NPC stands for Non-Player Characters. Their common denominator is, as the name suggests, that they are not represented on the game by a player object. On Blood of Dragons, the term is used in some slightly different ways from many other MU*s, as it could be said that there are two different types of NPCs on the game.
First we have the NPCs that have been entered into the CDB (see +HELP CDB). They are named as well as have a few more basic details noted down in the CDB. If a player creates and regularly uses a named NPC, they are required to submit it to the CDB. See +HELP CDB SUBMIT for how to propose a new CDB entry.
All characters in the CDB that aren’t dead or otherwise entirely unavailable have the potential of going from NPC to PC if someone requests and is allowed play them. NPCs in the CDB can also be temporarily in play as objects with the Puppet flag set (see HELP PUPPET) and they can also be temporarily emitted (generally by the Staff) if needed for specific events.
The NPCs that have not been entered into the CDB are generally unnamed NPCs such as random guardsmen, commoners, etc. But even though they are not in the CDB, they are still very much present on the game and this must be taken into account by players. You can’t role-play robbing someone, and claiming you’d get away by saying that you decided that the NPC guard mentioned in that room’s description wasn’t there or was drunk.
NPCs that have been entered into the CDB are either owned by the game or, if they were submitted by a player who is still active on the game, by that player.
The general rule of thumb is that players may not assume actions or opinions on behalf of Game-owned NPCs. For example, if a player wishes to learn what the currently unplayed lord of his or her character’s house feels about a certain issue, they should consult the Staff via +jobs (see +HELP +JOBS). Similarly, unless a player is actually playing the lord of a house, the player should not ICly or OOCly portray their character as speaking for the whole house unless they’re a) approved to do so or b) being dishonest ICly.There are two exceptions to this.
First, players may make limited use of close and currently unplayed relations in situations where this facilitates the player’s roleplay but doesn’t dictate the personality and/or opinions of the unplayed character beyond what has already been entered into the CDB regarding this character and thus approved by the Admin. If nothing or very little has been established regarding the NPC, players may also (again via +JOBS) propose information to be added to the CDB.
Examples of this would include things such as the player of a married woman assuming certain actions on behalf of the woman’s unplayed husband as long as these are in line with what has been approved regarding this character. It is also acceptable for players to occasionally emit relatives or household members that are known to be in the same IC location as their character. However, these NPCs should be used sparingly and should not be taking any important actions or actions that define their personality beyond what is already established.
If a player is uncertain about anything relating to NPC relations or connections, +jobs should be used to ask the Staff about the matter. This ensures that a record of the query is preserved. Players are encouraged to make as much use of jobs as they need, not the least when it comes to asking questions about NPCs and their actions.
Secondly, those NPCs that are of the type Extra may be used in scenes as long as they are used in a way that fits the information established for the character. Players cannot use these as freely as player-owned NPCs, but they can be used to fill out scenes where you need a septon, a guardsman, a merchant, etc and no such PC is available.
When it comes to player-owned NPCs, these can naturally be made use of by the player who owns them. A player has just as much control over their player-owned NPCs as they have over their own character, and player-owned NPCs fall under the same consent rules as regular characters.
NPCs that have not been entered into the CDB are different in that it is perfectly appropriate for players to pose actions on behalf of them in certain circumstances and as long as those actions fall within what would be the rule rather than the exception for the NPC in question. For example, in the right area, it would be perfectly appropriate for one player to pose that a nearby guardsman attempts to apprehend another player who just posed stealing something. On the other hand, posing that the guardsman sees the crime but ignores it is not reasonable, as this would be assuming an abnormal reaction on the NPC’s behalf.
In general, conflicts that involve NPCs are expected to be negotiated OOCly, taking into account the likely IC abilities of the NPC. The likely IC abilities can be roughly extrapolated from the NPC’s tier. Barring exceptions agreed upon by the Admin, NPCs that have not been entered into the CDB are assumed to be Vs or possibly IVs.
