[Blinded Guardian]

Lets say your roleplaying out a NPC character ,that one of your players is conversing with do you let them take a diplomacy check ,or do you just go with the flow.

[RedSlayer]

Depends. If the roleplaying is just rolling right along, I'd say let it go. But if it looks like it is unimportant, or would generally waste time for very little value, I'd go with a Diplomacy Check.

[Sweitir]

In my group a lot of time (I mean a LOT) is wasted just talking with NPCs. If it's getting out of hand and just taking forever, and upsetting other players, then I'd use a diplomacy check and keep the game moving.

[3dom]

Sweitir, on Oct 31 2006, 06:05 AM, said:

In my group a lot of time (I mean a LOT) is wasted just talking with NPCs. If it's getting out of hand and just taking forever, and upsetting other players, then I'd use a diplomacy check and keep the game moving.

A defined and detailed NPC is placed by the DM, and is dealt by/with the DM and player, and is there for that reason. Therefore, if the NPC is there, the player is due to interact (or not, but that would be a pain to the DM who had prepared said NPC) , for that is the DM's intention. Were it not the intention, there would be no NPC, and another action (in this one case, Gather information) would be taken.

Also: I do apologise if I am being a donkey's other name.

[Raven Bloodmoon]

Okay, as a DM, allow me to respond in a way that may or may not tick off the forum moderator.

I DMed a game where a certain human-hating halfling went to a town to pick pu soem other PCs. While they were there, they ended up in a bar when the halfling wanted to know about a couple waitresses I mentioned. Suddenly I had to turn windowdressing on a scene into an actual person. I was just relieved he didn't want anythign to do with them after I told him tey were human, because judging by other encounters with people, he'd have spent a good hour talking them up, even though they were as superfluess to the situation as you could get.

So yeah, the DM does decide to incert NPCs or withold them, but unles syou are in a ghost town, players may well try to interact with window dressing and force you to create NPCs you didn't intent to.

[Axel]

My group likes to split up when in town. And at least one of them always ends up just hanging out at the pub. So while dealing with one person or group I have the others roll Diplomacy or Gather Information to determine how their time went, to keep things moving along. It also helps limit the number of NPC's I have to make up, since I do everything on the fly.
If they do encounter the NPC while I'm dealing with them directly I make up the NPC and we actually role play it. In time I'll begin using my dad's method and have a box of prepared NPC index cards, which I can pull out at random whenever I need it. For now the characters are usually vague allusions to song or story.

[Raven Bloodmoon]

NPC Index cards? Awesome idea. Thank you and thank your dad for the idea. I don't plan on making a full deck right away, but as NPCs are created, I'll just start making a collection, I think. 500 gp for Axel! Oh, [WOMBAT], I wish we still had the store...8|

[Axel]

They used index cards for everything. Got an encounter planned in that dungeon? Copy the critical details onto an index card, put it in the box. Got NPC's? Card. Want the PC's crucial information without having to ask or borrow their sheet? Put it on a card. I really should make cards for my group.

[Greg Swifthands]

Yeah, My dad used to do that too... the Index cards... though they weren't always NPCs, other times they were DM copies of the PCs... I started doing that, if I DMed more, I bet they'd be more useful, though it might become a hassle if you're in a group that wants to level as much as possible, or they characters just end up leveling up Rapidly, you'd have to constantaly update the cards.

Er... sorry for the OT.