Re: Please review my first Big Bad Spirit NPC

From: JEFFREY KYER <jeff.kyer_at_...>
Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2001 20:50:27 -0000

> Il giorno 17-01-2001 18:38, M.Dawson, mdawson_at_m... ha scritto:
>
> (Not that I am an experienced GM, but giving advice to a hero of
mine makes
> me definitely proud! ;-) )
>
> > Here's the bad guy: The Black Screamer Might 5W2
>
> Mmh... If the best PC is around w2 and the rest around w0, and
if the
> big bad guy (spirit) is alone perhaps it should have might w3 (and
the other
> abilities should scale accordingly), or perhaps you'd prefer giving
it a few
> (3-5) HP.
>
> Btw, what use have NPCs for HP? After all I'm the Narrator,
can't I
> fudge dice rolls a little bit for the sake of the story?
>
> --
> Regards,
> Alexandre.

I tend to give the villians of the piece a few HP -- but only the villians. It prevents undramatic goonage by heroes.

(Vigfus the Black starts to invoke Big Wind to --)
(I waste him with my crossbow!)
(Thud.)
(Yawn.)

I think that they were called Plot Points way back in the early versions of playtest. Its just something I tend to do -- but only judiciously. For example: while testing out something for Ian Cooper (Hi Ian!), the villan was hacked into ministrone by Our Vingan at the end of the fight (-102 AP!!) -- but that was dramatic, if bloody. The villian has a plot point but the only time the hero used her HP was to drop him and do an incredibly powerful parting shot. No need to use the Plot Point there, strangely.

Jeff