CONJECTURE GAMES PRESENTS:
ÜNE the üniversal NPC emulator By Zach Best Artwork by Matthew Vasey
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“Nothing happens unless first we dream.” –Carl Sandberg “One day one of my little nephews came up to me and asked me if the equator was a real line that went around the Earth, or just an imaginary one. I had to laugh. Laugh and laugh. Because I didn’t know, and I thought that maybe by laughing he would forget what he asked me.” –Jack Handey
Dedicated to Claire. I hope your imagination will be as wild and large as the sea.
Written by Zach Best Artwork by Matthew Vasey (http://www.users.fast.net/~rrv311/digitaldemiurgemain.html) Published by Conjecture Games (
[email protected], Tip Jar at PayPal.com) Special Thanks to Matt Mooney, Aaron Zeitler, Keith Emery, and Scott Rieger for playtesting, editing, and general commenting. Very Special Thanks to my wife, Katie, who believes in me and supports me in every way. Anyone may freely distribute this work as long as it is not used for commercial purposes and it is distributed in its original form. The work may be used to create resulting derivative works as intended by this work for commercial use as long as acknowledgement of this work is accompanied by said published derivative work. Permission from the authors must be granted if this work will be used for any other purposes, including but not limited to, reusing any artwork or text for a separate or derivative work. All text is © Zach Best (2007). All artwork is © Matthew Vasey (2007) and used with permission for this work. The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned.
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A Tale of a Table
Introduction
Alex: You three are hot on the trail of the evil dragon’s servants. You recall they have stolen the scepter of your king.
The role of a game master (“GM”) running a tabletop roleplaying game can be a tough one. Not only do they have to maintain a handle on the stage they are setting, but they also have to keep things interesting. A lot of times a GM will look towards a pre-made adventure – many of which require players to do A then B then C to get D, etc. – to save some time in the game preparation. Just as many times, players will start at A then send their characters to X, destroy C, and then run away from D to get to M. All the GM’s planning in the world cannot account for every action the players want their characters to take. Perhaps the worst situation in which a GM can find himself results when a player character (“PC”) is trying to have an unforseen conversation with a non-player character (“NPC”). For example, the Mayor that Dooley wants to meet. The GM could just ignore the player’s request and say that the Mayor says nothing interesting. Another GM could use the Mayor to get the PC’s back on track with the prepared adventure. A GM could take a break to flesh out the area the PC’s want to explore. This supplement attempts to help a GM create interesting NPC’s on the fly so that if the third option is taken, the task is simpler and the results fun. Instead of just a stereotypical Mayor (whatever that may be), with a few die rolls a Mayor can be created with a history, motivations, and even a reason to speak with the PC’s. The best part is that this supplement is universal. It was designed to work for every genre from fantasy to horror, space opera to post-apocalypse adventure.
Bob: Is there a town ahead? Alex: Yes. Carol, you know this area well and know there is a town about 10 miles or so away. Bob: Good. I need to stock up before we hit the dungeon. Alex (smirking): Up to you guys. Dooley: Are we there? Alex: Yes. Dooley: I want to talk with the Mayor. Alex: Oh. Okay, sure. What about? Dooley: I want to see if the town has any problems of their own, and feel the Mayor out. It is my sworn job as a paladin of the king to uphold the law and make sure only the good lead those of faith. Carol: That sounds cool. I don’t know why we care about the scepter anyway. It wasn’t even magic. I am sure the king has plenty replacements. Bob (whining): I want treasure. Alex: Uhhhh…okay. Can we take a break… for an hour. I need to figure out what to do then. Or, I have prepared the adventure to the dragon. You guys can do that. Dooley: We can wait.
Abbreviations GM = game master, usually the person running the game. PC = player character, a character played by one of the players. NPC = non-player character, one of the many characters a game master will act out in order to further the story through interaction with playerrun characters. d# = a die with # of sides, for instance a d100 is a die with 100 sides.
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What is ÜNE? ÜNE is a supplement for just about any pen and paper roleplaying game to help facilitate the creation and playing of an NPC. ÜNE is universal. It was designed to be run with almost every standing genre in tabletop roleplaying. Some terms must bend a little more depending on a genre. A shopkeeper or wizard might not be apparent in a space opera, but you might look respectively to Quark from Star Trek: Deep Space 9 or Mr. Universe from the movie Serenity as reasonable examples of those professions in that genre. The terms are not definite answers; they are ideas to get the creative juices flowing. ÜNE is focused on the NPC aspect of a game. Often a GM will hesitate to include a variety of NPC’s for fear that they will seem trite. Alternatively, a generic role may need to be filled and the GM fears that the NPC that fills it will be viewed as a prop, not as a person. With ÜNE, a simple NPC can become a true character in the story with just a few die rolls. ÜNE is an emulator. It can be used without a GM, and in fact some of the best results may occur when a whole group of players uses it. This particular emulator is not a complete replacement for a GM-driven NPC. Nonetheless, when a GM is absent or is not inspired to create a new NPC this emulator will shine.
When to use ÜNE The supplement should be used when the game is stuck. More specifically, when the game is stuck on “who?” and there is a problem with how to proceed. This typically arises is when a player wishes to have her PC interact with an NPC that was created as a prop. An example could be a burglar about to break into a trailer-home, and one of the neighbors comes out for a smoke and a drink to up the difficulty of breaking and entering. As a prop the neighbor serves merely to deter the PC or increase the difficulty. The problem occurs when the PC engages with the neighbor. Is the neighbor brash? Will the he run inside the moment he is threatened? Is he
friendly enough to share a smoke with a stranger wandering around the trailer park? What if the PC escalates the situation and gets into a fight, or even worse kidnaps the neighbor? Other examples of prop NPC’s needing further depth include: a merchant of whom a PC requests an abnormal favor, a waitress used as an information delivery prop with whom a PC starts to flirt, or an enemy that is interrogated with unforeseen questions. Undeveloped NPC’s also commonly occur when a player wishes his PC to seek out a general NPC he just “created.” The example of Dooley wanting to speak with a mayor, as described above is not uncommon. A player decides his PC knows somebody, or at least knows they exist, and seeks them out. The problem occurs when the PC starts interacting (usually requesting something) with the NPC. It compounds when the PC continues to return to that NPC on many occasions. Many skilled GM’s develop this information on the fly. However, even the best GM’s can get stuck in an adversarial or cliché rut. An adversarial-rutted GM will make the neighbor as antagonistic as possible. The neighbor will be brave, undeterred by any threats, and possibly be the first to resort to violence so as to force the PC’s to “stay on track.” A cliché-rutted GM will snag the first idea that pops into mind, and it will usually be the most cliché. This is when to use ÜNE It will give the NPC meaning and depth that will not burden the game with stalling moments or GM-rutted ideas. ÜNE can be lightly used when the NPC concept is pretty much solidified, but the supplement is most useful when an NPC is pulled out of chaos.
Designer Notes on ÜNE Dropping the Reins The first convention of tabletop role-playing that this supplement breaks is the paramount control of the GM. Random creation will usually cause some amount of control over the game to be lost. Consider a treasure won at the end of a dungeon. A strict GM may have customized the treasure specifically to each character. A lax GM may just roll on the
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treasure tables. Neither is the correct way. The correct way should be tailored to each group. But, it is important to understand a randomly rolled treasure may change the game in unforeseen ways. Without a GM, the game must be played so that unforeseen events continue to occur. This convention breaker is directly applied here because this supplement assumes that NPC’s in your game are more than props. They are people that allow for interactions beyond what props can deliver. If they are not props, then the NPC’s will likely affect the story. If one is randomly created it’s affect on the story might be one never contemplated by the GM (or the players).
Collaborative Gaming The second broken convention is that of players controlling only their own characters. The supplement works best when the rolling is done with everyone chiming in. Think of it as a crucible. A lot of inappropriate ideas might be thrown in, but a mixture might create a gem. However, the possibility of metagaming – PC action based on player knowledge, not character knowledge – rears its head. If the NPC is rolled up to be an evil villain with the demeanor of a saint some players will not have as much fun because they already know that the NPC is evil, while their PC’s don’t. The GM will have to decide based on how the group finds their fun, whether to allow players to help create NPC’s using this supplement or to keep it a surprise.
Preconceptions The battle will always be preconceptions versus the random terms rolled. In the prior example, Alex might want the Mayor to be rotting the town from the inside out, but all the terms that ÜNE provides point to a saintly Mayor who goes out of the way to help the passage of snails. The GM (or group) will have to decide which ideas to throw away. If the preconceptions are strong, they may overshadow or conflict with anything rolled. Of course the goal in the design of ÜNE was to have most characteristics be as complementary as possible. This is not always
feasible. Coming upon a hermit that has lived in the swamp for thirty years, and then rolling “drifter” may cause a few problems. The appropriate method is to see if a few ideas get the rolled terms to join with the preconceptions to create a NPC with depth (such as a swamp hermit who lives in a houseboat floating around the swamp). If they conflict too greatly, just toss out what does not work.
The Rule of Negative Inference
Some terms will have to be thrown out. The conflict between the preconceptions or other rolled terms will be too great to utilize them in such a way that the fun of the game continues. It is always better to keep moving forward than to spend a gross amount of time trying to reconcile some terms. However, it is beneficial to ask when paring down terms “why does this term not work?” This will not only strengthen your NPC concept, but it may also provide more depth to the preconceptions and terms that are left on the table.
Term Design Users should feel free to replace any terms they wish. If a group or person solely plays a space opera roleplaying game, some of the NPC Nouns could be replaced. NPC Motivation Nouns can also be edited for specific systems according to groups of NPC’s, goals or actions unique to the setting, etc. ÜNE should definitely be edited to be more specific if necessary.
Story Creation One of the easiest ways to create an adventure is to create numerous NPC’s and then make a tangled web between them all. Have the players sort out who is right, who wins, etc. ÜNE works well for this GM exercise because it eliminates much of the time consuming applications of character creation. The results (and gameplay) may work out surprisingly well, even when little time can be given to adventure/story creation. A separate appendix is available to see an example of this type of exercise.
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NPC Creator The NPC Creator can be used for many purposes. First and foremost, a strong idea for an NPC can be created from nothing in a very short time. The NPC will have a stereotypical title, motivations, and a sense of the NPC’s power in comparison to the players. The NPC Creator can also be used to expand on the NPC’s inner workings. A GM might know that a certain NPC has information pertaining to an artifact the PC’s are seeking, but what will drive the NPC to want to give it to them. With a motivation or two, a GM will know what actions the PC’s will have to take in order to acquire that information. As mentioned above, if preconceptions overrule what is rolled, use what works best. Do not be afraid to discard terms, especially in the case where speedy creation of an NPC trumps depth. 1. Determine what the NPC is. Roll a d100 to obtain an NPC Modifier from Chart 1. Roll a d100 to obtain an NPC Noun from Chart 2. Combine the two as if forming a simple sentence. For example if a 21 is rolled followed by a 45, the sentence would read “Inept Actor.” If some facts about the NPC are previously known, merely use what works and discard what does not.
Chart 1: NPC Modifier 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
superfluous addicted conformist nefarious sensible untrained romantic unreasonable skilled neglectful lively forthright idealistic unsupportive rational coarse foolish cunning delightful miserly
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
inept banal logical subtle reputable wicked lazy pessimistic solemn habitual meek helpful unconcerned generous docile cheery pragmatic serene thoughtful hopeless
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
pleasant insensitive titled inexperienced prying oblivious refined indispensable scholarly conservative uncouth willful indifferent fickle elderly sinful naive privileged glum likable
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
lethargic defiant obnoxious insightful tactless fanatic plebeian childish pious uneducated inconsiderate cultured revolting curious touchy needy dignified pushy kind corrupt
81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
jovial shrewd liberal compliant destitute conniving careful alluring defective optimistic affluent despondent mindless passionate devoted established unseemly dependable righteous confident
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Chart 2: NPC Noun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
gypsy witch merchant expert commoner judge ranger occultist reverend thug drifter journeyman statesman astrologer duelist jack-of-all-trades aristocrat preacher artisan rogue
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
missionary outcast mercenary caretaker hermit orator chieftain pioneer burglar vicar officer explorer warden outlaw adept bum sorcerer laborer master ascendant
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
villager magus conscript worker actor herald highwayman fortune-hunter governor scrapper monk homemaker recluse steward polymath magician traveler vagrant apprentice politician
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
mediator crook civilian activist hero champion cleric slave gunman clairvoyant patriarch shopkeeper crone adventurer soldier entertainer craftsman scientist ascetic superior
81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
performer magister serf brute inquisitor lord villain professor servant charmer globetrotter sniper courtier priest tradesman hitman wizard beggar tradesman warrior
2. Find the NPC Power Level. Determine the R-level of the scene by assigning a numeric value ranging from 1 (fairly boring) to 5 (surprises at every single turn) based on the extremity of the situation (chaos, confusion, disorder, etc.). The R-level can also represent a difficulty level where the higher the R-level the harder the challenges. Roll a d100 to determine the NPC’s power level relative to that of the PC’s using Chart 3. For example if the R-level of the scene is 4 and a 76 is rolled, the NPC will be Slightly Stronger than the PC’s.
Chart 3: NPC Power Level R-level 1 2 3 4 5
Much Weaker 1-2 1-4 1-5 1-8 1-12
Slightly Weaker 3-10 5-15 6-20 9-25 13-30
Comparable 11-90 16-85 21-80 26-75 31-70
Slightly Stronger 89-98 86-96 81-95 76-92 71-88
Much Stronger 99-100 97-100 96-100 93-100 89-100
3. Determine the NPC’s Motivations. Roll a d100 for an NPC Motivation Verb in Chart 4, and roll a d100 for an NPC Motivation Noun from Chart 5. Combine the two as if to form a simple sentence. Repeat this two more times. If successive rolls result in two Motivation Nouns from the same column, discard the second one and re-roll. For example, the first roll is a 24 followed by a 94, giving “Chronicle Animals.” The second roll is a 60 followed by a 7, giving “Account Opulence.” The final roll is a 21 followed by an 89, however 89 is in the same column as the previously rolled 94; therefore that NPC Motivation Noun must be rerolled. NPC Motivation Verb rolls never have to be re-rolled.
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Chart 4: NPC Motivation Verb 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
advise obtain attempt spoil oppress interact create abduct promote conceive blight progress distress possess record embrace contact pursue associate prepare
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
shepherd abuse indulge chronicle fulfill drive review aid follow advance guard conquer hinder plunder construct encourage agonize comprehend administer relate
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
take discover deter acquire damage publicize burden advocate implement understand collaborate strive complete compel join assist defile produce institute account
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
dreams discretion love freedom pain faith slavery enlightenment racism sensuality dissonance peace discrimination disbelief pleasure hate happiness servitude harmony justice
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
work accompany offend guide learn persecute communicate process report develop steal suggest weaken achieve secure inform patronize depress determine seek
81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
manage suppress proclaim operate access refine compose undermine explain discourage attend detect execute maintain realize convey rob establish overthrow support
Chart 5: NPC Motivation Noun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
wealth hardship affluence resources prosperity poverty opulence deprivation success distress contraband music literature technology alcohol medicines beauty strength intelligence force
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
the wealthy the populous enemies the public religion the poor family the elite academia the forsaken the law the government the downtrodden friends criminals allies secret societies the world military the church
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
gluttony lust envy greed laziness wrath pride purity moderation vigilance zeal composure charity modesty atrocities cowardice narcissism compassion valor patience
81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
advice propaganda science knowledge communications lies myths riddles stories legends industry new religions progress animals ghosts magic nature old religions expertise spirits
4. Combine all the terms to create an NPC. The creator should now have a rough sentence describing the qualities of the NPC. For example: A corrupt recluse, slightly stronger than the party, guards moderation, abuses pleasure, and communicates prosperity. The next step is to decide the why or how for each term. The examples that follow will expand on this process. Having context is the best way to determine how the created sentence will generate an NPC. Try to link the terms not only to the overall game or setting, but also to the story, campaign, chronicle, or adventure itself.
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Completely Random NPC Creator Examples: Georgey Mal the Wizard
The party members walk into a tavern to seek out a mercenary to help them in their latest quest. The setting is in a generic fantasy RPG. Step 0: No facts are known about the mercenary prior to the NPC creation. Step 1: Rolled 40 on the NPC Modifier chart to get “hopeless,” and rolled 87 on the NPC Noun chart to get “villain.” The players easily agree that this is the town’s villain whose great plans for domination are constantly being thwarted by simple undoings. The race and class of the “hopeless villain” are unknown, but one of the player’s speaks up and talks about a wizard in an old cartoon that was constantly foiled by little blue creatures. The players agree that the fit is good, and name the new NPC “Georgey Mal.” Step 2: The R-level of the scene is 3, and a 22 is rolled giving the NPC comparable stats and powers to the party. Step 3a: The first motivation is rolled for 38, “comprehend,” and 56, “hate.” Step 3b: The second motivation is rolled for 65, “learn,” and 57, but because 56 and 57 are in the same column, the latter is re-rolled to a 13, “literature.” Step 3c: The third motivation is rolled for 74, “achieve,” and 29, “academia.” Note that the second and third NPC Motivation Verbs came from the same column. This does not require a re-roll, as a re-roll is required only if successive NPC Motivation Nouns are from the same column. The players decide that Georgey does not understand what it means to be a villain, going along with the “hopeless” modifier. He might be constantly trying to do evil things only to find out that they were not evil at all (in some cases even helping his would-be victims). Therefore, one of his motivations is to learn to be an evil villain. Georgey also tries to learn a lot from books. With a light-hearted game already in place the players decide that many of his books are in the vein of “How to be a Villian” and “Evil Things for Dummies.” One of the players notes that in a more serious game the books Georgey owns might be an ancient memoir of a lich lord. Finally he may have been kicked out of wizard school. Now Georgey is enacting revenge on the world for not having a diploma of wizardry. Satisfied with the character, the characters join Georgey at his table in the inn.
The Spirit of the Lair
In a game heavily set on animism and the spirit world, the characters come upon a spirit’s lair. Step 0: The only known fact is that the NPC is a spirit. Step 1: The dice are rolled and “prying” and “hero” are obtained. One of the players jokes that it sounds like their own spirit-totem companion, and surprisingly the rest agree that this spirit is a totem companion for another person or group. The spirit is always poking at the affairs of its own companions, but usually helps to “save the day.” One of the players is disappointed that the type of the spirit is not yet apparent. Step 2: The chaos of the scene is a little more than normal, but the spirit is rolled to be roughly the same power level as the party members. Step 3a: The motivation is rolled to be “produce the wealthy.” Step 3b: The motivation is rolled to be “ascertain modesty.” Step 3c: The motivation is rolled to be “refine peace.” The players agree that the latter two motivations are in accord, but the first motivation is a problem. One of the players asks, “how can you become modest while making rich people?” For a moment the players ignore the first motivation and decide the spirit will be a Spirit of Enlightenment. However, the spirit, due to its prying nature, is more of a judge than a teacher. It demands much from those that seek it. A player mentions that the wealth it gives might not be silver and gold, instead it is a wealth of personal spirit. The players send the PC’s into the lair wary that their characters are probably going to be judged and possibly sent on a quest for atonement.
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NPC Association Emulator NPC Response Module The NPC Response Module is used in circumstances where the NPC has the ability to say “yes” or “no.” Questions are best because most of the time you will get either an affirmative response (i.e., question answered mostly truthfully) or a negative response (i.e., no answer or a lie). Statements of motivation and fact are also good if the NPC can react definitively. The Response Module does not work as well with more ambiguous questions (Where is the ring?) or statements of feeling (Road kill makes me sad). The NPC Response Module can also be used in making sweeping generalizations of whether an NPC will be helpful or not. 1. Determine the NPC Relationship to the speaking character. This is the long term variable in this emulator. It should rarely change from use to use unless major in-game effects occur between the NPC and the speaker. That is not to say an NPC cannot go from neutral to hostile in the course of the scene; only that this change should be strongly justified in game. 2. Determine the NPC Conversation Mood to the speaking character. This is the short term variable in this emulator. This can change from sentence to sentence or scene to scene. 3. Get the Binary Speech Response. Roll 1d100 and reference Chart 6 below. The numbers are split between affirmative and negative responses (usually an affirmative response is not a lie). An affirmative response will be the middle number or lower; while a negative response will be higher than the middle number. A very affirmative response will be the left number or lower, and a very negative response will be greater than the right most number. For instance, if the NPC Relationship was “distrustful” but the NPC Conversation Mood at the moment was “helpful,” the numbers would read 14/67/93. A very affirmative response would be 14 or lower. An affirmative response would be 15-67. A negative response would be 68-93, and a very negative response would be 94-100.
Chart 6: NPC Binary Response NPC Relationship
loved friendly peaceful neutral distrustful hostile hated
5/30/87 9/45/90 4/25/85 8/38/88 4/21/83 7/33/86 3/17/81 6/28/84 2/13/79 5/24/83 2/9/77 4/18/81 1/5/75 3/12/79 withdrawn guarded NPC Conversation Mood
12/60/93 10/51/91 9/45/89 8/39/87 7/35/86 6/27/84 4/19/82 cautious
15/75/95 13/64/93 11/56/91 10/50/90 9/44/89 7/36/87 5/25/85 neutral
18/81/96 16/73/94 14/65/93 13/61/92 11/55/91 9/49/90 7/40/88 sociable
21/88/97 19/82/96 17/76/95 16/72/94 14/67/93 12/62/92 10/55/91 helpful
25/95/99 23/91/98 21/87/98 19/83/97 17/79/96 15/75/96 13/70/95 forthcoming
NPC Discussion Module This emulator should be used when you have no idea what the NPC will want to talk about. In a story almost every actor has a purpose. This emulator can be used to help figure out why the NPC appeared, or what purpose that NPC will bring. Instead of dealing with binary responses using the NPC Response Module, you can use the NPC Discussion Module to quickly focus the conversational aspect of the NPC. 1. Determine the NPC Bearing. The NPC Bearing is how the NPC regards the focus of the discussion. If there are enough facts to do so, choose the demeanor of the NPC from the top of Chart 7. Otherwise roll a d100 or d8 to determine the demeanor. After a demeanor has been determined, roll a d10 or d100 to find the NPC Bearing using Chart 7.
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Chart 7: NPC Bearing 1-10 (1) 11-20 (2) 21-30 (3) 31-40 (4) 41-50 (5) 51-60 (6) 61-70 (7) 71-80 (8) 81-90 (9) 91-100 (10)
1-10 (1) 11-20 (2) 21-30 (3) 31-40 (4) 41-50 (5) 51-60 (6) 61-70 (7) 71-80 (8) 81-90 (9) 91-100 (10)
scheming 1-12 (1) intent bargain means proposition plan compromise agenda arrangement negotiation plot inquisitive 50-62 (5) questions investigation interest demand suspicion request curiosity skepticism command petition
insane 13-24 (2) madness fear accident chaos idiocy illusion turmoil confusion façade bewilderment knowing 63-75 (6) report effects examination records account news history telling discourse speech
friendly 25-36 (3) alliance comfort gratitude shelter happiness support promise delight aid celebration mysterious 76-88 (7) rumor uncertainty secrets misdirection whispers lies shadows enigma obscurity conundrum
hostile 37-49 (4) death capture judgment combat surrender rage resentment submission injury destruction prejudiced 89-100 (8) reputation doubt bias dislike partiality belief view discrimination assessment difference
2. Determine the NPC Focus. Roll d100 to find the NPC focus of the conversation using Chart 8. If possible the NPC Focus should be regarded as pertaining to the PC of the player rolling, the PC that will be speaking, or the party members in general. It may be helpful to put the word “PC’s” or “your” in front of the NPC Focus if there is a question. It is also helpful to narrow the NPC Focus. If “last story” was rolled figure out what the last story was. What happened during the last story that made this NPC want to discuss it?
Chart 8: NPC Focus 1-3 10-12 19-21 28-30 37-39 46-48 55-57 64-66 73-75 82-84 91-93
current scene parents wealth skills campaign allies flaws experience community current story weapons
4-6 13-15 22-24 31-33 40-42 49-51 58-60 67-69 76-78 85-87 94-96
last story history relics superiors future action last scene antagonist knowledge treasure family previous scene
7-9 16-18 25-27 34-36 43-45 52-54 61-63 70-72 79-81 88-90 97-100
equipment retainers last action fame friends contacts rewards recent scene the character power enemy
3. Combine the NPC Bearing and NPC Focus to determine the basis of the NPC Discussion. The words should be combined as in a simple sentence; for example, “the insane NPC speaks of madness regarding the PC’s allies.” That sentence will be the substance of what the NPC will want to discuss.
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Completely Random NPC Association Emulator Example: A band of soldiers at war in a foreign land comes upon a derelict motor home at the side of the road. The sniper in the party had seen a person inside the motor home, and the soldiers decide to investigate. NPC Creator determines that the person inside is a dependable merchant that sells his wares at the village and city markets. However, he is doing what he can to make sure he stays at the top of the food chain, and doesn’t want the cultural upheaval the war is likely to bring. (If you want to see under the hood… dependable merchant comparable in power level, motivations: burden progress, attend the populous, and achieve poverty). The commanding officer silently motions for the grunts to get in position in case the person is dangerous. He then knocks on the door. CO: Please come out, sir. The merchant steps out. M: What can I do for you, gentleman? CO: Sir, is this your vehicle? This is a question with a binary response so we’ll use the NPC Response Module. The merchant is distrustful of the soldiers (stories of horrible things they have done to the country) and is guarded (the less said the sooner they will leave). This gives us a 5/24/83 from Chart 6, and a 9 is rolled. Therefore the merchant will give an affirmative response, meaning he will not lie. This does not mean he will be forwardly honest (that could get him in trouble). Also, the soldiers will have to decide for themselves if he is lying, depending on how separate the omniscient player’s knowledge is with regards to character knowledge. M: Thankfully it is not. I was checking for parts to sell at the markets. The commanding officer motions for his men to stand down and then to hydrate. There is some small talk between the commanding officer and the merchant as both feel each other out. The players are not sure how this encounter should proceed. The merchant is not openly hostile. They don’t have any more questions they wish to ask the potential enemy, but they feel that there might be more to the merchant than is evident. This is the time to use the NPC Discussion Module, when it is not apparent what the point of the NPC is, but the players wish to continue an exchange (or the characters are forced to). It is not apparent what the demeanor of the NPC is to the commanding officer or the soldiers, so Chart 7 is used to determine the demeanor. A d8 is rolled and 7, mysterious, is obtained. A d10 is then rolled to get the NPC Bearing: 1, rumors. Then Chart 8 is used to determine the NPC Focus: 22, relics. Thinking he might be able to make a quick buck, the merchant pulls off his pack and pulls out a few artifacts, apparently from the region’s ancient times. M: I have a few curious wares to sell, that I think you might be interested in. This knife is said to contain the unrequited love of an ancient priestess, and if it is laid in the bed of a lover, that lover will never leave you. This compass is said to have been used when this land was sea, not desert. It is said that it will point to water if you ever thirst… And so on. The NPC has now been given purpose in the story. It might have little do to with the soldiers’ mission, but the encounter might prove more useful than a mere combat scene.
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