We had one such in Planescape of the chaotic variety. He believed the blood of his enemies was all the armor he needed and refused to bathe. Needing him half presentable once we threw him in one of those giant Ton beer casks. It was as close to washed as we could get him and the only safe method as he had to drink his way out and was too drunk at the end to do anything about it but pass out.
The NPCs that establish their entire vibe in one sentence are usually the ones that players love (or love to hate). In other words, all of the NPCs you wrote on a whim with a smirk - those will radiate potential.
Honestly, I have had players have more fun with my random NPCs than the ones I made for them. Sometimes it drives me crazy! But at the end of the days it their game
I have a habit of making really unlikeable PCs on purpose - I really like dour tough women in our games for some reason (think Cassandra from Dragon Age series). They sure are memorable, even if they are about as one dimensional as a spiky stick.
OK, Professor, I have a confession to make - At this point, I see a new video from Dungeon Craft and I'm compelled to just hit the "thumbs-up" and enjoy the content. I know it will be good before I even view the video. Then I settle in and always find something I can use or think about. Thanks for all you do. This NPC video was brilliant.
@@DUNGEONCRAFT1wow, that sounds so sad. People are missing out because the stories you told about these NPC's were so engaging. The Succubus stuff was hilarious and the story of how Timmy saved the day was so good. Hopefully it builds some steam and you get more viewers on this video.
In Engine Publishing's "Unframed: the Art of Improvisation for Game Masters", John Arcadian writes: "The least important thing about your game is the plot. That might be a hard pill to swallow, but as the GM, the moment you sit down at the table surrounded by your players, your intricate stories and plots pale in comparison to the moments of excitement that the players generate themselves. " When I read it, this line smacked me in the face and I have never been the same since. I still make up NPCs and give them stories and motivations, because that's one of the ways I have fun. But I recognize it for what it is: something for ME--maybe my players will enjoy it, but just as often, they decide they're interested in something else completely.
In one of my campaigns a Bugbear who survived an encounter with the party surrendered and revealed that he joined the cult the party encountered because he was tired of war and wanted something, but that his REAL passion of locating rare ingredients for restaurants. His name was Gregor, and he wanted to be a “finder.” So naturally he showed up in town and when he met the party he was like, “Hey, we’re still doing the no killing thing, right?” He showed up from time to time with the same greeting, always with interesting ingredients. One of my players gave me a mini of him as a birthday present. It also started the trend of random bugbears being involved in the restaurant business in every one of my world.
My players absolutely loved the shady Lemon Merchant Lee Mon, who over described things (like “oh, I’m just a perfectly legal lemon merchant, selling legal lemons that don’t contain illegal substances.”) but also didn’t trust him and went off on a side quest to find out what he was doing.
I had a drink that became famous in my campaign, "Fairy's Smile". The players got into so much trouble because of a simple name I came up on the spot that it made its way on the table a few more times along the years.
“Wolfie” was an NPC Thief in our DCC game. The players couldn’t overlook that Wolfie had been the sole witness at the deaths of three PCs. He was innocent-but we expelled him from the party and sent him back to the surface, just in case.
One of my favourite all time NPCs was a goblin called Ug Zug that the PCs charmed in Keep on the Borderlands. They left Ug Zug guarding the camp, so Ug Zug made them soup. From a child they'd captured and killed nearby. Half the PCs finished the soup because they didn't want to offend Ug Zug after they'd done all that work. Ug Zug later drowned and the players were horrified.
I once introduced a character to my players who was hiring them for a job. He kept alluding to his great and powerful master, who would surely reward them beyond their wildest dreams. One of the players was really excited to meet this "master" and so the NPC finally relented and arranged a meeting. I was reaching into my bag of books (at the time I carried about a dozen books with me every time I played; obviously this was before I grew comfortable with "rulings over rules") and noticed a sock puppet I had made for my son. Inspiration struck, I put it on, and a second later, the NPC pulled out his own sock puppet and introduced his master... Most of the players laughed, but the one who had been so excited just stared at me with his mouth open for several seconds. He immediately wanted nothing more to do with the NPC, which was unfortunate because while he was a bit... off... he was quite powerful and wealthy.
I ran a short campaign in college where my players were unwilling participants in an otherworldly, Mortal Kombat-esque tournament that was hosted by this being who may or may not have been some kind of power-mad psychopomp. I did everything in my power to make this entity unlikeable and annoying, but my players LOVED him. They went from trying to escape to trying to win the tournament in the most astounding way possible, just to show off to this guy and impress him.
Great video, and great advice. Having listened to more than a few RPG Horror Stories, an all too common theme is when a DM falls too much in love with an NPC idea and then tries to thrust that NPC on them in every situation they can; the players not attaching themselves to that NPC only causes the DM to try harder - as though the problem is that they just haven't come to see enough of that NPC. It seems so many games would be saved if the DM could just throw something out there - see if it hits or misses; if it hits then they can move forward, and if it misses just let it fade into the background and in time be forgotten. Also - Timmy the Untalented kinda rings true to life. One just has to look to all the childhood stars whose lives have been ruined by early fame & success and the adults around them (parents, managers, agents, etc.) leeching off of them. It doesn't happen to all of them, but it happens far more often than it should. So it is an injustice that a person could really see happening.
It's gotten to the point that I just click on the Like button for every Dungeon Craft video, before the theme music even starts. Every single one is great. Edit: And all these NPCs are hilariously good. I remember Timmy being mentioned previously. Ever since watching Dimension 20's "Escape from the Blood Keep", I call this the John Feathers Effect. The players are fighting giant eagle riders on an airship, and they roll really well and manage to convince one giant eagle to switch sides in this fight. They ask his name and you can see Brennan Lee Mulligan's brain freeze up for half a second before he spits out, "John... Feathers." And this eagle's motivation is... that he wants to wear clothes, like humans do. So when they promise him they'll get him some clothes, he helps them in the fight, ends up being roped into the party and they have an entire party-created sidequest to create this giant eagle a three-piece suit. He stayed with them till the end of the adventure. It's such classic D&D shenanigans.
I had a similar moment to your succubus npc when my players came across a young Medusa named Naribeth! She was captured and being used by gnolls to make statues of their other victims! Became the party fav after she was able to crit and finish the leader of the gnolls when they were very close to a tpk
A great advice as always. Once i learn as a DM play with players and do not overprepaded. This is where i felt in love with DMing. I just prepare enough, rest let players and rolls decice. Creating a game and story together.
Professor, I truly enjoy your content. This episode, though, inspired me to comment for the first time. I guess it struck a cord with me? I’ve been the DM for my group for quite a while. Consisting of primarily my college buddies from long ago (I am from the class of ‘91) plus some additions from the real tax-paying world, we’ve been at it for around 30 years! One of my best friends actually owns a medieval festival and we play at his castle a couple of long weekends each year. My observation relative to your NPC references around “quality” or “longevity of impact” is that it is a combination of two things: 1) knowing your players (we often call the players “character puppet masters” with the PCs being an extension of those real humans),i.e., what they enjoy and how they deploy their PCs, and 2) my (the DM’s) awareness of my job to weave a tale, spin a yarn, that builds suspense and is compelling not just to further the pursuit of a plot line, but that tugs at the PC their puppet masters wish to develop. Collaborative storytelling by definition! Many (the vast majority?) of my NPCs are either concocted on the spot or are loosely fleshed out in my mind’s eye usually manifesting a “purpose” (such as a crotchety and elderly local authority) or serving as a major plot anchor (like the sword arm enforcer of the BBEG). I typically, which you and/or Bob the WorldBuilder allude, leverage the multitude of stat blocks to which I have access from the many printed resources I’ve obtained over the years when I need quantitative content in combat or for ability checks. Those NPCs for which both my players and I have our most fond memories are the likes of Chosearah, Inouye, and Cosmo Lang. Chosearah began as a pseudo dragon that happened upon the party when I needed a mercurial chap to bleed off some stress and enable the party to collect itself after having nearly experienced a TPK! He led them to another spontaneous conception of mine - Inouye, a priest of Bahamut belonging to a small and little known sect of the platinum dragon’s clergy. His body guard was Sir Cosmo Lang, a stereotypical Arthurian Knight-type. I patterned them on personality templates in my head with Inouye being named for a certain senator from the great state of Hawaii, but whose personality was quite Yoda-esque while Lang was named after a 20th century arch bishop of Canterbury and whose personality was that of Ramirez (played by Sean Connery) from The Highlander. Why the combination? I could easily remember the names AND the personas of the iconic characters from my own experiences. Chosearah was fun to play as he was “flitty” (ephemeral and eccentric), frustrating yet endearing at the same time, but behaved as though he “belonged there” and was thus quite confident and at ease while not being arrogant. He felt aloof, but trust-worthy to the party. Not only did I not have any notes on Chosearah written when he first appeared, as I grew to love playing (NPC-ing) him, he evolved and over two campaigns and 6 years of time, I never needed to document a single note as it became natural to “become” Chosearah! He intertwined himself with the various PCs in ways that were meaningful to them because I knew what interests my players and told a story built to immerse each as individuals AND which enabled them to pursue a plot line. Eventually, through PCs converting - due to absolutely no railroading by said DM - to the worship of Bahamut, calling upon Chosearah via divination, and through being requisitioned to carry out a number of quests, Chosearah revealed himself (granted this event was 2/3 of the way through his first campaign and probably 1.5 years of real time) to be the “Voice”- one of the seven gold dragons who are the chief servants of Bahamut. Thus, rendering a huge seal of approval and validation for the party and their cause! Propelling them hence forth with great purpose - which was important to how my party immerses themselves in their PCs. I tell these anecdotes because when the professor spake of his NPC guidance, it struck me at first as, “duh, of course!”, but then as, “wait! This isn’t actually intuitive.” So, I thought I too might actually be able to render a little inspiration to my fellow followers of our favorite collaborative past time which, if it hasn’t become obvious to you, is psychologically more important to our social well being than it might at first appear! Thanks, Professor, for your contributions to our world, fantasy though it may be!
For me the NPCs people liked the most and still remember are the ones I made on the spot just to fill space or be a dynamic side story. But those simple characters really brought the players into the game even though they had a backstory that could be summed up in one sentence and hardly any personality traits lol. All it took was a compelling short story and an interesting appearance.
I had Zmugax "Teddy" the goblin. No-one in the party spoke goblin and he didn't speak common, so they named him Teddy. He was abandoned by the rest of his goblin raiding party. He was so thoroughly impressed with the barbarian's battle prowess that he swore to follow them. He couldn't hit the broadside of a barn, but he sure tried to impress the barbarian ever chance he got.
I love how your players are able to get emotionally attached to the NPCs, for good or ill. Pro wrestlers understand that you want the fans to love you or hate you, that's what gets them involved in the story. Keep up the great work!
What you described in this video is essentially Improv 101: sometimes the best moments and characters are those that happen on a whim. Just roll with whatever you've created on the spot and embrace it with your players.
I was running a campaign where the players were attacking a group of goblins and the last one of the group threw himself onto the ground and started begging for mercy. The players decided to use him to help scout out the layer in the cave nearby. They use threats of torture and he capitulated. The half-orc character in the party continued to berate and abuse him and being a goblin used to that behavior this NPC latched onto the half-orc as his superior. After a few sessions this NPC became a player character for a couple years. Eventually he went on his own way to lead his people to a new and peaceful existence in the Kingdom. And everyone in the party remembers Regan.
We recently had a situation occur similar to Timmy. One of our players snagged a spear from a goblin leader he killed. He had only the base skill with it (we play RQ a skill based d100 system - he had like 25%) but then proceeded to roll REALLY low making hits and some impales (special hit doing more damage). We, the other players, started touting him as a natural with the spear and confinced him to keep it as his primary weapon, in site of the fact that another player had a decent skill % in spear.
You know, random tables are cool and all, but sometimes the most random things just come out of our minds. No table can replace creativity in the appropriate context.
In a recent game our GM gave one of my characters a weasel . It was meant to help us find a group of kidnapped orphans that we were searching for . The character he gave it to had just joined after having had my previous character die . I had just made the character up on the spot and had put very little thought into him . After getting the weasel and having it befriend my character it gave my an idea and I developed a back story and really fleshed out the character . Sometimes the simplest thing can change your game .
Ah, NPC l'amour! It is so enjoyable when you have an NPC the players bond with. Telling the tales for years after they have gone away. One of the great satisfactions of being a Dm, especially the on the fly, or minor NPC that makes it into the party's/player's hearts and minds! Great video!
Recent game night - I spontaneously named a prisoner my players rescued Alice. The players got Alice and her cell mates out of the dungeon through a teleport circle, but had left other prisoners in another cell, back in the dungeon. Alice insists the players go back and get them, especially a young woman who seemed in a trance. I roled a d4 and that young woman will transform into a mind flayer in 1 hour. Thx Alice! lol laughed the DM :D
Outstanding video. I have two memorable NPCs that my players really created. For me, to keep the NPCs from outshining the players, I almost always have them with either no ability score bonus or maybe a +1, and I try to make something the group doesn't have (if the NPC is going to have a class). I had a group of 1st level players that needed a character to show them the way to the dungeon location (for their initial trek). So I had a first level human ranger, minimum scores required, nondescript, red tunic (medieval Star Trek reference) whose only purpose was to walk the players to the dungeon locale and promptly die or disappear. He didn't have a name, and his only equipment was a longsword, torch, and some sort of light armor. He was overly positive and complimentary of the players. All of the players liked him. At first, I thought they were messing with me. They each gave him some of their gear, including a shield, back up weapon, and better armor. They also started giving him treasure, and not crappy treasure either. When the group found a hauberk of elven chain, it went to the ranger. That +1 flaming longsword, that went to the ranger. "Now you don't need that lone torch!" They literally made this guy into Aragorn. I had him swear an oath to serve them, and he was this epic henchmen that was totally loyal to the party. The second favorite NPC was actually the familiar of the NPC I designed. The original NPC was an elf wizard with severe allergies that hated the outdoors. He complained about every aspect of the quest, got lost in the forest, sneezed or blew his nose whenever the group was sneaking up on opponents, failed to properly conjugate verbs on spell scrolls, etc. He also had a familiar that was a tiny earth elemental--essentially a pile of rocks that moved fairly slowly. Really, I just wanted a wizard whose familiar was a pet rock. The elf wizard said mean things to the tiny earth elemental, blaming it for his mistakes, any bad occurrence, or really just because. I'd have the familiar try to be helpful, only to be met with criticism, ridicule, and blame every time the wizard missed a skill check, miscast a spell, gave away the groups location, etc. The players couldn't believe how mean the wizard was toward this pile of rocks...that didn't have any feelings but would imitate such by slumping its shoulders, hanging its head, etc. And of course the pile of rocks was completely loyal to wizard because it doesn't have feelings. I think the group eventually tried to buy the pet rock familiar.
This is my favorite video that you've made in quite some time. I love the joy in your voice when retelling of these NPC's adventures. Reminds me of the best of times, sitting around a table and rolling dice with friends. Cheers, Professor!
It makes sense that off the cuff npcs tend to be more popular. Play is largely organic by nature and rpgs really tap into that aspect. barebones npcs like this are effectively built by the whole group and the circumstances of the adventure. everyone has a part in fleshing them out and thus some ownership.
Some of our group's favorite characters are NPCs that were made up on the spot. There was a cab driver in our cyberpunk game who I played up with an overly friendly attitude despite being a cabbie in a REALLY bad part of the mega city where auto cabs were not used due to the crime rate. Events in the game collided when the PCs were in the driver's cab and a group of street mercs came gunning for them. Queue the high octane shootout while racing through the congested city streets. I was sure the cab driver would fail and crash, but my rolls were REALLY good and I just went with it, describing the cab driver pulling Fast n' Furious levels of high speed stunts, all while apologizing to his fellow motorists for the accidents he was causing. The PCs took down the street mercs and the cab driver became legend. Fast forward and the characters are big time trouble shooters taking corporate and high end syndicate jobs. Their wheel man? the cab driver, who they hired on the spot after that crazy chase. He was a throw away NPC who became an important member of the group. There have been several NPCs like this, and all of them were just spontaneously created in the moment, but became major characters in the campaign that everyone loved.
Now that you mention this, I can't help, but to recall a goblin named Scabies I once made. He was nothing, but the PCs helped the guy become ruler of the local goblins. He's even returned for a few cameos in a 2nd campaign. I was also amazed at your voicing the characters. I'm going to purposely allow a NPC to create themself next session. Thanks.
So true. I'm always amazed at how randomly organic and flat-out fun the process can be. There are times when I leave the table shaking my head at what my players responded to and how much I milage I got out of their responses! In a blink my campaign is heading in a trajectory I could hardly have predicted. Don't read that wrong either; the main goal stays the same (for the most part) but its given a richness and fun-factor that I couldn't have planed even if I'd tried 🙂
First... phenomenal stories. Second, I've been DMing for about 2.5 years now and have become halfway decent by watching and listening to HOURS of RUclips DM advice. This is going in my Top 5.
I had a throw-away NPC from several years ago who was a fop and spoke in third person. I wouldn't say that the character became a player favorite, but they got some good chuckles out of the encounter. It was good enough that I reused that NPC in a more recent campaign with different players and, again, folks seemed to like it. The downside is that it is super hard to speak in third person consistently!
I’ve been running 1/2e campaigns with my group since ‘88. We’ve had some about three legendary NPCs in that time. All of them were randomly generated meatheads who were hired by the party or had paths cross and they joined up. They became legendary for their hard boiled world views, stupid accent and/or, as per Timmy’s story, making an epic timely save that help the party pull out a win in a nearly unwinnable scenario. Professor, keep cranking out the off-the-cuff weirdo side characters, they add so much flavor and depth compared to the effort it takes to make them that they are truly worth it and the years of nostalgia due to their ensuing chicanery. Deathbringer banging out a dad joke. Excellent.
My groups end up interacting with a small odd looking and sounding Thief/acrobat type named Hughey the great (Wallace Shawn, basically) He robbed the last group and then backwards sommersaulted away while he did an arch laugh and they all failed attack rolls and initiative.
I've watched so much of your content for so long now, and this has got to be one of my favorite episodes. I love hearing about NPC ideas. However stats-heavy (or not) we each want to be as GMs, good NPCs inject flavor into any kind of game.
"Wizards like spilled milk" I lean into the ideas that Dwarves have no magical ability in my setting, in fact it was magical assaults that finally broke the ancient Dwarven Kingdoms and Empires and put them in their declined state, so in true DM fashion, I'm stealing this. Thanks for the freebie.
Important note, actually the rank is Slayers, from the Slayer cult. Trollslayers are just Slayers who have hunted and fought Trolls. Theres also Dragonslayers, Giantslayers, and so on Edit- oh and to become a slayer, a dwarf must be shamed sufficiently to decide death is the only way to make up for their mistake. Each dwarfs reason can differ. Some dwarves will cause an entire Karak to be lost. Some dwarves will choke on ale in front of their friends. Whatever it is, it is sufficiently damaging to any specific dwarfs pride to drive them to the Slayer Cult
Thanks for the killer advice and for shouting out all of the super cool games i wouldn’t have known about it if it weren’t for you, but now I definitely got to check it out!
A gem. I'm glad I'm not the only one who has wasted time on concepts that the players totally ignored. The poor kid is gold. I will definitely try that one.
Too right! A DM can create villain NPCs and be confident the players will despise them, but you just never know who they are going to like. When I ran WDDH a couple years ago, the PCs ended up ignoring all the pre-made NPCs in the module and instead cultivated a network of street urchins which I had to create on the spot, and who figured prominently in the plot thereafter.
It's very rare that my murder hobo-y group pays any attention to NPCs. But once in a great while, the stars align, and something clicks. Those moments are golden.
Great stuff! I've had the same experiences with npcs and my play group. I remember that there was a random encounter I threw into the game while the party was traveling between two large cities where a young goblin was following them for food scraps when they would camp. One of the players charmed him and then the party proceeded to feed and clothe the little guy and convinced him to stay with them even after the charm wore off. Fast forward a couple of sessions and Tom the Goblin was riding into combat alongside the party on the back of the ranger's pet wolf. All from a completely random moment.
Great video. I love stories like this. The best moments in gaming come spontaneously. and in context. Also, I want to applaud you for taking up the indie rpg banner. It's been cool to see other channels responding. I've been doubling down on watching indie rpg videos this month, and if I could afford to, I'd be buying product left and right. There's just so much good stuff out there these days, and I'm glad it's getting some attention.
I had an orc blacksmith in a town for a campaign. My notes read, "Drex, orc blacksmith. Gruff and doesn't talk much." But when the players encountered him, I played him like an Orcish Ron Swanson. He spoke primarily in single-word phrases and rarely did anything but scowl, but he was honest and had a heart of gold. So much so that one of the players developed a crush on him and we actually had a romance going between them. He would only call her "Woman" to her face, though he carved her name into the handle of his forge hammer. Best NPC I've ever done and it was all improv and yes-anding the players. Can't agree with the Professor more on this one.
I once tried to make this happen in one of our campaigns. Alas, I was but the player. We started captured by drows. Our goal was to free ourselves and the crown prince. We managed that, and we placed a bunch of five newly freed peasants under the command of the prince. Now, the prince had military training and could coordinate the efforts of many in battle. That was our excuse to make the peasants participate in our efforts to take control of the complex. Whenever it was the prince's turn, he effectively had five attacks with disadvantage. While defending a chokehold where the disadvantage was cancelled, one peasant distinguished himself by scoring no less than 3 critical hits. I wanted that peasant to be promoted, to know his background, etc, but the DM didn't see the role playing opportunity. Oh, what could have been.
Your son is a man of culture, i see. In every campaign or even short adventure i've ever mastered, the party inevitably got really attached to the random NPC i created without thinking, while the ones i've spent hours thinking about went unnoticed. It's because what they create in their mind is more interesting than what we are trying to convey to them. I've had many an old farmer/sailor/veteran become beloved mentors and quest giver, while the anti-hero with a tragic backstory, tied to all the sub-plots and accused of murder by the BBEG stayed in the town jail forever(or whatever silly NPC i thought was cool as a teenager). One thing i've found is: if you really want the party to notice an NPC, try to "hide them" from the party. Don't describe them too much, pretend he is just a background character, but have them return from time to time. " After you search the room for familiar faces, you recognise some of the regulars. That guy with the green hat is not here today." The next day they meet him in the market square. Nothing happens, just a guy. Next time maybe one of the PCs will ask :" Hey, is the guy with the green hat here today?" " As it happens, he is here and he is looking at you with a weird smile.."
I definitely agree with Professor DM, players always choose the oddest NPCs to become attached to. As such, I've learned to include lots of NPCs without going too far into their backstory. Wait until the players latch onto that NPC before really expanding them so that you don't waste too much time. In my last campaign, the three NPCs which the players loved... Dustk-- a grig assigned by a good NPC to escort the PCs across a massive and dangerous forest. He was a perfect scout with his invisibility and flying so he helped warn the PCs of orcs, find paths for them, and to guard duty. His memorable trait was he couldn't speak common (just a few words) and on could sing and play music each night when they camped. Maggin -- an 11-year-old homeless boy who met the PCs outside the city gates. He stopped them from getting scammed by some locals and offered his services as a guide. Players love him running messages, getting good deal on things they wanted to sell, getting passage on ships, etc. By the time they left the city, they'd paid another librarian NPC to take the kid in. Each time they visited the city, he was their first stop. Kasana -- an older teen girl who lived in an extremely poor nomadic village, think Mongol. The PCs needed some information which the people weren't going to part with. Meanwhile, the young woman needed to escape an arranged marriage. So, she offered help the PCs find the information if their strongest PC bid on her in a wife auction -- the one bidding the most horses got her. This led to the PCs secretly buying every horse around only to find out the other bidder was the chief's massive barbarian son and a deadly one-on-one knife fight with him. I thought the PCs would hate her for 'tricking' them, but they thought it was brilliant and took her with them until they found her a suitable home with another (more prominent) tribe.
The trick to making good NPCs is knowing what you need to improv such NPCs, and training that muscle of "what things to do to endear this character to the players" and "what to do to make the players hate this guy". Learning some "save the cat" style short hand prep will go a lot farther than "this is the backstory of this npc" style prep!
I had a grumpy old man NPC that ended up beating the head bad guy to death with a shovel for inslaving and mass killing his people. The players fell in love with and wanted to keep him around for good.
I think my most memorable NPC is also one of my most recent. Meep was a goblin raider that was part of a warband that ambushed the PCs at night. After getting thrashed, most of the surviving goblins ran. Meep was caught in an entangle spell and surrendered, taking her chances with the PCs. Before she spoke I had to come up with a name and decide if this goblin was a boy or a girl. After she asked what the PCs were going to do with her and begging them not to eat her, the party pretty much adopted her on the spot and if I ever kill her I think they might kill me. So there you have it, the origin of Meep the Goblin, a small goblin girl that wants to learn how to cook and is far smarter than your average goblin.
Love that you used the Shadowdark NPC name table! I totally agree about using improv to guide creating memorable NPCs. Anecdotally, I've had the exact same experience. The party's favorite characters are the ones I made up on the fly or we're supposed to have a negligible role but then I yes and'd something from the party and next thing you know, a beloved character is born. The NPC trades table in the shadow dark book is also great for this! In two or three words you have the bare bones for a very memorable quirky character.
Every party needs a crazy Warhammer style dwarf troll-slayer.
Really brings the room together.
We had one such in Planescape of the chaotic variety. He believed the blood of his enemies was all the armor he needed and refused to bathe. Needing him half presentable once we threw him in one of those giant Ton beer casks. It was as close to washed as we could get him and the only safe method as he had to drink his way out and was too drunk at the end to do anything about it but pass out.
The NPCs that establish their entire vibe in one sentence are usually the ones that players love (or love to hate). In other words, all of the NPCs you wrote on a whim with a smirk - those will radiate potential.
yes!
Honestly, I have had players have more fun with my random NPCs than the ones I made for them. Sometimes it drives me crazy! But at the end of the days it their game
My group is the same way, I spend time on an npc and they are meh. But the rando npc that I or we made up on the spot is always their favorite lol
Wrong. It's your game as well, own it! >:)
But yes, glad they enjoying it as well xD
Yes I agree with you. The harder you try to make the party like an NPC the more they don’t.
Just roll with it and they’ll pick a favorite
I have a habit of making really unlikeable PCs on purpose - I really like dour tough women in our games for some reason (think Cassandra from Dragon Age series). They sure are memorable, even if they are about as one dimensional as a spiky stick.
" *Dont weep for me, I'm going back to hell. You will join me soon* "
A tear jerker moment within the upside down world
Seriously, that one had kind of a bittersweet note at the end.
Oh. My. God. The story about the succubus and the ribcage is classic, and so hilarious!!🤣🤣🤣🤣
I have to say the Prof's ads feel more like short versions of his honest reviews. The only ads on YT I dont automatically skip.
OK, Professor, I have a confession to make - At this point, I see a new video from Dungeon Craft and I'm compelled to just hit the "thumbs-up" and enjoy the content. I know it will be good before I even view the video. Then I settle in and always find something I can use or think about. Thanks for all you do. This NPC video was brilliant.
Thanks! Please share. The views on this one are dismal.
@@DUNGEONCRAFT1wow, that sounds so sad. People are missing out because the stories you told about these NPC's were so engaging. The Succubus stuff was hilarious and the story of how Timmy saved the day was so good. Hopefully it builds some steam and you get more viewers on this video.
In Engine Publishing's "Unframed: the Art of Improvisation for Game Masters", John Arcadian writes:
"The least important thing about your game is the plot. That might be a hard pill to swallow, but as the GM, the moment you sit down at the table surrounded by your players, your intricate stories and plots pale in comparison to the moments of excitement that the players generate themselves. "
When I read it, this line smacked me in the face and I have never been the same since. I still make up NPCs and give them stories and motivations, because that's one of the ways I have fun. But I recognize it for what it is: something for ME--maybe my players will enjoy it, but just as often, they decide they're interested in something else completely.
In one of my campaigns a Bugbear who survived an encounter with the party surrendered and revealed that he joined the cult the party encountered because he was tired of war and wanted something, but that his REAL passion of locating rare ingredients for restaurants. His name was Gregor, and he wanted to be a “finder.” So naturally he showed up in town and when he met the party he was like, “Hey, we’re still doing the no killing thing, right?”
He showed up from time to time with the same greeting, always with interesting ingredients. One of my players gave me a mini of him as a birthday present.
It also started the trend of random bugbears being involved in the restaurant business in every one of my world.
My players absolutely loved the shady Lemon Merchant Lee Mon, who over described things (like “oh, I’m just a perfectly legal lemon merchant, selling legal lemons that don’t contain illegal substances.”) but also didn’t trust him and went off on a side quest to find out what he was doing.
I had a drink that became famous in my campaign, "Fairy's Smile". The players got into so much trouble because of a simple name I came up on the spot that it made its way on the table a few more times along the years.
“Wolfie” was an NPC Thief in our DCC game. The players couldn’t overlook that Wolfie had been the sole witness at the deaths of three PCs. He was innocent-but we expelled him from the party and sent him back to the surface, just in case.
One of my favourite all time NPCs was a goblin called Ug Zug that the PCs charmed in Keep on the Borderlands. They left Ug Zug guarding the camp, so Ug Zug made them soup. From a child they'd captured and killed nearby. Half the PCs finished the soup because they didn't want to offend Ug Zug after they'd done all that work.
Ug Zug later drowned and the players were horrified.
I once introduced a character to my players who was hiring them for a job. He kept alluding to his great and powerful master, who would surely reward them beyond their wildest dreams.
One of the players was really excited to meet this "master" and so the NPC finally relented and arranged a meeting.
I was reaching into my bag of books (at the time I carried about a dozen books with me every time I played; obviously this was before I grew comfortable with "rulings over rules") and noticed a sock puppet I had made for my son. Inspiration struck, I put it on, and a second later, the NPC pulled out his own sock puppet and introduced his master...
Most of the players laughed, but the one who had been so excited just stared at me with his mouth open for several seconds. He immediately wanted nothing more to do with the NPC, which was unfortunate because while he was a bit... off... he was quite powerful and wealthy.
I ran a short campaign in college where my players were unwilling participants in an otherworldly, Mortal Kombat-esque tournament that was hosted by this being who may or may not have been some kind of power-mad psychopomp. I did everything in my power to make this entity unlikeable and annoying, but my players LOVED him. They went from trying to escape to trying to win the tournament in the most astounding way possible, just to show off to this guy and impress him.
Great video, and great advice. Having listened to more than a few RPG Horror Stories, an all too common theme is when a DM falls too much in love with an NPC idea and then tries to thrust that NPC on them in every situation they can; the players not attaching themselves to that NPC only causes the DM to try harder - as though the problem is that they just haven't come to see enough of that NPC. It seems so many games would be saved if the DM could just throw something out there - see if it hits or misses; if it hits then they can move forward, and if it misses just let it fade into the background and in time be forgotten.
Also - Timmy the Untalented kinda rings true to life. One just has to look to all the childhood stars whose lives have been ruined by early fame & success and the adults around them (parents, managers, agents, etc.) leeching off of them. It doesn't happen to all of them, but it happens far more often than it should. So it is an injustice that a person could really see happening.
It's gotten to the point that I just click on the Like button for every Dungeon Craft video, before the theme music even starts. Every single one is great.
Edit: And all these NPCs are hilariously good. I remember Timmy being mentioned previously. Ever since watching Dimension 20's "Escape from the Blood Keep", I call this the John Feathers Effect. The players are fighting giant eagle riders on an airship, and they roll really well and manage to convince one giant eagle to switch sides in this fight. They ask his name and you can see Brennan Lee Mulligan's brain freeze up for half a second before he spits out, "John... Feathers." And this eagle's motivation is... that he wants to wear clothes, like humans do. So when they promise him they'll get him some clothes, he helps them in the fight, ends up being roped into the party and they have an entire party-created sidequest to create this giant eagle a three-piece suit. He stayed with them till the end of the adventure. It's such classic D&D shenanigans.
I had a similar moment to your succubus npc when my players came across a young Medusa named Naribeth! She was captured and being used by gnolls to make statues of their other victims! Became the party fav after she was able to crit and finish the leader of the gnolls when they were very close to a tpk
A great advice as always. Once i learn as a DM play with players and do not overprepaded. This is where i felt in love with DMing.
I just prepare enough, rest let players and rolls decice.
Creating a game and story together.
Professor, I truly enjoy your content. This episode, though, inspired me to comment for the first time. I guess it struck a cord with me?
I’ve been the DM for my group for quite a while. Consisting of primarily my college buddies from long ago (I am from the class of ‘91) plus some additions from the real tax-paying world, we’ve been at it for around 30 years! One of my best friends actually owns a medieval festival and we play at his castle a couple of long weekends each year.
My observation relative to your NPC references around “quality” or “longevity of impact” is that it is a combination of two things: 1) knowing your players (we often call the players “character puppet masters” with the PCs being an extension of those real humans),i.e., what they enjoy and how they deploy their PCs, and 2) my (the DM’s) awareness of my job to weave a tale, spin a yarn, that builds suspense and is compelling not just to further the pursuit of a plot line, but that tugs at the PC their puppet masters wish to develop. Collaborative storytelling by definition!
Many (the vast majority?) of my NPCs are either concocted on the spot or are loosely fleshed out in my mind’s eye usually manifesting a “purpose” (such as a crotchety and elderly local authority) or serving as a major plot anchor (like the sword arm enforcer of the BBEG). I typically, which you and/or Bob the WorldBuilder allude, leverage the multitude of stat blocks to which I have access from the many printed resources I’ve obtained over the years when I need quantitative content in combat or for ability checks.
Those NPCs for which both my players and I have our most fond memories are the likes of Chosearah, Inouye, and Cosmo Lang. Chosearah began as a pseudo dragon that happened upon the party when I needed a mercurial chap to bleed off some stress and enable the party to collect itself after having nearly experienced a TPK! He led them to another spontaneous conception of mine - Inouye, a priest of Bahamut belonging to a small and little known sect of the platinum dragon’s clergy. His body guard was Sir Cosmo Lang, a stereotypical Arthurian Knight-type. I patterned them on personality templates in my head with Inouye being named for a certain senator from the great state of Hawaii, but whose personality was quite Yoda-esque while Lang was named after a 20th century arch bishop of Canterbury and whose personality was that of Ramirez (played by Sean Connery) from The Highlander. Why the combination? I could easily remember the names AND the personas of the iconic characters from my own experiences.
Chosearah was fun to play as he was “flitty” (ephemeral and eccentric), frustrating yet endearing at the same time, but behaved as though he “belonged there” and was thus quite confident and at ease while not being arrogant. He felt aloof, but trust-worthy to the party. Not only did I not have any notes on Chosearah written when he first appeared, as I grew to love playing (NPC-ing) him, he evolved and over two campaigns and 6 years of time, I never needed to document a single note as it became natural to “become” Chosearah! He intertwined himself with the various PCs in ways that were meaningful to them because I knew what interests my players and told a story built to immerse each as individuals AND which enabled them to pursue a plot line.
Eventually, through PCs converting - due to absolutely no railroading by said DM - to the worship of Bahamut, calling upon Chosearah via divination, and through being requisitioned to carry out a number of quests, Chosearah revealed himself (granted this event was 2/3 of the way through his first campaign and probably 1.5 years of real time) to be the “Voice”- one of the seven gold dragons who are the chief servants of Bahamut. Thus, rendering a huge seal of approval and validation for the party and their cause! Propelling them hence forth with great purpose - which was important to how my party immerses themselves in their PCs.
I tell these anecdotes because when the professor spake of his NPC guidance, it struck me at first as, “duh, of course!”, but then as, “wait! This isn’t actually intuitive.” So, I thought I too might actually be able to render a little inspiration to my fellow followers of our favorite collaborative past time which, if it hasn’t become obvious to you, is psychologically more important to our social well being than it might at first appear!
Thanks, Professor, for your contributions to our world, fantasy though it may be!
For me the NPCs people liked the most and still remember are the ones I made on the spot just to fill space or be a dynamic side story.
But those simple characters really brought the players into the game even though they had a backstory that could be summed up in one sentence and hardly any personality traits lol.
All it took was a compelling short story and an interesting appearance.
Great video and great advice. I have like 200 NPCs on NPC cards, but I add personality and purpose on the fly when the need arise.
I had Zmugax "Teddy" the goblin. No-one in the party spoke goblin and he didn't speak common, so they named him Teddy. He was abandoned by the rest of his goblin raiding party. He was so thoroughly impressed with the barbarian's battle prowess that he swore to follow them. He couldn't hit the broadside of a barn, but he sure tried to impress the barbarian ever chance he got.
I love how your players are able to get emotionally attached to the NPCs, for good or ill. Pro wrestlers understand that you want the fans to love you or hate you, that's what gets them involved in the story. Keep up the great work!
I'd love to hear Sigmund Freud's or Oedipus' thoughts on your son falling in love with an NPC his father created, but they're all certainly memorable!
What you described in this video is essentially Improv 101: sometimes the best moments and characters are those that happen on a whim. Just roll with whatever you've created on the spot and embrace it with your players.
I was running a campaign where the players were attacking a group of goblins and the last one of the group threw himself onto the ground and started begging for mercy. The players decided to use him to help scout out the layer in the cave nearby. They use threats of torture and he capitulated. The half-orc character in the party continued to berate and abuse him and being a goblin used to that behavior this NPC latched onto the half-orc as his superior. After a few sessions this NPC became a player character for a couple years. Eventually he went on his own way to lead his people to a new and peaceful existence in the Kingdom. And everyone in the party remembers Regan.
We recently had a situation occur similar to Timmy. One of our players snagged a spear from a goblin leader he killed. He had only the base skill with it (we play RQ a skill based d100 system - he had like 25%) but then proceeded to roll REALLY low making hits and some impales (special hit doing more damage). We, the other players, started touting him as a natural with the spear and confinced him to keep it as his primary weapon, in site of the fact that another player had a decent skill % in spear.
You know, random tables are cool and all, but sometimes the most random things just come out of our minds. No table can replace creativity in the appropriate context.
In a recent game our GM gave one of my characters a weasel . It was meant to help us find a group of kidnapped orphans that we were searching for . The character he gave it to had just joined after having had my previous character die . I had just made the character up on the spot and had put very little thought into him . After getting the weasel and having it befriend my character it gave my an idea and I developed a back story and really fleshed out the character . Sometimes the simplest thing can change your game .
Ah, NPC l'amour! It is so enjoyable when you have an NPC the players bond with. Telling the tales for years after they have gone away. One of the great satisfactions of being a Dm, especially the on the fly, or minor NPC that makes it into the party's/player's hearts and minds! Great video!
absolutely lovely anecdotes and advice. Thank you
Recent game night - I spontaneously named a prisoner my players rescued Alice. The players got Alice and her cell mates out of the dungeon through a teleport circle, but had left other prisoners in another cell, back in the dungeon. Alice insists the players go back and get them, especially a young woman who seemed in a trance. I roled a d4 and that young woman will transform into a mind flayer in 1 hour. Thx Alice! lol laughed the DM :D
Outstanding video. I have two memorable NPCs that my players really created. For me, to keep the NPCs from outshining the players, I almost always have them with either no ability score bonus or maybe a +1, and I try to make something the group doesn't have (if the NPC is going to have a class).
I had a group of 1st level players that needed a character to show them the way to the dungeon location (for their initial trek). So I had a first level human ranger, minimum scores required, nondescript, red tunic (medieval Star Trek reference) whose only purpose was to walk the players to the dungeon locale and promptly die or disappear. He didn't have a name, and his only equipment was a longsword, torch, and some sort of light armor. He was overly positive and complimentary of the players. All of the players liked him. At first, I thought they were messing with me. They each gave him some of their gear, including a shield, back up weapon, and better armor. They also started giving him treasure, and not crappy treasure either. When the group found a hauberk of elven chain, it went to the ranger. That +1 flaming longsword, that went to the ranger. "Now you don't need that lone torch!" They literally made this guy into Aragorn. I had him swear an oath to serve them, and he was this epic henchmen that was totally loyal to the party.
The second favorite NPC was actually the familiar of the NPC I designed. The original NPC was an elf wizard with severe allergies that hated the outdoors. He complained about every aspect of the quest, got lost in the forest, sneezed or blew his nose whenever the group was sneaking up on opponents, failed to properly conjugate verbs on spell scrolls, etc. He also had a familiar that was a tiny earth elemental--essentially a pile of rocks that moved fairly slowly. Really, I just wanted a wizard whose familiar was a pet rock. The elf wizard said mean things to the tiny earth elemental, blaming it for his mistakes, any bad occurrence, or really just because. I'd have the familiar try to be helpful, only to be met with criticism, ridicule, and blame every time the wizard missed a skill check, miscast a spell, gave away the groups location, etc. The players couldn't believe how mean the wizard was toward this pile of rocks...that didn't have any feelings but would imitate such by slumping its shoulders, hanging its head, etc. And of course the pile of rocks was completely loyal to wizard because it doesn't have feelings. I think the group eventually tried to buy the pet rock familiar.
I haven't played a TTRPG for a couple years and these NPC stories REALLY made me miss it!
A friend of mine is running a game and our favorite characters are ones he didn't intend for us to like, they're kind of assholes, but endearingly so.
That was an awesome video! Thank you Professor D
I love all three of these stories! Thanks for sharing, Professor!
Thank YOU for sharing this video. It did not perform well, but I think it’s one of my best.
The NPCs in your adventures are always so interesting. I look forward to this video!
This is my favorite video that you've made in quite some time. I love the joy in your voice when retelling of these NPC's adventures. Reminds me of the best of times, sitting around a table and rolling dice with friends. Cheers, Professor!
It makes sense that off the cuff npcs tend to be more popular. Play is largely organic by nature and rpgs really tap into that aspect. barebones npcs like this are effectively built by the whole group and the circumstances of the adventure. everyone has a part in fleshing them out and thus some ownership.
We really need a critical role type series with you and your players on RUclips.
Thank you!
I would watch every week!
I can't watch others play D&D for hours and sessions on end, but I would watch a 2 to 3 hour long one-shot with PDM.
I'm not much of a watch others play either, but I'm so down to watch this!
@@zimmejocesper the bard, has highlight like episodes of games.
Some of our group's favorite characters are NPCs that were made up on the spot. There was a cab driver in our cyberpunk game who I played up with an overly friendly attitude despite being a cabbie in a REALLY bad part of the mega city where auto cabs were not used due to the crime rate. Events in the game collided when the PCs were in the driver's cab and a group of street mercs came gunning for them. Queue the high octane shootout while racing through the congested city streets. I was sure the cab driver would fail and crash, but my rolls were REALLY good and I just went with it, describing the cab driver pulling Fast n' Furious levels of high speed stunts, all while apologizing to his fellow motorists for the accidents he was causing. The PCs took down the street mercs and the cab driver became legend. Fast forward and the characters are big time trouble shooters taking corporate and high end syndicate jobs. Their wheel man? the cab driver, who they hired on the spot after that crazy chase. He was a throw away NPC who became an important member of the group. There have been several NPCs like this, and all of them were just spontaneously created in the moment, but became major characters in the campaign that everyone loved.
Thanks for sharing!
Now that you mention this, I can't help, but to recall a goblin named Scabies I once made. He was nothing, but the PCs helped the guy become ruler of the local goblins. He's even returned for a few cameos in a 2nd campaign. I was also amazed at your voicing the characters. I'm going to purposely allow a NPC to create themself next session. Thanks.
Shadowdark and Black Sword Hack have good and fast tables to generate NPCs on the fly.
So true. I'm always amazed at how randomly organic and flat-out fun the process can be. There are times when I leave the table shaking my head at what my players responded to and how much I milage I got out of their responses! In a blink my campaign is heading in a trajectory I could hardly have predicted. Don't read that wrong either; the main goal stays the same (for the most part) but its given a richness and fun-factor that I couldn't have planed even if I'd tried 🙂
I wish all of the adventures featuring these NPC's had been recorded so I could watch them. They sound incredibly entertaining.
Classic content, amazing, thank you
Glad you enjoyed it. Please share. The views on this one are dismal.
I love your NPCs, freaking incredible.
Thanks! Please share this. The views on this video are dismal.
@@DUNGEONCRAFT1a shame. I enjoyed this one quite a bit
Grom montage is legendary. Would watch outtakes 10/10.
No outtakes. It was 1 take.
@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 GROM HAS NO OUTTAKES, GROM NEEDS NO OUTTAKES!
This is so true. My players create my memorable nPCs.
Sabine the Succubus sounds like something Ginny Di would cosplay as. I think we need a crossover between her and Dungeon Craft! 😄
Love Ginny Di!
Had a friend who’s players took a liking to a black dragonborn tailor. Just walked into his shop and instantly wanted to take him adventuring with.
Great video, Professor!
Everything in this also can exactly apply to making a memorable and favorite PC.
Your love for the game is so contagious. Thanks professor!
First... phenomenal stories. Second, I've been DMing for about 2.5 years now and have become halfway decent by watching and listening to HOURS of RUclips DM advice. This is going in my Top 5.
"Show me how to be good..."
You are a cruel and manipulative man, PDM. Dont ever change.
I had a throw-away NPC from several years ago who was a fop and spoke in third person. I wouldn't say that the character became a player favorite, but they got some good chuckles out of the encounter. It was good enough that I reused that NPC in a more recent campaign with different players and, again, folks seemed to like it. The downside is that it is super hard to speak in third person consistently!
Lol. True.
I think i must remember these excellent stories and try them in my games. 🤣❤
I’ve been running 1/2e campaigns with my group since ‘88. We’ve had some about three legendary NPCs in that time. All of them were randomly generated meatheads who were hired by the party or had paths cross and they joined up. They became legendary for their hard boiled world views, stupid accent and/or, as per Timmy’s story, making an epic timely save that help the party pull out a win in a nearly unwinnable scenario.
Professor, keep cranking out the off-the-cuff weirdo side characters, they add so much flavor and depth compared to the effort it takes to make them that they are truly worth it and the years of nostalgia due to their ensuing chicanery.
Deathbringer banging out a dad joke. Excellent.
My groups end up interacting with a small odd looking and sounding Thief/acrobat type named Hughey the great (Wallace Shawn, basically) He robbed the last group and then backwards sommersaulted away while he did an arch laugh and they all failed attack rolls and initiative.
What a delightful video
I've watched so much of your content for so long now, and this has got to be one of my favorite episodes. I love hearing about NPC ideas. However stats-heavy (or not) we each want to be as GMs, good NPCs inject flavor into any kind of game.
Thanks! Please share it. The views are dismal.
"Wizards like spilled milk" I lean into the ideas that Dwarves have no magical ability in my setting, in fact it was magical assaults that finally broke the ancient Dwarven Kingdoms and Empires and put them in their declined state, so in true DM fashion, I'm stealing this. Thanks for the freebie.
Great stuff friend 👏 👍
Important note, actually the rank is Slayers, from the Slayer cult. Trollslayers are just Slayers who have hunted and fought Trolls. Theres also Dragonslayers, Giantslayers, and so on
Edit- oh and to become a slayer, a dwarf must be shamed sufficiently to decide death is the only way to make up for their mistake. Each dwarfs reason can differ.
Some dwarves will cause an entire Karak to be lost. Some dwarves will choke on ale in front of their friends. Whatever it is, it is sufficiently damaging to any specific dwarfs pride to drive them to the Slayer Cult
Love to meet those npcs.
This is what I like to see!
Thanks for the killer advice and for shouting out all of the super cool games i wouldn’t have known about it if it weren’t for you, but now I definitely got to check it out!
Sabin voice is top notch!😆😆😆🤣
Really an incredible video, especially the last two characters! Great stuff!
Share it, Nate. The views on this one are dismal for some reason.
Thanks again, prof
Thanks again! Please share the video. The number of views is dismal.
Your wish is my fortune, my liege.
Really fantastic advice, and very liberating for the DM once you buy in.
A gem. I'm glad I'm not the only one who has wasted time on concepts that the players totally ignored.
The poor kid is gold. I will definitely try that one.
Perfect examples as why I come back to my table week after week!!! I love being a DM!!!
Too right! A DM can create villain NPCs and be confident the players will despise them, but you just never know who they are going to like. When I ran WDDH a couple years ago, the PCs ended up ignoring all the pre-made NPCs in the module and instead cultivated a network of street urchins which I had to create on the spot, and who figured prominently in the plot thereafter.
It's very rare that my murder hobo-y group pays any attention to NPCs. But once in a great while, the stars align, and something clicks. Those moments are golden.
Lmao! When I saw Timmy only had one HP I couldn't stop laughing. Hilarious!
Thanks for watching closely. new video later today.
Great stuff! I've had the same experiences with npcs and my play group. I remember that there was a random encounter I threw into the game while the party was traveling between two large cities where a young goblin was following them for food scraps when they would camp. One of the players charmed him and then the party proceeded to feed and clothe the little guy and convinced him to stay with them even after the charm wore off. Fast forward a couple of sessions and Tom the Goblin was riding into combat alongside the party on the back of the ranger's pet wolf. All from a completely random moment.
Great video. I love stories like this. The best moments in gaming come spontaneously. and in context.
Also, I want to applaud you for taking up the indie rpg banner. It's been cool to see other channels responding. I've been doubling down on watching indie rpg videos this month, and if I could afford to, I'd be buying product left and right. There's just so much good stuff out there these days, and I'm glad it's getting some attention.
I had an orc blacksmith in a town for a campaign. My notes read, "Drex, orc blacksmith. Gruff and doesn't talk much." But when the players encountered him, I played him like an Orcish Ron Swanson. He spoke primarily in single-word phrases and rarely did anything but scowl, but he was honest and had a heart of gold. So much so that one of the players developed a crush on him and we actually had a romance going between them. He would only call her "Woman" to her face, though he carved her name into the handle of his forge hammer. Best NPC I've ever done and it was all improv and yes-anding the players. Can't agree with the Professor more on this one.
I once tried to make this happen in one of our campaigns. Alas, I was but the player.
We started captured by drows. Our goal was to free ourselves and the crown prince. We managed that, and we placed a bunch of five newly freed peasants under the command of the prince. Now, the prince had military training and could coordinate the efforts of many in battle. That was our excuse to make the peasants participate in our efforts to take control of the complex. Whenever it was the prince's turn, he effectively had five attacks with disadvantage.
While defending a chokehold where the disadvantage was cancelled, one peasant distinguished himself by scoring no less than 3 critical hits.
I wanted that peasant to be promoted, to know his background, etc, but the DM didn't see the role playing opportunity.
Oh, what could have been.
Your son is a man of culture, i see. In every campaign or even short adventure i've ever mastered, the party inevitably got really attached to the random NPC i created without thinking, while the ones i've spent hours thinking about went unnoticed. It's because what they create in their mind is more interesting than what we are trying to convey to them. I've had many an old farmer/sailor/veteran become beloved mentors and quest giver, while the anti-hero with a tragic backstory, tied to all the sub-plots and accused of murder by the BBEG stayed in the town jail forever(or whatever silly NPC i thought was cool as a teenager). One thing i've found is: if you really want the party to notice an NPC, try to "hide them" from the party. Don't describe them too much, pretend he is just a background character, but have them return from time to time. " After you search the room for familiar faces, you recognise some of the regulars. That guy with the green hat is not here today." The next day they meet him in the market square. Nothing happens, just a guy. Next time maybe one of the PCs will ask :" Hey, is the guy with the green hat here today?" " As it happens, he is here and he is looking at you with a weird smile.."
Closed Caption starts with:
"Sh*tbringer here..."
so many literal LOLs in this one
Professor you crack me up. I love it. What a cast.
I definitely agree with Professor DM, players always choose the oddest NPCs to become attached to. As such, I've learned to include lots of NPCs without going too far into their backstory. Wait until the players latch onto that NPC before really expanding them so that you don't waste too much time. In my last campaign, the three NPCs which the players loved...
Dustk-- a grig assigned by a good NPC to escort the PCs across a massive and dangerous forest. He was a perfect scout with his invisibility and flying so he helped warn the PCs of orcs, find paths for them, and to guard duty. His memorable trait was he couldn't speak common (just a few words) and on could sing and play music each night when they camped.
Maggin -- an 11-year-old homeless boy who met the PCs outside the city gates. He stopped them from getting scammed by some locals and offered his services as a guide. Players love him running messages, getting good deal on things they wanted to sell, getting passage on ships, etc. By the time they left the city, they'd paid another librarian NPC to take the kid in. Each time they visited the city, he was their first stop.
Kasana -- an older teen girl who lived in an extremely poor nomadic village, think Mongol. The PCs needed some information which the people weren't going to part with. Meanwhile, the young woman needed to escape an arranged marriage. So, she offered help the PCs find the information if their strongest PC bid on her in a wife auction -- the one bidding the most horses got her. This led to the PCs secretly buying every horse around only to find out the other bidder was the chief's massive barbarian son and a deadly one-on-one knife fight with him. I thought the PCs would hate her for 'tricking' them, but they thought it was brilliant and took her with them until they found her a suitable home with another (more prominent) tribe.
DMs tend to want to curate the tables experience; thanks for reminding folks to take that pressure off and let the game tell the story.
Ah, yes! The temple of elem- I mean monumental evil!
Yes -- we do love all Dungeon Craft video topics!
The trick to making good NPCs is knowing what you need to improv such NPCs, and training that muscle of "what things to do to endear this character to the players" and "what to do to make the players hate this guy".
Learning some "save the cat" style short hand prep will go a lot farther than "this is the backstory of this npc" style prep!
I had a grumpy old man NPC that ended up beating the head bad guy to death with a shovel for inslaving and mass killing his people. The players fell in love with and wanted to keep him around for good.
I think my most memorable NPC is also one of my most recent.
Meep was a goblin raider that was part of a warband that ambushed the PCs at night. After getting thrashed, most of the surviving goblins ran. Meep was caught in an entangle spell and surrendered, taking her chances with the PCs. Before she spoke I had to come up with a name and decide if this goblin was a boy or a girl. After she asked what the PCs were going to do with her and begging them not to eat her, the party pretty much adopted her on the spot and if I ever kill her I think they might kill me.
So there you have it, the origin of Meep the Goblin, a small goblin girl that wants to learn how to cook and is far smarter than your average goblin.
Thanks for sharing!
Best NPC is Deathbringer. "how did demons get to the work.... " LOL. One day i'ld love to hear the story of this NPC creation.
Best Dungeon Craft video so far. And I've watched most of not all of the back catalog. More RPG stories please!
Three great examples for memorable NPCs illustrating the subject of the video, Prodessor DM. Another cool video, keep them coming!
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Amazing, I like this approach!
Glad you like it!
Thank you, sir.
Being a dried out well of creativity, I will steal them all.
Love that you used the Shadowdark NPC name table! I totally agree about using improv to guide creating memorable NPCs. Anecdotally, I've had the exact same experience. The party's favorite characters are the ones I made up on the fly or we're supposed to have a negligible role but then I yes and'd something from the party and next thing you know, a beloved character is born.
The NPC trades table in the shadow dark book is also great for this! In two or three words you have the bare bones for a very memorable quirky character.