NPC generator
An NPC, a non-player character, is anyone in the story the game master plays, from the innkeeper to the villain. Press the button for one with a name, a trade, a look, a manner, a want, a secret and a voice to play them in.
Five at once, none sharing a trade, look, manner, want, secret or voice. Press New NPC to go back to one you can lock.
Sharg gash
- Trade
- Innkeeper
- Look
- A missing front tooth
- Manner
- Agrees too quickly
- Wants
- To pay off a debt before winter
- Secret or hook
- Knows the way into the sealed crypt
- Voice
- Swallows the ends of words
Faethalas Ilysariel
- Trade
- Grave digger
- Look
- A coat two sizes too big
- Manner
- Whispers the important words
- Wants
- Safe passage through the woods
- Secret or hook
- Married two people in two towns
- Voice
- Flat and bored, whatever happens
Isolde the Wayward
- Trade
- Rat catcher
- Look
- An apron full of pockets
- Manner
- Answers every question with a question
- Wants
- A quiet place to bury something
- Secret or hook
- Is slowly turning to stone
- Voice
- Stammers on names
Yrineth of Duskmere
- Trade
- Fortune teller
- Look
- Unusually tall and stooping to fit
- Manner
- Calls everyone "friend", even enemies
- Wants
- One more good year at the forge
- Secret or hook
- Is spying for the next town over
- Voice
- A deep voice that rumbles up from the boots
Gunngate
- Trade
- Goat herder
- Look
- A tin whistle on a cord
- Manner
- Is rude, then kind, then rude again
- Wants
- Revenge on a business rival
- Secret or hook
- Is paid to watch the party
- Voice
- Very precise, every consonant clear
The link remembers the roll (seed brushandpaint), the name style and anything locked, so the same link shows the same NPCs on any phone at the table.
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How to use it
Press New NPC. If you like part of what comes up, say the name or the trade, tap Lock beside it and press New NPC again: the locked parts stay and the rest changes. Make five gives you five at once with no two sharing a trade, a look or a secret, which is handy for filling a market or a tavern before the session.
Choose a name style if you want an elf, a dwarf, an orc or a human name. Copy as text drops the NPC into your notes, and Copy the link gives you a link that shows the same NPCs on anyone's phone.
Playing an NPC at the table
You do not need every detail. Start with the voice line, because that is what the players hear first. The want gives the NPC a reason to talk to the party, and the secret is a hook: something the players can find out later and turn into a story. The look and the manner are for when the players ask "what are they like?" and you need an answer straight away.
How it works
The names are built from the same syllables as our fantasy name generator, so they are invented, not taken from any book or game. Everything else comes from short lists we wrote for this page. Each roll uses a seed, a short code shown under the cards, so the same seed always gives the same NPC. That is how a shared link keeps working.
Need a name for something else? There are generators for elves, orcs, towns and taverns, and our character ideas guide helps with player characters too.
Questions and answers
What does NPC stand for?
Non-player character: anyone in the story who is not played by one of the players. The game master plays them all, from shopkeepers and guards to the main villain.
Can I use these NPCs in my game?
Yes. The names are built from our own syllables and the details come from lists we wrote, so there is nothing to credit. Use them at home, at your club or in a game you run for others.
Why does the same link show the same NPC?
Every roll starts from a seed, a short code saved in the link. The same seed, name style and locks always give the same result, so the whole table can open one link and see the same characters.
Can I keep the name and change everything else?
Yes. Tap Lock beside the name, then press New NPC. The name stays and the trade, look, manner, want, secret and voice all change. You can lock any mix of parts.
