The Importance of NPCs. #ttrpg
Long, long ago, PC parties didn't travel by themselves in groups of 4-5. Not often. It simply wasn't practical. The AD&D books included lists of henchmen and hirelings, and it was reasonably expected you'd have a few - more so when you hit 'name'.
Long, long ago, PC parties didn't travel by themselves in groups of 4-5. Not often. It simply wasn't practical. The AD&D books included lists of henchmen and hirelings, and it was reasonably expected you'd have a few - more so when you hit 'name'.
Basically, around level 10 or so, you attracted followers. A lot of followers. You basically became a mobile army. But this made sense, and here's why:
A PC party. 5 members. With camping gear, horses, perhaps a wagon. You're going into the dungeons. Are you taking your horses, camping gear, and wagon with you? What about the 800 pounds of loot you've picked up so far? Is that going down there with you?
Usually, no. And this is where your hirelings come from. You set up base camp, they tend to it, feed the horses, guard the treasure you've collected so far. They come with you, carrying the loads to keep you light and quick.
They carry the lanterns or torches, so your hands are free for your weapons, shields, staves, bows, etc. They carry the treasure you've collected, so you're not weighed down, and if you DROP, you aren't overly heavy.
If you get lost down a pit or something, the 'loss' in treasure is minimal - the party doesn't take a severe hit to the finances for your vanishing / not being able to be recovered.
Which is very handy for True Resurrection (Raise Dead Fully) - since your body can come back from 'nowhere', but your items won't.
We've tried some of this in later editions, gathering allies and henchmen, hiring them to tag along, and we've seen the confused look on GM's faces when we've done so.
There's this strange belief that PCs aren't supposed to seek outside help, they're expected to go it alone. But why? When did this ever make sense? If you're going to go on a 3-month hike from A to B, you need supplies and provisions and such. This requires extra hands.
You don't want to go down into dungeons weighed down by stuff you're not going to use down there, you want just what you need. That requires extra hands. Why on earth would PCs handicap themselves that way?
Just food for thought. Let players pick up NPCs to help them with the chores and general upkeep, or to carry things when they're actively going into dungeons or fighting monsters.
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