Removing an NPC from party. Suggestions?

[Clumsyninja23]

Hey all, I'm currently running a Ravenloft game in which the party has an NPC accompanying them. The original intent for the NPC was to be a crafter, making alchemical supplies and aiding the party through that. She also used a bow, which added a few extra points of damage to the combat, but nothing to outshine anyone. She aided the party in exchange for getting her away from the dangers of the town she was in, and asked to be brought along.

Now that the PCs have gained some levels, equipment, and information, this NPC is no longer serving much purpose and is getting a bit more distracting for me to run. So I'm now trying to figure out what to do with her. I don't think I want her to just disappear into the mist, as it feels a little cheap and I've had to do something like that previously. The PCs are mildly emotional attached, but nothing major. Any ideas for this?

[Valluman]

The most straightforward thing is to have the villains, as in the recurring baddies, murder her. Gets her out of your way and the players will want vengeance. If you're afraid of having them bring her back from the dead, make the bad guys steal her soul or disintegrate her so that they'd need nothing short of a true resurrection or miracle or wish.

[Bullet06320]

or having the bigbads kidnap her for further plot hooks later on
have her decide to stay in a town or village and set up shop as helpful npc later down the road

[HammeredWharf]

Killing her would be a bit wasteful and, if the villains do it, corny. I'd have her say she's tired of adventuring and wants to settle down in a town. Later on, she can help them again by being relevant plot wise.

[nedz]

Alchemist ? Have her lab blow up.

[Firechanter]

I'd also go for the Settle Down bit, but maybe with a little twist: since this is Ravenloft, a regular town is not going to be safe. Maybe the PCs establish a secret base somewhere, sort of like in Robin Hood. The NPC can stay in the base and do what she was made to do, craft items for the party.

[hymer]

Isn't there still mist in Ravenloft? You could have the mist make her disappear, or next time the group gets misted, don't bring her along.

[Firechanter]

Isn't there still mist in Ravenloft? You could have the mist make her disappear, or next time the group gets misted, don't bring her along.

He said in the OP that he didn't want to do that.

[John Longarrow]

Most heart touching would be to have her find her family and go live with them.
Gives her a very good reason in game to leave the party and adds a "Safe" contact for the party for later.

[hymer]

He said in the OP that he didn't want to do that.

So he did, my bad.

[Clumsyninja23]

I'd also go for the Settle Down bit, but maybe with a little twist: since this is Ravenloft, a regular town is not going to be safe. Maybe the PCs establish a secret base somewhere, sort of like in Robin Hood. The NPC can stay in the base and do what she was made to do, craft items for the party.

I think I might go for this one. Non corny way to handle it and they still have a reliable contact. And the only reason I want to avoid the mist is because when we had players leave for various reasons, I had the mist take them. Seems like it'd be over used. Thanks for the ideas though guys!

[KorbeltheReader]

Ah come on, it's Ravenloft! Of course you kill her and then have the villain raise her as one of his thralls! It's far and away the most setting-appropriate solution!

[Rama]

Depending on the level/scope of the party's enemies, she could serve as a weak point for infiltration.

Takeover by a fiend of possession or mind seed implantation would leave a potentially nasty sleeper agent available for the enemies to use against the PCs.

[Bloodgruve]

She could be a double agent working for the antagonist? Have her backstab the party at a critical time.

[FidgetySquirrel]

Depending on the level/scope of the party's enemies, she could serve as a weak point for infiltration.

Takeover by a fiend of possession or mind seed implantation would leave a potentially nasty sleeper agent available for the enemies to use against the PCs.


She could be a double agent working for the antagonist? Have her backstab the party at a critical time.I think one of these is the way to go. She could either have been a spy the whole time, or just fails a will save. I really agree with the backstabbing at a critical moment thing. Better yet, backstab with an acid flask. Even better still, backstab with a ballista that launches acid flasks!

[Bloodgruve]

I think one of these is the way to go. She could either have been a spy the whole time, or just fails a will save. I really agree with the backstabbing at a critical moment thing. Better yet, backstab with an acid flask. Even better still, backstab with a ballista that launches acid flasks!

Have her animate an acid flask and have it backstab with itself...

[Coventry]

When the NPC is off haggling for supplies, have the PCs run into the NPC's identical twin.

You get a little bit of RP out of the confusion (Hey, so-and-so? I thought we left you on the other side of town?!? My name is not so-and-so ... and who are you?).

Don't make the other one be an evil twin, but maybe a different class than the first. The identical twins had no idea that each other existed. You can squeeze as much or as little "this is Ravenloft ... one of them MUST be evil" paranoia into the RP before the party gives up and admits that the second one is just as helpful/friendly/non-evil as the first.

The second one has no interest in leaving. The first one will ultimately decide to stay with family, and will be forever grateful to the ones that reunited them.

Then, a few levels from now, the twins send a message to the PCs asking for help ...

[Captnq]

Murder him as hard as you can.

His vengeful corpse rises up and becomes a twisted mockery of everything the NPC was in life. Using his alchemy skills, he brews a few gallons of Ultimate Solvent. You just mix the binary agents and the result eats through everything and anything, like liquid Sphere of annihilation. He climbes on top of X in the heart of Y and mixes it together to unleash Z so that the world will finally know his pain.

[Coidzor]

She was a werewolf/vampire/mummy/lich/ghoul/ghost/wraith/shadow/Frankenstenian Monstrosity/Baba Yaga/Ogress/Hag/Fey all along.

[Jeff the Green]

Yeah, this is Ravenloft—something horrible has to happen to her.

What domain are you in? If Barovia, Strahd could pay a visit and dominate/embrace her, she could succumb to the taint of the forest, or of course there are always werewolf attacks. I'm more fuzzy on the others, but in Richemulot—the one with the rats—plague would be appropriate or some sort of intrigue related to the wererat darklord.

And, actually, dying in a random battle with no significance to the plot would be entirely fitting for the setting.

[Clumsyninja23]

Hm... You guys are right, it IS Ravenloft. I like the idea of failing a will save and being possessed. If the party manages to keep her alive through the conflict, it'd make a solid reason for her to want to stay at a base or town, not wanting to be the weak link of the party.


When the NPC is off haggling for supplies, have the PCs run into the NPC's identical twin.

You get a little bit of RP out of the confusion (Hey, so-and-so? I thought we left you on the other side of town?!? My name is not so-and-so ... and who are you?).

Don't make the other one be an evil twin, but maybe a different class than the first. The identical twins had no idea that each other existed. You can squeeze as much or as little "this is Ravenloft ... one of them MUST be evil" paranoia into the RP before the party gives up and admits that the second one is just as helpful/friendly/non-evil as the first.

The second one has no interest in leaving. The first one will ultimately decide to stay with family, and will be forever grateful to the ones that reunited them.

Then, a few levels from now, the twins send a message to the PCs asking for help ...

That is giving me so many ideas. I love instilling that paranoia. They might run into this at some point too... :smallamused:

[John Longarrow]

Clumsyninja23

Pull a Paranoia on the party. The don't find her twin. The find several. She is a clone. One of 6. And the first three they meet do normal, boring stuff. Then they meet a version of her wearing Red armor. She is the current "Trouble shooter"...

Plus it will start really messing with the party if the rest of the town are all clones to.

[Angelalex242]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d-aWMQuoS4

I think I'm a clone now...

Anyways, in Ravenloft?

The NPC ends up undead/werecreature/whatever of the next bad guy. See, Ravenloft is all about horror. Helpful NPCs are just BEGGING to inspire the horror and madness checks Ravenloft is famous for.

In short, however the exit happens, if there's not at least 2 horror checks and a madness check involved for the PCs, you're doing it wrong.

[atemu1234]

Alchemist ? Have her lab blow up.

This isn't breaking bad.

[atemu1234]

Honestly the best solution to this (in my opinion) is to have her be evil and have been the servant to some evil monster the entire time. That way, they're forced to kill her.

[Coidzor]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d-aWMQuoS4

I think I'm a clone now...

Anyways, in Ravenloft?

The NPC ends up undead/werecreature/whatever of the next bad guy. See, Ravenloft is all about horror. Helpful NPCs are just BEGGING to inspire the horror and madness checks Ravenloft is famous for.

In short, however the exit happens, if there's not at least 2 horror checks and a madness check involved for the PCs, you're doing it wrong.

Yeah, they really should've known better than to trust anyone instead of slowly gaining enough power to purge each domain of the living and the undead without giving rise to any foibles for the Dark Powers to use for making them into Dark Lords.