These five NPC stat blocks are versatile enough that they often come in handy, no matter what you might need.
One of the secrets to staying a flexible enough DM to react to whatever ideas the party might have is knowing how to take an idea and translate it quickly into game mechanic terms. It works on many levels; you might call for a skill check or a straight-up ability score check, or maybe you can tweak the way a spell works.
So it goes with NPCs. Sometimes, you weren’t planning for the party to pick a fight with that NPC, but now they have. And you’re trying to figure out what they’d be like. A lot of DMs might think of whether or not they have class levels, but one thing you can do is come up with a little cluster of stat blocks that you can use for general purposes (and tweak to your liking). NPC stat blocks that are surprisingly versatile. Stat blocks like these…
Cultist
One of the most versatile NPC stat blocks is the cultist family of stat blocks. You can find anything from a low-level to a high-level entry, and while yes, technically they’re cultists, these stat blocks also do a good job of representing anyone who gets a little bit of magical power from somewhere without being a full on mage or priest or what have you.
Especially if you tweak their spell lists and/or damage types to better fit what you need them for. Cultists are great foes and also a good way to run an ally that can aid the party when you need one in a pinch.
Pirate
Another stat block that I think has more flexibility than people might think is the Pirate. While it only has two entries, Pirate and Pirate Captain, either of the stat blocks is a good way to shake up the “well what does this random NPC have to do?” A pirate is surprisingly versatile, able to fight with a dagger, as well as with enthralling panache, an ability that just temporarily grants the charmed condition.
While a Pirate Captain has a few more tricks up the proverbial sleeve, these NPC stat blocks are great whenever you need some folks that are kind of good at fighting, but also have big personalities. They’re also a great way to be a slightly more combat-ready noble, for if you need someone to be a Duke that fights the party or whatever. I like it slightly better than the actual Noble stat block.
Guard
Every DM is going to need a guard at some point. Whether someone is calling the guards on the players, or the players are recruiting the guards for help. But even people that aren’t official guards can often do well as just a regular guard. The stat block is very straightforward. If you need soldiers, goons, volunteers to step out from the crowd to help the PCs, the guard and guard captain stat blocks often fit the bill with very little tweaking needed.
Berserker
Berserkers are exactly what you want when you think that someone should basically be a Barbarian. But they’re also great any time you just need to show that an NPC is tough as nails. I have used a Berserker stat block as an ad-hoc blacksmith (who knew how to fight) when the PCs needed a hand defending their village.
Or if you want a somewhat more drawn out fight with local tough guy, then berserker fits the “oh actually he’s got hands” as opposed to the Tough stat block, which is for when the PCs need to look cool by knocking out the local toughs.
Performer
Finally the Performer stat block. Don’t sleep on this one. Much like Bards, Performers are a surprisingly versatile stat block. Sure, they can be performers who are basically like NPC Bards, but you can also use them as scheming viziers who use supernatural powers to get what they want. Or you could use them as dedicated illusionists, as a stat block for a trickster of some kind. You can do a lot with their blend of Charisma and spellcasting.
What are some of your go-to stat blocks/ideas whenever you need a random NPC to have stats?
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Source: Bell of Lost Souls
