Looking to create a handful of Comical NPC's for the group during the game. Nothing very Dramatic.
The Campaign is for a Thieves Guild Campaign and I don't want to bog it down with just amazing treasure after amazing treasure.
so looking to input a bit of comedy to offset the Action & Drama that I have within it with some either Inept fellow thieves guild members that cause problems for the group.
[10pt NPC's with either 2 levels of Character Classes or 4 levels NPC classes] and a few magical trinkets and some laughable treasures.
A few other notes on the campaign
-Desert Campaign with some Dark Sun elements rolled in (The Halfling was told at Creation Halflings are known for eating other races that aren't Halflings)
-The main plot is that the Thieves guild that runs the city in secret has recently developed a Hag problem that has moved into the area and they are working to remove it without letting the common-folk know about it.
Player Characters are
-Sorcerer 5/Rogue 2 [Black Dragonborn, Built in Pathfinder]
-Invulnerable Rager 7 [White Tiger Catfolk- Heat/Fire Resistances]
-Burglar 7 [Human]
-Knife Master 7 [Halfing] {working on becoming an assassin}
-Rogue 7 [Gnome]
Cawn
- male Tengu
- Charlatan Rogue
10pt buy w/ racials:
13,13,10,8,11,15
1(feat): Lovable Scoundrel
2(rogue talent): Convincing Lie
Every time Cawn gets caught lying or stealing, he smiles and shrugs likes it's all a silly misunderstanding.
He is only a Charlatan Rogue until level 3, for Rumormonger. Then he goes into Brazen Deceiver Bard for the rest of his illustrious and illegitimate career... or at least 5 levels of Brazen Deceiver Bard, then maybe Arcane Trickster? It doesn't matter, probably won't be around that long. But if he is, Persuasive, Rhetorical Flourish, and Confabulist are definitely worth considering for him.
Cawn has taken an interest in the party and enjoys spreading untruths about them. Maybe he sees them as competition, maybe he is just a bully or bored...
Maybe there's some street kid who wants to use his trained rats for everything. A rat obsession could be played up nicely. He might or might not be a carnivalist rogue.
Hodor. Or Groot. Same principle.
General human (ish) relationships. A couple of guild members who you'll mostly see in screaming arguments or one chasing the other down the street. And yes they are a couple. Pick the drama or sitcom of your choice for examples. Stats may not be relevant.
Goblins are always fun, and so are cannibal Halflings.
It's hard for me to think of something because I don't know what your players would find funny. Do you guys have a drinking buddy that's fun to have around and gets you into lots of trouble? Maybe you just roleplay one of your NPCs to be like John Candy in Splash or Stripes. Maybe have one inventing crazy traps and stuff like 00negative in The Goonies. Maybe he's always blowing stuff up or shooting exploding arrows. How about that stupid gangster guy in The Good Place that died of suffocation trying to rob a place by trying to get smuggled in a locked safe: the snorkel he brought didn't seem to work for him. Maybe a pair of criminals with a baby like in Raising Arizona?
The Helm of Wil has a good point: what do you folks find funny? I tend to drop a lot of corny puns in my games; between that and inside jokes there's a lot of chuckles and groans in my games.
I also reference a lot of 80's and 90's movies, TV shows and books. If there's a shared series or media you and your players enjoy, maybe mine that for ideas.
Do you like dark humor? I'm pretty sure the Joker from DC Comics is a good source of ironic, dark comedy from the silly to the shockingly adult. The Killing Joke leaps to mind.
You're running a game in the desert and there's a thieve's guild. Of course the first reference is a young male human bard, with either a monkey familiar or a trained monkey pet, both wearing fez's. He likes to sing about being a street rat and wishes he could improve his station but he's got to steal to eat, eat to live...
Toss in a sassy flying carpet and even sassier djinn for extra fun.
For me, thieve's guilds and comedy always fall back on tropes. Overacting any of the "mob types" in old movies, from Edward G Robinson in Little Caesar to Joe Pesci in Goodfellas, to break up the monotony of action and drama. Having been raised in and around Chicago, IL in the USA, I can usually overexaggerate my south side accent and mannerisms for a laugh!
Then again, you're dealing with a group of thieves. A running gag you could pull is to have specialized units in the guild for bizarre purposes or having very specific skillsets. A group of larcenous bards, all posing as a band, with sound based spells/abilities with names like Overture, Riff, Back Beat and such. How about a 2-person breaking and entering team of siblings known as the Cracker-Jack Twins? An 8-woman team of con-artists and pickpockets with a bizarre Ocean theme despite being the middle of a desert.
Or... look at the old comic book The Tick! There are a lot of silly characters among the Tick's "rogues gallery" such as Chippendale Chairface - literally a well-dressed rogue with a chair for a head, The Baker - a French baker turned crime boss, or The Red Scare - a generic diabolical evil who is just a really old guy in a suit. Putting a silly twist on otherwise serious bad guy tropes could be a way to inject some fun into your game.
As for funny items or "trinkets," think of items that rogues, thieves and such would find cool but are otherwise kind of useless. How about a +1 Switchcomb? This is nothing more than a knife handle with a button; clicking said button releases a comb to spring out of the device. The comb, when applied to the hair in view of anyone you want to impress, makes you either look totally cool or like a real tough guy - it imparts the effects of the Enhanced Diplomacy cantrip when dealing with any onlookers who saw you comb your hair with it. As an added bonus any hair combed with a +1 Switchcomb remains slicked back for 24 hours, unless having it slightly askew would make you look cooler in which case the effect will cause deliberate effects such as an errant strand that frames the face, a unique part in the hair or slightly ruffled "bedhead," though other minor effects can be achieved (consult your GM).
Really with magic items, making them funny is just a matter of adding quirks or powers that aren't otherwise useful. Look through utility spells and cantrips/orisons. What about a super-sassy amulet with the spell Detect Poison that keeps you from eating anything poisonous... and also critiques any food or drink you present for inspection? "You're calling this 'Beef Wellington' but I say Beef SMELLINGton! I mean sure, it's edible but proceed at your OWN risk, that's all I'm saying..." The only catch being that all of that is out loud so if the chef is standing right there they hear every critical word of the amulet.
Here's another, along the same vein and also an amulet. It's a sommelier's tastevin, the shallow, cup-like device worn around a professional wine server's neck. Alcohol poured into the device is analyzed; the amulet gives you the stats on the alcohol, has an Appraise +10 effect that tells you the value of the liquor, etc. However after the standard scientific and appraisal data about alcohol content by volume or general worth, the tastevin then goes on to really review the alcohol by actually consuming the liquid it contains. After this consumption the device offers commentary on the "oakiness" of the liquid, it's component flavors such as lingonberry and dirt, the season it was bottled in, food pairing suggestions and such. The tastevin has a tendency to ramble on and may continue speaking for a good 2 minutes with nothing short of powerful magic able to muffle the sound.
Anything funny yet?
Well, if you want quality NPCs, borrow from professionals.
Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler. An overweight middle aged man wearing a heavy coat and a wide brimmed hat. He has a push food cart and always carries with him a tray of sausages and meat pies (of suspect origin). Dibbler has a gift for appearing almost anywhere and sliding up to unsuspecting people that just might be interested in buying a meat pie.
Prices vary with the customer. Somehow Dibbler knows who has substantial amounts of cash on them and changes his prices accordingly. Not that he charges a lot for his products, but if a player is carrying hundreds of GP in coin on them, Dibbler will push "sausages of astounding quality and deluxe meat pies fit for me own mother." Somehow they taste the same as his other products. His prices vary between 2cp and 2gp (at most). Unless he is selling information.
His actual criminal profession is information broker. He never says he is an information broker, and he always exchanges money for sausages or meat pies. If the PCs ask him a question, he'll say "Oh I've herd...ahem. Maybe you'd like a special meat pie? Extra spicy. With mustard. And curry. Quite expensive curry. Worth the extra charge. 20 gold." After ripping off the PC he'll restart his friendly conversation dropping in whatever information he knows.
The food is ... it looks fine. It has hardly any flavor to it. Strangely, nobody gets ill after eating it.
str 12 dex 9 con 12 wis 10 int 12 cha 14
Expert 2, Rogue 1, Sorcerer 1. Feats: skill focus: Diplomacy, KS: Local, Stealth.
Equipment: variety of meat cleavers, meat tenderizers, and other cooking implements. The serving tray is actually a magic item. Not only does it keep the food warm, but it also acts as a Handy Haversack. Also has Elven Boots.
Spells known: Vanish, Charm Person, detect magic, prestidigitation, detect poison, daze.
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Can't have thieves without Harry Lime and Marv Merchants... the Wet Bandits.
They are just your average B&E crew, who are notorious for flooding the place after they rob it (wands of Create Water?). They have a reputation for being terrible at spotting and disarming traps.
Also, catchphrases and quirks make for good/funny NPCs
"Did you get that... THING I sent'cha?" - this NPC has never sent the PC's anything
"Yeah see... and we're gonna do it MY way see? Nyah…" said while crunching the butt of a cigar in their mouth
"I wouldn't say I was MISSING it Bob!" always said with a slacker's drawl and a smirk on their face
Having an NPC always offer some kind of candy, like a Jelly Baby; having them talk with a pronounced lisp; giving them habit of repeating the last few words in their conversation; all of these and more can be funny, annoying and memorable.
A really short human dressed in a black-and-white hooped shirt and pants, a red cape, a wide-brimmed hat, and black gloves that always steals your food... particularly anything that may resemble a hamburger. All he ever says is, "Robble-robble."
Hmm how to describe my group.... Bored Alaskans? All joking aside, we are kinda a mis-mosh I'm pretty low brow with my humor, ever since I got married though I've had to add some doctor who humor along with Supernatural puns. [I'm an anime fan/artist] Most anime I watch is in the fantasy Genre, my friends up here like Star Trek, Star Wars, and one guy REALLY into Green Arrow [I like the flash, my wife likes Super Girl]
I am liking the idea of a Couple that are always bickering and causing issues on a Heist or other mission and Cawn is really amusing as well :D
Can totally see a Catfolk doing the "Where going to do it my way, nyah..!"
I love the idea for the roving Information Meat-pie vendor though :D he is so going to get some use.
In a campaign a long time ago, the party made an enemy (unknown to them) who sent a pair of hired killers after. Completely inept hired killers. Every attempt they made to ambush the PCs failed miserably usually with one or both of the hit men badly injured. The party got to the point where they'd laugh at the attempt, turn the oafs over to the local authorities, and go on their way, waiting for the next attempt. Think Wile E. Coyote level of competence.
BV210 wrote: In a campaign a long time ago, the party made an enemy (unknown to them) who sent a pair of hired killers after. Completely inept hired killers. Every attempt they made to ambush the PCs failed miserably usually with one or both of the hit men badly injured. The party got to the point where they'd laugh at the attempt, turn the oafs over to the local authorities, and go on their way, waiting for the next attempt. Think Wile E. Coyote level of competence. XD now that's amusing
OH!
I do have a player {catfolk Barbarian} who seems to believe every NPC so far
Tanuki Monk (Drunken Master)
Make him act and talk as if he was constantly drunken/tipsy, including being a little too friendly :P
Believe me, I tried, and my players laughed XD
My players tend to laugh at me, not my NPCs. For example in my games kobolds often speak in common (I houserule their base Int to 12) and have spiteful, hissing voices. One encounter however had a group of 4 kobolds acting like a team of adventurers who spoke to each other before and during the scene.
One had a ridiculously exaggerated Schwartzenegger voice because he had the alternate racial trait that made him more intimidating; one had a high-pitched nasal voice kind of like the rat mobster from Who Framed Roger Rabbit; the "wizard" of the group (Adept 2 with only the arcane type of Adept spells) peppered in phrases like "as it has been foretold" or "so it has been written" and other "mysterious" stuff whenever possible; the "cleric" (adept 2 with Familiar traded out for 1/day channel energy) was my best Christopher Walken.
To this day, almost 2 years after this encounter, one of my players still references the scene and my terrible impressions with a chuckle.
With your love of The Flash you could have 2 rogues, one really smart, the other dense as a box of rocks. The smart one would have some kind of a Cold fetish while the dense one deals in Fire. Oh, and the smart one should be a Captain.
One other thing my players liked was random things going on in the background. It wasn't funny, like "funny/ha ha" funny but more it got a grin and quizzical look from people. By "things going on in the background" I mean subtle things like a grippli NPC's parlor being decorated with mounted flies, a bard NPC who, every time the scene cut back to him, was juggling a different small object (seemingly from nowhere) or a group of elite dwarves who, instead of having a Norse/Viking kind of aesthetic I gave them the elaborate hair and beard stylings of the Munchkins and the people of Oz from the movie The Wizard of Oz, with voices to match.
Add a person who is betting all the time and come up with odds for everything - the same person should constantly be shaving off half his/hers hair, walking in pink dresses for a week or give their shoes away because he loses so often.
Another person could be a beggar who is trying out al kind of stuff for diner...
"Why do you cook your shirt... ?"
"Well, I was hungry, and it has so many lices, I thought perhaps I could return the favor and eat them back." ... "But - Do you think it counts as a cannibalism?"
Or a provocative arrogant drunk with a gentleman accent who starts a fistfight every time they meet him - and he fights so poorly, that his is knocked out quickly. Not that it stops him the next evening.
I never deliberately put comedic elements into a game. At least, not elements that are comical simply by their existence.
A character who is funny is one thing; a witty scondrel, jester or maybe even just a mercenary with a dry sense of humor. Those are real, important parts of any world.
A funny character is another thing entirely; joke names, nonsensical builds or gag magic items. Those things don't exist in any but the most jokey stories and damage the suspension of disbelief.
Aside from that, you have the side comments and peanut gallery effects at the table, outside of the game. I've always found this is a sure sign that your players are excited and tense. When the need to crack jokes between scenes arises, you know you've built up enough dramatic tension that your players feel the need to let off a little steam here and there.
XD Flash villains as Pathfinder NPC's, that is an amazing idea
Captain Cold would have Alchemical Items of Cold and Ice, while of course his compatriot would be using Alchemical fire. Maybe Minor and Major Magic, captain cold having Ray of Frost & Snowball and Scorching Hands & Ignite for Heat Wave
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