NPC Handler Rules

Understanding the Role
The Role of a Handler is to play any and all NPCs that may be required for adventurers in the server. That is to say that you will need to roleplay out many of the common NPC characters that control the day to day dealings of Players.

Understand the NPCs Available
The Grove also boasts an array of characters that any Handler can play already. It is part of your duties as a handler to play these characters from time to time if need be. But it does not have to be your Primary Role. You are free to play purely your own creation, completely separated from combat encounters.

NPCs come in two types, Tributed and Common.

Tributed NPCs cannot be picked up by a handler that is not explicitly the player they were assigned to. If you wish to control an NPC on your own as your individual character, please ask any member of staff, or better still a World Builder to see if they can assist in getting this organised for you. We understand your characters are important, and would hate to diminish your creativity or see others damage a character that you hold dear.

Tasks of a Handler
Your task as a handler is to play the shop keepers, the common folk roaming the streets, the guards standing and catching people breaking the rules. Your task is to breathe life into the server when the adventurers are both in need and unaware that an NPC may be close by and overhearing their plans.

Running the Shopfronts
NPCs that do happen to be shopkeepers typically have a list associated with their character that explains the pricing of items that they would typically sell. As a result it is your task to know the NPC that you are picking up and playing, and make sure that those items are sold at the displayed prices.

If an item is not shown, but you feel like the NPC in question may be able to craft or source the item requested from a player. Simply take pause and say something similar to "I will need to check with my suppliers and get back to you." then ask a member of Staff about the item in question.

Buying of Character Items
For any item that the players bring to you to sell, have a vendor price associated to them on The Grove Item List. While the Vendor price is rather abysmal players can attempt to persuade a shopkeeper to giving up to 5 times more than that vendor amount. So an item that would vendor for 1 copper, could be persuaded up to 5 copper in value.

While the DC for such a persuasion or bartering check is 20. Handlers are free to choose any multiplier they feel is adequate for the level of roleplaying being displayed from the adventurer.

Dealing with Intimidations and Threats
Please remember that aggressive characters do exist in the world, and threats will come about when they try to barter or perhaps a player will have failed to barter and is now irate. There is always the X-Card system at your disposal if things get too much, or seem too personal to deal with.

All Shopkeepers would typically be frightened by any form of threat, and would not act heroic at all. As such the DC value for such a check is lower, set at DC15. However, it is your duty to then alert the other NPC Handlers that a character has effectively strong armed and man handled an NPC. Then Guards will likely take over and address the character in question should they be found.

Use discretion when dealing with these types of players. There are backgrounds out there that allow characters to get away with these sorts of acts as well.

Assisting the DMs
From time to time a Dungeon Master will ask if there are any Handlers who wish to assist them in running their adventures. This is a great moment to bring about your own characters. These types of jobs are typically just pushing players in the direction of the DM's quests, or hinting to players of something to come.

Remember though, there is a fine line between directing and overstepping. It is not your place to create the narrative. If at any moment you are unsure if the NPC you are playing seems like they should know something that is not publicly known to NPCs, or asks a question which you feel you should be able to answer but is not given to you yet; simply take pause and in character state "I will need to investigate the matter and get back to you." or something along those lines.

Creating NPCs
You are free to use any of the common NPCs at your disposal. You are also free to make any NPC of your choosing, following the same creation rules as a Civilian Character. However, since you are able to undertake an adventurer or several, you are unable to create an NPC that can craft or do jobs. It is assumed that the NPC will have enough gold at any given time to deal with the day to day dealings of their lives and of the adventurer's they meet.

Obtaining the Role
To officially obtain the role of handler, to separate yourself from the Adventuring masses. Simply use the command !handler in any of the rolling channels available on the server. This will grant you the role of NPC Handler.