Making an "Interesting NPCs" Deck

[gr8artist]

I'd like to see ideas for interesting NPCs.

In the past, my NPC's have been pretty basic, not a lot of personality or backstory beyond what was necessary for the campaign to progress. But I have better players now, and I want them to meet more interesting people, NPCs I can use to set them up for side quests, or as possible sidekicks / adversaries. I'm writing a summary of each NPC on a note-card, making a deck of them from which the players can draw at character creation to establish some pre-existing relationships, or during their travels when meeting new people.

D&D 5e.
Google doc (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iaFCMVq6dg-G_dyZkqYBK-3cIkRGceVToQCmeNLN30U/edit?usp=sharing) of common knowledge and world info.

We're starting in a small mining village, where a yearly festival is held. Following the festival, a sudden blizzard made the mountains impassable and prevented everyone from leaving. The town's resources were stretched thin supporting the excess population for more than half a year, and now that the way is open the players are joining a caravan back out of the mountains.
Rather than imprisonment, the punishment for crimes is labor for the benefit of the victim, either in servitude to them or in servitude to another on their behalf. It is common practice for many victims to sell a criminal's service to the mines, meaning the town and caravan have a larger than average population of former criminals.

I've been tentatively using "WhoTheF***IsMyD&DCharacter (http://www.whothe****ismydndcharacter.com/)" for inspiration.

[gr8artist]

Current NPC Deck Characters

Dwarf commoner, former criminal, worked in the mines.
Ogdan is short and burly, even by dwarven standards. He seems mentally disabled, dim-witted to a noticeable degree. He is quiet and good-natured, but frequently gets lost in his own thoughts. He is a former criminal, convicted of "bitin' a duke" (Ogdan always smiles when recalling the event). Ogdan is a tireless worker and a surprisingly good brawler. He has dark, infected looking tattoos on his face.

SECRET ~ Ogdan served on the border between the dwarven realm and the Underdark for 60 years, in an order known as "Andar's Chosen" (taking "Andarson" as their new clan name). The Underdark is inhabited by aberrations and their mutated victims, all driven to madness by outside influence. Ogdan left the brotherhood when he felt the "call from below" and attacked a duke of the human realm on whom he could sense the Underdark's influence. His tattoos indicate the years of his service, and earn him some respect from other dwarves. Their ink is made from the blood of aberrations, as is custom within the order, and give him a sense for their presence and influence.
BONUS ~ Our tiefling player is interested in outsiders and conjuration. He's getting a sub-plot revolving around the pull of the Underdark.

Elf scholar, stranded after the festival.
Syndra is of average build, but a little shorter and plainer than most elves. She is standoffish, and prone to brooding. She frequently drinks too much and starts arguments over nothing. She was on sabbatical from her studies in Citadel (college of higher learning and magic) when she got stranded, and she's built up a considerable debt. She does not make friends easily, but her mood is notably lighter and more relaxed around them.

SECRET ~ Syndra's family is wealthy, and she plans to pay off her debt with their money upon the journey's end. She was actually expelled from Citadel, not on sabbatical, and this is the cause of her poor temperament.

Orc commoner, aspiring entertainer, worked as a bouncer.
Xoruk is the only full-blooded orc in the village. He's worked at the tavern as a bouncer for years, but he's finally leaving to return to his people. He is friendly and earnest once you get to know him, though he is always gruff with strangers and newcomers. He has often been known to sing and blow a horn, though he's never performed for money or a crowd. He is large and intimidating, and wears only a few orcish articles with his otherwise fine clothes.

SECRET ~ Xoruk wants to be a bard among his own people (the orcish tribes in the Sarkath Wastes) but fears that the people of other lands won't appreciate him because he is so big and intimidating. His family name means "Ox's Bellow" and he uses an ox-horn trumpet as a primitive instrument. He was a former criminal, though he's long since repaid his debt and has tried to make an honest living ever since.
BONUS ~ One of our players is a bard, and there is a city that celebrates music of every culture. According to legend, a musician there once stopped an invading army by enthralling the orcs with his music, and enacted a treaty that persists to this day.

Tiefling merchant, criminal in service to the merchant's guild (and their subsidiary).
Kezonil is of average height, slender and dark complected. He dresses in fine clothes, with jewelry and a silver bird-skull necklace.
He was a merchant until convicted of crimes against the guild, whose subsidiary he now serves. He is cunning and guileful, though no one in the village trusts him anymore. He has a dark, almost malicious sense of humor, and enjoys mocking others.

SECRET ~ He poisoned wine sold by the guild, hoping to ruin their business. Despite poisoning more than two dozen people (only a few of whom died) the guild covered up much of the mess and pressured the judge into sentencing him to their service. He has a little magical power he can use in a dire situation, which he channels through the silvered vulture skull he wears. His fiendish ancestor was a Vrock.

Dragonborn warrior, stranded after festival.
Cavyrei is tall, lean, and has red scales. Her horns are prominent and engraved. She is a foreigner and barely speaks common. She is gruff and standoffish, usually preferring to be alone or exploring the mountains. She hates the cold, and wears heavy fur garments. The shaft of her spear is covered in jangling rings of various metals, and she wears two crudely made silver bangles on her wrist.

SECRET ~ She was taken advantage of by gnomish merchants when she first entered the realm, and now owes them a considerable debt she's not planning to pay back. She's killed two of their enforcers, and as per her people's tradition, she's melted down something of theirs (their silver badges) and now wears it as a warning to others. The rings on her spear are crafted from the melted weapons of enemies she's defeated in her homeland, wrought from iron, bronze, and steel. Draconic runes etched into her horns convey concepts of strength, courage, ferocity, and power.

Half-Elf commoner, stranded after festival.
Balsaran is pale and thin, even for an elf, and dresses in dark clothes. He is curt and quiet, but usually polite and friendly when approached. He's done odd jobs all around town, and though no one dislikes him, no one seems to enjoy spending time with him either. He wears a pearl necklace, and is usually found at the tavern, flipping a coin or spinning a knife on the table. He can juggle, though he rarely does.

SECRET ~ Balsaran is a member of the "Black Lions", a guild of assassins who believe that society needs predators to keep it on its toes. They abhor complacency and live by a survival of the fittest mentality. They put a dark pearl in among the pale ones they wear as a representation of their role in the shadows of society. Balsaran has killed many people, using chance to decide his victims whenever the mood strikes him.

[NRSASD]

Take a look at the random tables on this site, but especially take a look at this one. (https://rpgcharacters.wordpress.com/2017/06/07/diy-rpg-d24-odd-tavern-owners/) I've been using #4 in my campaign and he's been a huge hit with the players. Especially since he uses a wand of mage hand (held in his teeth) to provide service.

[FabulousFizban]

so what I do for NPCs that aren't central to the plot (plot NPCs have plot relevant backstories) is roll story cubes. They are about $10, you can find them just about anywhere and they allow you to quickly create unique backstories for NPCs that the players choose to interact with.

[Personification]

Borklin Flintbreak: dwarf criminal working in the mines, repeat offender.
Borklin is very likeable, and gets along with people easily. He is the only person ever who has spent several months in the mines for petty crimes, due to the fact that every time his sentence ends he goes out to a restaurant and gets a large and expensive meal to celebrate, which he is unable to pay for. This baffles the town's judge, who has at this point caught on, and has warned Borklin that the next time he gets caught for a crime more serious than littering he will be exiled from the town.

Secret: Borklin's real name is Gundar Andarson, and he has been doing his petty crime act in mining towns all over the mountains, which are closer to the Underdark than ideal, using subtle transmutations and illusion magic to ensure that the miners don't accidentally tunnel into it. He has tattoos, but hides them with illusions, and he had already left to go on his undercover mission before Ogdan had joined Andar's Chosen. This and the fact that he uses a pseudonym mean that Ogdan doesn't know who he is, and he can't get close to Ogdan to tell him because Ogdan, not knowing the reason for his repeat offenses, assumes him to be an immature freeloader who doesn't want to have to think for himself, and instead chooses to mine, and thus avoids him on principle.