Tavern Talks

Adam: Well met, fellow storytellers, and
welcome back to Tavern Talks Podcast.

I'm Adam, your guide through the realms
of Dungeons Dragons, and join me at our

virtual tavern as the ever curious Zack.

Zac: So gather around, dear listeners, as
we embark on another journey into the art

of world building and character crafting.

Today, our focus turns to the unsung
heroes and colorful personalities

that breathe life into our campaigns.

Non player characters,
or as we call them, NPCs.

Adam: Raise your Tinkers high for today's
discussion is a celebration of creativity,

imagination, and the myriad of faces
that populate our fictional worlds.

Zac: Indeed, picture yourselves within
our virtual tavern, where every patron

has a tale to tell and a role to play.

From humble villagers to enigmatic
allies, NPCs enrich our adventures

and shape the stories we weave.

Adam: So sharpen your pencils, hone
your accents, and let us delve into

the art of creating unforgettable
non player characters in the world

Zac: To the architects of imagination
and the weavers of stories,

welcome to another captivating
chapter of Tavern Talks Podcast

Adam: Welcome

one and all.

To Tavern Talks Podcast, again, I'm

I'm Adam.

Zac: I'm Zach.

Adam: we're having a good day today.

We're actually going to be talking
about NPCs, or non playable characters.

You, as the Dungeon Master, are
the one that controls the NPC.

And you end up having to either craft NPCs
on the fly, by your adventuring party,

or you have it very well thought out.

NPCs that your characters
are going to meet

Zac: And it's

Adam: either one or the other
throughout the whole campaign.

I usually come up with five or
six in the beginning and then

flesh them out fully fleshed out
history, background, all of that

descriptors and things of that nature.

And then I will incorporate a villain
NPC as well, the BBEG or something,

as well as a fully fledged NPC.

The characters may or may not meet at the
beginning, but They, at least it's already

thought of, what you're going to describe.

Zac: Yeah.

NPCs.

Like you said, Adam you can have a couple
of thought out and truly detailed NPCs.

And I think NPCs kind of paved
the way for the players and their

story or what their story will be.

I know in your campaign currently
that we're running that there are

major players of the overall and
overarching lore that are NPCs.

And I think as new DMs get in this
game and new players get in this game

it's completely fine to understand
that your NPCs are gonna have, if

not more, just as much backstory
as the actual players themselves.

Adam: Yeah.

You have quick NPCs, which you shouldn't
have any like combat statistics unless you

poses a threat as the NPC or, and then you
have your detailed NPCs, which are your

fleshed out ones, and you want to go into
Dungeons and Dragons as a dm, thinking

about who your major players are gonna be.

Who you're going to have to act as
multiple times over many different

episodes or sessions that you do.

So I kind of go into it as a, let's figure
out who's the side characters that these

characters are going to interact with.

And then who's the ones that are,
we're really going to have to,

I'm going to have to a match the
accent and the voice routinely.

And something that I am able
to do as a voice routinely.

Or, I'm gonna have to have, just in case
they decide to turn on the characters

at some point, gonna have to have a
stat roll, stat box already created, and

then quickly develop a game plan that
has detailed their backstory and their

history within the realms and with your
characters, because some of them do

interact with your characters as well as
backstory or back elements from in the

Zac: with your characters
as well as backstory or back

elements from in the past.

Kind of background of DMing.

You do have to distinguish
which NPCs are which NPCs.

Basically, like you said, voices
characterizations descriptor,

descriptors things of nature like
this, but especially the voice, I

think that's something a lot of.

New DMs just knowing from what
I've seen over social media and in

person, new DMs often forget this.

Voices sometimes can be tricky and
especially to have a reoccurring

one exactly the same every time
can pose a little bit of a,

I don't want to call it a bad thing.

I usually try to make a sentence, and this

Adam: I usually try to make a
sentence and this is just a tip for

you, a little dirty little DM tip.

Zac: tip.

Adam: I

usually make up a sentence for the DM.

In my brain that I can go back
to mimic a character So just

whatever sentence comes to my

Zac: saw seashells by the

Adam: Yeah, but it's in their accent.

So it's how I can get in there
their brain So just because I'm

good at mimicking characters and
good at mimicking, Real life cartoon

characters and things of that nature.

And what do you do when you do that?

You usually have their you know, key
phrase that they use You That you use

to mimic the voices on cartoons and
stuff so you just create a key phrase

for the character that you're trying
to portray as a DM and It will help you

get back into the role of the character.

So I have a French lady Yeah, I haven't
met her yet because she's in my old

campaigns, but I usually make her

Zac: A reoccurring.

Adam: A reoccurring in all my campaigns
and I fell in love with that character

because of Michael DeMero from
Greetings Adventurers introduced him

Or introduced her early on her name's
Roz And in my mind Roz is a tabaxi

She's a tabaxi captain on a merchant

Zac: vessel

Adam: She's not that in Greetings
Adventurers podcast, but in my

mind, that's what she looks like
because she looks like The lady

from Treasure Planet the captain

Zac: Okay, this is a big letdown for you.

I've never seen

Adam: Oh, okay.

That's fine.

It's a good, it's a good

Zac: I know.

I know.

I've seen all the commercials.

Adam: You can,

Zac: my

Adam: we can discuss this
over at Real Talk, but

Zac: you got jokes.

Adam: I do.

It's a new podcast out.

Zac: incorporated.

Adam: It'll be recent.

It'll be under the umbrella of Tavern
Talks Entertainment eventually.

Zac: There we go.

umbrella corporations,

Adam: right.

But anyways, back to Roz.

And she has a French accent.

So she sounds like this.

Mr.

Hello there, Mr.

Zachary.

How are you today?

Zac: Oh, ha titty across on
how you're doing today, madam.

Adam: not that, it's not that extreme.

But it's hello, mysterious,
sexy voice for you.

Zac: don't know if I'm
turned on right now.

I'm more scared.

Adam: Whatever you want.

Zac: No, no,

Adam: She kind of has the accent of
the lady in Inglourious Bastards.

Zac: Mm-Hmm.

the one that burns it down?

Yes.

Okay.

She

Adam: kind of has that
accent a little bit.

So she's like, hello there.

So, yeah, you'll eventually meet her.

But that's in my mind
what she sounds like.

And I can always just.

Pick up the accent just by
starting the low huddle and like

Pretty much.

But you as DMs that are out there as
we go off on our tangent, create a

key phrase and use that key phrase to
get yourself back into the character.

Like you were saying with Jackie.

Jackie chain smokes like crazy.

No

Zac: Nobody's business.

She likes the pipe.

We did she'd be liking that pipe.

Adam: so it's hard to
get into her character.

But once I get there, it's good.

It's Hiya

Zac: Yeah.

Yeah.

It's

Adam: And the thing is, that accent
there reminds me of the frogs

characters from Rocko's Modern Life.

Okay, yeah, that too.

Yeah, it's hiya

Zac: What can

Adam: What can I do for you?

Zac: you?

You're

Adam: need a cup of joe.

I got a cup of joe for you.

So that's Jackie.

She's a goblin, but she like chain
smokes and has a heavy New York

ish accent that yeah, almost.

But those kind of key phrases there
Get you into the characters it gets you

ready get your all riled up Because you
want to be in character because if you

act out in character Your players are
going to act out in character because

they feel more comfortable with you
And you got to be more comfortable

with talking to yourself in the

Zac: You don't have to be a
little bitty baby about it, Adam.

Adam: a

Zac: No yeah, definitely
getting character as a DM.

It's going to feel a little awkward at

Adam: Oh, it always does.

Zac: because you don't know how
everybody's going to respond to it.

You could be the odd man or
woman out and it's just going

to be a little bit different.

But the thing is, like Adam said, if
you are acting these scenes out and you

are in character invoice, whether it be
over a Zoom call or Skype or in person.

You're going to get more
interaction from your players.

The more effort you put into these
NPCs, regardless of the, minor

appearances they make or the major
appearances or effects they may have.

This is important as a DM.

NPCs are

every bit of your story, as much as the
lore, the dungeons, the actual combat

scenarios, and the players themselves are.

Adam: of your story, as much as the
lore, the dungeons, the actual combat

scenarios, and the players themselves.

It brings you to life.

Just themselves walking around, battling
villains, and they interact with the

innkeeper, they interact with the market,
they interact with the guards that are

stationed everywhere, they interact with
the lake monster your players, you need to

make it feel alive and you need to make it
feel bustling and to do that is creating

a memorable NPCs and be it quick NPCs
because if you got to have a voice for

every situation, I think, because if your
players are walking down a street corner.

And they randomly grab
an NPC off the street.

You better have a voice ready off
the top of, off the top of your head.

Zac: ready at all times,
I mean, ready to fire.

What was the the graveropper's name?

Willy

Bonebrains.

Yeah.

he was a short lived one,
but he was very memorable.

So it's not to say that you're one shot.

NPCs can't be

Adam: Plus your character's gonna
ask What their name is and their

background and their story every
single time, even though it's a quick

NBC just be ready for a random name
that you got to throw out there.

Cause they always

Zac: Jonathan,

Adam: old

Zac: Jonathan, the, was the era Kukro

Adam: It's an Eric Cochran.

Zac: Eric Cora.

Can't say it.

Adam: He's a Raven Eric Cochran,

but

Zac: Yeah.

So just be ready to have the names
and a little bit of backstory on set.

This is where you, the ad-libbing
and the improv really come

in handy, I would imagine.

Yep.

Adam: Very much so.

Zac: And I don't know, where
do you want to go with this?

The MPCs?

Adam: Just give you some base
knowledge for NPCs and crafting them.

The DM's guide on page 89 of your
Dungeon Master's Handbook gives you

everything you need to know about
creating non player characters.

And they do a good job about
what's included in detailed NPCs.

So you want to know their occupation and
history, their appearance, abilities,

talent, mannerisms, interactions with
others, useful knowledge that they

may have, their ideals, their bonds,
and a flaw or a secret that they have.

And this isn't just that you don't
have to include everything in when

you're building a detailed NPC.

These are just suggestions
that they want you to know.

To adhere to try to help you
create a memorable NPC in the

Zac: create a memorable NPC.

Yeah,

Adam: Yeah

that's that and then as your campaign
progresses you're gonna have to create

more and more Characters like Zala wasn't
even created yet in my mind when we first

started, I know that she was played by
an actual character, but introducing her

and how she sounded and how she acts and
all in, in the game itself, when you meet

her a lot different than how I already
had portrayed in the previous, one shot

that we

Zac: the one shot.

Is that what you're saying?

Oh yeah, for sure.

I do believe in the You know kind
of theater of imagination type

mentality of it all where you come
up with it yourself you See how

they're going to play into the story

Adam: Yeah, you have NPCs that are
storytellers and then you have dynamic

relationships within storytellers and
that, that dynamic relationship with the

characters pushes them into a direction
that you already foresee as a DM.

So you, you don't want to railroad
your characters because your

NPCs should be giving quests

Zac: It's a gentle guidance into
the overarching quest, essentially.

Yeah,

Adam: that's where you, that's where
you end up at with certain MPCs.

Like Jackie and Chuck both guide the
MPCs to give them quests of sorts.

And they have, but they did it in such
a way where it wasn't like, here's a

quest, I need you to do this kind of

Zac: was like this is life or death

Adam: for Poe, maybe?

Yes.

Zac: Yeah, for my character,
hell yes, I'm in a blood bond.

It's a little bit more of a,
stakes at hand type situation.

But, also don't think I guess
this will segment me, Ooh, this

will segment me into another

little portion of talking about NPCs.

You don't always have to
be the most serious NPC.

Your characters are going to
want a little bit of a break.

Adam: are you talking about?

Hehe.

Hehe.

Zac: That'll get them to leave
the session for good, but

Adam: good.

I gotta get my clown voice down.

Zac: you're not introducing

Adam: I'm gonna introduce a

Zac: I will leave.

Adam: His name's gonna be Chuckles.

Zac: I will fucking kill him on site.

. It is immediate.

Hands on site and the red nose
target, cri crit hit on the

Adam: nose.

I gotta show you some TikToks
about Chuckles the clown in D& D.

It's

Zac: funny why I don't want a clown.

I'm terrified of

Adam: No, this one's funny.

This guy does, I forget which campaign and
which podcast it is, but he does a clown.

His name's Chuckles and it's so funny.

It is the funniest thing.

They did a little animation for it and
I just got to show you, it'll be funny.

Zac: Okay don't do

Adam: Do

clowns.

Don't do some fun characters.

I always have some fun
characters prepared.

I have serious characters as well.

Then I have like their
fucking crazy characters.

Zac: Yeah.

Also don't be afraid to take inspiration
from other, don't blatantly plagiarize.

A lot

Adam: of dms don't mind though.

It's their work

of

Zac: It's their work of art.

Adam: Not monetizing
it, I think you're fine.

Zac: I think you're fine.

I

Adam: tropes all the time and movie

Zac: tropes all the time, and movie tropes

Adam: Y'all could have Oceans 11.

The bank vault

in town.

Last episode.

Zac: bank vault, in town last episode.

Adam: all right.

Now you're fixing to meet
the soggy bottom boys.

,
Zac: They are

Adam: they are . I always throw
in movie trope in my d and d.

Zac: trash.

Adam: I

like to stick to certain

particular D& D NPCs in my very common
ones that kind of end up working out.

So you want to end up with a a quest giver
one and then you always have an innkeeper

so you, you'll have to play them.

And then.

If you are the Paladin like you are
in the movie Dungeons and Dragons.

Zac: Dragons Oh, I play like

Adam: Oh, I play like that Paladin.

Oh.

Zac: I would

Adam: he's just righteous.

Zac: would hate you with a bat.

Who hated him in the movie?

Was it Chris Bond's character?

I think it was.

Adam: It was him and what's his face's

Zac: Simon?

Yeah.

Simon liked him?

Adam: No.

He just looked up to him until
he became really overzealous.

Remember because he walks off and
he doesn't jump over anything.

He just walks over

Zac: straight over it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Chris Pine.

So Chris Pine is basically,

Adam: Poe.

Yeah.

Zac: for sure.

A hundred percent.

Adam: But you want to have some fun, NPCs.

The best ones are the memorable ones
that your characters are just beloved by.

Zac: I mean, I love like you
said, Jackie's a good one.

You're going to have memorable
NPCs that your players are going

to want to see re reoccurring.

Adam: reoccur.

Zac: Um, whether they play a
vital role in the story or not.

Be sure to try to I'm, not saying
cave to your party, as a dm.

I don't think you should do that.

You have to still make it Realistic
and trickery, you know based

sessions

for them.

You don't want a random npc who
they saw seven towns back just

magically appear out of thin air

Adam: thin air.

Hello

Zac: Unless it makes

Adam: sense.

I have appointed a mission

Zac: Yeah, you don't want

Adam: want that.

Another settlement needs your

Zac: Yeah, Preston Garvey this.

Adam: you know,

Zac: No, you do want to cater a little
bit to their liking, because at the end

of the day, the only reason you're hosting
a D& D party is because of your players.

So there are moments, I'm not saying
you should do this every single

session, you shouldn't, but there
are moments where there are rewards

like meeting reoccurring characters.

Adam, you do a fantastic job at
one, and I've only met him once.

I call him Chirp.

The reoccurring raccoon.

Adam: I got from TikTok.

Great,

Zac: I love him.

Adam: I love introducing Chirp.

When I heard that idea, I forget who,

Zac: who.

What's his real name though?

Adam: You don't know his real name.

Zac: name.

But there's a

Adam: Merchant, but there's a Raccoon
Merchant, and y'all gave him a name

Chirp, which is beautiful but he doesn't
speak anything, and he sells things out

of his trash box in a different plane of

Zac: way.

Adam: I tweaked it a little bit from
the TikTok that I saw, but I wanted

to incorporate it in this campaign
because I think it's just beautiful.

funny to have a raccoon merchant.

Zac: think it's just

Adam: But then there's
evil in PCs, which are fun.

And then we're not talking, I'm
not talking about just BBEG Evil.

There's just evil in

Zac: not talking, I'm

Adam: that are just out

Zac: about just BDG evil, there's

Adam: Von Sweetss.

Zac: Baron Von

Adam: Yeah.

Oh, thank God.

There's him,

There's Barry, the Bear folk.

Zac: He's not evil.

Adam: Oh, you

Zac: Oh, you just gave that away.

Adam: though?

Zac: You did, though.

You did just say, Yeah you put him
in the evil category, not me, pal,

Adam: He's kind of neutral.

Zac: Well, don't matter.

I'm gonna know this

Adam: The clergyman.

he's

Zac: in my mind

Adam: I'm going to love it
when you finally figure out

he's not the evil one in

Zac: good and been trying to
help us the whole time probably

but he's been an asshole so

Adam: there's fun, evil characters that
you can create as well that necessarily

help with the overarching quest that you
have, but also help with the diversity

in characters that they're gonna meet.

Zac: Yeah.

At the end of the day, like
you said, NPCs are just that.

They're what push your story along.

They're what give it life.

They're what actually bring
your campaign to fruition.

Yeah.

Adam: and you as a DM need to understand
that when you're creating these NPCs,

some of them are going to be real funny.

And the one, usually the funniest ones are
the ones that you quickly create because

you just have to come up with something

Zac: It's right off the dome

and

Adam: it's whatever is in front of you.

Zac: It is.

It really is.

Adam: A lot of times that just happens.

Those are really funny.

And then you're more.

Sentimental ones that will have longing
impact on the campaign and on the

characters that you have or the ones
that you create that you molded and that

you have a story to tell through them.

Zac: Now don't forget this, as DMs,
we often don't take notes often.

We often don't take notes often.

Anyway, okay, point is take notes.

Be sure to write down things
about your NPCs that are going

to be of grand importance to you.

Just because they will be
reoccurring characters.

They are going to show back up.

They are going to have such
a pull on your story that

Adam: If Chuck or Jackie
died, y'all would cry.

Zac: Oh, I would be devastated if
Jackie died, but to Chuck, Poe and

him have fought in the wars together.

He knows what he's getting into, but
Jackie, she's just a Hobag goblin.

I love

Adam: I

Zac: a chain smoking Hobag

Adam: Hobad

Zac: She's just the best.

So yeah, if she died, I would be
pretty, pretty upset about all that.

But

going into serious characters.

To touch on the opposite of such
having really crappy npcs that Are

not the greatest thought out and
planned out things are completely

fine, too It's going to happen.

Adam: I call them potato sack NPCs.

Those are the ones that
just are just bland

Zac: yeah smooth brain npcs you just
write all that is Freshborn idea

Adam: And it's okay to steal NPC
ideas from movies and TV shows.

I do it all the

time.

It's just makes it more fun.

If someone could guess what character

Zac: if it's not so blatantly

Adam: I don't do it obvious, but
it is fun to do those sometimes.

Or I do quests in such a way.

That's like a movie hijinks.

Zac: a little bit of a plot of a movie.

Yeah, a hundred

Adam: It's fun because every story,
like from Shakespeare to now, I had.

Every story's been retold.

The hero

Zac: It's just a matter of how you tell

Adam: Yeah.

It's the

Zac: How creative can you
get with telling the same

Adam: Yeah, and that's what we are.

As DMs, we tell the
same story over and over

Zac: It's what we are as human

Adam: Yeah, we are dealt to
repeat ourselves on that.

Anyways, I hope that you guys
have Thought out some good NPCs

for the future in your campaigns.

I think it's crucial to creative life.

To your campaign is to add npcs to it
with as well as thinking about quick

npcs that are just floating at the top
of your head all the time I usually find

myself creating them in the shower a
lot of the times i'll write things down

and it'll just Poof, there it is and
i'll run with it and i'll keep it in my

basically my book of dungeon mastering.

So I have quick NPCs to pull from,
and I've been doing this a long time.

So I just keep like a long list
of different ones I can pull from.

Then I have memorable NPCs that push
the story along in certain directions.

And then I have evil NPCs that float
around campaigns that can be pulled into

this, the current campaign that I'm in.

And not necessarily that they're evil
for the main villain, that they're just.

They're just evil people in the
world, and there's evil people

in the campaign no matter what.

Zac: Yeah, so it doesn't really matter
if you have good, the bad or the ugly

NPCs as long as they're interesting.

I think your party can make do.

Adam: And there you have
it, esteemed storytellers.

The conclusion of another enriching
journey here at Tavern Talks.

We've delved into the art of creating
non player characters, unraveling

secrets, and breathing life into
the tapestry of our campaigns.

Zac: A

heartfelt thank you to all of
our listeners who've joined us

on this creative expedition.

Your presence in our virtual
tavern adds depth to our

shared storytelling experience.

Adam: As we bid farewell to this
episode, we invite you to infuse

your own campaigns with characters
and tales you've envisioned.

Reach out to us on twitter or x at pod
tavern talks on instagram at tavern

talks pod or share your experiences
on our tiktok at tavern talks pod.

Zac: So whether you're crafting memorable
allies or devious villains, your stories

matter and we're eager to hear them.

Adam: Until our tankards meet
again, fellow storytellers, may

your NPCs be vibrant, your campaigns
legendary, and may the spirit of

adventure guide your every step.

Zac: Here's to the characters.

We create the tells we tell.

Until next time safe travels and may
your adventures be ever legendary.