NPCs are people, too.
I know most NPCs are simply background for the PCs, large groups and organizations, and the local baddies. But they all have their own personal dreams and stories.
And appearances.
This list can help with the latter.
Give your NPC an appearance quirk, and make them just a little bit more memorable, and maybe even personal.
For the DM, as well as the PCs!
Everyone goes to the pub.
Eventually.
And the centre of the operation, for good or ill, is the innkeeper.
The keeper will set the tone for the inn, tavern, pub or bar.
And they will probably know a few things, too.
But whether they would be willing to share it with perfect strangers or random murder hobos is another question.
Tip well….
Much of religious history (in our dimension, at least) has revolved around arguments over who is “right,” and who is not; who is “in,” and who is “out.” And much of who is “right” and who is “in” has not been determined by holy writings or pristine theology, but by proximity to Power.
And I say this as a clergy person!
Sigh…
However, there have always been those who have no proximity to power, who nevertheless hold on to a version of “truth” which the Power People find convenient to ignore, or even persecute.
But since Moses, Siddhartha Gautama, Jesus, Muhammad, Guru Nanak, and a host of others all fall into this category, I’m not talking about those who have legitimate arguments with their various traditions and their various abuses.
I’m talking about the nuts, those who use the insecurities of others to pad their own wallets or boost their own egos; who damage relationships and cause destruction in the name of their own powerlessness.
Manson and Jones come to mind….
Since there have always been a few of these types around, it seems logical to include something similar in the various dimensions in which we play.
The attached will give you some starting points to develop a group or two (or more) of these fringe groups who use religious language to cover for their nefarious and/or self-serving enterprises.
Stay on the straight and narrow!
A semi-military police force in larger communities, these folks will be the public face of law and order.
They will be guarding gates, patrolling streets, providing visible security for dignitaries, accosting strangers, arresting law breakers, and generally trying to keep a lid on any simmering resentment in the public sphere.
Most will be normal, decent (if slightly cynical) folks who want to do their jobs and go home. There may be a few who are Paladin wannabes who truly care about law and order, but at the same time there will always be some who enjoy inflicting rules (and even pain) on others for the sheer sense of power.
Remember, they have the law on their side.
And in a fair number of cases, they will BE the law.
Approach with caution….
Every once in a while, player characters will actually meet up with a ruler of some sort.
This should not be a regular occurrence! Powerful people use a good deal of their power to keep the common people at bay.
Sure, political or religious leaders will engage in the odd “walk about,” or grant audiences for the occasional “photo op” (or whatever your milieu’s equivalent is), but how many people actually get to have a conversation with the designated Important Person? Let alone make adventure plans, or negotiate a commission to find a lost trinket. That’s what the bureaucracy is for.
That being said, if your PCs are successful, over time they just may come to the attention of the powers that be, and might actually get a chance to meet them.
The attached chart will help you develop some traits and background for your ruler, whether a Prince/Princess of the Realm, a Prince/Princess of the Seven Heavens, or a Prince/Princess of the Assassin’s Guild.
Just remember: the party needs to get past the bureaucrat first….
The ancient Greek kings had the Oracle at Delphi. Caesar has the seeress Spurinna.
But it’s not only the high and mighty who want to know things ahead of time. Everyday people have just as much invested in the future as anyone else.
For these folks, there are Fortune Tellers.
They may be strangers who visit an area sporadically (like gypsies). They may be old women or deformed men from the local area who somehow “see things.”
Or they may be complete charlatans.
In any case, they will be around, selling their “insights” for a few coppers to whoever needs advice.
But do know this: Whether they are authentic or not, they will have a ready reason why their prognostication didn’t turn out to be quite as accurate as it might have been.
And it will probably be the client’s fault.
See also Oracles
In the D&D multiverse, a lot of things that characters will want to purchase won’t be found on the shelves of local shops.
Nor will there necessarily be a ready market for the hoard of goblin trinkets they just brought back from their latest raid.
They will need help to buy and sell such things.
This is where fences come in.
They have their fingers on the pulse of such interactions, and are very good at not asking too many questions.
Of course, finding them in strange cities might be a bit of a challenge…
Telperion, ancestor of The White Tree of Gondor, and Laurelin, the Two Trees of J.R.R. Tolkien. The One Tree of Stephen Donaldson. The Whomping Willow of J.K. Rowling. Not to mention Yggdrasil of the Norse.
Trees are not just boundary markers, inconvenient obstacles, or raw material for construction or camp fires.
Some of them are special.
They might be sentient. They might possess magic. The might give abilities to those who know how to extract them. They might be the goals of quests and adventures. They might need to be defended or rescued.
They might also be dangerous.
The following listing will give some ideas for compiling information and quirks for a legendary tree or two for your campaign. Note that this listing covers two pages.
Naturally, not every category needs to be determined, and you are always free to make your own alterations or additions to this listing.
But this should get you started.
Just make sure it isn’t too easy to find these things.
That’s one of the things that makes them legendary, after all.
More from the World Religions Desk. 😉
For my purposes here, I consider Temples to be the headquarters for religions. As such, they will be large affairs, with the best the religion has to offer…, or perhaps HAD to offer, back when things were going well.
They will also have fairly large staffs, under the leadership of a High Priest, High Priestess, or the like. Use whatever title suits your campaign.
I have compiled two different lists, one for Temples which consist of buildings, and one for Temples which are more outdoor spaces. There is also a list which will get you started on the staff.
Credit where credit is due. The starting point for these is found on the Reddit site, Behind the Tables, run by Orkish Blade, who provides an excellent starting point. I just felt I wanted to do more with the material.
Feel free to do the same with my offerings!
See also these other religious sites: Chapels, Shrines, and Holy and Un-holy Sites.
Just remember, when you visit one of these sites, it’s considered common politeness to leave some coin in the plate….
Pilgrims do not travel alone.
They don’t dare.
Since they are carrying their lives on their backs, they are rich pickings for thieves, bandits or wandering monsters.
Plus, the very nature of a religious pilgrimage is that it is being done within a religious tradition. Therefore religious hierarchies will want to have a say in how it is done (for a cut of the profits), local religious practitioners along the way will be set up to offer hospitality and guidance to the pilgrims (for a cut of the profits), and the hosting organization (temple, monastery, whatever) will want to make sure that the pilgrims see the right things, and behave in the correct manner (for a cut of the profits).
No one wants to go through all of this alone.
Nor can an individual afford it!
The following will help create a Pilgrimage Party. It is based on, and supplements, what is found in the 1st Edition Monster Manual (TSR, 1977).
You might also want to check my Religion Creator, and my 1,000+ Pilgrims creator.
Stay on the straight and narrow!
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