Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 JPS42 Dec 16, 2014 13:26:32	Come Sunday night it was time for a session, and I decided to give my innkeeper an Australian accent. There wasn't very much in the way of historical explanation considering that he had lived in the city from birth, but it actually worked out quite well and the NPC really came alive for the players. This was despite the fact that my emulation often slipped into southern.   What are some other things to do that would enliven NPCs, besides enumerating their quirks according to the DMG?
#2 cowleymen Dec 16, 2014 14:39:58	phrases that stick out, idoims and euphemism that your players will remember. Prewrite some of the things they could say, words they could use alot. Accents and doing things with your hands really works well.
#3 iserith Dec 16, 2014 15:12:53	Give them a name or nickname that says something about themselves, bordering on silliness if you like that sort of thing. (I do.)
#4 Rhenny Dec 16, 2014 15:16:58	Speak directly to specific pcs.
#5 BRJN Dec 17, 2014 20:28:59	- It is a cliche but: the head house servant speaks in a British 'butler accent'. - Use a little kid voice if the NPC is a little kid. - Southern belle drawl (like in Gone with the Wind) - extreme drawl: "Awl mah axes livv in Taxes." - urban accent (this can get stereotyped and not-funny fast though) - farmer is full of common sense and rule-of-thumb, but not a lot of education - I'm told that Midwesterners have a noticable regional accent, but I can't hear it myself. - Snob upper class wannabee uses The Queen's English, pronunciation and grammar and all  - Benedict Arnold's contact in the British Army was caught because so few NY farmers spoke English with a City of London accent - Folks from County X all exclaim 'I'll be!" when startled but across the river in County Y they say "Do tell!" in the same circumstance - Like Gollum, refers to himself in the third person and/or as a plural.  Should be a singular NPC with plot significance.
#6 DM_HEEGZ Dec 17, 2014 20:35:16	I also develop habits for them. Twitches, fidgets, expressions, etc. They may talk a certain way, gesture with items (sword, pen, wand) and so on. I'll also describe their eyes, how they look at people, tussled hair, unkempt beard, etc. I also sometimes elaborate on clothing and items and the condition of the NPC's shop or house or horses and dogs. Accents work sometimes but I'm terrible at them. It is easier for me to roleplay different styles of grammar, speech, and particularly vocab usage and mispronunciations. Finally, I have hundreds of Pathfinder Pawns and so I will often times pick one of them for a major NPC who is not a shopkeeper or some minor dude.
#7 Greenstone.Walker Jan 07, 2015 5:55:58	I use AngryDM's suggestion of the "Four Ps". Personality, Posture, Pause Indicator, Pfidgets. Well, I hate the word "pfidgets" so I use "mannerism".   It doesn't take much time to come up with these. You can note these on a 3x5 index card or in a computer document (i use OneNote).    For example, here what I record about NPCs (froma  Dragon Age RPG campaign).   Haran Mullin, Innkeeper
#8 sleypy Jan 07, 2015 17:50:58	There was an ogre in one of the Encounter Seasons that I gave a really breath voice, but would say "Bacon" in a slightly higher octive as a term of endearment.