How to Build a D&D NPC in 15 minutes

1. Pick a race and class. If they are to have a prestige class, pick that first.

If they are to have a prestige class, pick their primary class, then analyze what else they'll need to get there.

In general, a few classes are better than lots of classes. In general, take no more levels in a prestige than needed for a specific ability, unless the prestige class is basically their concept, in which case max it out. In general, don't use a prestige class unless you need something specific. For instance, an "assassin" is probably just a rogue; don't mess with the Assassin class unless you want their special mix of stealth and magic. Blackguards are great if you want the whole smiting/evil horse/unholy weapon thing, but in general, a straight up Fighter 1/Cleric X is better and easier if you just want an evil fighting divine caster.

2. Assign ability scores. Always assign Int to be as high as it's going to be and don't adjust it for leveling up. Exception: wizards and other Int casters. Use the standard array unless it causes problems; and by problems, I mean, real problems. It's perfectly okay for ability scores to be a little arbitrary. Go ahead and advance all the ability scores now; it evens out in the end, except for Int. Just do the Int advances first, and note what levels you took them.

Quick beater: Str > Con > Dex > Int > Wis > Cha
Quick Cha caster: Cha > Con > Dex > Int > Wis > Str
Quick Int caster: Int > Con > Dex > Wis > Str > Cha
Quick Wis caster: Wis > Con > Dex > Int > Cha > Str
Quick fighter wizard: Int > Str > Con > Dex > Wis > Cha
Quick fighter sorcerer: Cha > Str > Con > Dex > Int > Wis
Quick cleric: Wis > Con > Int > Cha > Int > Dex

3. Figure out skill points. For most characters, pick a number of skills equal to their class skill points + Int, and max out that many skills. If they logically need more skills, start splitting skills in half until enough skills are covered. Done.

For slightly more complex characters, do them in blocks rather than level by level. Each block is a number of levels in a single class taken in a row, or a number of levels until an Int increase. For each block, assume they take one rank in each skill per level for a number of skills equal to points per level + Int; i.e. just max out a number of skills each block.

Shuffle around one to four ranks of skills if you think it matters/helps. For instance, if a wizard is an expert on the planes, he might still want a few ranks in Knowledge (arcana) as a backup.

4. Feats. For major villains, assume they take Toughness, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes and Great Fortitude, unless you feel there is a compelling reason not to. Since the players never see villain stats, villains never need exciting feats just to be exciting. Stick to the basics, and make sure you choose those feats that DO affect how a villain acts (Power Attack, Dark Speech, Spring Attack, and so forth). Your first choices, after the above, should be Point Blank Shot, Spell Penetration, Practiced Caster, Weapon Focus, Spell Focus, and so forth. In general, bigger numbers are better than more options.

For retainers and helpers, pick feats based on their role.

5. Gear. Just pick some basic equipment, then decide on magic items. You can use guidelines found elsewhere, or just wing it. In general, NPCs are about one tier behind PCs in terms of gear. I give masterwork gear for NPCs level 2-5. At 6th level, they get one magic item. I add another magic item every few levels. If they have something unusually powerful, that's pretty much all they get. Then I sprinkle a few temporary items, ideally something both they and the PCs can use. For multiple NPCs, I make sure at least one item is not immediately useful to the PCs, because of class restrictions, alignments, curses, legalities, and so forth. For instance, if the PCs fight an evil cultist and two powerful guards, the treasure might include an unholy weapon, which good PCs cannot use. Or a lich might have really nice loot, but carries a potion of inflict serious wounds (great for liches, not so great for the living).

I roll randomly for wand charges and so forth, or frequently just rule it's half full if it's a treasured possession, 20% full if rarely used, and full if they are hunting the PCs and the item is intended for that purpose.

6. Add stuff up. Use a synergy chart, if they have more than two skills and you think the skill ratings might matter in the encounter.

Each to their own of course but I use NPC Designer, takes less time and better results.

The series of steps is good, but I really have to disagree about the feats. Giving the NPCS nonsense feats like Improved toughness, and the various saving throw ones just makes it easier for the players to whomp them silly. Sure it is easier, but one reason the MMI monsters are such pushovers is that most players use the best feats from 30 books, and the monsters have winners like toughness in their stat blocks.

To make NPCs more effective, they need feat chains that give them a solid option to counter PC actions, and a lot of strong one day use feats that will give the players a challenge. I particularly like the devotion feat for this, as many of the abilities are quite strong, and most NPCs do not live long anyway. Not long enough to worry about recharging them. One minute is enough.

pawsplay said:

4. Feats. For major villains, assume they take Toughness, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes and Great Fortitude, unless you feel there is a compelling reason not to.

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Very much disagree here. These feats are for minor villains. Major villains should have useful feats.

What good are "useful" feats if the villain fails a save early in the battle? Raising saving throws does the most important thing you can do for a master villain; keep them in the game. Similarly, Improved Toughness could be one more hit. Making a villain who can "win" is counterproductive, and making one with a glass jaw is disappointing.

Therefore, defense is king, backed up with some eye-popping tricks.

*By far* the most important rule of 3E NPC design is that optimization is a game for players, whose characters have a set number of levels to squeeze the most power possible out of. NPCs are whatever level the DM wants them to be (in the same sense that GURPS NPCs are of whatever point value their abilities come to). If you think (rightly) that the CW Samurai is underpowered, but the flavor fits, it is easy to fix the power by adding a level or two (at high levels, the CW samurai might even merit 3 extra levels above the target "effective PC level").

Increasing a DM's library should speed NPC creation because of how class-systems work. If there is a class whose flavor fits, you can use it out of the box. If your library is bigger, you have better odds of have a class that fits. If you multi 2 classes together, or use 1 PrC, you should be completely set with, at most, 3 classes, and that for caster multis.

So: if possible flavor-wise, single-class. If you need a PrC, use the obvious (there always is one) entry. If your concept requires feats, you already know what the character needs (if you can't fit in the prereqs, it is a good sign the the NPC you are making is a problem power-wise, just hold off a level or two), otherwise, take easy obvious stuff. If the power is off, tweak the levels to make it work, while staying within the rules.

Gear is a problem, but NPCs have wildly varying gear values anyways. This, along with fleshing out spellbooks enough to be believable, is the only thing that should take any real time. If you want to be boring, split things up among the big six. If not, roll one random item 20-30% of the NPC's wealth and then split things up among the big six.

Again, as a DM, you should never find yourself optimizing an NPC, unless, and *only* unless he is a very, very major figure. And, if that is the case, you are going to want to spend time on him anyways.

Kraydak said:

*By far* the most important rule of 3E NPC design is that optimization is a game for players, whose characters have a set number of levels to squeeze the most power possible out of.

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Exactly. The apex of NPC design is to do no more work than is minimally necessary for them to perform their on-screen role. Also, it permissible and perhaps ideal for NPC tactics to be simple and predictable; at best, the encounter can turn into a sort of puzzle where the PCs analyze their opponent and devise a good way to defeat them.

In 3E I have discovered one essential truth that for the longest time I resisted embracing.


Rules are for players.

When I make NPCs & monsters that are intended to be fought by the PCs with little to no chance of negotiation I build them however the hell I want. He needs 200hp and a +15 will save? Bam, he's got it. Needs to be able to take 2 standard actions a round? Okey-dokey he's doing that too. In high level, high powered play it is very hard to challenge a party without overwhelming them. I have been working on doing this for 3 years (since my groups passed 14th level) and I actually am starting to feel I have a grip on it. Trust yourself first and rules a distant second. of course all this falls to pieces if you don't know the PCs strengths and weaknesses inside and out. i nearly killed my 16th level 3.0 party 5 years ago putting them up against an advanced Iron Golem when they had no weapon that could harm it! (DR back then was 50/+5). It isn't easy sometimes but it has improved my games immensely. YMMV

This looks very similar to the checklist in the PHB II, though since I traded that book off for lack of any other useful information (information useful for a DM, anyhow), I will be sure to give your system a test drive when the opportunity presents itself.

Kraydak said:

Again, as a DM, you should never find yourself optimizing an NPC, unless, and *only* unless he is a very, very major figure. And, if that is the case, you are going to want to spend time on him anyways.

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My initial response to the OP was, "Does it actually take 15 minutes?"

I only find myself messing with point distribution, levels, etc. for named (major) NPCs. For everything else, there's the suboptimal entries in books.