[Extension] - 5E - AGGRO: Smart Targeting System for NPCs

[Griogre]

I was just thinking monsters selecting party members with FGU's targeting rather than just a chat message. I prefer players to have more agency.

[Alanrockid]

I was just thinking monsters selecting party members with FGU's targeting rather than just a chat message. I prefer players to have more agency.

It's not just a message, the NPC should actually target the characters, the text is just for clarification of the chances and motives. Or isn't working like that for you?

[Dax Doomslayer]

I'm looking forward to it. I bought this as soon as I saw it and will now finally get to use it, tonight. A thought (and one you probably already had from the sounds of it), if a wizard is dropping fireballs and scorching everyone, that should draw some attention. Also, I'm not sure if this would be attainable but most intelligent creatures would definitely look to take out spellcasters ASAP so I'm not sure if that could be factored in, too.

[Alanrockid]

I'm looking forward to it. I bought this as soon as I saw it and will now finally get to use it, tonight. A thought (and one you probably already had from the sounds of it), if a wizard is dropping fireballs and scorching everyone, that should draw some attention. Also, I'm not sure if this would be attainable but most intelligent creatures would definitely look to take out spellcasters ASAP so I'm not sure if that could be factored in, too.

Yes, NPC intelligence affecting how it perceives threats is in my plans for a future update, just not the priority right now, as there are some other features that i would like to implement first.

Spells are a little bit trickier because the current system searches for specific patterns in the NPC actions that are not really homogeneous for spells. Also, i need to implement some way to distinguish if a saving throw spell is actually threatening (casting zone of truth in the middle of combat is not exactly menacing). Ranged spell attacks are working fine, though.

Some cool features i would like to implement in future versions besides the ones I've listed on the original post are:

- Spell Level Threat: The higher the level of the spell cast, the bigger the threat.
- NPCs Quirks: A chance to randomly assign an effect to a NPC representing some personal beef, like: "HATES: Dwarves" (Dwarves get threat +200 against him), "LOVES: TINY" (Tiny sized actors receive -200 threat against him).
- Healer Threat: "Yeah...we need to take out this bastard that keep bringing the Barbarian back to combat."

[rocketvaultgames]

Yes, NPC intelligence affecting how it perceives threats is in my plans for a future update, just not the priority right now, as there are some other features that i would like to implement first.

Spells are a little bit trickier because the current system searches for specific patterns in the NPC actions that are not really homogeneous for spells. Also, i need to implement some way to distinguish if a saving throw spell is actually threatening (casting zone of truth in the middle of combat is not exactly menacing). Ranged spell attacks are working fine, though.

Some cool features i would like to implement in future versions besides the ones I've listed on the original post are:

- Spell Level Threat: The higher the level of the spell cast, the bigger the threat.
- NPCs Quirks: A chance to randomly assign an effect to a NPC representing some personal beef, like: "HATES: Dwarves" (Dwarves get threat +200 against him), "LOVES: TINY" (Tiny sized actors receive -200 threat against him).
- Healer Threat: "Yeah...we need to take out this bastard that keep bringing the Barbarian back to combat."

This all seems great. I would suggest an option to turn off the auto targeting but keep the rest of the messaging.

I envision this being best acting essentially as the computer in an MMO and tracking 'threat'.... the beauty of the TTRPG is that the human can override what the computer spits out.

But it is fantastic to have that target suggestion served up to you every turn... maybe even an option to single click accept the suggested target(s) would be good...


I have not had time to test compatibility with other extensions at all, but running with AGGRO on but muted for tonight's session, it did spit an error to the GM on NPC turns (with 100 other extensions running):

Screenshot 2024-12-30 183713.png

And I was seeing (GM side only) some graphical issues that may or may not be related to AGGRO (but wasn't happening yesterday before AGGRO) where the health bars and targeting arrows would be offset from tokens... moving the tokens snapped them back. Not sure of the rhyme or reason at this point.

Screenshot 2024-12-30 184102.png

[Alanrockid]

This all seems great. I would suggest an option to turn off the auto targeting but keep the rest of the messaging.

I envision this being best acting essentially as the computer in an MMO and tracking 'threat'.... the beauty of the TTRPG is that the human can override what the computer spits out.

But it is fantastic to have that target suggestion served up to you every turn... maybe even an option to single click accept the suggested target(s) would be good...


I have not had time to test compatibility with other extensions at all, but running with AGGRO on but muted for tonight's session, it did spit an error to the GM on NPC turns (with 100 other extensions running):

Screenshot 2024-12-30 183713.png

And I was seeing (GM side only) some graphical issues that may or may not be related to AGGRO (but wasn't happening yesterday before AGGRO) where the health bars and targeting arrows would be offset from tokens... moving the tokens snapped them back. Not sure of the rhyme or reason at this point.

Screenshot 2024-12-30 184102.png

Line 328 is calculating distance, reach and max range. A nil value in one of them could mean the original distance methods were modified by some extension, the token was moved to the map from anywhere else but the CT or, my main guess: The function did find a ranged attack in the NPCs actions, but it failed to capture the desired pattern.

To set the effective and maximum range for ranged attacks, the script searches for any action in that NPCs sheet that has "range, "ranged" or [R] on its description. Then, it captures the numbers inside the patterns "range [range]/[max range] ft" or "ranged [range]/[ranged] ft".

So if your NPC has a ranged attack written in some other format, it could cause that variable to be nil.

Can you confirm if that is the case?

(about the graphic glitch, i see no reason why this extension could cause it...maybe its a coincidence? )

[rocketvaultgames]

Line 308 is calculating distance, reach and max range. A nil value in one of them could mean the original distance methods were modified by some extension, the token was moved to the map from anywhere else but the CT or, my mains guess: The function did find a ranged attack in the NPCs actions, but it failed to capture the desired pattern.

To set the effective and maximum range for ranged attacks, the script searches for any action in that NPCs sheet that has "range, "ranged" or [R] on its description. Then, it captures the numbers inside the patterns "range [range]/[max range] ft" or "ranged [range]/[ranged] ft".

So if your NPC has a ranged attack written in some other format, it could cause that variable to be nil.

Can you confirm if that is the case?

(about the graphic glitch, i see no reason why this extension could cause it...maybe its a coincidence? )

The token was definitely moved to the map from the CT.

Here's an NPC that is throwing the error:

Screenshot 2024-12-30 220952.png

It is definitely possible that it is another extension's compatibility. I won't have time to look in depth until later this week at the earliest. I just wanted to mention it in case it was an obvious fix on your end.

I'll have to do some checking on the graphical glitch as well.

[Alanrockid]

The token was definitely moved to the map from the CT.

Here's an NPC that is throwing the error:

Screenshot 2024-12-30 220952.png

It is definitely possible that it is another extension's compatibility. I won't have time to look in depth until later this week at the earliest. I just wanted to mention it in case it was an obvious fix on your end.

I'll have to do some checking on the graphical glitch as well.

Yeah, it's exactly what I've imagined. The ranged attack of the NPC "Hurl Flame" has only one range: "range 150 ft.". The extension was expecting 2 values in the format [range]/[max_range].

I'll have to add some logic to just repeat the first value in case of the second value is nil. For now you can just edit the NPC action to be "range 150/150 ft." and you should be good.

[Alanrockid]

Version updated:

Changelog
1.1.1
New Features:
NPCs now have the option to target any actor in Combat Tracker. (Select between "PC Only", "Any Friendly" or "All But Hostile").
Added a option to choose the target message's display mode for players.


Fixed:
Fixed "Injured" threat bonus displayed as a penalty.
Fixed console error when NPC ranged attack have only one range value.

[charros]

Amazing extension! I am loving testing this out as the fighter goliath has a item I gave him to become pretty much the tank, a ring of the challenger, which I can create a custom aggro threat and then he can pretty much absorb the damage!

I have read the threads here and hope to see this extend to NPCs as well! I use a lot of NPCs and the adventuring party are all playable monster races, so the NPCs are not cut and dry that if a human is being attacked by a goblin then you will help the human. You have a goblin in your party and make moral decisions. So seeing how the aggro meter will look on each of them would be amazing!