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The other day I ran a short adventure for my group that involved the creation of a bunch of NPCs in a fairly short time frame (3 days in between school and work). The design for the adventure itself took almost no time at all but the NPCs devoured all of my faculties for close to 90% of my prep work.
Now I'm one of those types of GMs who can't make up the stats for an NPC on the fly and need to have it done before the game. I love using NPCs in my games, in fact I think it's one of my strongest points as a GM to utilize really neat NPCs rather than some random beasties from a book. However I hate having to spend so much time prepping them!
So I've come to the Paizo community for your tips and suggestions on creating NPCs really quickly. What advice can you offer, what corners might be cut? Or am I doomed to stat out all the NPCs I can think of with tedious amounts of prep work?
Help please!
Only stat out the relevant. If he ain't gonna be in a fight, he doesn't need hit points.
Keep to simple classes as far as possible.
Use an NPC generator if you like them. There's plenty for 3.5 on the web (and I think there's a few decent PF too).
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If I am strapped for time, I have another beer and eyeball it - but I run beer and pretzel games.
If you want a book of pregens you can use
or
The game mastery guide which has tons.
Alternately you can use the monster building guidelines in the bestiary. Or grab a cr equivalent monster that fills roughly the same role and swap some skills around if needed.
So I've come to the Paizo community for your tips and suggestions on creating NPCs really quickly. What advice can you offer, what corners might be cut? Or am I doomed to stat out all the NPCs I can think of with tedious amounts of prep work?
Help please!
Use the NPC Gallery (link). While the gallery won't have exactly what you want most of the time, you can at least use the NPCs in the gallery as a starting skeleton.
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Wow, quick suggestions already thanks!
I've been statting out only the important guys for ages now. That's not the problem. The problem I have is that there are usually a handful of "important" NPCs.
For example, I might have a pool of three or so characters the PCs could take along with them on the adventure (it was a small party the other day). Of course the PCs might not ask any NPCs to join them either, I leave it totally up to them if they want to take one along. But since I can't make stats on the fly for these NPCs I have to prep them beforehand. Should I drop this habit, maybe make a skeleton for these guys and stat it out in-game as needed? Maybe I need to do just assume the NPC is average in things I don't stat out?
I've used NPC generators before as well, in fact they helped me out with this adventure. Problem is the Pathfinder ones are kind of beta still and PFRPG is different enough from 3.5 that a 3.5 generator may miss out on lots of stuff. I don't want to build a ranger NPC and miss out on favoured terrains!
Finally, using NPC galleries is something I've done. I have a hard time occasionally finding something appropriate but they sure are handy! I love all the NPC galleries out there online, some great ideas I never would have thought of.
Do you guys have any other ideas or suggestions?
Try rapidly generating NPC stat blocks like so:
Copy and paste the following:
Str: X Dex: X Con: X Int: X Wis: X Cha: XSaves: Fx;Rx;Wx;
Attack: (Full melee)
Attack: (Full ranged)Defense: XX (Armor, Nat, Dex, Def, Shield)
CMB: X
CMD: XFeatures:
Feats:HP: XX/XX
Just fill the Xs for what you want. Fast eyeballing says: (1) Primary stat +3, (2) secondary stats +2, (2) tertiary stats +0, (1) dump stat -1. So you know... 16/15/14/11/10/8; add BAB and saves as appropriate. Pick a weapon or two. Go. Any random treasure they have should be used by appropriate guys.
FullBAB guys will always be LvL+4 to hit, which is a good rule of thumb to just 'follow' if you're winging it.
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Oh, I like that Purplefixer! Nice and concise, should fit on a notepad easily. I'll try that out the next time I have some NPCs to make.
A couple of questions though, does it work as easily for multi-class characters as it does for single class? Also would you just kind of wing the skills, if so what's a good rule of thumb for it? Finally any tips for spells?
Sorry for all the questions I'm just fishing for options here. :)
Also check out the Pathfinder Database Game Aids page. The NPC half-sheets there won't make your generation faster, but they do help you keep your focus to the essentials and allow you to keep track of multiple NPCs at a time.
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The other day I ran a short adventure for my group that involved the creation of a bunch of NPCs in a fairly short time frame (3 days in between school and work). The design for the adventure itself took almost no time at all but the NPCs devoured all of my faculties for close to 90% of my prep work.
Now I'm one of those types of GMs who can't make up the stats for an NPC on the fly and need to have it done before the game. I love using NPCs in my games, in fact I think it's one of my strongest points as a GM to utilize really neat NPCs rather than some random beasties from a book. However I hate having to spend so much time prepping them!
So I've come to the Paizo community for your tips and suggestions on creating NPCs really quickly. What advice can you offer, what corners might be cut? Or am I doomed to stat out all the NPCs I can think of with tedious amounts of prep work?
Help please!
I've a pathfinder generator that is fully working.
Dinglegames Pathfinder GeneratorIt's free up to level 5 (in 2 classes) and any HD of monster.
It will only take a few minutes to create quite complex NPC's
Should save hours of prep time. I'm still adding in more classes, all the basic ones are there though
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Print and use Page 42 for Pathfinder. Also use Table: Monster Statistics by CR. These work great for basic threats and challenges. Thus, if I need an on-the-fly guard, I get the following:
CR 1; hp 15; AC 12; BAB +2, CMB/CMD +4/14; Dmg 1d6+2; Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +1.
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My best advice, aside from what's been given already, is the art of "reskinning". Taking one thing that resembles what you what and changing the look (and possibly a few minor traits) to get what you want. Templated creatures are useful for doing this- the fiendish, giant, advanced, and young templates in particular. For example, a quickling with the giant template (and perhaps a few levels in monk) can make for a fun, speedy rogue/monk type character- easy to reskin as an exceptionally fast human or elf.
The Book of Monster Templates (by Rite Publishing) has a few other useful templates that I've found useful for reskinning as well.
Also, consider coming with rough npc stock characters when the idea strikes you (or just taking note of the basics when you come upon an idea you fancy in popular media or on message boards). Going back to these stock characters as chassises for your npcs can help save you from having to start over each time. This is particularly true if you have them on a fillable character sheet, short stat block, or some other electronic format that can be cut and pasted easily.
I had assumed this thread would have something to do with strapping yourself in and FEEL THE G's!!!
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@dingle: Thanks, I actually used your NPC generator to help design some NPCs in the last adventure I made. If I start up a regular game soon I might have to donate for the full product. :)
@Spes Magna Mark: That is the single most useful table I've never seen before! Having never read the 4th DMG and being generally out of the 4th loop I never knew about this. Bookmarking that site, will print it out for my DM screen. That is one awesome chart, thanks a bunch!
@Dreaming Psion: Awesome idea that re-skinning thing, I never would have hit upon it. Pretty clever too, who would suspect a giant quickling? No body, that's who!
@Father Dale: If you aren't feeling the G's yet you haven't strapped yourself in properly.
Thanks a lot for the suggestions so far guys, keep them coming if you have them!
My campaigns are heavily based on NPCs, with monsters really filling only background roles. I am currently wrapping up the design and creation of a new campaign that is based on palace intrigue, so virtually all of the encounters will involve NPCs.
Here's what I do.
All of my campaigns occur in my own home-built world. So the first step for a new campaign is to pick the setting (a location in the world) then I create the plot, and then I create a cast of characters.
For the cast of characters I typically end up with ten to fifteen characters that will likely interact directly with the PCs. This usually includes that BBEG and his henchmen. It also usually involves some NPCs that will either be supporting the PCs or obstructing them in some way. That could include government bureaucrats who may well have been bribed to interfere with the PCs.
For those that I expect to interact with the PCs I stat out all the important stats, which typically means hit points, AC, saves, equipment, attacks and any critical skills (diplomacy, bluff, sense motive, perception, etc.) For the BBEG and the immediate henchmen I usually build them out exactly as I would an actual PC (including backstory and all skills).
For the NPCs that I don't expect to interact much with the party I work mostly on backstory but I will assign hit points, AC and some basic skills (again, perception, diplomacy, etc.)
Then I design a bunch of generic encounters that I think the group is likely to have such as "Bandits" or "City Guard" or "Assassins" or whatever. Then I stat out all the important combat stats for those encounters.
During the game if one of my unstatted NPCs happens to get involved in an encounter with the PCs, I usually can find one of my canned encounters where he/she can adopt the role of one of the combatants (either friend or foe) so I don't need to suddenly roll up stats. If not then I'll usually wing it, but if I have the proper encounters already set up I don't need to do that.
The biggest struggle for me when building NPCs is usually around spell selection and feats. I can't seem to even begin to work on those without being sucked into totally statting out the whole character. If I had a way to quickly pick a few spells and quickly pick a few feats, my life as a DM would be much easier...
@Spes Magna Mark: .... That is one awesome chart, thanks a bunch!
No problem. I live to be awesome. ;)
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The biggest struggle for me when building NPCs is usually around spell selection and feats. I can't seem to even begin to work on those without being sucked into totally statting out the whole character. If I had a way to quickly pick a few spells and quickly pick a few feats, my life as a DM would be much easier...
How much work do you do on your NPCs? Do you equip the ones who are supposed to support or obstruct the PCs? That's usually where I get buried, equipment. Ugh. I think I've found a way to deal with it though so not a problem any longer. :)
As for your problem with spells and feats, couldn't you just pick a list of generally useful ones for the everyman? I normally glance over the Pathfinder NPC feat lists for some quick selections, like a melee NPC will probably have Power Attack, Cleave, Improved Sunder or some such.
Of course spells might take a little longer since you don't have these lists provided really but it shouldn't be hard to figure out what spells are generally useful to a caster. If you have extra time maybe checking out adventure modules for NPC spellcasters and seeing what spells are common?
Still some amount of work to be done up front but it may help out in the long run!
How much work do you do on your NPCs? Do you equip the ones who are supposed to support or obstruct the PCs? That's usually where I get buried, equipment. Ugh. I think I've found a way to deal with it though so not a problem any longer. :)As for your problem with spells and feats, couldn't you just pick a list of generally useful ones for the everyman? I normally glance over the Pathfinder NPC feat lists for some quick selections, like a melee NPC will probably have Power Attack, Cleave, Improved Sunder or some such.
Of course spells might take a little longer since you don't have these lists provided really but it shouldn't be hard to figure out what spells are generally useful to a caster. If you have extra time maybe checking out adventure modules for NPC spellcasters and seeing what spells are common?
Still some amount of work to be done up front but it may help out in the long run!
For equipment I generally just assume the NPCs have whatever they need, so I don't equip them with candles, saddles, blankets, etc. For magic equipment and money I generally decide what "makes sense" for that NPC to have and give it to them. Usually that means fairly generic masterwork or low magic weapons or armor and a few wands or potions or whatnot. Not a big deal usually.
On the feats, the issue usually revolves around trying to make them work with the character's backstory and build. So for spellcasters the whole issue of spells and feats gets rolled up into "what kind of specialist do I want to make this guy?" For melee it's not too bad, I have a few general feats, but on occasion, just to spice things up, I'll throw a trip specialist or someone with combat expertise to gain additional attacks of opportunity, so I do still have to work a few things out even for melee.
And what tends to happen, is once I look at the feat list or the spell list, I fall into the "hmm... what if I did.... " trap, where I can get lost for hours and hours....
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And what tends to happen, is once I look at the feat list or the spell list, I fall into the "hmm... what if I did.... " trap, where I can get lost for hours and hours....
Ha, I know that trap well. It's got to be a DC 5 to find, DC 45 to avoid. One day I'll see the 20 on die face but until then I am slave to the whims of the trap.
About equipment again do you find your players gripe about the lack of magical gear on NPCs? It is pretty much the treasure gained from them and one of the best ways for PCs to gain decent gear.