Non Player Characters

In epic fantasy, and Treacherous Winds, anything from people, institutions, cultures, to magic itself can be a character.

As a GM you’ll do some of your world building through creating non player characters (NPCs)

To create an NPC copy the type and subtypes to a card, slip of paper, or whatever digital system you like to use to organize notes for play.

copy all drives

As you play note anything relevant that you’d like to keep track of, especially bonds and reputations. Note questions you’re curious to answer through the course of play

We learn about any of these characters much in the same way that we learn about characters in epic fantasy literature. They may be introduced in a flash or slowly. They may be foreshadowed, disclosing details as hints and clues. A massive claw mark on a cupboard, droppings, a whisper passing through a crowd etc.

• Animals (To eat, sleep, breed, and…)

  • Herd/Flock/School (be overlooked in the crowd)
    • Deer/Elk/Antelope/Gazelles
    • Elephants
    • Boars
    • Buffalo/Bison/Yaks
    • Sheep/Goats
    • Horses/Zebras
    • Fish
    • Birds
  • Pack Predators (chase, track, hunt, and kill, together)
    • Wolves/Coyotes/Hyenas/Wild Dogs
    • Mongooses
    • Badgers
    • Lions
    • Otters
    • Orcas/Dolphins
    • Hawks/Falcons
    • Vultures
    • Ravens/Crows
    • Cormorants
  • Solitary Predator (chase, track, hunt, and kill, alone)
    • Cat (Tiger, Leopard, Cheetah, Mountain Lion)
    • Bear
    • Wolverine
    • Weasel
    • Snake
    • Alagator
    • Eagle
    • Hawk
    • Falcon
    • Owl
    • Shark
    • Eel
    • Octopuse
    • Seal
  • Colony (work, move, and swarm, together)
    • Ants
    • Termites
    • Bees
    • Rats
    • Bats

• Monster (To erode or destroy humanity and …)

  • Beast (hunt, predate, …) Pick and choose beastly attributes
    • gigantic (impose and smother)
    • wild (brutalize the vulnerable)
    • plague (touch, contaminate, and spread)
    • territorial (to drive out)
  • Dragon (consume and hoard) Answer these questions through play if you are curious about them
    • What are dragons?
    • Do they breathe fire?
    • Are they intelligent?
    • Do they communicate with humans? If so, how?
  • Undead (grasp at and consume life, and …)
    • animated (to shamble towards)
    • lich (live forever)
    • ghost/wraith (to complete a final purpose. What is it?)
    • vampire (to seduce, violate, and drain)
  • Shade (to hide, observe, and absorb)
  • Horror (To destroy, violate, and terrify)
  • Cosmic (to remake the world for their inconcievable needs)

• Fey (To play and teach peculiar lessons)

  • TBD

• Institution (To maintain order and…)

  • Religion/Faith/Church (convince and console)
  • Kingdom/Nation (prosper)
  • City/Town (provide)
  • Castle/Keep (defend)
  • Inquision (extract confession)
  • Army/Guard (destroy and defend)
  • Watch (observe and to raise the alarm)
  • Tournament/Festival (celebrate, display, and compete)
  • Academy/Archive (study, collect, and impress)
  • Craft/Merchant Guild (work, create, and trade)
  • Tradition (be observed, spread, and reveared)

• Movement (To challenge or change an institution)

  • Mob (through united urgent impulsive action)
  • Rebellion/Revolt (through direct action)
  • Revolution (by topling and replacing it)
  • War (with terror, violence, and destruction)
  • Heresy/Reform/devotion (moral, spiritual proselytism)
  • Petition (the coordinated collection of ascent)
  • Firebrand (drastic action)

• Agent (To strengthen an institution or movement by…)

  • Zealot (any means nessesary)
  • Administrator (delegation, discussion, and recordkeeping)
  • Recruiter (bringing in new members)
  • Enforcer (punishing descent and the guilty)
  • Infiltrator (earning trust to be used against it)
  • Worker (finishing tasks and jobs)

• Leader (To gain and maintain power…)

  • Royalty (through displays of wealth, clarity of linneage, and tradition)
  • Monarch (through displays of nobility, high decree, and judgement)
  • Puppet Master (by controlling others)
  • Tyrant (through cruelty and oppression)
  • Demagogue (by exploiting desires and prejudices)
  • Respected (for a group who needs, demands, or expectes it)