NPCs to populate small town

[zoroaster100]

My players are heading into Blasindell, the town meant as a starting point for the WOTC module, the Forge of Fury. I need to flesh out the town NPCs a bit and was hoping to be able to "borrow" premade ones from any detailed town (except for Homlet from Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil or Cauldron from the Dungeon Adventure Path, as they are going to both of these eventually as well). Any suggestions as to where I can find a fairly detailed village or town I can loot NPCs from? An issue of Dragon or Dungeon? A free online adventure from WOTC? Has anyone posted such a resource on line from their homebrew campaigns? Also, do any 3rd party publishers produce this type of nonadventurer NPCs premade with traits and little interesting histories or motivations for use to flesh out towns and cities? I can make NPCs up myself, but its nice to have a big stock of premade ones that I can use straight up or tweak on a moment's notice.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Check out the rogue's gallery here...

http://www.enworld.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=19

 

[Turanil]

Also, do any 3rd party publishers produce this type of nonadventurer NPCs premade with traits and little interesting histories or motivations for use to flesh out towns and cities?

Everyone Else a 5$ PDF. 320 stat-blocks of commoner types of NPCs.

I can make NPCs up myself, but its nice to have a big stock of premade ones that I can use straight up or tweak on a moment's notice.

Why not begin a thread on this subject? I made one for city buildings (see link in my signature), and it is now complete and soon will be turned into a free PDF for everyone to download. If you begin a like thread for NPC citizen of all sorts, I will gladly contribute the dozen or two dozen I already have done.

 

[philreed]

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=2856

This has a dozen NPCs and includes a PDF where each is on a single page that includes a form for tracking the NPC in your game.


And if you need the same idea for Modern . . .

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=2948

 

[Gilladian]

I second Turanil's suggestion of "Everyone Else". It's a great resource that I have used numerous times in my campaign.

I also really like his idea of having people make up NPCs. The only problem I have with the Rogue's Gallery is that they're mostly PC's. They don't fill npc roles well. Especially not minor town-character roles.

If you want NPC's I'm sure lots of us will be glad to make them up, and then use them ourselves! Anything in particular you need?

Gilladian

 

[HellHound]

Everyone Else is an excellent product, I published it (when I was Ambient Inc. instead of E.N.Publishing) because I found the submitted manuscript to be so incredibly useful in play - I had used it a good twenty times before I even received the final draft of the document.

HOWEVER, it does not provide any personality for the NPCs - this is a book of standard NPC stat blocks with descriptions of what these NPCs -do- and what they don't as well as some reminders of how to use their skills and so on. They aren't given names or motivations or anything like that, these are stat-blocks that are primarily designed to make your life easier when you DO have a personality and name in mind already, and just need stats to pull out of the blue.

 

[Turanil]

I also really like his idea of having people make up NPCs. The only problem I have with the Rogue's Gallery is that they're mostly PC's. They don't fill npc roles well. Especially not minor town-character roles.

If you want NPC's I'm sure lots of us will be glad to make them up, and then use them ourselves! Anything in particular you need?

Okay, I think I am going to begin such a thread tomorrow (not the time right now). Things I wonder about:
--Should we make this thread in the general forum or rogue gallery?
--Restriction on NPCs? I suppose we should create common everyday life NPCs, some of npc classes, some of D&D classes, and some of other products' classes (such as Eberron artificers), but all in all I suppose they must be clearly everyday life commoners, not plot devices. I mean: okay for a 3rd level wizard who works as a clerk or public writer, but not a 9th level necromancer who scheme for city domination? Or maybe we let people submit whatever they want, then characters will be put in specific categories?
--Do we must begin in fact 2 threads (one for D&D 3.5 and one for d20 modern-future)?

As already said, I have many NPCs that I will be able to submit, and I need to create a whole lot for my incoming campaign. So, monday or thursday I begin the thread. Just let me know your answers to above questions and other suggestions.

Thanks

 

[Hand of Evil]

Something to think about as a DM, give your players homework! Just tell them you want two NPC from each of them, just stats, personality, quirks, and such (no names) this builds a library for you to go to in future games, it also prevents DM block in that it gives a different thought to their creation. Just tell them you want a level two commer or a level four warrior.

You can also do this with names, places, items, etc...

 

[SpiralBound]

Okay, I think I am going to begin such a thread tomorrow (not the time right now).

Yay!! Sign me up!

Things I wonder about:
--Should we make this thread in the general forum or rogue gallery?
--Restriction on NPCs? I suppose we should create common everyday life NPCs, some of npc classes, some of D&D classes, and some of other products' classes (such as Eberron artificers), but all in all I suppose they must be clearly everyday life commoners, not plot devices. I mean: okay for a 3rd level wizard who works as a clerk or public writer, but not a 9th level necromancer who scheme for city domination? Or maybe we let people submit whatever they want, then characters will be put in specific categories?

I vote for the "submit whatever you want and it gets sorted into categories afterwards" option. While I will personally prefer to use the low to medium level NPCs, I can see that the more powerful and influencial NPCs would be useful to many people.

I think that people should include names, personalities, motivations, possessions, brief histories, etc. as well. After all, there are several progrems available that can generate random stat blocks. Stat blocks all by themselves is hardly a difficult to obtain commodity, and making just stats alone by hand is a waste of time when such programs already exist.

--Do we must begin in fact 2 threads (one for D&D 3.5 and one for d20 modern-future)?

I have a suspicion that keeping the fantasy and modern NPCs separated into two different threads wil be more effective.

 

[Treebore]

Troll Lord Games just recently released an NPC book that has background histories suhc as familiy ties, religious afiliations, busniness motivations. Plus it is all based around a small village/town that his its own set of problems.

I am going to have to check out that pdf that has been mentioned.