Editing RPG Lexica:MNO (section)

==N==

;Naked Dwarf Syndrome: A [[Murphy's Rule]]  from [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]] First Edition. It arose from the fact that armor and the Toughness stat were both subtracted from damage. Since Toughness differences were higher than the maximum armor value, a naked Dwarf was less likely to take damage from an attack than a human in full armor.  See also the '''Bulletproof Nudity''' rule in GURPS 3e.


;Negative critical:  A case where a ''critical'' result on a dice roll, which is normally the best possible, can have a negative effect on a player.  An example is a PC attempting to deliberately lightly wound another PC who accidentally rolls a critical hit and kills them (for an example of this, see the film ''[[The Gamers]]'').  Although in line with the original intent of a critical hit, some groups instead play that a critical is always successful by whatever standard of success the player wishes, so in this case a critical would actually do only a small amount of damage.


;Nerf: When something is reduced in power or effectiveness, it is said to be nerfed.  "The Super Fist power got nerfed.  It used to do 4d6 damage and now only does 1d6 damage."  The term originates from the padded nerf toys which are ineffectual at causing real harm as true toys of their nature would be.  The term came into it's present gaming applicable usage by way of computer MMORPGs, where reducing the effectiveness of powers is the standard way of resolving game balance issues (to avoid an "arms race" that could result if powers were increased in effectiveness)


;Ninja: A term with multiple different meanings, mostly derived either from the real myths surrounding Ninjas or from the famous spoof websites, as well as [http://www.ninjaburger.com "Ninja Burger"].
* As a noun, used with the original meaning: the Japanese term for an assassin, particularly one making use of stealth.  
* As a noun, any character designed around the concepts of stealth, hand-to-hand combat, and one-hit kills.  
* As a noun, a character which is sought-after for "coolness" value, and whose abilities are overestimated, even if irrelevant or ineffective in the particular situation or setting. ("Of course I can dodge the bullets of a machine-gun on full auto - I'm a ''ninja''!")
* As an adjective, sneaky or cunning. 
* As an adjective, highly skilled in general.
* As a verb, to accomplish something in a highly skillful or spectacular way.
* As a verb, to steal something, usually from another PC.  Almost always in the phrase "He ninja'd the loot!"

;No Myth:  Play operating under a social contract in which all players and the GM acknowledge that the [[RPG_Lexica:GHI|Impossible Thing Before Breakfast]] is impossible, and also acknowledge that the GM cannot maintain every detail of the world or universe at once.  The goal is to eliminate railroading from the roleplay experience, and move the things which railroading is intended to prevent (players running amok and destroying the plot, or demanding things the GM can't know) into the social contract.


;NPC Theater: When NPC's, typically more powerful than the PCs, are allowed to take over a scene, making the PC's merely spectators in the NPC theater.