Bauhaus NPC Design

Often, you don’t need to develop a whole, well-rounded NPC for your games. Most NPCs can get by with a minimal amount of information, just enough to do their job in the campaign. Gauge how much effort you need to put into creating an NPC by estimating how much contact the PCs will have with him. If all you need an NPC to do is deliver some tidbit of information to the PCs, you don’t need to spend an hour detailing that NPC’s goals, history, and dark secrets.

Step by Step

1. Why do you need this NPC? What is she there to do? Every NPC in your game should have a purpose, even if it’s just to help round out a town’s population. Write down the character’s purpose. Usually just a sentence (two at most) is more than enough.

2. What abilities does your NPC need in order to fulfill that purpose? If your NPC is to be the king’s bodyguard, then he’s going to need fighting skills and probably some etiquette as well. A high Strength or Dexterity would also help. List any stats, feats, skills, advantages/disadvantages, etc., that the NPC would need to successfully perform their function. In the interest of streamlining NPC creation, list only the abilities required; you can always go back and add more as your time and interest permit.

3. How will the PCs interact with this NPC? Are they just going to receive a message from her, or will she actually accompany them, perhaps as a vehicle mechanic or in some other support position? Is she the PCs’ boss, or someone they’ll pass in the street? Writing down what relation the NPC has to the PCs will also suggest abilities she may need.

4. How much “screen time” will this NPC have? Do the characters only speak to him once, or is he going to be a recurring character? The more often the PCs encounter the NPC, the more developed he should be. Add something each time the PCs encounter him, but make sure these details fit together. Maybe the first time the PCs meet him, you point out that he has long fingernails; the second time they meet him, you mention that he tends to look slightly over their heads when he talks to them. Both details start to give the impression that this NPC may consider himself a gentleman, someone who feels he’s above people who perform manual labor (such as adventurers). This way, the more the PCs interact with this character, the more fully developed he’ll become.

5. What are the NPC’s quirks? What makes him distinct? Jot down a quirk or two. It doesn’t have to be big or even terribly noticeable, just something that gives the PCs a sense that they’re actually talking to a real person. Maybe he bounces his knee up and down when sitting at a table, or maybe he tends to look at his hands rather than at the person he’s talking to. Something small. You could even keep a list of quirks on hand and choose one when you need to create an NPC on the fly.

That’s all it takes. Save your fully crafted, well-developed NPCs for your main characters. You can create a seemingly unique person with only a minimal amount of time and effort.

Image from Arctic Qu.