How do you construct your NPCs?

[Serensius]

I'm currently in the process of writing and adventure (the first one for 4e, in fact), and I'm trying to find a good way to write up NPCs that isn't a time sink; just a few lines that pretty much give the NPC away, making it easy to just 'drop' it into a session, and have them seem like (approximately) real people. I was thinking of something likes this:

Physical description: Self-explanatory

Dominant personality trait: Can be anything from rude, boisterous to nice and helpful. It's what strikes you when you meet this person.

Occupation: Barkeep. Town Mayor. Captain of the Guard. Etc.

Agenda: Everyone has an agenda. This is the NPCs motivation and goal in life.

Faith: Which god he/she/it follows. Got a pantheon of homebrewed gods, so it matters more than "vanilla" D&D.

Background: Where is the NPC from, and how did he wind up here? Just a simple sentence or two.

Secret: A little something about the NPCs, can be of epic proportions or be entirely inconsequential.


So, I was wondering, how do the people at ENWorld do this? When you write up NPCs, do you just jot down a few notes, or do you give them a full write-up? Also, anything you feel is missing from my NPC-sheet?

 

[Crothian]

In my notes they get a name, a maybe a brief sentence. Everything else I do on the fly or just keep in my head. I can easily come up with personalities and agendas for them because the important ones I just don't introduce on a whim. They get fleshed out in the planning thinking stages and by the time the PCs run into them all is ready.

 

[Thanee]

I write down only the most important information.

Who is it; where is the NPC; why is the NPC there; the NPC's use in adventure context; the NPC's motivation and whatever background is necessary to support it; the NPC's class(es)/level and major traits and most relevant belongings (maybe 10% of a full statblock, if that much).

Bye
Thanee

 

[pawsplay]

Their job, their background, motivating factors that control their behavior in the current scenario, and their over-riding beliefs or desires.

 

[Graybeard]

Depends on the NPC. Major ones I have statted out along with a sentence or two about their motivations, where they are from, etc. Intermediate ones have a name, a sentence or two, occupation, and a few skills. Minor ones have a brief stat block, a couple of skills, and little else.

 

[Voadam]

I write out mechanical stats for use at the table.

If I plan on using an NPC in the game I try to think about them to get a handle on playing them and running their behind the scenes actions.

Many NPCs are made up on the fly.