Have you ever encountered a situation when your favorite NPC just has to leave the game? Recently (in fact, after the NPC had praised the PC and said he was indispensable), it came to light that the leader (a wizard) of the group was practicing Blood Magick - using life essence to empower spells. His on, in this case. Blood Magick is akin to Necromancy, and the NPC (Marcus, a Priest of Marashieb) follows a religion that hates necromancy and the Dead (Undead). He was about ready to kill the PC or leave, but it was in the middle of a quest and Marcus realized that to cause dissention now would be possibly fatal. Not to mention he was 1/2 way across the world, so leaving without the group would be rather difficult! While Marcus has realized that the PC is not completely corrupted by the Blood Magick (though the PC has done several things lately that shocked the PC, not to mention Marcus), push came to shove when a new party member was attacked by elvish assassins (he was an elf himself - seems he "despoiled" the elvish Prince. First words out of the group's mouth (almost in stereo) was "He did what?" and "You *do* mean Princ*ess*, don't you?"). The elvish assassins, after losing their Priest, realized they were seriously outclassed by the larger group. And fled. They were riding off on unicorns and the PC leader decided he couldn't let them escape. So he fireballed them and the unicorns. Killing one of the unicorns. Don't worry, the Priestess of Shynmon (Healing Goddess) brought her back to life. Though it did cost her a level of experience (only Priest(esse)s of Shynmon can bring back the dead, and to do so costs them a part of their own life essence - unless the person who wants the dead brought back to life is willing to share his/her own life essence to sustain the deceased). However, this made Marcus' fiance (half elvish priestess of the Elvish Protector God) realize that SHE couldn't stay in the group with the PC Leader! And Marcus, being a good little fiance (and having reservations of his own) agrees with her and will leave. When they're back at the surface in Valachan. :) (Yes, Deb, this is *your* little half-elvish priestess, who after the PBeM fell apart made a home in the tabletop version as an NPC) Have any of you had this happen, when a favorite NPC (and yes, Marcus is my favorite NPC, I rather enjoy the dark priest, who embraces both sides of his religion - Death and Healing. In that order in times. *laughter*) suddenly decides he can't stay? While Marcus and Devon will still be in the world as background NPCs, I can't see any real way they could stay in the group. Which will annoy another PC to no end, as *she* hates with a passion the final Priestess (the one who brought back the unicorn, and who has a crush on the PC leader and is trying to convince him to be more peaceful and caring *grin*) as the Priestess is making moves on *her* property. ;) Funny, that. The group now is seven PCs strong, and yet all the Priests are NPCs. So, what tales do you have of NPCs doing the unexpected? Rob ---------------------------------------------------------------- GMAST Home Page: http://www.phoenyx.net/gmast/ Tech support questions go to support@phoenyx.net.
At 06:04 PM 10/28/99 -0500, Robert A. Howard wrote: >Have you ever encountered a situation when your favorite NPC just has to >leave the game? [snip] >So, what tales do you have of NPCs doing the unexpected? > [Completely off topic -- Rob, Devon has come to light in another game as well, taking on the name Vaughn, and bringing my own version of Anna with her as well... I needed a pair of NPCs fast, and well, they just sort of wandered in and sat down. *grins* No Marcus tho... of course, she's also still a guy at the moment!] Good NPCs *always* do the unexpected. *grins* I've had one NPC who I tried to write out many times, and now, 500 years later, I think she might still be around. She hasn't told me doing *what* yet, though. It seems to me sometimes that the NPCs more run me, than I run them. They're like my PCs, and they do things I don't expect. Or tell me things halfway through the game. Or simply seem to have plots of their own. And yes, sometimes they leave because its the only logical thing to do. One thing I *have* learned tho. While I might *miss* an NPC horribly, I'll kill them, or have them leave if its right for the character, or for the story. I don't tryto save an NPC from the party just because I like them (my PCs in various games have killed off many of my favorite NPC "villians" *sigh*). I just go along with what the NPCs seem to want. Also, remember... sometimes writing them out doesn't mean they are *gone*. In fact, if they hate someone that much, they might be actively working against them, in the belief that he is loose on the world and must be stopped. After all, Devon was a stubborn and opionated little brat. *grins* D. +-------------------------------------------------+ | Deb Allen (Atwood?) / D-Singer / Tryslora | | d-singer@albany.net / deb_allen@fac.com | | http://www.albany.net/~d-singer | +-------------------------------------------------+ | The Black Road -- an Amber DRPG Convention | | http://www.theblackroad.org | +-------------------------------------------------+ | "You must never run from anything immortal. It | | attracts their attention." | | - _The_Last_Unicorn_ | +-------------------------------------------------+ ---------------------------------------------------------------- GMAST Home Page: http://www.phoenyx.net/gmast/ Tech support questions go to support@phoenyx.net.
The esteemed Deb Allen said: > [Completely off topic -- Rob, Devon has come to light in another game as > well, taking on the name Vaughn, and bringing my own version of Anna with > her as well... I needed a pair of NPCs fast, and well, they just sort of > wandered in and sat down. *grins* No Marcus tho... of course, she's also > still a guy at the moment!] end quote: That's okay, Deb. Anna needed a home anyways. :) In my Night Below game, she ended up straight and Jelenneth became Jarrad. They saved him with a artifact Cage - if you know the True Name or history of the person, you can capture them without a save allowed, no matter the distance. They yanked him out of the prison he was in after Anna told the PC leader all about her beloved Jarrad (and his parents told a bit as well, not knowing why the PC was asking) and reunited him with Anna. While he tried adventuring with Anna and the group... it wasn't going to work out. I didn't want FIVE bloody NPCs (as I also had the paladin they conned into joining them as well as Marcus and Devon) running around. Shynmon showed up and told Anna that it was time for her to fulfill her part of the bargain with Her... and that was having a child with Jarrad (the child will become a powerful Healer for Shynmon's church). And had already negated her birth control herbs so she was already pregnant. Whoopsie! *chuckle* Of course, Anna in this world was a Thief/Mage (Dual classed) instead of a Thief/Priestess (as well as not being homosexual) but does that matter? :) So, what's your Devon and Anna doing? :) Rob ---------------------------------------------------------------- GMAST Home Page: http://www.phoenyx.net/gmast/ Tech support questions go to support@phoenyx.net.
