What's a word that means "NPC or Monster"

[Tonguez]

Mooks, Stooges, Actors,

 

[Imaculata]

Lootbags

 

[Lanefan]

Lootbags

Reminds me of a quote from a long-ago player of mine regarding Giants:

"Every time I hit one of these things I can hear the experience points leaking out."

 

[Fenris-77]

"Every time I hit one of these things I can hear the experience points leaking out."

If they're just leaking out he's not hitting them hard enough. I want to be wiping experience points off my face and chest. Maybe even re-enacting the fight by reading the XP spatter on the walls and ceiling.

 

[Legatus Legionis]

.

 

[cmad1977]

Dudes.

 

[Fenris-77]

Dudes.

Doodes!

 

[Campbell]

Nobody has said Experience Points? I am disappointed.

 

[Eltab]

Nobody has said Experience Points? I am disappointed.

Do you gain Disap-points for that?

 

[jayoungr]

I'd call them mobs, but that's a borrowing from video games.

 

[mach1.9pants]

I'd call them GMC's. Game Master Characters. There's also a pun there that makes it funny

DMCs? Can they run?

 

[MarkB]

"Literally everyone else in the world".

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

For what it's worth, I like Actor.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

I like:
Protagonists
Antagonists
Supporting Cast
Extras

 

[Lanefan]

DMCs? Can they run?

It's posts like this that make me wish the 'Like' button had a 'facepalm' or 'groan' option...

 

[mach1.9pants]

It's posts like this that make me wish the 'Like' button had a 'facepalm' or 'groan' option...

Dad Joke button

 

[Crusadius]

Obstacles.

 

[rgoodbb]

NP's
Personalities
Cast
XP...

 

[Wild Gazebo]

How about something camp and alliterative like Props, Pillars and Players?

 

[Laurefindel]

I'm blanking -- I need a single word with refer to all the NPCs and monsters in a game. I'm using "Extras" for random unnamed guards, farmers, etc., but I need a term to use in the text to refer to all the notable allies, villains, monsters, aliens, etc. It's important it doesn't say "monster" or "villain" as many are neither of those things. It needs to say "allies AND enemies".

In Star Wars terms --

Extra -- stormtroopers, moisture farmers, Cantina musicians

Hero - the players; Luke, Han, Leia

??? - the rest: Yoda, Vader, the Rancor Monster, Tarkin, Mace Windu

If Luke, Han, and Leia are « heroes » that makes Vador a « villain » and Yoda an « ally ».

Protagonists/antagonists/chorus can work using Greek tragedy nomenclature.

Personally, I’m fond of NPC or Gamemaster Characters (for sentient allies and antagonists) and creatures (for animals and fantasy monsters and beasts). That doesn’t fix the blurry lines of sentient monsters like dragons or demons, which is what you might be aiming for.

But ultimately, there are lead roles, supporting roles, and extras. So « lead » or « main » NPCs and « support » NPCs might differentiate the two, keeping extras for those with no consequential role.

The closest neutral and global term i can come with is « creature ».