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"Pocket" NPCs
🕑 Added 2018-12-27 16:06:48 +0000 UTCA week or so ago, Garth Hill suggested a product in response to the questions I posed at the end of AMA #2. Essentially, Garth asked if I had any plans for a book of NPCs--an NPC Codex if you will, but with a slight twist. Garth doesn't want stat blocks or pages of background for each NPC. Instead, he is looking for a range of minor NPCs he can quickly and easily drop into his game to portray the rank and file, or great unwashed, of his campaign world.
I think the idea is a great one, and I've been pondering Garth's request. Find below a couple of sample NPCs written in the style and format I think Garth is after. I'd love your opinion. Would you find such a resource useful? Is there too much detail? Is there too little? Let me know, in the comments below.
(As a final note, the NPCs below have not been exhaustively proofed--it's Christmas--; thus typos may remain).
Aapro Jutikka
Craven, luckless merchant on the verge of bankruptcy.
Wearing worn, once fine, robes, this slender, stick-thin man has a worried look on his wan, drawn face.
Aapro Jutikka (CN middle-aged male human) has suffered a terrible run of bad luck and now owes a substantial amount to a ruthless loan shark.
Personality: Scared of the future—both of the shame of impending bankruptcy and the pain he will no doubt suffer when he default on his debts—Aapro is distracted and abrupt of speech (unless he suspects the possibility of a sale).
Mannerisms: Aapro licks his lips compulsively and chews on his upper lip.
Hook: Aapro is desperate to save his business, but is almost out of money. He has Selma stock left, but needs to make a big sale to pay off his creditors.
Immo Kallas
Respected warrior who dreams of leading his own mercenary company.
This tall, muscular man is bald but sports a thick but well-trimmed red beard. His blue eyes are alive with intelligence and his eyes never seem to rest. He wears chainmail, carries a long sword at his hip and moves with he grace of a skilled warrior.
Immo Kallas (LN middle-aged male human fighter 3) has been a man-at-arms for his entire adult life and takes his job seriously. However, he now hankers for a change and to be his own man.
Personality: Always calm under pressure and unfailingly polite Immo is a well-respected warrior. He is clearly intelligent.
Mannerisms: Immo rubs the top of his head vigorously when upset or stressed.
Hook: Immo is planning to retire and start his own small mercenary company specialising in guarding merchants and their wares or places of business. He has been saving his pay for months and has a decent supply of gold to start his company He is looking for his first client.
Kaisa Saarelainen
Drunk, lonely widow.
Short with a slight hunchback this elderly woman has a shock of shoulder length white hair and brown eyes. She dresses well for a peasant and carries a full bag in her right hand.
Kaira Saarelainen (NG old female human) is seemingly cheery. Popular in the local area she has many friends. She is better off than many of her neighbours, but is a widow; her husband died of gout a decade ago.
Personality: A borderline alcoholic, Kaisa is kind and generous. She loves reading and is surprisingly knowledge about a wide range of subjects. Kaisa is lonely—she misses her husband—but hides it well.
Mannerisms: When drunk, Kaisa is overly touchy with men, and laughs at the slightest provocation.
Hook: Kaisa has had too much to drink, and is momentarily confused and disorientated when she encounters the PCs. She thinks she recognises one of the PCs, and strikes up a conversation.
