A new party is set and locked. A renegade warlock has broken free from a prison ship with the help of their devilish patron. A drow monk travels the world in search of purpose and elemental enlightenment. A dragonborn soldier flees the army of their powerful empire. A wizard seeks knowledge and control over the primal fire of the world. A young aarakocra is seeing where luck takes them. A kitsune former gladiator walks the world for glamor and stories worth writing. A halfling druid seeks to preserve the knowledge and forms of long forgotten dinosaurs.
They solve crimes.
No, they don’t. They cause them. But that’s always how the description of a D&D party should end, like some 80’s TV plot that pitches together a sentient starfish, a one-armed gorilla with father issues, a comptroller who just can’t catch a break, and Hulk Hogan on a 19th century riverboat cruise up the Mississippi solving problems and always staying one step ahead of the old Pinkertons.
That sounds really cool and I want that movie/tv show to exist. Get on this Hollywood.
Today’s article is about a topic I have already covered in depth but wish to update because I’m still doing it and it’s still working well: Random Charts.
I love random charts. I love them so much I made 50 pages worth! I might have a problem and that problem is too few charts. Here’s the thing, I am an inherently creative person and I know that if you’re reading this and playing Dungeons and Dragons on a regular basis then you are also a creative person. The problem is, sometimes creativity requires a boost or a jump start or a kick in the pants to get the right gears turning. I usually need a starting point before my brain can fill in the blanks and give me something to work with.
That’s where random charts come in and that’s how I use them. I updated the Patreon today with my current NPC creation resources. Those charts contain the following information.
- A chart to generate an NPC’s Race
- A chart to generate an NPC’s Traits
- A chart to generate an NPC’s Faction
- A chart to generate an NPC’s Tasks
I wish I could film what’s going to follow for you all but I’m going to draw some cards, use my charts, and generate some interestin and unique NPC’s that I hope you will take some joy from. I also hope this will incentivize you to realize how amazing my charts are and seek them out of yourselves.
Let’s do this!
- 9 of Clubs, 3 of Hearts, 3 of Clubs, King of Diamonds. A Goliath, who is Slothful, that belongs to a faction of druids that delivers the mail, and who is taking care of a young child but that child’s race (Ace of Spades: Gnomes) is oppressed in the area and needs to be taken care of.
- Garcaz Stonefold Zracker is a slow and somber fellow. He is content and pleased with a humble and simple existence in the great trade city of Severath. He runs the local bureau for the Postal Service. Druids swing by when they can, pick up the letters bound for any nearby islands, and leave him with his pay. But this world is hateful and harmful to one race in particular: gnomes. When a young gnomish girl shows up on Garcaz’ doorstep one day he knows that he’s in over his head and needs help.
- 6 of Clubs, 6 of Spades, 3 of Diamonds, 4 of Hearts. An Aasimar, desensitized to horror, working for a company of good hearted mercenaries that take care of the weak, needs to deliver the merc company’s latest scouting reports but their messenger is missing.
- Vasatha Inthiara was born blessed by the gods but from a young age suffered from an infernal curse. Her brother, who found no blessing from the gods, was jealous of his sister’s brilliance and sought to achieve brilliance of his own through untoward means. He made a pact with a devil that Vasatha had to break with a journey into the depths of hell. When she returned with her brother’s soul she was a changed woman, still brilliant but pale. She found herself traveling and eventually in the company of the Argent Knights, a mercenary company of dragonborn that ply the world waves in search of worthy causes. Vasatha employs an aarakocra messenger to send reports back to their employers but her friend, Skent, hasn’t returned in some time. She needs help picking up her friend’s scent, otherwise she needs someone else to deliver these papers.
- 4 of Diamonds, Ace of Diamonds, 6 of Diamonds, Jack of Spades. A bold half-elf, belonging to a faction of fey and fairie dragons that visit town festivals to have fun, is butting heads with a fey in the group and wants them killed.
- Jakwynd Brigh was snatched by the fey court at a young age, rasied to adore tricks and traps and japes and jokes, Jakwynd become a regular feature at town festivals where he serves as a bridge between the mortal worlds and the fey. He laughs and games and dances with the mortal beings but also helps the mysterious fey communicate their needs and intentions to the humble townsfolk they meet. But Jakwynd was raised alongside another kidnapped child, a halfling named Canstan. Canstan is a being of magic and wit and always outshines Jakwynd when among the mortal races. Jakwynd is sick of it. He’s ready to play a final joke on Canstan that will get rid of his short problem once and for all. But he needs accomplices …
- 10 of Spades, 8 of Spades, 9 of Diamonds, 8 of Diamonds. A determined Warforged, belonging to a secret dueling society, owes money to a criminal but they can’t stop gambling.
- Flourish was a factory mistake. A soldierly warforged golem with the mind of a thief, a swashbuckler, a rogue put in instead of a simple automaton. Flourish was never made for battlefields or formations. Flourish drapes himself in a cape of red silk and a carnival mask to cover his metal face. When he learned that his outlook aligned perfectly with the Masked Musketeers, a group of duelists out to save the countryside, he knew he had found his home. But Flourish was a factory mistake. He doesn’t have risk assessment. He can’t calculate statistics and probability correctly. Most warforged would have been worried about this but it makes Flourish very calm. He doesn’t worry because he can’t calculate worry. However, this makes him a terrible gambler. He never knows when to fold. He never knows when to walk away. When Urum-shad, a dragon crime lord, gets Flourish under his talon in debt, he knows he has a valuable duelist he can toss into his fighting pits at his pleasure.
There you go! Four unique NPC’s made on the spot using my card system! Hope you enjoyed everybody!!!
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