I was thinking about NPCs today. In particular about NPCs that join the party. I know some GMs like to throw in an NPC healer just because RM is so bloody dangerous that someone needs to keep the characters alive.
I am not a fan of NPC healers. I like having an NPC to give me a voice in the party. I am not sure that is always a good thing.
So, I am there happily thinking about NPCs and suddenly thought “There is a plot idea!” Imagine an NPC that is so entranced by one of the PCs that not only do they want to be in the band but they want to get rid of the others so they can have the PC to themselves.
So I am thinking along the lines of a cuckoo in the nest sort of plot with the NPC as the cuckoo. This could slowly ferment and bubble away under the skin. You could always have the NPC run short of herbs just when they get to which ever PC is closest (emotionally) to the ‘target PC’, or happen to ‘not hear’ requests for healing if it is a chaotic situation.
How soon before you reach a crisis if the healer withdraws their support?
This is an off the cuff thought this morning but scarily this is the second post I have done where the Healer is the bad guy.
Does that say something about me or should we not go there? 🙂
And there are plenty of things to get inspiration from. What if the fan from Misery had healing powers?
Yes, the title of this post is Misery inspired. That is sort of where I was coming from but the real inspiration came from some comments I was reading on a Facebook post. I ended up thinking, I am glad she is not one of my ‘friends’.
This is hilarious!
We aim to please 🙂
Fun idea! I think I’ll make the NPC healer in my next campaign more of a character.
What if it turned out the healer was actually the Big Bad Evil Guy, or one of his minions? There’s a curveball the party probably won’t see coming!
I always approve of anything that counters standard player expectations and norms, so having an NPC that isn’t just a mindless and obedient red shirt is a plus. One that is actually working against the party as a whole or just uncooperative is an interesting idea.
OTOH, why would a healer ever join a murder-hobo party or a group heading into harms way? For those of you that have actually run towards danger or physical violence, you know that not everyone would want to enter the “dark hole in the ground” no matter what promises of protection an adventure group might make.
If the setting dictates that healers are followers of a non-violent diety, why would they ever join with a group that will kill things?
I am playing a lay healer from an extremely poor background. One of his masters told him that he will learn more about healing in three years with an adventuring party than we would in 30 years in a hospital and he would earn more gold in three months than he would in his entire life.
That is why he joined a party as healer.
Ok, so maybe the healer won’t be the Big Bad Evil Guy himself, but he will be a spy sent by the BBEG to keep tabs on those meddlesome kids who are poking their noses where they don’t belong. He could be a Healer with a dark side (and Evil spell lists!), who had sold his soul to the BBEG.