Lower NPC Levels:

[Decimate_The_Weak]

All I'm really saying is maybe the NPCs have been alittle overpowered lately. I'm not certain what level your average Stygian is, but I would say I think it should be around 5-6.

NPCs represent what players cannot. Like the Stygian Armada NPCs. Those NPCs represent the whole armada, and should have an average level.

Players play character that go out and seek treasure, and do deeds unimaginable by common standards. A militiaman can literally be a peasent who joined arms in hopes to feed his family.

I think the level of military NPCs should be change to be between 5-6.

[DeputyCool]

It is. Stygians are slightly higher, as they're an elite force.

[Relinquish]

I know stygians hit like freakin' trucks. >_>

[ExileStrife]

Not all faction NPCs are created equal or are they supposed to be.


Certainly, sometimes it may seem like things go overboard (and it might actually wrongly happen sometimes!), but behind the scenes you can be assured that we spend a (sometimes annoyingly) long time planning and deciding how "powerful" different groups of NPCs are going to be and try to keep it consistent.  Surely, we could be better at representing in other ways too...so it doesn't come as such a surprise when the first blade is swung.

We need some public displays of Stygians singlehandedly giving Geasaric a run for his money or something.  That ought to set things in perspective.

[BrittanyPanthas]

That actually has happened recently, when a single Stygian PC nearly did give Gaeseric a run for his money. -.-

[petey512]

IDK, I could be totally wrong, but while the Stygians -are- an elite force, I don't think they should be all that more powerful than PCs. I always get the feeling when I see stygians take out a nightriser or some other unsavory thing like it's nothing that they must be level 8-9. Maybe there can be some Stygian NPC called a Stygian Armada Vetran that could be that level, but on the whole, I think players should have a bit more power than -most- of the NPCs. I can see where the original poster is coming from.

[Efu_Executioner]

There are stygian armada veteran NPCs, compared to the regular ones god knows what level they are.

[The Crimson Magician]

From my point of view, it isn't that the NPCs are too strong or whatever, but it looks like the probability of a PC achieving that level of power is pretty difficult to achieve.

[9lives]

What does that have to do with anything, though?

NPC levels need not be paid attention to. Their content is irrelevant and changes often. They are subject to different rules to PCs for good reason.

[KershofSetic]

We need some public displays of Stygians singlehandedly giving Geasaric a run for his money or something.  That ought to set things in perspective.

Isn't that an amusing statement

[Cricket]

IMO the Stygians are fine, they're tested to be recruited, well armed and armored soldiers and supposedly behind the scenes dealing with verying conflicts all the time. My beef would be about dock thugs. Quite frankly a 5th or 6th level PC should not have to be afraid of a single "thug" in the dock district, yet the dock thugs can stand up to the well armed and armored, trained and tested Stygians. That's ridiculous, plain and simple. If the "thug" is special give him a name as warning "pipe smoking thug" or something but basic thugs and fishermen and crap should not be over 4th level. Hell 4th level is even high for an unarmored, untrained person that picked up a club and calls himself a thug. Thugs and ruffians are about their numbers NOT their individual strength.

[Caddies]

IDK, I could be totally wrong, but while the Stygians -are- an elite force, I don't think they should be all that more powerful than PCs.

Unfortunately you are. Stygian NPCs (save for its leadership, obviously) are not much more powerful than PCs. Pretty much every big name PC Stygian I can remember could absolutely crush NPC Stygians. In fact, one of the tests to receive the next rank in the Stygian faction was beating the most powerful Stygian NPC in a duel, so now you know its fully within the realm of possibility.

Again, as always, its best to just not assume.

[TheImpossibleDream]

I've had and seen other pc's best entire platoons of stygians armed to the teeth with potions <_<

[Equinox]

Players are nearly always going to beat npcs, the reason stygian npcs are usually well supplied and decent levels is simply so that a 6 man ganksquad cant just decide to take out an army.

And with the nightriser thing. sometimes invasions occur with few people on. it would suck quite a lot if your pcs died from "being overwhelmed" i think you'd be asking to make the guards tougher in that scenario.

[Mort]

It is what it is....

The average NPC is less min-maxed than the average PC. Their stats are in the average.. 14ish .

There are few instances where it is higher. Nothing really dramatic.