From the genesis of the D&D game, random lists have been used to create, inspire, and complicate games everywhere. A GM essentially keeps all the knowledge of a fabricated world in their head, along with all the relevant laws of physics and mechanics, which are transformed into a living story around the table.
5E Non Player Character Descriptions
Sometimes it’s difficult to come up with appropriate names, descriptions, NPCs, castles, or environmental features on the fly. Luckily, random character description generators help simplify a GM’s life.
This random NPC generator table provides fifty descriptions of NPCs that you can use in your game, as-is or with as many tweaks as you need to make them work for you.
Fifty Flavorful NPCs
| d50 | NPC Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Awkwardly drags a heavy chest with a muddy tapestry draped over it. |
| 2 | A half-elf ranger obsessed with the drow, their culture, and their goddess. |
| 3 | A powerful magician and pathological liar with a dire need to impress others. |
| 4 | A petty lord that has risen from the dead and doesn’t recall why or how. |
| 5 | Middle-aged, balding, and fat. A famous musician with an extra finger. |
| 6 | Extremely geeky and shy young teen with an insatiable bloodlust and incredible prowess in physical combat. |
| 7 | Looking for someone to kidnap a family and frame a corrupt lord; percentage of plunder is negotiable. |
| 8 | Bent on chronicling their whole life as it happens to them. Carries a huge number of scrolls and quills. |
| 9 | Tired brick-layer, works building dungeons and lives in a trance-like state, possibly connected to a nasty wizard employer. |
| 10 | Illusionist who never tires of scaring the daylights out of unsuspecting folk. |
| 11 | A cook famous for cultivating the rarest herbs and strangest cheeses. |
| 12 | Tattooed head-to-toe with strange, archaic runes. Those with arcane knowledge or powers see that the bearer carries a second soul trapped within their body. |
| 13 | Selling two-headed kittens with a sign that reads, “I’ll pay you 1 gp to take one.” |
| 14 | Wounded and limping, a rogue seeks revenge on their entire guild. |
| 15 | Obsessed with drinking and dining in the city. |
| 16 | Husky with no neck, owes a lot of money to the wrong sort of people. Looking for investors. |
| 17 | Head of a flourishing estate that thrives on blood sport. |
| 18 | Lovely woman who has lost her way. Her accomplice robs good Samaritans as they give her directions. |
| 19 | Part of an envoy to discuss important matters of state, except they seem to have arrived in completely the wrong place for that kind of business. |
| 20 | Has a plague and is terribly infected with contagious boils. |
| 21 | Looking for expert miners and dungeoneers to help excavate dwarven artifacts from the nearby ruins of a silver mine, mostly as trap fodder as they delve deeper. |
| 22 | A certified genius who hates yes or no questions and always answers with “Yes and No may come may go, but maybe lasts forever.” |
| 23 | Traveling antiques dealer who is a large construct. Travels only by foot with wares strapped to an elaborate wood and metal backpack that stretches high into the air. |
| 24 | Recently escaped from a secret underground bullywug encampment. |
| 25 | The rumor and information collector of a demon lord. Skulks about asking questions and spying on people of power, import, or riches. |
| 26 | Blind and zealous, a pious goat herder who asks too many questions. |
| 27 | A disciplined game hunter who will not name the creature they are seeking. |
| 28 | Gruff dwarf skilled in crafting fine hammers of destruction. Has an unusual disdain for ale and a passion for tea. |
| 29 | Smooth-talking pirate, looking for a ship and companions for a profitable adventure. |
| 30 | Soldier obsessed with duty to their kidnapped lord. |
| 31 | Disheveled-looking knight, formerly in the service to the lords of the desert. Psyche is broken in two as the result of a bloodmage’s curse, with one personality harboring more sinister motives. |
| 32 | Town drunk, privy to excellent information. The problem is getting them drunk enough to remember the information. |
| 33 | Armorer of regional fame. Known for specialty helms. |
| 34 | Barbarian clad in a manticore pelt with the primary interests of feats of strength, ale, and singing. |
| 35 | Beggar with a penchant for gambling. Unfortunately luck is seldom on their side, which is how they lost both legs. |
| 36 | Local farmer and hunter, well-respected in the community for generous donations of fruits and vegetables. Their apples are cause for celebration. |
| 37 | Former squire with desire to be extremely helpful, but ends up being useless. |
| 38 | An alcoholic wood elf scholar who claims drinking is all part of the “research.” |
| 39 | A middle-aged herbalist who is bitterly estranged from their spouse and two sons. |
| 40 | An obese half-demon mage with a pompous and unfounded air of nobility, and an extreme case of sloth. |
| 41 | Claims to be a well commissioner, investigating the town well, but carries no credentials. |
| 42 | A feverishly sick individual, puking and gagging repeatedly. Without care, they will die before the night is through. |
| 43 | Horrendously pompous lordling. Claims to be heir to a particular castle, though he is the third son in the family. |
| 44 | Deranged, emaciated halfling who insists that the PCs possess an item that belongs to them, to the point of violence. |
| 45 | A blonde and pudgy cook with a penchant for proper seasonings. This cook is exceedingly suspicious of strangers—paranoid that they are after “secret ingredients.” |
| 46 | Gruff and cross-eyed dwarf who recently had his beard shorn by an elf rival. He burns with thoughts of vengeance |
| 47 | In disguise walking among mortal men, this is the demon architect responsible for building the city of hell. |
| 48 | A wise and friendly alchemist traveling in an old wagon overladen with clinking bottles and dusty books. |
| 49 | World-class poet collecting local folklore to include in their forthcoming epic. |
| 50 | A wealthy wool merchant whose considerable worth actually comes from no-questions-asked dealings of second-hand arms. |
Whenever I come to this forum, I learn a lot. I wait for new posts from you. Thanks for sharing.
A very interesting topic that I have been looking at, I think this is one of the most important information for me. And I’m glad to read your post. Thanks for sharing!