NPC's - How do you characterize?

[BSF]

I was reviewing some of my characterization tactics and thought I would ask around to see what other people do. Maybe we could put together some templates that everyone would find useful for that NPC on the fly.

I think I tend to use mannerisms the most. Mostly body language. A few examples may be in order:

A huge talking squirrel - I tended to tilt my head from side to side a lot. I also spoke in short. choppy. sentences. At times, I would also randomly stop paying attention to the party and act as if I were listening carefully around me. This was a representative of a nature god and the party had fun interacting with him.

The meticulous old record keeper - He smacked his lips a lot and if everyone were talkiing at once, or if somebody were speaking quickly, he would make them repeat the whole thing over again. I did a lot of lip smacking as well as squinting at the players.

I'll see if anyone else wants to play the game before I add more.

EDIT: Used tilt instead of another word that can be used as a name for a rooster, or a term of vulgarity.

 

[haiiro]

I'm a big fan of the method set out in "The Seven Sentence NPC," from Dragon #184. I don't want to just post the article, but the idea is to use roughly seven sentences to capture an NPC -- one each for things like their most noticeable mannerism, background, appearance, etc.

I'm not sure if that's precisely what you're looking for, but it's a great article and a solid foundation for characterization.

 

[LGodamus]

I used a hard of hearing drow sage before...I spoke too loudly...Ignored characters whom I didnt directly see talking, said "huh?' alot, and misheard things PCs said confusing them for somthing reasonably similar sounding...it was entertaining

 

[Hypersmurf]

I find a useful trick to quickly summarise a portrayal of an NPC is to relate them to a character from a movie or TV series.

So beside the stat block of the stern high priestess, I might note "Judi Dench as 'M'". Next to the eccentric sorcerer, "Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown". The arrogant paladin, "John Rhys-Davies as King Richard".

Joanna Lumley as Sapphire. Teal'c from Stargate: SG-1. Baldric. Gil Grissom. Thulsa Doom.

Occasionally my players recognise an NPC's source immediately - Basil Fawlty and Dirty Harry, from memory, they picked within a sentence or two. But that's not a bad thing... because it gives them an instant mental image to relate to. I used Fawlty for a wizard who ran a scroll store. From the moment he greeted the PCs with "Yes? Yes? What is it?", they knew he was a tall gangly man who saw his customers as more a source of irritation than revenue. And since most of my players are fans, they loved it.

On the other hand, I doubt any of them thought, while talking to the high priestess, "He's doing Judi Dench!" But I had the image in my head, and that gave me the mannerisms, and the cadences, and the tone... and made staying in character much easier for me.

-Hyp.

 

[Gez]

Speech pattern. That's what I use the most. I imagine a way of speaking for them, like the kind of vocabulary they use, a tendancy to make short or long sentence, the amount of vulgarity, preciousness, or both, phrases they like to say, and other weirder things.

It works. Players don't always remember characters by name, but they often are marked by sentences. As exemples, my ripped-off "lich" (lost its spellcasting capacity, got severely miffed by that, and is now bitter and extremely vulgar, everyone remember its most original swearword); a kobold bard (the concept was rather loremaster, but the character was too low-level to have a PrC) that liked to repeat "one should know that" each time he described something; or an insane oracle that always spake in rhymes (a challenge!).

 

[Black Omega]

I often pick some easily rememberd character as well. For a particular Vanara in my game tonight I was doing either the ape General from Planet of the Apes (the remake) or Jack Palance. Even I'm not sure.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I often pick some easily rememberd character as well. For a particular Vanara in my game tonight I was doing either the ape General from Planet of the Apes (the remake) or Jack Palance. Even I'm not sure.

Ooh, Jack Palance... that would work

-Hyp.

 

[alaric]

Hugo Weaving used odd cadence (specifically he put pauses in the "wrong" places) to create the not quite human speech of Agent Smith. I modified that for one of the main npc's in my campaign, the pc's boss. I had him always elongating words and pausing often, to attempt to convey that he's always thinking about his words careful, as if each one is important. If a remant of the erie, not quite right feeling was left, all the better, since it foreshadows the character. Luckily my Agent Smith impresonation wasn't close enough for the players to notice it for what it was.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I had him always elongating words and pausing often, to attempt to convey that he's always thinking about his words careful, as if each one is important.

Heh. I can't do that for a special NPC. That's how I talk normally...

-Hyp.

 

[BSF]

Another example of body language (and pantomiming).

The local lord that the PC's often interacted with was a high level fighter. Of course, running the kingdom was pretty boring to him. Whenever the PC's were speaking with him, he always had something to drink in his hand. He also tended to walk around restlessly. Though he was usually paying attention to what was being said, he wasn't necessarily focusing his attention on the speaker.

While playing the NPC, I would walk around the room while holding (or at least pantomiming) a goblet. When I spoke to the party, I would pointedly speak at one person. As soon as somebody else started speaking, I would resume walking about the room.

Oddly enough, this didn't much bother the players. They all liked the NPC.