Virtual D&D campaign

[plain perch]

So practically D&D meets Sword Art Online, the player character are just player users who is trapped in the virtual world with the other 250M players and 1000 NPC with only few vocabulary.

Backstory:
A massive game company CELDA released a massive Jump-Into-Virtual-Reality-World-Massive-Multiplayer-Online-Roleplaying-Game where it can take your consciousness to a VR world where you can play as any race and class! Best perk of the game, there’s no micro transactions!
Unfortunately, the players had realised that they cannot log off and if they want to leave, they have to beat the game.

Plot idea: only have the ways to escape the game.
Beating the game - You beat the final enemy at the final tower. You and every players are free.
Breaking the game - The game needs to be extremely unstable to activate emergency log off. (Be warned it might ACCIDENTALLY kill some players.)
Usurping the game - They gained access to ADMIN control. (What they do is up to them)

Homebrew idea:

Something about using debug weapons with some harsher penalties to even the odds. (They’re gonna need it to destroy an AI)

Glitch can be either a benefit or a hazard. From bs amount of knockback to falling out of the world.

Players can now see how much health that the npc have because Video Game logic.

Admin controls (Give the player monster manual and magic item cards)

Something about separating skill checks from game to real world. Example acrobatics check are something to do in the game whilst history is a real world thing.

Question, comments, and suggestions are welcome.

P.S What is the name of the VR game should I come up with? (Was thinking of something that is familiar to prison in another lingo or rhymes with prison, I don’t know)

[jagged copper]

1000 NPC with only few vocabulary
Why would you want to restrict the NPCs in such a way?
Is it because you want other players stuck in the game to take on traditional NPC roles?

Now if you are going to have some checks be based on the "real" player and others on the "avatar", then you're going to have to rework a the whole proficency system.

How will Backgrounds work here?
They're based on the character history, but the characters don't have any real history here.

[plain perch]

Well, the game was mainly focused on gameplay.

Well yes, the other trapped player will have traditional NPC role.

[jagged copper]

Also, is this a "you die in the game, you die in real life" situation?

What is the main challenge of the game anyway?
Will you have it centered around a megadungeon-like thing such as in the original SAO?

[plain perch]

Right. I’m thinking about making separate backgrounds. Background for avatars. Whilst the players have occupation.

example if you’re a live streamer, you have exclusive access to streaming sits whilst the programmer can detect code pattern and other programs.

[jagged copper]

Yeah that's not really how the backgrounds work.

Backgrounds exist to anchor the players in the work and tend to give them fluff abilities that affect the fiction of the world.

The Folk Hero gains the support of the people, the Acolyte gets aid from temples, the Criminal gets his contacts.

[plain perch]

Something like the mega dungeon on SAO. However there will be traditional dungeon activities like puzzles and such.

(Haven’t seen SAO since forever so I maybe missing something)

[jagged copper]

I recommend you research megadungeon construction.
Megadungeons are a whole different ball game than regular dungeons because they can encompass so many environments and factions.

I'm currently running the Arden Vul megadungeon for my players and it is MASSIVE.

Another potential problem with the NPCs being so shallow on purpose is that now only "player characters" can be fully complex NPCs.
No proper conversations with dragons, ghosts, or aboleths because they're all supposed to be stupid.

Everything that's not a humanoid becomes a thing to kill and that's it.