Mass Creating NPCs Help

[Peter Knutsen]

Originally Posted by Langy

When I don't have an established template to crib off of, I generally utilize Wildcard Skills for unimportant NPCs. These NPCs just aren't important enough to give detailed skill descriptions; so, instead, I give them something like 'Job!-12', where they have a base skill level of 12 for anything directly dealing with their job. I may also give them things like 'Background!-10' - this would be things like Driving, Computer Use, etc. Stuff that they're skilled at, but aren't super important to their job.

One thing I've thought about allowing in Sagatafl for minor NPCs only, is stereotype psychological disadvantages. For instance, Teenage Girl or Dwarf or Felinoid.

That can be done in GURPS too, where you'd use the SCR mechanic, so that you might have Dwarf(12) or Teenage Boy(15) as disads, and using the SCR to determine whether the NPC responds to triggers. Dwarf might be triggered by gold or beer and the possibility of getting into a fight, Teenage Girl might be triggered by pretty jewelry and clothes and the possibility of romance with a hot male specimen, and so forth.

There's no point cost associated (in GURPS), and if such a minor NPC ends up becoming a major NPC, the stereotype trait needs to be dissected into its component parts, e.g. Greed and Compulsive Beer Consumption, and so forth.

In most cases the SCR will be the weakest possible, so e.g. Felinoid(15), with 12 reserved for the more strongly stereotyped cases, and 9 and especially 6 probably only being appropriate in the odd basket case or in a silly campaign.

And of course everybody shouldn't have it. Don't give all teenage girls Teenage Girl(15). If it becomes predictable, it will be far too easy for the player characters to manipulate minor NPCs.

Keep in mind, it's more of a shorthand than actual game mechanics. The reason for assigning a stereotype trait is that it's too much bother to assign individual specific mental disads.