Come populate my town! (Looking for NPC ideas)

[Odessa333]

Hey all!

I thought this might be a bit of fun. The game I'm running is leaving the module behind, and I'm slowly building up a major hub city for them. I have roughly 10 pages of notes so far, from plot ideas to major NPC's. Still, as this is going to the major location for a political style of game, the more NPC's the better. Whether it's a corrupt noble, kind inn keeper, or a drunk who runs around without pants, I'd love to hear your ideas, from serious to silly. Any character you want to volunteer from your games WILL get a spot somewhere in the campaign, so give me your best/worst ;)

[Dr.Samurai]

Is this in a published D&D setting, or homebrew?

[Corran]

Dips on the thieves' guild! :smallbiggrin: (though not really, more ideas are better and I'd like to see what others would have if they want to write about it).

Will edit here within the day.

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Basic ideas
1) Use a frontman. This allows you to have more layers of mystery should you require them and it's a nice step to having more powerful NPCs around the place (since it's a major hub it makes sense) while not having them necessarily approachable.
2) Include an entertaining element that will add a bit of character to how the guild is run.

Let's go directly to 2 cause it's more fun.
Introduce the game of truth.
The guild is well established which gives it the ability to squeeze the local criminals into working for it and out of the majority of what would amount to realistic earnings (eg in the form of monthly payments), and this is exactly what it does. Failing to meet your coin obligations to the guild means you are in the godfather's pocket. Once in there, you lose whatever relative freedom you had over your criminal activities. Instead, you are now being handed assignments until your service pays for your debt (if ever). Even if completely worthless as a criminal, you can still be framed for something and be handed to some corrupt guard/official who is in the guild's payroll as a boost to their fame/career, or you can still be packed into a box and be sold as a slave at the nearest slave market. Whatever your worth, the guild will find a way to squeeze all of it and will continue to do so till the day you die.

Now, this is a bleak reality for your average criminal. Some entertainment and hope is in order. Enter the game of truth. Handing over a big chunk of your stolen goods is bad enough on its own, so it really does not have to be a boring, blunt, beaurocratic process. It could instead be a game. Especially if it is a game that allows the most clever to cheat a little and "win". At the end of each X (eg month), the thieves gather all together to take part in the game. A local priest who is in the guild's payroll is called in to cast zone of truth, the thieves take turns jumping into the circle and try to get away without revealing the full extent of their earnings so that they end up paying a smaller tribute. Trying to lie is not punished, instead it is customary and expected from every thief to do their best at tricking the cleric, as the game is meant to be entertaining and it is supposed to give you that chance. The crowd of thieves is always at its majority in support of the thief currently in the circle and they are cheering for them when they succeed (and mocking them when they dont), but there are always those few that will feed the not so competent at interrogating cleric the proper questions when the thief in the circle is succeeding too much at being evasive, either to get on the cleric's good side or because they've stricken some deal with them, or because the dislike the thief currently in the circle, or because of whatever reason. In any case, the camaraderie among most thieves starts and ends with the game of truth, as outside of it and especially when in the streets, another thief is competition and best (because bleak reality) and a deadly threat at worst. Honor among thieves is a romantic and silly idea that could only have ever existed during better times, if at all.


A very rough outline of a few characters
A) Sofia, the halfling thief.
Describing a character is hard, so let me use an extended scene and from there derive a bit of the character's identity. Sofia is at the docks just a little before dawn. A small cargo ship docks and after the customary official procedures are performed (be they a docking fee and a routine inspection or whatever else), Sofia is handed the smuggled goods by the captain probably after the exchange of a nod and slips away from the docks. After having changed her attire to look more befitting to the city district she is heading to (perhaps she is dressed as an adventurer), she is now at the gates of the "high quality market district" (naming stuff is hard). After a brief friendly conversation with John (ie the guard on post) and after slipping him a small pounch of coins, she is allowed in and she goes to find the merchant who will sell the smuggled goods at high price. She entertains the greedy merchant's attempts to throw her off whatever they had already agreed to because she has to (ie the merchant might be not as smart as she is, but he is smart enough to know that she has more to lose so that's a point of pressure). Maybe before she leaves the market district she expertly steals the coin pounch of that arrogant bratty young noble who is only good at mistreating their servants (because they can afford the loss and because they are a douche). And you know what, as she is leaving she spots a newbie fellow thief who is about to be searched by suspecting guards, so she steals from him the stolen goods without anyone noticing, and after the guards find nothing on the suspected thief who just gets away with only a light beating, she follows that newbie thief and she is handing him back his loot (because she is probably one of the very few thieves left in this city who subscribes to the honor among thieves idea). Perhaps even offering the newbie a few tips (eg get a partner who is more sensible than greedy, you'll earn less but you'll live longer). Refusing to partner up if asked because "I work alone" trope which can be important if she is picky about her criminal acts (eg no killing, no violence, less risk, etc). And the reward for her charitable deeds is that the newbie thief attempts to pickpocket her (highlight competition among thieves) in the middle of a supposed persuasion attempt which of course she notices and draws out her dagger warning the newbie thief to leave (because killing is something she avoids).

B) Victim (because trying to find good names is a waste of time...), the changeling in the background.
Victim serves two purposes. They are Sofia's dear friend or love interest (whatever makes more sense in your world). This makes a borderline too empathetic character (ie Sofia) seem more realistic. The second purpose is that it helps tie some of the background intrigue stuff (that are always going on in the background) you'd expect from a political heavy game to a character you can throw at the scene. Context. Victim worked as a body double to some noble. They got fired because they overstepped some limit that's for you to decide and have it be something you could build that character's personality around (I imagine them as a party person who might have exploited impersonating someone important to have some fun). They started working as a thief. They were not really good at it so they ended into the godfather's pocket. So now they are using their ability to impersonate to accomplish whatever goal the guild is asking them to. Maybe an old noble sick noble has to survive for a few more months so that they change their will. Maybe you need to approach someone through the guise of one of their trusted friends and learn their secrets. Maybe you need to become the inkeeper of some road-by inn that serves as a resting place for travellers between two cities for a few months and note down the description of anyone passing through. Or maybe they are even now doing more hardcore stuff like killing and poop.

C) Cicero, the godfather (head of the thieves' guild, addressed as noble Cicero; respect term)
This is the character you use to introduce some mystery that's a bit on the nose. So, they wear a mask of course. And they stutter. Heck, not only do they stutter but they pronounce "s" as "th" (cannot remember of what's the word for that). I'd be careful not to play this up as some lame comedy though. This is supposed to be a scary person, and the combination of the mask combined with a very distinctive speech pattern is meant to deliver this (avoid if you dont think you can pull it off).
Now, the point of making the identity of the boss man a mystery is so that we can play with rumors. One rumor is horribly scarred or deformed, and they earned that by [enter more rumors; eg superstition regarding fooling a zone of truth spell, ie Cicero did that in the past and that's how he stored away enough gold which they used to overthrow the previous godfather, but they are now cursed because of that with horrible deformities and with an impaired speech, so now they will never manage to fool anyone again; divine punishment for fooling divine magic that is supposed to get the truth out of you]. Another rumor is that they are an undead or a devil or whatever else can make your skin crawl. Another rumor is that Cicero is a scare tactic (it's probably some worthless teenager under that mask), employed by Cicero's 4 supposed bodyguards who are in fact the ones running the guild (then think of the bodyguards; eg seen the gladiator movie where the protagonist fights a former champion of the Colosseum games? Well, that champion is one of the bodyguards; famous and respected in this game world because there never was a Maximus to beat him, so that's a good point to start with one of the bodyguards).


Let's go back to 1 now, the idea of using a frontman.
Cicero is a frontman. He has a boss. That doesn't mean you have to make him a pushover. He can still be a tough nut to crack (or more likely a heavy hammer that will crack you; eg make him a Rakshasa). I like the idea of a frontman, because a major location allows me more easily to introduce bigger and badder players. You know who I would make Cicero's boss? It might be easily guessable in the context of a few paragraphs where I highlighted the character I like, but in the context of a campaign where you have to show only what the players see, and with enough obvious mystery hooks to draw the attention away, it'll be fine. Sofia is the boss. Not of the thieves' guild though. The thieves' guild is just one more way to keep an eye at what's going on in the streets and a small source of income and skilled individuals that may have some uses. She is Cicero's boss, whose task is just to keep things running on that small front. She is also a emerald dragon, and the city's (kingdom's?) spymaster. Sometimes you might find her walking on her streets because she might just have been in the mood of taking a closer look at something or at nothing in particular.


Final note:
Remember the cleric that's on the guild's payroll and initiates the game of truth? Make him the most hated character you can manage. Whatever level of corruption(?) your table can stomach, have the cleric sink to that. This is the character I would be using to tempt the players into doing something really stupid. You want to use the cleric to learn stuff? Even if you go the right way about it (and by right, I mean the path of least resistance here), I'll tempt you to make the wrong move because he'll be annoying as ef to deal with him and whatever transaction you end up agreeing to wont be an easy one to stomach. Do you want to hurt them or push back at them because they are a horrible person? Congratulations, you've now messed with a stupid vengeful individual, who not by skill but by circumstance can make your life very difficult. Thieves who wanted to be on his good side? They are onto you. Members of his faith who dont like outsiders doing even what might be justified as necessary cleansing are onto you. Did I mention this cleric is also the second son of some very influential noble? Well, his father may have never liked him and always called him Edna instead of Edmund, but they are onto you as well. If being beaten by incompetent idiots is the worst, then this is the worst enemy you can make. And I hope that telling him off or killing him will give you enough pleasure to withstand all the obvious (it's important that the connection is obvious, even if the players refuse to make the connection) consequences that I am about to throw in your way (because the game world is a realistic place and not the playground of heroes; this is a character that if you want to bring down you do it in a way that a civilized society governed by rules can tolerate and justify).

[Skrum]

Buthog VacRacker: owner of VacRacker's Very Good Food, a small BBQ place that serves only 3 things: boar ribs, racoon kabobs, and bear steaks. The boar ribs in particular are extremely popular. He is extremely distrustful, and thinks everyone is out to steal his recipes. Thus, the only people that work for him are his cousins. He also sleeps on the prep table (luckily there's no health inspector 'cause this place would NOT pass). His establishment has become an informal "neutral ground" for several local street gangs, adding to the already colorful clientele. The ribs are good enough it's worth possibly getting into a brawl for them.

The Queens of Twilight: 3 drow ladies of high society. Sadus, Saryn, and Selzae. Coming from minor drow houses, they decided they liked their options a lot more on the surface and married 3 human nobles. They are quite open about marrying for money, and in fact their husbands are happy with the arrangement: they've got attractive wives that will remain so for centuries, long after they're gone. The name "Queens of Twilight" is the name they gave their bi-weekly book club lunch, where they gather to discuss the latest raunchy novel and salacious gossip.

Gurglagomedov Thrazul-Brax: since his name is entirely unmanageable, he mostly goes by "Gurgle." A retired hobgoblin with a peg leg, Gurgle was a respected and feared mercenary caption in his younger years. But he found he has something of a flair for theatrics, and has founded the Blood Basket: an gladiatorial arena that started off as a gritty fight club but has expanded and grown to a "respected" source of entertainment. Willing to hire almost anyone or anything that will secure a spectacle of an event, the Blood Basket brings spectators from all over and competitors from even further, drawn to the very large prize purses Gurgle hands out to the winners.

[Odessa333]

Is this in a published D&D setting, or homebrew?

Official. Faerun, in the nation of Tethyr. Capital is Darromar if you want to get really specific lol. It is very much an AU version of things as I've had to mess around with royalty (I have a player whose backstory is they are lost long King, so I am running with it).

I am the only one in the group who really knows any game lore, so I could place a herd of Loxodon down or Thri-Kreen, and it wouldn't be an issue. I do try to learn things, keep things as close as possible, unless it gets in the way of being fun. Rule of Cool wins any day (hence running with the long lost King bit).

[sithlordnergal]

The Elder: This Elder Oblex goes by many names and has many faces. It runs several shops that are close together, such as an Inn, General Goods store, and potentially even a magic item shop. Most people believe the set of shops it owns are run by some kind of fey due to the ever present scent of sulfur and the request that every major purchase from an adventuring party be paired with some tale. A tale that is usually forgotten for a short time after being told. The Elder is not hostile, and is privy to many secrets. Its true lair is under the streets between the shops.

Draco: This salesman owns a shop that sells prank magic items. These items have a minor curse, such as Boots of Zoomies that force you to take the Dash Action, a Hat of Sleep that puts the owner to sleep when they wear it, or a locket that does nothing but make the owner feel like something is vaguely wrong for a few days. He appears to be a Human, but is actually a Copper Dragon that loves to prank people. His name...is Doomfang.

[titi]

Not a specific npc, but :
One detail you could add in a tavern or something similar : tons of food types, for those who have specific resistances (for example, black dragonborn will be able to eat things with a lot more vinegar because acid resistance)

[Amnestic]

The GobKobSquad - A band of mercenaries made up entirely of goblins and kobolds, currently lead by the adventurer-hating berserker Not-A-Pet. Crude, rude, and utterly brutal, the GobKobSquad finds work as disposable meat to be thrust into the grinder against enemies of all shapes and sizes when a gangleader needs a bit of extra muscle or the city needs some rebellious elements put down without any trails leading back to them. With a seemingly endless pool of willing volunteers to recruit from, you can't keep the GobKobSquad down for long, and there are rumours that they have the backing of an ancient red wyrm, though to what end no one can say.

Their signature tactic is to open with kobold alchemical bombs (often explosives or poisons - or both) before having the goblins charge in and swarm the enemy until death.

Miledo's Medical 'Mporium - Miledo is a medusa exceptionally capable in the medical arts, though not infallible. First invited to the city by a nobleman who wished for her to petrify him until a cure for a curse could be found, she has since found gainful work in the city with both noble and poor alike. Never seen without her blindfold (her snakes do the seeing for her!), Miledo has thus far consentingly petrified 36 people in total while they await treatment for otherwise 'incurable' conditions.

"Red Tale" - A fantasy-day "super"hero, this vigilante halfling patrols the city streets at night, stalking the rooftops for do-badders and other such evil. She fights the rich and gives to the poor, and occasionally finds herself foul of the city watch. Her true identity is Talena Slyleaf, a halfling maid working in the employ of an unknowing patron noble - one of the 'good ones', who she doesn't want to hurt by revealing her secret.

[Sigreid]

Sylvia, a dryad that to avoid having her tree threatened by encroaching civilization is running a hot spring/bath house. Her nature is a closely guarded secret.

[KorvinStarmast]

The drunk running around without any pants:
This is the Darla Quinn, daughter of a minor noble family who got stood up at the altar.
It was an arranged marriage; her spouse-to-be eloped the morning of the wedding to be with his true love. (They ran off to Chult to get away from various angry relatives). Given that the reception venue was well stocked already, she got royally drunk and kept on drinking, day after day, until it was all done. All that she wears, ever, is her wedding dress which has over time devolved into a knee length, shabby, threadbare dress that resembles a shift more than a wedding dress.
She has worked her way through nearly all of the cash she accumulated from selling her engagement ring and pillaging her dowry.
When the characters meet her, she's still got a little money, a sob story, and most importantly provides a connection to her noble family.
The Quinn family is involved in the textile business and in the wool trade.
Her twin brother Darren is on the city council (staff) as a scribe and accountant.

For Darla and her brother Darren use Noble NPC stats.

[Segev]

The Crazy Doomsayer. Larbil the Dwarf came back from his journey to Chult with strange tattoos and a propensity for shouting in the streets - particularly in front of temples - that the doom is upon the world, that death is creeping up from the south, and that adventurers and others who receive life-restoring magic have angered the gods, who will take it all away. He's seen it! In Chult! The dead rise, but do not live! Life cannot be restored!

Miles Millain, Businessman Extraordinare. A crimson-skinned tiefling who wears impeccable suits and maintains a magnificently twirllable mustache and runs several entreprenurial enterprises around town and outside it. Often has jobs for enterprising individuals who will be discrete about it. Every word drips innuendo and double entendre. He has schemes (and calls them such openly) which are totally legal and legitimate (he'll hasten to tell you if pressed, shocked - SHOCKED! - that people believe the vile slander his reputation is subject to), and generally very profitable. Most of them even work, often with him getting what he wants out of the fallout of even failures. The twist is... he really is a legitimate and honest businessman. He has a flare for the dramatic, but has no idea that he comes off as untrustworthy and sinister. His reputation draws the more duplicitous and untrustworthy adventuring types to do his jobs for him; he'd be horrified to know what some have done in his name. But he uses euphamisms literally, and takes them literally, so he and his employees are often having two different conversations. He is very clever and skilled, and he DOES engage in Xanatos Gambits, but he actually tries to work them out so that everyone involved benefits. Because he's really a good person who is really good at business, mercantile trade, and clever planning. But something about him just oozes "Legitimate Businessman :smallwink:" despite the wink absolutely being unnecessary.

[Luccan]

Saint Alistair: In my games Alistair is a long dead saint, but as an NPC he'd be a friendly cleric who has taken an oath to assist those in need. Finding him on a day he hasn't spent all his healing on the poor is the real difficulty, but if a group of good to neutral adventurers requests his help to revive a fallen comrade he doesn't charge so long as he has the means. Since he works independently from any given faith structure* he basically runs on donations and diamonds aren't cheap, so it would be reasonable for the DM to limit how often he can provide resurrection and certain other healing services if the players aren't willing to provide any materials. On any given day he should be expected to be loaded up with healing spells, even beyond what he auto-prepares from his domain, because that's almost his only concern. He also brews really good mead.

* Though he's probably a cleric of your local healing deity or if he's one of the godless clerics, then a strict adherent to the Life domain as a philosophical concept.

[KorvinStarmast]

Saint Alistair: In my games Alistair is a long dead saint, but as an NPC he'd be a friendly cleric who has taken an oath to assist those in need. Finding him on a day he hasn't spent all his healing on the poor is the real difficulty, but if a group of good to neutral adventurers requests his help to revive a fallen comrade he doesn't charge so long as he has the means. Since he works independently from any given faith structure* he basically runs on donations and diamonds aren't cheap, so it would be reasonable for the DM to limit how often he can provide resurrection and certain other healing services if the players aren't willing to provide any materials. On any given day he should be expected to be loaded up with healing spells, even beyond what he auto-prepares from his domain, because that's almost his only concern. He also brews really good mead.
Skill / Tool Proficiency: Brewers Tools.

* Though he's probably a cleric of your local healing deity or if he's one of the godless clerics, then a strict adherent to the Life domain as a philosophical concept. Or he's a celestial warlock of the patron of brewmeisters ...

[Angelalex242]

Sir Smitesalot:

An amazingly charismatic Vengeance Paladin (level 10?), who also wears a belt of giant strength. He loves going Nova in combat and 5 minute adventuring days, hence the name. Frequently uses bonus action smites and divine smites on the same attack to really stack up that damage (Blinding Smite+Divine Smite is his go to first attack!)

There isn't actually enough trouble in town for him to make good use of his talents, so he's also raising a family. His daughter inherited his charisma score and a talent for music from her mother, so threatening his bardic daughter's suitors occupies most of his days. Even for a 10th level paladin, keeping her purity in tact is a full time job...and bets are in whether he's already failed.

In truth, he has, and his daughter, Celeste, is planning to run away with her boytoy...she's pregnant, and there's no hiding that for long...if the party doesn't intervene, her boytoy can expect something like 7d8 radiant damage and a con save vs. blind to the face. ...he only has 10 hp. Celeste is keenly aware that her father's attack will send him straight to the graveyard.

[SouthpawSoldier]

A boarding school/orphanage for societal cast-offs. Run by two of my PCs.

Vincent di Savinien; A half-orc I based on an amalgamation of Shrek, Cyrano de Bergerac, and Nessmuk. Grandfather was a frontier noble who made his own treaty with local swamp dwelling orc tribe, marrying his only child to the orc chief's child. Vincent was tutored in history, calligraphy, and other pursuits by the servants of his grandfather's House; when visiting his orc relatives, he learned herbology, ecology, astronomy, and hearty endurance.

High court didn't approve of frontier House acting independent; family were stripped of titles and lands and cast out; new House bequeathed the lands immediately displaced the orcs and drained the swamp for harvest of peat, coal, and diamond mining.

Vincent wanders the wilds, writing under two pen-names; one he publishes lauded sketchbooks of birds, flowers, and other natural wonders; the other he uses to write scathing essays satirizing the ruling class. After retiring from adventuring, he partnered with:

Belthias, a half-elf Knowledge Cleric with Anthropologist Background. In Belthias' home nation, eldest child inherits, second child joins the military, and surplus third child is given to local Church. Belthias grew up in a corrupt Church that traded tutoring and secrets for political power and wealth. Excommunicated for having the audacity to provide pro-bono education to the poor, he was begrudgingly accepted back into his family, dispatched as diplomat to establish new trade partnerships with foreign lands. Feeling sickened by this, he set out on his own to see the world and spread knowledge of cultures and faiths, in the hopes of bridging cultural divides.

They met, adventured together, found they had shared values, and instead of Vincent reclaiming his heritage and leading a revolution, and instead of Belthias castigating the corrupt Church that only paid lip service to ideals, they decided the healthiest path in life was to foster other half-breed children, educating them to build individual independence and free thought.

[Danielqueue1]

Fun Character
An orc was banished from his tribe and immigrated to the city, but believed his common was better than it was. He messed up on his immigration papers and is now on the records of the city named "Inkeepr." His son is named "Sun" and his wife is named "Wif." When his common improved, and he tried to get it fixed, the legate refused to change it. He now runs an inn named "In" has a dog named Dog and although the barmaid's name is Orilla Fadeleaf she goes by "Barmaid" while at work. Inkeepr plays up his orcishness in good humor as a way to draw people in and make light of his mistake. The writing on the wall looks like warpaint, but anyone who reads orcish can see it reads things like "tip your Barmaid." And "get a one copper discount if you speak orcish." The battle axe under the counter, however, is anything but lighthearted.

For some conflict characters:

A rich, painfully obnoxious merchant who's name happens to be similar to the local gold coin name. (If a gold coin is called a "Drake" he will be "Aurius Drakechest") the party will hear him whining about the low quality of goods in the local shops long before they see him. He treats everyone besides nobles like servants and if he didn't have such excellent bodyguards he would have had a lesson taught to him long ago. But it is all a ruse. He is actually a high class assassin called "the Smiling Corpse" who used the obnoxious merchant as a cover to get into noble houses. (The Zirkwood paneling is to DIE for trust me) the problem is he has actually made more money on the merchant deals than on assassination. The Annoying merchant disguise is so well established that if it disappears, people will notice. If he stops assassin work his former clients will worry about him flipping. If he comes clean to anyone it is straight to the headsman. What he needs is someone to kill him in front of as many witnesses as possible in a way that he can be resurrected by his bodyguards later. If he can get some foolish adventures to be his Cat's- paws...

The 13th precinct
A small mercenary group that specializes in hunting murderhobo adventurers. Although they might not be optimized for facing anyone but PCs.
(A ranger with silence and a friend with a net shuts down most casters, but isn't effective against an owlbear for example. Team up with an arcane trickster rogue to pick the locks and detect magic for alarm spells and no wizard is safe in inns.) They just rushed into town with two dead party members and barely don't have enough coin for both resurrection diamonds. But wait ||PC|| matches the description of "The Butcher of Veiladine" and they sure do have a big bounty on their heads...

[the_david]

The Crazy Doomsayer. Larbil the Dwarf came back from his journey to Chult with strange tattoos and a propensity for shouting in the streets - particularly in front of temples - that the doom is upon the world, that death is creeping up from the south, and that adventurers and others who receive life-restoring magic have angered the gods, who will take it all away. He's seen it! In Chult! The dead rise, but do not live! Life cannot be restored!For added fun, make his prophecies come true.

[Arkhios]

Wanted: a Bard!

[Segev]

Old Man Fletcher. A very old man with every feature wrinkled and wizened to the point of shriveled-up decrepitude. Spends most of his time sitting on the porch of his modest-sized house, doted on by a pretty maid or two who maintain the place and help him move about when his joints get too stiff from the weather. He has stories upon stories, and little kids vary between daring each other to approach him - treating him like some sort of monster - and begging him to tell another tale. He refuses to say how true his stories are, but they're all set in historical context, and many of them are of adventurers. Rumor has it, he was an adventurer in his youth, and his treasure is hidden somewhere in his house.

The thing is, even the elders of the town remember Old Man Fletcher being Old Man Fletcher when they were younger. Dwarves and elves seem to think he was younger, back then, but they're not entirely sure (since people change slowly and you get used to how they look now). They're sure he didn't always need more than a cane to get around, though. They think. Surely, that happened...when DID that happen? Every merchant that comes through town seems to know him, too, and often is seen leaving bags or chests that clink behind when they pass, after hearing a story and having some of those delightful sweets the maids prepare for Old Man Fletcher's guests.

There are at least a few families that claim him as "grandfather," but the oldest in town aside from Fletcher will say they knew their grandparents and that they called Fletcher "Grandfather," too.

Old Man Fletcher does sometimes mention his late wife, but her name isn't always consistent.

In truth, Old Man Fletcher is a high elf who is very close to the end of his life. So old that injury and withering age have made his ears shrink and curl until their pointiness is undetectable. He's been in this town since he retired from adventuring with his first wife - a human woman in his party - and they built this home together and stored up their treasure for future needs. When they raised a family, they invested their loot in merchant caravans, and slowly, their wealth grew, but they just kept re-investing it. He was a young elf when his first wife passed away, and decades later, he married again. And this cycle continued three or four times before he was too old to woo any longer, and simply let his grandchildren help him around the house when he needed it.

He is a kindly, generally happy old man, though he knows his time is coming, and is trying to make sure that he leaves his tales to the next generations. What his plans are for his stored wealth are left up to the DM, but he probably keeps reinvesting it in things as much as he stores it. Though there might well be some magic items lying around....


For added fun, make his prophecies come true.

Depending on whether the plot of Tomb of Annihilation is ongoing, upcoming, or resolved, it either is accurate, is imminent, or is belated but describes true events. ;)

[Oramac]

Here's a bit of a different inn/tavern from my homebrew setting.

[Luccan]

Or he's a celestial warlock of the patron of brewmeisters ...

Honestly he could be represented by any sort of dedicated healer. Divine Soul Sorcerer would also be a valid choice. For a Celestial Warlock I'd also say he should have a Tome to cover healing rituals. Other characters might pick up Ritual Caster (Cleric)

[Clause]

try a seriously liar fisherman, trully adicted in tell lies. But, this guy have somegreat knowledge at things about the city and citizens. how can the payers know if it is true or not?
level 3 peasant! any race




a half orc-that lives in sarjete, and truly eat trash! some people tells that he is a werewolf. at full moon nights, no one enounters him.


a woman who live in a nice pallacete, she sale her time, like a cartomancer or a... you know.
if you pay acordingly, you can have the two things. AND if she likes your furnication.. you gain one consult at the TAROKA deck

[Emongnome777]

An NPC I created for a small adventure while the characters were holding over in Baldur's Gate:

Vrail'Dhuun (Githzerai Druid): Vrail'Dhuun lives alone in a small, nondescript house against the city wall. The inside this house, however, is much larger (because... magic?). Anyway, he experiments with vermin and has several large versions as servants, but with some deformity (bull horns, hairy, glowing eyes, etc). He also has a strange garden where there's numerous walled-off sections. The unusual thing here is that each walled section is somewhere else on the continent / planet, each connected by gates between the sections. So one will be a garden during the day, another will be a swamp at night, and another will be a snowy mountain grove. He's neutral, doesn't care about the affairs of men and ignores pleas for help. His interest would be in unusual flora or fauna (or written lore about such) that he doesn't have access to.

[Emongnome777]

Wanted: a Bard!

What about Sevrist, the self-proclaimed "Wandering Minstrel" who never actually leaves town? He knows more songs about heroes than any and can inspire the dead with a rousing tale of heroism and valor. Under the facade, though, he's just a coward. When a tavern becomes too rowdy, his softens his music, singing in hushed whispers, forcing everyone to be quiet to listen intently. You'll never hear a love song from him, though. The last love song he performed in another town caused a drunken patron to confuse this song's main character with his wife. The ensuing confrontation left our bard, let's say, less of a man.

[Amnestic]

The College of Seven Swords. Created roughly 130 years ago by the high elf swordmaster Casarion, the College of Seven Swords is a learning establishment for anyone of the martial persuasion. While many of its attendants are local nobility who use it as a networking institution, it does also attract visitors from across the nation and beyond who seek to learn from some of the best. The College encourages students to learn from each other and share their skills freely, and so duels are commonplace. A special enchantment has been placed over the schoolgrounds such that once a duel has been declared and accepted, neither side can die - even mortal wounds are reversed at the duel's end, such that both sides come out the other end unharmed, albeit with the memory of pain still lingering hot in them.

The College holds an annual tournament available for public viewing, and the top seven participants become the eponymous Seven Swords, who have leadership over the College's direction for the next year. In all the years since its establishment, no one has taken the position of First Sword from Casarion.

[Quietus]

Miledo's Medical 'Mporium - Miledo is a medusa exceptionally capable in the medical arts, though not infallible. First invited to the city by a nobleman who wished for her to petrify him until a cure for a curse could be found, she has since found gainful work in the city with both noble and poor alike. Never seen without her blindfold (her snakes do the seeing for her!), Miledo has thus far consentingly petrified 36 people in total while they await treatment for otherwise 'incurable' conditions.


Fun Character
An orc was banished from his tribe and immigrated to the city, but believed his common was better than it was. He messed up on his immigration papers and is now on the records of the city named "Inkeepr." His son is named "Sun" and his wife is named "Wif." When his common improved, and he tried to get it fixed, the legate refused to change it. He now runs an inn named "In" has a dog named Dog and although the barmaid's name is Orilla Fadeleaf she goes by "Barmaid" while at work. Inkeepr plays up his orcishness in good humor as a way to draw people in and make light of his mistake. The writing on the wall looks like warpaint, but anyone who reads orcish can see it reads things like "tip your Barmaid." And "get a one copper discount if you speak orcish." The battle axe under the counter, however, is anything but lighthearted.

These two absolutely delight me!

For my input - Sophia Pristine, proprietor of the Cheese Boutique

I've been meaning to introduce Sophia into my own games; she's not an adventurer or anything of the sort, she's just a (literal) flavor character. She does her best to live up to her name, dressing well and keeping her store in peak condition. She has some of the nicest cheeses found in the city, and is always professionally chipper and friendly. Everyone is welcome in her shop, and she always ensures there are some more affordable options, alongside the top end products she has imported.

She may or may not have set up shop next to a bakery or cafe that she's made business arrangements with, so one can come in, buy cheeses, baked goods, maybe a coffee, and start their day off right.

[Sigreid]

A kindly old lady that runs a farm where people who can't afford to feed their children can send them. If the players investigate the farm, they'll find no children...

[Clause]

What about Sevrist, the self-proclaimed "Wandering Minstrel" who never actually leaves town? He knows more songs about heroes than any and can inspire the dead with a rousing tale of heroism and valor. Under the facade, though, he's just a coward. When a tavern becomes too rowdy, his softens his music, singing in hushed whispers, forcing everyone to be quiet to listen intently. You'll never hear a love song from him, though. The last love song he performed in another town caused a drunken patron to confuse this song's main character with his wife. The ensuing confrontation left our bard, let's say, less of a man.

If him never leaves the town, how can he performed the love song on the other town???

[Corran]

If him never leaves the town, how can he performed the love song on the other town???
He has a twin evil brother. Obviously.

[Arkhios]

What about Sevrist, the self-proclaimed "Wandering Minstrel" who never actually leaves town? He knows more songs about heroes than any and can inspire the dead with a rousing tale of heroism and valor. Under the facade, though, he's just a coward. When a tavern becomes too rowdy, his softens his music, singing in hushed whispers, forcing everyone to be quiet to listen intently. You'll never hear a love song from him, though. The last love song he performed in another town caused a drunken patron to confuse this song's main character with his wife. The ensuing confrontation left our bard, let's say, less of a man.

Nooooot exactly what I meant, but this was good nonetheless! :smallbiggrin:

My point was that when you call for people to populate a town, summon a bard... They seem to have a knack for it! :smallbiggrin:
https://allthingsdnd.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/1.jpg

[Burley]

Bellow the Untrustworthy Fellow: possibly a pickpocket, possibly a demon in disguise. Bellow is self-proclaimed agent of chaos, giving people bad directions around the city, suggesting they speak to the worst NPCs in town and generally just trying to frustrate the PCs. (I like these kinds of characters sometimes, especially if its a party that trusts every NPC and never uses Insight.)

[KorvinStarmast]

Sly (Use the Archer NPC stat block. Add Spells for a level 6 Ranger to include Pass Without Trace, Rope Trick, Fog Cloud, and Hunters Mark).

Sly is in hiding.
He was part of a three-man adventuring party (dwarf Fighter/Rogue named Hax, half orc Fighter Champion named Jin) who ran into some major trouble in the swamps to the south. The party was surrounded, as were the soldiers they were working with, by a superior yuan ti force backed by magic users. Sly bugged out, leaving the other two (and the soldiers) to be captured and enslaved. They were sold as slaves to an Orog chieftan who keeps those two alive for a specific purpose: they are very good at forging high quality weapons, specifically daggers, spears, battle axes and great axes.

Sly comes into town every few weeks for supplies, trade, and news.
He lives in the wilderness in a small tree house that he designed and built.
He knows the wilderness in the surrounding area (20 mile radius around the town) like the back of his hand.
1. He knows were a few "old ruins" and caverns are that may hold potential adventure sites.
2. He doesn't know that Hax and Jin have escaped, but he worries that some day they will. (If you add them, treat Hax as Assassin NPC and Jin as Gladiator NPC).
3. Can provide any pelt, feather, tooth, claw, talon, or other body part of a beast from the local area that may be needed for a spell component ... for a price.
4. He has the herbalist skill proficiency, and occasionally uses poison (sleeping, see DMG) on his arrows.
5. He has been on the run for some years, since he's evading a murder charge in a land / kingdom a few hundred miles to the north.
His desire to wed his one true love (an elf lady) was frustrated by her family not approving of him. One of her cousins died to his blade in an impromptu duel.
6. He wears a pair of 'Boots of Elvenkind.'

Sly can be dangerous, or helpful, depending upon how the party interacts with him.
When encountered in town, he has come to town to trade a bit, and also to hang out at a tavern for a day or two to pick up local news, and to find out if anybody is looking for him. He has, on rare occasions, taken wealthy nobles on guided hunting trips. His fee is substantial. The bartender at "the Tavern" is the PoC to talk to about trying to hire him to run a hunting expedition.
Sly may be encountered while checking public notices or "wanted" posters.
He has a preference for strong whisky, and always has a pint of whisky in his backpack. Also in his pack is one healing potion and one antivenom dose.
Sly wears well-maintained studded leather armor.
His clothing is of exceptional quality (tanned deerskin mostly, heavy wool cloak of exceptionally fine weave for inclement weather) although it is often dusty/dirty/muddy around the edges.
Gray eyes, shoulder length brown hair, trimmed beard, olive complexion.
He wears a heart-shaped beryl earring in his left ear.

If asked about the earring, his eyes go very hard and he says, in Elvish, the equivalent of "Love hurts".
He then either changes the topic or ends the conversation.
Getting him to talk about that requires a successful DC 16 persuasion check.
Sly speaks giantish, elven, goblin, dwarfish, draconic, and common.
If examined closely, one may notice that his belt is made from the hide of a green dragon. DC 14 Nature check to discern this. Getting him to talk about this takes another DC 16 Persuasion check if he's already favorably impressed by the party (or they have done him a good turn) but he will not discuss it with the party if he has just met them or has had less than favorable interactions with them.
(A young green dragon was slain by his adventuring party before he left them in the lurch. It is possible that the dragon's sibling or parent seeks vengeance ...)
=====================
Depending on the level of your party, Sly may provide a few hooks, or just be an interesting (albeit mysterious) NPC.
He may also be the root cause of an adult green dragon attacking the town.

[sithlordnergal]

Walter the Wight: He was once a famous alchemist, who's potions were known far and wide. He eventually died due to natural causes, but his body was taken by a foul Necromancer. The Necromancer knew that Wights retained the memories and drives of their formerly living selves, and decided to use their dark magic to turn Walter into a Wight. They then gave Walter a simple task, create potions for their ever growing army of the Undead. In exchange for the potions, the Necromancer provided Walter with rare and valuable ingredients, and gave him a space to experiment with new potions. Eventually the Necromancer was destroyed, but Walter continued to make his potions. He now sells the potions under the cover of night, hiding from those that would destroy a twisted undead such as himself.

[Raven777]

Snip

This is sooooo good and I am going to steal it wholesale use it as inspiration. :smallbiggrin:

[KorvinStarmast]

Walter the Wight: He was once a famous alchemist, who's potions were known far and wide. He eventually died due to natural causes, but his body was taken by a foul Necromancer. The Necromancer knew that Wights retained the memories and drives of their formerly living selves, and decided to use their dark magic to turn Walter into a Wight. They then gave Walter a simple task, create potions for their ever growing army of the Undead. In exchange for the potions, the Necromancer provided Walter with rare and valuable ingredients, and gave him a space to experiment with new potions. Eventually the Necromancer was destroyed, but Walter continued to make his potions. He now sells the potions under the cover of night, hiding from those that would destroy a twisted undead such as himself. Doubtless, he makes a potion of haste as one of his top sellers. :smallcool:

[sithlordnergal]

Doubtless, he makes a potion of haste as one of his top sellers. :smallcool:

You know it. One of the purest and most effective Haste Potions on the market >w>

[Luccan]

Have a couple shady shopkeepers I haven't had a chance to use yet:

Anga Fellmaker: a Half-Orc alchemist whose main product is poison. She's suspicious of new customers, as her primary contacts for her toxicants are from the assassin's guild known as the Butcher's Knives. Anga has a distinctive appearance when brewing and selling, as she wears head to feet coverings to avoid accidental self poisoning. About the only thing giving away her identity are her eyes, visible behind a pair of thick goggles and the part of her hood near her mouth and nostrils where the fabric is thin enough to breath and be heard without too much muffling. Something akin to the Depths Armor set from TOTK could serve as a good basis for her outfit, though without any unnecessary frills.

Beiro Holimion: Beiro appears to be an upstanding High Elf merchant, but secretly he deals in dangerous magic items like Masks of the Skull and Braziers of Fire Elemental Command. Holimion puts on a caring and generous front, but he's actually extremely greedy and not particularly concerned with the damage selling volatile goods to dangerous people causes.

Either of these merchants could be simple contacts for less scrupulous PCs to acquire certain items and even information or they could be but one part of larger adventure where the players unravel a guild of assassins or the trafficking of powerful/cursed items. They could even serve as antagonists of their own adventures, though Fellmaker would probably be closer to a one-off conflict while Holimion has enough resources and allies to potentially cause real problems for the PCs even before they know it's him doing it.

If you have the desire to use them outside their status as merchants, stat them both as Artificers. If you'd rather not include the class in your game, Anga could be treated like an Assassin with a couple of Magic Initiate feats while Holimion could be well represented as a Arcane Trickster or a Inquisitive/Mastermind with his own MI feats.

[kazaryu]

Hey all!

I thought this might be a bit of fun. The game I'm running is leaving the module behind, and I'm slowly building up a major hub city for them. I have roughly 10 pages of notes so far, from plot ideas to major NPC's. Still, as this is going to the major location for a political style of game, the more NPC's the better. Whether it's a corrupt noble, kind inn keeper, or a drunk who runs around without pants, I'd love to hear your ideas, from serious to silly. Any character you want to volunteer from your games WILL get a spot somewhere in the campaign, so give me your best/worst ;)

OOHHH I love this idea.

the pillowtop inn is far more affordable than its level of comfort would suggest. while not ostentatious, there is a confident beauty in its polished wood lobby and adjoining cafe style restaurant. Its proprietor, an elderly human woman, treats all people with patience and respect, regardless how they're treating her. In her younger days she became a mage of not insignificant power. While she's not afraid to draw on that experience if the situation calls for it, she prefers to handle matters with her words...and perhaps a fresh cookie or two, a tray of which she always seems to have on hand.

basically think like...a holiday inn, but one of the 'higher end' looking ones and the rooms/beds have comfort levels to match. run by an old woman that should mostly just feel like an old kindly grandma type character. I never actually did come up with a name for her...its never come up...

[KorvinStarmast]

OOHHH I love this idea.

the pillowtop inn is far more affordable than its level of comfort would suggest. while not ostentatious, there is a confident beauty in its polished wood lobby and adjoining cafe style restaurant. Its proprietor, an elderly human woman, treats all people with patience and respect, regardless how they're treating her. In her younger days she became a mage of not insignificant power. While she's not afraid to draw on that experience if the situation calls for it, she prefers to handle matters with her words...and perhaps a fresh cookie or two, a tray of which she always seems to have on hand.

basically think like...a holiday inn, but one of the 'higher end' looking ones and the rooms/beds have comfort levels to match. run by an old woman that should mostly just feel like an old kindly grandma type character. I never actually did come up with a name for her...its never come up... Bellanona or Nonabella. (This parses, roughly, Pretty grandmother, in my badly fractured memory of a few Italian words). Or Nona Gentilmente (roughtly, "kindly grandmother") or Nonagentile (kind grandmother)

[Ionathus]

Here, have a few loaner NPCs from my current campaign!

Silas Templeton
Scrappy, hedonistic, well-meaning buffoon
Half-Elf
Swashbuckler Rogue X / Bear Totem Barbarian 3

Silas is here for a fight, but much more interested in having fun than winning. He's killed a few bandits but mostly just enjoys picking barfights in good humor. Narratively, he's a sailor and a mercenary. Mechanically, he picked up some Bear-barian levels for the damage resistance and reckless attack, and he doesn't care at all that it doesn't synergize with his rapier-and-dagger fighting style -- it's fun, and that's all that matters to him :smallwink:

He'll do whatever seems fun. If the party looks like fun to hang out with, he'll tag along. He has no greater agenda but will help out if it seems like society in general (and his favorite taverns in particular) are in trouble. Even odds on whether or not he'll make the situation worse when he does decide to help out, because his one and only move is "charge headfirst into danger".

Gavella
Hypercompetent middle-manager/bureaucrat/logistics person. Survivor.
Human
Civilian (Thief Rogue 2 if needed)

Gavella is near-supernaturally good at organization and logistics - if you need something done (organizing people, gathering intel, spreading misinformation, swaying public opinion) within an administration, merchant network, or political structure, she can accomplish it for you flawlessly. She's no good in a fight, but she can move through any community thanks to excellent survival skills (both physically and socially).

Gavella is currently working for a villain/antagonist organization and will jump ship the instant it becomes clear she's on the losing side. Depending on the PCs' reputation or apparent power level, that may happen the instant they walk in the door. She has zero qualms about selling out her current employer and giving literally every scrap of leverage she has to you if she thinks it will curry favor with you.

Watch out though: the instant she thinks that you're the losing side, she will give your enemies literally every scrap of leverage and intel she has on the party if she thinks it will curry favor with them.

The Body Man
Merchant (Necromancy)
Dwarf, Cleric 3 (lapsed Grave Domain)

Exactly what it sounds like. The Body Man is a collector of dead bodies, which he buys from commoners for ~5gp each and then turns and sells to necromancers (or medical universities, or other assorted weirdos) for ~200gp each. "Suppliers" sign a contract with him, agreeing that their body will become his property upon death in exchange for a peasant's fortune of ~5gp (less in event of substantial damage/decay to the corpse). He keeps the bodies preserved with Gentle Repose, or renders them into skeletons, depending on current demand from his clients. For his best clients, he can offer the bodies in convenient Bags of Holding or similar extradimensional storage spaces for easy transport.

Depending on the society he operates in, this business of his can be anywhere from fully legal to entirely off the books, but it should always feel sketchy and predatory. He never bullies or tries to "enforce" these contracts: it's not worth the risk for him, and the monetary pressures of society are more than enough to keep business booming. He has a turbulent past with the Church of Kelemvor, but neither he nor his former church compatriots are willing to discuss it.

In a fight, The Body Man flees. He uses Sanctuary, Shield of Faith, Enhance Ability, and Healing Word to give himself the best possible defense (he always has Cat's Grace active on himself to enable a fast getaway when meeting with anyone but his most trusted associates). He will always flee via the most expedient path available. If escape is cut off, he will unload everything has on whatever he perceives as the weakest obstacle to freedom - regardless of whether that's an enemy or a bystander. Command, Hold Person, Inflict Wounds, and Toll the Dead are his go-tos. He fights like a cornered, wounded animal.

Dame Harri
Paladin of Torm
Halfling, Ancients Paladin ~6 / Scout Rogue 3

Dame Harri is a kind and just paladin who wants to do the right thing. She's well-established as a member of the local warrior clergy (in my campaign, she's in Athkatla and therefore a member of The Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart). Although she's a symbol of law and order, she has a soft spot for adventurers who she believes are earnestly trying their best to help people. If she believes that the adventurers are reckless or mentally lazy, however, she sours quickly on them. Flippant or rash decisions, especially when innocents are involved, will set her off quickly.

Dame Harri was once an adventurer herself; she started out as a rogue in a group of vigilantes who took to the adventuring life because it seemed like fun. However, the rest of the team, while fundamentally good people, didn't share her principles, and something went very wrong. As a result, she has an intense disdain for adventuring parties who don't seem to care about collateral damage/dangerous behavior.

Dame Harri is 100% inspired by Mazzy Fentan, who deserved to exist in an edition of D&D that lets Halflings be paladins. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

[kazaryu]

Bellanona or Nonabella. (This parses, roughly, Pretty grandmother, in my badly fractured memory of a few Italian words). Or Nona Gentilmente (roughtly, "kindly grandmother") or Nonagentile (kind grandmother)

i love all of those names, thank you.

[Odessa333]

I love seeing this thread grow so much. Thank you all for these crazy characters. I look forward to trying to find them all a home :)