Quickgenning encounters

[Heliomance]

I'm regularly finding myself needing to stat up NPCs to fight. Currently, they're low level, but as my campaign goes on, I'll need higher and higher ones. How do you go about rapidly generating encounters with class levels involved, when you can't just read off an entry from the MM? How do you eyeball the numbers to be in the right place? How do you create 12 mooks to swarm the PCs, without spending 3 hours just prepping a fight?

[HammeredWharf]

If it's an NPC with some class levels, you should be able to eyeball his stats easily and well enough for your players not to notice. For example, a lvl 10 Fighter mook could have an attack of +15, 11/5/5 as saves and a Str bonus of +4, so his greatsword would do 2d6+7+Power Attack damage. After a while, you learn to guesstimate any given number in a second or two. Remember that you're rolling d20s, so it doesn't really matter if an NPC has +10 or +11 will save. The players won't ever see his stats and it will most likely not affect combat at all.

Unfortunately, casters, initiators and other complex classes require more attention. In their case, you'll have to calculate most things by hand. It's slow, but I already have a rather large library of premade characters I can use in my games, so I usually pick one of them and replace some spells. Starting from the highest-level ones is a good way to do it. Give the NPC a signature spell or two and start the encounter with them. You won't need more than three, because the NPC will probably die in less than five rounds.

[Wacky89]

http://www.monsteradvancer.com/send/monster/randomCreatureSelection.ma

[Zombimode]

I'm regularly finding myself needing to stat up NPCs to fight. Currently, they're low level, but as my campaign goes on, I'll need higher and higher ones. How do you go about rapidly generating encounters with class levels involved, when you can't just read off an entry from the MM? How do you eyeball the numbers to be in the right place? How do you create 12 mooks to swarm the PCs, without spending 3 hours just prepping a fight?

Actually, I don't think there is a way to avoid this problem - at least not a satisfying one. If you want a certain level of detail, you simply have to provide the detail and that means preparing it beforehand.

What you could do is to create a number of "templates" (not in the D&D sense of the word). That is, create a number of fairly generic but workable NPC builds for classes/roles that could come up with some regularity. Ie. create a generic "wizard" build for the levels 5, 7, 9, 11, 13; the same for "cleric" builds (swaping out domain powers and spells is annoying but doable on the fly); also have some higher level "warrior" and "rogue" builds available. Whenever the need for such an NPC arises, you can go like "yep, I have this NPCs stats right here". Of course, you still have to build "special" character one by one.

Using sample characters, those provided with most PRC entries as well as those in the DMG / DMG2, can help a bit. Of course you should note (mentally or physically) for each NPC which build it uses: ie. "Sir Clanksalot (Pious Templar sample) approaches the party..." to reduce the amount of book flipping at the table.


All in all the amount of time needed to stat up higher level humanoid enemies is one of the biggest drawbacks of GMing 3.5 - you have to live with it somehow.

[Firest Kathon]

Since you did not specify the edition, I'll have some Pathfinder advice for you.

Paizo has published the NPC Codex (http://paizo.com/products/btpy8sdq?Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-NPC-Codex-Hardcover), containing NPCs for all classes and levels, as hardcover print or PDF.

The D20 PF SRD has a bunch of NPCs stattet up for you:
- Iconic NPCs (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/npc-classes/npc-codex-iconics) from the NPC Codex, levels 1, 7, and 12
- A whole bunch of NPCs (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/npc-s), levels 1-20
- Even more NPCs on the Pathfinder Community (http://www.pathfindercommunity.net/home/databases/npcs) page

[Kol Korran]

This is an exasperating issue for me as well. I am one of those DMs who feel that though you can always improvise, in order to improvise REALLY well, you need to have done some prep work.

I don't have much useful advice, other than to say that at least for mooks and such the owkr gets easier as you're working on similar builds and stats more and more. Also I like to prepare some "stock repeatable NPCs" for each campaign, the shmucks that keep on getting slammed most times, but can get a bit more interesting with a few changes.

For example: For a pirate campaign I wanted to generally stat the ships of a small elite fleet of 7 ships. They included some base troops (Close melee, ranged melee and ranged. 3rd level humans). Elite troops (Same categories, but 5th level and better gear). Some support (healers and mages) and the leaders, which were a whole different story.

I started with the basic mook, and then just altered a bit here and there to get the results I needed, as well for the elites. Now I could tweak a bit more to give each ship's troops a bit more flair.

Took quite a bit of work, but then I could combine the troops into different units and to different effects with a moment's notice. And they felt quite REAL to the party, some elements familiar, some new. And interesting too. Also, they proved quite useful for quite a long time in the campaign, for m1st level to up to about 9-10th level.

I know... still a lot of time. But my concept is to invest in things you'll use a LOT but are easily customizable to give different effect. Simplicity core units, complexity in the combination.

Or just play FATE. you can whip up an effective set of NPC stat in like 1 minute tops, also quite a lot in game. Improvisation in FATE is one of it's major selling points for me.

Good luck! I'll be following this thread. :smallwink: