Dragon Warriors
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Bad guy character design guidelines?
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Author:  Kharille [ Thu Nov 29, 2018 8:01 am ]
Post subject:  Bad guy character design guidelines?

Just thinking about whether a supplement or even just fan made guidelines might be good for GMs in creating bad guys. NPCs that aren't too heroic, cowardly and maybe with 'special powers' like super wealthy, numerous political connections, contacts who would avenge their deaths and pay off their debts. Not the stuff you'd base your player characters on I suppose but may be interesting for nasty NPCs. Perhaps this could justify an expansion of madness rules, curses, or even a supplement on social class and connections? Or maybe an expanded disease section?

Up to GMs if they would allow players to use such resources, but it certainly allows one to round out npcs more. And maybe evil npcs might get more bonuses to their treasury rolls, thus giving players an incentive to waste the bad guys.

Also thinking maybe bad guys would come from powerful families where a lot of good loot can be found, the consequence being that the players get themselves into so much more trouble with organized crimes, pissed off friends and families, as they do in the movies.

Thoughts?

Author:  Cobwebbed Dragon [ Thu Nov 29, 2018 9:52 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Bad guy character design guidelines?

One of the things I like about Dragon Warriors is that the PCs, with all their combat prowess and magical power, can never compete with barons and churchmen for social influence, which is where the real power is. This truly differentiates Legend from other FRPG worlds, which typically either ignore the social contract altogether or promote a very modern approach to social mobility and egalitarian attitudes. This is also where other FRPGs fall into the trap of using simply higher and higher level 'bad guys' as antagonists in adventures. However, in Dragon Warriors, a 1st-rank knight or a 0-rank bishop is a far more threatening opponent than a 12th-rank assassin because the PCs can't just kill him.

I tend not to use criminals as opponents, as they can just be killed with few consequences (except, perhaps, the guilt when they meet the mourning families, struggling to afford food now their only source of income, however dishonourably earned, has been cut off...) - however organised, they are just the same social class as the adventurers, who are themselves about as low as you can get in the social order. This is also what makes knights such a useful character to have in an adventuring party - it gives a party the social credibility they otherwise wouldn't have. It still doesn't mean you can go about killing barons, bishops, or other knights. A knight PC could kill a serf, but would have to make restitution to the noble that owned him (serfs belong to the land and the land belongs to the noble). Only the lord who owned the land to which the serf belonged could even kill the serf without consequence or social obligation.

Social rules are definitely an area in which Dragon Warriors could do with some expansion - the knight and barbarian professions are so flat compared to the later professions that it's a shame the social element has never been explored to give them more of a role in an adventuring party.

And I'm always up for extending madness, disease, and curse rules. I had a stab at madness and diseases myself:

https://www.cobwebbedforest.co.uk/libra ... Perils.pdf

But these rules could still do with some expansion should anyone want to take these kernels and grow them into something more.

When I get around to publishing my campaign material, I'll share the social contract stuff, too - the Cobwebbed Forest is getting a lot of my focus at the moment, but mostly just fixing and updating what's there than publishing new material at the moment.

Author:  Kharille [ Thu Nov 29, 2018 11:49 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Bad guy character design guidelines?

I think the morale rules in book 3 should be expanded upon. Theres a big difference between cutting down a few members of an angry lynch mob, and fighting a few ta'ashim fanatics. I figure one side will fight to the last man. Plus orcs are supposed to run away a lot. I'd say they'll probably attack 2:1 odds and run away when you kill ... 25% of them.

Perhaps its a bit much to expand the 'monster' lists but maybe some guidelines would be nice. Goblins running away after 10% casualties even. I figure they'll be shaken and will start running away, resorting to slings if not totally broken. This might be a nice idea for an expansion of leadership rules and mass combat.

Perhaps even some things like pyro or hydro phobia might make combat more interesting. Fear of heights? Not covered in book 5 rules but might be good to have.

Aren't most of those in power so manipulative? Like 21st century senior execs, maybe they contract work out and pull strings to avoid payment. Don't like players using the latest shiny hardware, tax it to nuts and brand them outlaws if they don't cough up their heart as well as their lungs. Good reason to keep the players moving.

Author:  Cobwebbed Dragon [ Thu Nov 29, 2018 1:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bad guy character design guidelines?

Kharille wrote:
I think the morale rules in book 3 should be expanded upon. Theres a big difference between cutting down a few members of an angry lynch mob, and fighting a few ta'ashim fanatics. I figure one side will fight to the last man. Plus orcs are supposed to run away a lot. I'd say they'll probably attack 2:1 odds and run away when you kill ... 25% of them.

Perhaps its a bit much to expand the 'monster' lists but maybe some guidelines would be nice. Goblins running away after 10% casualties even. I figure they'll be shaken and will start running away, resorting to slings if not totally broken.

I don't like the idea of 'standard' morale rules because, like you say, everyone's different. If it mattered to an encounter, I'd include it in my notes how that particular figure or group would react to an armed conflict that wasn't going there way. Also, unless you are truly fanatical, few people will fight to the death - instead preferring to surrender. How do the PCs respond to that? Do they accept the surrender or would they cut down the unarmed men in front of them?

As for goblins, these are not just weasly humans, but capricious, otherworldly grey folk that live by different rules - would a PC even be able to fight one of these mischievous sprites? And if they did and they killed one, how would the group of goblins react? Typically, murdering the fey has grave consequences - "the ugly sprite before you gurgles as you plunge your blade through its bloated belly, purple blood oozing down your blade as his corpse slides to the ground. The other folk-of-the-forest look upon in horror at your action, their unblinking yellow eyes all fix on you as they meld into the undergrowth, leaving nothing but golden points of light in the wooded gloom. You almost feel the shadow fall across your soul as, one by one, the points of light wink out, leaving you alone in the dark woods, shivering from cold in the warm dusk air and the horrific realisation that the folk-of-the-forest have marked you for revenge."

Kharille wrote:
Perhaps even some things like pyro or hydro phobia might make combat more interesting. Fear of heights? Not covered in book 5 rules but might be good to have.

You should read my phobia rules in the perils document - probably exactly what you're looking for :).

Author:  Kharille [ Thu Nov 29, 2018 3:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bad guy character design guidelines?

Heh, maybe rules are too cumbersome for morale. Might be good for players to take command and embolden some farmers with some sharp commands or even a speech.

Need to go over that pdf. I'm sure I've gone through it in the past but just overwhelmed with the volume of video games, game guides and other stuff that I bury myself into.

Had this thing, one early encounter where goblins sling the players from the darkness in woods. Players might just wander through the hail of missiles just to see some goblin jump on them. Well, they were stupid enough to light a fire....

Author:  Cobwebbed Dragon [ Thu Nov 29, 2018 4:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bad guy character design guidelines?

I tend not to use supernatural creatures for anything where a human could fill the gap - if I just want to assail the PCs with slingstones, a group of bandits can do that. There has to be a reason to use fey creatures - and angering the fey by lighting a fire in their woods wouldn't necessarily result in a hail of slingstones, but soured food, lame horses, polluted water, infestations of lice, acorns in their boots as they walked, corrosion of their equipment, disturbed sleep, getting lost, and so on. The PCs may not even know they've angered the fey with their fire and be confused as to all their bad luck (although maybe they would have clues - chattering of unseen creatures in the canopy, reminiscent of laughter, perhaps? Dreams of scenes in which they see their future - weary, broken, and lost - perhaps with clues how to make restitution to the forest for their contempt, etc.).

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