What tricks do you use to cut down on NPC prep time?

[Thunderfoot]

i don't referee d02. it cuts down on my NPC prep time by immeasurable amounts.

Yeah, yeah, yeah - only OD&D for you; quiet you grognard.

 

[mhensley]

Just grab a stat card from the minis game and you're good to go. Or take the stats from a published module. Or just handwave them just like you had to do in previous editions. 90% of the time all you will need is the combat stats anyway.

 

[rgard]

This was a very helpful thread:

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=189858

And some people discussed their time-cutting tricks to cut down on NPC prep time, or combat buffs.

What tricks do you use? By tricks, I mean anything including but not limited to cards for buffs, software or homebrewed tricks.

Maybe not what you are looking for but with regards to rolling up NPCs, never throw out anything:

1. Keep copies of all PC sheets.
2. Keep copies of all NPC sheets.
3. Use the character examples from the Complete books, both the PC and PrC.
4. Use NPCs from any modules and Dungeon mags you have.
5. Use PC and NPC examples that folks post here and elsewhere for comment.
6. Use the D&D side of your DDM minis cards. Lots of decent NPCs there. If you don't buy DDM, you can still download the cards at WotC's site.

With the characters already built using the above, you really save time. It's easier to drop a feat and replace it from a pre-existing character than rolling up one from scratch.

I also have a binder of potential NPCs I collected from D&D Fight Club we ran at my store. The players gave me a copy of the character they were using each time. That and 25 cents that went into the pot for a prize (store credit) at the end of the month.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[rgard]

I started the d20 NPCs Wiki.

Well done Jürgen, that is awesome!!!

 

[Mallus]

1) Use Heroforge.

2) Outsource NPC creation to players that are better at character design than you.

 

[DragonLancer]

It's only working out skills that bother me and I cheat now where that is concerned. I assume each NPC has all class skills maxed out but they don't get them officially unless they use them.

 

[just__al]

I use eTools

Max ranks in skills only

assign gear as appropriate

I can put together something fairly quickly.

This all assumes I cannot find an existing prestatted NPC online or in my stuff (dragon, dungeon, etc)

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

I use E-Tools, create a whole bunch of generic-ish NPC's for grunts, and use them whenever possible. When I do NPC's by hand, I don't worry about skills unless they are likely to come into play (tumble for rogues, etc). Most NPC wizards and sorcerors use PHB spells only.

The last three or four pirate crews the PC's have dealt with have all been composed of the same Ftr 1/Rog 1 pirates with the same stats and weapons. I use that same stat block for criminal gangs of thugs.

 

[Birmy]

There's a LOT of great suggestions here; in my case, if they're unimportant or unlikely to face combat, I use standard stats from the book. If they're going to stick around or be in combat or serve a plot function, I'll give them the full treatment with few shortcuts (even though I hate number-crunching).

Lately I've been using character generators for NPCs, and have found myself becoming a sort of weird connoiseur of such programs (I haven't yet heard of or tried this NPC Generator; I'll have to download it, as I'm always looking to try new ones). Redblade or PC Gen will do, but so far Hero Lab is the one that has me running through sunny fields of daisies holding hands with it.) Chargen programs definitely make things go a lot faster with minimal fuss; it's easy to generate a bunch of low-level guards or whatever and change it up a bit if you want to vary gear or stats (the program takes care of things like bonuses and secondary stats, which is where I personally always get bogged down). Keep them generic enough and you can just keep the files handy for use in future sessions, so you save time down the road.

 

[James McMurray]

I used to keep everything (monsters, NPCs, and even PCs) on 3x5 cards to speed play. Now I don't even bother giving NPCs numbers that they won't need. No skill points used out of combat, no attack bonus if they're a caster that is dead if they're resorting to a dagger, etc. For NPCs in towns reverse the process, and don't bother giving them any stats needed for combat.

Sometimes it falls apart and you hfind yourself needing something you didn't prep, but that sort of limited winging it usually isn't a problem.