I feel that my game is going well and my players are happy, but I never think I've got enough interesting NPCs swimming around. With the Anarchy Phase quickly approaching I would like to remedy that and let the game be steered by interactions between the players and the wants and needs of a diverse group of NPCs.

Can we have a brain-storm? I'd like an absolute cornucopia of NPCs to pick from and I know that this group is creative. Do you have NPCs you would like to share or create from whole cloth here? They'd not be valuable just for my game, but for anyone wandering by that runs or plays Pendragon. Requests might be fun, too. Suggest a theme and see what we can come up with.

Here's the format I use for NPCs. I usually attach one of the NPC knight levels and then a few defining characteristics. The most important part is the wants and needs. These are the features that can ignite rivalries and create all that wonderful drama.

Sir Brendan
Brendan has the traits of a famous knight. He is also a renowned bard and has a Compose skill of 22 and Play of 20. He is arrogant and biting in normal social contact, but reverent and positive when performing. Characters who are interested in musicianship get automatic checks to Compose and Play if they hear a performance in which Brendan gets a critical success.

Famous Trait(s): Proud 17, Generous 16
Brendan Wants: to be the center of attention
Brendan Needs: to be recognized as the best musician at court

Here is one of my favourite NPCs who I used to have a lot of fun with until he died recently. I based him on the snippet about Sir Lycus from the GPC.

Sir Bleidd (BLAYTH)
A near giant of a man, Sir Bleidd, 27, is a fierce knight of mixed heritage, having an Irish mother and a Saxon father (deceased); a fact that was well known at court but never openly discussed. He has sworn fealty to Roderick, renounced Wotanism and devoted himself to Paganism and Belenos. Big and brutal, strong and obedient, Sir Bleidd is a warrior of simple knighthood; a dedicated, practical minded, killing machine who favours brute force over finesse.

He strongly desires the Lady Elaine, and will not hesitate to warn off any other potential suitors. Some say he is not to be trusted, that his true loyalty lies elsewhere. Can you trust one Saxon over another in battle? This is a test he has yet to face.

Bleidd Wants: The hand in marriage of Lady Elaine.
Bleidd Needs: To prove his loyalty beyond any doubt. To himself as much as to others.

STATS
Sir Bleidd, Household Knight of Sarum
SIZ 20
DEX 7
STR 19
CON 13
LUC 12
APP 12
Dmg 7D6
Total Hits 33, Unconscious 8
Age 27
British Pagan
SKILLS: Awareness 16, Boating 14, Chirurgery 0, Compose 8, Courtesy 11, Dancing 8, Faerie Lore 2, Falconry 5, First Aid 15, Flirting 5, Folklore 2, Gaming 3, Heraldry 2, Hunting 14, Industry 0, Intrigue 4, Orate 4, Play (Harp) 4, Read (runes) 6, Recognize 5, Religion (pagan) 5, Romance 2, Singing 6, Stewardship 8, Swimming 12, Tourney 0
WEAPONS: Axe 14, Lance 6, Spear 8, Dagger 3, Battle 9, Siege 2, Horsemanship 10
TRAITS: Chaste 6 / 14 Lustful, Energetic 14 / 6 Lazy, Forgiving 14 / 6 Vengeful, Generous 14 / 6 Selfish, Honest 11 / 9 Deceitful, Just 14 / 6 Arbitrary, Merciful 11 / 9 Cruel, Modest 4 / 16 Proud, Pious 8 / 12 Worldly, Prudent 3 / 17 Reckless, Temperate 5 / 15 Indulgent, Trusting 13 / 7 Suspicious, Valorous 17 / 3 Cowardly
PASSIONS: Honour 15, Hospitality 14, Love (family) 12, Loyalty (lord) 12
EQUIPMENT: Chain (10), shield, axe, spear, lance & dagger SQUIRE: Brac (Age 16) Best Horse: Charger

Sir Bleidd's picture (http://kap5.smugmug.com/Other/Wondrous-Items/7988517_UhcKJ#712013818_59baQ-A-LB)

I've got a bunch of NPCs listed over at our wiki page for those who are interested. Check out the "Knights of Hertford" and "Nobles and Knaves" section for some write-ups. There is some built in rivalry, such as the rivalry between Lord Berkhamstead and Lord Hemel Hempstead. There are a couple of NPCs in the "Legends" section at the wiki page as well; but, not every entry there is an NPC.

Here's a pointer to the wiki:
http://hertfordshirekap5.wikidot.com/

I also borrow liberally from other games I'm in. For example, one of our player knights from Hertford recently ran across a Damsel Iulia of Odstock which my own player just married in Russ's online campaign. All I do is tweak her a bit and she's appropriate for our own campaign (even though we share another player between Russ's campaign and our table-top campaign.)

I have nothing to add, as my campaign won't be starting for a few weeks yet, but I definitely appreciate the opportunity to steal your NPCs. :)

Pramalot, when looking at your website I saw some notes about relations between PC and NPCs... It looks interesting. Can you describe what you're doing?

Pramalot, when looking at your website I saw some notes about relations between PC and NPCs... It looks interesting. Can you describe what you're doing?


I track the relationships between the PCs and the NPCs and the relationships between NPCs. It started off as a way to just track the efforts of the players against the various courtly women they were trying to woo, but I then expanded it more and more. As with so many of these things they start of as a small idea and then I just end up pouring more and more time into them and widening the scope.

The PC relationships are determined by their own actions naturally enough and then I use a simple formula to simulate the same for the NPCs. Its similar to what's used in the GPC. I have various "name" levels (Favours, Strongly Favours etc) underpinned by a more granular "ladder". As the players do things at court they move up or down this "ladder" crossing the various name thresholds as they go. The resulting levels then influence interactions between characters. The players know their name level terms (eg a PC will know if he is "detested" or "favoured") but they don't know wherebouts on the ladder they sit.

I update it between each play session. I'm working on automating the whole process in Excel, cos it takes hours at the moment. :)

I feel that my game is going well and my players are happy, but I never think I've got enough interesting NPCs swimming around. With the Anarchy Phase quickly approaching I would like to remedy that and let the game be steered by interactions between the players and the wants and needs of a diverse group of NPCs.

Can we have a brain-storm? I'd like an absolute cornucopia of NPCs to pick from and I know that this group is creative. Do you have NPCs you would like to share or create from whole cloth here? They'd not be valuable just for my game, but for anyone wandering by that runs or plays Pendragon. Requests might be fun, too. Suggest a theme and see what we can come up with.

(SNIP)



You said diverse, and I now wonder if I took that the wrong way and all you wanted was Knights ?

To me the Anarchy period is one of petty warlords and constant raiding, almost at times akin to civil war. I also see the distinction between knighthood and warrior being somewhat blurred, which also means a much more casual social milieu. In part some of my comments are inspired by the Bernard Cromwell Uther books which are set in the time of Alfred the great, so a little before what Greg equates to the Anarchy period which is the transition from Saxon to Norman rule. I tended to think therefore of things to throw in:

Shipwrecked Captain, Sailor or Merchant - Tales of foreign lands
Exile - Political intrigue
Escaped (attractive) wife and child of deposed (beleived dead) warlord in neighbouring county. Limited cash is running out. Do the players care?
Refugees - escaping from a raid with some claim of kinship
Escaped Slave - former noble, warrior, or skilled Craftsman
Wise woman / man / hermit
Wordly Monk - Friar tuck type
Pious Monk - Venerable bede - or monk with "holy relics" saved from raid in the next county. Or are there buried relics to be rescued and saved?
Skilled Craftsman - blacksmith / armourer / jeweller / carpet weaver / horse breaker
Mercenary CAptain
Skilled Mercenary - Archer / Siege weapons / Scout / Tracker / Torturer / Spy
Pedlar and Guads - Snake oil salesman / charms / trinkets / cloth
Officer - look at the list of jobs
Hostage - precarious existence
Bard / Musician
One or two people who are going to make it big when Arthur gets on the throne. I would bury these within ranks of other knights and bring them out for a special mission or purpose or incident and see how the players react. Do they make a friend / enemy for life?

Chris

Those are some really great ideas Chris.

Chris, I was thinking knights but your interpretation of diverse is much better than my own. You're right, the anarchy period is the perfect place to blur the line.

Your NPCs are fantastic, too.