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Pen & Paper Roleplaying Central => Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion => Topic started by: AndrewSFTSN on November 01, 2016, 06:16:28 PM

Title: Anyone have a link to a quick low-key NPC generator for Runequest/Stormbringer/BRP?
Post by: AndrewSFTSN on November 01, 2016, 06:16:28 PM
Hi all

As the title - this is specifically for 3rd Edition Stormbringer prep, which I know is going to be waaay to specific, but anything fantasy BRP would be handy.

Cheers!
Title: Anyone have a link to a quick low-key NPC generator for Runequest/Stormbringer/BRP?
Post by: yojimbouk on November 01, 2016, 06:31:27 PM
There's this encounter generator for Mythras: http://skoll.xyz/mythras_eg/ and http://basicroleplaying.org/files/file/519-brp-mw-npc-generator/ for Magic World (Stormbringer 5th with the serial numbers removed).

There was the Young Kingdoms Digest in Elric and Stormbringer 5th which had lots of NPCs statted up. Similarly, there is this fan publication for MW: http://basicroleplaying.org/files/file/414-peoples-of-the-southern-reaches/
Title: Anyone have a link to a quick low-key NPC generator for Runequest/Stormbringer/BRP?
Post by: Rincewind1 on November 02, 2016, 10:23:28 AM
I vaguely remember there was not much as a generator, but a huge document with various generic bandits/soldiers etc. etc. for encounters. I'll look around if I can find it.
Title: Anyone have a link to a quick low-key NPC generator for Runequest/Stormbringer/BRP?
Post by: Bren on November 02, 2016, 10:39:09 AM
Quote from: Rincewind1;928309I vaguely remember there was not much as a generator, but a huge document with various generic bandits/soldiers etc. etc. for encounters. I'll look around if I can find it.
The Avalon Hill RQ3 Vikings and Land of the Ninja supplements had lists of generic NPCs. Pendragon, though not really BRP, does the same thing. Long ago in the dawn of time there were several randomly generated lists of NPCs for RQ2: Trolls and Trollkin, Creatures of Chaos 1, and Militia & Mercenaries. They look like someone wrote a simple computer program, ran it, and printed the output. Even at the time of publishing they were more a curiosity "Hey look each of these puny militia men are unique." than they were useful to a GM. I wouldn't especially recommend them.
Title: Anyone have a link to a quick low-key NPC generator for Runequest/Stormbringer/BRP?
Post by: Rincewind1 on November 02, 2016, 11:57:19 AM
Quote from: Bren;928311The Avalon Hill RQ3 Vikings and Land of the Ninja supplements had lists of generic NPCs. Pendragon, though not really BRP, does the same thing. Long ago in the dawn of time there were several randomly generated lists of NPCs for RQ2: Trolls and Trollkin, Creatures of Chaos 1, and Militia & Mercenaries. They look like someone wrote a simple computer program, ran it, and printed the output. Even at the time of publishing they were more a curiosity "Hey look each of these puny militia men are unique." than they were useful to a GM. I wouldn't especially recommend them.

That's what I'm talking about - no graphics, just printed stats. I vaguely remember reading them, which'd mean I have a scan somewhere on my hard drive. Or I saw it online. I'll check when I'm home.
Title: Anyone have a link to a quick low-key NPC generator for Runequest/Stormbringer/BRP?
Post by: daniel_ream on November 03, 2016, 12:47:26 PM
Is this particularly necessary?  RQ6/Mythras just says "Novices have 30% in any skill that matters, Experts 60%, Masters 90%".  Do you need anything else?
Title: Anyone have a link to a quick low-key NPC generator for Runequest/Stormbringer/BRP?
Post by: Simlasa on November 04, 2016, 02:39:18 PM
Quote from: Bren;928311Long ago in the dawn of time there were several randomly generated lists of NPCs for RQ2: Trolls and Trollkin, Creatures of Chaos 1, and Militia & Mercenaries. They look like someone wrote a simple computer program, ran it, and printed the output.
I've got an old RQ book called Foes which is another one of those. It seems like Traveller had a few similar books IIRC.
Title: Anyone have a link to a quick low-key NPC generator for Runequest/Stormbringer/BRP?
Post by: AndrewSFTSN on November 06, 2016, 09:18:29 AM
Quote from: daniel_ream;928441Is this particularly necessary?  RQ6/Mythras just says "Novices have 30% in any skill that matters, Experts 60%, Masters 90%".  Do you need anything else?

Good rule of thumb that, and one I hadn't heard of.  I still find a randomly generated stat-line useful for colouring/fleshing out NPCs though, perhaps consider it useful rather than necessary.  I'm not a RQ player, just running a series of Stormbringer one-shots by the book, so am unaware of many conventions and common house rules in the system.

Bren/Rincewind if you could find those docs I'd be really interested to see them.
Title: Anyone have a link to a quick low-key NPC generator for Runequest/Stormbringer/BRP?
Post by: daniel_ream on November 06, 2016, 03:16:55 PM
Quote from: AndrewSFTSN;928899I still find a randomly generated stat-line useful for colouring/fleshing out NPCs though, perhaps consider it useful rather than necessary.

As a bunch of house rules for D&D, the RQ line of games has a lot of junk DNA in it.  The majority of the stats in an RQ character sheet aren't used in play, they're used to generate the stats which are used in play, and those are a very small set. At the table, the randomness in the dice will wash out variation in any NPC that isn't far away from the mean, and those one or two exceptional NPCs you should be building by hand anyway.

For a noncombat NPC, their two or three relevant skills is all you need.  For a combat NPC, combat skill, total damage roll, and total armor roll is about it. Maybe a spell or two. Assume everyone has across the board average stats unless you want a bit of colour, then give them one higher actually-used-in-play stat.
Title: Anyone have a link to a quick low-key NPC generator for Runequest/Stormbringer/BRP?
Post by: Bilharzia on November 08, 2016, 11:04:53 PM
It would be quite easy to create some custom setups for YK-SB NPCs using the Skoll generator and just ignore what's not relevant.
Title: Anyone have a link to a quick low-key NPC generator for Runequest/Stormbringer/BRP?
Post by: Rincewind1 on November 11, 2016, 06:33:11 AM
Check your PMs.