N on-player characters are personalities created by the gamemaster of a role-playing game who stand in for everyone in the game except the players' player-characters (PCs). Some are important, recurring characters, while others are one-time throw-aways. A notable attribute of creative game- mastering is the creation of interesting non- player characters (NPCs). The demands of gaming limit the number of NPCs who can be well-detailed and encountered frequently, but the use of NPC "situations" can give life to the minor characters who play a small, but sometimes crucial part for the PCs. NPC situations are a combination of events and attitudes that affect minor NPCs while the PCs are off doing something else. The player-characters only gain knowledge of these happenings by interacting the NPCs later on. Although the situations may not seem important to the PCs, they have the potential, over time, to have considerable effect on the party, and to provide a colorful background for the campaign. Experienced gamemasters (GMs) typically generate characteristics, backgrounds, and temperaments for the significant NPCs that the PCs closely associate with. Usually these relationships are somewhat involved and the GM has to make a considerable effort to realistically role-play these NPCs himself. These NPCs' lives are bound up with the party's and can be directed by the GM and the PCs actions as part of the ongoing campaign. However, this is too much work to do for every NPC encountered. So what to do with those other NPCs who are encountered on a semi-regular basis but who are not particularly important in themselves? In many cases not much more than the names of these "spear carriers" are known, if that. It becomes an immense task to generate the ability scores and personality quirks for scores of followers and acquaintances. Certainly it's even more difficult to track their entire lives. However, if these minor NPCs belong to a group that the PCs routinely deal with, they can be given a small and interesting role by the use of ongoing NPC situations. These situations can be used the give the game greater depth and reality. What kind of groups are the PCs involved in? If they are affluent and powerful, they may employ guards or a retinue of servants. They may regularly patronize a number of businesses and interact with their proprietors. The characters might be members of a military unit, a mercenary company, a government agency, a corporation, a clan, a club, a guild, a society of paranormal investigators, or the group might just be the people who hang out at the bar the PCs frequent. In all of these cases we have a relatively large number of people whose welfare the PCs have an interest in. This is what sets these NPCs apart from others; what goes on in their "lives" can have an impact on the PCs. The use of NPC situations means that the GM doesn't need to keep track of abilities or skills, he just needs to remember something like "Gwyr the Sage is out of town tending to his sick sister." It is actually easier to remember "stories" about NPCs than statistics, and it is a better way to present them to players. After all, in real life people don't talk about themselves by saying "I have a endurance of 15 and level three ability in robotics", but rather describe what's been happening to them recently. Plus, it's fun for the GM to roleplay these little NPCs and their problems. The GM can use the situations listed below to create a "illusion of reality" that things are happening beyond what the player characters directly experience. The minor NPCs will appear to be something more than cardboard characters who are trotted out whenever someone needs something and disappear again into, nothingness. Since these events are personal in nature, GMs will also find that the players can relate to them more than pronouncements on "major" events like wars or plagues in distant regions which the PCs rarely have interest in and which hardly affect them. The situations are designed to be applied to NPCs in any type of role-playing game, from fantasy to adventure to science- fiction. Hints Here are some hints on the use of NPC situations. They are small "behind- thescenes" events that can be utilized to provide a little color to a campaign. The time and effort PCs use in dealing with them should be limited. They have the potential for developing into something more, but that's up to the GM and the players. Have only one or two situations occurring at one time. You don't want to create a soap opera with the players trying to keep track of the tribulations of dozens of NPCs. Try to work the activities, backgrounds, and personalities of the PCs into the situations. The situations should be more thanit just a laundry list of events. For instance, if a PC is careless with weapons he may find his NPC armorer has had an "accident" (PC: "Sorry about forgetting to put the safety on..."). Try to find ways to get the players to relate to the NPC. If the PCs are sympathetic it will improve their image and relations with the NPC and real help will earn them gratitude. Helpful NPCs can give the party useful information and aid, without even being asked. On the other hand, PCs often have a self- centered, trigger-happy, money-grubbing attitude that creates animosity. If they treat the NPCs badly, they 1 won't get any help. If they coerce people into assisting them, treachery is a real possibility. Another point to take into account is the ripple effect of the situations on the party and other NPCs in the group. The best use of situations is to emphasize that the PCs are not islands even if the situation does not affect them immediately and personally. The group will take note of the PCs actions and judge them accordingly. There's nothing like coming back to find your castle under attack, when half the garrison has run off because of low morale. Special considerations must be made when the group is composed of followers and employees of a PC. If the PC pays fairly close attention to what's going on, he may be able to resolve and even prevent unfavorable occurrences. Normally, he's likely to leave routine management to other NPCs. If these supervisors are competent and well-meaning all down the line, problems with the rank-and-file will be solved or brought to the PCs attention. However, when any of the managers are of marginal ability, mean-spirited, self-seeking, cowardly, or generally oblivious to their underlings, they will ignore any difficulties. They will pass on a rosy picture of the situation while working to avoid responsibility and pass any blame onto others. Meanwhile, the problems will continue to fester. The situations are designed so that one may lead to another, especially if ignored. ("Thanks for nothing" will be a typical NPC attitude when the party neglects them). Some situations will resolve themselves over time without PC interference, while others may get worse until the party itself is put as risk. Develop the situations over the long term. First, there could first be Tumors or complaints of something happening, followed by the actual event later on. Most of the situations do not occur suddenly, although some, like "Accident", might. Solving situations can be a fun miniadventure, something that can be done as a lead-in to the main adventure. Maybe the party can't defeat the hordes of evil or the galactic emperor, but they can help the little old lady down the street find her long lost daughter. Wealthy PCs often solve problems by handing out money. The GM should not always allow this to work. Firstly, word will get around about how much the PC spends, so people will ask for a larger amount next time.. Secondly, giving away money may actually cause problems, e.g. the gambler who asks for money to pay off his debts, but uses it for more gambling, and so creates bigger debts. So add a little NPC color to your campaign. Sure, the party doesn't pay much attention to the guy at the end of the bar who's always griping about his jealous wife, at least until the day she shows up with a flamethrower... NPC Situations Accident/Injury/Illness The NPC suffers a severe, possibly crippling or fatal accident or affliction. In game terms, he'll be out of play for 2-8 weeks (50%) or 2-7 months (50%). At the GM's discretion, he may be out of the campaign permanently or return with decreased abilities. High medical bills may lead to Money Trouble (see below). NPCs undergoing an extended recovery may be depressed and in poor condition due to their maladies (see Incompetence and Low Morale below). There is a 10% chance the NPC Is actually malingering, and is stretching out the recovery period. Baby: The NPC is to be a new parent. If the NPC is female, she will probably be busy with the new child for a period of weeks or months (including time spent in advanced pregnancy). If the NPC is an irresponsible parent, they will be hounded by the other parent, lawyers, irate relatives, and social workers (see Legal Difficulties). It is most likely the new parent will spend a lot of time with the kid, and be less able to go on adventures. Death or Illness In Family: The NPC takes a leave of absence for 2-8 weeks (50%) or 2-7 months (50%. There's a 25% chance that the NPC will be profoundly depressed when he returns, and will have a lower morale rating. There's also a 10% chance that the NPC is making the whole thing up and is off doing something else. Bad Paperwork/Poor Communications: This situation is not connected with a single NPC but affects all of the group. Almost every organization needs record keeping to keep running efficiently, and good communications are very important. Bad Paperwork means that messages are not relayed or are garbled, important documents are lost, supplies are not ordered, people n- dsunderstand instructions, equipment is the wrong kind, bogus rumors are circulated, intelligence information is bad, decisions are not made, actions are delayed, no one knows what to do, and a good deal of time, effort, and money is wasted. As a result the PCs get a false view of what's going on, which will directly affect their activities. If the PCs are at or near the top of the hierarchy of the group, they may not realize what's happening, since their subordinates naturally tend to suppress bad news. Nonetheless, outsiders will note that the performance of the group is poor and the party will be held accountable. If they're at the bottom of the heap, they will feel like 11 mushrooms" in the popular adage about being kept informed. Continued Bad Paperwork can lead to Low Morale and Incompetence (see below). Desertion: An NPC skips out at the GM's discretion. Even under ideal conditions, there are always some people who lack responsibility and reliability. Typically, those with the lowest morale are the first to go. Characters of a criminal persuasion are likely to steal some stuff when they leave, too. Disaster: The NPC suffers a personal disaster such as the loss of his home, business, family, fortune, etc. He automatically incurs Low Morale. Domestic Disputes: The NPC is havIng family problems. It could be a nagging spouse, kids giving him grief, overprotective parents, annoying relatives, or pesky neighbors. Chronic Domestic Disputes lead to Incompetence and Low morale (see below). Emnity: Two NPCs in the group develop a hatred for each other. Neither will help the other under any circumstances, and they will each work to convince the PCs that their rival is reckless, inept, and a troublemaker. The situation may eventually lead to harassment (see Injustice) or even violence (see Accident/Injury), and it is often the case that some innocent bystander gets hurt when this happens. Sometimes the Enmity is secret and one NPC covertly works to destroy his oblivious rival. Glad Tidings: Since most of the other situations are more like misfortunes than otherwise, this situation subsumes various happy events. The NPC has gotten a promotion, a raise, an inheritance, a degree, recovered some lost item, triumphed over adversity, etc. He will be in a generous and genial mood. There's likely to be some kind of celebration. Incompetence: An NPC fails to achieve a credible result in his area of expertise at a critical time. Incompetence may be due to dirninished abilities, pressing personal concerns, or it may be that the NPC never was very proficient in his field, but covered his failings up quite well. If the NPC is in a "support" position, it usually means any equipment or information supplied to the PC is faulty, or the work he is doing is substandard. If the NPC is adventuring with the party, the GM may decide he does not make a roll or rolls when needed. In a group, Incompetence means that the organization is ridiculed by the public as blunders and misfits, and the PCs will find that NPCs will react negatively based on their membership in the group, regardless of their personal success. Injustice: The NPC is the victim of a grievous wrong. It may be a criminal attack of some kind; it may be false accusations, a conspiracy of rivals to discredit him, a spiteful superior, mistaken identity, botched paperwork, or simply a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The NPC must spend all his time fighting to clear himself, and cannot interact with the PCs. Injustice may lead to Legal Difficulties and Enmity. Irritating Habits: An NPC annoys his companions by his poor hygiene, offensive personal habits, off-key singing, constant back-stabbing, arrogant and insulting attihide, general lack of consideration, and so on. If he Is not straightened out, Enmity will result (see above). Note that if this NPC is in charge of other NPCs; they will also suffer Low Morale (see below). Legal Difficulties: The NPC has to deal with the law. He is involved in lawsuits, government investigations or audits, jury duty, witnessing at a trial, etc. There's a 10-20% chance that at least part of any given day will be taken up dealing with lawyers, courts, police, probation officers, etc. Alternatively, if the NPC is beyond the reach of the law, he is targeted for punishment by criminal associates for perceived misbehavior. Legal Difficulties may lead to Domestic Disputes and Money Trouble. Low Morale: Low morale does not occur by itself but is the result of some of the other events listed, or such conditions as low or late pay, persistent bad weather, a unpleasant climate, poor living conditions, and, most of all, a leader who shows little interest in the welfare of his associates. Individuals with low morale tend to complain a lot, although some will become withdrawn and sullen. They will argue about orders, slough off work, and, when forced to labor, will perform their duties in a haphazard and sloppy fashion. Most anything they sell or provide will be poor quality. When the situation becomes difficult they will be of little help, either smirking and saying "I told you so", or becoming panicked and useless. If things get really bad they hide or run off. Low Morale will mean the NPCs will lie to the PCs and lie to others about the PCs. They will be unfriendly, uncommunicative and unhelpful. In a group, low morale leads to grumbling, bickering, malingering, sleeping on duty, poor equipment maintenance, etc. The NPCs will may actually conspire together and mass desertions are possible if the chips are down. Persistent Low Morale can lead to Incompetence, Accidents, Desertion and Treachery. Mental Instability: An NPC goes over the edge. The milder conditions wfll cause him to behave in strange and annoying ways, like often forgetting things, but he will still be able to function most of the time. If it's more serious, he may make outrageous claims, talk to himself, and act in a erratic and bizarre fashion. He may have a nervous breakdown, and spend his type cowering under the bed, or may become a wandering, incoherent street person. Paranoia, hallucinations, and split personalities are all possible. Most of the time he is spectacularly Incompetent. In some cases, the NPC will suddenly become violent. Money Trouble: The NPC goes into debt due to gambling losses, bad investments, business failures, spendthrift habits, alimony, etc. He is constantly pestering other characters for loans or advances. Money trouble may lead to Domestic Disputes. The NPC may sell off his equipment to raise cash, or moonlight in a second job. In the extreme case, his possessions confiscated by his creditors, and he may be hauled off to jail or pressed into service to pay his debts (or has some limbs brokensee Accident/Injury above.) Pet Problems: The NPC has a pet he adores, but which is something between a nuisance and a menace to other characters. The NPC will react with hostility towards any criticism of his darling and will characterize anyone who dislikes the pet as an "vicious animal hater". The pet can be merely obnoxious, or a real killer. It gener* only obeys the NPC (if that), although it might be friendly towards a few others. If the pet really annoys another NPC, it may lead to Enmity. Philosophical Differences: Religious, political, ethnic, social, or ethical convictions divide two or more members of the group. The NPCs involved may be bigoted and intolerant. They take their disagreement very seriously and scorn any who try to laugh it off. The two sides continually try to convert others to their point of view. If the disputants are not reconciled or at least forced to declare a truce, the dissension may lead to Enmity and Low Morale for the group. Property Predicament: Some type of property, such as a vehicle, house, robot, weapon, magical device, or other such valuable item, is continually causing the NPC problems. He uses this as an excuse for being late or absent when the party needs him (occurs 30-60% of the time). The excuse is legitimate one-third of the time, but there's also a 1 in 3 chance that the Property Predicament was caused by the NPC's neglect in the first place, and a similar chance that he's making the whole thing up. Revelry/Obsession: The NPC becomes a party animal, and spends all his free time and money celebrating. He suffers from frequent hangovers and is susceptible to social diseases. Alternatively, he becomes obsessed with something that absorbs his complete attention. If the situation is not remedied, he eventually exhibits declining health, low morale, decreased competence, and an increasingly hostile attitude towards work. Romantic Complications: The NPC is involved in a serious romantic relationship. It takes up most of his or her time and energy. Romantic Complications may lead to marriage (see Vacation), breakups (see Domestic Disputes and Low Morale), cheating (see Enmity), divorce (see Enmity and Legal Difficulties) or a Baby. Society Service: The NPC either volunteers or is drafted for some type of military or social/relief activity. He will be gone 2-12 months or 1-4 years (50-50 chance of either). Substance Abuse: The NPC abuses powerful intoxicating substances. All of his time and energy is directed towards acquiring and ingesting his favored substance. Eventually Substance Abuse will lead to Low Morale, Incompetence, Money Trouble, Legal Difficulties, Mental Instability, Accident/illness, and even death. Termination /Retirement/ Relocation: As NPCs reach old age, their abilities tend to decline and they want to take it easy, so they discontinue adventuring. Alternatively, the NPC is discharged from his job (if the NPC works for a PC he commits a series of flagrant blunders that makes his continued employment impossible), moves away or simply decides on a career change. Retirement/Relocation is a way to gently remove NPCs; from the campaign without having a traumatic event like a death. Thievery/Scam: The NPC members of the group are affected by the theft of their items or a swindler who takes their money. The thief or con artist may or may not be a member of the group. This situation may lead to Low Morale, Enmity, and Legal Difficulties. Treachery: Someone in the group is suspected of being an informer or traitor. It should not be obvious who it is, and may not even be evident at first that there is a betrayal. It may be that the person involved is being blackmailed into this action. Evidence of treachery leads to immediate Low Morale if the perpetrator is not uncovered. As an example, the party talks about their upcoming dungeon expedition at a tavern. One of the less honorable patrons sneaks off to warn his monster contacts. The monsters prepare an ambush. Vacation/Wanderlust: The NPC is bitten by the travel bug. He will be gone for 2-8 weeks (60% chance), 2-12 months (30% chance) or 1-3 years (10%). He may develop new skills, abilities, or attitudes if he's gone for a long time. Back to Shadis #17 Table of Contents Back to Shadis List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master List of Magazines © Copyright 1995 by Alderac Entertainment Group This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com