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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MNblockhead" data-source="post: 7415623" data-attributes="member: 6796661">Important NPCs I'll spend time stating them up and creating backstories. Otherwise, I make up on the fly. The only random tables I use are for names. Even then, for certain cultures/areas, I'll make up the name on the fly rather than look at a chart. Rolling on random tables seems more work to me and, in game, on the fly, break the flow of the game.Sometimes the "important" NPCs end up unused, make only a brief appearance, or meet an earlier-than-expected death. Sometimes my made-up-on-the-fly NPCs become central pillars of the campaign because inspiration hits me, or, more likely, the players mistake the NPC as more important than I intended. So...it becomes important. Because of this, I spend less time on creating "rich" NPCs. They become deep and flavorful from in-game interaction.The MM and Volos help by stating up common NPC types, like scouts, thugs, etc. The Tomb of Beasts by Kobold Press does as well. DnD Beyond makes it easy to quickly create an NPC. You just select a class and level and it will randomize the rest.</blockquote>