About

Generating a believable NPC on the fly is harder than it looks. A random name paired with a random class produces incoherent characters that break immersion. The real challenge is trait coherence: a dwarven blacksmith should not speak like an elven diplomat, and a street urchin rogue should not carry plate armor. This generator solves that problem by using weighted probability tables where each selected trait constrains subsequent selections. Race influences name syllable pools. Class influences equipment loadout and skill proficiency. Background drives motivation and personality vectors. The result is a character that reads as designed, not dice-rolled. Seed any generation with a string to reproduce the exact same NPC across sessions. Note: this tool approximates fantasy archetypes common to systems like D&D 5e and Pathfinder. Homebrew settings may require manual adjustment of cultural assumptions.

Formulas

NPC generation uses a weighted coherence pipeline rather than uniform randomness. Each trait selection narrows subsequent probability distributions.

P(trait_n) = w_base ⋅ w_coherencek∑i=1 w_i

Where w_base is the default weight for a trait in the global pool, and w_coherence is a multiplier derived from previously selected traits (e.g., selecting "Dwarf" multiplies the weight of "Fighter" by 2.0 and "Wizard" by 0.5). The denominator normalizes across all k candidates.

Name generation uses syllable concatenation:

name = concat(prefix[race], middle[rand], suffix[gender])

The seeded PRNG uses xorshift128 initialized from a string hash, ensuring seed(s) → deterministic output for reproducibility across sessions.

Reference Data

Race	Typical Lifespan	Common Classes	Name Style	Stat Tendency
Human	70 - 90 years	Any	Varied cultural	Balanced
Elf	700 - 900 years	Wizard, Ranger, Bard	Flowing vowels	DEX, INT
Dwarf	300 - 400 years	Fighter, Cleric, Artificer	Hard consonants	CON, STR
Halfling	150 - 200 years	Rogue, Bard, Ranger	Warm, short	DEX, CHA
Gnome	350 - 500 years	Wizard, Artificer, Bard	Playful, multi-syllable	INT, DEX
Half-Orc	60 - 80 years	Barbarian, Fighter, Ranger	Guttural, strong	STR, CON
Half-Elf	150 - 200 years	Bard, Warlock, Paladin	Blended human/elf	CHA, DEX
Tiefling	70 - 100 years	Warlock, Sorcerer, Rogue	Infernal or virtue names	CHA, INT
Dragonborn	60 - 80 years	Paladin, Fighter, Sorcerer	Clan + personal	STR, CHA
Goliath	70 - 90 years	Barbarian, Fighter, Druid	Deed names	STR, CON
Tabaxi	70 - 90 years	Monk, Rogue, Ranger	Descriptive phrases	DEX, CHA
Firbolg	400 - 500 years	Druid, Cleric, Ranger	Nature-based	WIS, STR
Kenku	50 - 60 years	Rogue, Monk, Warlock	Sound-based mimicry	DEX, WIS
Aasimar	150 - 200 years	Paladin, Cleric, Sorcerer	Celestial + human	CHA, WIS
Lizardfolk	50 - 60 years	Druid, Barbarian, Ranger	Sibilant, reptilian	CON, WIS
Tortle	350 - 400 years	Monk, Cleric, Druid	Simple, earthy	STR, WIS
Changeling	70 - 100 years	Rogue, Bard, Warlock	Adopted names	CHA, DEX
Warforged	Indefinite	Fighter, Artificer, Paladin	Designation codes	CON, STR

Frequently Asked Questions

Each trait category (race, class, background) carries weight modifiers for subsequent categories. When you select or randomly roll a Dwarf, the internal coherence table multiplies Fighter/Cleric weights by 2.0× and reduces Wizard/Sorcerer weights to 0.5×. Equipment tables are then filtered by class. This cascade means a randomly generated Dwarf is statistically more likely to carry a warhammer than a spellbook, matching genre expectations without being deterministic.

Yes. Enter an identical seed string in the seed field. The generator uses a xorshift128 PRNG initialized from a 32-bit hash of your seed string. Given the same seed, every random selection in the pipeline produces identical results. Share the seed with your co-GM to synchronize NPC details without transferring data.

Coherence weights bias probabilities but never zero them out. A Halfling Barbarian has reduced probability (~0.3× weight) but is not impossible. This is intentional. Unusual combinations often produce the most memorable NPCs. If you want strict adherence to common archetypes, use the preset buttons which lock certain parameters.

The generator does not roll exact ability scores (those are system-specific). Instead, it assigns qualitative descriptors (e.g., "notably strong", 'average intelligence') based on the intersection of race stat tendencies and class primary abilities. A Dwarf Fighter gets "exceptionally tough, strong" because both race (CON) and class (STR) reinforce those stats.

The core output (name, personality, backstory, motivation, quirks, appearance) is system-agnostic. Equipment and class references lean toward D&D 5e conventions. For Pathfinder, the classes map almost 1:1. For narrative systems like FATE, ignore the class/equipment fields and focus on personality, motivation, and quirks as Aspect candidates.

With 18 races, 14 classes, 16 backgrounds, 40+ personality traits, 30+ motivations, 50+ quirks, 40+ appearance details, and ~200+ name fragments per race, the combinatorial space exceeds 10 billion unique NPCs before considering backstory sentence variations. Repetition within a single campaign is statistically negligible.