One of the commands is an open ended one that doesn't always work, but there's also several static ones that can be used to have the NPC execute a command from the game. Follow is probably the biggest one we all know about overall.
I'd like to propose wear, remove, hold and lower/freehands/stash be added to the list of static commands followed by an item that PCs can use to appropriately gear up faction NPCs or put them in position to operate. So if your faction NPC dies and you need to get them their gear back on, you can do that without leaving an @note or an @puppet-request for staff to have to step in. Which sometimes takes a bit (not a criticism of staff). Or if your faction NPC is holding a non-lethal weapon in one h and and their literal favored weapon in the other hand, they don't swing the non-lethal weapon at the people attacking them without ever using the weapon. Something which can be taken advantage of by attacking PCs, whether unintentional or not.
Not all NPCs are mementos that reappear with gear on them, some are longterm, known NPCs that spawn out with zero gear on. This would allow players to get them quickly back and ready to go, get them to lower their necessary gear that they carry but aren't weapons, so they aren't attacking back with those items, and holster the weapons they do have if needed so they'll take them out of the holster to use when the time comes. Because I believe the AI on NPCs will pull out a weapon if it's in a certain spot.
I'd also like to suggest an improvement for NPC AI/actions if possible if engaged in combat, if they're holding obvious non-weapons that were left held during previous puppets/interactions, that they lower all non-weapons or do a freehands then a hold weapon. Just something to prevent experienced, static and known NPCs acting in an admittedly odd and unrealistic way.
