Question of the GMs

[nexus]

Do you stat NPCs out fully? I've found that I've come to do it less and less. I know roughly what they can do, their Stun and Body totals, but generally I just wing it allot now. Anyone else do this?

[mvoncannon]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

I do wing it from time to time, however I usually use a generic template (look at predators) for stuff like cops, hoods, and thugs. For major NPCs that might have to do something (Sgt. Banks of the HCPD for example), I stat out.

[largosama]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

Do you stat NPCs out fully? I've found that I've come to do it less and less. I know roughly what they can do' date=' their Stun and Body totals, but generally I just wing it allot now. Anyone else do this?[/quote']

 

Depends on the NPC. My NPCs that are never involved in combat, I don't bother with the stats. For the major NPCS as well as the villain of the day, I fully stat out the character, but I frequently don't go into too much detail other then the powers and stats. Things like disadvantages and the like, I usually don't bother with unless it's a disadvantage that I know will come up (vulnerable to sunlight for example). Otherwise, I wing the rest of the character.

 

When talking about henchmen and other mooks, I rarely come up with stats unless they are more powerful then the typical henchmen. I have a typical stun/body amount in mind and I know their OCV/DCV and weapon stats, but that's it.

[Savinien]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

Depends on time and motivation.

 

So, no I don't usually stat out anything more than I need.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

It depends on how much information I need.

 

For most folks (normals, cops, thugs), I can just wing it.

For a skilled non-combat opponent (the teenage h4x0r trying to get into the team's mainframe), I just figure out about what skills he should have and write them down.

For villains, they get the works.

[Zed-F]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

If I expect a full-fledged brawl, using the speed chart and lasting at least several phases, with PCs as adversaries, I often stat them out. Not always, sometimes I just have an idea of their most important combat stats, such as SPD, Dex, CV, DCs of attack, how many hits they can take, etc.

 

For allies, mooks, or if the fight's supposed to be over quickly? No. I just have a general idea of what they can do and go from there.

[teh bunneh]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

I tend to spend far more effort than my adversaries really need. Backgrounds, personalities, the whole schmere. I can't help it, I'm addicted!

 

Mooks, I just say the heroes one-punch 'em. No need for stats at all. Normals might have two or three skills and maybe an out-of-the-ordinary stat.

[Mike W]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

It depends. I usually try to stat out important people. People likely to be one and done appearances I only write up what I think I'll need. If I have to guesstimate behind the GM screen because I wasn't planning on needing said person....oh well.

[hooligan x]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

I only fully stat hunteds, major npcs, and reoccuring antagonists. Most guys who will only see one combat have their speed, attacks, def, cv, stun, body, end, int, and ego listed, plus and disads that would come up in combat.

 

I am very much a 'Butt-puller" when it comes to npcs. A lot of them are created during gameplay, so I can't stat them.

[Gummibear]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

I once built a scenario around a chess game. I had worked out the characters (bishops, rooks, queen, the like) and the different moves (KnQB2) and the equivalent actions. The scenario took up pages of information and I was mightily proud of myself. Then the players got involved...needless to say they did nothing that they "should" have done and therefore the game went a bit differently-turned into a very quick scholar's mate.

 

Ultimately you should probably build characters to your comfort level.

I usually like to have a good solid background for the characters. This is usually accomplished by having a good solid world, then building the character within it. However when the characters get involved they frequently head down the alley you never designed... so winging it becomes the norm.

 

Truthfully I find it challenging

[Tech]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

I rarely create stats for normal NPC's. Superhero NPC's on the other hand are fully created - and very often updated/changed as necessary. However, there is one case where I created the stats for an NPC who helps the mayor run the city. She and a player character have started to develope feelings for each other and she's quite competent. It's very difficult for them at the moment to go beyond because the superhero team is looked down on and voiced out against by the commander of the special law enforcement in the city. She also doesn't know the secret id of the hero. Isn't love grand?

 

Other than her, I can't think of any others offhand that I've given stats to.

[Guest bblackmoor]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

Do you stat NPCs out fully? I've found that I've come to do it less and less. I know roughly what they can do' date=' their Stun and Body totals, but generally I just wing it allot now. Anyone else do this?[/quote']

 

I frequently start with a rough idea, perhaps based heavily on a character from one of the Hero Games sourcebooks, and wing the details. Eventually, if the NPC becomes a recurring character, I will go to the trouble of writing them up in full. That may be weeks or even months after the first time I use them in a game.

[TaxiMan]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

Totally wing it. Make up fun and unusual abilities on the fly. Grant them 'teamwork' if a PC's using poor tactics, surprise if he's been foolish, etc.

 

Basically, the mooks are there for the players that like to beat up on people and to enforce good game play. The major villians are there for story arcs, and the role players get to discover what's going on.

 

I've a very mixed bag of players; young teenagers that can't handle complexity, late 40 year-olds that want a good story, and some in between. Every session needs some beat down and some story. Everybody has a good time!

[DangerousDan]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

Depends on the NPC. My NPCs that are never involved in combat' date=' I don't bother with the stats. For the major NPCS as well as the villain of the day, I fully stat out the character, but I frequently don't go into too much detail other then the powers and stats. Things like disadvantages and the like, I usually don't bother with unless it's a disadvantage that I know will come up (vulnerable to sunlight for example). Otherwise, I wing the rest of the character.[/quote']

 

I do much the same. Some NPCs get approximated in my head as I go along, but others have fairly complete character sheets. My last big Superhero Villain had "Other TBD 110 cp". (TBD=To be determined).

 

I did fairly recently, however have a case where an NPC's disadvantage affected the outcome. A lone PC confronted a lone Henchwoman, who promptly knocked him out with an Energy Blast. Normally, a villainess would make certain that the hero was out, but it turned out that I'd given her "Overconfidence" on the character sheet. Believing him to be inconsequential, she merely walked away. When the Hero came to in the next turn, he switched powers, tracked her down, wiped the floor with her, then took all her OAF, one of which was the goal of the scenario. He then flew off to help another PC with a difficult battle. In the whole scenario, she only hit him that one time.

 

When talking about henchmen and other mooks, I rarely come up with stats unless they are more powerful then the typical henchmen. I have a typical stun/body amount in mind and I know their OCV/DCV and weapon stats, but that's it.

 

In the last fantasy game I ran, I had a character sheet for "Generic Ruffian". With slight variations made on the spot, that character sheet served as over two dozen different NPCs. For an upcomming martial arts/chop socky game, I'm altering it to "Martial Ruffian," where I expect that it will serve quite nicely as the bulk of the bullies that the PCs get to beat up.

[Chuckg]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

Do you stat NPCs out fully? I've found that I've come to do it less and less. I know roughly what they can do' date=' their Stun and Body totals, but generally I just wing it allot now. Anyone else do this?[/quote']

 

All the time. And not just in Champions. In d20, the only thing I know about the mooks is their BAB, their defense value, the damage of their primary attack, and how many hp they got. If they're going to be talking, I also know the ranks they have in the relevant social skills. That's it.

 

Edit -- in the last Tri-Stat Cyberpunk adventure I ran, I had only four NPC character sheets:

 

* Generic Enemy Henchman I (the common grunt)

* Generic Enemy Henchman II (the elite grunt)

* The Enemy Commanding Officer

* The NPC They Were Rescuing

 

Pretty much the only NPCs I give full stats to any longer are recurring guest-stars or boss villains.

[Enforcer84]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

I tend to spend far more effort than my adversaries really need. Backgrounds, personalities, the whole schmere. I can't help it, I'm addicted!

 

Mooks, I just say the heroes one-punch 'em. No need for stats at all. Normals might have two or three skills and maybe an out-of-the-ordinary stat.

Me too.

[CBikle]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

Most NPCs I use usually have a background and character sheet as most are from published sources, the net or created by me.

 

About the only time I imagine having to create a new NPC on the spot is if the players wander outside the adventure's parameters and get into a fight someplace weird like a super-villain bar/hangout or on another planet.

 

If that happens, I know that the adversaries attacks, CV, spd and defenses

won't be too far-removed from the campaign limits/minimums.

 

As a player, I'm not a big fan of GMs creating/tweaking NPCs on the spot, as more often than not, the GM'll go overboard, giving the npc devastating offenses while simultaneously adding and modifying his/her/its existing defenses to ridiculous degrees. Since the PCs are now ineffectual, the GM realizes the problem and has to introduce a deus ex machina (usually in the form of a super-powerful NPC) to "fix" things.

[TaxiMan]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

As a player' date=' I'm not a big fan of GMs creating/tweaking NPCs on the spot, as more often than not, the GM'll go overboard, giving the npc devastating offenses while simultaneously adding and modifying his/her/its existing defenses to ridiculous degrees. Since the PCs are now ineffectual, the GM realizes the problem and has to introduce a deus ex machina (usually in the form of a super-powerful NPC) to "fix" things.[/quote']

 

Ooooh, ugly! I know what you mean, but I Don't Do That . The PCs are supposed to whup up on the mooks, or else they aren't "super"! My problem is that I like to have a bunch of mooks attack, and there isn't enough time to play each one. When you're playing a scene from Starship Troopers with an infinite amount of bugs...

 

I DO try to get the point across that, regardless of how awesome your righteous might, you aren't going to be able to duke it out to finish this scenario. So I let them play out killing a dozen or so, tell them their characters can see it's hopeless, and go from there. It's a nice way (IMO) to tell them they aren't approaching the problem correctly.

[Chuckg]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

As a player' date=' I'm not a big fan of GMs creating/tweaking NPCs on the spot, as more often than not, the GM'll go overboard, giving the npc devastating offenses while simultaneously adding and modifying his/her/its existing defenses to ridiculous degrees. Since the PCs are now ineffectual, the GM realizes the problem and has to introduce a deus ex machina (usually in the form of a super-powerful NPC) to "fix" things.[/quote']

 

I know what you're talking about. I've been there, more than once.

 

Of course, *experienced* GMs soon learn how /not/ to do that.

 

(AAMOF, my on-the-fly mooks sometimes come in a little too /frail/...)

[Nucleon]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

Do you stat NPCs out fully? I've found that I've come to do it less and less. I know roughly what they can do' date=' their Stun and Body totals, but generally I just wing it allot now. Anyone else do this?[/quote']

 

Nucleon dispose of a bulging database of NPCs, which are basically divided into two types; Well known and tried "tactical" NPCs, with full sheets (and quite often a drawing), and specifical, "non-tactical" NPCs.

 

For the later, mostly DNPCs and non-supers, Nucleon has a basic description, with some traits or history. In the game, they usually succeed in doing what they are supposed to do, because He loathes to throw dice to resolves everything non-player-related.

 

As for the "Sheeted" ones, Nucleon transcripts them on a "combat sheet" on the eve of a gaming session, which include most needed stuff to run them in combat at the rate of 4-6 per sheet. Transcripting them also refresh them to Nucleon's memory.

 

That being said, some important NPC are born into the campaing itself; These, Nucleon keeps them purposely blank as "thruth shall be revealed later" and stuff. Creating them on the spot is usually a last resort with which Nucleon is un-comfortable still.

 

[casualplayer]

Re: Question of the GMs

 

I could never resell my HERO books because they have been written in so much. I hardly ever do a full write up of characters because it's really not worth the time and effort, but I sure will pimp out Thok until he is barely recognizable but more useful to me. Why redesign the wheel over and over again? By the time I was done with Shamrock he was a Hollywood stuntman named Davis, and since the original character sucked liked buttermilk I had something useful at the end.