Creating NPCs

[treeplanter]

I dunno, Carouser still seems to be a perfect candidate to be handed out as freebie feat by the GM, because it's a nice effect but 90% flavour.

Well this make absolutly nosense to me. RPG are about flavour not effect.

Effect are just the natural extension of flavouring your character.

 

[Clovenhoof]

That's a strange definition.
For me, "flavour" in regard to characters is the stuff that you can decide freely, and don't have to pay for with scarce ressources.

 

[treeplanter]

But being able to drink infinite is clearly a feat since not all human being are able to do it...

In my opinion it is clearly more of a feat than let say, a +1 to hit with a weapon?

Why would I spend my scarce ressource on a weapon focus, I could "flavor" than my character is a weapon master thus he should have a +1 to hit? Or that he is fast on his feat so he should have the run or fleet-footed feat?

 

[Demetrio]

Yeah, the key thing for me with Carouser is that it isn't providing a bonus to a roll to avoid becoming beastly drunk, or vomiting, or passing out, or whatever, it's saying that you can outdrink anyone (except presumably another casouser) because you will suffer no ill effects from alcohol. To me, that's a good feat for one party member to have - like Sleep Mastery is. As I say, not quite as useful but still better than a poke in the eye or Skill Focus (Use Rope).

 

[decker423]

Does anyone value going first in combat? I've always gone for Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Greater Improved Initiative and putting a lot into Dexterity.
For combat, I try to go with Weapon Focus, Weapons Specialization and Improved Critical.
I figure if I can hit them first, hit them hard, reduce their armor- all in the first hit (everyone starts out flat footed in combat, hence reduced Defense Bonus) then I'm well on the way to winning.


On a side note, we're talking about the game mech stuff. What about the NPC's agenda, goals (short term, mid range & long term) and personality?

 

[treeplanter]

Does anyone value going first in combat? I've always gone for Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Greater Improved Initiative and putting a lot into Dexterity.
For combat, I try to go with Weapon Focus, Weapons Specialization and Improved Critical.
I figure if I can hit them first, hit them hard, reduce their armor- all in the first hit (everyone starts out flat footed in combat, hence reduced Defense Bonus) then I'm well on the way to winning.


On a side note, we're talking about the game mech stuff. What about the NPC's agenda, goals (short term, mid range & long term) and personality?

About your first point, going first should be Conanesque IMHO, it is stated as the main combat philosophy of the game, so I think any character planning to be decent in combat should either:

1. Try acting first (via high initiative)
or
2. Having the capability of surviving the being flat-footed onslaught (via either Heavy armouring, uncanny dodge or Reflexive parry) or
3. Increase the encounter distance (via spot/listen)

About your second point, I'm arguing since the start of the thread that it is the most important thing about NPC and that their feat/skill should represent opposed to every NPC should have power attack...

 

[Clovenhoof]

An old timer on this board once said "Improved Initiative is a feat too good not to take" and I've heeded this advice. As you said, when you go first you attack against DV10, so you can Sneak or Power Attack a flat-footed foe into the middle of next week. MD rules and low Defense values across the board make it all the more important to strike first. So for PCs Improved Ini is pretty much a must-have.

NPCs with optimized Initiative are _very_ dangerous for the same reasons, and thus should be used sparingly. In the stories, Conan almost always goes first, so it's appropriate not to give NPCs this feat very often.