Pathfinder Roleplaying Game

Creating NPCs

Pathfinder Core Rulebook, page 450

The world that the player characters inhabit should be full of rich and vibrant characters with whom they can interact. While most need little more than names and general descriptions, some require complete statistics, such as town guards, local clerics, and wizened sages. The PCs might find themselves in combat with these characters, either against them or as allies. Alternatively the PCs might find themselves relying on the skills and abilities of the NPCs. In either case, the process for creating these NPCs can be performed in seven simple steps.

Step 1: The Basics

The first step in making an NPC is to determine its basic role in your campaign. This includes its race, class, and basic concept.

Step 7: Details

Once you have assigned all of the NPC’s gear, all that remains is to fill out the details. Determine the character’s attack and damage bonuses, CMB, CMD, initiative modifier, and Armor Class. If the character’s magic items affect his skills or ability scores, make sure to take those changes into account. Determine the character’s total hit points by assuming the average result. Finally, fill out any other important details, such as name, alignment, religion, and a few personality traits to round him out.

In this section

  • Step 2: Determine Ability Scores Once the character’s basic concept has been determined, its ability scores must be assigned. Apply the NPC’s racial modifiers after the scores have been assigned.
  • Step 3: Skills To assign skills precisely, total up the number of skill ranks possessed by the character and assign them normally.
  • Step 4: Feats After skills have been determined, the next step is to assign the NPC’s feats. Start by assigning all of the feats granted through class abilities.
  • Step 6: Gear After recording all of the NPC’s class features, the next step is to outfit the character with gear appropriate to his level. Note that NPCs receive less gear than PCs of an equal level.
  • Example: Kiramor, the Forest Shadow Looking over your notes for the evening’s game, you discover that you need a mysterious forest character for the PCs to interact with on their way to town. If things go poorly, they might have to fight him.
  • Step 5: Class Features After determining feats, the next step is to fill in all the class features possessed by the NPC.