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[Chaos]

Here at Mistborn, we have a rule: don't godmod. You can only write what your character does, not anyone else. Such a rule, obviously, is necessary for an enjoyable experience for all. However, this rule only applies to other Player Characters (PCs), not Non-player Characters (NPCs). NPCs are a vital part of the role-playing experience. They are foils for your character, people your character can interact with. The Final Empire (even just Luthadel) is a massive place, so it is unreasonable to expect new PCs for the most mundane interactions.

In all cases of NPCs below, it is important to remember that you are writing from your character's viewpoint. This is known as "third-person limited" viewpoint. You, as the player, are allowed full control of your NPCs, but that does not mean that your PC can read minds. Your character cannot possibly know exactly what your NPC is thinking or feeling, so do not write that way.
Types of NPCs


1. Throwaway NPCs

Perhaps the most common yet most necessary NPC is the throwaway NPC. As the name suggests, they are not important or relevant in the immediate sense. Usually these people only appear once, never to be seen from again. An example for a skaa merchant would be a customer buying some product--the NPC is by no means essential to the plot, but without him/her, the scene could not function. A good rule of thumb is that unnamed characters are throwaway characters.

You are allowed to create whatever throwaway NPCs you wish to make your PC's scenes to work.

2. Attached NPCs

This variety of NPC allows you to create a foil for your PC. These are NPCs your character can interact with on a regular basis, appearing in many different scenes. These NPCs are controlled exclusively by you, the player (they are considered "attached" to your specific PC).

Perfectly reasonable attached NPCs would be: For skaa, close friends, taskmasters, etc. For nobles, your Terris steward, the Lord of your House, house obligators, etc. The possibilities are many. If your character is married or in a relationship with a person (who is not a PC), the significant other is assumed to be attached NPC.

You may have as many attached NPCs as you desire, however, we would like you to list the names of your attached NPCs - or a link to your list in this forum - in your signature, so everyone has a quick reference for who you control. In addition, please create a topic in this forum--the NPC forum--titled "[player name]'s Attached NPCs". Here is where you can go in more detail about your NPCs, but there is no need to be too detailed. We want to make NPCs an easy, pain-free thing, so you do not use the normal character template. Please use:

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Gender: [/b]
[b]Pertinent Information: [/b]

Where "Pertinent Information" can be things like appearance, powers (if they are Allomancers), or any detail you would like to give. No need to go crazy, unless you so desire. If you want, you can use the normal character template for extensive details.

3. Unattached NPCs

This NPC is exactly like an attached NPC in all aspects, except that you do not have exclusive control over the NPC. It is somewhat of a combination of throwaway NPCs and attached NPCs, as these are named characters. Unattached NPCs helps make the world feel more realistic, as an example of one could be an obligator at the Canton of Finance. Such a person isn't directly related to any specific character, yet can be used by different nobles for various business transactions.

When you create an unattached NPC, please post it in the "Unattached NPC" topic here using the same template as above. We would like you to do this so there is a record of this type of NPC.

Edited by KChan, 19 August 2013 - 02:35 AM.