I remember in previous editions there were NPC classes like warrior, merchant, etc. Is there anything like that in 5E? Some of my monsters are the intelligent type like Medusae or independently minded orcs, fiends, etc. I would like them to have the appropriate skills but don't necessarily want to improve the CR by adding character levels. My first thought is to just build them as a PC and then only use the skill checks. Are there any NPC classes in 5E?
For most things, I would just use monster stats and tweak 0-2 traits, then play them however. I would avoid building these things from scratch, or even half scratch, unless you are planning for them to have major utility.
If it was a medusa merchant, I would simply use medusa stats, unedited, then just give her a merchant job, and a personality of some sort. Maybe a cool mask.
You could give an orc cleric a few spells. Again, it depends on what you want to do with them. A monster NPC who will be with the party through thick and thin might need more fleshing out.
Minimize the building where you can. Whatever gets the job done with the least amount of work!
When you say “skills” do you mean skill proficiencies like persuasion, history, athletics, etc? If that’s the case, I’d just go for it and give them whichever skill proficiencies you want them to have, maybe give them the same proficiency bonus that the PCs have, unless you need them to be stronger or weaker, then adjust appropriately. I don’t think a Medusa who’s trained in religion would really make a big difference in terms of CR.
If you mean skills in a broader sense, like they have the sentinel feat or can cast 4th level spells, that would be a bit different. You can still just do it, but it would probably require a CR adjustment.
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Hello,
I remember in previous editions there were NPC classes like warrior, merchant, etc. Is there anything like that in 5E? Some of my monsters are the intelligent type like Medusae or independently minded orcs, fiends, etc. I would like them to have the appropriate skills but don't necessarily want to improve the CR by adding character levels. My first thought is to just build them as a PC and then only use the skill checks. Are there any NPC classes in 5E?
Thank you,
Evan
They just got turned into monster types in 5e, like priest.
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What skills do you want to add?
For most things, I would just use monster stats and tweak 0-2 traits, then play them however. I would avoid building these things from scratch, or even half scratch, unless you are planning for them to have major utility.
If it was a medusa merchant, I would simply use medusa stats, unedited, then just give her a merchant job, and a personality of some sort. Maybe a cool mask.
You could give an orc cleric a few spells. Again, it depends on what you want to do with them. A monster NPC who will be with the party through thick and thin might need more fleshing out.
Minimize the building where you can. Whatever gets the job done with the least amount of work!
When you say “skills” do you mean skill proficiencies like persuasion, history, athletics, etc? If that’s the case, I’d just go for it and give them whichever skill proficiencies you want them to have, maybe give them the same proficiency bonus that the PCs have, unless you need them to be stronger or weaker, then adjust appropriately. I don’t think a Medusa who’s trained in religion would really make a big difference in terms of CR.
If you mean skills in a broader sense, like they have the sentinel feat or can cast 4th level spells, that would be a bit different. You can still just do it, but it would probably require a CR adjustment.