OK so I am new to this whole thing and as a theater major writing and creating a world was easy but the mechanics and more intricate vernacular has been difficult. So as I am using this new to me DM Campaign thing here on D&D Beyond I was wondering if for my NPC's I should create them just like a character or rather keep it more simple in my notes? I hope my question is clear. Thx for helping a newbie out.
OK...yeah we are a home brew group with 8 adventurers in my own created world...I know I jumped into the deep end but we are having fun and my group is awesomely patient with me (thank goodness) so thus far I have been using a lot of monsters from the manual and modifying if it suits me, making potions and weapons myself, and it's tons of work. But was thinking my NPC might be more real if I created them like characters but I also know this might be massively time consuming for someone they may only meet once...sigh
Kinda trying to think how best to time manage and yet make the campaign fun and worth it. And I am a bit of a perfectionist so I am thinking I might be over thinking this...lol
You can create a number of NPCs and if the PCs don't encounter FluffWyn the sausage vendor, you can always put FluffWyn the biscuit baker in the next town.
Keep a list of names handy as well. You never who they will want to talk to.
For items, there are a TON of items on this site as official material as well as homebrew content.
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"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
Hello you can either make NPCs as monsters or as charecters or even just names without abilties.
for me i use a combination of all. NPCs who are rivaling my party are built as charecters. NPCS who are enemies are built as monsters NPCs who live in the towns are just names with positions such as black smiths and innkeeps
i have an excell list that keeps track of the name/rank/job/disposition towards party and their aligenment. i have over 200 npcs which i can easily track with control f on my excell. I also have spare npc names that i can just come out of nowhere if my party asks me who is that guy
Unless you're going to be fighting the NPCs, either with weapons or in some sort of social situation, a full start block is probably not needed. Just have a good idea of what they can do and the relevant skills. Most of them (if we're talking shopkeepers and farmers) won't ever involve a die roll, so its irrelevant if they are proficient in any given skill or not. If they become more recurring NPCs, you can continue to flesh them out as needed. Remember, the players will unintentionally find ways to ignore most of the work you've put in to building a session. No matter what you do, they'll see something shiny over in the corner and spend an hour poking it with a stick, after they spend a half hour deciding which stick to use. I usually just come up with who I need on the fly, and then fill them in between sessions if I need to, rather than spending time building people they may or may not meet.
Wow! once again spot on. They get distracted by the silliest stuff and I am learning that being a DM is more like Improv theater or an episode of "Who's Line is It Anyway"
Second, Third, and Fourth the NPC, Town, Geographic Feature and other things in the world names lists.
Now, as much as Improv based "Yes, and..." is currently harped on as somehow a DM best practice, there is another part of the social contact that bears mentioning. If you were to say tell the gaming group that you were interested in running, say, Dragon Heist and the group agreed to do that. They would be in breach of the social contract to ignore the "module" and "plot hooks" you throw their way in Waterdeep and instead jump on a ship with the intent to becoming Pirates near Calimshan. They have to do what they agreed and play in the sandbox you set out for them. "Yes, and..." can come back in when they decide to skip opening the Trollskull Inn back up and decide to sell it. You can shift the events of the later story to fit their new locale *IN* Waterdeep, but the game can't be run if they are halfway across Toril!
I did get to participate in some Waterdeep campaigns DM'd by a friend while I was out of commission this past summer and I did enjoy it but for myself personally I am enjoying the struggles of creating it all myself and learning as I go...but I am also grateful for all the responses and knowing I am not doing this alone.
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Lori L
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OK so I am new to this whole thing and as a theater major writing and creating a world was easy but the mechanics and more intricate vernacular has been difficult. So as I am using this new to me DM Campaign thing here on D&D Beyond I was wondering if for my NPC's I should create them just like a character or rather keep it more simple in my notes? I hope my question is clear. Thx for helping a newbie out.
Lori L
Easiest to keep them standard "monster" NPCs with notes. Alternatively you could create specific NPCs as homebrew monsters with all their info added.
OK...yeah we are a home brew group with 8 adventurers in my own created world...I know I jumped into the deep end but we are having fun and my group is awesomely patient with me (thank goodness) so thus far I have been using a lot of monsters from the manual and modifying if it suits me, making potions and weapons myself, and it's tons of work. But was thinking my NPC might be more real if I created them like characters but I also know this might be massively time consuming for someone they may only meet once...sigh
Kinda trying to think how best to time manage and yet make the campaign fun and worth it. And I am a bit of a perfectionist so I am thinking I might be over thinking this...lol
Lori L
You can create a number of NPCs and if the PCs don't encounter FluffWyn the sausage vendor, you can always put FluffWyn the biscuit baker in the next town.
Keep a list of names handy as well. You never who they will want to talk to.
For items, there are a TON of items on this site as official material as well as homebrew content.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Hello you can either make NPCs as monsters or as charecters or even just names without abilties.
for me i use a combination of all.
NPCs who are rivaling my party are built as charecters.
NPCS who are enemies are built as monsters
NPCs who live in the towns are just names with positions such as black smiths and innkeeps
i have an excell list that keeps track of the name/rank/job/disposition towards party and their aligenment. i have over 200 npcs which i can easily track with control f on my excell.
I also have spare npc names that i can just come out of nowhere if my party asks me who is that guy
Unless you're going to be fighting the NPCs, either with weapons or in some sort of social situation, a full start block is probably not needed. Just have a good idea of what they can do and the relevant skills. Most of them (if we're talking shopkeepers and farmers) won't ever involve a die roll, so its irrelevant if they are proficient in any given skill or not. If they become more recurring NPCs, you can continue to flesh them out as needed. Remember, the players will unintentionally find ways to ignore most of the work you've put in to building a session. No matter what you do, they'll see something shiny over in the corner and spend an hour poking it with a stick, after they spend a half hour deciding which stick to use. I usually just come up with who I need on the fly, and then fill them in between sessions if I need to, rather than spending time building people they may or may not meet.
great ideas...I have found they always want to go back to some random person who I have long since forgot about...lol
and thx for the direction to even more cool stuff on this site ;)
Lori L
this is awesome thx a million. I have tons to work with here :)
Lori L
Wow! once again spot on. They get distracted by the silliest stuff and I am learning that being a DM is more like Improv theater or an episode of "Who's Line is It Anyway"
Lori L
Or they just ignore your plot hooks, sigh :(
The 6 most hated words in all of d&d history: make me a dex saving throw .
yeah...I am learning the artful redirect is necessary ;)
Lori L
Second, Third, and Fourth the NPC, Town, Geographic Feature and other things in the world names lists.
Now, as much as Improv based "Yes, and..." is currently harped on as somehow a DM best practice, there is another part of the social contact that bears mentioning. If you were to say tell the gaming group that you were interested in running, say, Dragon Heist and the group agreed to do that. They would be in breach of the social contract to ignore the "module" and "plot hooks" you throw their way in Waterdeep and instead jump on a ship with the intent to becoming Pirates near Calimshan. They have to do what they agreed and play in the sandbox you set out for them. "Yes, and..." can come back in when they decide to skip opening the Trollskull Inn back up and decide to sell it. You can shift the events of the later story to fit their new locale *IN* Waterdeep, but the game can't be run if they are halfway across Toril!
I did get to participate in some Waterdeep campaigns DM'd by a friend while I was out of commission this past summer and I did enjoy it but for myself personally I am enjoying the struggles of creating it all myself and learning as I go...but I am also grateful for all the responses and knowing I am not doing this alone.
Lori L