Thursday, March 21, 2019

NPC: Name NPC

Name NPCs are the NPC important enough that the GM should give them a bit more detail. The ones that the GM expects the characters to talk to. The idea is to give them enough personality and some kind of recognizable feature or quirk to spur the memory when and if they are encountered again.

Table 1: NPC Personality
1d100
Personality
01-02
Says everything in a profound way
03-04
Know-it-all
05-06
Constantly apologizes
07-08
Makes lots of threats but swiftly backs down
09-10
Very mellow
11-12
Barely speaks 
13-14
Laughs at the misfortune of others
15-16
Nicknames everyone
17-18
Prays a lot 
19-20
Tosses a coin to make decisions
21-22
Has a list of numbered rules or maxims
23-24
Tells people the ôrealö reason they do things
25-26
Asks for advice or opinions about very unlikely situations
27-28
Speaks with great formality
29-30
Easily distracted by minor events in the area
31-32
Usually needs someone to explain a joke or metaphor 
33-34
Likes to count things
35-36
Always tries to compromise
37-38
Always eating
39-40
Very bad liar
41-42
Asks rude questions without realizing they cause offense
43-44
Very sensitive to criticism or conflict
45-46
Absent-minded
47-48
Always agrees (but changes mind just as easily)
49-50
Sniffs or tastes nearly everything
51-52
Cannot keep a secret
53-54
Easily moved to tears
55-56
Easily angered
57-58
Terrified of disease and sick people
59-60
A connoisseur of fine food and drink
61-62
Very superstitious
63-64
Never turns down a dare or challenge
65-66
Never uses one word when ten will do
67=68
Always has a reason why something won't work
69-70
Dotes on an obnoxious pet
71-72
Name-drops constantly
73-74
Complains about smells no one else notices
75-76
Can't stop drinking once starts
77-78
Asks about price, constantly
79-80
Gossip
81-82
Act mysteriously
83-84
Avoids making any kind of physical contact
85-86
Always tries to be the center of attention
87-88
Makes snap judgments about people or situations
89-90
Very jealous and possessive
91-92
Continually mentions a heroic battle he was in and how
nothing else compares
93-94
Makes token bets about minor things
95-96
Refers to self in third person
97-98
Says people's names a lot when speaking
99-00
Haggles over everything

Table 2: Physical Characteristics
1d100
Stock Character
01
Warts
02
Bad breath
03
Big nose
04
Long fingers
05
Stubby fingers
06
Boils 
07
Very clean
08
Very white teeth
09
Dazzling eyes
10
Sweet smile
11
Beautiful curves/muscles
12
Dirty nails
13
Dirty hands
14
Calloused hands
15
Eye patch
16
Glass eye
17
Glasses
18
Bushy sideburns
19
Yellow teeth
20
Scratches a lot
21
Sneezes a lot
22
Compulsive blinking
23
Bites nails
24
Obviously dyed/unnaturally colored hair
25
Avoids making eye contact
26
Sweats a lot
27
Giggles
28
Hobbles
29
Jolly looking
30
Cracks knuckles often
31
Whistles when talking
32
Cross-eyed/Lazy Eye
33
Harelip
34
Rotten teeth
35
Generally filthy
36
Distinctive Tattoo
37
Many tattoos
38
Covered in tattoos
39
One pierced ear
40
Pierced ears
41
Pierced nose
42
Pierced lip
43
Tribal scar on forearm
44
Winks a lot
45
Hacking cough
46
Spits a lot
47
Dreadlocks
48
Different colored eyes
49
Missing teeth
50
Scarred
51
Twitches
52
Laughs nervously 
53
Lisps 
54
Limps
55
One eye 
56
Missing a finger 
57
Scarred face
58
Picks teeth nervously 
59
No teeth 
60
No fingers on one hand
61
Bald
62
Comb-over bald patch
63
Shaved head
64
Curly hair
65
Long hair 
66
Short hair
67
Blonde hair 
68
Black hair 
69
Red hair
70
Gray hair
71
Big ears
72
Fat
73
Tall
74
Thin
75
Short
76
Homely
77
Handsome/beautiful
78
Mustache
79
Beard
80
Stubbly
81
Obscenely fat
82
Strangely tall
83
Unusually short
84
Double-chinned
85
Thin-lipped
86
Very hairy
87
Eyebrows meet
88
Wide mouthed
89
Missing a hand
90
Club-footed
91
Missing a leg
92
Missing an arm
93
Horrible facial scars
94
Clawed hands
95
Webbed hands
96
Scarred from pox
97
Terrible facial disease
98
Covered in cysts
99
Covered in pustules
00
Major deformity

Casting the part - It can be helpful to imagine an actor or fictional character as playing the the Name NPC (Frank Constanza or John Wayne for example). This gives the GM an instant graps of the character's appearance and possibly personality.

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