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Creating NPCs (Modern)

This is a brief tutorial on creating and formatting NPC stat blocks. It may look intimidating, but it's easier than it looks. Text on a red background is "show your math" text. It doesn't show up in the product, but you do need to turn it over so the editor can see your work.

The whole idea of this format is to make the editor's job easier. It shouldn't make a designer's work any harder since the designer has to do this math anyway.

As we go step by step through this, we will build an NPC named Biff Hardslab.

Blank Format

Here is the blank format we'll be filling in:

Starting

• Fill name, gender, race, size, and creature type first. You usually know those when you start.
• Then assign ability scores. Assigning ability scores at this point makes all the rest of the work flow much more easily.
• Next assign classes and levels, for instance Tough 3 if you're adding five levels of Tough to the NPC. It's important to note here whether you're adding Ordinary levels or Hero levels.
• • Ordinary levels do not give class abilities (which include bonus feats) or action points, and automatically have a reputation bonus of +0.
• Before doing anything else, increase ability scores based on the total of Hit Dice and class levels. In our example, Biff has 6 class levels, so he gains one ability increase. I boost his Constitution by 1 point.
• Once you've got that out of the way, go through all the red background areas looking for places where ability score modifiers belong and replace "XX" with the appropriate ability score modifier. Don't worry about feats or skill points yet.
• Now you can replace "XXdXX" with the appropriate number and type of Hit Dice (in the case of Biff, 3d8 plus 3d10).
• You can also determine CR (for player races with Hero class levels, it's equal to their character level; for player races with Ordinary class levels, it's equal to their character level -1; and monsters add their CR to those numbers).

At this point, our stat block looks like this:

¹ Hit points are determined by taking the maximum possible result from the first die (in this case, 8) and the average result from all other dice (in this case 2*4.5=9 plus 3*5.5=16.5), then adding those together (25.5) and applying the Constitution modifier (25.5+18=43.5). Remember to round down. In some cases, publishers want you to average all the dice, but this is how TGM does it.

² Note that at this stage we leave the Massive Damage Threshold (Mas) as XX. You can fill it in now, but remember to change it if your character takes the feat Improved Damage Threshold.

Middle

• Before buying skills and feats, pick a starting occupation. This will determine additional class skills, and may grant a bonus feat.
• Buy skills and feats.
• • Characters get 1 feat with their first Hit Die, plus a bonus feat if human, plus Simple Weapons Proficiency, then 1 feat at 3HD, 6HD, 9HD, and so on.
  • Note that skills and feats are listed alphabetically, with all skills listed first then a semicolon, then the feats. They are not listed in the order acquired.
  • Cross-class vs. Multiclass: It is far easier for the editor if you do not buy skills cross-class. If a character desperately needs skills from another class, give serious consideration to multiclassing. Even widely diverse skills can be accommodated by combining the right class with the right starting occupation, so choose carefully. Having said that, if you must buy cross-class skills, copy and paste the Skills (class) block of red text, and re-name it Skills (cross-class). Show all ranks bought cross-class here.
• Once we have feats and skills, we buy equipment. This has a direct effect on Defense and attacks, obviously. However it may also effect saving throws, skill totals, and other entries depending on the equipment.

In our example, Biff starts with Simple Weapons Proficiency because all the basic classes grant that. He gets 12 skill points ([3+0]*4) as a 1st level Strong hero, and 6 more points for his other two levels of Strong. He then gets 9 points for his three levels of Tough. He gets 1 feat for being 1st level and 1 for being human, another feat at 3HD, one more at 6HD, plus he gets bonus feats at Strong 2 and Tough 2.

To determine Wealth for a character above 1st level, turn to Table 7-2: Wealth Bonus by Level (note that you should ignore the first entry on that table, and the bonus for 2nd-level should be +6). To that number add any additional Wealth bonus for the character's starting occupation, feats, and so forth. Also add a bonus equal to the number of ranks the character has in a Profession skill. The result of these calculations is the Wealth bonus for an NPC of the appropriate level. When creating a high-level hero, add +2 to that total. Biff has no ranks in Profession, he gets a +1 bonus for his starting occupation (Adventurer), he gets +8 from Table 7-2, and +2 because he's a Hero, not an Ordinary. That's a +11 Wealth bonus. For instructions on buying equipment, see the Need a Lot of Stuff? sidebar in Chapter Four: Equipment of The d20 Modern Roleplaying Game.

³ Note how we made two blocks for skills, one for each "class." Note also that we re-named the blocks from Skills (class), replacing the word "class" with the appropriate class name. If Biff had any cross-class skills there would be another block marked Skills (cross-class).

⁴ First, I made a list of possessions I thought Biff should have:

Since Biff's Wealth bonus is +11, he can buy everything from the leather jacket through the 12-gauge ammunition without affecting his Wealth. Since that includes the firearms license, we don't have to worry about the effect on Purchase DC of restrictions.

Buying the Browning BPS reduces his Wealth bonus to +9 (-1 for Purchase DC 15+, -1 for 1-10 points higher than current Wealth). The sawed-off shotgun reduces his Wealth bonus to +7 (same penalties), and the Colt M1911 reduces it to +5 (same penalties). While having some remaining wealth isn't a bad idea, Biff Hardslab isn't about making wise choices. If we decide to buy a mastercraft Colt M1911 (applying the +1 bonus to damage), the purchase DC increases to 18. That's 11 points higher than Biff's bonus (+7) when he buys the pistol, which means that instead of losing 2 points of Wealth, he loses 1d6+1 points. Biff makes the purchase and his Wealth bonus is +3.

For most GM characters, you only need to note the equipment they'll actually use in encounters. The rest is "various personal belongings." Just give the characters the equipment they need, and don't worry about making Wealth checks.

Wrap-Up

• Run through the stat block and make sure all XX marks are replaced with the appropriate numbers. You should have all the information you need to complete the stat block now.
• This is also the time to fill in class abilities.
• • Note that class abilities appear in alphabetical order.
  • Special Attacks are any race or class ability that can be used to attack.
  • Special Qualities are all other race and class abilities.
• Turn over both the version of the stat block with the red background text, and a version without (usually pasted into the document for which you created the NPC).