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Tabletop NPC Hiring Committee
Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2023 6:17 am
by Farquaar
Hey forumites. I'm planning on running a tabletop game set in SS13 for some friends of mine. While I could just write all this on my own, I thought it would be a fun activity to invite you guys to make up some characters that would populate the station. They can be normal, quirky, or even slightly insane- if it works it works! Just keep in mind that most of these characters will be in the background- most NPCs shouldn't be crazy enough to steal the show whenever they enter the room.
You don't have to follow this format, but this is the basic sort of info I'm looking for:
Example 1: Candice Nickolson
► Show Spoiler
- Appearance: Light brown hair in a beehive haircut, fair skin, green eyes, average build, late 20s
- Occupation: Medical Receptionist/Nurse
- Always filing her nails for some reason
- Acts disinterested and mildly inconvenienced whenever somebody walks in- no matter how injured they are
- Fear Response: Hides under a table
Example 2: Lockie Sandford
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- Appearance: Forest green hair tied back in a bun, midtone skin, grey eyes, average build, early 30s
- Occupation: Security Officer
- Always glancing at the exits
- Acts like everything is normal until she snaps
- Fear Response: Locks herself in a room, closet, or locker; no one enters or leaves.
Example 3: Michael Chugg
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- Appearance: Round-faced, tuft of black hair, brown skin, brown eyes, big-boned, mid 20s
- Occupation: Assistant
- Always has a vending machine snack or drink in his hand
- Talks about turning people who cross him into "beef jerky"
- Fear Response: Eats snacks. If his snacks are taken from him, he goes berserk
tl;dr I'm running an SS13-themed RPG for my friends. Write your ideas for quirky characters to populate the station and if they're cool they'll end up in the crew manifest.
Re: Tabletop NPC Hiring Committee
Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2023 11:31 pm
by datorangebottle
I feel like one of the characters I play would be pretty entertaining as an NPC.
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Michael Harr:
Occupation: Cargo Technician (or any other low-effort maintenance role, i.e. janitor)
Appearance: Short, unkempt black hair. Bags under his eyes. Pale as a ghost. Poorly shaved.
Lazy as hell. Does the bare minimum to keep his job. Often sarcastic. Tells dumb jokes, sometimes.
More likely to be caught shooting the shit on the radio than putting in the extra mile at someone else's request; would rather give another crewmember a couple bucks to do the extra work for him.
Prefers to be called 'Mike'.
Fear Response: Runs and hides in some dark corner of maintenance. He never moves faster than when he's scared; been working here for years and knows all the good hiding spots.
Quirks(Optional, obviously):
Anyway, wish you luck with your tabletop efforts.
Re: Tabletop NPC Hiring Committee
Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2023 4:55 am
by Capsandi
Sure
Punk Ingram
- Appearance: Pasty, white dude with an obnoxiously neon pompadour
- Occupation: Assistant
- Impulsive, one track minded, easily manipulated by promises of cool stuff
- He says he's in a band which is about to 'make it big', but there is little evidence to back this claim
- Fear Response: Frantically comb's his pompadour while murmuring about how today is 'the day', how 'we all knew the day would come' and how 'today is upon us'
Re: Tabletop NPC Hiring Committee
Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2023 12:35 pm
by kinnebian
Sounds good!
► Show Spoiler
Brock Fisher:
- Appearance: Balding grey hair with the broken man beard, a gradient of very dark grey down to lighter grey. Looks to be in his mid-70's.
- Occupation: Chaplain
- Sparring sect, always wants to spar. Suprisingly fit for his age, or maybe thats just his god.
- Calls people "Junior" a lot.
- Pretty insistent on sparring, always has a contract and ceremonial weapons on hand.
- Fear Response: Barricades behind a table.
Re: Tabletop NPC Hiring Committee
Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2023 6:02 am
by Farquaar
All three of these guys are great. Keep 'em coming!
Re: Tabletop NPC Hiring Committee
Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2023 6:05 pm
by TheRex9001
Sounds cool! What rules are you using?
Does-his-job
- Appearance: Cyan scales, digitigrade, aquatic tail and head with frills, mid 30s
- Occupation: Quartermaster
- Usually has a ration pack of the best Tirizean delicacys
- Will attempt to earn money in any way possible, up to and including turning a blind eye to certain "activities"
- Fear Response: Attempt to bribe the cause of fear. If money fails bolting for his office usually does the trick
Re: Tabletop NPC Hiring Committee
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 11:07 pm
by Farquaar
TheRex9001 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 28, 2023 6:05 pm
Sounds cool! What rules are you using?
I'll be drawing from the main rulebook as well as the space, high tech, and ultra tech splatbooks. For this particular group I'll be running it fairly rules light. I'll also probably be substituting in some "hard and fast rules" from SS13 that are more streamlined. For instance, a flash will stun people for X seconds instead of being some complex calculation based on dice rolls and their base stats.
SS13 is a nice setting since there are several ready-made stations to serve as playgrounds for the players to survive in. If the Boxstation gets blown up, they can pay to be cloned and be on Metastation the next time around. No need for plot arcs either- villains of the week are the norm.
Re: Tabletop NPC Hiring Committee
Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 3:33 am
by Kassori
Nettles
- Appearance: Green moth of the typical forest variety, his clothes appear chewed, his eyes shifty
- Occupation: Botanist
- Talks like a dumb, California stoner, smells like cannabis
- Attracts the ire of the chef for not actually doing their job
- Fear Response: Attempt to fight, but he's probably high, is prone to panic and a moth, so bright lights are enough to overcome him.
Re: Tabletop NPC Hiring Committee
Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2023 3:30 am
by outtogetya
Carbon XXI.
- Appearance: Purple skeleton!
- Occupation: Assistant.
- Always stealing shoes.
- Acts benevolent towards assistants and uncaring towards most non-assistants.
- Fear Response: Runs off to scavenge some mild equipment to deal with the fear and then attempts to deal with the fear. (for instance spear/stunprod/toolbox/bola to deal with a traitor, a firesuit and metal to deal with a breach, etc.)