NPC Interaction

[Talcyon]

In certain areas (Ungurz in Tanglewood is a prime example) there are NPC's that can come into contact with monsters and PC's. For instance, if I run down to the entrance of the splinterskull dungeon, there's a bunch of hobgoblins. If you run, you can get them to follow you back to Ungurz and his guys who promptly just stand there while you fight.

It would be nice if they actually got involved and helped out. I'm not suggesting that they can be recruited to the party (e.g. like in Guildwars where you can assemble a party made of NPCs) just that they should defend their patch if its invaded by the enemy.

[Mosp]

Oh yes, more NPC interaction would be nice.

I do not see, however, how it would work if they can assist you in fighting the enemy you pull. It wouldn't be very good if they died, now would it? Maybe they could be assisting without actually dealing any damage while not being able to die, just to make the world more alive.

[Smelt]

if they died why couldn't they ressurect like everyone else?

[Mosp]

That would be a solution.

[Stimpy Irenicus]

More typically annoying is the NPC's in the excavations, holding the outpost my actual eye. I've seen quite a few party members get crunched infront of NPC 'guards' by giants

[Maelwydd]

Originally Posted by Stimpy Irenicus

More typically annoying is the NPC's in the excavations, holding the outpost my actual eye. I've seen quite a few party members get crunched infront of NPC 'guards' by giants

And why is it we are expected to run past the Kobolds in the Halls of Shan Ko Tor (Part 2) without a care in the world when up till then we had been beating the crap out of the Kobold infestations around the harbour area?

Why are we expected to be friendly to them and them to us all of a sudden?

If my Chaotic Neutral character was actually allowed to play her alignment, each and every Kobold in that place would also be a dark red smudge.

[Chemineur]

Originally Posted by Maelwydd

And why is it we are expected to run past the Kobolds in the Halls of Shan Ko Tor (Part 2) without a care in the world when up till then we had been beating the crap out of the Kobold infestations around the harbour area?

Why are we expected to be friendly to them and them to us all of a sudden?

If my Chaotic Neutral character was actually allowed to play her alignment, each and every Kobold in that place would also be a dark red smudge.

Hmm wouldn't that be a tad evil if they are poor slaves, perhaps not even evil themselves? At least that's how I perceived them, poor victims of their Hobgoblins oppressors!

[Maelwydd]

Originally Posted by Chemineur

Hmm wouldn't that be a tad evil if they are poor slaves, perhaps not even evil themselves? At least that's how I perceived them, poor victims of their Hobgoblins oppressors!

What gave you that impression?

As far as I am concerned, from the moment I have stepped off the boat at Stormreach I have been attacked, feared, scratched, magic missiled, trapped, dogs released, shot at, melfs arrowed and generally treated rather unkindly by the scum.

What makes my characater want to change all of a sudden? In fact, if I am to be honest, the new Kobold in the harbour who gives out a quest...I would more then likely kill those dogs as they are more then likely to be the same dogs attacking me when I get into the waterworks....

Just shoddy really. I am suprised we don't have any friendly Beholders managing any of the house bars yet so that we can get persuaded they are not so bad either.

Edit: While I think about it, Drow are at the moment not really on my Christmas card list either but anyone around when the Drow get introduced will have to act like all is hunky dory and Drow are your best'est friends.

[Chemineur]

You forgot Goldscuttle, Maelwydd, he's a decent enough chap and he seems convinced the sewer-infesting scum isn't exactly likable.
As far as Drow go, you never spoke to that fellow in the Drowning Sorrow inn? He doesn't bite you know!

[Beholders are evil in Eberron as in every other campaign setting, the reason her being, as you probably know, that they were living weapons created by the Daelkyr during their war against the hobgoblin empire of Dhaakan, but not Kobolds (well some are, just as some Elf, Dwarf, or Man might be evil), thus my feeling that killing them innocent little slaves might be evil )

[Maelwydd]

Originally Posted by Chemineur

You forgot Goldscuttle, Maelwydd, he's a decent enough chap and he seems convinced the sewer-infesting scum isn't exactly likable.
As far as Drow go, you never spoke to that fellow in the Drowning Sorrow inn? He doesn't bite you know!

[Beholders are evil in Eberron as in every other campaign setting, the reason her being, as you probably know, that they were living weapons created by the Daelkyr during their war against the hobgoblin empire of Dhaakan, but not Kobolds (well some are, just as some Elf, Dwarf, or Man might be evil), thus my feeling that killing them innocent little slaves might be evil )

So when you kill them before hand what is different?

You see the only difference I see between the Kobolds that attack and the kobolds that don't is my inability to talk to the 1st group and my inability to attack the 2nd.

There is no way to change their demeanor or to discover without using OOC knowledge (ie if you can target them and if they have a red ring around them) if the reason they are running towards you is to kill you or sell you something.

As the OP suggested, NPC interaction would be useful and you know what, the D&D rules allow for such things with the encounter reaction tables. Hell, if you used them then the party as a whole could go better with a charismatic leader and perhaps even individual rolls based on a characters charisma could be rolled and each player could have an attitude setting.

How cool would it have been to be able to flag up your attitude using your diplomacy or intimidate skill to either calm creatures down or get them to run away. Calm them enough and they may talk, scare them away and you no longer need to fight.

So many ways they could do this and we didn't get any.