RPGnet Columns
03-06-2003, 04:47 PM
Post originally by Aaron F. Johnson at 2003-03-06 15:47:37
Converted from Phorums BB System
Well said! I agree that your villains (or whatever forces happen to be opposing the PCs) should have some sense. The Town Guard is not going to rush in single-file to be slain by the PCs, especially if the PCs are in a building in their town, for example. They're going to use their knowledge (it's their town) and their resources (there are probablly more of them, and they have the town on their side) to give them whatever advantage they can get.
More than just villains, any living thing should react according to certain simple sense. That's why you give NPCs Intelligence or Wisdom scores! Even animals react in particular ways. I had a player complain in one fantasy campaign that they never ran into any wild animals, that the only things that attacked them were monsters. The reason was simple; no self-respecting, healthy animal was going to stick around when a collection of a half-dozen, armor-clad humanoids go tramping across the open terrain, talking among themselves and generally making noise. The monsters, being the type of evil critters that preyed on travellers, would attack. Anything else, unless it was starving or rabid, would leave them alone.
That being said, there are times when the rampaging, mindless zombie/golem/robot/etc. is going to keep on attacking, no matter what. There are also those bands of totally gung ho berserkers that are going to fight to the last man. But if everyone does it, it doesn't quite have the same unnerving effect. GMs need to save the attackers that won't stop for special occasions, and have some sense when it comes to the self-preservation that their NPCs possess.
Aaron F. Johnson
Senior Editor, Living Room Games
http://www.lrgames.com
Converted from Phorums BB System
Well said! I agree that your villains (or whatever forces happen to be opposing the PCs) should have some sense. The Town Guard is not going to rush in single-file to be slain by the PCs, especially if the PCs are in a building in their town, for example. They're going to use their knowledge (it's their town) and their resources (there are probablly more of them, and they have the town on their side) to give them whatever advantage they can get.
More than just villains, any living thing should react according to certain simple sense. That's why you give NPCs Intelligence or Wisdom scores! Even animals react in particular ways. I had a player complain in one fantasy campaign that they never ran into any wild animals, that the only things that attacked them were monsters. The reason was simple; no self-respecting, healthy animal was going to stick around when a collection of a half-dozen, armor-clad humanoids go tramping across the open terrain, talking among themselves and generally making noise. The monsters, being the type of evil critters that preyed on travellers, would attack. Anything else, unless it was starving or rabid, would leave them alone.
That being said, there are times when the rampaging, mindless zombie/golem/robot/etc. is going to keep on attacking, no matter what. There are also those bands of totally gung ho berserkers that are going to fight to the last man. But if everyone does it, it doesn't quite have the same unnerving effect. GMs need to save the attackers that won't stop for special occasions, and have some sense when it comes to the self-preservation that their NPCs possess.
Aaron F. Johnson
Senior Editor, Living Room Games
http://www.lrgames.com