The NPC Handbook: How to build Quality NPCs for your Dungeons and Dragons Stories

Oct 14

D&D: How to Create an NPC

Nonplayer characters (NPCs) are the supporting cast in the drama that stars your players’ characters. While you probably create important ones as needed. Having a simple guide can help flesh them out and even create them on the fly. Today we provide you with a Handbook on NPCs.

Creating NPCs helps to bring your adventures and your campaign to life, creating a world that seems real. NPCs are typically humanoid beings with a clearly defined purpose in your campaign and distinctive personalities. One might be a cleric of the Raven Queen who stalks the land, a gloomy figure who could become an enemy or ally. Another is the scheming rogue of Asmodeus who leads the god’s hidden cult, the main antagonist of your adventure. A third is a brutal yet honorable barbarian, a powerful warlord, and another ultimate adversary or ally. All have a strong flavor based on their class and their connections to other parts of the world.

That said, no NPC needs the depth of background, personality, and statistics that a well-crafted player character has. Many NPCs just need a name, a couple of skills, and a word or two about their place in the world and how it relates to the characters. For example, the town priest Volund worships Mielikki and has a number of magic scrolls that he can use: scroll of spike growth, scroll of conjure animals, scroll of lesser restoration, and scroll of cure wounds (6th level).

Below is a seven-step guide to summarize an NPC’s essential elements so that they can interact with the player characters in a meaningful and memorable way. Source 4e Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Occupation

The first sentence of this paragraph is an introduction to the character, telling us a bit more about their lifestyle.

2. Physical Description

This sentence provides a brief summary of the NPC’s appearance. In addition to covering the basics (height and build, color of skin, hair, and eyes, and so forth), think about a distinctive quirk to help set the character apart in the players’ minds.

3. Attributes and Skills

Here is where you note whether any of the NPC’s abilities are markedly above or below average—great strength or monumental stupidity, for example. You should also mention any special skills he or she has, even if they’re not associated with the character’s occupation. These notes will help you create appropriate statistics later.

4. Values and Motivations

Summarize the values that the NPC holds dear, and what spurs him or her to action. These factors can have an impact on the party’s interaction with that person. These details also help you decide how the NPC reacts to the characters.

5. Behavior

This sentence describes how the NPC interacts with others—traits that will stand out in the players’ minds. An NPC might be urbane, sarcastic, loud and obnoxious, soft-spoken, or condescending. If this behavior is applied differently depending on who you are, people than with strangers, note that here.

6. Useful Knowledge

Does the NPC know something that might benefit the PCs? This information might be purely for flavor, or it could be a key clue leading the PCs deeper into the adventure.

7. Mannerism

Describe a memorable characteristic of the NPC, something for the players to remember. They might forget a name, but they’ll remember the blacksmith with the elaborate vocabulary. Roll or pick a mannerism from the table, or make up your own.

When it comes down to it, this simple guide can take your storytelling and worldbuilding to a new level. Now, we know this isn’t always easy. Sometimes you really just need something on the fly. Luckily, The NPC Handbook has you covered! Pick it up here. It is pay what you want. So check out its content, and if you enjoy it, toss the creator Dungeon Influence some coin.

Related Article: Build Epic Boss Fights with Lair Actions

Unearthed Tips and Tricks

Looking for a way to make your weapon and armor feel more unique in combat? Back Exotic Equipment Perks and make your choice of weapon matter!

Monster: Thieving Imp

Origin: Satyr

Lost Features: Ram, Shortbow

New Feature:

Conjured Treat. The imp can use an action to create up to ten magical sweet treats in its hand or a bag it is holding. A creature can use its action to eat one treat. Eating a treat grants a number of temporary hit points equal to the creature's proficiency bonus. The treats lose their delicious taste and potency if they have not been consumed within 24 hours of their creation.

Eat Memories. The imp targets one creature it can see within 5 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or take 9 (2d8) psychic damage and become memory drained until it finishes a short or long rest or until it benefits from the greater restoration or heal spell. Constructs, Oozes, Plants, and Undead succeed on the save automatically. If the creature can cast spells it forgets one randomly prepared spell.

While memory drained, the target must roll a d4 and subtract the number rolled from its ability checks and attack rolls. Each time the target is memory drained beyond the first, add another die. If the total number of dice reaches 5d4 the creature must roll on the long-term madness table. The effect then ends.

The imp learns all the languages a memory-drained target knows and gains all its skill proficiencies.

Encounter: Of Quartz We’ll Find It

The adventurers are hired by Jost, a skilled artificer, to locate a rare crystal deep in the mines. They quickly find themselves in over their heads as they navigate the treacherous tunnels filled with traps and deadly creatures. With skill and bravery, they finally reach the crystal and claim it for Jost, all before another adventuring party also hired by Jost locates the rare crystal.

Magic Item: Holy Symbol of Divine Devotion

Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement by a cleric or paladin)

While holding this holy symbol, when you use your Channel Divinity a small portion of that divine power is pulled into a protective ward on yourself that lasts for 1 hour. The ward has a number of hit points equal 1d4 + your proficiency bonus.

Dungeon Master Tip: Document Detailed NPCs

NPC Reference Cards

Sometimes you may need a character with a lot of depth. As DMs, it can be difficult to keep all our NPCs straight and organized. For that kind of character, you can fill in more than three character fields to further flesh out the character. These awesome NPC reference cards from Dungeon Influence make it a cinch. Remember though, you don't need to use all of the fields for all the detailed characters you create.

-Dungeon Influence Dmsguild-

Player Tip: Honeyed Words

Smooth talk with a talent for bluffing is synonymous with the Bard. Well, did you know the College of Eloquence can ensure that nearly every NPC you meet will believe whatever pile of basilisk shit you say? Their third level feature, Silver Tongue ensures that no matter what, a d20 roll on a deception or persuasion check can’t be lower than a 10. At level 5 with a simple + 5 charisma modifier and a + 3 proficiency bonus, the lowest you can roll on these checks is a 18. That is just brutal. But wait, there is more. If we use the bard's expertise and put it into either of these skills, we can double our proficiency bonus. This pushes our bare minimum roll to a solid 21! Good luck to any NPC contesting that check. But, if we want to ensure our honeyed words are believed, we can take the custom lineage we can snag the fey-touched silvery barbs. Now you can force an enemy to reroll should they succeed on the insight check. Oh, and did I mention you get advantage on your next pile of basilisk shit?

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