Ok, so in my adventure there are a fair amount of cities. I don't know what types of NPC's to put in there, and what NPC's they should be trying to fight. Any ideas of NPC's to react with?
Every city should have its own personality. Cities in warmer climates will move at a more leisurely pace, with afternoon naps and people gathering in plazas in the cool of the evening. Business hubs should be crowded and constantly buzzing. People aren’t rude per se, but they have places to be and little time to stop and give directions to a group of heavily-armed strangers. Cities under a repressive government will have squat, brutalist architecture with the walls covered in propaganda and if you see a friendly face, you can be certain that they’re informants for the secret police. Seaports will be a kaleidoscope of people and languages and food from all over the world.
On that note, one easy way to give a city personality is to describe its food and alcohol. Do they eat bread or noodles or couscous or potatoes as a starch? Do they drink wine or gin or beer or vodka? Do they only drink water because of religious edicts?
If you have a “fair amount” of different cities, you don’t need to go into too much detail about the NPCs in each one, but the city guards, merchants, libraries, churches, and thieves/gangs come up regularly.
Go to youtube and search something like this "how to populate a dnd world".
I just did that search and the results I got were from a few creators that I like (howtobeagratgm, an interview with Matt Mercer by Collegehumor, Runesmith, Sherlock Hulmes, and Matt Colvile, just name a few). I have even watched some these, or so Youtube tells me, should be at least a good starting point.
I know that is what I am planning. I have one town down, and am working on the basics of another city. Though some things I can't move to others like for instance if I had a really old wizard in one town, but they didn't go to that town, and they went to a town that bans magic, I couldn't really have the wizard there. I suppose I could make him trying to hide his magic, I guess.
I would recommend adding some nobles. It makes things a little more interesting when they can converse with some of the more influential people in the town/city. Maybe they make some allies, maybe they make some enemies. It would be fun to have an entire faction of a city actively working against the players.
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I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
- Litany Against Fear, Frank Herbert
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Ok, so in my adventure there are a fair amount of cities. I don't know what types of NPC's to put in there, and what NPC's they should be trying to fight. Any ideas of NPC's to react with?
Definitely the city guard. At some point they will fight a bad guy and after it is too late the city guard will show up.
If you are giving out a lot of gold, then at some point tax collectors should show up as well.
I like to have at least one 'vice' building - bar/brothel/gambling, does not matter what it's focus is.
And at least one Temple of some kind.
And shops. Everyone likes to go shopping.
Gotta buy those iron rations after all...
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
The Thieves’ Guild and the Merchants’ Guilds. Maybe a University or at least a Library for research. They all need personnel.
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Every city should have its own personality. Cities in warmer climates will move at a more leisurely pace, with afternoon naps and people gathering in plazas in the cool of the evening. Business hubs should be crowded and constantly buzzing. People aren’t rude per se, but they have places to be and little time to stop and give directions to a group of heavily-armed strangers. Cities under a repressive government will have squat, brutalist architecture with the walls covered in propaganda and if you see a friendly face, you can be certain that they’re informants for the secret police. Seaports will be a kaleidoscope of people and languages and food from all over the world.
On that note, one easy way to give a city personality is to describe its food and alcohol. Do they eat bread or noodles or couscous or potatoes as a starch? Do they drink wine or gin or beer or vodka? Do they only drink water because of religious edicts?
If you have a “fair amount” of different cities, you don’t need to go into too much detail about the NPCs in each one, but the city guards, merchants, libraries, churches, and thieves/gangs come up regularly.
Go to youtube and search something like this "how to populate a dnd world".
I just did that search and the results I got were from a few creators that I like (howtobeagratgm, an interview with Matt Mercer by Collegehumor, Runesmith, Sherlock Hulmes, and Matt Colvile, just name a few). I have even watched some these, or so Youtube tells me, should be at least a good starting point.
Thanks for all the advice! I will be sure to use it in my cities!
One thing I would say is, do not make up the NPCs of multiple cities all at once. You'll drive yourself batty.
Just start with ONE town. Build up from there.
Oh, and make a spreadsheet or something that keeps track of shop names, shop owner names, what is sold, for how much, etc.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
And if you come up with an NPC that you like in town A, but the PCs didn’t meet them, just move them to town B.
I know that is what I am planning. I have one town down, and am working on the basics of another city. Though some things I can't move to others like for instance if I had a really old wizard in one town, but they didn't go to that town, and they went to a town that bans magic, I couldn't really have the wizard there. I suppose I could make him trying to hide his magic, I guess.
I would recommend adding some nobles. It makes things a little more interesting when they can converse with some of the more influential people in the town/city. Maybe they make some allies, maybe they make some enemies. It would be fun to have an entire faction of a city actively working against the players.
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
- Litany Against Fear, Frank Herbert