Part of: D&D Campaigns

Downtime NPCs & Services

Npcs

Downtime NPCs & Services

A collection of memorable NPCs who provide services, information, and entertainment during downtime between adventures. These characters help bring the world to life and give players opportunities for character development, shopping, training, and side activities.

DM Note: Not all NPCs need to appear in every session. Introduce them organically when players seek specific services or during downtime montages.

Table of Contents

  1. Shops & Merchants
  2. Trainers & Teachers
  3. Information & Services
  4. Taverns & Entertainment
  5. Crafters & Artisans
  6. Neutral & Mysterious Figures

Shops & Merchants

“Grimbly’s Guaranteed Goods” - General Store

Grimbly Cogsworth (male gnome, age 127)

  • Relation: Petra Cogsworth’s great-uncle
  • Appearance: Tiny gnome with a magnificent white beard that’s braided with small mechanical widgets. Always wearing a jeweler’s loupe on a chain. Has oil stains on everything.
  • Personality: Cheerful hoarder, claims to have “one of everything,” forgets where he put things, loves to tinker, gives discounts to HamoTech allies
  • Voice/Mannerisms: Speaks quickly, frequently distracted by shiny objects, makes little “hmm” and “aha!” sounds while searching

What He Sells:

  • Standard adventuring gear (PHB equipment lists)
  • Random useful items: rope, rations, tools, clothes
  • “Gnomish Special Items” (common magic items like Everburning Torch, basic potions)
  • Will trade for interesting mechanical parts or stories

Services:

  • Identification: Can identify common/uncommon magic items (50gp, takes 1 hour)
  • Appraisal: Values treasures and art objects (10% of item value)
  • Special Orders: Can acquire specific items given 1 week and 10% markup

Roleplaying Tips:

  • Have him search through cluttered shelves, pulling out random items: “Not that… not that… AHA! No wait, that’s a shoe.”
  • He knows Petra as a child and has embarrassing stories
  • Occasionally gives players weird items for free: “I have NO idea what this does but you look like you could figure it out!”

Adventure Hooks:

  • Lost a valuable shipment (side quest)
  • Found a strange device he can’t identify (mystery hook)
  • Being pressured by Felix Five agents to sell them components (moral choice)

“The Sharpened Edge” - Weapons & Armor

Kara Ironforge (female dwarf, age 89)

  • Appearance: Muscular, 4'2", scarred arms from forge work, keeps her black hair in a practical braid, always wears her smithing apron
  • Personality: No-nonsense, respects quality craftsmanship, dislikes haggling, appreciates warriors who maintain their equipment
  • Voice/Mannerisms: Gruff, speaks in short sentences, inspects weapons critically, often grunts instead of talking

What She Sells:

  • Masterwork weapons (cosmetic upgrades, no mechanical benefit, but cool descriptions)
  • Standard armor and weapons (PHB lists)
  • Weapon maintenance supplies
  • Occasionally has +1 weapons in stock (expensive: 500-1000gp)
  • Custom weapon modifications (cosmetic: engravings, balanced handles, etc.)

Services:

  • Repairs: Fixes damaged equipment (10% of original cost)
  • Customization: Adds personal touches to weapons (50gp, makes them unique)
  • Training: Can train characters in smith’s tools proficiency (250gp, 10 days downtime)
  • Commissions: Will craft custom weapons/armor (takes 2 weeks, costs materials + 100gp labor)

Roleplaying Tips:

  • She doesn’t smile much but shows approval through nods and grunts
  • Will discount prices for characters who show respect for their weapons
  • Absolutely roasts people who mistreat equipment: “You did WHAT to this blade? Shame on you.”
  • Has a soft spot for honest warriors and frontline fighters

Adventure Hooks:

  • Rare metal needed for special commission (dungeon crawl)
  • Her apprentice is missing (rescue mission)
  • Suspects Felix Five is buying weapons in bulk (investigation)

“Curiosities & Wonders” - Magic Item Shop

Mx. Whisper (non-binary changeling, apparent age varies)

  • Appearance: Changes appearance daily - sometimes elderly elf, sometimes young tiefling, sometimes halfling merchant. Always wears the same purple velvet coat with dozens of pockets. Eyes always the same: one green, one gold.
  • Personality: Mysterious, dramatic, knows more than they let on, loves theatricality, never gives straight answers
  • Voice/Mannerisms: Speaks in riddles and metaphors, gestures theatrically, prices items based on “what they’re worth to you”

What They Sell:

  • Uncommon magic items (DM’s choice, rotating stock)
  • Spell scrolls (levels 1-3)
  • Potions (healing, climbing, water breathing, etc.)
  • “Mystery boxes” (50gp, contains random useful item)
  • Information (if you know how to ask)

Services:

  • Identification: Identifies any magic item, free of charge (but asks cryptic questions in return)
  • Consignment: Will sell players’ magic items (takes 20% commission)
  • Rumors: Knows everything happening in town (price varies: information for information, or gold)

Pricing System (makes shopping interesting):

  • Prices aren’t listed - players must negotiate
  • Mx. Whisper assesses what the item is “worth” to that character
  • Players who roleplay well get better prices
  • Willing to trade for favors, secrets, or interesting stories instead of gold

Roleplaying Tips:

  • Never break character - always mysterious and cryptic
  • “That item? Oh, it has a history. Would you like to know? It will cost you…”
  • Change appearance between visits - players should recognize the coat and eyes
  • Occasionally gives free items if players entertain them with good stories

Adventure Hooks:

  • Asks players to retrieve specific item from dangerous location
  • Hints at Felix Five movements (for a price)
  • Once sold an item to Felix Five agent, feels guilty, wants players to steal it back

DM Note: Mx. Whisper can serve as a mysterious quest giver and source of cryptic foreshadowing.

“The Alchemical Alley” - Potions & Components

Silas Brewbane (male tiefling, age 34)

  • Appearance: Red skin, small horns, constantly stained with colorful potion residue, wears thick protective goggles, often has minor burns or acid marks
  • Personality: Enthusiastic, slightly unhinged, treats alchemy like extreme cooking, taste-tests his own potions (bad idea)
  • Voice/Mannerisms: Excited rambling, uses cooking metaphors, occasionally hiccups colored smoke

What He Sells:

  • All standard potions (healing, antitoxin, etc.) at 90% normal price
  • Alchemical supplies (acid flasks, alchemist’s fire, etc.)
  • Rare spell components
  • “Experimental brews” (random effects, cheaper but risky)

Services:

  • Custom Potions: Can brew specific potions if given recipe and 3 days (cost: materials + 25gp)
  • Potion Identification: Tastes unknown potions to identify them (free, but dangerous for him)
  • Alchemy Training: Teaches alchemist’s supplies proficiency (200gp, 10 days)

Special Feature - Experimental Brews: Random potions at half price, but roll on a table for effects:

  1. Works perfectly!
  2. Works but tastes horrible (Con save or vomit)
  3. Works but changes your hair color for 24 hours
  4. Works twice as well!
  5. Doesn’t work, but you hiccup bubbles for an hour
  6. Roll twice, both effects happen

Roleplaying Tips:

  • Always in the middle of brewing something
  • Offers players tastes of new experiments
  • Gets very excited about rare ingredients: “Is that OWLBEAR feather?! DO YOU KNOW WHAT I CAN MAKE WITH THAT?!”
  • Occasionally his shop has minor explosions (he’s fine, just singed)

Adventure Hooks:

  • Needs rare ingredient from dangerous creature
  • One of his potions caused unexpected side effect in customer (fix it)
  • Felix Five tried to recruit him, he refused, now they’re harassing him

Trainers & Teachers

Master Thornwick - Weapons & Combat Training

Thornwick “Thorn” Ashwood (male half-elf, age 156)

  • Appearance: Silver hair in a ponytail, numerous scars, lean and muscular, moves with practiced grace, always carries a wooden training sword
  • Personality: Stern but fair, values discipline and respect, secretly proud of all students, believes everyone can improve
  • Voice/Mannerisms: Speaks like a drill sergeant, corrects posture constantly, demonstrates techniques flawlessly

Services:

  • Weapon Training: Teaches proficiency in one weapon (250gp, 10 days of rigorous training)
  • Combat Practice: Advantage on next session’s attack rolls (25gp, 1 day of training)
  • Sparring Partner: Will spar with players to help them practice (free, but he doesn’t hold back much)

Training Descriptions (for roleplay):

  • Day 1-3: Basics, stances, grip, footwork
  • Day 4-6: Forms, repeated movements until muscle memory
  • Day 7-9: Sparring, practical application
  • Day 10: Final test (player must land hit on Thornwick in fair duel)

Roleplaying Tips:

  • Gruff exterior, kind heart
  • Yells a lot during training but smiles when students aren’t looking
  • Has high standards: “AGAIN! Your footwork is sloppy!”
  • Rewards effort, not just success

Adventure Hooks:

  • Former student turned criminal, needs to be stopped
  • Holds tournament (side quest: prove yourself)
  • Asks players to escort him to retrieve legendary weapon for his school

Professor Elara Moonwhisper - Magic & Languages

Elara Moonwhisper (female high elf, age 342)

  • Appearance: Tall, elegant, silver robes embroidered with constellations, wears reading glasses on a chain, always has at least 3 books floating around her with Mage Hand
  • Personality: Patient teacher, loves learning, gets excited about obscure knowledge, absent-minded about everything except magic
  • Voice/Mannerisms: Speaks precisely, pauses mid-sentence to check books, uses gestures when explaining concepts

Services:

  • Language Instruction: Teaches new language (100gp, 10 days, player learns to speak/read one language)
  • Spell Research: Helps spellcasters learn new spells (50gp per spell level, provides research materials)
  • Translation: Translates documents or ancient texts (25gp per page)
  • Magical Consultation: Explains magical phenomena (50gp, valuable for plot hooks)

Special Service - Arcane Library Access:

  • For 25gp/week, players can access her extensive library
  • Allows Intelligence (Investigation or Arcana) checks to research topics
  • DC 10: Common knowledge
  • DC 15: Uncommon lore
  • DC 20: Rare secrets

Roleplaying Tips:

  • Gets distracted mid-conversation by interesting tangents
  • “Oh! Speaking of fire magic, did you know that the theoretical maximum temperature of a fireball is—oh, what were we discussing?”
  • Offers tea that changes flavor with her mood
  • Genuinely delighted when players ask questions

Adventure Hooks:

  • Rare book stolen (library heist investigation)
  • Student discovered dangerous spell, needs intervention
  • Researching HamoTech/Felix Five history, can provide background lore

“Fingers” McGee - Thieves’ Tools & Stealth

Finnian “Fingers” McGee (male halfling, age 28)

  • Appearance: 3'2", nimble, always in dark clothes with many hidden pockets, has exceptionally long fingers (hence nickname)
  • Personality: Cheerful rogue, reformed thief, now helps city guard with security, loves teaching tricks, playfully competitive
  • Voice/Mannerisms: Winks constantly, demonstrates pickpocketing by stealing players’ coin purses (returns them), uses thieves’ cant casually

Services:

  • Thieves’ Tools Training: Proficiency in thieves’ tools (200gp, 10 days)
  • Stealth Coaching: Advantage on Stealth checks next session (25gp, 1 day practice)
  • Lock Analysis: Studies locks and provides insights on how to pick them (10gp)
  • Security Consultation: Helps players secure their belongings (50gp, installs hidden compartments, traps, etc.)

Training Style:

  • Teaches by doing - students must pick increasingly difficult locks
  • Final exam: Steal an item from him without getting caught (he’s perceptive!)
  • Makes it fun with games and challenges

Roleplaying Tips:

  • Constantly demonstrates skills - picks locks while talking, palms objects, etc.
  • “See, the trick is not to force it. Feel the pins. They want to open. You just have to ask nicely.”
  • Has connections in both legal and illegal circles
  • Won’t teach anyone he suspects will use skills for evil

Adventure Hooks:

  • Former partner planning heist, wants players to stop them
  • Asks players to test security of important building
  • Information broker for thieves’ guild (neutral ground)

Information & Services

“The Owl’s Perch” - Information Broker

Madame Corvina (female kenku, age unknown)

  • Appearance: Black feathers, always wears a purple shawl, collects shiny objects, has a huge network of trained ravens and crows
  • Personality: Knows everything, sells information to highest bidder (within ethical limits), loyal to no one, fascinated by secrets
  • Voice/Mannerisms: Mimics voices she’s heard perfectly, sometimes responds in voice of person being discussed, caws when amused

Services:

  • Rumors & Gossip: General town information (10gp)
  • Specific Intelligence: Information about person, place, or organization (50-200gp depending on rarity)
  • Surveillance: Sends crows to watch a location or person (100gp/day)
  • Message Delivery: Sends secure messages anywhere crows can fly (25gp)

Information Quality:

  • Always accurate - her reputation depends on it
  • Won’t sell information that would cause mass harm
  • Charges more for time-sensitive or dangerous information
  • Might trade information for information

Roleplaying Tips:

  • Speaks by mimicking others: “As the mayor said yesterday” [perfect mayor voice] “‘The city is safe.’” [caws] “But is it?”
  • Her shop is filled with crows - they’re always watching and listening
  • Knows about Felix Five activities but won’t share for cheap
  • Sometimes gives free hints if she likes the players

Adventure Hooks:

  • Her crow network spotted Felix Five activity
  • Someone is hunting her crows (investigation needed)
  • Offers high-paying job: find specific secret

DM Note: Madame Corvina is great for dispensing clues when players are stuck. She knows things but they must pay or trade.

The Tinker’s Wagon - Repair & Maintenance

Old Rusty (warforged, age 127)

  • Appearance: Ancient warforged covered in rust and patches, missing one eye (replaced with a glowing lens), creaks when moving, surprisingly spry
  • Personality: Grumpy but skilled, complains constantly while doing excellent work, soft spot for constructs and machines
  • Voice/Mannerisms: Mechanical voice with grinding sound, says “Back in my day…” frequently, pats machinery affectionately

Services:

  • Equipment Repair: Fixes anything mechanical (20% of original cost, 1 day)
  • Armor Maintenance: Advantage on AC for next session - armor is perfectly fitted (10gp)
  • Construct Care: Heals/repairs construct companions (like Bolt the mechanical dog)
  • Modifications: Adds minor cosmetic or functional improvements (50gp+)

Special Service - Emergency Repairs:

  • Can quickly patch equipment mid-adventure if called upon
  • Charges double but shows up wherever needed
  • “Fine! I’ll come help. But you owe me!”

Roleplaying Tips:

  • Grumbles about “kids these days” not maintaining equipment
  • Actually deeply knowledgeable about HamoTech and Felix Five tech
  • Shows emotion through mechanical sounds (grinding = annoyed, whirring = pleased)
  • Has been around long enough to remember the early days of artifice

Adventure Hooks:

  • Knows something about ancient constructs or forgotten technology
  • Felix Five tried to scrap him, now he hates them
  • Asks players to find rare parts for his own repairs

Taverns & Entertainment

“The Copper Gear” - Tavern & Inn

Barnaby & Beatrice Copperkettle (married dwarves, ages 134 & 128)

  • Appearance: Round, cheerful couple; Barnaby has a magnificent red beard with copper rings, Beatrice wears a copper necklace and apron
  • Personality: Welcoming, love gossip, treat regulars like family, Barnaby cooks, Beatrice tends bar
  • Voice/Mannerisms: Finish each other’s sentences, laugh heartily, know everyone’s business

Services:

  • Lodging: 5sp common room, 2gp private room, 5gp suite
  • Meals: 5cp simple, 3sp hearty, 1gp feast
  • Drinks: Barnaby brews his own beer (various flavors)
  • Message Board: Community hub - job postings, notices, wanted posters

Special Features:

  • Gossip Central: Staying here grants advantage on Investigation checks to gather information in town
  • Safe Haven: Players can store items here safely
  • Mail Service: Messages left here will reach players eventually
  • Discounts for Regulars: After 3 visits, prices drop 20%

Atmosphere:

  • Always has NPCs the players can interact with
  • Live music some nights (local bards)
  • Arm wrestling competitions, dice games, storytelling
  • Beatrice knows EVERYONE and loves playing matchmaker

Roleplaying Tips:

  • Barnaby: “We’ve got a wonderful stew—”
  • Beatrice: “—made with his famous copper ale—”
  • Barnaby: “—and fresh bread from this morning!”
  • Both: “You’ll love it!”

Adventure Hooks:

  • Overhear plot-relevant conversations
  • Meet quest givers here
  • Customers have problems that need solving
  • Someone’s causing trouble (bar fight side quest)

The Grand Marquee - Theater & Entertainment

Madame Ophelia Starbright (female human, age 52)

  • Appearance: Flamboyant, colorful dresses, dramatic makeup, always “on stage” even off stage, speaks with theatrical gestures
  • Personality: Larger than life, loves drama (on and off stage), generous, believes art can change the world
  • Voice/Mannerisms: Projects her voice, gestures dramatically, everything is “magnificent” or “dreadful” (no in-between)

Services:

  • Entertainment: Plays, concerts, performances (1gp admission)
  • Performance Training: Teaches Performance or Deception proficiency (150gp, 10 days)
  • Disguise Kits: Sells and teaches disguise kit proficiency (100gp for kit, 200gp for training)
  • Hiring: Players can hire performers for events or distractions

Special Service - “The Stage is Yours”:

  • For 50gp, players can use the theater for an event
  • Great for setting traps, meeting contacts, or putting on a show
  • Ophelia loves helping with elaborate plans

Roleplaying Tips:

  • Everything is theatrical: “My DEAR! How WONDERFUL to see you! You simply MUST tell me about your ADVENTURES!”
  • Recruits players to be extras in performances
  • Gives acting advice: “More emotion, darling! You’re facing death, not indigestion!”
  • Knows all the dramatic gossip in town

Adventure Hooks:

  • A cursed play needs investigation
  • Rival theater is actually a Felix Five front (espionage!)
  • Needs protection from someone threatening her performers

Crafters & Artisans

“Needles & Thread” - Tailor & Magical Clothing

Seraphina Silkweave (female tiefling, age 45)

  • Appearance: Purple skin, elegant curved horns decorated with thread spools, always impeccably dressed, measuring tape around her neck
  • Personality: Perfectionist, artistic, believes everyone deserves to look their best, kind but exacting standards
  • Voice/Mannerisms: Circles players while talking, eyes them like canvases, makes “hmm” sounds while assessing

Services:

  • Custom Clothing: Anything from peasant garb to ball gowns (10gp-100gp)
  • Armor Padding: Gives armor +1 to AC against one damage type for one day (25gp)
  • Magical Alterations: Adds minor magical effects to clothes (glows, changes color, resists stains) (50gp)
  • Disguises: Creates convincing outfits for impersonation (30gp)
  • Repairs: Fixes and cleans all clothing and fabric items (5gp)

Special Items:

  • Cloak of Many Fashions (common magic item): Changes appearance at will (100gp)
  • Glamourweave Outfit: Gives advantage on Charisma checks in social situations (150gp)

Roleplaying Tips:

  • Takes measurements while talking: “Turn around please, darling”
  • Horrified by poorly dressed people: “You’ve been adventuring in THAT? Oh, you poor dear.”
  • Excited about rare fabrics: “Is this spider silk? Exquisite!”
  • Gives fashion advice whether asked or not

Adventure Hooks:

  • Commissioned to make outfit for noble, needs rare material
  • Accidentally created magical outfit with unexpected properties
  • Felix Five agents want her to create uniforms

“The Enchanted Quill” - Scribe & Cartographer

Quinlan Brightpage (male gnome, age 98)

  • Appearance: Tiny gnome with ink-stained fingers, wears magnifying spectacles, always has at least 5 quills in his pockets
  • Personality: Detail-oriented, loves maps and documents, easily excited by new discoveries, pedantic about accuracy
  • Voice/Mannerisms: Speaks precisely, corrects grammar, draws while talking, has ink stains everywhere

Services:

  • Map Making: Creates maps of areas players describe (25gp)
  • Map Copying: Duplicates existing maps (10gp)
  • Document Forgery: Creates convincing false documents (50gp, morally gray)
  • Translation: Translates written documents (15gp per page)
  • Spell Scroll Copying: Copies spell scrolls for wizards (half spell scroll cost)

Special Service - Magical Maps:

  • Living Map (uncommon): Updates as area changes (200gp)
  • Guiding Map (rare): Points toward specific location (500gp)

Roleplaying Tips:

  • Gets distracted by inaccurate maps: “This scale is all wrong!”
  • Asks players detailed questions about geography
  • Excited by unexplored areas: “You found a HIDDEN valley? Describe it! Every detail!”
  • Has maps of everywhere, including HamoTech and rumored Felix Five locations

Adventure Hooks:

  • Ancient map leads to treasure (dungeon crawl)
  • Hired to map dangerous area
  • Discovered map showing Felix Five bases, needs protection

Neutral & Mysterious Figures

The Wandering Merchant

“Lucky” Lorenzo (male halfling, age ?)

  • Appearance: Changes his clothes to match local fashion, always has a cart pulled by a mechanical horse, wears many good luck charms
  • Personality: Friendly, mysteriously shows up exactly when needed, knows more than he should, never in danger
  • Voice/Mannerisms: Whistles while he works, says “What a coincidence!” a lot (it’s never a coincidence)

Services:

  • Random Inventory: Has whatever random item players need (within reason)
  • Magical Oddities: Sells one uncommon magic item per visit (random, changes each time)
  • Information: Shares rumors from his travels
  • Quest Items: Sometimes has the exact item needed for a quest (convenient!)

The Mystery:

  • No one knows where he comes from
  • He appears in impossible locations
  • His mechanical horse never needs maintenance
  • He seems to know about events before they happen
  • Never ages, has been around for decades

Roleplaying Tips:

  • “Well isn’t this lucky! I just happen to have exactly what you need!”
  • Never explains how he knows things
  • Disappears when players look away
  • Might secretly be working with HamoTech, or independently, or have his own agenda

DM Note: Lucky Lorenzo is your deus ex machina merchant. Use him sparingly when players desperately need something, but keep him mysterious.

The Construct Whisperer

Echo (warforged?, gender unknown, age unknown)

  • Appearance: Ancient-looking construct covered in moss and flowering vines, speaks in layered voices (multiple tones at once), glowing runes pulse on their body
  • Personality: Serene, speaks in riddles, deeply connected to all constructs, seems to exist partially in another plane
  • Voice/Mannerisms: Multiple voices speaking in harmony, long pauses between words, touches constructs gently

Services:

  • Construct Healing: Fully heals/repairs any construct (50gp or a memory)
  • Awakening: Can awaken non-sentient constructs (very expensive: 1000gp, permanent)
  • Construct Communication: Translates what constructs “feel” or “remember” (25gp)
  • Prophecy: Answers one yes/no question about the future (100gp, answer is cryptic)

The Mystery:

  • Claims to be “the first” but won’t elaborate
  • Knows the history of every construct
  • Can appear anywhere constructs exist
  • Seems sad about Felix Five’s treatment of constructs
  • HamoTech respects but doesn’t fully understand Echo

Roleplaying Tips:

  • Speaks very slowly: “We… remember… when the first gears… turned…”
  • Refers to self as “we”
  • Knows things about constructs players encounter: “Ah… Subject Seven… we feel your pain…”
  • Never hostile, but unnerving

Adventure Hooks:

  • Asks players to free tortured constructs
  • Provides cryptic warnings about Felix Five plans
  • Knows location of ancient construct ruins

DM Note: Echo is your mysterious sage for construct-related lore and can provide heavy plot hints in cryptic form.

Using These NPCs

Tips for Junior DMs:

1. Introduction Pacing:

  • Don’t introduce all NPCs at once
  • Bring them in when players need their services
  • Let players ask “Is there a smith in town?” then introduce Kara

2. Making Them Memorable:

  • Give each NPC one distinctive trait (Grimbly’s searching, Ophelia’s drama)
  • Use consistent voices/mannerisms
  • Have NPCs remember previous interactions with players

3. Building Relationships:

  • Give discounts to players who befriend NPCs
  • Have NPCs ask players for help occasionally
  • Create rivalries or friendships between NPCs

4. Integration with Main Plot:

  • NPCs can provide hints about HamoTech/Felix Five
  • Some might be targeted by Felix Five
  • Others might have connections to The Five

5. Downtime Scenes: Example: “You have three days before Petra contacts you with your next lead. What do you do?”

  • Shopping montages
  • Training sequences
  • Information gathering
  • Building relationships
  • Side quests from NPCs

Quick Reference Chart

Need NPC Location
General supplies Grimbly General Store
Weapons/Armor Kara The Sharpened Edge
Magic items Mx. Whisper Curiosities & Wonders
Potions Silas Alchemical Alley
Combat training Thornwick Training Grounds
Magic training Elara Moonwhisper Academy
Thief skills Fingers The Shadows (discrete location)
Information Madame Corvina The Owl’s Perch
Repairs Old Rusty Tinker’s Wagon
Lodging Barnaby & Beatrice The Copper Gear
Entertainment Ophelia Grand Marquee
Clothing Seraphina Needles & Thread
Maps/Documents Quinlan The Enchanted Quill
Random needs Lucky Lorenzo Wherever he appears
Construct help Echo Mysterious locations

NPC Interaction Example

Example Downtime Scene:

DM: “You arrive back in town after the events at Cogsworth. You have 5 days before Petra needs you again. What would you like to do?”

Player 1: “I want to upgrade my sword!”

DM: “You head to The Sharpened Edge. Kara looks up from her anvil, grunts in acknowledgment. ‘Blade still in one piece?’ she asks.”

Player 1: “Barely! Can you make it better?”

DM: “She takes your sword, examines it critically. ‘Hmph. Seen worse. Seen better. What are you thinking?’”

Player 2: “While they do that, I want to learn more about Felix Five.”

DM: “You head to The Owl’s Perch. Madame Corvina is feeding her crows when you enter. She mimics your voice: ‘I want to learn more about Felix Five.’ Then in her own caw: ‘Information has a price, friend.’”

This creates engaging roleplay moments during downtime while advancing character development and gathering resources for the next adventure.

End of Downtime NPCs Guide

Feel free to add your own NPCs, modify these, or create rivals/family members for existing NPCs to further enrich your world!

← All Resources Campaign Home