Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Huntsman57 Oct 09, 2014 8:16:37	Something I found somewhat irritating is that the stats of human and demi-human NPCs in the back of this adventure do not indicate what class each is. In fact while some are noted as "5th level spellcaster" for instance, and I can narrow down the kind of spellcaster based on the spells...it is challenging to figure out of the character is a Sorc or Wizard for instance...in fact the stats of the NPC don't always seem to line of with any particular class whatsoever. It's sort of an odd design choice. Anyone else find this off putting?
#2 DemoMonkey Oct 09, 2014 8:32:45	The design philosophy is that what makes good character design, does not always make good monster design. Stock NPCs need to be defined by what is relevant for them to do in an encounter, rather than their theoretical capacities/abilities.   You may or may not agree with it, but that is pretty clearly the reasoning.   I didn't find it offputting myself.
#3 Lawolf Oct 09, 2014 8:35:04	NPCs don't have classes in pretty much all situations. So, don't worry about that stuff.
#4 Huntsman57 Oct 09, 2014 9:34:45	The issues lie both with customization and with roleplaying.   In terms of customization, if a char is a particular class, and I decide that I want the NPC to have this or that spell, piece of equipment, skill or capability rather than what is listed, I would prefer to make these changes within the context of the existing PHB class rules rather than just making cavalier decisions.   Regarding roleplaying, simply in terms of how the NPC behaves is a question mark. As an example, is he a cleric? It's important to know because how he talks, what he believes, and how he casts spells may well be different than if he is another class that happens to be able to cast clerical spells. The character's behavior needs to be properly represented. I'm sure I could figure this out by rooting through the equipment and through each spell the char has individually to figure out if there are any in there that a cleric couldn't have, but this is an unnecessary pain in the ass when the stats could easily remedy this headache by simply specifying "5th level cleric" rather than "5th level spellcaster."
#5 DemoMonkey Oct 09, 2014 10:34:48	Huntsman   If the stats said "5'th Level Cleric" wouldn't you also have to give them a domain, a channel divinity power, a divine domain feature, a feat/ability score improvement, and "Destroy Undead"?   That's the point.. They don't have class levels because they aren't the class. They are "Lite" versions of the class, with the spells but fewer abilities to make them easier to run, and the writers don't want to confuse people into thinking the NPCs are "full" versions of the class with all the other things that would imply.
(Reply to #5) Huntsman57	DemoMonkey wrote: