When it comes to role-playing non-player
characters, most DMs are about as
comfortable as an elf at an orc party. And
that?s hardly surprising. The DM?s job is
tough enough as it is; since he?s already
loaded down with all other sorts of responsibilities
to keep an adventure on
course, he may just decide that creating
interesting personalities for his NPCs is
one task too many. Besides, with a general
idea of the various NPC types, he can
always improvise as the need arises.

Unfortunately, this approach can make
the game a real drag for the players, especially
ones who?ve gone to the trouble of
creating three-dimensional personalities
for their player characters. Who can
blame them for rolling their eyes as they
encounter yet another wise old wizard or
swooning damsel in distress? Who wants
to interact with cliches?

Like all aspects of being a good DM,
breathing life into NPCs requires advance
planning. The tried-and-true method of
tackling the problem is by creating a sort
of "personality profile" for each character,
a summary of the NPC?s personality that
the DM can use as a quick reference when
role-playing the character in an adventure.
The profile usually consists of a series of
descriptive words or phrases that may be
written on an index card along with statistics
or jotted down in the margin of the
module next to the NPC?s name.

The DMG stresses the
importance of well-developed NPCs and
provides guidelines on pages 100-102 for
creating profiles from a series of tables
listing possible traits for appearance, disposition,
intellect, and other general categories.
Traits for each NPC may be
specifically chosen from these tables or
arrived at randomly by rolling dice.

These guidelines provide a good basis
for creating profiles, but there are some
problems in leaning on them too heavily.
Although the tables are reasonably comprehensive,
it?s unrealistic to expect them
to generate the virtually limitless range of
all possible human (and non-human) personality
traits. You can come close, but you
can't specifically get characters who are
    "sarcastic," 
    " PARANOID,"
    "preoccupied,"
    "alcoholic," or 
"prone to have psychosomatic pains" by using the tables. Some of
the choices are too similar; there's no
great difference between "foppish" and
{dandyish' from the Appearance Table, or
"lusty" and "lustful" from the Morals Table.
Other entries aren't particularly precise.
":Insane," for instance, covers a lot of territory;
we have no way of knowing from the
table if that character is "schizoid," "manic
depressive,? or just plain ?psychotic.? Is an
NPC ?dirty? because he?s a hard worker in
need of a bath, or is he just a slob? And
relying on the tables to generate traits
completely at random tends to produce
results that are not only unrealistic but
unsatisfying, too.

There is, however, an alternate method
for creating personality profiles that uses
the DMG tables as a starting point. By
following a systematic procedure of (1)
brainstorming, (2) refining, and (3) testing,
you can develop profiles that are easy to
use and right on target.

The first step is brainstorming: creating
a master list of adjectives and descriptive
phrases that will be the basis of your
profile. Don?t edit yourself when brainstorming.
You?ll want to list all of the traits
that seem obvious as well as any implied
ones. Feel free to add any unusual or just
plain weird ideas, too. Make your list as
long as you like, but ten or twelve possibilities
is a good number to shoot for.

To begin your master list, write down
any characteristics given in the NPC description
or suggested by the statistics,
then add any related ideas that occur to
you. For instance, if Angela the servant
girl is described in a scenario as being 16
years old, weighing 95 pounds, attractive,
and having a charisma of 17, you might
start your list with "young," "slight,"
?pretty,? and ?charming.? As you brainstorm
for related ideas, you might add
?fragile,? ?gorgeous,? and ?flirtatious.?

Pay attention also to the physical appearance
of the NPC and any personality traits
it might suggest. If you're unable to visualize
the NPC, Now might be a good time to
refer to the Appearance Table in the DMG
and make a selection or a die roll. Don't
forget possible traits associated with the
character class.

When you've covered the basics, it's time
to unleash your imagination and flavor
your list with an oddball choice or two.
Write down "asthmatic," "sneaky," or "near-sighted
" or anything else that appeals to
you on a whim. Check the DMG lists and
pick a couple of traits, Chinese-restaurant
style (one from column A, one from
column B).

If the scenario description of the NPC is
sketchy or if you?re making your NPC up
from scratch, you may have trouble getting
off the ground. One good way to get
started is to randomly determine one or
two fundamental characteristics from the
DMG tables and then select complementary,
non-conflicting traits. Once the NPC
begins to come into focus, you can proceed
with brainstorming. Another good
method is to pick a friend, celebrity, or
fictional character and imagine that person
as the NPC. Visualizing your nondescript
halfling as Joan Rivers or Miss Piggy
ought to inspire some vivid possibilities.

The sources for ideas are endless. In
addition to the DMG, you might try looking
for descriptive phrases in a thesaurus
or dictionary. NPCs from other modules
(or even from other games) can be good
sources. If you come up with an especially
good trait, you might want to add it to the
appropriate table in the DMG or start a
new list for future reference.

Once you?ve finished your master list,
the next step is refining it. Your finished
profile should be as concise as possible;
not only does a concise profile make the
DM's job easier, it also allows for an ongoing
character to develop and change according
to circumstances of the campaign.
For most NPCs, shoot for a profile of about
three adjectives and descriptive phrases. If
three elements aren't enough to create a
clear mental picture, add a couple more,
though it?s not necessary to go into a lot of
detail. Remember that the profile is a form
of shorthand, and one well-chosen descriptive
element can suggest many others.
("Feeble," for instance, could remind you
that your NPC is also ?weak,? ?old,? and
?slow-moving.?)

Begin refining your master list by taking
a look at any elements that pertain to
appearance or physical traits and eliminate
those that seem unlikely to affect the
NPC's personality. Knowing a fighter is
"hideous" could conceivably be important
in role-playing him; knowing he's "blue-eyed
" probably won't be of much help.

Next, combine or eliminate all similar
terms, such as ?sad? and ?unhappy,? or
?quiet? and ?silent.? Get rid of all phrases
that strike you as uninteresting or vague.  
As you go over you list, feel free to add 
new phrase or substitute better ones. 
Make the final revisions and refinements 
by using the following guidelines: 

1. Be precise.  Like an image in a camera, 
your profile should be focused for the 
sharpest and clearest picture.  If you want 
your character to have a pleasant personality, 
be more specific than "happy."  
"Cheery" means one thing, while "exhilerated" 
suggests something entirely different. 

2. Choose phrases that are evocative for 
you, and USE your own system of short-hand 
wherever you want.  Don't be inhibited -- 
your players will never know what 
you've written  "Why USE "dull" to describe 
a slow-witted NPC if "airhead" helps you 
nail him down?  Make up your own words 
if necessary.  Don't settle for "cunning" if 
"J. R. Ewinglike" is more vivid for you.  If 
you've got an NPC with a sense of humor, 
try phrases like "Lettermanesque" or "Pryorlike" 
to bring him to life. 

3. Use common sense to avoid contradictions
or opposites. Unless he's a mental
case, an NPC can't be both "perky" and
"depressed."

4. Go for extremes. NPCs with extreme
traits are not only easier to role-play,
they?re more fun for the PCs, too. ?Miserable
? is stronger than ?sad,? and ?suicidal?
might be better yet. ?Faithful? is vague.
?Religious? is better, but why not consider
going all the way and make him a ?reli-gious 
fanatic"?

5. Go for an interesting mix.  Chances 
are, your PCs have had their fill of warriors 
who are "brave" and "mighty."  How 
about one who's "whining" or "prissy"?  (He 
can still be dangerous.)  Or how about a 
"wise guy"?

When you've finished-refining your 
profile, you're ready to test it; Using the 
profile as a guide, imagine how your NPC
would respond to a variety of hypothetical 
questions and statements.  Some should be 
friendly, some hostile, and some just curious.  
You can select examples from the following 
list or USE the same general ideas 
to come up with your own.

"Greetings!  What's your name, friend?" 

"READY your weapon and prepare to die!" 

"That's a nice cloak you have there.  
Would you consider a TRADE?" 

"Will you JOIN us on our quest for the 
red dragon?" 

"Enemy troops ahead!  We've got to do 
something!"

"Will you allow some weary travelers to 
REST here for a bit?" 

"Do you know where Ramus the Healer 
resides?"  (Assume your NPC doesn't know.) 

"Where can we find Princess Marcella?" 
(Assume you NPC knows that she lives in 
the next castle.) 

"May I borrow your horse?"

"Have you ever heard of Grendar the 
Mighty?"  (Assume he killed the brother of 
your NPC.) 

"We need to hide this map.  Will you help us?" 

It's also important to test your NPCs in 
situations that seem likely to occur in a 
given adventure.  If you know you PCs 
will be SEARCHING the city for hirelings, 
make sure your testing session includes 
some appropriate questions.  Testing may 
reveal unexpected strengths and weaknesses  
in your profile.  If so, modify your 
profile and test it again.  

Remember to USE restraint during the 
actual Game.  It isn't necessary or advisable 
to prepare speeches or responses in advance.  
Just because your NPC warrior is a 
"wise guy," don't go out of your way to 
force in a joke.  A good profile will allow 
you to role-play your NPCs naturally and 
spontaneously, and vivid profiles provided 
by you are sure to trigger vivid responses 
from the characters. 

Once you get the hang of it, you'll find 
this 3-phase system of brainstorming, 
refining, and testing to be an indispensable 
tool for role-playing NPCs.  Before you 
know it, you'll be dazzling your players 
with NPCs that are so lifelike, they'll think 
you brought them in off the street.  You 
don't have to tell them it's easy -- in fact, 
as easy as 1, 2, 3.
 

SEPTEMBER 1986