New NPC category: Plot NPC

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New NPC category: Plot NPC

Postby Kynier on August 9th, 2018, 9:56 pm

Others probably have shared an experience that I've been having when plotting my PC's development. That is to have an NPC come into the story and have an effect on my character. But what type of NPC should I make? A city, travelling, or personal NPC? Each of them has a set of benefits and detrimints in their own right.

City NPCs will have the skill set to accomplish certain tasks that they will need to do. But all their stats are fully disclosed and they are rooted to a city. Travelling NPCs allow for someone to be able to enter the PC's life briefly and exit again for short-term interactions. They however have a low skill set and often aren't able to provide initiation or reflect the level of competence they may need to have if they're part of a character's backstory. Or Personal NPC, which is like having a second character to reference and work with. But they come with the added responsibility of care and shelter to your character.

But what if we have an NPC idea that doesn't cleanly fit into any of these categories? I would like to propose a new category to potentially fill in this gap. A Plot NPC. These would be developed not to add or compliment to a particular cities roster, but for a particular's PCs story development. The Plot NPC would have a higher skill set similar to a City NPC. Say 150 or 100 points to allocate. They are designed for that player's particular PC and would not be subject to control from other players, similar to a Personal NPC. But they will be flexible and can move from city to city should the PC move as well, similar to a Traveling NPC.

The Plot NPC would need to be approved by the HD. Submitted with their skillset, their intended use to a PC, as well as expected duration of being used (A whole season, a single thread, etc.) in addition to the standard background history of the NPC. When approved by the HD the Plot NPC should be posted in the character's Plot Notes thread.

The thought behind developing this category is for named NPCs that appear to interact with a PC and perhaps other characters for a short duration. An example being a mentor that has come to request the PC's help.
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