9 replies to this topic

[agb1]

In the excellent Let's Play called Syvishtar's Journal, an interesting self-imposed rule is followed:

 

If an NPC in the party dies during play, then after you resurrect them, you leave them to "rest" for a while and pick up a different NPC to replace them.

 

How about a tweak mod to apply a 1-week stat drain penalty to NPCs that have been resurrected, to encourage this kind of NPC-rotation-after-a-death play-style?  The benefit is it gives a reason to play with more NPCs that you might not otherwise include in your party.

 

Other ideas for tweaks that could encourage this kind of play style?  Instead of a stat drain, it could be that NPCs that you haven't played with for a while get some kind of bonus "excitement"/"restlessness"/"adventure-seeking" effect that gives an advantage (like extra movement speed without needing boots...) but wears off after a while and only comes back if you leave them out of party in an inn for a while.

[Fiann of the Silver Hand]

I'm not sure how I'll work it into my own mod, but I'm definitely headed in this direction, mostly based on my own d&d upbringing. The trick is, as always, making what works for pen and paper still fun to play in BG. Constitution is supposed to provide a maximum on the number of times a character can be raised, and should get reduced by 1 each time.  The second thing is CON also determines by percentage whether a character survives the resurrection attempt in the first place.  The lowest NPC CON in the game is Xan at 7, which starts at a survival chance of only 60%, dropping to 55% and so on for further attempts.

 

The cleric casting the spell is also supposed to be essentially confined to bed rest one day for every level of the creature resurrected.

[agb1]

Losing NPCs permanently wouldn't be much fun in BG.  How much of the P&P rules are you planning to implement?

[Roxanne]

Losing NPCs permanently wouldn't be much fun in BG.  How much of the P&P rules are you planning to implement?

A slight unbalancing of those affected NPCs, a penalty on those who "do the dirty work" and thus are prone to die more often while adding benefit to the spellcasters who stay in the background. A slap in the face for your clerics and healers who try to keep your party alive and healthy.

My own approach to invite you to play less used NPCs more often is very simple - make them more interesting by giving them extra contents and maybe an extra quest where you need them for some period. Maybe you even discover one this way you may like to keep afterwards.

[The Imp]

Well, the other system to get players to add a random NPC to their party is to allow it without loosing a party slot. Or adding slots. Realisically, that's a lots of work, but ...

Edited by The Imp, 21 November 2015 - 12:28 AM.

[Roxanne]

Well, the other system to get players to add a random NPC to their party is to allow it without loosing a party slot. Or adding slots. Realisically, that's a lots of work, but ...

For those who want to rotate NPCs on a more content oriented basis, I have developped another feature within my mod, some

"Contents drained" notification, like this

When an NPC has fired all his friendship/lovetalks (if any) done all his quests (if any), i.e his contents is "drained" the NPC will notify the PC in an appropriate manner, depending on his characteristics, e,g.

 

SAY~A relative of mine is laying injured at the Temple of (nearest in game), I would like to pay him a short visit, if you don't mind.~

Answer 1.~OK, take your time, we will pick you up at the Temple later.~ DO~ Move NPC to temple, set P dialogue etc >> you can pick him/her up later if you like

Answer 2. ~I need you along, your private affairs need to wait.~ DO~ nothing >>> but even with this choice you will now be aware of the "drained* status of the NPC and can mark him for replacements at your discretion.

 

Of course this requires a bit of work like finding the drained condition from the NPC's script and tailor an appropriate "leaving excuse", e.g. a bard like Garrick may get an engagement to perform at Elfsong, your paladin has to make a report to his superior etc (but modding is also about being creative, right?)

Edited by Roxanne, 21 November 2015 - 12:52 AM.

[The Imp]

Well, the other system to get players to add a random NPC to their party is to allow it without loosing a party slot. Or adding slots. Realisically, that's a lots of work, but ...

For those .... right?)

And you quoted me on ... Why exactly ? For kicks ?
Perhaps you didn't find the referense ? Well look at here. Yes, that's only on GemRP, stop your hyperventilation. So it's not really easy to port over to the regular BG2 game. The other is to make NPCs like the Afaaq or Haiass.

Edited by The Imp, 21 November 2015 - 01:28 AM.

[Lollorian]

For those who want to rotate NPCs on a more content oriented basis, I have developped another feature within my mod, some

"Contents drained" notification

Someone please pick this idea up!

[Fiann of the Silver Hand]

Losing NPCs permanently wouldn't be much fun in BG.

 

I'll make it so at the lowest difficulty the penalties won't apply.

[Gay Lord]

Another aspect of PNP DND is that priests would only rez members of their own faith.  Getting them to rez other people was usually impossible, but one could say the hefty 5000gp price tag was the "donation" needed to convince them otherwise. When rezzing people, they might sometimes require a quest as well.

 

You could have it so that when you rez a dead JPC, they are removed from the game for a time.  This would not only reflect their bedrest period as they recover, but also time spent doing whatever the church needed, something done off-camera.  Thus, you would rez someone, they'd disappear from your party and the game, and then reappear much later, say two weeks.  Since they've been doing a mission for the church, you could apply an auto-level up feature so that their xp matched the party's when you reclaim them.   In this way, you're still losing them for a while, but they're not falling behind everybody.

 

For myself, I think it's more meaningful if death is a real consequence, which is why I play with a permadeath rule.  There are two dozen JPCs in BG1, and even more with mods, so it's not as if you'll ever run out.  I've read some of Syvishtar's journal, and the constant swapping and replacing was a bit silly IMO.  I understand and agree with agb1 that permanently losing JPCs isn't fun for most, but it is more fun for me, as it makes their lives (and deaths) mean more.