How do I give players control of NPCs?

[SilentRuin]

I believe JPG's statement is a simple warning, to make sure anyone who does such is fully aware of the implications. Like if you shared a Lion with a player and they owned it, they could change the stats without the GM knowing. If the GM then used that lion in an encounter, it might no longer be what the GM expected it to be. Just an FYI so that folks are aware their are implications to changing default behavior. Not that folks can't/shouldn't do so for their own needs/wants.

Its a CT entry. Maybe your not understanding what I'm saying. When you share an NPC its got to be on the CT and friendly. Just part of the rules. So when you do that the only thing you will be "changing" is the CT entry. If you share something from the CT it is with the intent the player control it. Like a PC. Now a lion - like a mule - really does not have anything that a player should be messing with. But if you gave it to him - you risk the CT entry being messed with. Just like giving a player a PC risks them messing with it. Neither should be done. Both can be done without the GM realizing it. So if you don't trust a player to not mess with things - too late. They have the PC to mess with. Giving them control of an NPC is no different.

I'm not sure how that can be logically reasoned that it is. If you don't trust them not to mess with things out of the GM's attention then... game over man. Game over! Adding a CT NPC entry into the mix on that - well - 1/2 glass full argument to me. If the CT NPC entry is part of the encounter - not sure why you would pass it onto a player unless they were doing something for you like being a 2nd DM helping you run NPCs. In which case, yeah - you'd want full control.

And to repeat something I added in my last reply pretty late... And while the CT NPC entry is not permanent like the PC, I create a "Player NPCs" group in the NPC button where I occasionally back up the NPC for them in case I accidently clear it out of the CT ( that way they don't lose their inventory - but the correct way is not to accidently delete it out of CT - I'm just error prone so I do this to guard against it - which is why I'm developing a combat groups extension to allow me to remove it from CT without losing all the stored CT stuff ).

That insures I don't lose anything due to my incompetency as a DM (yeah its a thing for me).

[LordEntrails]

@Silent Ruin. I get it. But I don't think you get my point. It's not so much a warning for you, but for others. You understand what you are doing and are making changes consciously. Others might come alone and not put such careful consideration into what they do and be surprised by the results

[SilentRuin]

@Silent Ruin. I get it. But I don't think you get my point. It's not so much a warning for you, but for others. You understand what you are doing and are making changes consciously. Others might come alone and not put such careful consideration into what they do and be surprised by the results

Ah, thought we were talking specifically about my changes. Yes, any LUA code assignment of ownership to things can seriously mess things up. Agreed. Trial by fire and experimentation - I know

[webdove]

My goal is that players in combat have to clear the fog of war themselves or perhaps with their familiar. Outside of combat a "party vision" PC stores where they have all had vision. I think I can make this work by enabling party vision and movement, but individually disabling it for each friendly PC and NPC except for the "party vision" PC. Here is a table of experiments I just performed.

Party vision and movement is enabled. PC's & NPC's are (mostly) removed from party vision.
Owned means the PC belongs to the player.
NPC dragged to portrait supposedly grants control. This seems to have no effect except opening the character sheet for the client.

party vision tests.png

[SilentRuin]

My goal is that players in combat have to clear the fog of war themselves or perhaps with their familiar. Outside of combat a "party vision" PC stores where they have all had vision. I think I can make this work by enabling party vision and movement, but individually disabling it for each friendly PC and NPC except for the "party vision" PC. Here is a table of experiments I just performed.

Party vision and movement is enabled. PC's & NPC's are (mostly) removed from party vision.
Owned means the PC belongs to the player.
NPC dragged to portrait supposedly grants control. This seems to have no effect except opening the character sheet for the client.

party vision tests.png

All sharing an NPC to PC means is you get to move it around (with the option set) and hit the attack/damage stuff in the main page text. That's as designed in normal FGU without extensions.

[webdove]

I may have to move the players NPC ally since they won't see through those eyes, but the player can drag attack to the combat tracker or rely on telepathic communication (through me) to guide the NPC.

[eyeboxone]

After reading this entire thread I am leaning towards a companion being an owned PC. I have an Artificer and just reached level 3 so I have two companions, Homunculus and an Eldritch Cannon. The NPC route appears to leave some work to the DM and it just seems odd that I would let work for my companions fall to the DM. The fact that I can't advance the turn for my companions is a big one. I can't adjust the HP for my companions when I level so that means my DM has to do it for me. I also can't interact with an NPC sheet the same way you would with a normal PC sheet. I could see a situation where I craft a Homunculus with a bag of holding. Essentially making it a mule. The NPC isn't option unless I used an extension like Map Parcel.

The PC route seems to come down to trust over inflating something on the PC sheet. Well if trust is an issue then my DM probably doesn't want me in the game anyway.

Am I missing something?

[Griogre]

Probably not. An NPC is fine for something that is static and doesn't really change like a familiar. It could go either way on something that just changes one stat on character level like a Necromancer's zombies or skeletons, but if it is something that has a lot of changes every level then a PC is probably best. Given the LOS situation with FGU that would push it more towards being setup as a PC as well.

[eyeboxone]

Thanks Griogre.

[ZoranDob]

Is this method still working in FGU? I have followed the instructions correctly and the PC can double click the NPC token to bring up the sheet, but they cannot make the token move anywhere. Is there something else needed or it just doesnt function anymore? Thanks.