Should my fake NPC do damage...

[Albions_Angel]

Hi all

Want to keep this short because the group is watching. Basically, my group will encounter a lone adventurer who will ask them to help him with a task. Being murder-hobos with a desire for shiny objects, they will agree. Adventurer will lead them to a temple, help them fight the foes, and then at the last moment... vanish.

Turns out hes been dead for 200 years and was never really there. A ghost if you will (though I dont want to actually make him undead. He is just a memory of intent basically).

So should he do damage, or should I just fake the damage he does? Just roll dice for the sake of it and pretend?

[Venger]

Hi all

Want to keep this short because the group is watching. Basically, my group will encounter a lone adventurer who will ask them to help him with a task. Being murder-hobos with a desire for shiny objects, they will agree. Adventurer will lead them to a temple, help them fight the foes, and then at the last moment... vanish.

Turns out hes been dead for 200 years and was never really there. A ghost if you will (though I dont want to actually make him undead. He is just a memory of intent basically).

So should he do damage, or should I just fake the damage he does? Just roll dice for the sake of it and pretend?

If he's an illusion or something (and your party has no way of detecting such things) then go for rolling fake damage to trick them.

if they have abilities to detect stuff like this (tremorsense, lifesense, detect magic, etc) make sure they get a far shake so they don't cry foul when he disappears at the end of the scene.

[umbergod]

Fake it. Also, get into the habit of randomly rolling your dice :p keeps the players off guard

[Flickerdart]

The PCs should get a chance to sense something's afoot when the ghost's attacks don't seem to wound the enemies they hit. You have two options:

• The NPC never actually succeeds in hitting. Either he always misses, or he spends his time casting spells, moving, drinking potions, using Intimidate, feinting, whatever.
• The ghost has other ghost enemies that he fights. They are part of the same memory. Give him one each battle, that he focuses on, and that the PCs won't attack for whatever reason (conveniently placed terrain, the NPC "calls" his quarry, and so on).

Either way, make sure that the enemies don't try to attack the NPC either. Perhaps they do not see him (which is another suspicious thing) or they don't consider him a threat since he's not hurting anyone.

[hector212121]

If he has a magic weapon, roll as for total concealment--a magic weapon has 50% to hit incorporeal, while a incorporeal magic weapon has 50% to hit corporeal.