NPC

From Mizahar Lore

This article is about a rule of the game.

NPCs or Non-Player-Characters are the individual characters that either the Storyteller or a individual player controls (with permission) as a supporting role (shopkeeper, companion, nemesis, child, spouse) that helps to augment and enrich the story. NPCs are never the focal point of stories and they rarely if ever progress in terms of skills or arcana throughout the stories they appear in. Below is a bit of background about NPCs, how to acquire one, and the rules governing them.

Background

NPCs add an important aspect to game play. Players often feel the need to control NPCs and to do so in a manner that keeps those NPCs fair and balanced in game play. NPCs can not give a player character unfair advantage over other players. Unfair advantage constitutes monetary gain or augmentation of skills other players do not have. Fair advantage is acceptable under certain circumstances - (Ie. paid bodyguards that are supported and paid wages with money earned by the PC, employees hired to help maintain a business also well documented and fully supported by the PC). NPCs need to be actively played - either talked about, mentioned, or ran as being present in a thread and responsive - to be kept.

In all cases, player character should always be more well rounded, and higher skilled overall than NPCs. The admin staff reserves the right to remove NPCs (they will quit, find new jobs, move out, run away, or possibly die) which are being abused or ill used (or even ignored) by the PCs who are in their charge. NPCs should augment a story, not be the focus of a story, and should never be used as 'padding' or to buoy up a PC's lack of proficiency.

How to Acquire an NPC

NPCs can be acquired at character creation (via a Help Desk request) or through actual game play in which an NPC is hired or otherwise acquired in a thread overseen by a Storyteller. The NPC must then be added to the characters Storyteller Secrets by the storyteller who awards it.

The Two Types Of NPCs And Their Rules

The first type of NPC is the Stationary NPC who has a link to the PC, but remains at the same location and are generally unchanging. Classic examples: the family living at home or employees in a PC's business. The defining trait of these NPCs is that they don't move from their location or do anything special. They don't follow the PC around except in special RPed events. They adhere to the following rules:

• No limit to numbers;
• No transfer of income, possessions or skills to the PC (DS approval and possibly moderation required for this)
• Up to 50 skill points and no special notability within the city (again, DS approval required for more)
• Unchanging - meaning can't be trained up or skills expanded upon.
• Must be added to the PC's storyteller's secret thread.

The second type of NPC is the Traveling Companion who follows the PC around at will. Classic examples are: children, kelvic bondmates, and slaves. They just adhere to the following rules:

• Must be requested at the Help Desk to be available at the start.
• Up to 30 skill points, no more than 10 in any one skill;
• PC must properly justify NPC via an explanation in the help desk.
• Founders reserve the right to turn any and all NPCs down
• Founders may alter main pc's starting package to balance out the presence of NPCs by giving PC less starting money or less skills at creation in order to approve NPC.
• Must be added to the PC's storyteller's secret thread.