NPC Doctrine (GM Reference)¶
This page defines how NPCs function in Kaernest.
It applies to humanoid NPCs and people-driven threats.
It does not define Monsters or Creatures, though some principles may overlap.
NPCs exist to: - make the world feel inhabited, - apply pressure and consequence, - and respond credibly to player behavior.
They are people, not encounters.
Core Assumptions¶
- NPCs use the same core resolution system as PCs.
- NPCs use the same health and wound system as PCs.
- NPCs do not have Effort.
- NPCs do not have access to Flashbacks.
- NPCs remember, react, and escalate socially or politically.
PCs are exceptional because of narrative leverage, not because the world is weak.
NPC Creation & Use Doctrine¶
NPCs Are Not Mini-PCs¶
NPCs may resemble PCs mechanically, but they are not built for parity.
Key differences: - NPCs do not spend Effort. - NPCs do not benefit from Flashbacks. - NPCs do not optimize for breadth. - NPCs rarely act alone. - NPCs disengage, surrender, or escalate when survival or consequence demands it.
NPCs should feel: - competent at what they do regularly, - predictable once understood, - dangerous primarily through context, not raw numbers.
NPCs Serve the World, Not the Encounter¶
NPCs are not placed to "challenge" PCs.
They exist because the world requires them.
Before using an NPC, ask: - What is their role here? - What do they want to protect or preserve? - What would make them disengage? - What consequences follow violence here?
NPC behavior matters more than NPC statistics.
Attributes & Skills (NPC Defaults)¶
Attributes¶
- NPCs use the same attribute scale as PCs.
- Average adults typically have attributes in the 1–2 range.
- Trained professionals may have a 3 in a relevant attribute.
- NPC attribute totals are usually lower than advanced PCs.
- NPCs may have negative attributes where appropriate.
Weaknesses are expected and intentional.
Untrained Skills (Important Rule)¶
NPC untrained skills are treated as +0, not -2.
This reflects lived experience rather than formal training.
NPCs: - notice obvious danger, - attempt unfamiliar tasks, - function competently in daily life.
They are not helpless, but they are not exceptional.
Static Values vs Rolls (Pacing Rule)¶
Static values exist to maintain pacing, not to remove uncertainty.
Static Defense Values (Low-Impact Fights)¶
In low-impact fights (minions, lackeys, background opposition), NPCs may use static defense values instead of rolling.
Recommended Static Defense: 12 + Finesse + Evasion (and/or Shield bonus)
Use static defenses when: - the NPC is not a boss or centerpiece threat, - the fight is not meant to be tactically complex, - speed and clarity matter more than precision.
Bosses, elites, and narrative threats should roll or otherwise break this rule.
Static Observation (Low-Stress Situations)¶
NPCs may use static values for observation and awareness when: - the situation is calm or routine, - there is no active deception or pressure, - failure would add nothing interesting.
Examples: - guards noticing obvious disturbances, - merchants recognizing known troublemakers, - civilians reacting to visible danger.
Roll only when: - stress is high, - deception is active, - surprise or consequences matter.
When to Roll¶
Roll when: - a PC directly contests the NPC, - the situation is unstable or dangerous, - morale, fear, or surprise is in play, - the outcome would meaningfully change the situation.
NPC rolls should signal pressure, not baseline competence.
NPCs in Groups: Swarm Use¶
When to Use a Swarm¶
NPCs become more effective when treated as a swarm.
Use a swarm when: - NPCs act together toward a shared goal, - individual actions matter less than collective pressure, - you want escalation without tracking many individuals.
Common swarms include: - guards, - militia, - cultists, - mobs, - work crews.
Swarm Benefits¶
A swarm may gain one or more of the following, when it makes sense:
- Bonus Die on actions that benefit from coordination
- Slight Attribute Increases (usually +1 to a relevant attribute)
- Higher static values
- Positional or narrative advantage
You are not increasing individual power.
You are concentrating effort and intent.
Breaking a Swarm¶
A swarm loses effectiveness when: - leadership is removed, - morale collapses, - legitimacy is undermined, - fear replaces cohesion.
Breaking a swarm is often safer than defeating it.
Morale Checks¶
A morale check determines whether an NPC or group remains committed to the fight.
Morale checks are event-driven.
They are never rolled automatically and never rolled every round.
Morale Check Roll¶
When morale is tested, roll:
2d12 + Morale + (Discipline + Presence)
or
2d12 + Morale + (Resolve + Will)
Which pairing is used is determined by what is challenging morale, not by NPC choice.
Base Morale TD: 16 This represents the baseline instinct to avoid serious harm or death. The TD does not change unless the fiction meaningfully alters the pressure to stay.
- Discipline + Presence
Used when morale is challenged by authority, legitimacy, command presence, social pressure, orders, or reputation. - Resolve + Will
Used when morale is challenged by fear, shock, intimidation, horror, pain, exhaustion, or emotional strain.
NPC stat blocks should note their default scores to avoid table friction.
When to Roll Morale (Triggers Only)¶
A morale check is rolled only when something forces the question of continued commitment.
Common morale triggers include:
- Loss, incapacitation, or humiliation of leadership
- A sudden and overwhelming escalation of threat
- A dramatic reversal of advantage
- Successful intimidation, terror, or supernatural display
- Being decisively flanked, surrounded, or cut off
- Realizing the situation is far more dangerous than expected
If no trigger occurs, morale is not tested. Triggers are binary. They cause a check or they do not. Triggers are never modifiers.
Bonus and Penalty Dice¶
Situational factors that make it easier or harder to stay in the fight apply bonus or penalty dice, not numerical modifiers.
Bonus Dice (Roll 3d12, keep best 2)¶
- Defending home, family, oath, or sacred ground
- Strong group cohesion or shared identity
- Clear numerical or positional advantage
- Reinforcements visibly arriving
- A respected leader actively directing the fight
Penalty Dice (Roll 3d12, keep worst 2)¶
- Isolation or loss of support
- Being cut off from escape or reinforcement
- Fighting in unfamiliar or hostile terrain
- Severe injuries, exhaustion, or demoralizing Conditions
Bonus and penalty dice stack normally.
They cancel one-for-one.
Fanaticism, zeal, or cowardice is reflected only in the Morale skill rating.
Degrees of Outcome¶
- Critical Success
Morale hardens. NPCs recommit, regroup, or press the fight deliberately. - Success
NPCs remain in the fight. No change. - Failure
NPCs disengage, withdraw, hesitate, or seek safety. The fight is ending. - Critical Failure
Morale collapses. Panic, rout, surrender, or total breakdown follows.
Morale failure resolves scenes cleanly.
Morale and Conditions¶
Conditions interact with morale primarily by causing triggers or applying penalty dice, not by altering TD.
Examples:
- Shaken: Applies a penalty die to morale checks
- Frightened / Terrified: Immediately triggers a morale check
- Isolated: Applies a penalty die
- Leaderless: Immediately triggers a morale check
No condition should both trigger a check and modify it.
Swarms and Groups¶
- Swarms make one morale check as a unit.
- This is the counterweight to shared attributes and bonus dice.
- Individual losses or actions affect group morale collectively.
- When a swarm fails morale, it fractures immediately.
This tradeoff is intentional.
GM Guidance (Explicit)¶
If the outcome is obvious, do not roll morale. Morale exists to resolve uncertainty, not to override fiction.
NPC Threat & Consequence¶
NPCs apply threat through: - memory, - escalation, - reputation, - institutional response.
Violence against NPCs often matters after the scene ends.
NPCs remember.
Organizations remember longer.
GM Guidance¶
- Do not optimize NPCs like PCs.
- Use static values to keep pacing tight.
- Use morale to end scenes cleanly.
- Let NPCs disengage instead of fighting to the death.
- Let restraint matter.
NPCs are how Kaernest enforces consequence without cruelty.
Core Design Principle¶
NPCs are: - competent, - contextual, - consequential.
They are not fair fights.
They are not disposable obstacles.
They are people who live here.