What is the best software for creating quick NPCs?

[Ghostmoon]

While I can't help you with finding an NPC generator that does all this (as I don't think it exists ), I can give you a work around I have been using that has greatly lessened my game prep time.

The Wizards of the Coast website actually has a tremendous number of complete stat blocks with equipment, but they are scattered throughout the website. To find what I want, I use Google. I generally construct my search of the site as follows:

site:wizards.com grp X

The "site" parameter limits the search to the Wizards web site, the "grp" picks up the grapple abbreviation (which is unique to the D&D 3.5 stat block), and X is whatever class I am looking for. Here is an example of some rogues:

Link: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=site:wizards.com+grp+rogue

On another note, I also look for big 3.5 conversion documents for older modules. A great example is the Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil:

Link: http://zans.clanplaid.net/v35/

Obviously, you have to take what they have already made up, but for classed but one-shot grunts and flunkies this can save a whole lot of time. For my games, I just rename them (and sometimes readjust alignments) and boom, instant villains. Hope this helps.

 

[Breakdaddy]

ETools "sucked" for a good while, but no longer. The newest patch makes it a very solid piece of software. Now, if it doesnt suit your particular needs, thats another story. The fact remains, however, that (of all the software Ive tried, which is a good bit!) etools remains the best "quick and dirty" npc generator out there. It is not perfect for this, by any stretch, but it is the best available. It would be near-perfect (IME) if it would have at least a bit of randomness to the equipment it generates for the various NPC classes, but there you have it. Either way, if you find something that does this better and as quickly as ETools let me know, Ill sign up!

 

[Vascant]

hehe.. This is pretty much why I stopped posting about the npc gen cause honestly not many are interested. While a few people did post suggestions, almost all of them were cosmetic in nature.

In my research, I can say every npc gen system available today is flawed. I know this cause I have either ran the stat block it creates thru the books or because I have looked at your source code. While the term "sucks" is not very technical in nature, etools is far from a NPC Generation system for it is not random by means. What it looks like they have done is taken the few pages from the DMG concerning quick npc's and coded that. While Jamie's is quick and dirty, there are a few situational rules and exceptions that will cause your results to be incorrect. Note this: Jamie's is the best thus far, 3e and 3.5e.

However, I will say this; coding one of these things is very tough and intensive. My wife laughs because she thinks when I was doing my doctoral dissertation, it was easier. D20 is like the english language, 80% of it easy and by the numbers but the last 20% are exceptions that change and alter 75% of the over all flow. Since my only beta tester vanished on me due to life's many events, catching all the flaws is time consuming and posting on forums doesn't get you much real help. *chuckles* I think I wasted other people's time as much as my own.

If all you are looking for is a 3rd level fighter and such, Jamie's is perfect though it will not have any equipment as people already stated but at that level adding equipment is easy. For me personally, I need more, I need my npc's to have templates and prestige classes, I need to be able to select some of the feats and skills I wanted to have priority in the selection. I needed skills to be selected based on not just the profession but also the region of the world. While a city guard and a sailor might both be 3rd level fighters, skills and feats would be key to reflect the difference in the two. Sometimes I need to be able to select what type of weapons or armor the NPC is equiped with, sometimes I don't. And while all this is important, I wanted NPC's that followed the rules and a stat block that looked like something I cute and pasted from some of the most professional designers in the industry, *laughs* with all I want, it is a good thing I am a programmer.

 

[JVisgaitis]

I use the Jamis Generators for minor NPCs and E-Tools for major ones. I haven't found anything that does a good job on equipment though. I usually go ad hoc.

 

[barsoomcore]

Ghostmoon, if you have any other Google tips to unleash, feel free. That "site:" method blew me away.

That's immensely cool. Them Googlers is clever.

 

[Vascant]

I have used his method for a while now, even more so for finding examples to follow in my own formatting issues. Though I never used the grapple tag to search for but is a good piece of info. The idea is to pick key words or tags that have limited use elsewhere, the more limited the tag, the more specific the results of the search will be. Example, if you wanted to find new magic items on their site.. use "caster level" This is pretty common in magic items. Thankfully my program is coming along far enough now where I can start creating my own npc's and not hunting them anymore.