Typical NPC Adventurers
As Compared To PC Adventurers

I have mentioned the fact I prefer to have adventurers on the high side of normal - even high for typical members of their profession. Frequently, a group of NPC adventurers may not even have a single individual with an 18 in their statistics, let alone a group of individuals who each have at least one 18. Most often, an exceptional person with an 18 will stand out and be the star in a group of fellow, lesser adventurers (like Robin Hood (DEX 18) in his band of merry men). Or even more typically, your average group of NPC adventurers won't have any members that are so exceptional you'd give them a second look. This makes the groups I tend to DM for one of a handful of adventuring groups on the entire planet that will stand out to such an extent one would naturally expect them to be at the heart of some of the most interesting things on the planet; the truly epic might even require such an outstanding group of men and women just for them to survive, let alone succeed.

The exceptional nature of this "active" group (the PCs) tends to make them stand out to other members of their profession. Let's face it, most other adventuring groups are probably envious of them. After all, the NPC groups probably have more permanent losses (dead members), don't obtain the kinds of wealth that could set someone up for life, or frequently break up due to party disharmony far more than PC groups. It's almost as if the entire world was made just for those lucky PC bastards;-) Still, whether it is envy or admiration, they know the PCs are something special when they hear of them or actually see them in person.

I mention this all simply because I think it's important to know what kind of other professionals (adventuring NPCs) the PCs might encounter. For example, these NPCs might be veterans who have had a really hard time of it. Perhaps they have died many times (and have become weaker (Con loss) and never gained a decent amount of cash since it keeps going to pay for the Raise Dead spells). Maybe they are crippled - their final adventure ending their career and leaving them without the means to magically fix their deformities and continue to earn large sums of cash in the field (Regeneration spells are not cheap!).

Or they may never have made even a single big score (and are still using less than desirable equipment and/or magic while the PC's backup equipment is superior to even that). They may even have been in the " adventuring game" for many years longer, but without the breaks, and have achieved far less than the PCs seem to have accomplished in less than a year or two. When you consider everything, most NPC adventurers are probably ready for retirement relatively soon - perhaps most of them even after achieving only a few levels, a few after breaking the first barrier at "7th" level, and only a handful of the exceptionally rare ones after achieving "name" level.

Many NPC adventurers may have come to the realization their luck - such as it is - would soon run out (permanently), and saw they could retire (comfortably) by selling most of their accumulated equipment and magic and settling down with a decent, non adventuring job (like sheriff, mayor, or ship's captain (mostly hauling trade goods around). Their skills would still serve them well on those rare occasions when something unusual comes up, but they no longer go looking for trouble and probably don't travel in a tight pack of similarly highly skilled individuals. Thus, they "retire" to being a big fish, but in a little pond.

Or they may have found something more important than seeing what's on the other side of that hill; a young women (or man), a family and their children, community responsibility, an artistic calling, or a host of other things that would ultimately prove to be far more rewarding than camping in mud, dragging their sorry carcass through cave tunnels, freezing their asses off, eating things which would make a billy goat puke, or anything else required in order to not only survive, but to win, big.

And so we find them, scattered here and there throughout the land, retired with some good stories (and possible clues for those more fool hardy than they), with some decent skills; so they shouldn't be taken lightly as they have the kind of knowledge young people would give much to obtain. Possibly, some of these are the very people who either trained our young, intrepid PCs, or at least inspired them to choose their profession.

On the other side of the career spectrum, for those less than exceptional adventurers (statistic wise) who are just starting out, they make excellent henchmen, followers, or minor villains. Naturally, they would look up to the PCs who "made it," seek them out, and do extraordinary things to be included in such a prestigious inner circle, all while accepting nigh on squat for the privilege. This doesn't mean a PC can treat their followers like dirt or a common dog, but only explains, what is for all intents and purposes a fellow adventurer, why someone might except far less than an equal share when (due to lack of skill) they actually risk more than the PCs. After all, even a weaker fireball may only annoy a high-level PC, but it's certain death for a low-level follower. And if the follower follows too closely, the follower will probably die more than most would care to admit. Such dedication probably deserves more than an equal share of the wealth - not less. I remember one campaign I was in where the followers and henchmen were given an equal share of the cash - gems, jewelry, etc. - but not the magic. This was still considerable, and the greed factor of the NPCs made me believe they would risk it. After all, men and women in real life risk just as much for far less, so I could really believe that game. And coupled with the practice of letting them use (or even have) one's backup equipment, it's a practical certainty they would have good morale and a high loyalty.

© May of 1999
by
James L.R. Beach
Waterville, MN 56096