I had a player drought for a bit and made a few npc characters for balance and then right as the chairs were filled the campaign went through an area where the party picked up several more. I essentially am prevented from rendering them all a horrific death through cut-scenes due to one of my players so am looking for creative ways to get them out of the party and throwing balancing all to hell. I'm so tired of replacing every creature with something else and worrying about one shot deaths and TPK due to bigger monsters fighting a larger group at level 2 grr.
You could always have them decide to stay in a nice town or something, maybe make that town a sort of “home base” for the party. Or perhaps give the party a stronghold and let the NPCs stay behind to run and manage their stronghold for them.
They can be arrested for a crime they (did not) commit and party can try to free them, but they will need to go to exile. Just make sure the party does not go with them. Who knows, maybe one day the party can find out the people responsible for the original crime and then reunite with the long lost friends.
remember how all the NPCs survived that red slaad attack three months ago? well, they've all just come down with mysterious abdominal pain. what a coincidence! perhaps today's the day to finally get that checked out? nah, let's sleep on it...
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unhappy at the way in which we lost individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
tell them you don't like features disappeared quietly in the night: providefeedback!
Great ideas. I used several of them. One longtime companion i had get his share of loot and bought a wagon and some adventuring gear. He now shows up as a merchant.
To switch things up, you could have one or two of the NPCs come into some good fortune and retire from adventuring. This also has the potential for the NPC to become a patron of sorts to the party, dispensing nuggets of information toward the larger story or even adventures for the party to engage in. We had a player who left the campaign, and I just had him take over the local mercenary guild. Now the party runs into the mercenaries on occasion on their travels, and it's always kind of a fun callback.
2) NPCs have stories too. Why are these NPCs out adventuring? Why are they with the party?
Maybe they have now earned enough coin and want to take it home to their family? Maybe they want to settle down and buy a tavern in a large town? Perhaps, the NPCs decide that they could make more if they struck out on their own and formed their own adventuring band? Maybe they heard about an adventuring company based out of a nearby city and decide to join that?
There are limitless possibilities for storylines that remove one or more NPCs from the party for completely justifiable reasons that would also provide plot points for the rest of the party. An NPC leaves to setup an inn and tavern, then whenever the party is in the area they can use it as a base of operations while dropping by on their old friend.
If you want most or all of them to leave then have a representative of the NPCs talk to the party and explain that although they have enjoyed traveling with them and making some coin, the missions seem to be getting more dangerous and risky for them (PCs typically level up while NPCs often don't :) ) and there are other things they want to do - see examples above or whatever you like.
Or .. if the NPCs aren't the nicest of folks then maybe a couple of them decide to steal the party treasure and magic items ... that plot line will definitely remove some of the NPCs from the party.
The advantage of a peaceful split is that the NPCs might still be available for future adventures or as plot lines (former NPC party member needs help with local protection racket in large city etc.).
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I had a player drought for a bit and made a few npc characters for balance and then right as the chairs were filled the campaign went through an area where the party picked up several more. I essentially am prevented from rendering them all a horrific death through cut-scenes due to one of my players so am looking for creative ways to get them out of the party and throwing balancing all to hell. I'm so tired of replacing every creature with something else and worrying about one shot deaths and TPK due to bigger monsters fighting a larger group at level 2 grr.
Two of them fall in love and buy a house in town.
One of them inherits their distant uncle’s estate.
One finds the macGuffin they’ve been searching for and needs to go in a different direction from the party.
You could always have them decide to stay in a nice town or something, maybe make that town a sort of “home base” for the party. Or perhaps give the party a stronghold and let the NPCs stay behind to run and manage their stronghold for them.
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They can be arrested for a crime they (did not) commit and party can try to free them, but they will need to go to exile. Just make sure the party does not go with them.
Who knows, maybe one day the party can find out the people responsible for the original crime and then reunite with the long lost friends.
remember how all the NPCs survived that red slaad attack three months ago? well, they've all just come down with mysterious abdominal pain. what a coincidence! perhaps today's the day to finally get that checked out? nah, let's sleep on it...
unhappy at the way in which we lost individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
tell them you don't like features disappeared quietly in the night: provide feedback!
Great ideas. I used several of them. One longtime companion i had get his share of loot and bought a wagon and some adventuring gear. He now shows up as a merchant.
To switch things up, you could have one or two of the NPCs come into some good fortune and retire from adventuring. This also has the potential for the NPC to become a patron of sorts to the party, dispensing nuggets of information toward the larger story or even adventures for the party to engage in. We had a player who left the campaign, and I just had him take over the local mercenary guild. Now the party runs into the mercenaries on occasion on their travels, and it's always kind of a fun callback.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Simplest way:
"HELL NO. THAT'S IT, I AM OUT. Nobody said anything about ... (vampires/illithids/dragons/medusas/oblex/demons)"
The NPCs get fed up with being the B team and go their own way creating a competitor team ala Aquisitions Inc.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
1) You are the DM.
2) NPCs have stories too. Why are these NPCs out adventuring? Why are they with the party?
Maybe they have now earned enough coin and want to take it home to their family? Maybe they want to settle down and buy a tavern in a large town? Perhaps, the NPCs decide that they could make more if they struck out on their own and formed their own adventuring band? Maybe they heard about an adventuring company based out of a nearby city and decide to join that?
There are limitless possibilities for storylines that remove one or more NPCs from the party for completely justifiable reasons that would also provide plot points for the rest of the party. An NPC leaves to setup an inn and tavern, then whenever the party is in the area they can use it as a base of operations while dropping by on their old friend.
If you want most or all of them to leave then have a representative of the NPCs talk to the party and explain that although they have enjoyed traveling with them and making some coin, the missions seem to be getting more dangerous and risky for them (PCs typically level up while NPCs often don't :) ) and there are other things they want to do - see examples above or whatever you like.
Or .. if the NPCs aren't the nicest of folks then maybe a couple of them decide to steal the party treasure and magic items ... that plot line will definitely remove some of the NPCs from the party.
The advantage of a peaceful split is that the NPCs might still be available for future adventures or as plot lines (former NPC party member needs help with local protection racket in large city etc.).