Post by DM Sol_train on Aug 25, 2015 3:32:06 GMT
Hearing about Stomp brought back some fond memories of an "on the fly NPC" I had to create during a campaign I ran in college ~1990 where a player created a Cavalier using the Unearthed Arcana rules named Gude Tushue (yes... goody twoshoe). It made for a lot of good banter in the group. Early in the campaign the group was ambushed, poisoned, and taken prisoner by a clan of kobolds. In my mind the whole adventure was really just to make them plan for and execute an escape from the caves, with no real set way for it to happen. The group began trying to talk with the guards, and normally just getting poked in the face with a stick as a response. Except for one kobold, who was a little smaller and seemed to get bullied by the rest. From then on when it was alone on guard, Gude and the others tried to talk to it and eventually worked out using hand gestures and broken common that his name was Yarf, and that he wasn't real happy with getting picked on by his buddies. They also learned that they were going to be eaten as supper soon, so the group began to press Yarf hard to convince him they were good guys and would make it worth his while if he'd just forget the keys near the cell. Then out of the blue, before the group could really figure out things like which way was out, Yarf shows up with the keys, and a bloody spear from just slaying the other guard and says, "Yarf help - he do good yes? You take Yarf away yes?" Taking him along was -never- discussed; in fact the thief of the group had already planned to knife ole Yarf as soon as the cell was open. Everyone in the group knew this guy was just going to slow them down, but Gude's chivalrous code wouldn't allow him to just abandon this creature after he'd talked him into betraying his evil companions in order to help the party. As the group argued over Yarf coming with the alarm whistles started blowing and someone pointed out they had -no- idea which passage was out, and they didn't have any weapons other than Yarfs spear. So grudgingly they agreed to "let him lead us to the exit, and decide there". a few minor combat actions and the party followed Yarf to the exit tunnels, upon which they all took off at full run leaving Yarf and Gude at the exit. I put on my excited Yarf face, "Yarf go too, Gude! - yes!?" then as Gude waivered and tried to explain how society would never accept a kobold...and I don't have time for this as the whole kobold tribe is going to bolt from the cave any second, etc I switched to sad puppy at the animal shelter Yarf, "Yarf know...human not like kobold. Yarf bad, Gude good. Yarf stay - be supper tonight." and started sniffling a bit and turned back to the cave. At this point Gude realizing Yarf was going to replace him on the menu if they left him, and conceded, tossed him on his shoulders and took off running.
Safely away from the kobold caves as they trudged to the nearest town Yarf chatted away at Gude annoying the rest of the group who were like -"when do we ditch this little dog? we can't take him into town...and can't you get him to shut up already? ...especially the thief. and then Gude turned the tables on the group (and me as DM) and declared - "If anyone picks on him again, you'll face my wrath. I declare him under my charge, I''m going to make him a my squire and teach him the Cavalier ways." A Kobold Cavalier NPC?? Yarf didn't even exist at the start of the night, I'd expected the group to take a much more violent approach IE rushing the cell door at feeding or acting sick etc, not RP their way out (although this was a really great RPing group so I should have expected it). Now...basic kobold stat line Yarf (with something like 4hp) was going to be trained as a cavalier?? Gude's first lesson - glory in battle is our meat and drink. Which turned into Yarf's line for almost any occasion in daily life, battle - or just eating - "Gude - Yarf do good today- meat and drink, yes?" Sometimes he'd charge the tavern owner when the group was ordering a meal, Gude would scold him, he'd go back into puppy dog eye Yarf, "Gude say steak and wine, Yarf get mixed up. Yarf sorry Gude." The rest of the group hated him at first, but after several sessions Yarf started to grow on the group and he actually proved useful more than one time with his small size and ability to go places the party couldn't. Yarf also nearly got Gude killed -a lot- as they both took the business of living the code (as much as a kobold could understand it anyway) serious, which meant Yarf was normally in way over his head....often to the major annoyance of the rest of the party, who started to feel obligated to help keep Yarf alive as well. More than once the groups cleric caught heck for not volunteering to adopt him before Gude, so he could stand back and cast CLW vs charge "the most dangerous enemy in sight".
Near the end of the campaign the group was in an underground battle again and triggered a water trap and then made some really bad choices, basically resulting in a "Kobayashi Maru" situation that in all probability was going to kill the entire group (near the end of the school year TPK often became a real possibility, as I wanted the campaign to end on a climatic note...or ensure everyone could start with Lvl 1 in the fall). I'd been thinking what to do with Yarf, and suddenly here was an opportunity to have him go out with a bang. He volunteered to crawl into the tiny trap mechanism and try to slow down the water enough so the group could escape. Everyone in the group was like - no...we're not going to do this, we're looking for other ways out..which there weren't. Yarf in his broken common pointed out the issue - "Yarf and friends run, water too fast...all die. Yarf stay..friends maybe not die yes? Gude...this what meat and drink Gude always try teach Yarf is yes? Yarf finally do good, yes? Gude must go, only Yarf tiny for hole. Gude and friends - remember Yarf do good today" The group and Gude finally swam/ran and lived to tell the tale.
It was an epic moment, players were getting all choked up, I was getting choked up. That was 25 years ago, but it was by far the most memorable player/NPC combo I ever experienced in a campaign. As you found with Stomp - often the best results come from on the fly vs planned out.
Safely away from the kobold caves as they trudged to the nearest town Yarf chatted away at Gude annoying the rest of the group who were like -"when do we ditch this little dog? we can't take him into town...and can't you get him to shut up already? ...especially the thief. and then Gude turned the tables on the group (and me as DM) and declared - "If anyone picks on him again, you'll face my wrath. I declare him under my charge, I''m going to make him a my squire and teach him the Cavalier ways." A Kobold Cavalier NPC?? Yarf didn't even exist at the start of the night, I'd expected the group to take a much more violent approach IE rushing the cell door at feeding or acting sick etc, not RP their way out (although this was a really great RPing group so I should have expected it). Now...basic kobold stat line Yarf (with something like 4hp) was going to be trained as a cavalier?? Gude's first lesson - glory in battle is our meat and drink. Which turned into Yarf's line for almost any occasion in daily life, battle - or just eating - "Gude - Yarf do good today- meat and drink, yes?" Sometimes he'd charge the tavern owner when the group was ordering a meal, Gude would scold him, he'd go back into puppy dog eye Yarf, "Gude say steak and wine, Yarf get mixed up. Yarf sorry Gude." The rest of the group hated him at first, but after several sessions Yarf started to grow on the group and he actually proved useful more than one time with his small size and ability to go places the party couldn't. Yarf also nearly got Gude killed -a lot- as they both took the business of living the code (as much as a kobold could understand it anyway) serious, which meant Yarf was normally in way over his head....often to the major annoyance of the rest of the party, who started to feel obligated to help keep Yarf alive as well. More than once the groups cleric caught heck for not volunteering to adopt him before Gude, so he could stand back and cast CLW vs charge "the most dangerous enemy in sight".
Near the end of the campaign the group was in an underground battle again and triggered a water trap and then made some really bad choices, basically resulting in a "Kobayashi Maru" situation that in all probability was going to kill the entire group (near the end of the school year TPK often became a real possibility, as I wanted the campaign to end on a climatic note...or ensure everyone could start with Lvl 1 in the fall). I'd been thinking what to do with Yarf, and suddenly here was an opportunity to have him go out with a bang. He volunteered to crawl into the tiny trap mechanism and try to slow down the water enough so the group could escape. Everyone in the group was like - no...we're not going to do this, we're looking for other ways out..which there weren't. Yarf in his broken common pointed out the issue - "Yarf and friends run, water too fast...all die. Yarf stay..friends maybe not die yes? Gude...this what meat and drink Gude always try teach Yarf is yes? Yarf finally do good, yes? Gude must go, only Yarf tiny for hole. Gude and friends - remember Yarf do good today" The group and Gude finally swam/ran and lived to tell the tale.
It was an epic moment, players were getting all choked up, I was getting choked up. That was 25 years ago, but it was by far the most memorable player/NPC combo I ever experienced in a campaign. As you found with Stomp - often the best results come from on the fly vs planned out.
