Quirky NPCs
After letting myself slide and screwing up my pacing last session — always listen to your own advice — I got things back on track this week and we had a great session. One of the standout moments was when the characters completed their rite of passage and got to choose new names for themselves. And their NPC companion chose the name Rainbow Murder Princess.
A little context: We’re playing Werewolf: The Apocalypse, second edition. Those with the blood of shape-shifters undergo their first change during adolescence, and then it’s their job to fight evil corruption. The juxtaposition of such young people thrust into a dangerous world has always interested me. Unable to live a normal life, these teenagers find themselves changing into werebeasts and enter a world where they must battle monsters and evil spirits — while the normal people that they left behind worry about dating and summer jobs.
At just twelve years old, my little NPC princess changed a bit earlier than most. But she’s still in the same position — being a shape-shifter and leaving her world behind to learn to walk the spirit realms, to do her duty fighting the supernatural forces that threaten to corrupt and destroy the World of Darkness. So when everyone got to choose their names, I wanted her to have the sort of name a twelve year-old girl might pick. A name like Rainbow Murder Princess.
When RMP announced her name, we had to take a break for everyone to crack up. I’ve since been told that one of my players practically woke up still laughing about it the next day. And that made me think about why this little girl who transforms into a giant beast works, instead of just driving my players nuts.
I’ve played in lots of games where the Storyteller comes up with super quirky NPCs for us to interact with. They may have some odd behaviors, may be extra exotic or mysterious, or might be really funny. But there’s a fine line to walk with these quirky NPCs, and more often than not they annoy the crap out of me.
Players tend to have a low tolerance for NPCs who are blatantly more powerful than they are. The PCs are supposed to be the main characters, and who likes being upstaged? Non-player characters that know more than the PCs can be alright, as long as they share that info — then they become helpful guides and teachers. But allied NPCs who keep secrets just piss people off, and the players are going to dig at the reticent character until they find out. And funny NPCs can become annoying if you’re not careful.
My group loves Rainbow Murder Princess so far. I keep several things in mind to get that reaction, and then to keep it going.
Twelve-year-old girls who turn into the biggest monster in the group are still non-player characters, so they need to do all the things that NPCs are for. In the case of a friend and ally of the player group, they are there to help.
In my campaigns, I don’t give non-player characters full stats because anything important that needs doing should be undertaken by the player characters. Instead, I give them NPC bonuses for the players to use. Rainbow Murder Princess is the pack’s mystic, so she gives bonuses to rolls involving lore, magic, and spirits. And when she’s not in little girl form — because she can shape-shift into a giant war-beast — she gives them some combat bonuses.
Do the players like getting bonuses to occult and combat rolls? Well, yeah. Who doesn’t enjoy bonuses to damage? The players benefit from having Rainbow Murder Princess around, so they like to keep her close.
But nice bonuses aside, quirky NPCs can still drive players crazy. I mean, I purposefully make my villains hatable, but making an NPC lovable is a little harder. How do you ensure the quirks that are supposed to make them fun and interesting don’t irritate your players?
Remember that NPCs are there to aid and abet the players and the plot. They aren’t your character when you’re Storytelling, and they should never outshine the player characters. Keep in mind who the heroes of the story are, and always play to their needs and expectations.
Rainbow Murder Princess is young, so she looks up to the other characters of the game. Talking about how incredibly cool she thinks the big kids are keeps the focus on my PCs — and some flattery never hurts. I’ve also had her show some vulnerability. In the end, she’s still twelve years old and as exciting as it is to learn that you’re a shape-shifter with magical powers, evil spirits and possessed people are still scary stuff. Taking her first life wasn’t easy. Rainbow Murder Princess will come to the players for advice, so they get to comfort her and become a part of her growth.
So Rainbow Murder Princess gets to choose an over-the-top name and be a little kid who thinks she’s a badass, and the players don’t hate her. An NPC with a quirky personality can add comic relief in otherwise harsh games, can be exotic and interesting, and can act as a guide to help the party through the plot. But a quirky personality just for the sake of quirk can backfire on you. Always keep the limelight on your players, though, and you’ll usually hit the mark.
