Central Casting (a.k.a NPC ideas)

[Wolf sword]

Hey guys I thought I would share some ideas for NPCs.

Up first is Dan the movie guy.
Dan is a film buff, either he worked at the local video rental store or in 2013 found the local Netflix mail center and now goes from town to town either selling the films that he has or showing them in the town. If the second option he needs to be well equipped with a generator and projector.
Twist to keep you PC on their toes.
1) He really is a spy for the local bandits, he can get in to the town easily and get the lay of the land.
2) He just as he is give the PC a night at the movies for some much needed R & R.
This idea came from an aunt who grew up during the great depression in South Dakota. A traveling movie theater came to town every so often.


Up next is Stacy the road house owner.
Stacy owns and runs the towns only "restaurant", bar and "Hotel" Granted it is not the Four Seasons and it may not have a Michelin star ranked chef but for a post war world it is dam great.
Twists
1) She dose have a Michelin ranked chef working in the kitchen.
2) the booze is pure rotgut, those who drink too much may not wake up.

[Cdnwolf]

Ryan was a cruise director on a cruise ship that was travelling the off the coast of France when the nukes hit. The mainly east European crew rebelled and dropped off the passengers at the nearest port and sailed the ship to Albania where the ship lays rusting in a port.

1) Ryan is still on board the ship and is running it like a hostel for refugees.
2) Ryan was a Russian agent and his job was to track the US fleet while cruising the waters of the Mediterranean.

[Wolf sword]

The mayor of crazy town.
The PC pull into what looks like a empty town, only to see a person dressed in a 3 piece suit come walking up to them. This person thanks them for stopping in and is glad to see the "the government has sent help".
Twists.
1) He hits them up for a food "donation" for his campaign.
2) They have to sit in on the court case that he is holding. He will pick one PC to be the prosecuting attorney and one to be the defense attorney. The court room is in session. The entire room is dresses with corpse, with the mayor is the judge. Now you can have your own reason for the "court case" but a good one is this town had a refuge camp near by and the old mayor and most of the other town people "ran them off" (killed them)
The new mayor was part of this but during the raid he snapped and then started in on then old mayor the others and now wants to see justice done.

[Adm.Lee]

A diplomat from another country (could be neutral, could be friendly, but definitely not from around here).

1. He's got a stash of intelligence information (mostly pre-war) around here.
2. He's got a collection of refugees from his nation, that he's been trying to get out. Option: they've given up on getting out, and have settled into an abandoned village. A quiet little corner of Mexico (or whatever) in Poland.
3. He's a KGB officer, in disguise, hoping to infiltrate the players' group.
4. He's a KGB officer, who was running a scheme to smuggle weapons from that country to this one.

[Wolf sword]

Richard the poser.
Meet Richard he is in charge of the village defense force, due his years with SEAL Team A or the SAS' 27th Ranger strike force. You never heard of that unit, well they were super black ops don't you know.
All of this guys training is from "camp x-box" or he washed out of the armed forces and now after the end of the world as we know it he reinvented himself.

Twists
1) He means well and the lie just got out of hand and is in the deep end of the pool. He could be the unit leader if you are running an all civilian PC campaign.
2) He just left the village after the crap it the fan and was show to be the liar he was. The PC now have to pick up the pieces.
3) He knows just enough to be a danger to is men, the PC have work with him and his men.

[Canadian Army]

Hey guys I thought I would share some ideas for NPCs.

Up first is Dan the movie guy.
Dan is a film buff, either he worked at the local video rental store or in 2013 found the local Netflix mail center and now goes from town to town either selling the films that he has or showing them in the town. If the second option he needs to be well equipped with a generator and projector.
Twist to keep you PC on their toes.
1) He really is a spy for the local bandits, he can get in to the town easily and get the lay of the land.
2) He just as he is give the PC a night at the movies for some much needed R & R.
This idea came from an aunt who grew up during the great depression in South Dakota. A traveling movie theater came to town every so often.


A Video Projector which would make more sense that a movie projector; which would are big and bulky to transport; and because they can be connected to VCR (or DVD in 2013) getting movies for them would be easier also.

[Wolf sword]

A Video Projector which would make more sense that a movie projector; which would are big and bulky to transport; and because they can be connected to VCR (or DVD in 2013) getting movies for them would be easier also.

Yeah the idea was a video projector, but I suppose he could be using an old projector found in an abandon school. And If he is a big enough film geek he could have a bunch films for it.

[mikeo80]

A Video Projector which would make more sense that a movie projector; which would are big and bulky to transport; and because they can be connected to VCR (or DVD in 2013) getting movies for them would be easier also.

Another thought concerning VCR/DVD. Yes the VCR was well developed if you start the War with V1 or V2.2. So that can work. But with the war starting in the 90's, I wonder if DVD would even exist?

I have never read 2013, so I can not comment on that, I do not know the timeline of start...

My $0.02

Mike

[Wolf sword]

The Twilight 2013 has a personal DVD player in the equipment list. When I first posted this list of NPC it was for T2013 but feel free to adjust the ideas for your game and if any of you other guys have ideas for NPC why not post them.

[mikeo80]

Hanna the Whore: She was orphaned at 16 during TDM. SHe drifted into prostitution shortly there after to help keep a younger sibling alive during the food shortages.

Twists:
1) Hanna is a "swallow" for the KGB. Her parents were 1960's radicals who were subverted by the KGB after they were involved in the bombing of a ROTC at a local collage campus.
2) Hanna is a "swallow" for the CIA/FBI/NSA. Or some other Alphabet organization. For the same reasons as above.
3) Hanna is a "Typhoid Mary". She contracted HIV/AIDS. She knows about it, and as long as she can, she is determined to kill as many men as she can.

My $0.02

Mike

[M-Type]

Here's a character I created as my own personal PC, changed for NPC use:

Dutch the DJ. used to run his own personal 'radio station' back in his Vermont hometown. He got drafted, and was the personal radioman for some REMF. Now he's still carrying his manpack, hoping from a 'call from on-high'.

Twists:
1. His radio hasn't worked for months, and he lies about orders received
2. His radio does work, but he's gotten a bit unhinged from all the Russian chatter.
3. His radio does work, but he thinks any orders given are from 'Commie Saboteurs'.

I designed him with the 5th ID in focus, but I'm sure he could be anyone, even a Civvie DJ in some town inside CONUS somewhere.

[Olefin]

NPC I created

Duke is a blacksmith who runs a small shop, doing repairs on farm equipment, tools and shoeing horses. He dresses in very old fashioned clothes and walks around with a Colt Dragoon strapped to his side at all times. He is a very good blacksmith and people come from miles around to make use of his talents.

Twists
1) Duke is not his real name. During the TDM he was injured by flying debris and now believes he is the Duke - i.e. John Wayne. His blacksmith skills are very much for real and were not impaired by his injury.
2) The Colt Dragoon is an authentic Civil War pistol and he is dead accurate with it, with a PST of 90.
3) If he feels himself offended he will challenge them to "meet him in the street at noon!", a challenge that so far has resulted in him killing over a dozen men foolish enough to take him on.

[.45cultist]

I'll look through my notes, but "Hannah" could work for the marauders as well. Keeping an eye on troops and merchants then passing the intel on to the final customer that night.

[mikeo80]

I'll look through my notes, but "Hannah" could work for the marauders as well. Keeping an eye on troops and merchants then passing the intel on to the final customer that night.

VERY nasty!!

My $0.02

Mike

[Wolf sword]

Amy Smith, Banker.
Amy thought she would be running this town, not the fools who are now in charge. She has the "right skills" to run this place, well she acts like it at lease.
Twists
1) she and her side is just one of 2 (or more) sides fighting for control of the town. See the movie "A fistful of dollars" or "Yojimbo"

Dr. Dave Dovack DDS
The good doctor is a dentist. "Have bad tooth will pull" He is traveling in the same convoy as the PC.
Twists
1) He is not a dentist, he just likes putting people through pain.
2) He is after the same thing as the PC, if he catches one of them well you did see that part of the movie "the marathon man" right?

[Wolf sword]

The "True Patriot"
He is the last true member of the rightful government what ever government that maybe. And he has the guys with guns to back it up.
Now you can use this guy as the local bad guys, heaven help your PC if they get captured by him. Especially if any of them are foreigners.
Or they can come to the rescue of your PC if things are going south.

[Schone23666]

Dr. Dave Dovack DDS
The good doctor is a dentist. "Have bad tooth will pull" He is traveling in the same convoy as the PC.
Twists
1) He is not a dentist, he just likes putting people through pain.
2) He is after the same thing as the PC, if he catches one of them well you did see that part of the movie "the marathon man" right?

Is it safe?

[Wolf sword]

Is it safe?

yeah that was the seed for that NPC.

[Wolf sword]

The reverend.

The PC have come across the good reverend and his flock. Now this group has a odd take on thing, best way to describe it is, man had relied too much on technology, and god brought down his wrath to bring us back to the way that he intended for mankind to live.
So there calling is to destroy anyone and those items that is an affront to god.

Twists.
1) This is a splinter group from the main church, the reason for the split is the church is going too far or not far enough. Example the main church is ok with a 1900's era level of tech, but this splinter group is ok with a 1940's or the other way around, or pick your own tech levels.

2) The reverend is using technology to destroy technology when they reach their goal then they too will get rid of what they are using. (Or not)

[Wolf sword]

The Librarian.
Remember the old 'reading is fundamental' van well it is back.
This guy travels with the a merchant caravan as the local lending library.
Or he runs the town library.
Twists.
1) "For a bookworm you do know a lot about killing." He was not always one, before this he was a special forces solider and had enough of killing and destruction, now he wants to rebuild things.

2) The "good reverend and his flock of religious nut-jobs" are after the Librarian because she is teaching people the "wrong things"

[mikeo80]

Stan the Sentinal:

Location, Gettysburgh, PA

In a quiet museum, a lone figure sits in the gloom. He has his back to a display that has (?) one of the original copies of the Gettysburgh Address. The sentinal has decided that HE must guard one of the seminal writings in American History. He is dressed in Vietnam era camo, he has a Browning Semi-Auto 12 ga. shotgun. On his hip is a Colt 1911 .45. He has PLENTY of ammo for both weapons. Plus a really wicked looking Bowie Knife.

Stan has stockpiled a large amount of Vietnam era "C" rations, water, a sleeping bag, and various other camping articles. He has rigged the entrances with alarms. (Mostly very fine fishing line attached to tin cans with rocks, bells and other noise producing items.)

Stan feels that he is performing "A Sacred Duty". There is no telling how to "talk him down".

Twists:

1) That is REALLY one of the five known copies of the Gettysburgh Address!!!

2) Stan was a GB that was ordered to collect the G.A. and bring it to the Presidential Retreat in Maryland. The chaos of TDM unhinged his mind so that he imagines his orders are to protect vs. retrieve.

[Rainbow Six]

2) Stan was a GB that was ordered to collect the G.A. and bring it to the Presidential Retreat in Maryland. The chaos of TDM unhinged his mind so that he imagines his orders are to protect vs. retrieve.

Sorry, maybe missing something here, but what's a GB in this context?

[mikeo80]

Sorry, maybe missing something here, but what's a GB in this context?

Sorry, I should have used proper nomenclature. "GB" is American slang for Green Beret. One of the US special forces that specialize in local counter-terrorism.

My $0.02

Mike

[Rainbow Six]

Thanks, I'm familiar with Green Berets, had just never heard the term 'GB' used to refer to them.

Cheers

[rcaf_777]

You meet a man from Brussels, He is six-foot-four and full of muscles

You say, "Do you speak-a my language?

He justs smiled and gives you vegemite sandwich

Ring Any Bells

Can you finish this off

[simonmark6]

Does he come from a land down under?

[Targan]

Can you finish this off

No, I don't want to "finish off" a 6'4" muscular dude from Brussells. Not unless there's a a lot of beer involved, and hopefully some cash :D

[bobcat]

No, I don't want to "finish off" a 6'4" muscular dude from Brussells. Not unless there's a a lot of beer involved, and hopefully some cash :D

if there's a lot of beer and some cash involved you'll likely get a bit butthurt in the process.

here's one i like to use.
theres a woman going around the local villages who always has something to trade that is in critically low supply wherever at whatever village she stops at.

a) she's sitting on a large supply cache left built and forgotten about during the cold war
b) she's been stealing supplies from the villages at night and then openly comeing in the next day with supplies.

[Schone23666]

You meet a man from Brussels, He is six-foot-four and full of muscles

You say, "Do you speak-a my language?

He justs smiled and gives you vegemite sandwich

Ring Any Bells

Can you finish this off

From where the beer does flow and the men chunder?

Uh oh, can you hear the thunder (from the mushroom clouds on the horizon)? You better take cover!! :saevil2:


On a side note....vegemite, gah! :dead:

[Schone23666]

if there's a lot of beer and some cash involved you'll likely get a bit butthurt in the process.

here's one i like to use.
theres a woman going around the local villages who always has something to trade that is in critically low supply wherever at whatever village she stops at.

a) she's sitting on a large supply cache left built and forgotten about during the cold war
b) she's been stealing supplies from the villages at night and then openly comeing in the next day with supplies.

Perhaps that "large supply cache" could in fact be similar to the one found in the module Allegheny Uprising?

[Targan]

On a side note....vegemite, gah! :dead:

Vegemite's good for you. A potent source of iron. Don't you want to grow up big and strong? I understand if you can't stomach it though, it really is a food only for the hardiest of people (such as Australians). :D

[Schone23666]

Vegemite's good for you. A potent source of iron. Don't you want to grow up big and strong? I understand if you can't stomach it though, it really is a food only for the hardiest of people (such as Australians). :D

A source of iron, maybe. But aren't there better sources of iron than yeast that's been scooped out of beer vats and marketed as a spread? Ugh! Waste not, want not I suppose...

Ahem, back to topic. Here's an idea for a character....Bloody Mary.

"Bloody Mary" may sound like a boogeyman (boogeywoman?) or ghost, but Bloody Mary in this case happens to be a very buxom and desirable NPC who runs her own brothel full of surprisingly high class, well paid "escort girls".

Possibilities:

A) Bloody Mary is in fact just a tad crazy, she just doesn't let it on. And her brothel is in on it, apparently finding her craziness rather infectious (think of Manson's "children"). For any number of reasons from war-related trauma, hidden insanity, PTSD, etc. she may promise to give the NPC's both entertainment and shelter for a "reasonable price" which unfortunately includes their deaths, or, perhaps even worse, they become the main course for dinner! Hence the name Bloody Mary.

B) Bloody Mary is in fact a KGB agent, and her "girls" are in fact part of a spy apparatus either still working for the Soviets (and may or may not have a rather nasty encounter with the PC's), or just trying to survive or even try to acquire enough resources to make their way back to what's left of the Soviet Union.

C) Bloody Mary is in fact an intel operative for CivGov/Milgov, or any number of NATO/WEstern intel agencies along with her girls, and they happen to have a mission they need the PC's to perform...they may even tag along to provide some interesting....er, support. After completion of the mission, the girls may promise the PC's an interesting evening, feeling they've been a bit freewheeling as of late and may require "discipline"...

Bloody Mary appears to said PC's in a dominatrix outfit with a riding crop. "Have YOU been a naughty boy?"

I think I need brain bleach now. :o

[.45cultist]

"Bubba": Bubba and his crew of trash loved 4X4's and firearms before the war. Now they are the 21ST century version of bravos, getting into trouble and testing to see if the thin blue line is broken under the collapse of society.
These young men and women are from powerful families and are tolerated.
Bubba's crew are convinced they could be better than any "soldier boys".

There was a Challenge adventure with a similiar group in it. Bubba may be smarter than he appears. And ca be a horrible PITA.

[Wolf sword]

The Professor.
Meet Professor Jones, he was a history professor at the local university and now he is either the power or the real power behind the figurehead.
He has started reshaping the town to be like Rome with himself as ceaser. Now he is not calling himself that that would be crazy, but he has structured the governing consul like the roman senate with "just enough" of an opposition to his power block to make it look good. (they can be in on it also you know have to keep the masses in place.) During the upheaval the good professor had the foresight to organize the campus police and the ROTC unit to secure the university's: hospital, power plant, nuclear power plant, machine shop to build his base up from and he also has a group of "praetorian guard" to do his wet work.

[.45cultist]

The outlaw motorcycle gangs could be the barbarians at the gates.

[Wolf sword]

Or the "good" professor has sent his praetorian guard to do a little wet work and take out the mayor of the town that the PCs are helping

[Wolf sword]

The reenactor.

This guy and his buddies were all reenactor (say ww2) they are now the town defense force. This is a great way to get all sort of odd stuff into you game.
For example in the ww2 era unit that I belong to we have.
(We reenact the 502 P.I.R of the 101st Airborne)
3 jeeps, (well one is being rebuilt at the moment)
2 semi auto 1919 MG
4 field phones and one switchboard.
2 man pack radios (I think one works but the other is fixable)
1 field kitchen stove.
2 GP medium tents.
1 GP large tent
2 GP small tents
1 US Army code machine.
All the guys have the basic ww2 era web gear and helmet. 90% have an M1 Garand, 2% M1 carbine, 1 Thompson semi auto, various pistols. the remaining do not have a weapon.
If we were the guys that reenact the Germans their would be more MGs and more smgs (all semi auto) and a half track.

Now if it was the other group 1630's era, that group has:
several tents
5 matchlock muskets (.69 cal)
1 grenade launcher (yes this is right)
2 small mortars.
1 5 pound light cannon.
12 pikes,
various knives, swords, axes.
4 suits of pike-men armor (breast plate, and a helmet)
Granted the 1630's group as kitted out might be cannon fodder.

But think about it you have 10 to 30 members in most groups with some sort of training. Granted the drill manual could be several 100 years out of date but it is some sort of training that could form the base of defense force.

The skillsets in some of the older era reenactors is very wide and deep. Medicine and surgical tech of the American Civil War.
Cooking over a campfire, and not hot dogs and s'mores that's the wife skill. At one event she made 13 pies (various meat and fruit) supervised the roasting of half a lamb and did a venison roast and had 2 loafs of bread from scratch.
I have not gotten in to the skills that the guys that do Mountain Man or Fur Traders have.
Plus some of reenactors do more then one era.
Heck Vietnam reenacting started popping up in the early 2000's if you are using the T2013 setting, so you could have you PC stumble on a "LERP" unit or a group of American Civil War Cavalry all armed with M16s.
If you guys have any questions about this let me know I can give you more info

[Canadian Army]

http://imageshack.us/a/img819/8190/t73c.jpg
The reenactors; ww2 era unit

http://imageshack.us/a/img12/2456/1o6b.jpg
The reenactors; 1630's era unit

http://imageshack.us/a/img547/4338/4xkn.jpg
The Professor

http://imageshack.us/a/img585/1226/vyf7.jpg
The Professor's "praetorian guard"

http://imageshack.us/a/img42/1497/9g2k.jpg
Bubba

http://imageshack.us/a/img39/8868/oj4d.jpg
"Bloody Mary"

http://imageshack.us/a/img196/2118/si1p.jpg
Stan the Sentinel

http://imageshack.us/a/img401/4711/nmu8.jpg
The Librarian

http://imageshack.us/a/img191/3109/wwra.jpg
The Reverend

http://imageshack.us/a/img208/1497/gshq.jpg
The "True Patriot"

http://imageshack.us/a/img32/7483/9w1c.jpg
Amy Smith, Banker

http://imageshack.us/a/img9/4121/h71g.jpg
Dr. Dave Dovack DDS

http://imageshack.us/a/img197/7071/150f.jpg
Duke the blacksmith

http://imageshack.us/a/img404/1005/xspy.jpg
Dutch the DJ

http://imageshack.us/a/img46/5163/xooc.jpg
Hanna the Whore

http://imageshack.us/a/img197/5484/dvlh.jpg
Richard the poser

http://imageshack.us/a/img580/6258/ppmr.jpg
The mayor of crazytown

http://imageshack.us/a/img20/4863/qo8s.jpg
Finnish Cultural Attache; Kauko Gerhard Bohinen (A diplomat from another country)

http://imageshack.us/a/img545/6/w0tf.jpg
Ryan the cruise director

http://imageshack.us/a/img546/9495/ir.jpg
Stacy the roadhouse owner

http://imageshack.us/a/img593/4660/tgvj.jpg
Dan the movie guy

[M-Type]

Ha ah, nice! Fun to see all the motley crew 'in person'.

[Wolf sword]

Like the photos.
:D

[Canadian Army]

Check out the Pictures here: http://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.php?p=55068#post55068

[mikeo80]

I have one word for these pictures.......


NICE!!!!!!!


My $0.02

Mike

[weswood]

Sam and Amber Kelley
The orphaned children of a diplomat stranded in a foriegn country, from the same country as the the majority of the characters. Sam, aka Skelley, is 14 and an amazing shot with a slingshot, and working on becoming a proficient archer/bowyer. His sister Amber is 12. She's an excllent cook for her age and will grow into a stunningly beautiful woman. The kids both have red hair, Skelley's is brighter than his sister's. They both speak the local language well enough to get by and are familiar enough with the local area to act as guides. They ask the players to take them home (country of origin).

1- They're really orphans but are running away from the distant relatives they've been staying with.
2- Thier parents are still alive and had been seperated from them. The parents believe the kids were kidnapped and there's a reward for thier return and a bounty on the "kidnappers".

[Rainbow Six]

John

John arrived in the town with a merchant convoy in mid 1999. When the merchants left he stayed. Just under six feet tall, and appearing to be in his early forties, with the first hint of gray showing at his temples, he soon became a valuable member of the community; not only is he useful with his hands, being quite adept with a range of tools, but he is highly intelligent, and is extremely knowledgeable on a number of different topics. A good natured individual, he is well liked in the town; since the start of 2000 he has been living with a local woman named Maggie. If asked what he did before the War, he will simply smile and say that he lived in a City (he will choose one that was a target for nuclear attack), where he had a boring job working in an office.

Unknown to anyone in the town however, John is not what he seems. His real name is Maxwell Lester. His family were wealthy, having made their fortune in real estate, and he graduated from a prestigious University summa cum laude. But there's a reason he doesn't want the townspeople to know that.

For he is also a sociopathic serial killer. In 1993 he was convicted of murdering eight women between 1984 and 1993. And they're just the ones that the District Attorney knew about. He was on Death Row when the bombs fell in 1997; things went to Hell, a riot broke out at the prison he was being held in, most of the inmates were killed, but a handful managed to escape. He was one of them. He got out of the area as quickly as he could, has tried to get as far away as possible. He has attempted to disguise himself as best as he can, growing a beard and cutting his hair in a different style, but his biggest fear is being recognised by anyone that remembers him from before the War (his trial received a certain amount of media coverage at the time, but it was seven years ago, and a lot has happened since then).

He's killed several times since he escaped. He can't help himself. And besides, now that much of the country is in anarchy it's so much easier now than it was before. He likes to take his time with his victims, likes to make them suffer. And he prefers brunettes (can be replaced with blonde / redhead dependent on hair colour of any female PC's / NPC's in the party).

[Wolf sword]

"14K" the gangster.

Meet Mr. "14k" he and his gangsters run this town now. (feel free to pick what ever gang they belong to, Bloods, Crips, MS-13 Hells Angels) His trademark is everything is gold, yellow plated pistols, gold colored ride I would go with a gold stretch hummer limo just to be over the top.

Twists
1.They are the good guys, they treat everyone fairly and ran the bad guys off.

[rcaf_777]

NPC

A young man named Radio Raheem lives for nothing else but to blast Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" on his boombox wherever he goes. He wears "love" and "hate" four-fingered rings on either hand, which he explains in one scene symbolize the struggle between the two forces.

NPC Unit

The Professor and the Castways

A group of people (A pleasure boat captian, his frist mate, a millionare and his wife, a movie star and mary anne) who are trying to escape a major city, they are short of fuel and transporation, so are try to scavage chemicals (for making fuel) or Gas, and parts for boat they are building.

[Wolf sword]

Crazy Ed.

With Crazy Ed the GM can all sorts fun with Ed he could be the lone nut job on the hill yelling at the sky or the quite guy rocking in the corner with a big knife. Or the PC have to find him as he is the only guy alive who knows where the McGuffin is. Or Ed is the leader of a large group of other crazy people, say cannibals. Or it is all an act so he can be forgotten.

[Wolf sword]

The Convoy Merchant.
Meet Mr. A. Singh he runs the merchant convoy that the PC's have signed on to be guards for or they stumble across. Mr. Singh's operation is one of the larger ones he has several trucks military and civilian or wagons. And a fairly large crew to run it. He is based out of one of the near by towns and this convoy runs a circuit in the area, going to town to town. Setting up shop for a set number of days trading before moving on to the next stop. His base is an abandon self storage warehouse that he stores his excess merchandise.

This is a perfect way to have the PC's meet any of the other NPCs see Movie nut, or the dentist.

[Wolf sword]

Not so much a NPC but more of an encounter. Hear this on the radio over last winter. That a pack of wolves in the number of 400 had cut off a village in Russia.
So that is this NPC a pack of wild dogs, wolves and wolfdog mixes have surrounded a town and it is up to the PC to rescue the town.

[stormlion1]

Ha! Just noticed the "praetorian guard" is a bunch of my old career field. Air Force Security Police, probably mid 70's to mid 80's going by the uniform.

[pmulcahy11b]

Canadian, some of those pictures look like they might be some that you took around town. Is that true?

[rcaf_777]

Paul

I'm Canadian Army brother from the same mother, and he live is blackberry Canada so I doubt he took those around town

[Wolf sword]

The out of state trooper.

The PC come across a Guy in a State trooper car but not the local one. (say from a state or 2 over)
Note: Non US guys state troopers are the state police, often enforcing speed limits and other rules on the highway system here in the US. Adjust this to be a cop from several towns away.
The trooper is on his way to find his parents that live in the area he moved away several years ago and now wants to see if they are OK and keep them that way.

[Wolf sword]

Fast Ed's Used Cars and General Store.
The PC stop in to Ed's store where he sells anything and everything.
He even set up shop in the "old" mini mart/gas station, granted the gas pumps are all dry (or not) in place of the gas pumps we could have a wood pile or he is using the pumps for any of the alcohol fuels.
The PC's can get anything here: guns, ammo, rumors, jobs, and other stuff or sell off some stuff.

[CDAT]

Not much to add, just two thoughts at least in some US States you can have full auto weapons that are older (1968 and older). The state trooper some states also/or have state police. In a nut shell state troopers are traffic officers and state police are multi-purpose police

[Rainbow Six]

This NPC was written for a British campaign but should be easily adaptable to a campaign set in Poland or North America.

The Thief can be encountered in any of England's Free Cities, where she can provide access to different traders and contacts in the City's underworld. Should she have to leave the City she may seek to join the PC's group for security.

Gemma

Born on the 31st of May 1981, Gemma grew up on a council housing estate in one of the rougher parts of the City. Her parents split up when she was five so she lived with her mum, only seeing her dad occasionally. For a while it was just the two of them and that was OK, but when she was ten her mum's boyfriend moved in with them. Gemma didn't like him. He tried to be her dad but he wasn't. By the time she was fourteen she was spending most of her time hanging out with her mates. She wasn't really interested in school, frequently skipping it to go down to the shopping centre. That was when she started shoplifting. It gave her a buzz, and she could make money selling on the stuff that she stole. She was spending less and less time at her mum's, more time with her dad. The War had started by then of course, but Gemma didn't watch the news or read the papers.

She couldn't avoid the War forever though. In November 1997 the full force of the War came to Britain. Gemma was sixteen when the nuclear bombs started falling. Anarchy followed. Her City wasn't a target for the bombs but all of a sudden there was no food, no water, no power. Riots broke out, the authorities lost all semblance of control. Her mum's boyfriend said they should leave the City, go to the countryside, where it would be safer. Gemma thought that was a crazy idea. They argued. He told her she was coming with them. She told him to go and fuck himself. He tried to grab her arm, she slapped him. Her mum was crying. Gemma ran out of the house, went to her dad's. She went back a couple of days later. Her mum and the boyfriend were gone. She took some of her stuff, what she could carry, went back to her dad's. She's never seen her mum since. She went back to the house a couple of times. The last time she went people were living in it. They told her if she knew what was good for her she had better fuck off. She's never gone back.

She and her dad got on OK. Gradually things calmed down. The Army were on the streets. Markets started up, but it wasn't like it was before the bombs. For the most part paper money was valueless. Traders wanted things that had a tangible worth, gold, jewellery, watches, or things that they could trade on themselves. Gemma and her dad didn't have much to trade with. So Gemma stole. At first it was easy; in the chaos that had followed the bombs there was a lot of stuff just lying around. It got harder though. The obvious places had all been picked over, the shops, the supermarkets, empty houses. So she started stealing from other survivors. She knew it was dangerous. Before the War if she had been caught shoplifting she would have got a slap on the wrists, told not to do it again. Now looters were being hanged. Not by the Army, they had gone by then, but by the City's so called Self Defence Force. Her Dad said they were just another gang of thugs. She's nearly been caught a few times. Nearly.

Just after Christmas 1998 her dad got sick. He died at the beginning of January. Gemma was on her own. She stayed in the house by herself for a few months. but it wasn't safe. As well as the risk that another looter would break in looking for something to steal there were gangs looking for victims to rape. To kill. In April 1999 she left the house, found a room in a flat in the centre of the City. A single bed, a chest of drawers, that was about it. But it was a roof over her head and half a dozen other men and women ranging in age from fourteen to twenty seven lived in the flat, so there was a degree of safety in numbers, even if she keeps herself to herself, doesn't talk to her flatmates that much. She prefers to be alone. That way she doesn't have to trust anyone. She doesn't have to care about anyone but herself.

Five feet five inches tall, with long black hair, Gemma is good at blending into the shadows, watching, listening. And she is obviously a good thief, otherwise she wouldn't have survived this long. She knows her way around the City, knows the areas that are dangerous, that are best avoided, knows the people, knows who the major players are, knows which traders won't ask any questions. She's never fired a gun, but when she's out and about she carries a knife, hidden inside her right Doc Martin boot. At night she sleeps with the knife under her pillow. She has a small stash of goods hidden in an abandoned house near where her dad used to live, stuff she is keeping for a rainy day, that she can grab if she needs to get out of the City in a hurry, some jewellery, cartons of cigarettes, enough canned food to keep her going for a week or so, some pills that she has stolen, painkillers and anti biotics.

The thief is an Experienced NPC. Motivations are Diamond King (Selfish) and Club Three (Somewhat Violent)

[Brother in Arms]

This is a female character that I created for a story that I never seem to write and she would be a great support character.

Her nick name is Rabbit (her real name can be anything you like) She always goes by her nickname and has her whole life. She is a very large strong blond woman (6,5" 220 lbs) She grew up in Beaverton Oregon, and spent her childhood trying to show up her older brother Ricky. She played basket ball, Lacrosse and was on the equestrian team. She also grew up hunting, fishing and shooting with her Dad and brother. She had planned to go to college on an athletics scholarship,but enlisted in the Army after her brother was one of early units to be sent overseas. He is presumed to be somewhere behind enemy lines in western Europe. (In my story she is one of the late war reinforcement sent to Balkans. And is now part of small 6 man fire team made up of an ad-hoc mix of U.S. military and a local interpreter in crotia.) Or alternately she never made it on the boat to go to Europe and is stuck somewhere in CONUS. And is now a member of a local security force.

I picture her as a fairly new recruit but more than up to the challenge. I was imagining her as an infantryman and in her fire team she is usually is an automatic rifleman (but I can also easily see her as a Designated Marksman)

She is also fairly good looking (like an 8) but due to her large size and tomboyish nature most men would probably consider her a (4 or 5) She has green eyes and golden blonde hair. She is plagued by people thinking that she is a lesbian, and is happy to have a knockdown drag out fight with anyone who makes such an assertion.

http://www.divorcesaloon.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/army.jpg

Brother in Arms

[Brother in Arms]

Rafael Mondragon

Rafael is a fair skinned,physically fit Hispanic man age 40-45. He will be found wearing a black beret and sporting gold rimmed aviator glasses with green lenses. He may or may not be wearing a neatly trimmed mustache. But he will definitely have long black hair that may or may not be pullet back. depending on what appearance he wants to affect. He will be found wearing a mixture of military and civilian clothes. Such as a camouflage field jacket, black turtle neck shirt, blue denim jeans and cowboy boots. He has a assertive military demeanor with swagger of a gangster.

He speaks English carefully but with an easy going demeanor. He is a Mexican citizen though his mother was a Spaniard from the old country and from the county of Castille. As a result he speak perfect Spanish. His father was a prominent cattle rancher in Mexico and he is a proficient with a Lasso and on horseback. He always carries a browning high power pistol in tooled leather holster,and a large Bowie knife. Quite often he will also be carrying a large hand forged Machete. Or He may also be sporting a walking stick.

He may be encountered alone perhaps on horseback. But more commonly encountered on foot with his "Technical staff" or as he proudly calls them "Bandolero's". They may number as few as 4 or at times as many as 60 young men and boys. These are his obedient force of child soldiers. While none are much older than age 18 they are a formidable fighting force. They will all be found carrying a mixture of weapons and equipment but usually wearing chicom chest pouches holding spare magazines. When possible they will be found with AKM,SKS ,AR-15/M16, MINI-14, G3A3/G3A4 rifles. Occasionally they will be found with SMG type firearms such as the UZI, MAC-11 and possibly civilian shotguns of various types possibly cut down or sawed off. Some hunting rifles may also be in use. Side arms (hand guns) will only be found in the hands of "Teniente" but all bandelero's will carry a secondary weapons such as bayonets if available and more commonly machetes. Hand grenades and home made bombs will be issued when available. They commonly wear flannel shirt, sweaters,t shirts. Woven cowboy style hats are common, as well as military caps. Bandannas are ubiquitous. Camouflage of various patterns will also be found in use and anything for footwear. The young men are paid in the form of food and captured booty. They are often seen puffing large rustic cigarettes rolled from corn husks.
These boy soldiers are viciously loyal to Mondragon., they will give no quarter and will fight to the death. Most of these boys are ex-migrant workers or children of illegal aliens. Many only speak Spanish but some speak a mix or both English and Spanish (spanglish) though Rafael frowns upon it's use.

Rafael will offer his services as a general and his paramilitary security force to the PC's for protection or as advance scouts. He will fervently deny any ties with marauders, brigands, bandits or road agents. He will take umbridge to his chico's being called "Banditos" and act as if he is offended if compared to Pancho Villa. He will continue to assert that he his bandolero's are mercenaries for hire nothing more nothing less. Rafael will often have luxury items in possession (beer,wine,cigarettes,chocolate,toilet paper, wet wipes or hand sanitizer) and may offer them to the PC as gift of good faith.

Rafael is believed by some to be an ex CIA operative. Others claim he was trained by the SAS and used to infiltrate Basque separatist in Spain. Still some claim his involvement with Mexican cartels is in his past. He is a hard man to pin down but if hired he and his chico's will prove to be reliable guerrilla fighting force, irregula they are irregulars and they cannot perform all the duties of a professional soldier. And while their morale is excellent they cannot withstand heavy bombardments from artillery or tanks and retreat. Terrifying weapons like flame throwers, white phosphorus, poison gas and other weapons with serious shock value, may cause them to take to there heels. But when it comes to conventional fighting they are highly mobile and will push forward even if fighting in dense forest, or house to house fighting.

TWIST:
1. If PC's don't hire Mondragon and his bandoleros they make attack the party. But only if they are numerically superior.

2. PC's may encounter the Mondragon and his Bandoleros fighting for another entity (NPC)and have moral dilemma about child soldiers.

3. Mondragon and bandeleros may be caught committing atrocities either on enemy soldier, or civilians. Maybe something such as torture, rape, infanticide or even cannibalism.

4. Typically these child soldier give no quarter. Perhaps they will be required by the PC's for a prisoner grab. Or to help them redeem one of there party members who has been captured by the enemy. Or maybe Mondragon and his bandolero's have one of the PC's in there possession which is highly unusual and they have to negotiate with them for the PC's return.

[Brother in Arms]

The Bard

A young man with shaggy dirty blonde hair and thin goatee. A top his head on old green felt hat. And a blue and white checked shirt that is too large hangs from his bony shoulders . It is unbuttoned and a rust brown bandanna stained white with dried sweat flaps in the wind. He wears faded tight black jeans, with the red tops of old wool hiking socks pulled up over the cuffs and on his feet a battered pair of canvas sneakers. He like most refugees carries all his worldly goods in a old rucksack. But he is different, instead of a plastic jug full of yellow water, he carries a vintage guitar.

Despite his disheveled appearance he wears a grin upon his face and clutches his small silver tone parlor guitar as if it were made of gold.

If the PC's come within ear shot of him he will tell the PC's his name is David or Michael and that he plays all request. He will also try to engage them with stories, news or rumors. And will be be very hungry and willing to sing for his supper. He will also be on the bum and trying get a smoke or a nip, or anything the PC's might have.

He is an excellent performer and the PC's get some well deserved entertainment.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EISlkGi24jU/TWKcKfhRpMI/AAAAAAAAAlo/zQYnskedJNs/s1600/mississippi01_s9.jpg


Twist:

1.He will eat or drink three times as much as anyone would imagine. He can also consumer more booze,cigarettes, coffee, chocolate, Kool Aide ect. than anyone has ever seen. If the PC's carefully monitor there goods, he will not know songs, or forget how to play them mid way through.

2. He is totally gracious and easy going but when the PC's wake in the morning he is gone and so is a crucial piece of equipment that they absolutely need to continue the mission.

3. He is such a sensuous young lad and has the ability to swoon even the hardest female in the party. So much so that she may try to convince the party that he must come along, especially since he is unarmed and basically helpless!!

4. He is a totally cool guy as long as you let him play you a song, and spin you a yarn and pay him in kind. But if you brush him off, attempt to attack him or do anything to his guitar he immediately produces a live hand grenade and pulls the pin while in the middle of the group.

5. He may know a crucial piece of information that turns the tide for the PC'S! Or he may be totally wrong and send the PC's into a box canyon or worse a mine field.

[Brother in Arms]

Edward and Trevor

Edward
Is a stocky 50 year old man, with mid length salt and pepper hair a trucker mustache and steely blue eyes. He wears a tattered grey hooded sweat shirt,dirty brown canvas Carhartt work pants and a muddy pair of rubber wellington boots. He also wears a thick leather belt with holster and colt 1911 pistol. He has a hard looking face and his calloused hands are never far from his Springfield M1A rifle. He is a farmer and is trying to eek out a living for him and his son Trevor. They guard there land fiercely and are very suspicious of any passers by.

Trevor
A slender 19 year old, with freckled face and reddish hair. He perpetually wears a black baseball cap and a real tree hunting jacket. Tight worn blue jeans and a oil stained pair of timberland boots. He seems to always be grinning as if he has just been told a joke. His Colt AR-15 carbine hangs on his shoulder on a black nylon sling.

These two men have been hiding out on the family farm since the twilight war began and have been growing enough food to sustain themselves and put a little away for winter. They have encountered all manor of thieves, rip off artist, free booter's, refugees and marauders. So far they have been able to hold most of them off by keeping a careful eye on there farm and they are totally suspicious. If the PC's try to trespass on there land they will be greeted with accurately placed gunfire and booby traps.

[Wolf sword]

The Old Skill School
This is something that you can use as a seed to build a community around.
The Old Folk School is an artist school and trade school. they teach things like timber framing, gardening, boat building, cooking, gun-smithing (blackpowder era weapons)
here is a link to one such place here in Minnesota:
http://www.northhouse.org/
take a look at what they classes that they have to offer.

[Wolf sword]

The Dog-man of Downtown.

The dog man of downtown travels with a pack of wild dogs, say 8 to 18 of various breads. They all follow him as his is the alpha in is this pack, the pack hunts for him and he also scrounges up caned dog food for them (and him) from time to time. And keeps them healthy he was a vet tech before the war.

[rcaf_777]

Packs of Dogs

[Rainbow Six]

A couple I had on my PC...they're both intended for UK based campaigns, but might be of use for other areas with a bit of adaption. Note they were written to tie in with my Alternative Survivor's Guide to the UK, so whilst it doesn't really affect the Mercenary, the MI5 Officer does have are a few references to that work.

[.45cultist]

I'll bite, what's with the yoga pic amongst the dog ones?

[rcaf_777]

Pack of Downward Dogs

[.45cultist]

My laptop almost got some coffee on that one!:p

[Rainbow Six]

The Downed Aviator

Who He Claims To Be

The party encounter a solitary man. He is wearing an olive drab flight suit with rank and name badges that identify him as Flight Lieutenant (NATO Grade OF2) Mark Hastings of the British Royal Air Force. The Squadron badge on his right shoulder is that of 617 (Dambusters) Squadron. Flight Lieutenant Hastings appears to be around five feet eleven inches tall and in his early thirties, with short dark hair. Besides his flying gear – flight suit, survival vest, Mk4A flying helmet, etc, his only equipment is a 9mm automatic pistol carried in a holster that is part of his survival vest and a survival kit consistent with that carried by NATO aircrew, which all give the impression that he has recently bailed out of a stricken aircraft. He appears frightened. If questioned, He will say that he was a Tornado GR4 navigator who ejected when his aircraft was shot down several days ago whilst carrying out a photo reconnaissance mission. The party will know that such missions are extremely rare, but do still take place. Hastings will tell them that he has spent the period since he was shot down trying to survive off the land and evade capture and will seek to join the party and travel with them. He will say that he has no idea what happened to his pilot (the GR4 has a crew of two); he saw him eject but was unable to locate him after he landed. What he will not reveal, initially at least, is that as part of his survival kit he wears a money belt under his flight suit that contains twenty gold sovereign coins, each of which is worth approximately USD100 (Gold coins have traditionally been carried by British aircrew as part of their survival kit as a means of encouraging locals to offer assistance should they have to bail out).

Flight Lieutenant Mark Hastings is an experienced NPC
Weapon: L9A1 9mm pistol (Browning Hi Power)
Motivation: Heart Five (Moderately Sociable); Spade Six (Moderately Ambitious)
Key Skills: Navigation

Who He Might Be

Ivan Komarov was born in Moscow in 1970. Born to a Russian father who was a senior officer in the KGB and an East German mother who was the daughter of an East German Politburo member, the young Ivan was raised to be utterly loyal to the Communist Party and the Motherland. When he was twenty he was accepted into the KGB himself, and following his training he was assigned to the First Chief Directorate, the department of the KGB that specialised in foreign intelligence. Fluent in English and German, before the war he spent several years based at the Soviet Embassy in London, where he worked under diplomatic cover, and since early 1998 has been part of the KGB operation in Poland.

In early 2000 he was promoted to Major. Soon afterwards a senior officer of the KGB in Poland told him that the KGB needed to infiltrate a trained officer into NATO controlled territory to carry out a secret mission that was of critical importance to the Motherland. Komarov volunteered to take part in the operation. Shortly afterwards, Mark Hastings, an RAF Flight Lieutenant who had been captured by loyal Soviet troops after his Tornado jet was shot down in September 1999, was brought to the KGB’s Polish headquarters in Lublin. Hastings was questioned relentlessly for three months, during which he was exposed to arduous mental and physical abuses, much of which Komarov eagerly participated in. At the end of those three months, the KGB knew everything there was to know about the Englishman, from details of his family, friends, his military career, even the name of his first pet, and he was consigned to one of the cells deep underground KGB HQ, where he languished for several months until, his usefulness at an end, he was executed.

Shortly afterwards, Komarov, wearing Mark Hastings’s flight suit and carrying his personal effects (minus the gold coins, which were stolen by the unit that first captured Hastings after he bailed out), struck out on his own close to where the 5th Division was overrun. His orders are to try and link up with a group of 5th Division stragglers, convince them that he is Mark Hastings, and travel with them as they try to get back to the allied lines. He is carrying absolutely nothing that would mark him as a KGB officer but he has memorised a brief list of names of Soviet agents operating in NATO controlled territory and code phrases that will identify him to those agents. He also knows the location of several hidden KGB supply caches.

Major Komarov is utterly loyal, utterly ruthless, and utterly dedicated to the Rodina. He speaks flawless English with a Home Counties accent, and will have no absolutely no qualms about taking whatever steps are necessary to protect his mission and maintain his cover. Whilst he has memorised many details of Hastings' life, he bears little resemblance to the man he is impersonating (his ID card has been altered by KGB forgers) and would certainly not fool anyone who knew the real Flight Lieutenant Hastings, however he has gambled that the chances of meeting such a person are negligible.

The nature of Komarov's mission has been kept intentionally vague. Suggestions include:

• Locating a KGB supply cache somewhere in eastern Germany that contains a "suitcase" nuclear weapon, which he then has orders to detonate somewhere of strategic importance
• Making contact with a spy working at the top levels of US European command

Alternatively, a GM can of course incorporate something of their own choosing

Major Ivan Komarov is an Elite NPC
Weapon: L9A1 9mm pistol (Browning Hi Power)
Motivation: Spade Queen (Ruthless); Club King (Brutal)
Key Skills: Disguise; Language (English); Language (German); Small Arms (Pistol)

[Wolf sword]

Dave's Used car lot and repair center.

The PC find Dave and his crew fixing cars, trucks to sell or trade.
This includes up-armoring and turning trucks into guntrucks.
Dave will ofter to buy any and all vehicles from the PC's and any extra machine-guns or other weapons. If the PC's have an AFV or tank Dave and his crew might be up to try to steal it from the PC's if they look like they are not careful.