Book of NPCs

[Blizzardb]

I released version 1.0.1, which fixes half-elves and puts the range indicators back in. I now have icons for both range and usage (at-will/encounter/daily). The current format is:

○ [M] Wrathful Thunder (standard) ✦ Thunder, Weapon

+6 vs. AC; 1d10 + 4 thunder damage, and the target is dazed until the end of the human cleric’s next turn.
​

The "○" indicates an encounter power, the "[M]" indicates a melee attack.

Thank you! Well done

 

[Paul Strack]

OK, I released version 1.0.2. It has two cosmetic changes and one minor change to the stat blocks.

1) I fixed the -1/+1 Level links so they are appropriately disabled at levels 1 and 30.

2) I noted that including racial features is a house rule, so that folks can remove them if they want.

3) I added feats to rangers (from their Fighting Style) and the human bonus feat. The human bonus feat is always Human Perseverance. This is for (a) simplicity and (b) better balance between races. Letting human NPCs have a class-specific custom feat will make them too good compared to other races, and Human Perseverance helps enforce the human flavor of the NPC.

Hopefully this is the final version. I don't plan on doing any updates soon, if ever. If I do another release for Martial Power builds or for Paragon Elites, it will be a new book; the current file is already big enough.

 

[Holy Bovine]

Thank you for this incredible resource! I am in awe of the depth of it.

 

[Paul Strack]

I got a request to make the content available via the OGL, so I added licensing information to the book (version 1.0.3). There are no substantive changes, so if you don't care about licensing, don't bother to download this version.

 

[SabreCat]

Excellent! I'm going to use some of these in my game this coming Wednesday night.

I just noticed something, as I started putting these alongside NPCs I'd created by hand earlier... do NPCs not get proficiency bonuses for weapons? The DMG is a little ambiguous on this count (it says "taking into account class and race" for weapons, and "calculate the NPC's attack and damage bonuses as you would for a player character"). Perhaps I've been too vicious with the ones I've created until now... the attack bonuses in the Book of NPCs do seem to line up better with extant monsters.

EDIT: Oh, wait. I think I was looking at the wrong attack statblock (a basic melee where the character would usually make a Dex-based at-will attack). Please disregard!

 

[WampusCat43]

Outstanding. Simply outstanding.

 

[elijah snow]

Here is my project for the 2008 holiday season: a book of ready-to-play NPCs using Monster Manual style stat blocks.

Downloads - D&D 4th Edition - Book of NPCs - EN World D&D / RPG News

This is the file that I originally mentioned in this post, which includes a sample file if you don't want to download the whole thing:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-4th-edition-rules/247385-pre-made-npcs.html#post4602416

The current version (1.0.3) has 17 builds for 24 races, levels 1-30. That's over 4000 characters. It includes all the classes in the Player's Handbook, as well as all the races in the Player's Handbook plus the Monster Manual "Racial Traits" section.

If folks are interested, I have several ideas for other books:

1) NPC builds based on Martial Power.

2) Elite NPCs based on Paragon paths.

I'd also appreciate some feedback on the file format, as well as the builds themselves and any typos that folks notice.

[Update] The version 1.0.3 marks the content as OGL.

Is there any chance you made one of these for 3.5 before this? If so, I'd love to get a copy of it.

 

[Paul Strack]

Is there any chance you made one of these for 3.5 before this? If so, I'd love to get a copy of it.

No, sorry. The 3.5 NPCs are PCs, basically, and therefore very complex. Part of my inspiration for this project is that 4E NPCs are simplified, and their stats are mostly determined by race, class and level.

 

[CapnZapp]

No, sorry. The 3.5 NPCs are PCs, basically, and therefore very complex. Part of my inspiration for this project is that 4E NPCs are simplified, and their stats are mostly determined by race, class and level.

If I had to name a single reason why I'm DM'ing 4E, and will never play 3E again, this* would have to be it: how an 18th level Wizard doesn't take me three hours to stat out.

Zapp

*) Of course, I would have said "Strack's book of NPC's" but that would then only be part of the story...

 

[ricardo440]

how an 18th level Wizard doesn't take me three hours to stat out.

*) Of course, I would have said "Strack's book of NPC's" but that would then only be part of the story...

Or once you have statted him out, you feel like you have to "revise" just before the session to remind yourself of all the things he can do.