When my players thwart the intentions of an NPC, usually the only thing I can think of is to have the NPC attack them (or have someone attack them) with physical violence. However, in the real world, that's not what happens. What kinds of things do your NPC's do? How do you decide that?

Ask someone more powerful for help.

Get mixed up about who the PCs are and butcher some innocent people.

Quote from: PencilBoy99;1066501When my players thwart the intentions of an NPC, usually the only thing I can think of is to have the NPC attack them (or have someone attack them) with physical violence. However, in the real world, that's not what happens. What kinds of things do your NPC's do? How do you decide that?

It depends on what the NPC's goal was. And what kind of character the NPC is. If your setting is filled with NPCs that want to secretly kill the PCs anyway, just hand out sharp weapons to everyone and have at it. Call your setting Murder Planet.

Quote from: PencilBoy99;1066501When my players thwart the intentions of an NPC, usually the only thing I can think of is to have the NPC attack them (or have someone attack them) with physical violence. However, in the real world, that's not what happens. What kinds of things do your NPC's do? How do you decide that?

Greetings!

Well, PencilBoy99, I have NPC's in my campaigns that may respond in numerous ways. Certainly, after having some goal thwarted by the player group can be frustrating--but there is more than one way to gain revenge, or otherwise gain dominance or victory. NPC's might gain some political position--or bribe and snail track their way into influencing some political figure--into changing various laws--or applying existing laws in some twisted, fucked up legal manner--that disadvantage the player characters in some way. Such things can come in the form of taxation, ruinous fines and assessments, either on the player characters, or their families; various actions aimed at racially discriminating against the player characters, or putting them in some kind of theological conflict with the established religious authorities.

Then, there's always having a proxy agent get one of the player character's pregnant, or becoming pregnant from one of the player characters. Nothing like having kids in that situation is good, and there's always lots of tears, drama, and gnashing of teeth. That's entirely aside from who manages to raise the child, and all of the circumstances around that. Who raises the child? Where is the child raised? Who else is around the child on a daily basis? Yeah, these situations will typically bring the player characters to a fever pitch of violent, ruthless mania. Alternatively, have an evil half-ogre or Tiefling Knight get all cozy with one of the player character's siblings--mix in romance, scheming, pregnancies, family drama, oh geez. It never stops from there, and the potential conflicts between a player character's family, the sibling that is in love with the evil, wicked knight, and the evil wicked knight's family as well. Emotional drama-fest showdowns between the player character and their naive sibling, yeah. The scenario takes off there like throwing gasoline to a roaring fire.

Want more drama? Have the local noble lord, a witch hunter, or church authority somehow get wind of the player's sibling having a romantic relationship and or having a child with an evil, wicked Knight...yeah, now you have the State or the Church or both asking the player character and the player character's sibling all kinds of uncomfortable questions.

Mix in some character assassination schemes, like having a group of noble women that don't like the player characters--have them sleep with one or more of the player characters, and also start rumours and innuendo about them. Now, if the player characters have any romantic partners--lots of drama there, for sure. All nurtured and helped along by the main NPC that really has a vendetta against one or more of the player characters. Add in some Bards to spread evil stories of the player characters at the local tavern, or in one or more of the local temples--and watch the fireworks begin to take off.

Then, to add a measure of violence to all of this, have some of the player characters get involved in knightly tournaments, facing rivals; or street gangs, or a cabal of wizards headquartered in the city that the Villain NPC has somehow roped into the scenario. Or a cadre of evil, corrupt, scheming priests that belong secretly to some bizarre cult. Spies and agents can become involved to plant evidence amongst the players or wherever they live at, which strongly incriminates them in being members of an evil cult, of being drug smugglers, or possessing outlawed books that the temple authorities have declared to be heretical. Now suddenly, the player characters are either imprisoned, or charged with all manner of crimes, and must defend themselves and their reputations in either a noble court, or a temple court trial.

All of which is entirely separate from having teams of assassins actually seek to poison, stab or otherwise burn to death the player characters.

Some pretty adolescent girl or boy--depending on the player characters--could have easily been bribed by the Villain NPC to bang the player characters silly for several weeks or months--and then, that adolescent shows up in a local church pregnant--and claims the player characters plundered her. If a boy, he can claim that a female player character seduced him, and plundered him, and encouraged him to embrace all manner of immoral desires and activities. Unless the player characters are all devout, abstinate monks--they are likely to be vulnerable to all kinds of social drama and problems such as this.

There's also the possibility of getting the player characters involved with a Charlatan's schemes--some fake company, milking dozens or hundreds of investors--and the players are somehow allied with the Charlatan. Whether the player characters are fully aware of whatever the Charlatan has been doing, or not--or to what degree the player characters were involved--none of that will matter one fucking bit to a hard-ass prosecuting attorney with a legal team full of brutal LAW and ORDER stormtroopers that are all very eager to make sure charming, oily bastards like the player characters get the ruthless screwing coming to them.

The possibilities are endless, my friend!

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Quote from: PencilBoy99;1066501When my players thwart the intentions of an NPC, usually the only thing I can think of is to have the NPC attack them (or have someone attack them) with physical violence. However, in the real world, that's not what happens. What kinds of things do your NPC's do? How do you decide that?

Have a general idea of what the NPC is like, and work from there. Are they devious? Or headstrong? Think of a fictional character that's most like your NPC and use that as a template.

I think most would probably just move on to another scheme.  Some might concoct elaborate revenge schemes, a la The Count of Monte Christo, or Oldboy, or Scott Tennorman

Quote from: Ratman_tf;1066519Have a general idea of what the NPC is like, and work from there. Are they devious? Or headstrong? Think of a fictional character that's most like your NPC and use that as a template.

This.  The most effective (both in made the players deal with it and caused fun game play) reaction I ever had was a minor NPC that was reasonably bright, not very powerful, and held a grudge.  He started a whispering campaign against the PCs.  Effective enough to be annoying, not so much that they wanted to drop more pressing issues to identify parties responsible for smearing them.

Of course, a lot of the more subtle reactions only work if you have a campaign that goes on long enough for the subtle efforts to matter.

A little rumor can go a long ways. Have the NPC spread lies about them. Hire people to spread those lies further.

Why attack the PC's directly? Go after their friends (other NPC's). Go after their mounts. Go after their pets. Go after all of them.

Why is the NPC so insecure that a group of PC's thwarted their machinations if it didn't ruin them? A smart NPC would HIRE THEM. Clearly they're capable? right?

Infiltrate the PC's. Have an NPC charm the pants off the PC's (by any means necessary) and get in good... so they can spy or worse on the PC's. The NPC will suddenly always be one step ahead. Once they're on to him - the infiltrator can poison them or whatever.

Turn it around - the NPC is so impressed by the PC's they want to join them! Your NPC still has their motivations - but clearly it would add interesting tension to the group.

Trick the PC's! Have the NPC quietly tip the PC's off to a potential treasure/adventure which will put them directly at odds with the NPC's other rivals. If the PC's succeed - the NPC wins. If the PC's lose. The NPC STILL WINS.

Play your NPC's SMART. Naked aggression is rarely the best course of action in a game where social ramifications matter.

Quote from: tenbones;1066597Infiltrate the PC's. Have an NPC charm the pants off the PC's (by any means necessary) and get in good... so they can spy or worse on the PC's. The NPC will suddenly always be one step ahead. Once they're on to him - the infiltrator can poison them or whatever.

See The Judas Contract for a classic execution of this one.

Quote from: PencilBoy99;1066501When my players thwart the intentions of an NPC, usually the only thing I can think of is to have the NPC attack them (or have someone attack them) with physical violence. However, in the real world, that's not what happens. What kinds of things do your NPC's do? How do you decide that?

However in the real world that is exactly what does happen all too often.

As for what the NPC can do other than fighting.

Run away to plot and reconsider.
Pretend to be a hostage.
Change their mind based on what the PCs say or do.
Change their course of action based on what the PCs say or do.
Hire assassins, mercs, wizards, whatever.
Seek out better gear or magic.
Make a deal with a greater power than they.
Hit the self destruct button on the base.
Laugh evilly as they escape yet again in an escape pod.
Use disguises to infiltrate the party.
Offer the party a position in their organization.
Offer to join the party.
etc.

Quote from: PencilBoy99;1066501When my players thwart the intentions of an NPC, usually the only thing I can think of is to have the NPC attack them (or have someone attack them) with physical violence. However, in the real world, that's not what happens. What kinds of things do your NPC's do? How do you decide that?

Lich Lord wants to spread his power by enchanting corpses in local cemeteries, PCs find some disturbed graves and investigate.
Trader is attacked by bandits and the PCs find the aftermath and offer to help. They may well hunt down the bandits.
Woman has been left at the altar by a fiance, turns out that he has been doing this for a while, fleecing rich women and abandoning them, one of them is known to/related to one of the PCs.
Two factions are battling for control of the kingdom, not with armies or magic, but with political schemes, the PCs could get in the middle of this, or might want to start their own schemes.
A PC is seduced by a woman wanting to escape from her domineering father, so the father makes a complaint against the PC, or they run away together, leaving the father to take revenge.

There are lots of ways to get NPCs to do things and generate plots and storylines.

Sometimes, I use a random encounter table and think of things on the spot. Other times, I use a random encounter table with a random storyline table and use that combination.

Quote from: JeremyR;1066537I think most would probably just move on to another scheme.

Minor villains would probably do this, some might bear a grudge and take revenge if it comes around.

Quote from: JeremyR;1066537Some might concoct elaborate revenge schemes, a la The Count of Monte Christo, or Oldboy, or Scott Tennorman

Major villains would definitely do this. I love the idea of random things happening to the PCs and then they work out that it is part of a bigger plot by an NPC they wronged.

What they do should depend on who they are. Work out who the NPC, where they come from, what motivates them, and the answer as to what he would do should come about organically.