09/10/2023
CREATING BETTER NPCs
1st thing you want to do is determine what the NPC's purpose is. So for the sake of this example I wanted my party, who is going to attempt to break into a prison to break one of the playes out. I had to give them a way to find out details about the layout of the prison and the guard shifts.
Next you want to set up what location your players will run into the NPC and why. - Through investigation the party will discover that the prison is not only notorious for it's brutality but also for never having had a prison escape to date. I wanted to create a disgruntled former guard who was fired because he's become an alcoholic and now wastes away his day at his brother-n-laws bar drinking.
Third I come up with a name and physical description and a general idea of the behavior of the NPC. Now I'll be the 1st to admit I suck at coming up with names so I use Fantasynamegenerators.com all the time and it's a great resource.
Thoren "Ironfist" Fogsnarl
Physical Description: Thoren Fogsnarl, once a proud and disciplined guard of Blackford Prison, now appears a shadow of his former self. He stands at a solid 6 feet, with a burly, muscular build that still betrays traces of his former strength. His skin, has taken on a sickly, sweaty and has taken on a pallid hue from too many days spent indoors boozing at the Iron Mug.
His once-short-cropped brown hair has grown long and unruly, hanging in greasy tangles around his face. His face which use to be clean shaven, now is a ragged mass of wiry strands of black and grey hair that obscure most of his jawline. His blue eyes, once filled with determination and focus, are now clouded with bitterness and anger.
He can usually be found wearing the remnants of his guard uniform, though it's now worn and stained. The once-shiny breastplate is dull and battered, and his trousers are frayed at the cuffs. A leather belt, now cracked and worn, holds a battered, tarnished badge that once symbolized his authority.
Thoren's hands, once calloused from years of wielding a sword and shield, are now unsteady and shaky, a testament to the steady stream of liquor he consumes at the Iron Mug. He rarely removes his fingerless leather gloves, which have seen better days but still bear the faint insignia of Blackford Prison.
When he enters the tavern, his heavy boots leave a trail of mud in his wake, and his haggard appearance draws the attention of the patrons. Thoren's angry demeanor and constant grumbling about his former employer make him a source of discomfort for some, but he's a regular fixture at the Iron Mug, and his because he's Duran's wife's brother the fact that he's wasting away his days nursing his grudges and his drink is tolerated.
Lastly I try and come up with his voice, physcial movements, a general idea of dialogue, as well as how he interacts with other patrons of the bar.
So I wanted this guy already 3 sheets to the wind when the players enter the tavern. I want them to hear him complaining about the prison and how he was wrongfully fired. His speech will be slurred and he'll switch from anger to laughter in an instant and he'll be slouched over, elbows on the table, his head barely above his arms.
I'm also a very visual guy so I try and find or create images of what I think the NPC will look like. This one was created by yours truly.
Hope this helps all of the aspiring DMs out there!!
