Non-player character

A non-player character (NPC) is a character in a role-playing game whose actions are determined by the gamemaster. Non-player characters populate the fictional world of the game - from the friendly innkeeper in a medieval fantasy game to a taxi driver or a netrunner (computer hacker) in a contemporary or futuristic game. Non-player characters (NPCs) might be allies, bystanders or competitors to the player characters (PCs).

NPCs vary greatly in importance - the aforementioned innkeeper may be seen once by the characters, but their arch-nemesis that comes back time and again to foil their plans for an entire campaign is also an NPC - just one with a lot more time and effort put into him by the gamemaster. Technically, every inhabitant of the game's world except the PCs are NPCs, but very few are given any detail by the gamemaster (GM). In fact, most of the minor ones are invented on the spot as needed - doing this well is in fact one of the hallmarks of a good GM.

There is debate about how much work a gamemaster should put into a more important NPC regarding game statistics - some people prefer to have every NPC completely defined, with stats, skills, and gear, while others define only what's necessary and fill in the blanks as they go along. This is often the approach with gamemasters who GM "on the fly".

There is also some discussion as to just how important fully fleshed-out NPCs are in any given RPG, but it's general consensus that the more "real" an NPC feels, the more fun players will have interacting with him or her in character. Gamemasters should remember that just as a player character has hopes, dreams, and goals, so does every NPC, and ignoring such elements tends to lead to 'cardboard-cutout'-personalities (i.e. boring and over-simplified).

In some games or gaming groups, a player may temporarily take control of an NPC. This can happen for a number of reasons, but most commonly occurs when the player character they control will not be able to act for some time (for example, because they are injured or in another location). Although these characters are still designed and normally controlled by the gamemaster, when a player is given the opportunity to temporarily control these non-player characters it gives them another perspective on the plot of the game. Some systems, such as Nobilis, encourage this in their rules.

In the Champions game (and related games using the Hero System), a character may have a DNPC, or "dependent non-player character". This is a character controlled by the GM, but for which the player character is responsible in some way, and who may be put in harm's way by the PC's choices. Spider-Man's Aunt May would be a good example of a DNPC, if Spider-Man were a Champions character.

The term non-player character is also used in computer role-playing games to describe entities not under the direct control of players. Nearly always the connotation is that an NPC is allied with, or at least neutral toward, the player, rather than being an enemy. Other times the term NPC is used to denote a game character with relatively sophisticated AI code, no matter whether he or she is friendly or not.

The term 'NPC' can also be used as a l337 insult for someone who seems not to have a mind of their own. For example: ' 1 w1ll r0x0r j0 npc a55, f00l!