How To Create Non-Player Characters for RPGs (Game Master Tips)

I have had 1 important NPC bypassed then later she came to hate one of the party members, a major source of info killed by another, another one shot by another character, and am planning to make a corndog vendor into a secondary antagonist because of my players.

Building a homebrew campaign, and hoo boy is this helpful. Mainly used this guide for making the first NPC, Fetch, who will act as a recruiter-type guy, and I'm planning on making the villain soon. Very soon. Artificer Lich anyone? Anyways, thank you for the wonderful guide and video, Mr. Mercer!

This was quite helpful. Thank you.

I don’t know why but when I do a voice no matter what it eventually develops an Australian accent. I’m not even Australian why does this happen??

The despair in his voice when he said "They always remember."

i'm a newer dm, but i like to have a recurring character, stephen the janitor, across multiple campaigns! but what the players don't know, is that he's an expert in combat, which will only be revealed when needed :)

i made a traveling merchant for my group to save shopping trips, he was undead losing his mind after sharing his body and mind with Krond for 100 years. He ended up being a massive re-write and plot point for Out of the Abyss.

He was also an adventure guide, if the players didn't know where to look or go, I could speak through him, he was an undead skeleton that could only talk through telepathy that he mastered through spending too much time with the kenku and imitation. though it was telepathic he would move his skeletal jaw so it looks less weird.

he was my old rogue who died in a one shot, so he already had some back story

What I usually do is just make actors I see in TV shows into Npcs and just give them medieval versions of their original names (e.g. Captain Marcel who's just Mike from Breaking Bad)

One technique I wish more video game developers would use for NPCs, simply record player behavior and play it back as an NPC. In the right context, this can create a very dynamic NPC experience without having to spend much time on coding bots. In some games you can even construct PVP like experiences by putting players up against recorded player NPCs, for example in a foot race or collection contest.

I think you mean onerous, not ominous. /pedantic mode off

it keeps the psychosis away..... best thing ever in this video

not fwends gang vvv

Oooooo NPC fwiend

Fjord summoning a demon, but is chaotic good

Still using this video in 2022 😌

Any advice on a tragic villain? The idea I have is one villain who wants their family back being used by a badder patron

Well, given the fact a party member is pregnant from my bandit npc who just died to a fireball, I need to know how to properly revive him without having them disregarding all they did wrong that lead to his death. I was thinking about a reincarnation spell, turning this human into a half-elf. I just want him to have the baby. I formed this massive plot already, but can’t quite find a good way to revival

My players: "I don't trust them dwarves. They seem greedy and mean."
Me: Alright, turn friendly NPCs into violently greedy by a curse. I can do that.
Players: "Bruh so saw that coming"

Great video. I'm currently working on two palidian NPCs for my weekly d&d campaign.

They do always remember, and so quick to jump you when you don’t remember exactly how they sound.

So, this is some idea I came up with for a campaign. Id kinda like to know people's thoughts and ideas on it. It's my first and I'm worried I won't make a good Dm, so far I just have the lore for the BBEG

I've been working on lore for the BBEG and what I've ended up with is a skull lord who made a pact with an injured kraken (by the time players meet it and/or need to fight it, it will be heavily injured) to get revenge on a seaside kingdom, which they did as the kraken is a seige beast

Basically the skull lord was a warlock before he was falsely executed by the King, to cover up the Kings, not so legal activitys, his family was also killed in the execution, which made a few spit insults at him for doing the (falsely) accused activitys.
Yet, rather being buried his body alone was tossed into the sea where his rage was allowed to flow freely and turn him into a skull lord, its basically a warlock lich, I chose this as warlocks can use the blood pact spell.

After a few century's he meets the almost dead kraken, he saves it from death in return for help , hence the bloodpact, after helping it recover for another century he went back to the kingdom and ripped it down

By now the first king was dead and his child had taken over, someone who had known their father was a horrible person.
The skull lord regardless what's to wipe out that bloodline.

Now (after the attack) the main kingdom is in the center of the continent as they can no longer trade by sea to other continents. And the first kingdom is now stock full of zombies and ruins as the skull lord builds his forces for the attack inland.

I was just wondering if people think this is a good idea and/or lore or if I should maybe change it up a little for more impact?

I absolutely LOVE the Book of Vile Darkness!!!

Thanks so much for this. The final encounter in my first game went wildly off track because I had my BBEG run away (a surprise to myself and my players) as a result of character traits I'd previously given him. Was worried I'd erred, but glad to hear as a new DM, and from the man himself no less, that it's the proper way to run an NPC!

Thanks.

What about combining both the Sophisticate and the monster

Haha, yeah my NPCs having a different voice each week was definitely an issue.

Wow. I'm new to dnd gonna give a go at dm, we're using the starter set with the mines of phandelver, makes things quite simple for most areas but the town of phandalin still felt very daunting to me, I wanna make not only our first town, but a recurring one at that feel real, especially as the book doesn't give much for npc's. Clearly Matt not only knows what he's doing but how to teach it, in less then two minutes he gave a beautiful description on how to make your npcs and even a bit on preparing them. Btw while everybody excluding myself seems to have seen critical role, I'd recommend viva la dirt leagues newest campaign, it's definitely a no holds barred campaign with a very skilled dm as well as a hilarious group that are very impressive In their own right

Not fwends

yes

I have no clue how to play D&D. Grew up with no one to play with and a family member I lived with that didn’t like that kind of stuff so I couldn’t do it as a kid. But I’m learning rn and haven’t played my first game, but I really hope to find someone and myself to learn and play.

Character voice notations: you can also base your voices on existing characters from movies/shows to help remember. This makes keeping track very easy for you:
Tavern Owner: Bartoll; voice: Captain Picard.
Mysterious Rogue: Venns; Voice: Enigo Monyoya.
As long as you don't tell the players who you are mimicking, they will likely never guess, but you will be able to remember their voice instantly!

So you completely ready?

“They always remember” 😂

Matt briefly mentioning alignments reminds me of a character I’m currently playing. Air genasi hexblade warlock, lawful neutral on the sheet, ended up being more lawful/ neutral evil when the party ended up fighting in a civil war. Fundamentally, he’s working for good, he’s working under a good leader to bring about peace but recently his methods have become deplorable frankly. It was totally unintentional

I need a walk-through of Matt’s game notebooks 📝 ❤️ this is empath, level epic, put to awesomeness uses

A decent general guide on making NPC'S .

3.5 D&D had a lot of extremely good resources for everything .

When I need to come up with an NPC on the fly I start with what roll I need them to fill and then a few basic physical features, and follow it up with a basic personality and a generic voice to go with that.
Example: Guard Captain James K Turk. An older human man with a close cropped head of hair and a long scar along the side of his face. He's dressed in simple military armor with symbol of an imperial captain on his shoulder. He's used to giving orders so he can be blunt in conversation, and tries to do his job a simply as he can. His tone is fairly gruff and plain.
(This took me like a minute and most of that was writing it down.)

And don't worry about being a trained voice actor to do voices. Just work on speaking in a couple different tones and maybe practice a couple accents. One great resource I draw on for voice ideas is audio books. My personal favorites are the readings of Games of Thrones, The Thrawn Trilogy, or Codex Alera.

In an upcoming session I have an NPC that will be a near carbon copy of personality/voice of Talon Card from the Trawn Trilogy.

"And you have to hide bodies. And it happens, often." Well said past Matt, well said

Not fwends

You're right matt we always do remember...

Love the moral dillema of a grey character. Running Storm Kings Thunder right now and I made Xolkin Alassander a reaccuring character. Ambitieus and a bit of a smooth talker, not giving the players the feeling that they can trust him or the Zhentarim. But made him a interresting ally for a source of info about the giants, through the use of spies of the Zhentarim. For my good alligned players it is a constant dillema to trust him or ignore him. Love it.

“Helps to keep the psychosis at bay” XD

Question :Do you know why GTA 6 is taking so long?
Answer : Because they haven't seen this video

Yeah I think I know what Timmy sounds like lol

"and you secretly know what the outcome is haha" LMAOOOO

Party: "Today we'll visit Timmy!"
Me: panicking "Uuuuuhh... Timmy's dead. Yes. Dead."
Party: Mistakes this for a plothook and starts a large scale investigation into Timmy's untimely death. Or goes on a killing spree to avenge him. Depends.