GMs, How Much, and What, Details Do You Like In NPCs?

[doctorbadwolf]

Some games take a full page for each NPC, with full PC rules, while others give a list of skills and their values, and basic numbers like HP and speed.

Using D&D as a common example, in 3.5 you get a full PC-rules character build for most NPCs. In 4e, you get simpler mechanics but more tactical detail and often a half-page or more of lore for each critter. In 5e, the stats are mostly simpler, and for me quite lacking in what I will actually use, like non-combat proficiencies, basic behaviors, some if-then behaviors like 4e often had under “tactics” for each pillar, etc.

As I build NPCs more for my new iteration of my game, which has very different math and check resolution assumptions, I find myself rethinking what information is actually needed and broadly useful.

So I wonder, what do you actually want or need in an NPC, in order to use it?

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Depends on the NPC.

Barkeeper? Name only.

A merchant the PCs will haggle with? Name. Trading skill. done.

A mook? Basic combat values in the most short-hand manner I can manage. (In Hero System that's still quite a few numbers.) Maybe a name. Odds are good that name is going to be Barry. Or Gary.

An important NPC with whom I expect the PCs to have a variety of different types of interaction (ie: combat & social)? Fully statted out, the same as the PCs.

Whether or not I fill out an NPC's personality will depend on how often they will interact with the PCs. I may not know, in fact in most cases probably won't know, how frequent these interactions will be until it happens.

 

[billd91]

For NPCs where we might be expecting some complex interaction, something about their motives/plans is useful.
I also really liked Paizo’s Before Combat, During Combat, and Morale sections of their stat blocks. In an edition like 5e, the combat ones can be simplified, but Morale would still be relevant.

 

[aramis erak]

if they aren't a template NPC, full game stats, and a paragraph or two of personality and/or background. A paragraph of why they're in the adventure is good, too.
I prefer template NPCs asa general rule.

 

[aco175]

I would echo what @DrunkonDuty said. Think about how much you developed before and if it was needed. A one-stop town where nothing is expected to happen- I can just have a list of a few names and make up thing as I go for the barkeep or the smith if the PCs wants to negotiate with him. I can just give regular people a +2 or +3 to a check if one is needed.

A home base innkeeper where he will be around for several adventures, might have a paragraph on his family and a bit on appearance. I'll give him a secret or two that could come up that gives him something cool. I will likely not give him any stats still unless I think there is going to be a reason like the town coming under attack from orcs or such.

Henchmen I will give a modified monster statblock with maybe a skill and a save bonus depending on the level of the PCs. I'll give them a couple paragraphs on history and appearance. A secret and play style to help running them.

In the end, I only need so much as I can just add a modifier if needed. Focus on the story and the parts that the PCs will need, or fight.

 

[payn]

For NPCs where we might be expecting some complex interaction, something about their motives/plans is useful.
I also really liked Paizo’s Before Combat, During Combat, and Morale sections of their stat blocks. In an edition like 5e, the combat ones can be simplified, but Morale would still be relevant.

I also liked the Paizo module approach. I always felt like they gave me great adventure material to fit the NPCs in. Even minor ones had a brief explanation and alignment so they were very easy to play.

3E/PF1 could be a beast with their stat blocks. I like this era the best personally, but I can see its difficulties. The NPC codex put out by Paizo was super helpful. Basically, stats are provided for myriad of NPCs of various levels and class. I was free to homebrew up my own NPCs with motives and stories and just select the stats that fit best from the codex and go. A real time saver.

 

[Fenris-77]

A motivation, one interesting descriptive trait, and a quirk. Mostly I don't even stat them unless there's a clear need.

 

[John Dallman]

If the NPC has a clear story purpose, I need enough detail to role-play them for that activity. If they're a potential ally or companion for the PCs, a full character sheet is useful. This means I sometimes create a character sheet a session or two after the NPC first appears.

For example, in my India campaign, there's an NPC who in his first session was never seen, but the characters were investigating the crime he'd committed, and trying to track him down. The things I improvised in response to their investigation fed into the details I came up with between sessions about where he'd gone and how he'd got home. In the second session they tracked him down and managed to arrest him without killing him. Since his capabilities are potentially useful, and I knew more about him by this point, I did a full character sheet after the second session. In the third session, next weekend, they'll probably try to get him to work for them, but he's dangerous enough that they may feel they have to kill him.

In a low-magic setting, he has an overwhelmingly powerful ability to convince people to do what he wants, at least in the short term. All of the PCs who were subjected to this succumbed; two had gone round the back, were not targeted and shot him, almost killing him. Taking him to the capital of India may not actually be a great idea, but that seems to be their plan.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

if they aren't a template NPC, full game stats, and a paragraph or two of personality and/or background. A paragraph of why they're in the adventure is good, too.
I prefer template NPCs asa general rule.

Template NPCs refers to stuff like Guard?

I would echo what @DrunkonDuty said. Think about how much you developed before and if it was needed. A one-stop town where nothing is expected to happen- I can just have a list of a few names and make up thing as I go for the barkeep or the smith if the PCs wants to negotiate with him. I can just give regular people a +2 or +3 to a check if one is needed.

That’s largely what I do in 5e D&D, because the low end common folk stats are basically worthless anyway. Why bother looking up an acolyte? They’re gonna have 1 skill and 10HP, and nothing interesting going for them.

A home base innkeeper where he will be around for several adventures, might have a paragraph on his family and a bit on appearance. I'll give him a secret or two that could come up that gives him something cool. I will likely not give him any stats still unless I think there is going to be a reason like the town coming under attack from orcs or such.

Absolutely. Those characters deserve a kind of depth that is very different from what PCs need. In 5e terms, it’s worth giving them a full background, including personality traits, but detailing combat stats? Nah.

Henchmen I will give a modified monster statblock with maybe a skill and a save bonus depending on the level of the PCs. I'll give them a couple paragraphs on history and appearance. A secret and play style to help running them.

A secret (or personal quest hook of some kind), a flaw, and some other personality traits, absolutely.

In the end, I only need so much as I can just add a modifier if needed. Focus on the story and the parts that the PCs will need, or fight.

Is this true regardless of game, if you run multiple different games?

A motivation, one interesting descriptive trait, and a quirk. Mostly I don't even stat them unless there's a clear need.

Yeah I’m thinking the “soft” parts of CharGen might as well be mirrored in NPCs, but for instance I’ve no desire to give them attributes or skill specialties. The just have fewer skills, with comparable total ranks to PCs using a specialty. I honestly might even just rank the 3 categories of skills, and say that they have journeyman or expert ranks in one, a couple less in another, and 1-2 ranks in the third. At least for very minor NPCs.

I might also leverage templates or “NPC Archetypes” to allow for quickly taking a basic Teacher and turning it into a Teacher (hidden Void Witch).

 

[aramis erak]

Template NPCs refers to stuff like Guard?

The ones that are in my 5E PHB, and the back of the MM. Or the chapters of NPCs in the FFG and Modiphius game lines. Where unlikley-to-be-used prerequisites are dropped, the stats are presented with the figured stats figured.