NPC Character sheets suck.

[SilentRuin]

While inventories can be done for NPCs if the ruleset enables them; it also adds significantly to the amount of work to prepare NPC books and adventures.

Regards,
JPG

Assuming most adventures and books are completely ready to go for DM in FGU - that would be true. As almost none are - at least from my experience - it has no impact on NPC books or adventures.

If I want FGU effects to automate things? I have to get .ext and modules that have them defined for the "books and adventures" as they never have them. If I want treasure or things in inventory? I as DM still have to define them in FGU for specific creatures or be burdened with parcels buried in stories (a pain).

Literally, supplying NPC inventories does not impact books and adventures at all in regards to FGU. As none of them have any of the data we need to run a game now anyway. At least for me. In 5E. Basically, all the extensions I've ever written have been to compensate for lack of basic functionality in FGU or the data sets for it (usually both).

If my players want to battle each others as dragons? I can. If I want to auto drop things in their inventories automatically onto the map when they are killed? I can. This has no impact on an NPC book or adventure as I use those things as defined - then simply add in things to the NPC inventory as I see fit. Or make my own modules to have the NPCs with the set things I want them to drop anyway.

But I have the option. Because NPCs have inventories. And can be played directly by players same as a PC. There is no reason I can think of why the code never allowed this in the first place. And I mean fully play as a PC - not the lobotomized partial playability where nobody owns the NPC. Its not hard to do - and allows lots of flexibility of game play. But saying there was no reason to open up the game to this potential because it would add a burden to data providers the game uses? I strongly disagree. They don't provide the data we need now. Why would one more unprovided data be a burden to them? They would still not provide it.

[Darth Jerod]

No one is ever happy.