Citizen Keen Posted March 6, 2005 Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 Assuming my character has a base, and I don't share it with my teammates (not greedy, just assume it's the Batcave and I'm in the JLA), how do I decide whether a DNPC my character cares about who never leaves the base is a DNPC of my character or of the base? Curious how GMs arbitrate this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike W Posted March 6, 2005 Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 Re: My DNPC versus my Base's DNPC If he never/almost never leaves the base, apply it to the base. If he regularly can be found elsewhere(i.e. -he works 8 hours at the base then goes home), he applies to the character. Examples: Alfred applies to Batman because Alfred often goes out and does things. Even though he lives at the mansion/cave, he can easily wind up somewhere else. He does, after all, do the shopping and such. He also ends up out in the field from time to time doing things for various members of the Batcrew. On the other hand, the staff at the Thymsceran embassy, especially the minotaur cook(who I can't remember the name of) would qualify as a DNPC for the base since he is ALWAYS found at the embassy. Even the groceries are delivered. In the 5+ years I've read Wonder Woman, I have NEVER seen him anywhere other than the embassy - not even when they were rebuilding Themyscira. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citizen Keen Posted March 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 Re: My DNPC versus my Base's DNPC And as a related tangent to this conversation, I'd like to know why Bases can have DNPCs, but not Followers? I want to build a bar as a Base. The Bartender is a DNPC, who makes good drinks but is otherwise a hapless chap. I also want the bar to have a bouncer. The bouncer would be pretty good in combat against normals, but would fall against Heroes and Superheroes. Would you allow the base to buy the Follower, since he'll never accompany my character on adventures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike W Posted March 6, 2005 Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 Re: My DNPC versus my Base's DNPC Why not have followers? How else would you build guards and such? The rules specifically allow you to give a base followers. The difference(to me) between a DNPC and a follower is that a DNPC is generally not useful for much other than monitor duty or cleaning the place up. At most, he can fix things around the base, whereas a follower can fight or provide something to the base's owner(s). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citizen Keen Posted March 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 Re: My DNPC versus my Base's DNPC Bases can't have Followers, per se. Any Followers belonging to the Base have to be paid for in full by the Character. So, if you want a Base with a bunch of Followers, those points have to be paid for by the character (1/5), instead of by the Base (which would cost the character 1/25 of the points, granted). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike W Posted March 6, 2005 Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 Re: My DNPC versus my Base's DNPC Ah, I misunderstood what you were asking. I think a lot of it is a balance thing. After all, if you built a base and gave it followers(say, guards), there would be a temptation to use those followers for other things. (Can we cram 8 of our guards into the cargo section of the team plane for extra support?). And if you're gonna drag followers away from the base, you can't have people using the base as an excuse to get guards at 1/25. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citizen Keen Posted March 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 Re: My DNPC versus my Base's DNPC Agreed. But, I guess it comes down to GM arbitration. Many GMs allow the Power Skill to let characters make unique uses of their special effects once in a grand while. Would you GMs allow me to buy a Follower for a Base (and the Base has nothing to do with the game - it's a bar, with no secret Danger Rooms or anything. If anything, the alcohol counts as a Conversation 13-), assuming he's just there to keep out the riffraff and I'll never ask him on a mission (unless, perhaps, the Bases DNPC has been kidnapped and will most definitely die, in which case the bouncer at the bar might feel obligated to help). But if he never, and I mean never, joins in the adventuring career, would you let it happen? I jsut want to make a bar-owner as a character. Trying to get a feel from other players before I pitch it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike W Posted March 6, 2005 Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 Re: My DNPC versus my Base's DNPC If the bar is just a business and doesn't do anything other than provide you an income you don't need to pay any points for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citizen Keen Posted March 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 Re: My DNPC versus my Base's DNPC If the bar is just a business and doesn't do anything other than provide you an income you don't need to pay any points for it. Huh. That wasn't my understanding of the rules, but I'll buy it. Cool - thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted March 6, 2005 Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 Re: My DNPC versus my Base's DNPC I think it is reasonable, assuming the followers in question are part of the base and don't do anything but base-related things, that they could be bought as part of the base, for 1/25 cost. In that situation, they are like a piece of equipment in the base. It is not to the letter of the rules, but it seems to me a reasonable setup. Another related issue would be crew for a vehicle. Assuming they are bought as followers as well, would they be bought as 1/25 cost if they were only there to do vehicle-related things? That feels a bit more iffy to me, but I guess it still seems reasonable, just pushing the outermost boundaries of the "reasonable GM" test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhamin Posted March 6, 2005 Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 Re: My DNPC versus my Base's DNPC Another related issue would be crew for a vehicle. Assuming they are bought as followers as well' date=' would they be bought as 1/25 cost if they were only there to do vehicle-related things? That feels a bit more iffy to me, but I guess it still seems reasonable, just pushing the outermost boundaries of the "reasonable GM" test.[/quote'] The way I look at is is that if you have Mike the mechanic hang around the base to take care of your super-motercycle, and that is really all he does for you, then it is perfectly fine to have the base or vehicle pay for him as a follower. All he does is provide the special effects for the super-bike to keep running. It is even fine if in a year of solid gaming you call him once or twice to ask a vehicle-related question that relates to your adventure. If you are playing a Team-Knightrider game and Mike the mechanic is coming out to the field every other game to patch together the team vehicles, then you need to pay for him directly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike W Posted March 6, 2005 Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 Re: My DNPC versus my Base's DNPC Huh. That wasn't my understanding of the rules' date=' but I'll buy it. Cool - thanks![/quote'] Think of the bar as a special effect for your income, akin to having a big stock portfolio or working at the Jiffy Lube or whatever. You don't pay points for any of the other things, why pay for the bar. Now, if you start holding regular team meetings in the bar, I as the GM would ask you to cough up the points for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 Re: My DNPC versus my Base's DNPC Assuming my character has a base, and I don't share it with my teammates (not greedy, just assume it's the Batcave and I'm in the JLA), how do I decide whether a DNPC my character cares about who never leaves the base is a DNPC of my character or of the base? Curious how GMs arbitrate this. Hmmmmmm, just what are you thinking? Funny you ask, we have this situation. I personally allow base DNPCs (and prefer they actually be base DNPCs) if their situation revolves around the base. That means that they don't leave or if they do their work is all centered at the base. If the relationship between a PC and DNPC is personal but the PC isnt envisioning/doesn't want that to come into play as a personal Disad but is okay with it playing out at the base, that's a fine scenario. But you remind me, I'm very lax about getting around to using the base DNPC disad, although since I have used some other staff for base problems on an occassion or two I guess it's evened out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 Re: My DNPC versus my Base's DNPC Huh. That wasn't my understanding of the rules' date=' but I'll buy it. Cool - thanks![/quote'] Just to confirm, that's my understanding - if a bar is just "there" and just a place, then I wouldn't charge anything for it. In other words, no, I won't charge you for it explicitly if it's just background if you go with Jake and his bartender friend. HOWEVER, as we discussed, the bar becomes the organizational contact as per the other e-mails we exchanged. Of course I may be entirely wrong in speculating that this is tied directly into what we discussed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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