NPCs: Special, and Full

[ahzad]

Just wondering when folks are making NPCs, how many GMs out there take the time to actually stat up a full NPC?

I haven't had the opportunity to play/run SC 2.0 much, a short game w/ the demo characters in the 2.0 system, and a couple of games under 1.0. So I haven't had much need to play around w/ the NPC system. I knew I liked it from what I read.

I'm making the NPCs for the Tannhauser game, and I'm down to 2 left and I'm looking over the options and can't seem to want to make them as full NPC's as was my intention, b/c the NPC system is just so nice and streamlined. I keep thinking just stat them up as special and be done with it  I don't need to take the time to do a full work up. Hermann b/c of the mystical stuff may have to be full NPC, but Eva I think will work fine as a special.

Anyway back to the original question. How many GMs take the time to upgrade a special NPC to full?

[spinningdice]

I don't actually think it's an 'upgrade' as such, they allow for different things.

[TheTSKoala]

My main bad guys are normally full stat'd.  While I love the NPC system, it's very broad.  Perfect for minions.  I like to flesh out my anti-heroes.

[Desertpuma]

I tend to flesh out my PCs major opponents as well ... unless I'm in a really big hurry.

[Crafty_Pat]

Don't feel obliged to create full NPCs. I never do, and I doubt I ever will. The option isn't intended as an "upgrade," but rather another option for those who want to use it.

During our 2.0 playtesting it came to light that some folks rejected the streamlined format as anemic, so we offered an alternative, but it's far from required.

[ahzad]

i don't think upgrade was quite the word i was looking for when i used it 

it seems like most still fully stat out the BBG.

the system doesn't feel very anemic to me, but then like i said i haven't had that much experience w/ it yet, seems like you can do quite a bit with it especially at lower levels of play. i can perhaps see it becoming anemic at higher levels of play w/ the limit of 5 feats or the skilled quality limits.

[Crafty_Pat]

The overwhelming response has been that it's just what people want (the streamlined NPCs, that is), but we wanted to have something for the few holdouts.

[Slippery_jim_digris]

I've done exactly one "full" Special NPC. Every other special NPC I have created (and there have been many) have been streamlined. I hate stating up NPCs and do not see the advantage to stating up a "full" NPC. But knock yourself out...then share!

James Bolivar DiGris

[mouthymerc]

The scalability of special NPCs kind of makes a full NPC less useful.  Not useless, but definitely not as portable.  The fact that you can use a majority of Special NPC stats in any level game makes them very attractive.

The other thing I like about Special NPCs over a regular full-built one is that I can use the attributes that I want, and can build the kind of nemesis that I want.  The freedom of cherry-picking whatever abilities and attributes means getting the exact build I want.  This can be very important when challenging your party.

Ultimately, though, it is whatever works for your game.  Since, in all likelyhood, only your players will meet this NPC once or twice, using a full-built is just fine.  If it is going to a a continuing antagonist throughout play, then you may have to spend time leveling the NPC.  This is something that you generally do not have to do with Special NPCs.

[spinningdice]

The only reason I can think I'd want to use one, is for a recurring NPC that I want to advance at a particular rate linked to the PC's.

[Agent 333]

See, I like full NPCs for the badguy whos limits are set. "He's level 10, you're level 5. If you think you can take him now, go ahead and try. I recommend you level a couple times first, but its your option."

Scalabilty is all well and good, but sometimes you don't want a particular character to scale. You understand what I'm sayin?

[TheAuldGrump]

Hmmm, I have sometimes done so to see how an NPC might look as a player character, or vice versa.

The Auld Grump

[Illegible Smudge]

See, I like full NPCs for the badguy whos limits are set. "He's level 10, you're level 5. If you think you can take him now, go ahead and try. I recommend you level a couple times first, but its your option."

Scalabilty is all well and good, but sometimes you don't want a particular character to scale. You understand what I'm sayin?

I'm with him. At first, I thought the simplified NPC system was great, and to a certain degree, I still do (as a GM, it makes things much much easier). But as I played more and more Spycraft, I started to run into the same dissatisfaction I had with TES:Oblivion. Opponents that scale rob me of a sense of achievement and improvement. So I tend to compromise by fully statting all named NPCs. Not sure what to do about minions though.

[Number Three]

They fall down.  That's their job.

Alternatively, you could give them some traits in the VIII to X range and/or superior attribute to give them some real teeth (figuratively.)

[Crafty_Pat]

Yeah. I'd argue that minions patently shouldn't advance. Change, perhaps, when things shift around, but not advance. In the case of a shake up, you can just create a new stat block.