One of my players is a monk, and the adventure has taken the party to her monastery. I want the abbot of the monastery to be a powerful, enlightened individual who has taken an oath of pacifism. I was thinking of giving him a lot of abilities to move around the battlefield and deflecting enemy's strikes or shoving party members out of harm's way.
The party has just finished their first arc of the campaign and have made it to level 4. I'm looking at around a CR 14 for the abbot, and I was going to give him legendary actions that really hammered in the point of his power level without having him apply damage. The party consists of a Shadow Sorcerer, a Way of the Elements Monk, and an Oath of Vengeance Paladin.
Does anyone have any ideas for legendary actions for a pacifist NPC? I'm thinking of using some battle master maneuvers or Drunken Master abilities.
To be clear, the NPC isn't going to be a permanent fixture to the party. But I'd like for him to be, if not reoccurring, then at least making a reappearance when the party is stronger.
CR 14 NPC? That’s near level 20 power in my opinion! Personally it is a terrible idea in my opinion to have a CR 14 NPC in the party, and you want the NPC to be fully in the party (despite your plans of not being in the party fully)? If you do this, I think your players might be annoyed at an overpowered NPC in the party. Remember that the players should be the ones doing the cool stuff and not “Cool NPC guy”. Because then if an NPC is doing all the cool adventures for the players, and carrying them, then what is the point of the players journey other than watching the NPC do cool stuff. I get that he doesn’t attack in combat, but his support skill sounds so ridiculously insane to the point in which the DMPC thing seems to apply.
So you run the risk of just showing the players up and it feeling like a DMPC which i have been told is never good.
what I have done instead is make an npc stat block and then given that to my players to control together to avoid falling into the DMPC.
becayse your creation of this monks abilities is going to be very different for something you have complete control over to a tool the players use. You still play the character out of combat and can veto something if they make them do an bc action that is out of character (they can’t make your pacifist monk hit somebody for example).
it also sidesteps you taking the focus away from the party and having to play two sides of the fight
I recognize the danger of having a DMNPC who outshines the party, and had planned to mitigate this danger by not having him do anything to directly further the party's goals. The stat block is more of a "Just in case" they manage to wiggle him into combat I don't have to completely make up his abilities on the fly. The Abbot is more of a "You go and do this vital thing while I hold off this army/big bad" kinda NPC. Whenever they get an NPC that helps them in their main goals they're always built to be weaker than the party just with a different access to skills.
Building out NPC stat blocks helps me dwell on their personalities and gives me (What I consider to be) cool ideas for what they can do. I hate having soft magic systems for my NPC and any time they do something I want to be able to point to a note somewhere that says "See he can do that because he has this ability." I have a soft magic NPC that I got stuck with and I hate it so much.
I do see the risks of having a helpful super powerful NPC and I appreciate the warnings, but for the sake of building this guy let's assume I'm able to mitigate his benefits to the party effectively and I can work him into the plot in a way that everyone will still have a good time. With that being said, are there any abilities or ideas from other classes that would benefit his "It's hard to hit me and I make it hard to hit my allies" theme?
The fighter protection fighting style. Use your reaction to impose disadvantage on attacks against an adjacent ally. The style says you have to be using a shield, but homebrewing it for a monk with no shield could be fine.
So I just wrote out a paragraph about not doing this and how it’s a bad idea until I read your second comment saying you are aware of the dangers. I still wouldn’t do it, I’d make him weak and old and way beyond his prime, very wise and comedic relief, but the players are the ones bailing him out. BUT, you don’t want to hear any of that so...
I think it would be cool for a pacifist monk to NEVER use their action, bonus action, or movement on their turn and instead ONLY uses legendary actions. Or maybe he uses his action to enter a meditative state. He sits in the center of the battlefield and meditates. While meditating they have access to 3 legendary actions. 1st legendary action: astral projects himself to make a single attack or push.
2nd legendary action: while in a meditative state, can teleport 30-60ft.
3rd legendary action: Can take the “help” action on an ally within 30 ft...by doing...something....Idk you’ll have to figure that out, astral projecting again? That’s redundant...
( Abbot In old wobbly voice) "I am the mighty abbot! I shall hold off the army while you go and kill the princess while you try to save her." *Wobbles out with his walker towards the army waving his hat* "Shoo! I said Shoo!"
(Party) *sighs*
(Cleric) "we should probably go he-"
(Rogue) "nah he is fine."
(warlock) "My patron will enjoy watching hi- yeah no. We should go help him."
I love this! I love it so much, that I am going to use it. Thank you @CozmoTheGrey
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
I agree with him not taking any actions. If he does somehow wind up in combat with the PCs, I think he should have a small-ish (10? 15 ft?) area around him that is explained as his high speed granting him the ability to deflect enemy attacks. This would be a combination of his high physical speed and a sort of astral projection layered over his physical body granting him more reach/hands to swat attacks away with. Mechanically this would be imposing disadvantages on melee attacks on allies.
For legendary actions, I was thinking of him having a move action and a damage reduction action, much like the Ancestral Guardian Barbarian.
Building this monk character is also useful in case the party turns against the abbot for some reason. Or if he gets turned against the party.
BUT I really do like the plot line of the party saving him. If he gets captured, what's he gonna do? He can't attack the guards. It's a very interesting goal to have to save someone who is objectively more powerful than your group.
( Abbot In old wobbly voice) "I am the mighty abbot! I shall hold off the army while you go and kill the princess while you try to save her." *Wobbles out with his walker towards the army waving his hat* "Shoo! I said Shoo!"
(Party) *sighs*
(Cleric) "we should probably go he-"
(Rogue) "nah he is fine."
(warlock) "My patron will enjoy watching hi- yeah no. We should go help him."
I love this! I love it so much, that I am going to use it. Thank you @CozmoTheGrey
I laughed to hard at this! Thanks Cozmo and GoodBovine!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
One of my players is a monk, and the adventure has taken the party to her monastery. I want the abbot of the monastery to be a powerful, enlightened individual who has taken an oath of pacifism. I was thinking of giving him a lot of abilities to move around the battlefield and deflecting enemy's strikes or shoving party members out of harm's way.
The party has just finished their first arc of the campaign and have made it to level 4. I'm looking at around a CR 14 for the abbot, and I was going to give him legendary actions that really hammered in the point of his power level without having him apply damage. The party consists of a Shadow Sorcerer, a Way of the Elements Monk, and an Oath of Vengeance Paladin.
Does anyone have any ideas for legendary actions for a pacifist NPC? I'm thinking of using some battle master maneuvers or Drunken Master abilities.
To be clear, the NPC isn't going to be a permanent fixture to the party. But I'd like for him to be, if not reoccurring, then at least making a reappearance when the party is stronger.
CR 14 NPC? That’s near level 20 power in my opinion! Personally it is a terrible idea in my opinion to have a CR 14 NPC in the party, and you want the NPC to be fully in the party (despite your plans of not being in the party fully)? If you do this, I think your players might be annoyed at an overpowered NPC in the party. Remember that the players should be the ones doing the cool stuff and not “Cool NPC guy”. Because then if an NPC is doing all the cool adventures for the players, and carrying them, then what is the point of the players journey other than watching the NPC do cool stuff. I get that he doesn’t attack in combat, but his support skill sounds so ridiculously insane to the point in which the DMPC thing seems to apply.
So you run the risk of just showing the players up and it feeling like a DMPC which i have been told is never good.
what I have done instead is make an npc stat block and then given that to my players to control together to avoid falling into the DMPC.
becayse your creation of this monks abilities is going to be very different for something you have complete control over to a tool the players use. You still play the character out of combat and can veto something if they make them do an bc action that is out of character (they can’t make your pacifist monk hit somebody for example).
it also sidesteps you taking the focus away from the party and having to play two sides of the fight
I recognize the danger of having a DMNPC who outshines the party, and had planned to mitigate this danger by not having him do anything to directly further the party's goals. The stat block is more of a "Just in case" they manage to wiggle him into combat I don't have to completely make up his abilities on the fly. The Abbot is more of a "You go and do this vital thing while I hold off this army/big bad" kinda NPC. Whenever they get an NPC that helps them in their main goals they're always built to be weaker than the party just with a different access to skills.
Building out NPC stat blocks helps me dwell on their personalities and gives me (What I consider to be) cool ideas for what they can do. I hate having soft magic systems for my NPC and any time they do something I want to be able to point to a note somewhere that says "See he can do that because he has this ability." I have a soft magic NPC that I got stuck with and I hate it so much.
I do see the risks of having a helpful super powerful NPC and I appreciate the warnings, but for the sake of building this guy let's assume I'm able to mitigate his benefits to the party effectively and I can work him into the plot in a way that everyone will still have a good time. With that being said, are there any abilities or ideas from other classes that would benefit his "It's hard to hit me and I make it hard to hit my allies" theme?
The fighter protection fighting style. Use your reaction to impose disadvantage on attacks against an adjacent ally.
The style says you have to be using a shield, but homebrewing it for a monk with no shield could be fine.
So I just wrote out a paragraph about not doing this and how it’s a bad idea until I read your second comment saying you are aware of the dangers. I still wouldn’t do it, I’d make him weak and old and way beyond his prime, very wise and comedic relief, but the players are the ones bailing him out. BUT, you don’t want to hear any of that so...
I think it would be cool for a pacifist monk to NEVER use their action, bonus action, or movement on their turn and instead ONLY uses legendary actions. Or maybe he uses his action to enter a meditative state. He sits in the center of the battlefield and meditates. While meditating they have access to 3 legendary actions.
1st legendary action: astral projects himself to make a single attack or push.
2nd legendary action: while in a meditative state, can teleport 30-60ft.
3rd legendary action: Can take the “help” action on an ally within 30 ft...by doing...something....Idk you’ll have to figure that out, astral projecting again? That’s redundant...
good luck!
( Abbot In old wobbly voice) "I am the mighty abbot! I shall hold off the army while you go and kill the princess while you try to save her." *Wobbles out with his walker towards the army waving his hat* "Shoo! I said Shoo!"
(Party) *sighs*
(Cleric) "we should probably go he-"
(Rogue) "nah he is fine."
(warlock) "My patron will enjoy watching hi- yeah no. We should go help him."
I love this! I love it so much, that I am going to use it. Thank you @CozmoTheGrey
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
I agree with him not taking any actions. If he does somehow wind up in combat with the PCs, I think he should have a small-ish (10? 15 ft?) area around him that is explained as his high speed granting him the ability to deflect enemy attacks. This would be a combination of his high physical speed and a sort of astral projection layered over his physical body granting him more reach/hands to swat attacks away with. Mechanically this would be imposing disadvantages on melee attacks on allies.
For legendary actions, I was thinking of him having a move action and a damage reduction action, much like the Ancestral Guardian Barbarian.
Building this monk character is also useful in case the party turns against the abbot for some reason. Or if he gets turned against the party.
BUT I really do like the plot line of the party saving him. If he gets captured, what's he gonna do? He can't attack the guards. It's a very interesting goal to have to save someone who is objectively more powerful than your group.
I laughed to hard at this! Thanks Cozmo and GoodBovine!