NPC Guidelines

General NPCs:
General NPCs break down into three major categories - mooks, guards, and elites.

Mooks:
Mooks are your average cannon-fodder, one-hit-wonder, ravening horde types. They are, for all intents and purposes, FAIR - and are subject to all of the modifiers that a PC would normally have. (Thus, fighting mounted against unmounted opponents, they get a +1. That sort of thing.)  They should be considered to have only two or three skills of note, usually Athletics, Combatsomethingorother, and whatever else is appropriate to the scene.

Note that certain Mook-class NPCs - like shopkeepers or old ladies, that sort of thing? They may have /worse/ skill levels, depending. Use your judgement.

Regardless, mooks DIE after they are successfully hit, regardless of ODF, DDF, or other considerations. One good smackdown, and yes, they're out of the fight.

Guards:
Guards are the outer circle - combat people who have trained for the job and could be considered professional at it. If Mooks are your average street bravo, Guards are your average House or Royal guardsman.

This takes into account equipment, experience, and training - a seriously overequipped naieve knight might class 'good' just 'cause that formfitting armor he's wearing is actually giving him a serious boost, even if his skills don't quite fit. Again, Guards, after one good smackdown, are out of the fight - dead, dying, unconsious, or otherwise now a non-factor.

Elites:
Elites are the inner circle - and are, basically, the heightiest height a pure NPC opponent can reach. These are Zolor's personal guards, the captain of the local garrison, the best of the non-PC best.

Why? Because if there's a Superb, there should be a story, darnit. That? And.. elites are cannon-fodder too. At most, they take two solid hits before succumbing.