Great quests require great NPCs, and some of the greatest are barely human at all. Eldritch NPCs are these, people so removed from mundane concerns that their appearances *and their goals* aren’t ordinary any more. They’re less likely to need ten Giant Boar skins than to need the laugh of an orphan, the compassion of a Balor, and the hair of the Moonlight Goddess for their research. These NPCs should be alien in appearance as well, and one of the best ways to communicate this is to play on the face, that people use for nonverbal communication. Whether angels with a bright shining brand where their face should be, or a Golem King with no reactions, or a spellcaster who has delved too far into the Far Realms to be human any more, Eldritch NPCs can be a really interesting way of demonstrating different levels of responsibility from leveling up. Eldritch NPCs rarely work with low-level agents personally. They might delegate a task out to some of their higher-level agents, who PCs may meet again later on. “Oh, I assume you remember my agent [X], who stole the Wand of Everton from the vaults after you delivered it there? I’m afraid I owe you due to the bad press that generated for you, but you’ll be compensated nonetheless. I just needed it more.” Eldritch NPCs aren’t likely to be evil, unless you want them to be. Their goals are a long way beyond predictable, and may even involve acting against their short-term interests to be able to further their long-term goal. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 27 November 2018) Categories All Comments are closed.
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AuthorI'm Luke. He/him pronouns. Archives
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