancient Deathseekers once did. (Note: based on what little info they have, Taygar thinks the fights are real, and is expecting to put his life on the line)

    We ran the short intro for Taygar where he had his call to adventure, and we ended when he arrived at the Arena where the party will be meeting for the first time by watching a match.

    What I did learn already is that, as I'd intended, Taygar is a meat tank. He's got 4 base Brawn and normally wears leather armor, so he's got a 5 Soak. If an attacker isn't packing some heavy weaponry or is exceptionally strong, Taygar just eats damage for breakfast. The last character I played in this system (specifically EotE) was a scrawny 1 Brawn Bothan Smuggler, it's pretty fun to be this mass of muscle. That 4 Brawn also means his attacks hurt, even with only 1-3 successes.

    I'm super excited for the first full session next week. It's gonna be awesome.

    Zomro on
  • MarshmallowMarshmallow Registered User regular
    As someone currently playing a 5 Brawn, Armor Master Wookiee rocking 8 soak: crits still suck a lot to get hit by, so watch out for knife-fighters.

  • Albino BunnyAlbino Bunny Jackie Registered User regular
    Genesys/SWRPG basically has two character types:

    Folk who can take a bullet and folk who can't because of soak.

    In both cases they're gonna die of a bad crit roll anyway. It's just about whether they get the fun of getting to run around being immortal before that bad roll or not.

  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    I mean, characters aren't going to die from a bad crit roll until they've taken a few crits already, or they get hit by a weapon with a huge Vicious rating.

    (Says the guy whose arm got blown off his Duros Technician in like, the first big combat we had.)

  • ZomroZomro Registered User regular
    I am planning on making Taygar as resilient as possible. I plan on taking a rank or two in Durable, if I remember the name right. The one that lowers the results of a crit table roll.

    Part of the pro wrestling inspiration is going to include having an intro song. Looking for one for Taygar has sent me down a rabbit hole of Viking war songs. It's not a bad thing, but my YouTube recommendations have shifted within the past couple days.

  • ReynoldsReynolds Gone Fishin'Registered User regular
    I think this is the right thread to post this? It's not PBP, so...

    Now recruiting players/testers for Nostalgia World! A game about bringing 80's teen movies to life. Fighting vampires your parents don't believe in, making friends with a lovable alien, hiding from bullies at the mall. Etc.

    Even if you don't currently have time to play, or don't want to do Discord or Roll20, I'd love any feedback people can give on the rules, formatting, anything.

    uyvfOQy.png
  • SleepSleep Registered User regular
    Sleep wrote: »
    Cleric of Life Mys’tai and her dire starfish, psionic platypus and... what else did she have? Just stick a sea serpent in there.

    Due to the rules of this strange realm you must control some randomly rolled monsters and defeat hers to pass.

    Honestly I might just go with the core pokemon, and D&D with a few tweaks, it's beastmaster rangers and other pet havers essentially cock fighting their beast companions, maybe get some pact of the chain warlocks in there for good measure. The big summon spells are like your higher level pokemon and stuff.

    I can use this for sure
    I'm gonna need to actually think up political moves for their nobles characters to be making in the audience.

    The pitch will be "let's do a pokemon night, make some alts with pets (or keep current characters with pets)". Then halfway through a few bouts I just start throwing scenes at them with their nobles and workers guild hall characters. Just light socialization skill challenges nothing crazy big or immediately pressing to action (all the action is the pokemon battles). To deliver a little lore about the changes taking place in the upper crust of society as a result of the current main adventure's story resolution.

    I'll probably try to invent some beasts and familiars and summon options that expand what we get to see for pokemon masters, but that also sounds like way more prep than I really put in.

    Gonna drop the hints in my discord now. Because this is a little ways off for when I'd actually drop it into the story (end current continuity of story, handle immediate wind down on that and move to extended downtime, then this and a few other vignettes of downtime) maybe then the players help me with half the prep and I won't forget I want to do it.

    And then wizards drops an unearthed arcana with a bunch of summon spells in it.

    Amazing

  • Mostlyjoe13Mostlyjoe13 Evil, Evil, Jump for joy! Registered User regular
    After much heming and hawing I'm looking to get a Discord game of Pathfinder 2E running. I think I'm going to eschew a AP and homebrew my adventure. Got a fun city/explore game in mind, but I also have a "things from beyond" idea set around the Eye of Terror.

    PSN ID - Mostlyjoe Steam ID -TheNotoriusRNG
  • VanguardVanguard But now the dream is over. And the insect is awake.Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    Doing some home brew tinkering around everyone’s least favorite rule: encumbrance

    I want to do something that isn’t fiddly and strikes a balance between what you see in Torchbearer and LotFP

    This is my first draft:

    characters can carry a number of unique items equal to their strength score

    For items that you would carry multiple of (torches, rations, etc) characters can carry a number of items equal to their strength score

    This is somewhat intentionally simple but it’s easy to remember at the table and easy to calculate

    Thoughts?

  • webguy20webguy20 I spend too much time on the Internet Registered User regular
    Vanguard wrote: »
    Doing some home brew tinkering around everyone’s least favorite rule: encumbrance

    I want to do something that isn’t fiddly and strikes a balance between what you see in Torchbearer and LotFP

    This is my first draft:

    characters can carry a number of unique items equal to their strength score

    For items that you would carry multiple of (torches, rations, etc) characters can carry a number of items equal to their strength score

    This is somewhat intentionally simple but it’s easy to remember at the table and easy to calculate

    Thoughts?

    What is the problem you are seeing and trying to solve?

    Steam ID: Webguy20
    Origin ID: Discgolfer27
    Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
  • VanguardVanguard But now the dream is over. And the insect is awake.Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    edited March 2020
    webguy20 wrote: »
    Vanguard wrote: »
    Doing some home brew tinkering around everyone’s least favorite rule: encumbrance

    I want to do something that isn’t fiddly and strikes a balance between what you see in Torchbearer and LotFP

    This is my first draft:

    characters can carry a number of unique items equal to their strength score

    For items that you would carry multiple of (torches, rations, etc) characters can carry a number of items equal to their strength score

    This is somewhat intentionally simple but it’s easy to remember at the table and easy to calculate

    Thoughts?

    What is the problem you are seeing and trying to solve?

    Without any kind of encumbrance rules, players are carrying basically everything they own. I want them to need to make a decision on what to carry into a dungeon, including the idea of blank space for the purposes of hauling out loot.

    For reference, this would be a DCC RPG rule and the focus of the game is dungeoneering.

    Vanguard on
  • KadokenKadoken Giving Ends to my Friends and it Feels Stupendous Registered User regular
    edited March 2020
    The best thing Roll20 does for GURPS is automatically calculating encumbrance and allowing you to click what you are currently holding on you in your inventory. Otherwise, I would not bother even though in that game the change in percentage chance to dodge from around the 8-12 test is relatively massive, like a 37.5%-70% of succeeding, is lowered by degrees of encumbrance, and it really lets you figure out if you value being a lighter fighter that can dash on their toes or a heavily armored one. Wearing plate armor there's a good chance that, even upping your strength to 13 can bring you to doing 2d6-1 with modifiers based on the weapon, the damage might not pierce it if it rolls at average with something like that strength and a broadsword being 2d6+1 meaning in theory the average is 6.5. Plate armor is 6 DR, expensive, and with an optional rule edged weapons do not get to count their damage multiplier (which multiplies the damage that pierces through armor) as anything but 1x unless they hit double the armor to simulate it doing crushing damage through the attack but not getting through. However, unlike DH and some abilities in DnD, you are allowed to dodge every attack at least once unless you go all-out, but the average dodge for an encumbered baseline human is 8 which means the percentage to dodge is like 25.9%. If you spent points into Dexterity and Health which decide movement thus dodge, and buy two advantages allowing you to up your dodge by 2, you start to get about the 50% that having the score be at 10 allows and that consistency starts mattering more. But, encumbrance lowers dodge and movement so you have to either bulk up or go light and unlike DnD 5E where Dex rules as a stat there are interplays to all stats and certain Advantages (think Fallout perks) that allows you to focus on one thing for cheaper but you specialize in only one area (like being charming over having better generalized Intelligence) or can buy generalized stuff but it costs more (Charming is 5 point buy vs 20 point buy for intelligence).

    Then there is my world where napoleonic era tech and guns are being introduced thanks to weirdness and you only get one shot with one gun but if that shot hits that plate will not save you against a 4d6 damage musketball and the 1.5x modifier that pi+ penetrating damage does. However, not everyone has guns, and people with a gun have one shot. If you miss, I hope you're okay with a bayonet that does less damage then the angry knight charging at you with a flail. Have fun trying to reload for 40 seconds (turns), fucker!

    Unless you have a special greased musket ball casing and fast draw musket reload. Then like... 32 turns or less from what I saw. Cartridge bases rifles will come in like...250 years. 5 seconds for one bullet.

    Kadoken on
  • KadokenKadoken Giving Ends to my Friends and it Feels Stupendous Registered User regular
    edited March 2020
    I might be making a Beastars campaign around just normal folk whose lives get involved with a masked serial killer named the Barber who targets those they see as gigantic hypocrites living counter to their nature. The main reason to do so in GURPS is just to make stats of all the animals including carnivore compulsions that GURPS actually has stuff for including rolling for self control. Also the show/manga straight up turns into a Yakuza game and GURPS has a lot of cool techniques and different hand to hand things along with an entire book about how to go even more indepth on combat.

    Kadoken on
  • Albino BunnyAlbino Bunny Jackie Registered User regular
    Vanguard wrote: »
    webguy20 wrote: »
    Vanguard wrote: »
    Doing some home brew tinkering around everyone’s least favorite rule: encumbrance

    I want to do something that isn’t fiddly and strikes a balance between what you see in Torchbearer and LotFP

    This is my first draft:

    characters can carry a number of unique items equal to their strength score

    For items that you would carry multiple of (torches, rations, etc) characters can carry a number of items equal to their strength score

    This is somewhat intentionally simple but it’s easy to remember at the table and easy to calculate

    Thoughts?

    What is the problem you are seeing and trying to solve?

    Without any kind of encumbrance rules, players are carrying basically everything they own. I want them not need to make a decision on what to carry into a dungeon, including the idea of blank space for the purposes of hauling out loot.

    For reference, this would be a DCC RPG rule and the focus of the game is dungeoneering.

    5 Torches Deep has some reasonable encumbrance rules: Characters can carry up to Load (items the size of a head or weighing 5lbs). Each point over reduces speed by 5' and forces disadvantage on checks.

    Additionally for all the small bits PC's have supply equal to their int and use supply when they replenish a stock of something they're already carrying.

    So rather than ask PC's exactly how many arrows they're carrying into a dungeon or how long their rope is PCs just say they're bringing 10 arrows and 100ft of rope and then spend a supply (or multiple if the items exotic, bulky or so on) to add another 10 arrows to their pack or another 100ft of rope. 5 supply is 1 load but weak wizards can ask their warrior buddies to carry all the supply they can't.

    I think you could run that more or less word for word and just change loads definition from a specific weight to "A significant item" without much issue.

    5 Torches Deep in general is delightful less as a game and more as a tool set. Their Duels supplement in particular is a great 'how to make D&D weapons distinct' set of rules.

  • StragintStragint Do Not Gift Always DeclinesRegistered User regular
    Would this be a good thing to buy to get into Shadowrun 6th edition?

    https://www.amazon.com/Catalyst-Game-Labs-Shadowrun-Beginner/dp/B07RHBH2BV/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1USPB2L3AWDNY&dchild=1&keywords=shadowrun+6th+edition&qid=1585517823&sprefix=shadowrun+,aps,240&sr=8-2

    Been wanting to try and start up some shadowrun stuff for a long time and I almost bought the bible edition of the 6th core rulebook last night.

    PSN: Reaper_Stragint, Steam: DoublePitstoChesty
    What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable? ~ Mario Novak

    I never fear death or dyin', I only fear never trying.
  • BigityBigity Lubbock, TXRegistered User regular
    edited March 2020
    Stragint wrote: »
    Would this be a good thing to buy to get into Shadowrun 6th edition?

    https://www.amazon.com/Catalyst-Game-Labs-Shadowrun-Beginner/dp/B07RHBH2BV/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1USPB2L3AWDNY&dchild=1&keywords=shadowrun+6th+edition&qid=1585517823&sprefix=shadowrun+,aps,240&sr=8-2

    Been wanting to try and start up some shadowrun stuff for a long time and I almost bought the bible edition of the 6th core rulebook last night.

    Personally I would not, as it doesn't contain even the core rulebook, just a slimmed down version that removes a chunk. You can probably find online resources to provide what the starter box provides.

    I can't say much first hand, I am still stuck in 2nd/3rd edition Shadowrun.

    Bigity on
  • AuralynxAuralynx Darkness is a perspective Watching the ego workRegistered User regular
    edited April 2020
    I finally got the Stars Without Number game I've been putting together going tonight.

    Started the players in a space station's bar, let events unfold until interrupting them with the station going into alert. Rather than be locked in the space bar for the duration, they bum-rushed the exits, promptly broke into the customs armory to retrieve their weapons, and then began making plans to steal a spaceship for no immediately-apparent reason beyond wanting one.

    Fortunately, the smugglers attempting to escape the station dumped a bunch of their cargo into nearby space to preclude the station's security forces giving chase, conveniently making trying to abscond with a ship a difficult proposition at best in the immediate future, and I was able to herd them back into an only moderately-anarchic lane. They're now trying to investigate any smugglers left behind on the station when the others flew the coop in order to convince the authorities to forget about the armory break-in.

    They spent a while reading up on the bird-like alien that caused the lockdown incident's species, the smugglers' ship, and also the general circumstances of the station in the local datacore, @MrVyngaard 's character was issued a Corporate ID Badge that is definitely not a tracking unit / plot device, and then they went to Uncle Dang's Accclaimed Wilderness Supply to try to figure out what the smugglers might've been buying.

    Then this happened:
    0dangwa8kbla.png

    and I just died laughing until we decided to leave things there for now, before they attempt to infiltrate the fanciest restaurant on the station on the theory that whoever is bankrolling the smugglers may be there.

    Auralynx on
    kshu0oba7xnr.png

  • MrVyngaardMrVyngaard Live From New Etoile Straight Outta SosariaRegistered User regular
    I look forward to the future successful galactic health care nee space barbarian cargo cult franchise providing quality fee for service care (and as much chemical mind control / tribal religious indoctrination as required to maintain proper staffing levels, of course!)

    First the station, then the star systems will fall into coverage... with benefits. *clenches fist*

    "now I've got this mental image of caucuses as cafeteria tables in prison, and new congressmen having to beat someone up on inauguration day." - Raiden333
    camo_sig2.png
  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    The first remote session of my game ended on kind of a downer. The party was doing some dive into a party member's mind to save them from a curse. The NPC mage's apprentice that's been with them for over 2 years in both real and game time went off alone, and was killed off screen, after failing numerous rolls. Poor Striped-Feather. Lost in a storm while turned into a bird, and squashed by the spooky guardian of the Dark Forest.

  • NipsNips He/Him Luxuriating in existential crisis.Registered User regular
    edited April 2020
    If an NPC dies "offscreen", are they really dead?

    I'm not being flippant! I'm honestly wondering what leads to that sort of outcome. Purely a mechanical matter? If it's purely mechanical, does that make the mechanics interesting or meaningful to the PCs? Is there something about the mechanics of the NPC's death that teaches the PCs how not to succumb to a similar fate?

    Moreover, do the PCs have perfect information about the NPC's disappearance? How? And if not, then what leads to that NPC really being "dead" aside from a DM's desire to leave that NPC by the wayside?

    Nips on
    JXUBxMxP0QndjQUEnTwTxOkfKmx8kWNvuc-FUtbSz_23_DAhGKe7W9spFKLXAtkpTBqM8Dt6kQrv-rS69Hi3FheL3fays2xTeVUvWR7g5UyLHnFA0frGk1BC12GYdOSRn9lbaJB-uH0htiLPJMrc9cSRsIgk5Dx7jg9K8rJVfG43lkeAWxTgcolNscW9KO2UZjKT8GMbYAFgFvu2TaMoLH8LBA5p2pm6VNYRsQK3QGjCsze1TOv2yIbCazmDwCHmjiQxNDf6LHP35msyiXo3CxuWs9Y8DQvJjvj10kWaspRNlWHKjS5w9Y0KLuIkhQKOxgaDziG290v4zBmTi-i7OfDz-foqIqKzC9wTbn9i_uU87GRitmrNAJdzRRsaTW5VQu_XX_5gCN8XCoNyu5RWWVGTsjJuyezz1_NpFa903Uj2TnFqnL1wJ-RZiFAAd2Bdut-G1pdQtdQihsq2dx_BjtmtGC3KZRyylO1t2c12dhfb0rStq4v8pg46ciOcdtT_1qm85IgUmGd7AmgLxCFPb0xnxWZvr26G-oXSqrQdjKA1zNIInSowiHcbUO2O8S5LRJVR6vQiEg0fbGXw4vqJYEn917tnzHMh8r0xom8BLKMvoFDelk6wbEeNq8w8Eyu2ouGjEMIvvJcb2az2AKQ1uE_7gdatfKG2QdvfdSBRSc35MQ=w498-h80-no
  • see317see317 Registered User regular
    Nips wrote: »
    If an NPC dies "offscreen", are they really dead?

    I'm not being flippant! I'm honestly wondering what leads to that sort of outcome. Purely a mechanical matter? If it's purely mechanical, does that make the mechanics interesting or meaningful to the PCs? Is there something about the mechanics of the NPC's death that teaches the PCs how not to succumb to a similar fate?

    Moreover, do the PCs have perfect information about the NPC's disappearance? How? And if not, then what leads to that NPC really being "dead" aside from a DM's desire to leave that NPC by the wayside?

    How far offscreen are we talking here?
    I mean, is this the death of a random NPC they traveled with for a day three sessions ago and then went their separate ways? Or is this the fleshed out and recurring NPC who runs the tavern in whatever city they're in?

    It would also depend on how fast/reliably information travels in your game. Is this a low fantasy medieval setting where news travels by homing pigeon and town crier? Or is this more high fantasy where a magical network of telegraphs keep distant communities up to date on the latest occurrences, so long as they have the money to maintain the towers and pay Lord At't and Lady Bell? Modern/near future where everyone has cell phones? SciFi tech?

    How important was the NPC within the setting? I'd imagine news of a royal or of an adventurer of global renown getting merked may travel far and wide, but your ordinary lvl 2 getting jumped by goblins probably isn't going to raise too many eyebrows. It might travel a bit if said lvl 2's body was recovered and discovered to be carrying an important missive that needs to be delivered, or an heirloom that might need to be returned to their home town, or if their party members survived and decided to carry on without the recent decedent and talked about the dearly departed and rerolled. But, otherwise, it's a dangerous world and people die. Hardly important to tell people that.

  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    There was no doubt about it, unfortunately. In the physical world, they were seated right next to each other. The two that were inside spent several heart-breaking minutes trying everything they could to find Striped-Feather in the mindspace, eventually finding her corpse. Typically in these spaces, you get kicked out almost dead if you would otherwise die, but this was an unusually dangerous scenario, which they were made aware of ahead of time (not that that stopped her). When they came back to the physical world at the end of the session, they found the rest of the party gathered around her corpse.

    She was pretty badass, and just beforehand had pulled off a intel gathering mission, paired only with the cursed character's animal companion. I was really hoping someone would stop her turning into a bird and flying off alone in the mindspace, but nobody did.

  • NipsNips He/Him Luxuriating in existential crisis.Registered User regular
    I see what you're saying, but hear me out:

    Mind Ghost

    Just gonna put that out there.

    JXUBxMxP0QndjQUEnTwTxOkfKmx8kWNvuc-FUtbSz_23_DAhGKe7W9spFKLXAtkpTBqM8Dt6kQrv-rS69Hi3FheL3fays2xTeVUvWR7g5UyLHnFA0frGk1BC12GYdOSRn9lbaJB-uH0htiLPJMrc9cSRsIgk5Dx7jg9K8rJVfG43lkeAWxTgcolNscW9KO2UZjKT8GMbYAFgFvu2TaMoLH8LBA5p2pm6VNYRsQK3QGjCsze1TOv2yIbCazmDwCHmjiQxNDf6LHP35msyiXo3CxuWs9Y8DQvJjvj10kWaspRNlWHKjS5w9Y0KLuIkhQKOxgaDziG290v4zBmTi-i7OfDz-foqIqKzC9wTbn9i_uU87GRitmrNAJdzRRsaTW5VQu_XX_5gCN8XCoNyu5RWWVGTsjJuyezz1_NpFa903Uj2TnFqnL1wJ-RZiFAAd2Bdut-G1pdQtdQihsq2dx_BjtmtGC3KZRyylO1t2c12dhfb0rStq4v8pg46ciOcdtT_1qm85IgUmGd7AmgLxCFPb0xnxWZvr26G-oXSqrQdjKA1zNIInSowiHcbUO2O8S5LRJVR6vQiEg0fbGXw4vqJYEn917tnzHMh8r0xom8BLKMvoFDelk6wbEeNq8w8Eyu2ouGjEMIvvJcb2az2AKQ1uE_7gdatfKG2QdvfdSBRSc35MQ=w498-h80-no
  • KadokenKadoken Giving Ends to my Friends and it Feels Stupendous Registered User regular
    I think a good session is one that you had music planned for to fill up dead space and provide atmosphere and then the session is so fun and goes so swimmingly that you don't need it and forget about it.

  • VanguardVanguard But now the dream is over. And the insect is awake.Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    I am working on a very large dungeon project and think I finally found a good process for finishing/revising it

    Quick high level parameters (area type, purpose, what happens if it isn’t addressed) followed by a brainstorm with 20 ideas for rooms, dressing, encounters, etc

    And then I do a quick map plotting everything

    Helps immediately weed out bad ideas, visualize it (which helps identify and work through design problems)

    Currently doing a level/day which means I’ll get more done in 9 days than 9 months

  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    Nips wrote: »
    I see what you're saying, but hear me out:

    Mind Ghost

    Just gonna put that out there.

    Way ahead of you champ, the curse they're trying to remove is already weird memory vampirism.

  • VanguardVanguard But now the dream is over. And the insect is awake.Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    stopping by to say that the fine folks at Swordfish Islands are offering their PDFs for free during the quarantine. Lots of good stuff there.

  • Endless_SerpentsEndless_Serpents Registered User regular
    I’m very late to the topic of the dead NPC but if a character dies in someone’s brain I’d consider asking that player if they want a second personality to emerge that is that NPC, or slowly have their traits merge with them, because I like bad comic book level drama.

  • Ken OKen O Registered User regular
    You know that Corellian ship designer for Star Wars? I built a silly looking thing that I wanted to give my players in a few sessions. One of the character's fathers is a weapon and ship designer who is being held captive in an Imperial facility. Anyway, the designer is awesome but I wanted a view of more angles than the top down so I commissioned a friend of mine. Last night he posted his work in progress. I'm dying to show my group but I want it to be a surprise, so I'm gushing about it here instead.

    http://www.fingmonkey.com/
    Comics, Games, Booze
  • ElvenshaeElvenshae Registered User regular
    When an Otana
    Loves an Actis

  • Ken OKen O Registered User regular
    Elvenshae wrote: »
    When an Otana
    Loves an Actis

    I'm not going to lie, I love the Otana

    http://www.fingmonkey.com/
    Comics, Games, Booze
  • captainkcaptaink TexasRegistered User regular
    Ken O wrote: »
    You know that Corellian ship designer for Star Wars? I built a silly looking thing that I wanted to give my players in a few sessions. One of the character's fathers is a weapon and ship designer who is being held captive in an Imperial facility. Anyway, the designer is awesome but I wanted a view of more angles than the top down so I commissioned a friend of mine. Last night he posted his work in progress. I'm dying to show my group but I want it to be a surprise, so I'm gushing about it here instead.

    I don't know that thing. What is that thing?

  • Ken OKen O Registered User regular
    captaink wrote: »
    I don't know that thing. What is that thing?

    http://rpggamer.org/main.php?page=cec-designer/cec-designer.php

    http://www.fingmonkey.com/
    Comics, Games, Booze
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