Characters: The NPC Exposed

A few words on The Non-Player Character
Game masters across the world over will attest that most character parties are not complete without the Non-Player Character or NPC. The NPC is a character who travels with the party and is controlled by the GM. There are many reasons a GM might decide that there is a need for an NPC, not the most uncommon of which is that the GM is also a player and wants to opportunity to play as well! Whatever the reason for the NPC, there are some things that you should consider as a GM controlling an NPC as an adventuring companion or as a player interacting with one.

Game Masters
Every person in your world is by definition an NPC, save for the player’s characters, of course. They are all going to have personalities, preferences and habits. They all have “lives.” Of course, you don’t need a character sheet for everyone in your world, but anyone who is going to be accompanying the players is going to need one. The good part about this is that you don’t really have to spend the time rolling stats or gaining levels. You want a 20th level fighter with 18’s in all his attributes, go for it! It’s your world! However, you don’t want an NPC that out-shines the PCs too much as it makes things less enjoyable for the players when they are always trying to catch up to someone who eradicates enemies in one turn.

Your NPC should be there to serve a purpose. You already know, in a general sort of way, where the adventure is going, and you know the types of things that the characters can do. You also probably have a good idea about what the characters can handle if you have been GMing for a while. Even if you are new to GMing, you should be able to give a guess at the kinds of situations that would be appropriate for the group.

For example, the characters are going to be entering a dark cave that leads to a den of owlbears. If all your characters have darkvision, the darkness isn’t a problem; likewise if they have torches or a light spell, no problem. However, if they do not have torches or a light spell, and they all happen to be human, then maybe you need someone who can see in the dark or cast a light spell. (Or maybe you need to find a human with a torch...) Maybe they are all elven spell casters; they can all see in the dark, and they can all cast light. The darkness isn’t a problem now but a den of owlbears may be. It might be a good idea to give them an NPC with a high strength, high con, and a big sword.

Sometimes the missing component has nothing to do with any sort of oversight on the part of the players, but just a lack of players to fill the gaps. Gaming in a smaller group is necessary due to lack of interest or conflicting schedules, so it’s just the GM and a player or two. If both players want to play wizards or something else with low hit points, an NPC cleric and/or NPC fighter may be in order.

Perhaps there are enough players and all the bases are covered. They have spellcasters, fighters, healers, rangers, the kitchen sink and everything else under the sun. In this situation, the group probably won’t need an NPC. If you still would like to add one, try making the NPC more interesting than effective. There’s no gap that needs to be filled so maybe there needs to be someone of conflict. Try someone like a rogue who isn't very good and is wanted in most cities. This would make for some excitement, and can also be the basis of the entire campaign. The party is seen with the brigand, and is chased out of town. The group tells the criminal to bugger off, which he does... however, now he's not just an NPC, but perhaps a villain bent on stopping the team from achieving their goals, which he may or may not have learned while traveling with the group!

If you don’t want to generate conflict, then maybe the NPC is there just as a friend to one or all of the player-characters. Perhaps the NPC brings music into the situation or is always trying to keep up the general spirits of the PCs. Maybe this NPC needs to get captured or killed in order to tempt the party to fight!

Something you must be mindful of when playing an NPC is that you must never let the NPC take too much away from the players. The whole point of you being the GM is to present the players with a story and let them be the players. It should remain up to them what the group does; avoid letting the NPC become too much of a group leader. He should never be the main character. (Unless it’s necessary to help new players learn the ropes. In that case, an NPC group leader is a very effective role model.)

As I said,, every person in your world is technically an NPC and not everyone is a good person. Your villains are NPCs whose goals happen to conflict with those of the PCs. Sometimes adventuring companions can become bitter enemies. This gives the characters some history with the villain and makes things a bit more interesting. There are many movie examples of this; Professor Xavier and Magneto for example. Having a history with a villain like that gives the characters a reason to want to chase the villain, bringing the conflict to a more personal level. Maybe the villain is the father of one of the heroes… I know it’s a little bit cliché, but so what? It’s all about having fun.

Sometimes the need for an NPC isn’t so obvious to a GM at the time of campaign creation and it would be a very helpful addition to the party. Here are a couple of rules of thumb to keep in mind when having to add an NPC on the fly:

What role does the party seem to lack? Are they taking too much damage? Are they not doing enough damage? Are they falling into too many traps that you had expected them to see through?

Let’s say the group isn’t doing enough damage. They are all very high in armor class, so they aren’t taking much damage, but the fight could last forever and in the end, the enemies might end up winning. A passer-by sees the fight and decides to help the party because he’s some distant relation to one of them, or he’s been a long time enemy of the people that are engaged in combat with the party. This person is going to need to come into the fight and do a lot of damage.

Don’t spend time rolling up his hit points and attributes, fill in the ones that you need right at that moment. Remember the character’s role—he’s there to do damage, he doesn’t need a high intelligence or a sack full of gold. Things like saving throws, skill points, and feats can all be figured out later, although you might want to pick a few on the fly. You know what level he is and you know generally how many skill points he should have, so take a few here or there.

Of course, once the fight is over, the party is going to want to know where he came from, and why was he where he was. If the fight had happened in or around a city, the possibilities are very numerous. He lives in the city, and works as a blacksmith to the city guard. That would account for the high quality weapon, and a blacksmith with great strength is not unusual. Try to stay away from giving an NPC too high of a station though. It’s difficult to juggle things when you are trying to control an NPC who would have a large involvement with city politics unless the whole basis of the campaign is exactly that. If the NPC is going to stay with the party a while, make him from a place that isn’t going to miss him too much when he’s gone. Kings and queens make for complicated on-the-fly NPCs.

Remember too, that your players are the main reason you are GMing. Sometimes it is a good idea to talk to your players and get their opinions on having an NPC in the party. There’s a chance that they don’t want any part of it. Maybe they see it as something that they don’t need or something that would take away from their playing experience.

Players
For those of you who have played with an NPC before, you probably have a good idea of what they are all about. Those of you who have not had the opportunity to play in a group that includes an NPC, there are a few things that you can expect for most GMs. There are several different roles for an NPC. If you are new to the role-playing world, the NPC is most likely there to help you along, show you the ropes, and the do’s and don’ts of the gaming world.

As a guide, the NPC usually has a number of attributes or personality traits. Generally, if the NPC suggests a course of action and you are new to gaming and unsure of the consequences of your decisions, take it (...or if your character’s nature would dictate otherwise, don’t!) This is the GMs way of giving you hints. Sometimes the NPC might say something like, “You know, I don’t think this is the best route. Let’s go a different way.” You really ought to seriously consider listening to her. NPCs in the guide position usually have an uncanny insight into the GM’s plans. (They are being controlled by the GM after all.) This will get you used to thinking as your character and not as yourself. Just because you understand something doesn’t mean that you character does or should.

There is no such thing as a perfect GM, and you can expect there to be some oversights. If you feel that you are perhaps out growing the need for an NPC, let the GM know. In other words, you have been playing for a year now, all the time with an NPC cleric who used to routinely save your hide by healing or reviving your character, but now you’re a little more battle-savvy and not taking the damage you once were. Maybe you picked up the heal skill and that works well enough. This might be time to bring to the GM’s attention that she needs to re-evaluate the role of the NPC. Maybe this NPC should take a back seat in the campaign, or maybe even pursue opportunities elsewhere.

The GM may control the campaign but it’s there for you, the player. This is your game too, and it’s no fun to just have to sit there and let the GM control everything. Don’t feel bad about assuming responsibility in game. This is, after all, what the whole point of you being a player is about! Doing this will alleviate some responsibility from the GM and allow her to concentrate on the story development at little more, resulting in a game that’s much more fun for everyone.

Whether a guide, a strong arm, a source of knowledge, or just an irritant, the NPC has earned his place in our games and in our hearts! Without him, there would be nobody for the player-characters to interact with save for other player-characters. If you need him, he’s there, if you don’t want him anymore, he goes away. He is there for you to shape, to mold, and to take advantage of. Use the NPC! Exploit his knowledge and abilities as a player; manipulate characters and situations with him as a GM! However you use him, remember that he is there for a reason. If the reason is not so evident, maybe his usefulness needs to be re-evaluated—then again, maybe it's not so evident for a reason!