[DitV] Alternative rules for NPCs questions

[Filip Luszczyk]

So, I knew the alternative NPC templates based on Afraid rules were supposed to be included in the hardcover edition, but it's only last week that I've learned they were posted on the blog for two years now.

I find the new rules interesting. For quite some time now I felt that detailing the NPCs mechanically was a hassle. However, I'm not sure how the new templates interact with the rest of the rules:

Should I roll six proto-NPCs, as usually, only rolling 1d4 for each to pick the template?
Or, maybe I get a batch of four proto-NPCs, one each of a, b, c and d, and another batch once I use all the four templates (it's not like I often use more than four templates per town anyway...)?
Unless I assign the templates in an entirely different way?
What about the free dice? Should I roll for free dice and spend them as usually? If so, do I spend them and lose them, or do they improve that NPC's dice for the rest of the game?
Also, what about Relationships? On the blog, it's mentioned that possession rules are still used - but the number of powers is based on the amount of dice in the NPC's Relationship with Demon. How to determine the number of powers and the number of bonus dice for Ferocity and Cunning?
Does the Sorcerer still get his default 4-die Relationship with Demon and roll it as normal?
How do the crowd rules work with this variant? Do I still roll bonus dice and add a Trait for each member of a group?
Can I still give Belongings to an NPC and roll their dice?

Those are all the dependencies I can think of, but I might be missing something.

[lumpley]

Assign one of the dice profiles to each NPC at need. Choose one based on your vision of the NPC; roll instead if you just don't know. Don't bother remembering which given NPC uses which profile, just choose fresh every time.

If you roll and use free dice (your choice), use them and they're gone. You aren't mechanically tracking the NPC, so they don't stick.

For possessed NPCs, just make up a relationship with the demons. You can roll for it if you want, using the relationship table in the classic NPC rules.

Yes, a sorcerer still gets an additional 4-die relationship with the demons.

For crowds, add 1d6 per additional person to each segment in the dice profile.

You can still give belongings to NPCs and roll their dice as normal, or you can presume that the dice profile includes belongings implicitly. Choose case by case.

Since you don't mechanically track NPCs, when they take fallout you're limited to the "give the best two fallout dice to the player without rerolling them" option for fallout.

I don't know whether the dice profiles you're using are the ones for Afraid or the ones for Dogs. If they're the ones for Afraid, you'll want to beef them up a little across the board. In each profile, you'll want to add at least 1d6 to at least 3 segments, probably more.

You can mix and match. For instance, you can use the classic NPC rules for principal NPCs and the simplified NPC rules for incidental NPCs. Or you can default to the simplified NPC rules for everybody, but if you come upon an NPC you'd like to track more closely after all, switch to the classic NPC rules for just her. All good.

-Vincent

[Filip Luszczyk]

Thanks for the clarifications!

I've been thinking about the profiles for Dogs, posted on your blog. The original templates for non-human threats from Afraid did seem to have a bit too less dice, indeed.

Just to make sure - for crowds, it's effectively +4d6 per additional person total instead of the standard +2d6 and a Trait? Seems to make sense.

I wonder about the possessed NPCs and their Relationship with Demon. I guess some scale for possesion could be useful, like maybe 1 die if the NPC is an unwilling and unaware tool of the Sorcerer, 2 dice if he or she supports the Sorcerer willingly, but without being aware of the Demons being involved and 3 dice if the NPC consciously gives himself or herself to the Demons?