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« on: January 26, 2009, 09:13:39 AM »
Usually it's not worth the trouble of statting up anyone that's not going to be in combat, fully. You might wanna have a sense of how well they can handle certain kinds of opposed checks--perception or sense motive or whatever the hell 3.5 has for such things, though. Only worth coming up with the numbers that you're gonna use, overall.
Feeding players clues about what to do next depends on the players and the group style, really. Some groups are fine with just going completely freeform and taking whatever comes up. If you have a specific plot, consider dropping in hooks to lead the characters that direction on their own impetus. Get backstory for everyone's characters, and dig for hooks you can use. Sometimes it's money, sometimes glory, knowledge--but every well-written character has SOMETHING that they'll go after. Then you just give hints through rumors or people hiring them or trails of clues or whatever that they should go wherever, with the bait on the hooks, and you should be able to get them to go wherever you want.
'course, if you don't have players who have any motivation to their characters beyond "Well we're playing D&D so my guy is a fighter", you don't need to be nearly as subtle.
It all depends on who and how you're running.