Another addition in the creating a NPC. I like to take races that are usually outside the players realm and put them into a community to see how they react and others would react. Pog Nog is a goblin who has earned his stay. He uses his skills to help others and expects very little in return. Pog Nog is sort of a town mascot, but with a dark secret. He will try to direct people to see the evil that is coming without saying it out load. He is more afraid to speak of the evil more than the evil itself. So without further ado....herrreeeeee's Pog Nog!
When you
have a need for something, but just can’t seem to find it anywhere Pog Nog is
the goblin to see. His cart is full of
unusual and useful things. Pog Nog has a
knack for having what you need and having what you need before even you know
it. His prices are minimal, a few
coppers will do or Pog Nog will trade one item for another. Next time you’re looking for a do-hickey,
thing-a-ma-jig or a whatchmacallit, save some time and look for Pog Nog’s Cart.
There
is a 75% chance that Pog-Nog will have a mundane item the players will
need. There is also 25% chance of him
having something the players will need in the future. If he has an item the players will need he
will offer a trade.
Pog-Nog (street
vendor: goblin, male, 4’6”, 60lbs, gray tuffs of hair, sparse gray beard, brown
eyes)
Pog-Nog is a skinny, good-natured goblin. He has a gift for having what people
need. He is an excellent scrounger with
extremely good luck. He finds his items
sifting through garbage, walking in the forest, anywhere he goes he finds
something useful. His cart is organized
into different piles of categories only he understands. To most it looks like a pile of random
things. Pog-Nog knows exactly what is in
his cart and where it is.
The town’s people are protective of him and the guard
will not tolerate others harassing him.
Pog-Nog enjoys humans, but believes they are silly for living here. He knows of the great evil that dwells near
by and hopes he can help when the time comes.
He doesn’t know what the evil is or what it will do just that it is
there.
When Pog-Nog was younger he belonged to a cult of
goblins who specialized in prophecy.
Their group discovered a great evil was reawakening. They tried to warn the goblins, but the
goblin lord would hear none of it. He
declared the group of seers as traitors and had them hunted. Pog-Nog was one of three that escaped. He hid amongst the humans. He survived by scrounging through what the
humans threw away.
One night he had a dream about him pulling a cart helping
others as an evil attacked. The next
morning he built the cart from scraps he found and his business was born. He will not mention the evil because he
doesn’t want to be chased from here and if the goblins won’t listen to a goblin
then why would humans listen to a goblin.
He is content with being helpful and hopes he will be prepared for when
the evil comes.
Adventure Hooks
The holey
ruby.
Pog-Nog
recovered a coin-sized ruby and gives it to one of the players during an
exchange. He doesn’t want any money for
it. He will just say that it is needed
for later, but can’t explain for what.
On closer inspection the ruby has a small hole through the middle of
it. It is from the necklace of a baroness. There will be a reward announced by town
criers. Should the players return the
necklace to the baroness she will reward the players and because they have
shown their honor by returning the ruby she will ask them to find her son. Her son has been missing since he left for to
explore the Harrower Caves.
From the
past comes the future.
While
Pog-Nog is searching through his cart for another customer an ornate buckler
falls to the ground in front of a character.
The buckler is dinged and has the faded coat of arms of the player’s
family on it. Pog-Nog will inform the
player he found it near a bad place in the woods. The bad place used to be a manor house, but
is now infested with undead. If
researched the player will find the manor belonged to his great uncle who
disappeared years ago.
When the
wheel breaks.
Pog-Nog
is desperately trying to fix a broken wheel on his cart, but doesn’t have the
strength to lift it. He will ask the
players to help. He is in a hurry to
deliver a package to a friend. They
players can help repair the wheel or offer to deliver the package. The package is a leafy plant. His friend, a healer, needs the plant to
finish a salve to cure the children in the nearby village. The children have a rotting skin disease and
will suffer greatly. If the salve is not
delivered within a day any hope for the children will be lost.
Ever see a
goblin in a headlock?
Pog-Nog
and another goblin are brawling in the middle of the street. Pog-Nog tells the people trying to help him
to leave him alone. The other goblin
will announce to everyone why Pog-Nog is a traitor, how his group of prophets
made up stories of great evil to remove the goblin lord from power. This will send Pog-Nog into a rage. His secret is out. If questioned about the evil he will tell the
players that the evil has many births and one will be within the nearby
Harrower Caves.
Brilliant, love these NPCs, great ability to do this.
ReplyDeleteExcellent! Very useful, thanks for this ;)
ReplyDeleteVery cool, i think Pog Nog will be showing up in my game this weekend.
ReplyDeleteLurker > Glad you like them. They are a lot of fun to write up.
ReplyDeleteFlea > You are welcome.
Jackson > Pog Nog is a great NPC. Players usually tend to take to him quickly.