Combat and the NPC experience

Hi there!

(Arrrrgh! See, I had this brilliant, well-written response to this post typed out on my mobile device, and when I clicked [submit]. it told me that the session had timed out. [throws things at phone])

I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who thinks this! Part of MY problem is that I'm just so abominably bad with MATH. I KNOW that my NPC is supposed to have, say 400 Body Points, but then when combat starts, I have one person hitting me twice for 10 dmg, another person whacking me for two, then when I'm just about caught up, an ARROW smacks me on the back for 8, then a spell packet hits me for ... wait! Was that blow-back AND damage, or am I just blown back? Really? Okay how much dam-- ... [thwack! ARROW!] And then I'm thinking that maybe I should just lie down now before I lose count again ...

I guess what I SHOULD do, is just to err on the side of excess, and not drop until I'm absolutely sure that I've taken my full count of body. But then I always assume that everyone else is better at math than I am, and doing complicated algebraic formulas in their head to figure out exactly when my NPC should be dead. ("I've been hitting him for 8 dmg, with a success rate of 5/9, it's been a 17 second melee so far so with my 2 swings per 5 second increment, so he should be dropping right about ... no? Not yet? DAMN DIRTY CHEATER!!)

So as long as I'm not slaying PCs like George RR Martin, I'm probably doing okay?

That's a relief!

Figure out what the goal of the encounter is and adjust your play style accordingly. If you are supposed to be a big bad demon but are getting swamped, consider using any of your relocation abilities(flee, windwalk, vanish, etc) or shield bash your way to clearing out some PC's.

My favorite NPC encounter came during WitL when I was hiding in the woods at night, hoping to get the drop on a wandering NPC or two. I get far more than what I bargained for, with a pack of ogres and their pet dog. The NPC's improvised brilliantly, "throwing" the dog up to sniff me out and making "ogre noises" at the bottom of the hill to make sure I knew what was coming. I barely managed to get out of there alive, but if they had just followed the basic script, they would have killed my character before he could draw his sword or reload the crossbow. I really wish I knew who these NPC's were OOG so I could thank them for a great time!

Knowing when to stomp face and when to show restraint is important in NPC shifts because every encounter will play out differently. RP doesn't require combat skills, so try to integrate more of that into the encounters instead of charging headlong into the hordes of heroes.

Between playing mooks to main mod bosses, the goal is always the same. Whether you're fighting someone who plays to win or someone who just wants a good fight, you should always play to entertain. Everyone comes to the game to be entertained, so each of us needs to put in the same amount (if not more) of effort and care into the roles we get as NPCs. It's not about being a good fighter. No one was the best fighter when they first showed up. We've all had to learn how to get where we are. But it's still more important to act the part rather than outfight someone. Some of my favorite encounters as a PC were against the people who put on a good show. If you're out with a giant sword or hammer and only swinging 10s, make it look like you're swinging 100. People are going to appreciate the time you take into making them fight a monster and not just some weirdo in a mask. (Unless of course the character portrayed is a weirdo in a mask in some off the wall Scooby-Doo Style mod.)

There have been plenty of times when playing monsters that I've even been dropped way quicker than expected. But that's good. The PCs are working together to make it happen and that's something we're out to encourage. Always err on the side of the PCs' favor and the courtesy will be returned to you. We want the players (PC and NPC) to have fun, because that's why we're even playing a game. Sometimes that low level dude will do some cool trick to catch you totally off guard and tag you with an incapacitate or something. A+ to that guy for being crafty. Sure you have another dodge or deflect left, but screw it, taking the dive would be so much cooler. Reward player ingenuity and the same will come back to you when you get that lucky shot.

The less respawns you have as an NPC means less chance to make the encounter memorable. So yes, it does become a bit more daunting, but it's a greater chance to shine bright. And who knows, that one shot normally meaningless NPC could even win you NPC of the month.
( www.knightrealms.com/monthly-awards/the-...the-month-12346.html )

Well said Steve. I support this 100%!

Thanks for all of your insights. It is helpful to know that other new players struggle with this (trying to do math while remembering skills and RP can be tricky in the beginning) and to see how experienced players strike a balance. All good things to think about.

One quick note about trying to do the math. I have been at KR for almost 10 years now and I thing I had to learn the hard way is trying to do math in the middle of battle in almost impossible. As Steve pointed out, err on the side of caution when playing something with let's say 400 body. If your taking 10's and 2's to the front and an 8 to the back, don't stand there and try to do the math it won't work, instead if you think you may have taken close to the 400 or even a little off, just go ahead and drop. If I have 400 body and took let's say 350 but i think I may have taken 400, there is nothing wrong with going down as no one expects you to get the math exactly right.

Also for combat RP, try moving around a lot and making the PC's work together even more then normal, sure there may be 6 of them, but if you keep moving around and growling or acting demonic, they'll back off a little and try something different.

Either way, make sure you are having as much fun as they are and GOOD LUCK!