Kliff_The_Gelatinous_Cube here. Thank you so much for reading my first article: Role Playing a Great character part 1. I hope your groups had a really fun time with your characters. This article is meant ONLY FOR DMs. (Just a warning for you adventurers out there [Hang in there, ill make more articles) This is my personal strategy to helping your NPC's come to life while interacting with your players.
Here is my first strategy: Choosing one quality and one flaw to use when interacting with the PC's. Here are some qualities to think about:
Intelligent.
"Well, ten years of studying finally payed off." Klaus, the wise. (After inventing the catapult)
Maybe your NPC is awful in battle, but is great when it comes to solving puzzles, busting riddles, and other similar scenarios. You might want to think about how your smart NPC sees the characters. Maybe to the NPC, the PCs are just distractions, or stupid people who need to be corrected. Think about this in combat. Do they run in fear, or smirk as they hide behind the characters.
Sneaky
"Fighting is for fools. Dead men cant spend their fortunes." -Barnabas Bladecutter (Xanathar's guide to everything)
Maybe your NPC is useless at first, but when tasked with opening a lock or finding hidden exits, show extreme proficiency. These sort of people might include prankers, urchins, spies, or some other type of thief/rouge. Think about how the character meet this person. Maybe they are a pick pocket that the PC's have caught. Maybe a young annoying street urchin finds them a way out of a dangerous situation. Think about how they might be nice or not so nice to the PC's.
Some sort of random ability.
"Look at what I can do!" Hallam Hardwood, three seconds before single handedly taking down the ancient army of Western Faerun.
Maybe the NPC seems useless at first, but the characters soon find a very strange trait about the NPC. Perhaps they can breathe fire, cast spells, or have some other ability. This ability MUST NOT BE OVERPOWERED and should be available to a 3rd level (Or lower) character. Here's an example: A cartographer who finds out they can heal. (This is available to a low level cleric) Or a dwarf who finds he can spit acid from eating acid-filled food. (This is available to a low level dragonborn.) Have fun with this!
Great! Now, here are some flaws to add to your NPCs.
Annoying
"Kid, if you ask for my autograph again..." Bruenor Battlehammer
Maybe an NPC of yours will be annoying the characters. This can go well with the sneaky quality, but also, it adds an extra challenge to the group. This can range from a young child that wants to join your adventures, to a person you rescued that keeps asking questions, to an evil hostage that keeps trying to run away. Think about how this person interacts with objects and people.
Thank you guys for reading! This is the end of this article. Don't forget to comment if you liked this! Please check out my other homebrew creations, and my Roblox group, APG studios! Thanks, everyone! See ya next time!
AngryDM proposes pretty much the system you're writing in your articles, although he has some interesting takes on what makes an NPC personally relatable and dynamic - which you'd only need for major reoccurring NPCs.
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Hello!
Kliff_The_Gelatinous_Cube here. Thank you so much for reading my first article: Role Playing a Great character part 1. I hope your groups had a really fun time with your characters. This article is meant ONLY FOR DMs. (Just a warning for you adventurers out there [Hang in there, ill make more articles) This is my personal strategy to helping your NPC's come to life while interacting with your players.
Here is my first strategy: Choosing one quality and one flaw to use when interacting with the PC's. Here are some qualities to think about:
Intelligent.
"Well, ten years of studying finally payed off." Klaus, the wise. (After inventing the catapult)
Maybe your NPC is awful in battle, but is great when it comes to solving puzzles, busting riddles, and other similar scenarios. You might want to think about how your smart NPC sees the characters. Maybe to the NPC, the PCs are just distractions, or stupid people who need to be corrected. Think about this in combat. Do they run in fear, or smirk as they hide behind the characters.
Sneaky
"Fighting is for fools. Dead men cant spend their fortunes." -Barnabas Bladecutter (Xanathar's guide to everything)
Maybe your NPC is useless at first, but when tasked with opening a lock or finding hidden exits, show extreme proficiency. These sort of people might include prankers, urchins, spies, or some other type of thief/rouge. Think about how the character meet this person. Maybe they are a pick pocket that the PC's have caught. Maybe a young annoying street urchin finds them a way out of a dangerous situation. Think about how they might be nice or not so nice to the PC's.
Some sort of random ability.
"Look at what I can do!" Hallam Hardwood, three seconds before single handedly taking down the ancient army of Western Faerun.
Maybe the NPC seems useless at first, but the characters soon find a very strange trait about the NPC. Perhaps they can breathe fire, cast spells, or have some other ability. This ability MUST NOT BE OVERPOWERED and should be available to a 3rd level (Or lower) character. Here's an example: A cartographer who finds out they can heal. (This is available to a low level cleric) Or a dwarf who finds he can spit acid from eating acid-filled food. (This is available to a low level dragonborn.) Have fun with this!
Great! Now, here are some flaws to add to your NPCs.
Annoying
"Kid, if you ask for my autograph again..." Bruenor Battlehammer
Maybe an NPC of yours will be annoying the characters. This can go well with the sneaky quality, but also, it adds an extra challenge to the group. This can range from a young child that wants to join your adventures, to a person you rescued that keeps asking questions, to an evil hostage that keeps trying to run away. Think about how this person interacts with objects and people.
Thank you guys for reading! This is the end of this article. Don't forget to comment if you liked this! Please check out my other homebrew creations, and my Roblox group, APG studios! Thanks, everyone! See ya next time!
I Love Gelatinous Cubes
And Gelatinous Humanoids.
I am a full supporter of the LGBTQ+ community.
Black Lives matter
Dont forget your mask!
You might be interested in this: https://theangrygm.com/series/give-nps-some-c/
AngryDM proposes pretty much the system you're writing in your articles, although he has some interesting takes on what makes an NPC personally relatable and dynamic - which you'd only need for major reoccurring NPCs.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.