NPCs

[Lathienas Miraq]

I've got an Idea for an NPC. He obviously won't be one of my PCs but he will play a key role in at least one, if not two of my PCs stories. He has featured in 'Thien's Bazaar thread already (go look it up if you care that much :P) and will feature prominently in Libis' current solo.

Do I need to make a profile or proper character sheet for him if he's just going to be a recurring-but-peripheral character? I doubt he will be interacting much with many other PCs and I haven't fully worked out all his details and stuff so revealing little bits at a time would be nice but I would understand if proper procedures must be observed.

(Also, if you read the Bazaar thread, he is much more complex and powerful than he appears there...assuming you've picked up on which character it is...)

[Letho]

There's nothing stopping you from getting a NPC registered in the RoG, but the question is (and a question only you know the answer to) do you really need to do so. If the character in question is detailed or complicated enough for you to need a profile you can refer to every once in a while when you write your story, or if there's a chance he'll be recurring in future, then by all means get him approved. Another option (perhaps not for this situation) is to update your own profile, adding an NPC section to it. I did this for Myrhia, but only because she's with Letho all the time.

The thing about getting NPCs approved is that it's quite final. If you keep an NPC in your head, you can adjust the details as you go through the stories, changing some, ditching others, adding new stuff. With an approved profile, you lose some of this freedom, though you can always just not refer to the profile if you feel that the NPC has grown in another direction.

[Visla Eraclaire]

I cannot agree with Letho more on this one. if you really feel like having it official so that you can link and refer to it would be helpful to you, by all means do so. But if it's really just that you want to write it all down and get it figured out for your own purposes, do it on your own computer. That way the NPC can adapt as the situation warrants without having to go through any red tape.

[Christoph]

I use a number of complex and important (to my character, at least) NPCs. In some cases with quests that I'm either currently writing or planning, an NPC might actually play a larger role in the plot than my regular PC. I never really saw the point in registering any of them. There's no benefit to doing so.

[Libis]

Yeah, I've got notes and stuff written for my own use, most of which will probably never make it into the public domain to be honest, and i'd hoped that this would be the answer. I liked the idea of having a fluid character but I wasn't sure if the site rules meant I needed to 'make him official' in any way. This is much appreciated news!

[Max Dirks]

NPCs only have to be registered if they become integral to combat. For example, you'll see a number of split personality, transformations, twins, combat partners and familiars that are registered. This is due mostly to the fact that they are often not limited by level and can strike an unfair advantage if not regulated. On the other hand, as far as I know, story based NPCs are rarely registered. Letho's Myrhia might be one of the few exceptions.

In general, a moderator will tell you to register your NPC if it becomes an issue.