Mass Creating NPCs Help

~~Peter Knutsen~~ · 07-02-2012, 08:25 PM

To go into a but more detail about this Stereotype Flaw idea, in Sagatafl terms they're Multi-Flaws.

A Multi-Flaw is a broad Flaw, that can trigger on a variety of external stimuli (as opposed to only one kind of stimuli, such as my Animosity (IP): Dramatists 3d, which only triggers on Dramatists, including Narrativists and Forgers). Two examples are Party Animal and Comfort-Seeker.

Party Animal is much like Compulsive Carousing in GURPS. You trigger on recreational drugs (including but not limited to ethanol in fluid form), on carousing companionship, flirtation (including dancing), and casual uncomplicated sex.

Comfort-Seeker triggers on the absence of discomfort. You want to avoid being too warm, too cold, wet, hungry, thirsty, fatigued, filthy, sunburned, and so forth. So you trigger on opportunities to rid yourself of such unpleasant conditions (basically if you want to have a campaign that explores the contrast between hardened elite soldier PCs and soft squishy civilian PCs, you give all the civvies Comfort-Seeker).

A Multi-Flaw can have a certain strength, 2d, 3d, 4d or even higher. But it can also have an intermediate strength, such as 2d+ or 3d+, in between 2d and 3d, or in between 3d and 4d.

In that case it has a flavour or specialization, and is considered 1d stronger (more likey to trigger) for such stimuli. For instance a character with Comfort-Seeker 2d+ might have Food or Hunger as the flavour, in which case he rolls 3d to see if he triggers, when he gets the opportunity to take a de-tour to fill his empty belly, but only 2d if he's tempted for thirst or shelter.

Stereotype Flaws are the same way, except they're for minor NPCs only, and instead of being defined in detail, they are merely "understood" by the GM in terms of what they "contain". For instance the GM understands what the Dwarf Flaw means, or the Servant Flaw, or the Child Flaw, or the Grumpy Old Man Flaw, means. What it contains. Or Klingon, or Vulcan, or Felinoid, or Hippie WoodElf. This understanding comes from knowledge of the world in which the campaign takes place, and requires the GM to either have been the world builder, or else to understand the world in depth.

This understanding is then something that the players can take part in, or can have their characters discover gradually, and eventually exploit, when trying to manipulate such NPCs, because the Stereotype Flaw creates a lot of good angles for manipulation via social skills.

For the sake of simplicity, it might be good if for each such Stereotype (Multi-)Flaw, there is a further understanding that when the intermediate versions are present (2d+, 3d+ and so forth), it is always the same specialization. For instance that Dwarf 2d+ always means "2d but 3d vs Gold". That Teenaged Girl 3d+ always means "3d but 4d vs Romance", and never has "jewelry" or "fancy clothes" or "rebel against daddy" as its flavour.

Non-minor NPCs, and PCs, sould not have Stereotype Flaws but should instead be defined in detail, via specific non-Stereotype Flaws, such as Greed, Fond of Drink, Lecherous, Playful (for Felinoids), Pride, MPOW, and so forth (and also the non-Stereotype Multi-Flaws, of course).

GURPS has no tradition for statically modified SCRs (and indeed seems extremely eluctant to remind the GM that it is his duty to give ad hoc modifiers to SCRs, according to his sense of realism, to represent extra-strong or fairly week stimuli), but it seems fairly reasonable to introduce a Quirk that for -1 CP gives a limited -3 modifier to the SCR, e.g. so that Greed(12) becomes "Greed (12) but only (9) vs precious gemstones and gemstone-based jewelry pieces".

That's not perfect point accounting, since all SCR-based mental disads don't have the same base point value, but it sounds fairly playable to me. GURPS GMs who strive for perfection can vary the static modifier depending on the base cost of the disad, and of course also on how broad the limitation is, so that it may be -2, -3 or -4.

"Greed (15) but only (12) when the item is neither silver, nor gold or gem-stone based" is an example of an extremely limited modifier, and should not warrant an additional Quirk at all. It's Greed (15) except once in an extremely rare while (amber, ivory, red coral... pearls probably count as "gemstones").

07-02-2012, 08:25 PM	#10
~~Peter Knutsen~~ Banned Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Europe	Re: Mass Creating NPCs Help To go into a but more detail about this Stereotype Flaw idea, in Sagatafl terms they're Multi-Flaws. A Multi-Flaw is a broad Flaw, that can trigger on a variety of external stimuli (as opposed to only one kind of stimuli, such as my Animosity (IP): Dramatists 3d, which only triggers on Dramatists, including Narrativists and Forgers). Two examples are Party Animal and Comfort-Seeker. Party Animal is much like Compulsive Carousing in GURPS. You trigger on recreational drugs (including but not limited to ethanol in fluid form), on carousing companionship, flirtation (including dancing), and casual uncomplicated sex. Comfort-Seeker triggers on the absence of discomfort. You want to avoid being too warm, too cold, wet, hungry, thirsty, fatigued, filthy, sunburned, and so forth. So you trigger on opportunities to rid yourself of such unpleasant conditions (basically if you want to have a campaign that explores the contrast between hardened elite soldier PCs and soft squishy civilian PCs, you give all the civvies Comfort-Seeker). A Multi-Flaw can have a certain strength, 2d, 3d, 4d or even higher. But it can also have an intermediate strength, such as 2d+ or 3d+, in between 2d and 3d, or in between 3d and 4d. In that case it has a flavour or specialization, and is considered 1d stronger (more likey to trigger) for such stimuli. For instance a character with Comfort-Seeker 2d+ might have Food or Hunger as the flavour, in which case he rolls 3d to see if he triggers, when he gets the opportunity to take a de-tour to fill his empty belly, but only 2d if he's tempted for thirst or shelter. Stereotype Flaws are the same way, except they're for minor NPCs only, and instead of being defined in detail, they are merely "understood" by the GM in terms of what they "contain". For instance the GM understands what the Dwarf Flaw means, or the Servant Flaw, or the Child Flaw, or the Grumpy Old Man Flaw, means. What it contains. Or Klingon, or Vulcan, or Felinoid, or Hippie WoodElf. This understanding comes from knowledge of the world in which the campaign takes place, and requires the GM to either have been the world builder, or else to understand the world in depth. This understanding is then something that the players can take part in, or can have their characters discover gradually, and eventually exploit, when trying to manipulate such NPCs, because the Stereotype Flaw creates a lot of good angles for manipulation via social skills. For the sake of simplicity, it might be good if for each such Stereotype (Multi-)Flaw, there is a further understanding that when the intermediate versions are present (2d+, 3d+ and so forth), it is always the same specialization. For instance that Dwarf 2d+ always means "2d but 3d vs Gold". That Teenaged Girl 3d+ always means "3d but 4d vs Romance", and never has "jewelry" or "fancy clothes" or "rebel against daddy" as its flavour. Non-minor NPCs, and PCs, sould not have Stereotype Flaws but should instead be defined in detail, via specific non-Stereotype Flaws, such as Greed, Fond of Drink, Lecherous, Playful (for Felinoids), Pride, MPOW, and so forth (and also the non-Stereotype Multi-Flaws, of course). GURPS has no tradition for statically modified SCRs (and indeed seems extremely eluctant to remind the GM that it is his duty to give ad hoc modifiers to SCRs, according to his sense of realism, to represent extra-strong or fairly week stimuli), but it seems fairly reasonable to introduce a Quirk that for -1 CP gives a limited -3 modifier to the SCR, e.g. so that Greed(12) becomes "Greed (12) but only (9) vs precious gemstones and gemstone-based jewelry pieces". That's not perfect point accounting, since all SCR-based mental disads don't have the same base point value, but it sounds fairly playable to me. GURPS GMs who strive for perfection can vary the static modifier depending on the base cost of the disad, and of course also on how broad the limitation is, so that it may be -2, -3 or -4. "Greed (15) but only (12) when the item is neither silver, nor gold or gem-stone based" is an example of an extremely limited modifier, and should not warrant an additional Quirk at all. It's Greed (15) except once in an extremely rare while (amber, ivory, red coral... pearls probably count as "gemstones").