Everyone who chooses to NPC an NERO LARP event is expected to have a working knowledge of the rules of NERO or, if they are a new player they will have gone through new player training session and read the first pages of the NERO Rule Book, downloadable from the NERO LARP website.
When you play an NPC and are assigned to play a monster, you are given Documentation for that Monster/NPC, often called the monster card.
All NPCs must have either an Official NERO Monster Card or an Official NPC statistics card when they are in game – a hand written piece of paper is acceptable thoug h not preferred.
No card Should ever say “Got It” or “Yes I Can” - s uch types are automatically invalid and have no place at a NERO event.
This section of the rules describes information specific to the NERO LARP Monster Database.
Much of the information contained on a NERO Monster Card is direct from 8th edition NERO Rules, however some of what appears in this section is rules clarifications and interpretations that all NPCs will be expected to know. We are updating the monster card to include NERO Rule Book 9th edition skills.
When you return to NPC camp after playing a monster, all cards must be returned to the Monster Master. You may not keep or take home a NERO Monster Card.
This is a typical NERO Monster Card for a Zombie, one of the most common monsters in NERO.
You will note there are many pieces of information given for a monster. The information needed about each one follows.
This gives the common name for the monster you will be playing. Often it is given as the class of monster first followed by the type, such as Golem, Iron. Some monsters list an alternate name in parenthesis following the common name.
This designates the category of monster the creature being played falls into. Type can convey a great deal of information, for example if type is undead, lesser; you know that you will be affected by undead spells and a destroy undead will kill you. Type also designates which plot package information about this monster is contained in. If you need to know special information based on type it will be supplied by the Monster Master, Director, or member of NERO Staff.
This tells you how the monster may be used. There are four options for this field: None; Plot Only; Plot Only, Limited; or Plot Only, Unique.
None means that any monster master can send this monster out with a minimum of plot based instructions. Monsters with no restriction can be found as wandering monsters.
Plot Only means that these monsters can only be used in specific plot lines and with the approval of the Plot Committee. These monsters either have specific information which must be known or direct ties to existing plot lines. Often, but not always, these monsters tend to be more powerful then run of the mill wandering encounters. Other times these monsters may have plot consequences tied to interaction with these. Such monsters require a certain amount of information to be given to the NPC playing them and will often require preparation by reading parts of a plot information package. At times these cards will list the plot the monster is attached to if it is very specific.
Plot Only, Limited has the same restrictions as Plot Only but there are a only a limited number allowed in game or it is only allowed in game under very specific circumstances decided upon by the NERO Plot Committee.
Plot Only, Unique is very rare. Most NPCs will never play a monster with this designation as there are very few and they are always pre-cast. Only one monster with this designation may exist within the chapter at a time. These are almost always extremely powerful monsters which are leaders among their kind and are directly tied to an extensive plotline.
This field always appears as a blank line. If any changes are made to the card or it is Plot Only, this line must be signed by a member of Staff/Plot. In addition to the signature, any change made to the base card must be initialed by the member of Staff/Plot.
APL stands for average party level, this is meant to be a general guideline for the difficulty of the monster. This number is used by the Monster Marshal for purposes of scaling. In general an APL 1 monster should be a good fight for a 1st level player and an APL 20 monster should be a good fight for a 20th level player. These numbers are not exact and scaling is not the responsibility of the NPC, but of the Monster Marshal.
This explains how the monster is allowed to move, there are only three possibilities: Wandering, Stationary, or Restricted. Wandering means there are normally no limits on where this monster can travel. Stationary means that this monster has no locomotive abilities and must stand in one spot. Restricted means there are rules governing the movement of this monster that should be given to you by the Monster Marshal.
This gives a rough estimate of the intelligence level of the monster.
Mindless monsters have no ability to think but can often follow a relatively complex series of orders. Mindless monsters are always immune to charm based effects.
Animal intelligence monsters have the same sort of mental capacity as a dog does. They can be trained and understand very basic concepts such as loyalty but nothing greater than emotional attachments. These monsters are affected by charm spells but cannot understand the speech of humans and thus cannot follow orders, they will however never attack anyone who has charmed them and will defend them if they are attacked.
Low intelligence monsters can understand language and communicate, but cannot understand complex subject matter.
Normal intelligence monsters have about the brain power of an average person.
High intelligence monsters have intellects above the normal human and can often understand very complex subject matter. The in-game application of high intelligence is determined by the Plot Committee.
Some monsters automatically fall into special groupings. This information is given under society. This list is of common type of society, it is not exhaustive. Specific information about each monster’s society is available in the appropriate monster plot package which may be supplied if needed by the Monster Marshal or members of the Plot Committee.
Solitary monsters have no special grouping, this does not necessarily mean that they only appear one at a time or alone, it simply means that they have no underlying structure to their existence.
Family means that this monster organizes in family units and is generally found so.
Pack means these monsters travel in packs and are generally found in large numbers.
Herd is similar to pack but they do not go ranging out in large numbers the way a pack does, often a herd divides into a combative group and a group to be protected.
Tribal means this monster organizes in primitive political groups similar to early Native American’s or African tribes.
Civilized means that these monsters are members of a greater organized culture at least on par with that of Evendarr.
Council means that all monsters from this group follow the directives of a council unswervingly.
Hive queen societies are organized along insect lines where there is one ruler and a division of function within the society into workers, young bearers, and other functional groupings.
Group Mind means that these monsters share a telepathic bond and can communicate amongst themselves. Monsters which have a group mind can communicate with each other during a hold, representing telepathic information. Two different monster types with group minds cannot communicate so. Often a group mind monster will be controlled by one source and consider individual bodies expendable.
Controlled monsters are subject to the commands of another individual. When these monsters are sent out they will be given instructions by the Monster Marshall representing their active commands. They may also be sent out with an NPC who is in control of them.
This lists the type of armor, if any, the monster is allowed to wear. Possibilities for this include: none, meaning they cannot wear armor; a number, which is the highest point suit they can wear; by class, which means it follows the limitation of the character class they belong to; as
This tells what happens to the body of the monster when it reaches zero body points left or is killed. It may remain in which case spells can generally be used to heal it in some way. It may vanish, meaning it disappears as soon as it hits zero or dies dropping whatever it was carrying. It may crumble, meaning the body turns to dust or fragments when it hits zero or dies and the NPC should leave whatever he is carrying behind. It may dissolve which is similar to crumbles but indicates that the body has turned to a liquid substance of some kind. A few special monsters will have choice at zero. This means that when it reaches zero it is up to the NPC whether they will stay and hope to be healed or Lifed, or they can vanish as if that were listed in At Zero.
This tells the monster marshal what limits to protectives they may give the monster exist. There are four possibilities for this field: Never means that the creature is incapable of possessing protectives at any time; None to start means that any protectives on the creature in an encounter must be cast from the pyramids of the casters in that encounter; May have gives the monster marshal the option of starting the creature with protective spells; and Will have instructs the monster marshal to automatically start the creature with protective spells.
This number is the amount of damage this monster can take before being designated as at zero. It does not take protective spells or armor into consideration.
This number represents the strength level of the monster. Strength only applies to damage calls or Roleplaying actions. A monster with a strength bonus could force a door which is being held by a player but could not lift a bolder the NPC cannot actually lift. The spell weakness has no affect on the strength bonus of a monster; it too just affects the damage call.
This number indicates the damage call needed to effect this monster. A monster with a 3 threshold can only be affected by damage calls greater than 3. This only protects from weapon damage and waylay, it has no effect on magical damage or traps.
This field instructs the monster what parts of the campsite they are allowed to be in. The staff of NERO may use this field by assigning scaling zones to the various areas of the camp. This allows the game to be more enjoyable to all players, not just the high level ones. A map of what areas are considered zone A, B, and C should be made available at NPC camp if Zones are used. A is the lowest level zone, and C the highest. While these guidelines do exist, they are not absolute, however it is the monster marshal’s and plot’s responsibility to alter a ny zone requirements, not the NPCs. Zone P indicates the monster only moves at the direction of a member of plot, and Zone R means that the movement of this creature is somehow limited or restricted; an example of Zone R would be a Mermaid which cannot leave the water.
This indicates what type of binding magic the monster can rip from. It can also say immune, which means that binding magic has no effect on the monster. When a monster rips from binding magic’s it takes a certain amount of damage depending on which spell they ripped from. Pin causes 2 points of body damage, Bind 4 points of body damage, Web 6 points of body damage, and Confine 16 points of body damage. Imprison is not considered binding magic and may never be ripped from. An NPC who rips out of a spell should call “I rip out 1.. ., I rip out 2…, I rip out 3… “ This three counted action takes exa ctly the same time as any other three second counted action. A Killing Blow can not be successfully administered while a Monster is Ripping free as the Monster is ‘moving’ a bout. The spell weakness has no effect on a monsters ability to rip out of binding magic’s.
This indicates what type of magic the monster can cast. It will usually say ‘by skills’ which mean s it is dependent on what the monster learned, skills will be supplied by the Monster Marshall. It may say Celestial or Earth, Choice, or Both. These indicate the type of innate pyramid the monster has, an innate pyramid is independent of skills. It may give a type and By Skill, meaning they possess an innate pyramid and whatever spells they have learned. It can also say By Skill, Earth or By Skills, Celestial meaning it is based on what they learn but can only be earth or only be celestial, Biata would say By Skills, Earth if they were a monster race.
This lists the innate pyramid possessed by the monster. The pyramid is normally cast as normal spells but may have limitations or special considerations listed in other parts of the monster card (in offensive abilities or vulnerabilities).
This lists the approximate treasure in copper pieces that the monster should give out. This number is not a requirement and may be modified by the Monster Marshal.
KBA stands for killing blow active. This is a blank field to be filled in by the Monster Marshal. It can be filled with yes, meaning the NPC is allowed to killing blow whenever he can based on restrictions given by the Monster Marshal; no, meaning this NPC can never deliver a killing blow; or it could have a number which is the number of times per life that NPC can killing blow. This must ALWAYS be initialed and the approved portion of the card signed if the NPC is killing blow active. If a PC is killing blowed they have the right to have a marshal or member of NERO staff check the card of the NPC for KBA. An NPC Caster with death spells or Poisons must have KBA marked ‘YES’ to use them.
This is always blank to be filled in by the Monster Marshal. This field indicates whether an NPC is allowed to do a detailed search of a PC who is disabled. It will either be yes or no and also must be initialed and the card signed under approved.
This is similar to search but only allows the NPC to take obvious items from the outside of a Pc’s clothing or in their hands or a visible pouch. It can be yes or no and the Monster Marshal too must initial it and the approved field signed by the Monster Marshal.
This gives a brief description of what drives this monster. Detailed descriptions of motivations may be given by the Monster Marshal or supplied in a Monster Plot Package.
This is what the NPC should say if asked “what d o we see?” by a PC, never give the name of the monster you are playing, only the description. This also gives a basic idea of the makeup requirements for playing this monster.
This box will list all special attack abilities of a monster besides basic weapon or claw use. Here it will be indicated if the NPC may have PC skills in which case they may need a NPC character card as well as a monster card. Most of the abilities listed here are described in the special abilities section of the rules book, but there are a few that are not or should be repeated.
This means that they call a type of damage other than normal, silver, or magic when using claws to attack. The attack type may cause an effect to take place if damage is done to the body of the PC being hit. Carrier attacks are of two types, physical damage or carried effect. Physical damage calls are Flame, Lightning, Stone, and Ice. These attack calls will not affect a creature immune to that type. Carried effects are things like sleep, nausea, drain, etc. These designate an effect that effects the player when body damage is done to the affected individual. For example, if a creature is hit for 10 drain and is immune to drain, they still take 10 points of damage but do not get drained. Carrier attacks are always considered normal and will not affect creatures who need silver or magic to hit them unless specifically indicated.
Is identical to carrier attack but may be used with weapons as well as claws.
This indicates that a certain number of spells from the pyramid or possibly the entire pyramid, whether learned or innate, may be delivered in a different way from normal casting. Options here include: as “Magic” meaning the NPC can throw Magic
Fae Curse: Certain member of the Fae races can deliver a curse which can have serious effects on the PC receiving it. These curses are only given under the direction of the Plot Committee and have special rules governing them. Information needed on Fae Curses may be supplied from the NERO Fae/Cursed Plot Package. The Fae Curse Package is always changing so please keep up-to-date on the Fae Curses that are approved.
Any other special abilities that you do not understand may be clarified by the Monster Marshal or any member of NERO Staff.
In this box any special abilities which can be used for protection by the monster will be listed. Here will be listed whether or not to include body points from a character class on top of monster body. Most of the special defensive abilities are listed under special abilities in the NERO rulebook or defined through the play-test system. Special Defensive abilities that are not listed in the NERO Rule Book or the Play-test system Must Not Be Used.
This box lists any effects to which the NPC playing this monster should call ‘No Effect.’
This lists what, if anything can restore body points to this monster once they are damaged.
This field tells the NPC what type of weapons he may use. Often the field will say none meaning this monster can never use weapons, or By Skills meaning this monster can use any weapon for which they purchased the skill. Sometimes the field will give a weapon size, in general this means that the monster can use any weapon that size or smaller, however there are occasionally limitations to this, these limitations would be given in either the Base Damage Call field or the Vulnerabilities field. Weapons physical representations may never be red in color.
This field tells the NPC what size claws this monster can use. Often the field will say None which means this creature can never possess claws. If the field lists a size, this means the creature can use any claw that size or smaller. Occasionally there are limitations placed on this, they may be listed in the Base Damage Call Field or the Vulnerabilities field. Claw physical representations must always be red.
This indicates what damage call the NPC should use for the various sized claws or weapons allowed this monster. This is the base damage and does not include enhancement from spells or learned skills. It will include innate proficiencies or magical effects as well as strength bonus. It includes the call for carrier attacks.
This lists the type of weapon call that can cause damage to a monster. All indicates any call can damage them. Anything other than all indicates only specific types of damage can. Remember all carrier attacks are considered normal unless otherwise indicated in this field. If the field indicates normal that means that Silver and Magic do not affect this monster but all carrier attacks do. The field may indicate all except a certain type, that means call other than the type indicated will affect this monster. Certain rare monsters may say none which means no weapon based attack can affect them. Certain rare monsters may include Option in parenthesis; option means they can choose to let the type of weapon they have the option for affect them even though it normally would not. Option to affect is a conscious act and an unconscious NPC cannot use this ability.
This field contains any special weaknesses the monster has and also any special limitations. Special damage effects will be listed here as well as immunities which will hinder the monster such as healing or life. Any limits to the actions or skills of the monster will also be listed here. If there is an entry that you do not understand fully ask the Monster Marshal or a member of NERO Staff.