Creating Play-Focused NPCs

I was talking with my friend Ben recently, and we were mutually lamenting the challenge of making compelling NPCs that were dynamite in play!  Our conversation got me thinking more about my process of NPC design, so here are some thoughts.  I also started talking with Luke (@wildwoodsgames) halfway through writing, and their insights were super valuable in fleshing out and finaling my thoughts on this topic.  Cheers, Luke!

"Three Things" Theory

Generally, I have tended to stick to the "three things" school of NPC design: choose three obvious things, and make the NPC all about that:

• Hextia, in my IRL west marches game:
• Throws things to you (nicely)
• Makes you tea (probably throws it to you)
• Always busy, somewhere else in her house
• Hypatia, the general store proprietor:
• Broad shoulders, embroidered leather vest, gold tusk caps
• Business minded smooth talker: a con artist
• Tries to sell you a random snake-oil charm
• Sir Galodor of the Leech:
• Leech motifs on armor
• Regal, fated
• Suspicious; hiding a secret quest

Let's talk pros and cons.  

On the Pros side, this is a very condensed way to store information.  It has the added benefit of asking me as a GM to focus down on the three most obvious, play-impacting aspects of a character.  

This is nice, but- on the Cons side- it's more a short-hand that jogs my memory than anything else- it's code that draws information out of my brain, that I never wrote down.  It's also pretty one dimensional, so it breaks down after a while of interacting with the same character!

Maybe I can flesh out what I find to be the most valuable information about a character to have at a table.  Since all design is intended to solve a problem, let's focus on our problem statement.  What do we want to achieve?  How do we define a "good" NPC?

What makes a Good NPC?

A Good NPC is one who...

• Is engaging for the players- that the people at your table want to mess with, in whatever way
• Is engaging for the characters- that your characters want or need to engage with 
• Is easily memorable and distinct from others
• Has strong goals and motivations
• ...But is secretly willing to subvert those broad goals and motivations in service of a specific desire
• Has one poignant detail that can only be learned after engaging with the character more fully as an ally

Let's break it down.  A good NPC is one who...

Engages your Players

At the end of the day, a role playing game is played by people talking to each other.  One of my first objectives with PCs or NPCs is to inject the game with something that will create fun for the other people at my table.

How is your NPC engaging your players?  What fires up your players' brains?  To do this, you have to know what your players will respond to.  Try a few things, and gauge their reactions!

Ask yourself: "What motivates my players?"

• Does one of your players like flirting with everything they come across?
• "The elf king is really hot.  SO hot.  Piercing amber eyes, beautiful and slender face, thick dark ringlets of hair cascading to just under his jawline.  Definitely like an 18 on a weighted, 18-point scale."
• Does one of your players like grandstanding and taking the center spotlight?
• "The street snake oil salesman points to you and says- 'you there!  I need a volunteer to demonstrate this marvelous product!  Come up here, and if you're satisfied with the instant results, I'll give you a free sample!"
• Do your players like figuring out how to communicate with entities that are clearly intelligent, but blocked from communicating through the ease of speech?
• "The octopus's eyes are white and milky, and each of its long tentacles ends in a questing hand.  One touches your torso, the hand covering most of you- then recoils quickly!  The octopus thinks for a moment, then more hands reach out, tapping the ground, gently prodding your chest- and other hands float forwards, bringing various items to just out of reach; a sheaf of paper, a quill and pot, a collection of stones, a sapphire..."
• Do your players like playing charades?
• "The wizened librarian shushes at you harshly, his moustache bristling with the force of the air.  He points to a sign behind him reading "MAINTAIN ABSOLUTE SILENCE." He fixes you with a quizzical look, then spreads his hands- seeming to ask what you want."
• Do your players like performing quick and clever / creative services to unlock friendship?
• "The frog croaks, then slaps its giant webbed hands against the floor wetly.  'Braap!  Bring me.....' the frog pauses for a moment, thinking, then continues: '...HEAVY!'  He looks pleased with himself, and croaks softly and expectantly while looking at you."

Your players may also be motivated simply by characters who are unexpected within the confines of the common setting, or by a character who looks or acts in unexpected ways!

But if your NPC bores your players, or fails to engage the people at your table, it won't sing in your game.  That's why I put this step first!  If your players love it, they'll figure out reasons for their characters to mess with it.

Engages their Characters

Yep.  It's a role playing game, and your players are playing roles.  Their characters have wants, needs, motivations, goals, dreams.  How does this NPC help or hinder those characters?  Do the characters have types of situations they like engaging with?

Importantly, for a combat-heavy game like Dungeons & Dragons, if the NPC is providing an obstacle to the players, strongly consider making the character either strong enough or important / well connected enough that players are deterred from simply killing them outright.

Ask yourself: "What motivates my players' characters?"

• Is a character disguised as a holy monk, worshiping Arkyn the White Lord of Law?
• Wouldn't it be entertaining for them to meet an actual Cleric of Arkyn?  What if they got found out?  Do they know the religion well?  Will these characters bond over this shared attribute?  Will the PC be afraid of discovery?
• What do your players' characters need right now?  Could this NPC give them that, under the right circumstances?  Could this NPC be preventing them from getting that?
• "The giant frog is sitting right in front of a large wooden door, carved with the face of a laughing jester.  It slaps the ground, expectantly.  'Braap!  Heavy!  Heavy!' it says, looking excitedly at the large crate you're wrestling between the two of you."
• What are your players' characters' long term goals and motivations?  How could this NPC tantalize the promise of help, while delaying the fulfillment of that promise?  What will it look like when that promise is fulfilled?
• "Yes!  If you win a drinking contest against the Circle of Drunken Priests, then you, too, may drink from the Horn of Intoxia, and make a boast that will be witnessed by our goddess of revelry!"  The large, jovial man grows serious and eyes you for a moment.  "... But... is your constitution up to the task?"
• What are the character qualities that my players want to express about their characters?
• Tenderness?  Control?  Dominion?  Trickery?  How could an NPC allow a character to act out their characteristics in a fun way?

Is Memorable and Distinct

Here's where the "Three Things" come in, but let's separate them into two categories: physical, and personality.  Choose three obvious and visible physical markers for this character, and three obvious and visible personality markers for this character, and then make them big.

• Three physical markers:
• Extreme age?  Unique facial hair?  A dramatic style of dress?  A unique accessory?
• When your players think back and ask "oh wait, we know a guy who can help with this- that guy who.... __________"  What fills in the blank?
• Three personality markers:
• Is this NPC aggressive?  Sly?  Shifty?  Seem like they're hiding something?  Smiles broadly with a smile that doesn't reach their eyes?  Strokes their beard?  Always makes you tea?  Is always in a different room of the house?

Choosing just three physical markers and just three personality markers allows you to bring them out at the table and highlight them quickly: "Hextia looks down at you from the top of her ladder, where she's dusting cobwebs.  "Here dearie," she says, reaching for a teapot balanced precariously on a stack of books.  She pours a cup, and then hurls it in your direction.  "Have some tea!"  Somehow, it doesn't spill."

Restricting yourself to three big obvious things also helps guarantee that more of your characters can be distinct and memorable.

Has a Strong Goal or Motivation

What does this NPC ultimately want?  Choose something strong- a reason for them to be acting in the world.  Think of this as one of the reasons the players come to THIS character, as opposed to any of the hundreds of other characters who could exist in the game world.  This character has strings attached.

Consider things like:

• The sorceress wants to protect those weaker than herself.
• Hextia wants to provide useful medical services to the women of nearby villages.
• Sir Galodor of the Leech wants to complete their quest for their holy order.
• Hypatia the general store owner wants to acquire profit with the least possible effort.

Why does this NPC exist in your game world?  Tie them in, with one big motivation or goal.

Has a Secret Willingness to Make an Exception

Think of this as the twist to the character, the detail that makes them rich and two dimensional.  This is a hidden detail, a specific exception to the general goals and motivations above.  These exceptions should inspire questions: "What?  Why?  What's going on here?"  Tie them into the previous facts about the character- this is a specific detail that counters previous expectations.

This detail shouldn't be something the characters see on first meeting the character- it's a reward for continuing to engage.

• The sorceress wants to protect those weaker than herself...
• ... But will drop everything to gather the pollen from the rare flowering junia bush.
• Hextia wants to provide useful medical services to the women of nearby villages...
• ... But once she's found a willing vessel to rebirth her, that's all she cares about.
• Sir Galodor of the Leech wants to complete his quest for his holy order...
• ... but he is sworn not to desecrate dead remains, even those reanimated after death.
• Hypatia wants to acquire profit with the least possible effort...
• ... but will spring into action and go to any lengths to protect the lover she has in the next town over.

One Poignant Detail

Finally, add one small detail to the character.  You may think of this as an intimate expression this character might choose to show (show!  never tell!) to those they're closest with.  It's not centered on the players' characters- it's not a romantic intimacy, simply a core vulnerability this NPC might choose to express to or share with someone they're very close to, in a roundabout way.  Rather than countering previous expectations, view this detail as expressing another dimension of the character, possibly unrelated to the other details.

• The sorceress has preserved in a looking glass a single memory, of being pushed on a swingset.
• In her disastrously unkempt and dusty house, Hextia keeps one tea pot spotlessly clean, but never used.
• Sir Galodor of the Leech keeps a short letter close to his breast at all times: "Gal, thank you for writing, it's so good to hear from you.  Of course you can stay here for a time, whenever you need- just let me know.  Thinking of you."
• Hypatia keeps a box of letters on the bottom drawer of her shelf, and under them all, a pair of train tickets, good for any date, destined for a distant city.

Three Last Examples

This was a long way to explain a fairly condensed thing, in prep!  Putting this together can be very quick and space-efficient.

Let's look at three examples of characters from media who fit this formula: Kamaji, from Spirited Away; the Faun, from Pan's Labyrinth; and Calcifer, from Howl's Moving Castle.

Kamaji, Spirited Away

Engages Players: Mostly via surprising their expectations.  "Wait, what?  He's a multi-armed forgeworker who looks like a spider, and his arms are of indeterminate length?"

Engages Characters: Sen needs a job in order to be protected from Yubaba, and Kamaji might be able to give her one.

Memorable and Distinct: Physically: many long arms of indeterminate length, bushy bristly moustache, small black glasses.  Personality: gruff, wants to keep his operation running smoothly, irritated by the demands of his job.

Goal or Motivation:  Wants to keep his operation running smoothly at all costs.

Secret Exception: Wants to keep his operation running smoothly, but will interrupt his focus to help someone if he sees they have a strong work ethic.

Poignant Detail: Can offer Sen two train tickets far away from here... tickets he's had for years.

The Faun, Pan's Labyrinth

Engages Players: Again, mostly by surprising expectations: "Wait, I thought this was the real world.  What the hell is this??"

Engages Characters: Ofelia desperately needs to escape from her dangerous real life circumstances- the Faun can offer her escape... for a price.

Memorable and Distinct: Physically: is a Faun.  Horns, hooves, long spindly fingers.  Personality: Loving and soothing, but manipulative and fickle.

Goal or Motivation: To restore the fairy kingdom to prominence.

Secret Exception: Will abandon his efforts if his companion isn't effective or obedient.

Poignant Detail: Loves fairies, as the last living remnant of his connection with the fairy kingdom.

Calcifer, Howl's Moving Castle

Engages Players: There's an element of surprise, but also his abilities to interact are strongly limited to the area of his fireplace, giving players the upper hand on interacting with him.

Engages Characters: Seems to have hidden information about the Wizard, Howl- also provides control over the castle.

Memorable and Distinct: Physically: Is a fire, and also a demon.  Personality: Cranky, cantankerous, but responds well to kindly bullying.

Goal or Motivation: To escape his captivating contract with Howl.

Secret Exception: Willing to set aside this goal in times of self interest- which seems to extend to the castle itself.

Poignant Detail: Comes back after finally winning his freedom.

I hope you find this perspective on making compelling, play focused NPCs!  Give it a try at home, and let me know how you find it works for you!  Is there something you'd change?  Thanks for reading!