NPCs Add Color

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A good RPG campaign is filled with non player characters (NPCs).  Everyone that populates a campaign can't be a mindless monster, boss, or potential henchman.  Well developed NPCs have the potential to add a lot of flavor to a campaign, make the experience fun, and can also provide the players with information and tools that they don't have.  Below are some thoughts for developing NPCs:

NPCs are important for a campaign's background.  

"Your party entered The Thirsty Ogre.  The tavern is a large rectangular room.  There are several round tables and chairs scattered throughout, since it's midday it's pretty empty with only half the tables occupied.  At the far corner is a counter, behind which is the barkeep.  You approach the counter and they charge "x" for the following drinks."

The above works as a description, but it's pretty bland and doesn't help to advance the party's experience.  Now add a 6'3", 350 pound barkeep named Tiny (I don't know why they call me Tiny, they just do) who is a front for organized crime (if you're short on cash I know where you can borrow it).  Add the building's owner who complains about all his in laws who live on the top two floors of the building, rent free.  Add the side conversations (the orc fort in the forest is really disrupting trade, or did you see the fight last night?), and even add a colorful character that could come in handy later.  With all of that you have a much better experience for the players that also advances the campaign.

What if your players don't go into that particular tavern?  Easy!  You move all that into the one that they do go into, the players won't know!


Not all NPCs need stats, if they do then you can do this on the fly
If they are not going to adventure with the party or fight the party, then they don't need stats.  Save your time on this one.  And if for some reason they do end up in a fight with the party you can always make up the stats on the fly.  I write notes to myself like: the tavern owner is a retired 8th level sorceress.  That plus any description that would help the party is usually all you need!

I like to think of characters from fiction, movies, shows

Elric runs Elric's Emporium.  I have names from Thieves World populating my city.  I have name from the Malazan Book of the Fallen in my city.  I even put Jack Sparrow as one of the deities and Tweak from South Park as an NPC.  This is fun for me as the DM because it's fun to play these people.  This also makes the experience more entertaining for the players.  Plus it lets me know who reads!

As a DM you will do a lot of work that nobody will appreciate or notice

DMs have to have fun too!  However, if the party goes left instead of right or comes up with a different way to solve a problem then you did a lot of work that nobody is going to see - and that's okay!

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