The party has spent the past week crossing over desolate desert and supplies are running low. In the distance, they see a flock of birds circling. Hopeful it's the sign of an oasis, the party travels that way. Hope quickly leaves them. In the center of the flock is a dying woman. "Please give me water," she begs.
What do you do?
An underutilized encounter is the NPC in need of rescue. They provide a few contexts for making decisions. There's an obvious moral element. It is right to help the dying woman. But moral choices become murkier when you're dealing with starving cultists (or some other evil faction)? Maybe they're not causing trouble now, but if you help them back to full strength, that might cause more issues in the future.
NPCs in need of rescue also pose a resource management quandary. If the party gives the woman water, one of them might become dehydrated. Would they be willing to save if this random person if it meant sacrifice? How much are they willing to sacrifice?
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An aside on resource management: There was some discourse a few months ago Bluesky on why tracking resources is important. DIY&Dragons basically answered all of this 8 years ago. Resource management only matters if resources (rations, torches, etc) are under threat. Often, resource depletion assesses how well prepared the players are - how many torches did they buy, did they factor in an extra day of travel on the road, etc. Problems of resource depletion are resolved in town, before the adventure, and the consequences of not bringing enough food are only apparent later.
An extra hungry mouth to feed changes this. The decision of resource management is no longer in the past. It is immediate and the consequences are crystal clear. The drama is no longer passive, but active; the players must actively decide to forfeit some food for this NPC.
I'm using "food" as short hand, but different NPCs for rescue might require different resources. The noctophobe might need extra light. The weaponless Knight might need a sword [1]. But once she's got a sword, she can kick ass with the best of them. Suddenly, this burden of an NPC might be a boon, if the players are well-equipped to help. Otherwise, the players might need to return home early if the NPC is too much of a burden (and valuable enough to keep around).
A rescued NPC is another form of treasure. A saved blacksmith offers free weapon upgrades, the trapped thief can becomes a new hireling, or the Knight can put in a good word with her liege lord. And as NPCs with a shared history with the players, they're likely to be more memorable.
Anyway, consider tossing one or two unexpected and desperate NPCs in your dungeons. They give significant texture to a game, providing points for players to make roleplay and resource management decisions.
[1] I have put so many "armories" in dungeons and because all of the weapons are standard, nothing every gets taken.
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