My Approach to System-neutral NPCs

An article where I explore my own preferences for describing NPCs in (adventure) modules. System-neutral descriptions have their difficulties, but there’s some fun tricks that make the text usable for most TTRPGs you’d run.

I really enjoy scrolling through short adventures and dungeons. There’s a lot of inspiring stuff out there (tip: find the one-page contest entries of previous years). One thing I’ve noticed, however, is the way NPC details and statblocks are handled. Right now they’re often absent, or otherwise lacking in coherence. I wonder if it’s possible to create heuristics for good statblock design.

Statblocks as Reference

in OSR circles, it’s common to write statblocks as stats as goblin. It gives GMs more freedom to diverge from the mentioned statline (which is especially relevant for non-fantasy systems), but also provides a strong baseline for challenge it should bring.

So, which creatures can best be referenced? Although I mentioned non-fantasy systems before, fantasy remains the most common setting and therefore a clear reference point. Even then, we need to pick references that everyone emotionally understands, even if they lack a direct statblock in their system. I’d advocate for the following, from weak to strong, assuming a low to mid-level adventure:

• rat-like stats: the subject of many low-level quests, this vermin is only a threat in numbers. At higher level, that number may become absurd (and often brings these creatures in swarms).
• goblin-like stats: the assumption is that low-level characters can take on one goblin per level. They’re the de facto humanoid minion and familiar from many movies and games outside of D&D itself.
• knight-like stats: an entire adventuring party would only be able to tackle a knight if they work together, while at higher levels they’re more of a one-on-one match.
• troll-like stats: undefeatable at lower levels. Only later on they’ll become a possible challenge.
• giant-like stats: seemingly insurmountable, until maybe the end of the adventure. Even then, the party need thought-out advantages through planning or (magical) items to take on this kind of opponent.

This list only serves as an example. It’s meant to create a throughline: statblocks go from singular “boss” encounters, to challenging players one-on-one, to minions, to swarms, to being irrelevant. As characters level up, each of these segments shifts down one step. So realistically, you’d assign one statblock per tier deemed relevant for your campaign.

From that statblock foundation, you can add abilities, specialties or loot.

Landmark, Hidden, Secret

Discovery is one of the strongest pillars in TTRPGs. However, it doesn’t get the glory that combat or roleplaying receive. Understanding information, and how players get it, strengthens stat blocks. In 2019, Anne wrote about labeling information in three categories:

• Landmark information is free. It is given as part of the initial description. Think appearance, sounds, smells, or obvious mannerisms.
• Hidden information is given through interaction. The type of interaction depends on the information. Think vulnerabilities, strategies, behaviour, wants and needs.
• Secret information comes at a cost. This could be a resource, like with bribery or spellcasting, but could also cost time (i.e. you need to travel to another location to uncover the info). Think schemes, knowledge, magical influence, or… secrets.

When combined, these three kinds of information reward exploration, investigation, and even social interaction. They’re layered in multiple distinct gameplay points, giving their subject depth. Let’s use it to describe a random goblin:

• Landmark info: green skin, visibly hungry, coughing up blood, raspy voice.
• Hidden info: prefers to ambush their opponents, but is willing to join anyone who offers food.
• Secret info: has a parasite living in their stomach that feeds on anything the goblin consumes. At a shortage of food, it’ll eat its host and find another.

This example highlights how these create three (or more) moments of play. Seeing the goblin, speaking or fighting it, and a longer-term mystery that explains their behaviour.

Conclusion

Now the description contains mechanical anchors in their referenced statblocks, and dynamic abilities through hidden, landmark and secret information. The end result would be:

Creating such a foundation for NPC “statblocks” helps me create more focussed encounters, like the example above. Hopefully it can help you too. So what do you think: do statblock heuristics have merit? Have you found or seen a similar approach before?

Cheers,
Willem-Jan

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