Goodmorning all,
Frogboy on several occations has hinted at or stated that, what they are trying to produce is the environement in which our RPG's take place. But instead of being the guys on the ground, the PC's fighting in a 5 person group against the world. We're going to be the kings, Frogboy has also hinted that the 'PC's'{not channlers, just called PC's, they would be us, if we were roleplaying in the universe as them} will still exsist, hero's or groups of non controled units that wonder from town to town, visit caves, whatever. who for ammusments sake can be watched.
This and the discussion of living caves got me thinking, What if an uncontroled 'PC [hero non controled]' enters and leavse a cave? Which got me further thinking about what are and do NPC hero parties DO in the game. what game play effects do they have?
So i've given it some thought, and here is what i've got running around my skull.
RE 'PC' Cave crawling. [some of this should be in https://forums.elementalgame.com/363350 meaningful dungeons but is here instead]
As i see it, PC's could be handled a few ways,
Firstly they could be purely cosmetic, they are shown going in and out of a dangerous cave, but really it's just for show :- (.
The only benifit to this is you don't have to 'race' the PC's to clean out dungons/pick up supplies.
Second. PC's could legitimately be out in the would, battling and seaking to fufill goals and missions of thier own, But if that's so how does one prevent them from stripping the landscape bare? Once a cave has been emptied. . . what's left . . . and what happens to the swag?
Thus i propose that PC's (all non channaler family hero characters in the game) have goals, a reason why they are wanderers, and not home bodies. Not just backstories, but self contained microquests. These hero's with thier quests would also have allianments. chanllers they like, and dislike trust and distrust.
In most 4E fantacy games when you higher a hero, that hero's yours, to do with as you see fit forever. I propose instead that Elemental NPC 'PC's' 'remember' their goals, and remain with you only so far as it is mutually benificial.
A non allied 'PC' will contiue on thier quests, collecting items, raiding ruins, killing kobolts and (this is key) selling anything they don't need to progress towards thier goals. That's what a PC does after raiding a mine, or delving a cave, is return to the nearest town and sell all but thier best equipment to buy food, water, a nights stay in a inn, and potions of lesser cure wounds. All of which turn a profit, which you then tax. So you can send your troops to clear a cave, or hope (incurage) the PC's will return to your town to spend thier finds. (taking only 80% of the revenue, rather then all of it. for example, and perhaps not getting the sword of +5, but getting the sword of +4 instead because the figher kept the +5 and sold his old +4.). An allied PC could be sent in dirrectly and would return everything as any other troop, unless the terms specified otehrwise.
So what kinds of goals could NPC 'PC's have? Collect a certain set of unique artifacts to enact a ritual to do (insert big thing here)? get revenge against blot channler or blot hero for blot offence (burning down thier hometown). 'defeat a great evil'. 'defeat a great good'. This could ofcourse be one of the ballancing aspects of choosing Death magic. 'PC's tend to think your evil, and therfor 'good' 'PC's will take arms against you, more often then 'PC's will take arms against life magic users. (evil PC's might take arms against a good Channaler, but more likely will take arms against whomever gets between them and thier goal.) IN general all unique artifacts could have an assosiated quest that may or may not become activated, that PC parties will attempt to get thier hands on that item.
What do other people think? hwo detailed do you want Channeler (non family)hero interactions to be?
Take care all
Robbie Price
