NPC statting

[Majushi]

My DM and I have been talking back and forth about how to treat NPC's in 4th ed.

How do you go about statting them up?

Do you do them like monsters, in which case do they all have xp?

And do they have Monster equivalent Xp?


Thanks for your time guys.

 

[James McMurray]

I use the guidelines in the DMG 99% of the time. Once I made a party of NPCs and built them from the ground up, though I didn't give them the full gamut of feats, paragon paths, and epic destinies. I only did that because I wanted them to be recurring villains who were more versatile and less powerful.

For most purposes the DMG guidelines are perfect.

 

[Obryn]

The DMG has great guidelines for making NPCs. I've made a few so far. It's pretty short and sweet, relatively speaking.

-O

 

[Majushi]

To be honest, all I found in the DMG was giving NPC's quirky personalities.

Am I missing something. Is there a page number you could give me?

 

[Lacyon]

To be honest, all I found in the DMG was giving NPC's quirky personalities.

Am I missing something. Is there a page number you could give me?

Page 187. (The page after creating your own monsters).

 

[James McMurray]

187 and 42: two page numbers to memorize.

Coincidentally, also short for homicide and "the meaning of life, the universe, and everything."

 

[Engilbrand]

That's such an awesome connection. You win the internets. We shall send you gifts through the tubes.

NPCs do whatever I want them to. If they're enemies, I might actually stat them up like PCs. If they're "good guys", they do whatever I decide.

 

[Mengu]

I have yet to "stat out" an NPC using the NPC rules. It takes entirely too long. I just assign a role to them, pick a monster with that role that's close to the level I want, and start hacking at it until it looks good and does what I want. My world does not have ANY fighters, clerics, or wizards running around, other than the PC's. Everyone else is an NPC, statted like a monster to suit my needs.

 

[DracoSuave]

I have yet to "stat out" an NPC using the NPC rules. It takes entirely too long. I just assign a role to them, pick a monster with that role that's close to the level I want, and start hacking at it until it looks good and does what I want. My world does not have ANY fighters, clerics, or wizards running around, other than the PC's. Everyone else is an NPC, statted like a monster to suit my needs.

This method is -also- correct.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

I have yet to "stat out" an NPC using the NPC rules. It takes entirely too long. I just assign a role to them, pick a monster with that role that's close to the level I want, and start hacking at it until it looks good and does what I want. My world does not have ANY fighters, clerics, or wizards running around, other than the PC's. Everyone else is an NPC, statted like a monster to suit my needs.

Were I running a homebrew, this is what I would do.