Question Favorite NPCs?

[Minuteman75]

Hi folks I just had an interesting thought and want to discuss it with you fellow roleplayers. Basically who been your favorite NPCs in stories connected to your OCs so far?

When it comes to My Alliance Mando, I have three currently.

Rhust(Elderly Wookiee Warrior)- Even though he is in only one thread so far, he’s fun to NPC. He’s an old family friend of Minerva and her adopted father beforehand. As such he knows Minerva in a way that most beings in the galaxy don’t.

Irni(Sullustan Sniper)- This one been a constant comrade beside Minerva during most of their combat missions. I think it would be great to explore their friendship outside of battle. Despite not being Mandalorian she‘s the closest friend of Minerva within the Alliance military. Someone I imagine as dependable and not afraid not speak the truth with her commamder.

Herk(Transdosen information broker)- It‘s been sometime since using Herk for any story. All the same he captures the more shady side of things Minerva dealt with as a freelance mercenary. Like Rhust he has history with Minerva‘s dad but strictly in a business sense. He‘s witty and clever and knows how to annoy Minerva, keeping her on her toes.

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

Almost all of my PCs started out as NPCs, including the two characters I've written the longest, Starlin Rand and Inanna Harth . I usually prefer my new characters already be part of a plot (or at least have a specific goal they're working towards), and having them appear in a supporting role in someone else's story can serve as a kind of "trial run" to let me see if/how the character will work. Miri Nimdok started out as the child of a PC; she was about 5 years old when I first started writing her way back in 2020, now she's well into her twenties and has children of her own.

As for favorite NPCs:

Khayyam and Silas Fogg - Two very different NPCs who were created separately teamed up to form an alchemy partnership. They're constantly at each other's throats, slinging insults back and forth, but deep down they are the best of friends. As of this writing, Khayyam is dying of old age and Silas is (begrudgingly) caring for him during his final days, claiming he's only doing it so he can learn all the bat's secrets.

Maxim Koschei - Thelma Goth 's master serves as both a mentor and a foil to her. The two of them are very close, but they often disagree on things, which makes their dynamic more interesting for me to write. He's also an eccentric ancient vampire, which is one of my favorite archetypes lol.

Oukranos Cthylla - Having only recently started writing Kass' husband, I've had a hard time getting a good grasp on him as a character. I originally conceived him as a quiet, reserved man who doesn't talk much (the polar opposite of his wife, who is supposed to be very friendly and outgoing), but then having him not say anything reduced him to a background character with little to no impact. Starting a solo thread set when he and Kass were teenagers has definitely helped me develop him more, by allowing me to explore aspects of his character that wouldn't be brought up in your average RP thread - like how he was essentially the Jedi equivalent of a not-so-dumb jock, how he dealt with learning that his father was a Sith Lord, etc. Fleshing out your character's past is really, really important to understanding who they are, imo.

Jen Rand - Starlin's mother is another character whose history I really took the time to flesh out, which made the story much richer. Even when she isn't present, she's often mentioned in Starlin's posts and the mark she left on him can be felt.

NPCs I like but don't write that often:

Moondog - Blind Kiffar street musician who teaches people psychometry; was based on a real person. I wish I brought this guy out more, he's a super unique character and a lot of fun to write, albeit really only useful for very specific scenarios.

Isolda of Ession - Another character with a really cool concept and a good connection to a PC, but I haven't had the chance to use her much because of how unique she is. She's simply not applicable to most situations.

Claudia Aylmer - This character was a lot more interesting when she was stuck in a hoverchair lmao. Alas, after she recovered the use of her legs via space magic, she was no longer as fun to write. I tried a lot of new things with her, including an arc where she became a drug addict/dealer, but all that succeeded in doing was destroying her relationship with Kai Bamarri , perhaps irreparably. I have yet to figure out what to do with her.

 

[Junko Ike]

NPC's are fun and while sometimes made a few only recently have I gotten the big to try and flesh all of them out. Junko's otachi, her handmaidens being a main one and important Atrisian leaders or figures.

Barca Djarin - started as just a brute in the tournament arc who while will take credits prefers something more valuable as stakes. Lost to Junko and swore to protect her for a rematch.

Xīfāng - because what is a princess without a large liger that has slowly been augmented with biomechanical implants to offset the dangers of his size. Plus adorable

THe majority of her handmaidens have been submitted with only two left to finish up.... plus all of the Atrisian leadership for cities and the royal family.

 

[Amani Serys]

Good question! NPCs can be great additions to a story, when used properly. I've used plenty, especially when DMing threads, but there's a few that stand out for me.

EmTee -- Amani's medical assistant droid, and former rehabilitation coach after she lost her original arm. He has a relatively minor role these days, but I like to still write him being around because I find the idea of them still working together to be wholesome. And he was fun to write as a character who was incessantly, gratingly cheerful in everything he did. Especially in contrast to Amani, who at the time of their meeting was a nervous wreck.

Shep -- A charhound that belongs to Tenn Kalos. Tenn found him as a stray, and they worked together to survive on the streets of Coruscant's undercut. It's a nice friendship between a boy and his faithful hound. Good for occasionally comedic relief, good for padding out posts, all without distracting too much from the actual PCs or clogging up the writing with a bunch of extra dialogue.

GURT -- Gurt has never spoken a word of dialogue in RP. Gurt is Cato Harth 's former landlord during his time on Nar Shaddaa. A pudgy Kitonak man, always wearing an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt, generally lazing about for no other reason than to write him into being there. Gurt is beautiful and I love him. One day I will find a way to force him into another thread.

Edit: I also like writing the Mirialan villager NPCs in my Mirial threads with Alicio Organa . I like fleshing out their customs and try to make the characters stand out from one another.

 

[Inanna Harth]

Cato Harth Ayo put Gurt in our current thread plz

 

[Aelin Erevos]

I have never been great with NPCs and have been trying to add more to my own writing, but there are a few I really like and am attached to.

Anders - My one-eyed Lupo and loyal guardian of Aelin's. He began as a simple boy, son to the local blacksmith of The Drage clan. His status in life was raised when he rescued his Alpha's only daughter and lost his eye in the process. He's outfitted with a golden mechanical one, now. After this profound change, he became close to the Alpha's heir, Børre Drage and the two became like brothers. When Aelin arrived to the clan, Anders was one of the pivotal characters that helped train and prepare her for the Blodrite. When Aelin left for Islimore, he went ahead of the clan as a sort of Emissary for clan Drage and to protect Aelin. He is kind, clever, and witty, loyal to a fault and perceptive. He has a lot of emotional and physical scars beyond just his eye loss, but covers it up with a charismatic personality.

Sara - My android caretaker of the Sal-Soren/Ee'everwest brood. She is essentially the second mother of the Sal-Soren kids and was inspired by Winter and Guri - Leia Organa's personal aide from Legends and Prince Xizor's android bodyguard. She served the Naboo religious sect, The Brotherhood of Cognizance, before she was hired by the Ee'everwest family some 200ish years prior. While generally peaceful, she is equipped with the programing to take down multiple threats and targets.

Rafiki - it's been a while since I've played this character, so who knows where he's at at the moment. This wookie owed a life debt to both Damon Riggs and Teyla Sal-Soren after they rescued him off of an Imperial prison ship. Rafiki spent most of his life in slavery as a pit fighter and when he escaped he turned to a life of crime. He is not an easy individual to reason with and, unless he has some kind of strong loyalty to you, you can count on him to betray you if it means saving his own skin. He's not overly clever, and unlikely to come up with elaborate plans, solving most of his issues with brute force.

 

[EllieEx]

I haven't had many named NPCs during the couple years I've been here, and most of them are only mentioned in backstories. But, here's a couple that made it into threads;

Apollyon The Betrayer :
Apollyon was originally an NPC who just sort of took on a life of her own. she was Aloy Vizsla 's ultimate nemesis in a strategic sense. Death Watch versus Nite Owls! good versus evil. She had no redeeming qualities whatsoever and personally wronged dozens of PCs during her storline. From participating in the genocide of Mandalorians to the torture and "juicing" of prisoners to make cursed weapons and armor, there really were no lengths she wouldn't go to claim Mandalore for the Sith.

She was later killed by Kranak Vizsla while attempting to claim the Darksaber from the netherworld(a little add on to some existing chaos-canon Vizsla legend involving the nether).

The Gravemind :
She's part of Tae'l Vizsla 's storyline and is the newest, appearing in a single thread currently but with a flashback story on the way! Gravemind- or Lorayn- is a successor to Apollyon the Betrayer, training a new generation of Sith-Death Watch, and is currently Tae'l's "Mentor" (more like commissar) but has been unironically MORE nurturing than her actual mother so... yeah lol. She's also a part time PC too, when i have the energy for it.

Eqhu Rook :
Rook comes from a small unit sub, but the whole unit has been in use since long before this. He was also Tae'l Vizsla 's mentor, but from a simpler time. He was like an older brother to her, irony being that he also came from a derivative of Death Watch, though they came from a very Anti-Sith sect instead. Now her serves Aloy Vizsla 's pirate fleet, and is still looking for Tae'l ever since she was "captured" by the sith.

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Best NPC is Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Sahan Dragr]

Avel Som has an ebon hawk NPC named Darkwing that is a Force User and more sentient than normal hawks. Can't get much cooler than that.

I also once used my MC Corbin Vasher as an NPC for Sahan.

 

[Danika Leventis]

My most important NPC is Samron Gerron - a Falleen Military General who has led Danika's army for many IC years and who is her closest and probably her only friend and who she actually can't function without.

Second most important NPC is Vren Rook 's Basilisk War Droid called Nag who he almost can't live without - first as a companion, second as a tactical advantage XD.

My others are a bit more inconsequential and only get occasional screentime here and there and I am also too lazy to actually make an NPC sub for either of the two above.

 

[Skirata]

A long time ago, i had an NPC called Vevut, who was with me in RP for about eight years. He was killed helping my main escape certain doom, and its the only death, PC or otherwise that really had a large impact.