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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 2200671" data-attributes="member: 3146">No, you're not the only one, though I rarely spend three hours detailing an NPC.My own practice is to use complete stats as often as possible. I try to note class and level for NPCs that I don't need to stat up (ie. Keldas Griffonheart, the grandmaster of the Order of Saint Cuthbert in my game has this note beside his name (LG Ftr 2/Pal4/Rgr2/Knight of the Chalice 10)). And then there are NPCs who show up because the party went off course--for instance, the party decides to try and organize a defense for the threatened town rather than going off and fighting the orcs by themselves. What are the mayor's stats again? At that point, I generally pull a cookie cutter NPC out of my butt. (Or, I grab a similar character's statblock that I do have prepped and use that, filing off serial numbers as I go).The mayor? 4th level expert/1st level warrior. BAB +4, base saves +3/+1/+4. Modified +3/+0/+6. Skills maxed: Sense Motive, Diplomacy, Bluff, Knowledge: Local, Profession: Innkeeper, Knowledge: Nobility and Royalty, and a few odd skill points. Feats: all non-combat stuff except Rapid Reload. Skill Focus Sense Motive, and Negotiator. Equipment: Standard stuff: Studded Leather, heavy shield, masterwork longsword (or battle axe depending on the area), heavy crossbow, potion of cure light wounds.Based on all that, he'd have an attack of +6 with the longsword (1d8+1) or +3 with the heavy crossbow (1d10) and 26 hit points.Str 13, Dex 8, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 16The commoners? Commoner 2 str 13, dex 10, con 12, hp 10, ac 12 (leather armor), atk +2 (1d8+1 spear or longspear) or +1 (1d8 light crossbow). Saves: +1/+0/+0.They've got profession skills, and social skills, toughness and one other feat that's not useful in combat. (Skill Focus Bluff or sense motive or profession or craft or Endurance).The guards? War 2 Str 14, Dex 12, con 12, hp 15, AC 17 (heavy wood shield+scale mail), atk +5 melee (1d8+2 hand weapon (longsword, battle axe, warhammer, light flail, or morning star depending on the area), or +3 light crossbow/shortbow (depending on the area). Saves +4/+1/+0; standard feats: weapon focus: melee weapon and (pick one) alertness, iron will, power attack, quickdraw, improved initiative, skill focus sense motive. Skills: Spot and Listen (2 ranks each), profession: soldier 5 ranks, climb, jump, or swim, 2 ranks.That takes me about the time it takes to write it down to pull out of my butt and once I do pull something (like "he power attacks) I try to write it down so that I know.I try not to go into a game with nothing more than faith in my own improv abilities. But sometimes all I have is a set of standard NPC statblocks that I printed up when I came up with the general story that I wanted to tell and some notes about what elements I might put into the game.</blockquote>

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