Stock NPCs

"GUARDSMEN KILLED IN FIREBALL ACCIDENT! When a squad of the city guard sought to contain a group of goblins that had infiltrated the Cordall Hill district yesterday, two members - F. Randall (21) and G. Portman (29) were caught in the blast radius of a fireball spell cast by one N. Turner (23), a sorceror and self-described adventurer. Both were killed instantly. Portman leaves behind a wife and two daughters. Turner's comments to a journalist on the scene before he was hauled away by the authorities were: 'Well, I'm sorry for them, but they should have gotten out of the way when I shouted 'Duck!', shouldn't they?'...
[...] As it is standard procedure at such occasions, Turner's possessions - including several magic items, as well as the furniture and other items found at his apartment - will be sold off at an emergency auction in two days to raise the money required for a raise dead for one or both the guardsmen. If the money raised proves insufficient (5000 gold pieces per person), the funds will go to the Widows and Orphans Fund of the Dartmouth City Watch..."
- Dartmouth Enquirer, 23rd of Avern 1422


Since most of the adventures in Urbis will take place in cities, most encounters the PCs will have will involve humans and other player character races as opposed to more traditional monsters. However, since NPCs come in a vast array of different classes, levels, and abilities, making up NPC stats can be a time-consuming task. For this reason, this section provides a number of "generic" NPCs that can be inserted as written in a large variety of encounters. While these stat blocks will work as they are in most occasions, DMs are encouraged to individualize these stats to fit their needs.

Law Enforcement

City Guard

Members of the city guard are the law enforcement personnel ordinary people are likely to meet. They can be found patrolling most neighbourhoods and keeping the peace as much as they are able to. Their pay is low and they are often underappreciated by the general public, which means that many are not averse to a little bribe to overlook minor crimes, though they will usually draw the line at grievous assault, murder, or arson.

Most are reluctant to risk their lives, and they are reluctant to attack anyone who wears good armour (chain shirt and above) and wields medium-sized or larger weapons unless they clearly outnumber their opponents. The same goes for anyone who openly displays magical powers. In these cases, they prefer to stay in cover, use their crossbows, and use their bells to call for backup, although the younger and more impressionable recruits might attempt something heroic.

However, they should not be underestimated - many have patrolled their district for years, and are thus likely to know it far better than the PCs. Many veterans know a multitude of dirty tricks that they will use without hesitation to get the advantage in any fight


Constable
This guardsman hasn't been in this job for long. As a result, he is inexperienced in fights and likely to either run away or heroically charge his opponents. He is also often naive in the ways of the city and appropriate behaviour - if in doubt, he will try to do things "by the book", though he often forgets parts of the rules in the excitement. Usually, his superiors make sure he is never out on the streets without at least one more experienced guardsman accompanying him.



Experienced Constable

This guardsman has been in this job for long enough that he is not considered a "rookie" any more - usually for more than a year. He has learned enough to be cautious and has a good idea what to do in any ordinary situation. Many guardsmen never rise above this rank, but muster out and search for a safer or better-paying job.



Corporal

This guardsman has quickly proven that he is better than average guard material, and been promoted accordingly. He is still brash and eager to prove his worth, however, which might lead him to make mistakes which a more experienced guardsman might have avoided.



Experienced Corporal

This corporal has become comfortable with both his job as a guard and in commanding his subordinates. He is unlikely to make any major mistakes in combat. It is likely that he will either be promoted to the rank of sergeant, leave this job for a more lucrative one, or die in the line of duty.



Veteran Corporal

These are "career guardsmen" who were promoted to the rank of corporal more out of seniority than any special merit, and are now stuck there, either because of a lack of intelligence, ambition, or other personal failings (such as alcoholism or a tendency to take bribes). Still, they can be a valuable resource to those who can get on their good side, since they have a lot of knowledge of their guard district.



Sergeant

Sergeants command large numbers of guards, and are the highest rank an ordinary guardsman can hope to be promoted to without rising to the status of officers. They make sure the men are in shape, that morale are high, that everyone behaves as he should, and generally keep a guardhouse running other than doing the paperwork (that's what officers are for). While they can be rough on new recruits, they demand more of their corporals, and are generally the most respected superiors among the rank and file.



Senior Sergeant

Those sergeants who don't get promoted to officer status, either because they refuse to (usually because officers have to spend more time with the city bureaucracy and paperwork than actual law enforcement) or because they cannot (many cities require that officers start out young at dedicated cadet schools, or even require them to be of noble birth) still wield considerable power, and are spoken of in awe by the recruits. While senior sergeants might not be exceptionally intelligent, they make up for this by being exceptionally wily. They often know every trick in the book (and added a few of their own) and know anyone who is anyone in the local district. They know how to tell their superiors what they want to hear, and in a way so that they will do what they want them to do without anyone realizing it. A party of low-level adventurers that crosses a senior sergeant had better lie very low, have friends in high places, or move to friendlier places fast, since he will likely see through any ruses they will try to throw in his way.



Guard Mage
Talent for the arcane arts is rare, and thus most wizards can get safe, well-paid jobs easily. Working for the Guard, on the other hand, exposes a wizard to danger frequently, the working hours are long, and the pay is a pittance when compared to other jobs. So, what wizards would willingly work for the Guard?
More than would be expected. While experienced wizards will not bother with such work, guard work is seen as a good "stepping stone" for better jobs and looks good on the resume. It shows that the wizard is willing in a large organization and doesn't shy away from dangerous work, and having worked for the government at some point is very useful for someone with aspirations for a political office. However, the fact remains that this kind of work is unpleasant and underpaid, and thus most wizards don't stay beyond the mandatory minimum term of service (usually two years).
Most Guard Mages have recently graduated from a university or apprenticeship, and their inexperience shows. Many are either brash and eager to prove their abilities, or shirk away from any situation that might put them into danger. In any case, most are naive about the world outside of their former school in general and guard work in particular. As a result, most regular guards are deeply suspicious of them and make jokes about them behind their backs. While Guard Mages usually start with the rank of corporal (and the standard pay for that rank), their superiors generally mind them not to "give orders to real coppers", and have little sympathy for any complaints they might have. Even if a guard mage manages not to alienate the rest of the unit and learns enough to be a real asset to the other guards, his term of service usually ends just as the other guards start to appreciate him. Thus, most guards learn not to rely on mages.

Special Branches

Sometimes, the city faces problems that are so big that the regular city guard is unable to deal with them - powerful monsters, rampaging wizards, and other beings that would simply kill any ordinary guardsman who would try to deal with them.
For this reason, most cities have special units of elite guards who deal with these threats. Sometimes they are considered part of the city guard, and sometimes they are part of the military forces, but in all cases they are extremely skilled professionals who are given some of the best equipment the city has to offer. And with good reason - the rulers of a city derive their mandate in part that they can maintain peace and the rule of law, and if powerful monsters and individuals were to go unchallenged, the credibility of the city authorities would quickly vanish. The morale in these units is generally high - not only are they well paid (compared to ordinary city guard members or soldiers), but they also know that if they die in the line of duty, most cities will pay to raise them from the dead. This is not altruism - skilled and loyal people like them are hard to find, train, and replace. Still, someone who dies too often because of his own mistakes - or worse, causes the death of others - quickly finds himself demoted out of the unit. As a result, fatalities tend to be few in all but the greatest emergencies. The actual name of these units varies from city to city, but they are commonly referred to as the "Special Branches".

Special Investigative Branch

These are the hidden observers, the secret police, the eyes that look everywhere for threats to the city. They prefer to deal with threats to the city quietly, before the population at large even knows they exist. They are among the most varied guard units, as they have to improvise a lot and deal with a large number of different situations. As a result, the most successful of these units have members with vastly different skills, experiences, and motivations, so that each member can bring his or her own unique perspective to the problems the unit faces.

Special Tactical Branch

The local Special Tactical Branch is called into action when some problem breaks out into the open. Their mission is to stop the threat as fast as possible, with minimum damage to innocent bystanders and the property of citizens. They constantly train to act and think as a unit, and their superior tactics often enables them to take down foes who are individually much more powerful than they are.

Lineman

The rank and file of the Special Tactical Branch, the job of the linemen is to both the secure the area surrounding the threat and to pin down foes with their overwhelming numbers and their reach weapons. If they encounter an especially dangerous foe, enough linemen will use the Aid Another action to defend their comrades or to make their enemy easier to hit (which is often followed up with a trip attack). They are trained to act in concert to such a degree that they have little problem in bringing down all but the most powerful opponents.
Linemen are usually deployed in squads of ten men. These will be split up into two half-squads of five linemen each if the situation requires.

Open Gaming License

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