No, that would reinforce her Faux Action Girl elements, because here, "on-screen" means "as a PNPC in combat."
Now, the party is forced to bring her along in Encounter 14.2 and 16.2, but other than that, she's unlikely to get much combat screentime.
It helps that she gets a pretty significant damage boost at 16th level. Before then, she's basically a less effective version of the PC monk.
edited 23rd May '12 3:57:36 PM by TheyCallMeTomu
Not all PNP Cs function equally though. That being said, it's not a bad thing that Tenjin seems to be pretty popular with the party.
The Faux Action Girl status stems from the fact that the Random Number God absolutely despises the NPC in question.
Eh, die rolls are public. I suppose I could always institute "override" die rolls though.
Besides-the PNPC is essentially a fifth PC, which the main distinction that the party (usually) gets to choose who they bring along. While I want them to be effective, it's absolutely crucial that they not overshadow the other P Cs.
Dwindle special snowflake. I tend to think interesting characters are good. Take our group for example. We've got a Highlander with magical tattoos, a librarian monk that fights while reading, a batshit insane Gnome pirate, a necromancer obsessed with Science!. . . and it is awesome.
edited 24th May '12 9:23:13 AM by Exelixi
Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-It's more the issue of everyone insisting on playing against the genre. Like, if you run a mercenary campaign, everyone wants to play a pacifist, or something like that.
I really should have forced people into a "you're all mercenaries deal with it" thing for TGD or something, because right now, they're just sort of being swept along in the fast pace of the plot rather than having a whole lot of character incentive. On the plus side, hopefully they'll be really happy to kill Karite once they get the chance.
This is one of the reasons I GM over a mic - I actually get to make die rolls behind the screen without needing an actual screen, and cause my players to freak out. On an unrelated note, I just so happen to have an actual screen, but I put it together for convenience more than anything else.
Speaking of GM screens, what do you guys generally like to see on them? Mine has common skill uses and their DC's, a list of the combat maneuvers, the mook maker, a chart of what does and doesn't provoke Attack of Opportunity, and a list of the various conditions and what they do note . Also, the player side - in case I ever have a session with other people physically present - is the Judge Dredd "I AM THE LAW" picture. You know the one.
edited 24th May '12 9:43:50 PM by KyleJacobs
@Offscreen dice rolls: Yeah, not gonna lie, I find myself clenching up on reflex whenever I hear the sound of dice hitting Jacobs' desk.
Try "no, you're not having an orgy."
edited 25th May '12 9:11:59 AM by Exelixi
Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-
You'll be a hero of Dungeon Masters and japanophiles everywhere if you can stick him with an Unwanted Harem. Emphasis on 'unwanted'.
edited 25th May '12 9:16:32 AM by Kayeka

One thing that I'm having problems with in my current campaign is that one of the significant PNP Cs has become a Faux Action Girl.