D&D 5E generating higher lev NPCS on the fly

[WizardBoss]

noob question here - what's the best way to generate higher level (5+) npcs on the fly (5e)? I've populated my setting with a number of powerful personalities; some of whom will inevitably end up in combat with my players. Giving the players as much freedom as I can, I don't yet know who will try to stick who with swords.

Any advice on the best way to quickly generate some stats/abilities/equipment? This can be done during the session, or beforehand - but it should be fairly streamlined quick as I've a limited time to building these guys.

 

[jgsugden]

Use the ones in the MM, first of all. Then just look for PCs/NPCs that other people have posted online.

Beyond that, you can often re-skin monsters to get a good higher level NPC foil on spot notice. NPCs do not necessarily need to follow the class structures like PCs do, but if you reskin monsters and want them to see more like PCs, just drop off some monster abilities and add some iconic class abilities on the fly. This may seem a bit haphazard to you, but that is a key to being a good DM - being able to adjust on the fly and realize that players will not necessarily note the small stuff.

 

[Celebrim]

In any edition, if you end up with combat with a NPC without stats, ball park the stats and retroactively justify what you did. You don't have to be completely accurate here. The world won't end if you are off by +/-1 in any given number. I tend to give a lot of NPCs where I don't anticipate combat simply class and level and go from there. Give the NPC a bonus on the fly as it comes up and write it down in the NPC's growing stat block. For spell-casters, simply select common spells they are likely to know as they cast them (try not to metagame so that they always have the most useful spell, unless the NPC is supposedly a lot smarter than you are, in which case metagame away). You'll eventually end up with a stat block (usually for a corpse).

In general, these completely unplanned combats don't need to be severely challenging. Either the PC's are in a fight with a person of small importance and so the fight shouldn't have great significance, or they are likely jumping and probably murdering someone important in what amounts to an ambush and the really interesting is the consequences of that and not the fight itself.

Another thing is that over time, you should come up with a bunch of 'stock' stat blocks for generic persons. If you aren't doing this and you aren't too particular about the demographics of your world or your world has default demographics, there are plenty of published resources that provide these stock character sheets for you. 5e being new and poorly supported at present you'll probably find fewer of these, admittedly.

 

[S'mon]

I'm just using the MM NPCs and reskinning MM monsters, eg the Hobgoblin Warlord makes a fine Human Warlord.

 

[Tormyr]

Welcome to EN World.

The other thing is that NPC stat blocks are fairly simple, and if you don't use one of the aforementioned solutions (which are frankly better). You can do a NPC on the fly. It will just take a minute or two while everyone is rolling initiative (have a player keep track initiative). Start with some hastily chosen ability scores. Give the npc a weapon and AC. Look up the statistics by CR table around page 274 of the DMG to get hp and damage per round. Then give the npc a means to do the requisite damage. Fighters get multiple attacks, paladins get smites, rogues get sneak attack dice, spell casters get a spell caster level 150% of their CR to figure out spell slots. You don't need a spell list ahead of time. Just choose appropriate spells as they are needed. You now have enough info to run the npc with stats that are "close enough."

 

[WizardBoss]

Look up the statistics by CR table around page 274 of the DMG to get hp and damage per round.

This is exactly what I was looking for - I can ballpark off this fairly easily. I've been reskinning monsters from the MM and using the NPCS in the back - but I was having trouble finding something to use for a ~7th lev paladin. But I'll just generate some base stats on the fly and give him full plate and a flaming holy sword of mega smiting or something.