These NPC Techniques Transformed My D&D Campaigns

[@Jean-YvesGaubert]

I once devised an encounter with a hill giantess as a reaction to the “Hill giants are stupid and will attack a party on sight” trope. It kinda goes thusly. The party are travelling by ship and have been swept ashore on an island. They have to wait for the tide to unsilt them, and may take the opportunity to renew their water provision or explore a bit. They also watch their ship sink deeper into the sand, raising concerns that even high water might not be able to free it. Then this giantess turns up, lumbering toward them, gesturing and grumbling in some old dialect. If they attack her she backs off and grumbles insistantly as she dangles some iron instruments that she finally drops at their feet: sheep shears… As they probably look somewhat puzzled she signals them to wait here and runs off. Within minutes she is back with a sheep under each arm. The sheep clearly haven’t been shorn in months as she can’t quite handle the shears with her big clumsy hands. She has an entire flock badly needs shearing and she badly needs help with that. Now the party need help too-and who could better help them with a stranded ship than a giant....? In my scenarios such encounters carry an ‘MAF’ tag next to the monster’s alignment, meaning they can go either way. Maybe the PCs will choose to fight. But they may also take the opportunity to ‘Make A Friend (MAF)’, and thus build a scattered community. An awkward hill giant shepherdess on a remote island may not be much use in most situations, but it’s still nice to have big friends round the world. Sure beats killing everything that moves or being et by it. Gamewise, befriending the monster instead of fighting it earns you the same XP if not more. Fantasy-wise, it detracts nothing from the excitement of the encounter. Satisfactionwise, it probably adds to it. Think how cool it’ll look next time they pay a visit and a new player doesn’t know they are acquainted. They set foot on the beach. Presently that massive hill giant comes stomping and grumbling excitedly. New players are readying their arrows, but the ones in the know just step up and ask their big friend how she’s been doing. I guarantee it’ll stay with them and they’ll be talking about it for years to come, both in game and in real life, because there’s a story that goes with that.

[@cainthepicaro]

I don't know how many people agree but I for one would love to see the next big project after Monstrous Heros be an official WEAPON CYBORG core rulebook lol

[@esperthebard]

It was highly inspired by og Star Wars and Marvel's Weapon X alternate timeline they did in the 90s.

[@CooperAATE]

​@@esperthebard I could tell by the name and the time period lol

[@crushpusher7805]

This reminds me of one of my favorite NPC’s I’ve ever made. His name was Kali Stonecutter a dwarven cleric of the god of compassion in my setting. The players met him while he was undercover investigating a demon cult. He was making moonshine in a tub on the ship he was crewing and happily shared it with the party. The party ended up shipwrecked with him when a kraken trashed the ship they were on. After escaping the island he became a recurring character in the campaign.

[@asahearts1]

Making wine might be a good idea on a ship, if you take on a lot of fruit that's going to spoil. I can't imagine distilling alcohol on a tight wooden ship, though. Huge fire risk. Alcohol fumes can even explode.

[@StornCook]

For Feloxior Plot 4, I suggest a way that the PCs stumble across his true identity. Because that is the interesting thing about the character. If the PCs meet him in one of his human guises and Feloxior is loathe to reveal his true nature, then the PCs never find that out. But that is, IMO, what is most interesting to me. I love Feloixior's hope for flight... great bit. Maybe he is trying gadgeted glider wings (in one of his human guise) and falls to severe injury right in front of the PCs. The pain is severe (broken leg?) and poor Fel keeps shifting between his human form and his dragon form... this way the reveal happens against his will and sucks the PCs into his world. I think its great to have all this backstories for NPCs. But it doesn't mean much unless it comes forward at the table. I have one additional bit of advice, I keep intros short... usually a pic (I'm an artist myself and pinterest fills in for ones that I don't have time to do) and the Rule of Three. Three things about the NPC. I'm big on body language (He is stiff and rigid.) Something the NPC carries. (Despite his opulent clothes, his arming sword is plain, simple and obviously used). The, what is the NPC doing? (he lights his pipe, scanning the PCs for a clue to what the heck they want in his town). Any more and the players won't remember anything but the first and last descriptors. Later on, if the NPC becomes more intergral and important, then more things can be revealed. But that initial meeting, keep it to three.

[@RC-qk7qw]

You had me at HeroQuest

[@mslabo102s2]

I can't express enough about that you included how to put the proposed concepts in action. Every time I watch "how to fix [anything]" or "awesome techniques for [anything]" kind of video, they usually present only examples rather than generalized ideas so that I can actually use it, not simply copying the examples. And then, I was expecting another one of these and you gave me what I wanted, but it was just everything I did already. Good stuff, 10/10.

[@robotdude2206]

Wonderful wonderful video. I'm making plans to run a short campaign in my own setting with one player in the near future, and this will help tremendously.

[@shaclown7721]

I'm SO glad this video showed up in my feed! I completely forgot your channel even existed, thanks to months or even years of youtube not showing me any videos of yours! You're gettinf a sub right now, in case this happens again!

[@esperthebard]

Yep I'm more active than ever, getting ready to launch my second D&D book today actually!

[@shaclown7721]

@@esperthebard nice! I'm completely out of the loop, s you could tell from my first comment. What's the book about? I wish you all the best with the sales!

[@esperthebard]

@@shaclown7721 Monstrous Heroes, 17 monster classes for 5e. Check out the link in the video description. It's quite the tome!

[@asahearts1]

Great day for fishin' innit? We must save my family!

[@kyrionbookshield2205]

In order to jump ... "Jump" Don't forget to set the NPCs to auto-loot. ;)

[@asahearts1]

@@kyrionbookshield2205 "This game is so realistic!" *Ends his roommate*

[@Jeromy1986]

That quote at the beginning was perfect! I always thought with the few short stories I've read of his that he makes you love one character then kills that one off

[@JAH711]

Your NPC expressions are great! Great way to exemplify what you explained ^_^

[@Dudeman715]

I had to rewind the video a bit... But I thought you named the troll forskin. Though it probably discribed the ugly troll well.

[@esperthebard]

Lol it's Forfolskit

[@gervasiolembo4028]

And Fellatio the Dragon!

[@Patrioticification]

Really cool video, very practical. I like the NPC template.

[@janoschu5877]

Realy inspiring! Thx alot

[@brettmelnrick4854]

Thank you for the awesome video!

[@gervasiolembo4028]

Great video! You may want to change Fellaxior's name before releasing the book though. No one will take him seriously with that name and it will provoke giggles at the table whenever he makes an appearance xD

[@poesero]

Great video, happy to learn from you once more. ❤

[@justinwalters4957]

Great topic, helpful video. Thanks.

[@d20doc60]

Veteran gamer here. Great video. I immediately went and preordered your book!

[@esperthebard]

Many thanks!

[@xtxownage]

I don't play DND. It honestly has never particularly interested me, nor have I really had the means or connections to play anything like it. Most importantly, having to interact with strangers on the internet for long periods of time can sometimes terrify me. But I still listen to these DnD stories, guides, and other informative pieces because of how much they apply to roleplaying in general. In particular I always have an ear open for unique concepts and extra storywriting/roleplaying techniques to put to work. At their worst, I can always pick apart a system for the goodies and leave behind anything I don't think will work with my current project. While at their best it can supplement an existing idea in my head and help me solve unique problems I face. One thing I've gotten decent at over the years as I have crept out of my shell is method acting, which by my understanding is sort of like almost developing a separate personality. It's worming your way into the 'mind' of a character and actually being that character in a sense to a point that you start to think like them, even if they otherwise simply don't exist. It helps with filling in the gaps whenever I fail to account for something and act consistently between the times when they are on or offscreen. I especially like this idea of things representing other things, with the first character you meet being the 'embodiment' of whatever you want. Narratively speaking you find this used a lot to set a baseline for how specific types of characters will act or how they behave in a story (ie; most dystopian police forces will showcase an act of corruption to showcase how 'rotten' the current legislation is, regardless of how they act in the future; be it as disposable bad guys or just background characters). A group of people will always have it's outliers, but most importantly the larger the group, the more common traits you will find. Four man bands might simply share a common distrust of others or inside jokes, but an entire town could have a communal structure that runs separately from a faction, a style of dress that they're generally comfortable with, a major export that shapes them, or a sod who nobody likes. Something I've been doing for a much more basic and simple rpg esque system based on what my friends liked from other medias such as Fear & Hunger and Darkest Dungeon plus things I find interesting is shaping how different 'classes' interact with the world. They're much less 'jobs' or specialisations and more 'quirks' of the individual, with a lot more than meets the eye. Something I've neglected to mention to my friends that I have no fear sharing here is the theme of hope; or the lack of it. The world has influences of Greek, Italian and Roman and takes from when the roman empire split and became functionally two. A notable aspect is the box of Pandora (an item from Greek mythology that contained all the evil of the world) has never been opened. If you asked one of the few friendly characters you encountered, or even a random passerby what hope was, they would look at you funny because hope isn't even a word. The most knowledge anyone has of 'hope' is this strange feeling that they get now and then to try and overcome the odds stacked against them, to make them believe they pose even the smallest chance against the horrors of the adventure they have chosen to undertake. It's these little things that always sell the world as a real world, rather than an environment that everyone inhabiting just got isekai'd into. NPCs fuel the setting and the setting fuels the NPCs, with both fuelling the characters participating. Even as little as five words can tell droves.

[@KermodeBear]

I wasn't the biggest fan of 13th Age from a combat mechanics perspective, but it DID have some things that I absolutely loved. One, a character's One Unique Thing. I just think it's a great idea, especially for players. And you were encouraged to get a little out there with them. Two, replacing skills with backgrounds. It's a great way to merge character backstory with capability. Mechanics and Roleplay working hand in hand. But third, and what applies to this conversation, are the Icons. The Icons are famous, very powerful people in the game world. I think there's 12 of them. Each character has ties to one or more Icons. Maybe not directly; it could be through the Icon's institutions, for example (maybe you stole something from a temple, or fought with a war band, etc.) Could be positive or negative. And before each session you'd roll some dice and see if that connection would come up at some point during play, or you could utilize that connection. If you had a negative association with The Archmage, for example, some of his acolytes might try to foil your plans in some way. Or, if you needed help, you could use your negative association to get on the good side of other people who are enemies of The Archmage. Things like that. I'm probably not explaining it all that well... If you have the spare $20 or so, though, worth buying the 13th Age PDF and giving it a read. Anyway, it helped add some influence from a strong NPC into almost every session, and it was reinforced mechanically, not just via story. Really nice bit of work that made the game feel a little more alive.

[@bathhatingcat8626]

You should make videos of you reading your short stories again. I know you have more. Your stories from many years ago are epic

[@esperthebard]

Oh I would love to do that!

[@Jaeger_Bishop]

I'd have that Tyrant Dragon meet a true Conqueror. Bellona: Warforged Krieger (Homebrew race designed constructed for all out war) Chaotic Evil, Paladin (Oath of Conquest), Worshiper of Tiamat. Along with her Corrupted Round Table, I'm sure the Tyrant would be the one bending the knee.

[@theblazingredcomet1954]

What do you feel about the Dungeon Dude's setting Drakkenheim? It's very faction driven and has very strong NPCs. It definitely is a good source for inspiration.

[@kvici]

it is great. and hard, hard Mordheim ripoff :)

[@DargorV]

​@@kviciits alright since its actually better than mordhein ;)

[@theblazingredcomet1954]

@kvici don't know or care really what that is. Everything is derivative of something else and the setting for me has sparked lots of creativity so idk 🤷‍♀️

[@kvici]

@@theblazingredcomet1954well, it is not a bad thing that it is a copy. Good copies are good. you might as well read up on Warhammer world Mordheim, either books or TTRPG WFRP module. Or play the video game. More creativity ensured.

[@vathorean5007]

such a cool twist on my favorite metallic dragon

[@RoninCatholic]

I remember fighting my way to the bottom of a dungeon and meeting an angry looking edgelord knight, expecting a boss fight. He introduced himself as Brian the Brutal, then headbutted a hole in the back wall of the dungeon and ran off into the sunset, never to be seen again. Anticlimactic? Yes. Iconic? Also yes.

[@not-a-theist8251]

Feloxior is such a cool character

[@sketchasaurrex4087]

What would happen if you had someone cast Regeneration on Feloxior? IF the spelled worked as written, he'd regrow the wing and ruined left side. How would you have him react?

[@PrehistoricVendingMachine]

Have you seen any of Dolmenwoods stat blocks? They way how they pack so much flavor of their there world in a small space is pretty interesting as well.

[@anathema1828]

This is excellent!

[@underfire987]

Great video as always man always good content!

[@VVizardthewizard]

Hello

[@rogerwilco2]

I played RPGs from 1994 and I really wonder how you can get to 2004 while being in the RPG space but not getting to play D&D and not finding such information on the internet. 2003-2004 is the heyday of the WotC forums and many other such players like Giant in the Playground, ENWorld, PCGEN, etc. Google had been around for more than 5 years by then, the internet was quite mature. I can understand your argument if you were talking about the 1994 internet, but not 2004.

[@esperthebard]

I was not in the RPG space before 2004. I just played a little bit with friends in the 90s, then played a bunch of my modded Hero Quest with a group of friends in 2003.

[@50layersofshrek83]

Comment gor support

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

Anyone who witnessed the launch and death of the video game Fallout 76 knows how important NPCs are. The most useful thing 5e has done for the hobby as a whole is giving PCs and NPCs bonds, ideals, flaws, and personality traits. These one sentence character details are the best way to simplify fleshing out what NPCs want and are willing to do, and helped put the final nail in the coffin of the alignment system. When you're making an important NPC, give them one ideal, two to five bonds, one personality trait, and at least one flaw that compromises their devotion to their main bond. You'll have a character with enough complexity to justify the PCs interrogating them for no reason and you'll probably generate a couple quest hooks by accident.

[@McHobotheBobo]

I'd argue it defined something already present and in use, at least half those rules were optional in 3.5 and already in the core books

[@MrCojiro]

Bro, blink

[@joaoart34]

This video got me super inspired to create NPCs and apply the method you taught to my campaign! Thanks, Esper!

[@esperthebard]

Outstanding. Let me know later on how it went for your games.

[@godless_comedian6667]

As someone whos played D&D for over a decade this is very similar to the advice I give and is absolutely solid. May the algorithm shine upon you Esper. Keep at it and be tenacious.

[@jloren4647]

Comment, sub and thumb him if you think jarlaxyl was the s***.

[@DinoboySeth]

Always a joy hearing your methods for creating content for d&d/rpgs as a whole. Another golden token of knowledge! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and methods with NPCs

[@helixxharpell]

NPCs in our Kickstarter Khor The World of Many Portals are all reincarnations of past NPCS. What better way to "flavor" NPCS than to make their backstories as reincarnations? The possibilities are endless.

[@jeremykeasbey4145]

I think it's pretty cool and absolutely fascinating how you described your early pc-npc interactions, transitioning from game-like script based interactions to organic npcs with unique views and motivations as you became more experienced with ttrpgs. I think this actually addresses the biggest hurdle in actually playing D&D... someone's gotta be the GM. Pretend your circle of friends are all fans of a D&D livestream campaign. None of you have any actual experience playing the game, yet you constantly find yourselves discussing rules and mechanics. You even have a backlog of flushed out character builds and concepts incase you ever actually join a session. Nothing will ever actually happen until one among you takes that first step and volunteers to head a session as the Game Master... and boy is that first step intimidating when you have zero experience playing no matter the theoretical knowledge. In my case I just happened to be 'the guy' who owned the PHB, DMG and MM core rulebooks and tended to obsess over gameplay without breaking the rules, and when we decided to try playing for the first time I was unanimously voluntold to run the game. I remember so many attempts that never got past the first session. The inter-character role-playing and creature combat was fun, but I would struggle managing the random npcs the party would decide to interact with, more often than not making a character up on the spot in response to some investigative check and improvise a persona in real time as the players just play the game. I would inevitably get so bogged down just keeping the storyline consistent that we wouldn't make any real progress with the plot points I'd vaguely planned out, and after a few hours we end the session without having really accomplished anything. I think my process of learning to DM is pretty similar to everyone else who sticks with it long enough, in that you begin to focus on more structured play at the expense of roleplay and player choice, and gradually increase the number of interactable npcs: the players could only interact with a select few npcs I would thoroughly flush out ahead of time, while the majority of the gameplay was more meta. The party could, for example, roll investigation to see if any bazaar stalls caught their eye. Instead of role-playing a mysterious trader I hadn't prepped we would make some checks to get information and haggle prices. As I became more comfortable running the story I started keeping a backlog of generic npcs I could use to roleplay the random encounters, and gradually increase my generic npc stock with less defined backstories and personas. Back to the video now... I think starting out by taking that video game type npc approach might be the best beginner DM style I've ever heard of. It's structured, and arguably easy to expand on.

[@Tenshiwing]

This was an entertaining watch, thank you for the essay!

[@VengerSatanis]

Cha'alt!

[@noahwilliamson9114]

How do you spell that word you used as a fancy version of a representative?

[@esperthebard]

synecdoche (I love this word)

[@GeneBrodeJr]

When is Monstrous Heroes due to come out?

[@jonmichael6746]

BLINK DUDE!

[@esperthebard]

In previous videos, I was blinking way too much. I think I've overcorrected 😅

[@MichaelSmith-fm5ln]

@4:39 Blink detected.

[@sko_psy]

Great approach!

[@jamiemcdonough6548]

Good job as always, Esper. So, early in your TTRPG history you played a PC who was good to a Kobold and the Kobold was good to you. No wonder you have a soft spot for monstrous heroes. If I knew any decently behaved monsters, I would tell them about you.

[@Thorerx]

Love this. Im going to be starting a campaign with my nices and nephews around the age of 9 and i think i should be making memorable and important npcs instead of just focusing on treasure, combat, and exp.

[@ismirdochegal4804]

[13:18] interesstingly that is exactly how I note down my NPCs. Except for alignment - I did not consider this information until now.

[@lordmortos979]

Ur hair 😂

[@KEEPRUOLING]

I started with Heroquest Too ;-) great game

[@BabylonZeus]

Such a quality content video, thank you!

[@wraithreaper22]

You should cosplay as Gale from Baldur's Gate