After DMing a D&D game recently, I reflected on how the players reacted throughout the session and what they talked about the most afterward. I had a realization. Throughout my career as a DM, players seemed to talk about one aspect of the game more than any other: memorable NPCs.
In this article, I give three reasons why players remember interesting NPCs, and how to make the NPCs in your game something your players will talk about for a long time afterward.
Why are NPCs so Memorable?
Why are NPCs so memorable to your players? This will depend on several factors, some of which are attributed to NPCs in general, while others are going to be unique to their role in the game. And, let’s not ignore the dramatic elephant in the room, an NPC’s wow-factor will also be determined to some extent by the way you portray them in the game session itself.
Let’s break this down.
→ Be sure to check out a related article, Preparing vs Planning Your D&D Campaign
Relatability
I think part of the reason why players can become so engaged with NPCs is because they can relate to them on some level. It’s hard to have a conversation with a gelatinous cube, so the odds of the players connecting with one on an emotional level is pretty low.
On the other hand, if an NPC is able to converse with an adequate level of intelligence and with a certain amount of personality, the players have the potential to connect with that NPC on a personal and emotional level.
Note that this applies to evil or antagonistic NPCs as well as those who are friendly or helpful.
Impact
Another part of why players will glom onto NPCs is the role those NPCs play in the story. There’s always the mysterious quest giver, of course, but there can be other NPCs who provide some sort of pivotal or impactful element to the party’s experience.
An example might be a creepy vagabond that whispers a mysterious clue to the party as they are leaving the tavern at closing time. That by itself won’t be overly memorable, but if that vagabond engages with the party with some unusual dialogue and maybe even reveals their name along with that crucial clue, the players will be more likely to remember the experience long afterward.
Pay attention to the hint I gave about the vagabond giving their name during the interaction with the party.
Putting a name with the face, so to speak, really helps make that encounter all the more memorable. It also helps if the circumstances of the interaction are unique or unusual, and the value or weight of what the party gains from the experience contributes as well.
Quick Ideas
Need some quick ways to make your NPCs more memorable? Here are five easy ways to do that:
- Accents
- Quirky personalities
- Phobias or compulsions
- Tragic backstories
- Mysterious actions or recent history
Portrayal
The third element of how to make your NPCs stand out is how you portray them. I know that there are a lot of Dungeon Masters who are great at prep and can run the table with the best of them, but they cringe or shy away from any of the improv or dramatic-arts aspect of getting into the character or role of NPCs.
This is something that’s not required to make memorable NPCs, but it goes a long way. It’s also something that can be learned over time.
Here are some tips and tricks I’ve used to make my NPCs stand out.
First, accents. This is probably the most straightforward way to make your NPCs real in the eyes of your players. Here’s an example.
Showing vs. Telling
“Your party emerges from the tavern at closing time, one last celebration before you set off on your quest to find an ancient hag. A strange vagabond emerges from the adjacent alley and extends his hand, holding a small leather bag. You can see a faint green glow coming from within. The vagabond tells you in a raspy voice that the magical gem inside will be required as payment to the hag. He then disappears into the shadows.”
That’s one version, where you tell the players what happens but don’t directly engage as the NPC. Here’s the other way to handle it. See if you think this will be more memorable for your players:
“Your party emerges from the tavern at closing time, one last celebration before you set off on your quest to find an ancient hag. A strange vagabond emerges from the adjacent alley and extends his hand, holding a small leather bag. You can see a faint green glow coming from within. In a raspy voice, the vagabond says, ‘The hag has a price, adventurers. Take this jewel and use it pay her fee, compliments of Kerrin Dalmor.’ With that, the vagabond steps back into the shadows and disappears.”
Speech Patterns and Quirky Behavior
Even if you can’t do accents, per se, you can use different speech patterns to make your NPCs unique. In one campaign of mine, I have a 3,000 year old elf, a former mage who owns a magic and curiosities shop. To make him unique, I have him speak with random pauses. The story behind it is he became possessed by a powerful demon, and during the exorcism, he lost the ability to speak in a standard pattern, and thus could no longer cast spells.
He’s a bit of a curmudgeon and is rather curt with most people, but for some reason he has found a reluctant liking of the adventurers. Because of this, he shares tidbits of lore with the party that gives me a way to keep the campaign moving forward.
This NPC has become quite memorable to the players, but not because of how he talks. The players reference what he went through and why he can’t cast spells any longer, and have developed a strong sense of sympathy for him, not just because he tells them cool things.
Parallels to Real-Life Interactions
In general, what makes an NPC memorable to your players are the same reasons why anyone we interact with in real life becomes memorable. We start by connecting with them on some level, even if that relationship is antagonistic or hostile. Next, we remember those who do or say something that is very impactful to us, especially if that impact is situationally relevant. Finally, we remember people and NPCs who stand out in some unique or special way, whether that’s because of how they speak, how they dress, their mannerisms, or their quirks.
When coming up with NPCs in your campaign, think about these three ways to make your NPCs stand out. Then if you feel up to it, get in front of a mirror and practice your accents.
