Non-player characters (NPCs) are part of a rich narrative tapestry. dungeons and dragons work out. Whether essential to a quest or adding some flavor to an adventure, they're essential to effective world-building. While some interactions go smoothly, other dealings with locals can be quite confusing. Sometimes through the players' self-sabotage, sometimes through the devious machinations of a trickster DM.
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A skilled Dungeon Master knows how to use these pesky NPCs to create very clever traps, puzzles, and storylines for the players. But sometimes it backfires in dramatic ways. I spoke with Dungeon Master Oskar, who explained the following: dungeons and dragons An NPC that he and other DMs love to bring to the table to provoke unsuspecting players.
barkeeper and tavern owner
Always be kind to the people who cook your food and pour your beer.
On paper, bartenders and tavern owners are respected local figures who can be helpful by gossiping, giving directions, and providing other important information. However, players often see these NPCs as a challenge to steal, break, or kill something without being detected. These opportunistic foolish actions often cause confusion through miscommunication and often expose intra-party conflict.
In small settlements, the local tavern is often the hub of the community and the first port of call for many weary travellers. So immediately upsetting someone valuable to your party for a variety of reasons can make a simple campaign infinitely more difficult.
Filler NPC
Meet Bob. Bob is trying to concentrate on his job.
To bring a scene to life and engage players, the DM can describe the scene in detail. Sometimes I decide to describe an NPC or two that are there to help with world building. These people aren't particularly important and are just there to set the mood. But players can grab that poor, unrelated NPC and try to figure out his deep, dark secret meaning to the plot.
A party that clings to one small, relatively unimportant character can leave the DM trying in vain to lead the players back to the quest, often with limited success. A skilled DM can use this to their advantage, and suddenly this guy who was just enjoying a pint at the local pub becomes a key player in a tale of fantasy intrigue and espionage.
curator
Never underestimate a librarian
Curators can often seem like harmless knowledge-bearers, bookworms, and historians. However, many players forget that Curators are specifically chosen by a chosen organization for their ability to protect something very important. This often results in unpleasant parties crossing paths with the Curator in less-than-ideal circumstances, only to be replaced by an angry librarian with powerful spells or unexpected martial arts skills.
A good example is the War Domain Archive Curator. Typically, War Domain clerics and acolytes are highly skilled in military weapons and martial occult arts, and only the most experienced or passionate of them are sometimes chosen as curators to defend books that tempt the mind to violence and conquest. This means that curators also need disciplined will.
pet
Risk your life to protect him!
TTRPGs include: dungeons and dragons Although notorious for its evil enemies, every player knows that there is plenty of humor and delightful whimsy to be found in the magical world. It's crazy the extent to which the party will go to protect or socialize every random woodland animal they come across.
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Players will either craft an impromptu leather armor for their pup or give a random animal an arcane crystal that gives it god-rivaling spellcasting abilities. Often the hamsters in your party live long, prosperous lives through the horrors of the campaign. You could potentially receive some sort of honor or knighthood.
familiar or mountain
Can we protect him?
Familiar animals or mounts elicit similar responses to pets, but are usually stronger and potentially more dangerous. A player's familiar or mount says a lot about their companion. Typically, these creatures appear in the form of ravenous beasts or monsters, and one party member claims to be able to control them. This arrogance is often proven wrong when you attack an essential ally NPC 10 minutes later.
Unlike pets, familiars are only one player's close companions, and can even be detrimental to the party's existence. Players attached to a familiar or mount will act cute as if they were a teddy bear rather than a 9-foot tall owlbear. Mounts can be completely impractical, intrusive, or completely forgettable.
street rat
Riff Raff… Street Laugh…
The streets of the fantasy metropolis are tough on children, so chances are any kid you come across at a party is either an orphan, a mischievous pickpocket, or a prankster. They may be running from a deadly threat or the law. The parties could actually adopt the child or hand it over to the village guard for compensation.
A rogue may teach him how to roll dice, or a cleric may attempt a spiritual conversion. Tank builds are known for taking them under their wing and teaching them how to fight. Either way, the street rat can single-handedly derail or save the situation with the right inspiration from the right party members.
a lonely subordinate
He only has 3 days left until retirement.
Sometimes a brief characterization of an enemy NPC can unintentionally lead to an entire story. As the party sneaks past the patrol, a particularly oppressed and disgruntled subordinate may complain and be reprimanded by name. This guy now has a huge target on his back.
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The party can choose to protect his honor by hunting him down personally or killing the rest of his patrol for harassing him. Players always love tormenting random henchmen as they climb the ranks of the Big Bad or take an unexpected path to salvation.
repeat guard
He used to be an adventurer like you, but he got shot in the knee by an arrow.
A repeat guard is a prestigious and formal version of a henchman. They are generally ambiguous figures whose loyalty to the party often depends on their actions. As bureaucrats and authority figures, they are fun to tease and undermine. They serve as a foil to heroic adventurers and are often publicly embarrassed by less legitimate parties.
Ultimately, these less legitimate parties tend to adopt these figures as enemies, viewing the act of inciting them as a way to unwind after an intense encounter. The parties may go out of their way to find particularly frustrating and anxious guards and psychologically torture them.
dragon
When there's a bard…
While some players see powerful enemies, some bards see encounters with dragons as unique dating opportunities. Having a confused bard in your party who can't help but love every comical creature that crosses his path can add a worrying new dimension to your quest.
In the rare case where the bard doesn't get the whole party into trouble with a dangerous liaison, it can be a surprisingly positive conclusion. An ambushed dragon may save the player. Even better, the dragon might decide to keep the pesky bard. Everyone is a winner.
Player – a family member of the character
surprised! It's trauma time!
family reunion D&D Never go as planned. If the DM decides to write a player character's family member into the campaign, things can get out of control very quickly. At parties, we rarely have the courtesy to keep things civil and civil. Depending on the player's mood, this could be a matter of life or death.
Sometimes social tensions can be the most destructive. The bully at the party may not be too thrilled when your parents mention your childhood nickname. On the other hand, a mischievous party member might decide to attack another player's grandmother. The possibilities for traumatic experiences are endless.
- franchise
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dungeons and dragons
- original release date
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1974
- designer
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E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
