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Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Starfinder RPG

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Gamemastering / Creating NPCs

Example: Kiramor, the Forest Shadow

Source PRPG Core Rulebook pg. 454
Looking over your notes for the evening's game, you discover that you need a mysterious forest character for the PCs to interact with on their way to town. If things go poorly, they might have to f ight him. Since your party consists of 4th-level characters, you decide to make this forest guardian an elven ranger 4/rogue 2. You want him to be skilled at f ighting with ranged weapons, but you also want him to be competent with a rapier. Taking this into account, you use the heroic ability scores for a ranged NPC found on Table 14–6. Since he is an elf, you apply the racial modifiers to Dexterity, Constitution, and Intelligence. Since he is 6th level, you put his bonus attribute point gained at 4th level into his Dexterity, raising it up to 18. Moving on to skills, you see that rangers receive fewer skill selections than rogues, so you start by selecting skills for the ranger. You add two for his Intelligence modifier for a total of eight skills at six ranks each. After selecting these eight skills, you move on to the rogue skills. The difference between the ranger and the rogue is two, meaning that you can select two more skills, with two ranks in each. After selecting his skills, you move on to his feats. Starting with his class feats, you select Rapid Shot as his ranger combat style feat. In addition, the forest guardian receives three additional feats for his class levels. Since you want him to be skilled at archery, most of these feats come from the ranged list, including Deadly Aim and Point Blank Shot. To ensure that he is good with a rapier, you spend his final feat selection on Weapon Finesse. Next you note all of his class and racial features, making whatever selections are necessary, such as favored enemy, favored terrain, hunter's bond, and rogue talents. Moving on to gear, you assign gear using the line for a 6th-level heroic NPC, giving him a +1 longbow, a masterwork rapier, +1 studded leather armor, a potion of invisibility, a potion of cure moderate wounds, and a pack full of nonmagic gear. Although he has a bit more gp in weapons than the chart allows, he has spent a bit less in armor, roughly balancing him out. With your task nearly completed, you add all of his statistics and details, naming him Kiramor. Your forest shadow is then ready to face off against the PCs.

Kiramor, The Forest Shadow

Male elf ranger 4/rogue 2
N Medium humanoid (elf)
Init +4 (+6 in forests); Senses low-light vision; Perception +11 (+13 in forests)

Defense

AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +4 Dex)
hp 39 (4d10+2d8+6)
Fort +6, Ref +12, Will +2; +2 against enchantment
Defensive Abilities evasion; Immune sleep

Offense

Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk rapier +10 (1d6+1/18-20)
Ranged +1 longbow +10 (1d8+1/x3)
Ranged +1 longbow +8+8 (1d8+1/x3)
Special Attacks favored enemy (humanoid [orc]), favored terrain (forest), rogue talents (bleeding attack), sneak attack (1d6)

Statistics

Str 13, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 8
Base Atk +5; CMB +6; CMD 20
Feats Deadly Aim, Endurance, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +13, Climb +10, Escape Artist +9, Heal +9, Knowledge (geography) +11, Knowledge (nature) +11, Perception +11 (+13 in forests), Stealth +13, Survival +9 (+11 following tracks), Swim +6
Languages Common, Elven, Orc, Sylvan
SQ nature bond (wolf ), track, trapfinding +1
Combat Gear potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of
invisibility; Other Gear +1 longbow with 40 arrows, mwk
rapier, +1 studded leather armor, gear and coins worth 200 gp