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41-748: The Epic Level Handbook contains rules for characters to attain levels above 20, the highest level covered by the rules in the Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide , the core rule-books for the game. It provides epic-level progression information for all the core classes , the prestige classes from the Dungeon Master's Guide , and the psionic classes from the Psionics Handbook . It also provides new epic-level prestige classes, magical items, variant rules, monsters and "Epic Spells", all of which follow somewhat different rules than

82-469: A non-playable character , is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player . The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster or referee rather than by another player. In video games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer (instead of a player) that has a predetermined set of behaviors that potentially will impact gameplay, but will not necessarily be

123-408: A broad category of action games, referring to a variety of games that are driven by the physical actions of player characters. The term dates back to the golden age of arcade video games in the early 1980s, when the terms "action games" and "character games" began being used to distinguish a new emerging genre of character-driven action games from the space shoot 'em ups that had previously dominated

164-519: A dialogue box, floating text, cutscene , or other means of displaying the NPCs' speech or reaction to the player. NPC speeches of this kind are often designed to give an instant impression of the character of the speaker, providing character vignettes, but they may also advance the story or illuminate the world around the PC. Similar to this is the most common form of storytelling, non-branching dialogue, in which

205-488: A larger number of player characters to choose from, with some basic moves available to all or most characters and some unique moves only available to one or a few characters. Having many distinctive characters to play as and against, all possessing different moves and abilities, is necessary to create a larger gameplay variety in such games. Similarly to MOBAs, hero shooters emphasize pre-designed "hero" characters with distinctive abilities and weapons that are not available to

246-622: A non-player character. These games often feature a day-night cycle with a time scheduling system that provides context and relevance to character interactions, allowing players to choose when and if to interact with certain characters, which in turn influences their responses during later conversations. In 2023, Replica Studios unveiled its AI -developed NPCs for the Unreal Engine 5 , in cooperation with OpenAI , which enable players to have an interactive conversation with unplayable characters. "NPC streaming"— livestreaming while mimicking

287-417: A player are called non-player characters (NPCs). The actions of non-player characters are typically handled by the game itself in video games, or according to rules followed by a gamemaster refereeing tabletop role-playing games . The player character functions as a fictional, alternate body for the player controlling the character. Video games typically have one player character for each person playing

328-413: A player typically creates or takes on the identity of a character that may have nothing in common with the player. The character is often of a certain (usually fictional) race and class (such as zombie , berserker , rifleman , elf , or cleric ), each with strengths and weaknesses. The attributes of the characters (such as magic and fighting ability) are given as numerical values which can be increased as

369-690: A side-scrolling playfield. Examples include beat 'em ups like Kung-Fu Master and Double Dragon , ninja action games like The Legend of Kage and Shinobi , scrolling platformers like Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog , and run and gun shooters like Rolling Thunder and Gunstar Heroes . "Character action games" is also a term used for 3D hack and slash games modelled after Devil May Cry , which represent an evolution of arcade character action games. Other examples of this sub-genre include Ninja Gaiden , God of War , and Bayonetta . Fighting games typically have

410-565: A type of livestream that allows users to participate in and shape the content they are viewing in real time. It has become widely popular as influencers and users of social media platforms such as TikTok utilize livestreams to act as non-player characters. "Viewers in NPC live streams take on the role of puppeteers, influencing the creator's next move." This phenomenon has been on a rise as viewers are actively involved in what they are watching, by purchasing digital "gifts" and sending them directly to

451-411: Is a playable character in a video game available only after either completing the game or meeting another requirement. In some video games, characters that are not secret but appear only as non-player characters like bosses or enemies become playable characters after completing certain requirements, or sometimes cheating . Non-player character A non-player character ( NPC ), also called

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492-828: Is an example of a game series that has advanced from non-branching ( Ultima III: Exodus and earlier) to branching dialogue (from Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar and on). Other role-playing games with branching dialogues include Cosmic Soldier , Megami Tensei , Fire Emblem , Metal Max , Langrisser , SaGa , Ogre Battle , Chrono , Star Ocean , Sakura Wars , Mass Effect , Dragon Age , Radiant Historia , and several Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy games. Certain video game genres revolve almost entirely around interactions with non-player characters, including visual novels such as Ace Attorney and dating sims such as Tokimeki Memorial , usually featuring complex branching dialogues and often presenting

533-456: Is general consensus that the more "real" the NPCs feel, the more fun players will have interacting with them in character. In some games and in some circumstances, a player who is without a player character can temporarily take control of an NPC. Reasons for this vary, but often arise from the player not maintaining a PC within the group and playing the NPC for a session or from the player's PC being unable to act for some time (for example, because

574-405: Is multiple-choice roleplaying. When talking to an NPC, the player is presented with a list of dialogue options, and may choose between them. Each choice may result in a different response from the NPC. These choices may affect the course of the game, as well as the conversation. At the least, they provide a reference point to the player of their character's relationship with the game world. Ultima

615-399: Is some debate about how much work a gamemaster should put into an important NPC's statistics; some players prefer to have every NPC completely defined with stats, skills, and gear, while others define only what is immediately necessary and fill in the rest as the game proceeds. There is also some debate regarding the importance of fully defined NPCs in any given role-playing game (RPG), but it

656-464: Is somewhat common in first-person videogames, such as in Myst , but is more often done in strategy video games such as Dune 2000 , Emperor: Battle for Dune , and Command & Conquer series. In such games, the only real indication that the player has a character (instead of an omnipresent status), is from the cutscenes during which the character is being given a mission briefing or debriefing;

697-627: The Epic Level Handbook , the third edition did not make it easy to play powerful characters, especially compared to prior editions. Another reviewer commented that the book "addresses how to keep the Dungeons & Dragons system functioning after 20th level. Due to the nature of the system, many conventions of the system such as save and attack bonus conventions do not work as well if extrapolated out past 20th level." James Voelpel from mania.com commented: "A landmark book from Wizards of

738-465: The arcades in the late 1970s. Classic examples of character action games from that period include maze games like Pac-Man , platformers like Donkey Kong , and Frogger . Side-scrolling character action games (also called "side-scrolling action games" or "side-scrollers") are a broad category of character action games that were popular from the mid-1980s to the 1990s, which involve player characters defeating large groups of weaker enemies along

779-528: The Coast, the Epic Level Handbook not only helps dungeon masters run high level games but encourages smart players to strive for it's [ sic ] unlimited greatness." Viktor Coble listed Epic Level Handbook as #6 on CBR 's 2021 "D&D: 10 Best Supplemental Handbooks" list, stating that "It offers a wide scope of ways to engage extremely powerful characters and build them, and it even gives options beyond experience points for progressing and growing

820-422: The PC is injured or in another location). Although these characters are still designed and normally controlled by the gamemaster, when players are given the opportunity to temporarily control these non-player characters, it gives them another perspective on the plot of the game. Some systems, such as Nobilis , encourage this in their rules. Many game systems have rules for characters sustaining positive allies in

861-406: The PC's choices. The term "non-player character" is also used in video games to describe entities not under the direct control of a player. The term carries a connotation that the character is not hostile towards players; hostile characters are referred to as enemies, mobs , or creeps. NPC behavior in computer games is usually scripted and automatic, triggered by certain actions or dialogue with

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902-716: The Three Deaths and You're Out variant rules are all contained. The Epic Level Handbook was designed by Andy Collins and Bruce R. Cordell , and published in July 2002. The cover art is by Arnie Swekel , with interior art by Daren Bader, Brom , David Day , Brian Despain , Larry Dixon , Michael Dutton, Jeff Easley , Lars Grant-West , Rebecca Guay , Jeremy Jarvis , Alton Lawson, Todd Lockwood , David Martin , Raven Mimura , Matthew Mitchell , Vinod Rams , Wayne Reynolds , Darrell Riche, Richard Sardinha , Marc Sasso, Mark Smylie , Arnie Swekel, and Anthony Waters . Collins

943-456: The behaviors of an NPC—became popular on TikTok in 2023 and was largely popularized by livestreamer Pinkydoll . On the Internet, the term NPC is often used as an insult to suggest that some people are unable to form thoughts or opinions of their own. Such people are often characterized as being similar to NPC Wojak , who is a grey-faced, expressionless Internet meme . NPC streaming is

984-436: The characters. It helps scale the world around these outrageously strong characters and can even be used to help curb some munchkin behavior." Player characters A player character (also known as a playable character or PC ) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not controlled by

1025-601: The form of NPC followers; hired hands, or other dependant stature to the PC. Characters may sometimes help in the design, recruitment, or development of NPCs. In the Champions game (and related games using the Hero System ), a character may have a DNPC, or "dependent non-player character". This is a character controlled by the GM, but for which the player character is responsible in some way, and who may be put in harm's way by

1066-484: The game company. These "non-players" are often distinguished from player characters by avatar appearance or other visual designation, and often serve as in-game support for new players. In other cases, these "live" NPCs are virtual actors, playing regular characters that drive a continuing storyline (as in Myst Online: Uru Live ). In earlier RPGs, NPCs only had monologue. This is typically represented by

1107-556: The game play style different. Characters can learn new abilities or augment existing ones over the course of a match by collecting experience points. Choosing a character who complements the player's teammates and counters their opponents opens up a strategy before the beginning of the match itself. Playable characters blend a variety of fantasy tropes, featuring numerous references to popular culture and mythology . In both tabletop role playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons and role-playing video games such as Final Fantasy ,

1148-475: The game, and can fill any role not occupied by a player character. Non-player characters might be allies, bystanders or competitors to the PCs. NPCs can also be traders that trade currency for things such as equipment or gear. NPCs thus vary in their level of detail. Some may be only a brief description ("You see a man in a corner of the tavern"), while others may have complete game statistics and backstories . There

1189-451: The game. Some games, such as multiplayer online battle arena , hero shooter , and fighting games , offer a group of player characters for the player to choose from, allowing the player to control one of them at a time. Where more than one player character is available, the characters may have distinctive abilities and differing styles of play. A player character may sometimes be based on a real person, especially in sports games that use

1230-413: The gamer progresses and gains rank and experience points through accomplishing goals or fighting enemies. In many sports games , player characters are often modelled after real-life athletes , as opposed to fictional characters. This is particularly the case for sports simulation games , whereas many arcade-style sports games often have fictional characters instead. A secret or unlockable character

1271-432: The means of displaying NPC speech are the same as above, but the player character or avatar responds to or initiates speech with NPCs. In addition to the purposes listed above, this enables development of the player character. More advanced RPGs feature interactive dialogue, or branching dialogue ( dialogue trees ). An example are the games produced by Black Isle Studios and White Wolf, Inc. ; every one of their games

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1312-541: The names and likenesses of real athletes. Historical figures and leaders may sometimes appear as characters too, particularly in strategy or empire building games such as in Sid Meier 's Civilization series. Such a player character is more properly an avatar as the player character's name and image typically have little bearing on the game itself. Avatars are also commonly seen in casino game simulations. In many video games, and especially first-person shooters ,

1353-420: The other characters. Hero shooters strongly encourage teamwork between players on a team, guiding players to select effective combinations of hero characters and coordinate the use of hero abilities during a match. Multiplayer online battle arena games offer a large group of viable player characters for the player to choose from, each of which having distinctive abilities, strengths, and weaknesses to make

1394-425: The player character is a "blank slate" without any notable characteristics or even backstory . Pac-Man , Crono from Chrono Trigger , Link from The Legend of Zelda , Chell from Portal , and Claude from Grand Theft Auto III are examples of such characters. These characters are generally silent protagonists . Some games will go even further, never showing or naming the player character at all. This

1435-646: The player characters. In certain multi-player games ( Neverwinter Nights and Vampire: The Masquerade series, for example) a player that acts as the GM can "possess" both player and non-player characters, controlling their actions in order to further the storyline. More complex games, such as the aforementioned Neverwinter Nights , allow the player to customize the NPCs' behavior by modifying their default scripts or creating entirely new ones. In some online games, such as massively multiplayer online role-playing games , NPCs may be entirely unscripted, and are essentially regular character avatars controlled by employees of

1476-518: The player is usually addressed as "general", "commander", or another military rank. In gaming culture, such a character was called Ageless, Faceless, Gender-Neutral, Culturally Ambiguous Adventure Person, abbreviated as AFGNCAAP; a term that originated in Zork: Grand Inquisitor where it is used satirically to refer to the player. Character action games (also called character-driven games, character games or just action games) are

1517-401: The player's possible responses word-for-word as the player character would say them. Games revolving around relationship-building, including visual novels, dating sims such as Tokimeki Memorial , and some role-playing games such as Persona , often give choices that have a different number of associated "mood points" that influence a player character's relationship and future conversations with

1558-418: The product of true artificial intelligence . In traditional tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons , an NPC is a character portrayed by the gamemaster (GM). While the player characters (PCs) form the narrative's protagonists, non-player characters can be thought of as the "supporting cast" or "extras" of a roleplaying narrative. Non-player characters populate the fictional world of

1599-399: The standard game. The variant rules for this book are contained on pages 110–111, which include Open-Ended Rolls; Death from Massive Damage (change with a new feat option as well); Extended "Death's Door" (adds your character level * −1 onto your Dying HP when above level 20); Spell Resistance for Time Stop; NPC Challenge Ratings (Fix for Epic Levels); Epic Luck (1 per day reroll of a roll); and

1640-402: The streamer. In return, the streamer will briefly mimic character or act. This phenomenon has become a trend starting from July 2023, as influencers make profits from this new internet character. Pinkydoll , a TikTok influencer gained 400,000 followers the same month that she started NPC Streaming, while her livestreams began to earn her as much as $ 7,000 in a day. NPC streaming gives creators

1681-523: Was the first designer scheduled for the book, and handled the core of the rules, while Cordell handled the epic spellcasting and epic monsters. The book was updated for the 3.5 edition via an update document available from the Wizards of the Coast website. The 4th Edition covers this in an alternate manner with continuous 1-30 level progress. Wizards of the Coast covered the topic in their 2009 conference. The reviewer from Pyramid commented that before

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