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View Full Version : [D&D] Flesh out an NPC on the spot!



Jergmo
2010-09-12, 01:27 PM
I recently tried for something like this, but I may have been a bit too specific (characters that end up being outright insane), so I'd like to reintroduce my little game with a more general concept. Using the myth-weavers NPC generator, located here (http://www.myth-weavers.com/generate_npc.php?), a few friends and I have been generating an NPC (typically with an NPC class); while we go off of the basic NPC given here, we do a bit of quick fixing up and use what's generated to flesh out the character a bit more, right on the spot. It's been a great deal of fun, so I wanted to introduce the idea here. Below are three examples of NPCs I've come up with.

Jamison Merit the Hermit: 2nd level human commoner. CR: 1 - Chaotic Neutral
HP: 7 Init: -1 AC: 9 (-1 Dex)
Attack: Spear +1 melee (1d8+1)
Saves: Fort +1, Ref -1, Will +5
Str 13, Dex 9, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 9
Skills: Craft(Blacksmithing) +3, Craft(Painting) +6, Craft(Shipmaking) +6, Knowledge(The Planes) +8, Survival +5
Feats: Skill Focus(Knowledge: The Planes), Iron Will
Bedroll, sack, waterskin, winter blanket, artisan's tools, toolbox (hammer, crowbar, nails), paint, paintbrush

Languages: Common, Celestial.

Jamison Merit's life began as that of a simple shipmaker, his craft mostly limited to small fishing boats. One day, however, his life was turned upside down when he stumbled upon a planar rift when going to a private place to urinate. Jamison was hurled across the planes, his trousers thoroughly soiled. His travels across the planes lasted nearly two decades, and only through a combination of chance and, in time, celestial intervention did he survive. Under the tutelage and protection of the hound archon Lothario, Jamison became well-versed in the ways of the planes and its inhabitants; his mind was hardened by his ordeals and lessons. In time, they discovered a portal back to the world Jamison was from, near his home.

After parting ways, Jamison withdrew from society. Today, he has adopted a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, and mainly subsists via spearfishing. He remains devoted to his craft of building boats, but has taken to painting vivid and often disturbing pieces on his boats, leading to the majority of them not being sold. A few collectors have approached him with interest, but after a time he lost interest in selling the boats. Now, a flotilla of painted boats float tethered to the beach of his lake home, marking it for those who wish to hear his stories and, for those who are less skeptical that seek his lore.


Loreen Fisher: 1st level human warrior. CR: 1/2 - True Neutral
HP: 4 Init: +0 AC: 14 (+3 studded leather, +1 light wooden shield)
Attack: Longsword +2 melee (1d8+1)
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +0, Will -1
Str 12, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 9, Wis 8, Cha 13
Skills: Gather Information +3, Hide -2, Listen +1, Move Silently -2, Perform(Keyboard Instruments) +3, Spot +1
Feats: Alertness, Endurance
Hooded lantern, two pints of oil, trail rations (1 day), waterskin

Languages: Common

Loreen used to work at the docks with her father, a wharfmaster, and she sometimes played the piano at the small church in her neighborhood. However, one day her father was murdered by the thugs of a local crime syndicate, for he discovered what they were truly shipping by means of one of the local ferries. Now, Loreen is a volunteer on the night watch, working to discover the whereabouts of the criminals who stole her father away from her. Loreen is a fairly charming young woman, though she's known to be slightly dim-witted.


Laird Bryan Merton: 1st level human aristocrat. CR: 1/2 - Neutral Evil
HP: 3 Init: +1 AC: 15 (+1 Dex, +3 studded leather, +1 buckler)
Attack: Longbow +2 ranged (1d8) or rapier +0 melee (1d6)
Saves: Fort -1, Ref +1, Will +1
Str 10, Dex 12, Con 9, Int 11, Wis 8, Cha 13
Skills: Knowledge (Geography) +7, Listen +3, Perform (Comedy) +3, Spot +3, Survival +3
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Skill Focus: Knowledge(Geography)
Signet ring, potion of shield of faith, quiver (20 arrows), coinpurse(2 pp, 35 gp)

Languages: Common

Bryan is the laird of a borderland farming community, a foolish and somewhat wicked young man. He is an avid huntsman and studies geography and tales of adventure, himself a bit of a thrill seeker; learning what he can of various terrain so that he may one day venture there himself and return with grand trophies. He often forbids his subjects from hunting in the forest when he and his friends venture out to hunt, and while they do not starve, he gives little back, using his profits to throw lavish feasts and telling fanciful tales and jokes to entertain them.
Recently, however, a local ranger, Séraphin Vance, has grown tired of the gang's forays into the forest and struck the young laird down along with one of his companions. They managed to escape and the laird recovered with the help of a potion, but now he is terrified to enter the forest in fear of Séraphin's continued wrath, seeking to hire adventurers to hunt the dangerous woodsman.