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View Full Version : [Exalted] Balancing NPCs and villains



Weimann
2010-04-16, 07:15 AM
If you're a player in my game, get your butt out of this thread.









You gone yet? You should be!












That should be safe, right?

I'm going to ST a Solar story tomorrow, and I thought I'd stat out the main antagonists. Since I'm yet not very familiar with the system, I was glad when I found a system for creating NPC characters on the Exalted wiki (http://wiki.white-wolf.com/exalted/index.php?title=User:Epsilon/NPC_System).

Some questions for those familiar with this system:

Given that there are 4 Solars, would 3 Solar-equivalent enemies rated "Challenging" be a good level for the main villains to be on? Should they maybe be "Powerful" seeing as they are less?

Also, what is assumed about perfect defenses and the like?

Revlid
2010-04-16, 08:21 AM
Given that there are 4 Solars, would 3 Solar-equivalent enemies rated "Challenging" be a good level for the main villains to be on? Should they maybe be "Powerful" seeing as they are less?
Okay, so I'm not too familiar with the system, but I will say that from the sounds of things I'd personally go for Powerful over Challenging. If they prove to be too much, you can always put off a conclusion until after the Circle's latest training montage, or have them fight the party 1 or 2 at a time. Maybe 2 Challenging and 1 Powerful?


Also, what is assumed about perfect defenses and the like?
Yes is assumed.
I don't know how many stories I've heard about awesome villains downed in one lucky combo because the ST forgot to give them at least one Perfect Defense.

Kylarra
2010-04-16, 09:04 AM
Well a few things need to be cleared up:

-How experienced are your players?
-How are they encountering the NPCs?
-When you say "main antagonist", is it the big bad(s) or the anti-party that serves to keep them from accomplishing their goals, much as Ben and Flame do?


And yes, your major antagonists regardless of type need perfect defenses.

Weimann
2010-04-16, 10:25 AM
Well a few things need to be cleared up:

-How experienced are your players?I understand that it's a pretty spread out group. Two of them at least has extensive knowledge of the system, having played for several years. The other two I don't have a good grap on, but they seem to not be newbs at least.

It's worth noting that I, as an ST, is unquestionably the newest to the system. I basically do this to learn STing better, which is why I need some guidelines :)
-How are they encountering the NPCs?My plan is that they go through an adapted version of Return to the Tomb of Five Corners. The circle is lured there by a false letter, whereupon they raid their own First Age tombs (spread out across Creation but connected by a system of portals that converge in an unassuming valley in the Scavenger Lands), gearing up with Artifacts and also collecting keylike objects to open up the last tomb.

Inside, they meet a party of Abyssals who want to take the tomb system over, but couldn't open the First Age Magitech lock system which was set to activate only for the reincarnations of the ones inside. With the Solars having opened the system for them, they now want to capture them, possibly turning them into Abyssals as well, and use the gates for quick transportation of armies across Creation.


-When you say "main antagonist", is it the big bad(s) or the anti-party that serves to keep them from accomplishing their goals, much as Ben and Flame do?Brief run-down on the Abyssals:

The Abyssal circle's main brawler is called Player on Overtime. He is a bit of a comic relief, being a football player with Intelligence 1 and Crypt Bolt that he fires from his feet, in the shape of footballs. He also has a little bit of Dark Messiah Style, such as kicking people in the privates (Ravaging Blow) and poking their eyes out (Foe-Blinding Jab), all to emulate a football hooligan. He further has Athletics charm to jump well and I plan on running him as a distance fighter. He'll have Lightning Cluth of the Raptor which perfectly deflects ranged attacks (he's been a goalie too).

Then there's Blank Page Unwritten. He died in the Nexus gutter when he was 8 years old, unknown by everyone, and took up the Deathlord's offer simply because it was the first person to have talked to him for years. Page is big on crafting, particularly Necrotech, and Sorcery as well as Necromancy. He's supposed to be pretty crap in combat, but I thought about him being a kind of puppet-master a la Sasori from Naruto (http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Sasori), if maybe not directing them himself. He can use Breath-Draining Prana and I'm thinking of giving him some kind of Necroarmour to increase his physical stats. He looks kind of like this (http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=002566).

The main villain and leader of the circle is Unknowable Pain's Lament. She's a Moonshadow caste with Past Lives and Whispers, and she's dead serious (pun totally intended) on the /wrists-style of emo. She writes poetry and sings (I'm looking for Performance and Lingustics charms that fits her) and can handle her ornate rapier Daiklave well. She was a part of the Solar circle in the first age, but as the Great Curse festered she grew insane pretty fast and the others had to subdue her. She never forgot this but seek her revenge on them, and then the world, for taking from her the rightful place of rulership. If anyone should be at Powerful level, it's her, and she's also the one most important to not get instagibbed.

The actual stage for their battle is not yet decided. Since it's supposed to be the last one, I have some time to think about it. I like to think that it's a pretty grandiose ballroom, with balconies on the edges and long tables and draperies to swing from and lots of stuff to improvise as weapons. The Solars will likely not make an appearance until that last tomb, except possibly for Lament with Solar Impersonation Method. I don't really know how to use that, though, so probably not.

In the tombs I had planned for different kinds of challenges, possibly fighting a few Weak or maybe a Challenging undead without charms, or solving some thematic puzzle.


And yes, your major antagonists regardless of type need perfect defenses.See, the thing is, only 1 of the four Solars will be sporting a perfect defense. Will it not be unfair game to pimp the Abyssals with them?

It should also be noted that I, at one point, explicitly told them that they likely will not need perfects in this game, planning on a very short, extra-intensive game with only one Abyssal at the end. When my ideas evolved I took that back, telling them instead to take "the defenses they normally do" (resulting in 3 people without perfect defenses and one with a paranoia combo >.<), but it might have left an impression, and I don't want to cheat them.

Kylarra
2010-04-16, 10:47 AM
Well, okay. So brand new characters, not new players.

Remember that abyssals can't spam perfects in Creation, so it's not a huge issue (that wp cost adds up fast). Keep a perfect on the one you don't want instagibbed though, I guess.

I guess the main question is if you want these guys to be ongoing NPCs* or if you want them to be stepping stones for now. Well, I guess want is kind of a bad-railroady word. What do you expect them to be, insofar as your story framework goes? I'd probably start off with 2 challenging and one powerful with the mentality that they will cut their losses and do shadowy backstabby type things if combat starts to go badly for them. It is worth pointing out that the one you don't want instagibbed appears to be the only melee-er, so you may want to either fix that or throw in some ground troops/minions.



*Note that as abyssals, death is only a setback and revenge can always come from their next incarnation.

Weimann
2010-04-16, 11:05 AM
Good points. I think I will use a few extras and maybe larger necrotech before they reach the actual Abyssals, to mote-drain them a bit. I'll definitely have a PD on Lament, at least, and the PD for ranged on Player.

Do you think it's cheating to have a Hearthstone on Lament that makes her count as if in a Shadowland? >.>

The Demented One
2010-04-16, 11:12 AM
Epsilon System tends to be pretty good. Add in a couple of extras, so that non-combat focused players have people to mow down. Also, note how Chungian your players are, and make enemies accordingly–if none of them have so much as a flurrybreaker, then throwing an enemy using extra action charms with a grand killstick while spamming perfects everywhere won't end well.

Weimann
2010-04-16, 11:33 AM
Good point. I don't have to spike the endboss before the first session.

Thanks for your input :)