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View Full Version : DM Help Simply asked, simply put: what makes a good NPC?



Prince Zahn
2017-06-11, 04:32 PM
If I knew how to make compelling NPCs that my players would love, as well as I make player characters that my group loves, my DMing would be that much better. I feel like I should go back to basics.

what are some basic guidelines, rules of thumb, tricks/tips, or fundamental "do's and don'ts" that a likeable NPC boil down to?

also if I may make a simple request that too much exhaustive reading material and links upon links to guides and videos on the subject will probably not be read to the end (I'm sorry it's my attention deficit stuff always acting up), so bear that in mind, It would be that much easier to read it here. thank you very much for your time. I await the playground's wisdom.

Honest Tiefling
2017-06-11, 04:44 PM
I don't really know if I'm going to be honest. But I think there is something to be said for the approach of throwing a bunch of things at the wall and seeing what sticks. Many players have had bad experiences with DMPCs and railroading NPCs, so trying to force a single NPC onto the party doesn't always work.

If you give them choices on who they interact with, how they interact with them and even try to influence them, I think that can really help a feeling of NPC baggage. I think many players like RPGs either for the tactics or the choices they can make, and this appeals to the latter desire.

Prince Zahn
2017-06-11, 04:53 PM
I don't really know if I'm going to be honest. But I think there is something to be said for the approach of throwing a bunch of things at the wall and seeing what sticks. Many players have had bad experiences with DMPCs and railroading NPCs, so trying to force a single NPC onto the party doesn't always work.

If you give them choices on who they interact with, how they interact with them and even try to influence them, I think that can really help a feeling of NPC baggage. I think many players like RPGs either for the tactics or the choices they can make, and this appeals to the latter desire.

there is a point to that. but at the same time I feel like I'm missing something very basic about what makes players like NPCs, which is why I'm asking what draws players to NPCs they like. if there is a method behind the madness, it would be a lot easier to run a game if I can find it. I'm certain Hollywood, for instance, have their formula for what people like in supporting characters, and what sets them apart from a stage prop (or, on the other extreme, the lead characters). so it's not unreasonable to imagine there are similar tricks for running a D&D game.

Honest Tiefling
2017-06-11, 05:06 PM
The problem is, Hollywood isn't a interactive medium. So perhaps the first two traits to give are:

1) An NPC that has an established personality, but still can be influenced by the party.
2) Doesn't overshadow an area of expertise that someone in the party really focuses on.
3) Is made in such a way to have humorous interactions with the party. (Such as the grumpy old man whose getting too old for this, the quiet mentor, or the fresh faced adventurer seeking to learn from the party)

Mendicant
2017-06-11, 05:34 PM
There are two basic kinds of NPCs: background NPCs and Named NPCs.

A good background NPC doesn't have to be particularly memorable, doesn't need a great personality, and doesn't need a lot of work. They will probably never seem this NPC again.

What background NPCs *do* need is to act as a window on the game world and a mirror that lets the players see their place in that world. Their defining feature is their relationship and attitude towards the PCs.

For instance, if dwarves are racist against gnomes in your world, an offhand comment from a Dwarf shopkeep can tell players about this animus in a much more interesting way than DM exposition. The shopkeep's manner towards the PCs tells them how famous/menacing/strange/admired/etc. they are, and this then also provides setting information in turn. All of this can happen really quickly, too.

A good Named NPC's defining feature is their relationship with their goals. Each has a motive that is clear (to you) and a distinct way of going about getting it. Named PCs still exist when they're offscreen, pursuing their goals, and they should change at least a little between appearances--the baron is a bit more rundown and stressed from trying to keep the peace, the dragon has acquired a new hobby in his endless quest for diversion, the alchemist has suddenly become obsessed with a new breakthrough she is right on the edge of.

Named NPC's that are going to fight or confront the PCs should have a memorable schtick they're going to use, and they should use it pretty early. "Memorable schtick" doesn't have to be a cool build or a nasty signature spell btw. One of my players favorite Named enemies was a low-level wizard whose 3 encounters were A: using obscuring mist to ditch his subordinates before the fight was lost, B: hiding pathetically in a small hole covered in leaves once tracked down, and C: blabbing the second his captors squinted at him funny. He then also got to reprise his role when the changeling rogue pretended to be him during an infiltration. She hammed up how much he sucked, and the background NPC's confirmed that everyone on his team also knew he sucked.

Noje
2017-06-11, 06:52 PM
there is a point to that. but at the same time I feel like I'm missing something very basic about what makes players like NPCs, which is why I'm asking what draws players to NPCs they like. if there is a method behind the madness, it would be a lot easier to run a game if I can find it. I'm certain Hollywood, for instance, have their formula for what people like in supporting characters, and what sets them apart from a stage prop (or, on the other extreme, the lead characters). so it's not unreasonable to imagine there are similar tricks for running a D&D game.

The most important thing to remember when playing any NPC is that they must have reasonable motivation for their actions. Without that trait the player cannot relate to them. It doesn't have to be complex, something as simple as how much a bartender is willing to take before he asks a troublemaker to leave his tavern or giving a player a few drinks on the house for doing him a favor. If the players take the time to get to know an NPC they should know what to expect from their actions.

Usually I summarize my npcs with a few adjectives (sometimes randomly generated, sometimes not) and flesh them out further if the situation demands it. for example, in a bandit encounter I had one big meathead among the rest of the merciless cut-purses. When the party had them beat, most of them were begging for their lives, saying it wasn't their idea, but the meathead just said "I'm sorry." My players had sympathy for this bandit over the others, and let him free. He eventually became a henchman for the party to repay their kindness. Simple variance in your NPC can really go a long way in that regard.

Martin Greywolf
2017-06-12, 02:11 AM
Well, NPC creation is a thing on the borders between art and science, and therefore vast, hard to do well, contradictory and you'll only get better with practice.

Some basic tips for you would be these.

1. If you don't show it, you don't have it

A nice backstory and rich motivation is all well and good, but it means jack unless the players know about it - players, not necessarily PCs, though these two usually do overlap. That said, you can't just shove an NPC motivation down their throats, so you need to get clever about it.

2. Actions speak louder than descriptions

If you describe NPC as a military guy, that's all well and good, and you should absolutely do it, but. Since he's a military guy, he needs to act like one - sometimes over the top, sometimes just addressing whoever is in charge as Sir or Ma'am, but it needs to show in what he does.

This neatly ties into the previous point - if someone hates goblins because they killed his family, make him be actively mistrustful, or even antagonistic, towards goblins, and say that it's just what their kind is like and that he has his reasons why he knows they are like that.

This also means that NPCs can and will butt heads with the PCs over some issues - this will sometimes result in violence, sometimes in convincing of NPCs or PCs, and sometimes in agreeing to disagree. There's no hard and fast rule on how to handle these, but it is a good thing if this happens and neither players or DM get salty about it. In many ways, these encounters are the most interesting ones to roleplay.

3. Opinions of NPCs aren't opinions of the DM

Pretty easy at first glance, but bear with me. Everyone has some beliefs, and they do bleed in, and you need to be careful about that. This goes dangerously close to talking about modern day politics, so I'll just say that if you, personally, believe in, say, separation of Church from State, at least some of your characters should believe in the opposite of it, and quite a few should be neutral on the issue.

The way I do it is to make sure everyone has at least some valid points, even if they're a horrible racist - our anti-goblin guy probably talks about how the goblin society rewards raiders, and he ahs a point there, where he comes short is the solution == genocide part.

4. NPCs need awesome moments in their area... sparingly

If an NPC is a soldier, he should, from time to time, be pretty good at the soldier thing, especially if he's a supporting NPC, not just faceless mook. Maybe he won't take out a dragon, but he can cobble together a plan to make a ballista with nothing but paperclips and shoelaces and shoot the dragon for significant damage. If an NPC is a banker, he may well assist PCs by playing the local bureaucracy like a fiddle, and so on and so forth.

Sometimes, the NPCs can even outshine the PCs, but they should never take agency away from them - if a powerful wizard destroys an army, there better be a lengthy sequence beforehand where PCs make sure the wizard can teleport in or is signalled, and the powerful wizard should acknowledge it.

5. Everyone needs to fail from time to time

A DM has perfect understanding of the game world, NPCs don't. Have them be completely wrong, or fail in what they want to achieve, and make sure the PCs see or hear about it.

6. Everything is not for everyone everywhere

What your NPCs look and behave like will depend on a lot of factors, beginning with the setting, and ending with your specific group. An NPC at home in One Piece may or may not be appropriate for Witcheresque game, and so on. You'll need to improvise and change things on the fly, without much help from anyone. No one said being a DM was easy.

Darth Ultron
2017-06-12, 06:43 AM
In general, you want to make the NPC ''real'' and not just ''guy number seven''. Giving each npc a rich history and personality and something unique about them can go a long, long way.

A lot of people do the ''well 99%'' of the npcs of the world should be boring cardboard cut outs. And that is fine, but I don't believe that myself. In a general sense, anyone the Pc's encounter should be special. Though at the same time the Pc's should not really encounter ''boring normal folks'' much, except the more special not exactly normal folks.

It really does depend on how character focused your game is. If both you and the players like to interact and role play characters, for real. Then you want complex npcs. If your just roll playing to kill, loot, repeat then you can be fine with ''Born rolls a 22 so the (nameless) tavern keeper says he saw a strange light to the north''.

OverdrivePrime
2017-06-12, 04:40 PM
There are some really good points here. Here's my guidelines for running NPCS.

Names
Because players are players, at any given point an unnamed NPC might need to become a Named NPC! Have a list of names ready that are consistent with the NPC's region and background. (If you're giving a gnome merchant an orcish name, you should have a dang good reason for it.)

Purpose
Every NPC should have a purpose. Most of them are simply background or light-interaction to provide verisimilitude. These are the farmers, the merchants, the town guards, the elf pilgrims the party passes on their way to their destination. They don't need much more than a hello or a quick interaction. Most of these don't need a name unless a player asks. Their personality is more of a part of the general background painting of the locale. If your game session starts off in a town that's been under attack from unknown raiders, then you may want to describe many of your NPCs as skittish, suspicious, or just plain hostile to outsiders. If your setting is a mighty metropolis, then your average NPCs will likely be more confident, busy, maybe even aloof toward the sword-toting vagrants besmirching the streets of their proud city.
Other NPCs serve a grand purpose or are expected to be recurring characters in the story. These characters will usually work best when you've put in some time to think about their role and how they will carry it out. The herald of a queen might be a courageous warrior-poet who ventures into the wilderness to deliver missives from his mistress. On the other hand, he might be an imperious sorcerer who uses the arcane arts to make the queen's will known to her people.

Character
Most NPCs can be covered by a simple stat block that covers most people like them. You need to know how good at their role this person is (skills & basic combat info), a rough estimate of their equipment (sackcloth robes and a dirty scrub brush, standard town guard loadout, court clothes worth 2d6x20gp).
The more of a role the NPC will play in your story, the more attention you need to pay to their abilities and equipment. A recurring NPC should be as fully fleshed out as a regular player character - maybe moreso if you're helping new players learn about describing their PCs.

Abilities and Restrictions
Almost all NPCs should be good at something. Usually that should be tied to their purpose. Most adult NPCs should be better than your player characters in at least one area, be it cooking, gemcutting, or harnessing divine magic. No NPC (with rare exceptions) should be better than your player characters at everything. An important NPC should be able to hold the spotlight for a moment and then let it go. It's no fun for your party to get completely overshadowed by the same NPC time and again.
If your NPC is a quest-giver like an ancient wizard or a powerful baron, you should have a good reason for them to be giving out important quests rather than dealing with the situation themselves.
"Why don't you destroy the ring yourself, Elrond?" should have a satisfactory answer. Perhaps an arch-mage's power makes him a target for even greater creatures that wouldn't notice a band of rogues, or maybe the baron is getting married in a month and needs a situation handled discretely by (expendable) outsiders.

Tenacity
A common complaint of DMs is that their player characters view every NPC as a walking bag of experience points, and so their named NPCs don't live to see more than one session. There are few solutions to that - chiefly, don't game with psychopaths! Secondly, don't hand out XP for combat that doesn't further the story. And finally, figure out how tenacious your NPCs should be in combat.
Most NPCs aren't battle-hardened warriors. Most people hate being stabbed and will seek to avoid it. Unless you're running a Tippyverse game, most commoners are shocked and terrified by open displays of magic. At the first sign of violence, most NPCs should turn tail and run.
Warriors are a different story, but even most battle hardened veterans would prefer to live to fight another day.
It's up to how you want to run your game, but as a rule of thumb, green troops will flee or surrender after taking 25% hit point damage, regular troops will flee or surrender after taking 50% hit point damage, and veteran troops will flee or surrender after taking 75% hit point damage. Only a fanatical few like the king's guards, berserkers, or parents protecting their children, will fight to the death.

RazorChain
2017-06-12, 09:14 PM
Well, NPC creation is a thing on the borders between art and science, and therefore vast, hard to do well, contradictory and you'll only get better with practice.

Some basic tips for you would be these.

1. If you don't show it, you don't have it

A nice backstory and rich motivation is all well and good, but it means jack unless the players know about it - players, not necessarily PCs, though these two usually do overlap. That said, you can't just shove an NPC motivation down their throats, so you need to get clever about it.

2. Actions speak louder than descriptions

If you describe NPC as a military guy, that's all well and good, and you should absolutely do it, but. Since he's a military guy, he needs to act like one - sometimes over the top, sometimes just addressing whoever is in charge as Sir or Ma'am, but it needs to show in what he does.

This neatly ties into the previous point - if someone hates goblins because they killed his family, make him be actively mistrustful, or even antagonistic, towards goblins, and say that it's just what their kind is like and that he has his reasons why he knows they are like that.

This also means that NPCs can and will butt heads with the PCs over some issues - this will sometimes result in violence, sometimes in convincing of NPCs or PCs, and sometimes in agreeing to disagree. There's no hard and fast rule on how to handle these, but it is a good thing if this happens and neither players or DM get salty about it. In many ways, these encounters are the most interesting ones to roleplay.

This sums up a big part of it.

You don't need a fancy backstory or some elaborate description or a list of all their powers, motivations or goals.

The magic lies in their portrayal in the game.

Most GM's either act or narrate, many do a combination of both. Narrating an NPC is never going to be as memorable as acting him out..and no this does not mean you have to use funny voices but of course you can if you want to.

My players are just as likely to find an improvised NPC likable as an NPC I've put some work into creating.

Some players are indifferent to all NPC's and just don't care and might say things like "why should I care if I kill an imaginary person?" This has to do with player engagement, the average murderhobo will usually not care about any NPC that isn't directly helpful in the sense he cares about his ingame resources. Usually it's much easier to evoke hate, make an NPC steal something from the PC's and he will be hunted to the end of the earth.

There is no formula on how you can make NPC's that your players like as it depends on many factors, preferances and tastes. Like Honest Tiefling said if you throw a bunch of things at a wall something sticks. But I'm of the opinion that it mostly lies in the portrayal of the NPC during play.

Mendicant
2017-06-13, 05:08 PM
There's an important distinction between a *good* NPC and an NPC your players like. The former doesn't necessarily imply the latter.

Named NPCs are better whne they're memorable, loved, hated, etc. Background NPCs are very different creatures.

Dr paradox
2017-06-13, 05:34 PM
There have been some good points brought up here, but I thought I'd toss in a neat trick that I like using.

Using NPCs to address each other's personality traits - and especially flaws - can be really effective. Have NPCs agree with the assessment of a different NPC as a blowhard, or a coward, or probably evil, but have them agree without prompting or "knowing" that they're agreeing. If a player feels that the NPC has come to the same social opinion as the PC, it has a way of giving sudden depth to the social realism. Their opinion was validated. This NPC has the same thought processes as them. The NPC being judged has social consistency.

This is probably my most effective tool for making NPCs relatable. The one caveat is to avoid having NPCs admire other NPCs if the players don't like the target of the admiration. The NPC giving the compliment comes off as oblivious and the NPC getting complimented comes off as the subject of favoritism (see: Liam Neeson in Fallout 3) . You can turn this back into an advantage if the NPC giving the compliment is painted as sycophantic or easily led.

Mr Beer
2017-06-13, 08:23 PM
My experience of PCs is that they can be quite capricious about which NPCs they do and don't like. So don't imagine that Squire Freshface will be loved by the party, they are just as likely to glom onto Footpad Freddy.

Also, I tend to go with whatever the party likes or dislikes about someone. So they dislike the NPC wizard that doesn't help much in battles? Now he helps even less and is kinda smug about it. They like the heroic healer? Well he's likely to sacrifice his own life to save a party member or at least volunteer to do so.

goto124
2017-06-14, 09:24 AM
1. If you don't show it, you don't have it

2. Actions speak louder than descriptions

3. Opinions of NPCs aren't opinions of the DM

4. NPCs need awesome moments in their area... sparingly

5. Everyone needs to fail from time to time

6. Everything is not for everyone everywhere


Swap around some words and this is a guide on how to make an interesting PC.

FabulousFizban
2017-06-17, 02:44 AM
a good NPC doesnt overshadow the characters or try to police the players - unless the NPCs are the police.