"Hey... Why are all the monsters suddenly targeting me? This is so unfair!" - Some angry player, who was "arbitrarily" attacked 3+ times in a single turn of combat. Sigh. Arbitration. Fairness. Making that call. And perhaps worst of all, who does the dragon decide to snatch in its razor-sharp jaws? Welcome to Part 2 of the Jar of Evil, Monster Protocols or How to Train your Monsters. Monster Protocol There was a magnificent video by Runehammer on Monster Mind, essentially a thesis on creating A.I. for monster behavior. I loved it. A lot. I use nearly each one of those methods (someday I hope to use the Player Controlled monster), but I noticed something specifically lacking in those methods: how the monster directs those abilities. Based on my observations of Runehammer, he tends to side more on targeting PCs with the dice than other methods. I can understand why, the dice are impartial. However, the dice have the same flaw in targeting PCs as they do
NPCs. Companions. The dreaded "GM-PC." We've all seen them. Most of us have been them. But no more! Rid thyself, O Game Master, of the shackles binding thee to eternal NPC bookkeeping! Fret not, O Player, of a new burden of which thou wilt never remember to do nor use! BEHOLD! Grizzly Encounter FORCES! An ICRPG Supplement on Character Creation, NPCs, Companions, Villains, Kingly LOOT, and more! Estimated 2019. NOTE: TL;DR in CONCLUSION FORCES: Companions as LOOT "Companions" here mean NPCs (Non-Player Characters) that specifically follow the party for some reason. A Companion LOOT "Item" is more a conceptual thing than anything, for truly it stands for the NPC's Friendship. And Friendship is Earned, through hard work, Attempts at communication and interaction, and Effort. In short, Companions are LOOT Chests, opened with CHA (or other STATs, depending on how they Attempt to win over the NPC). Once a PC has opened the proverbial