4.1 Types of Non Player Characters
This section isn't about the different roles of non player characters so much, as the level of detail necessary for those different levels of non-player characters. This isn't level in the sense of experience levels, but rather the level of detail the GM should devote to these types of non-player characters.

4.11 Quick Roll NPC Generation

Sex
01-50 Male
51-00 Female

Age
01-17 Child (1D6+3 for age)
18-40 Pre-Teen (1D6+6 for age)
41-65 Teenager (1D6+12 for age)
66-85 Young Adult (2D6+18 for age)
86-95 Middle Aged Adult (3D6+30 for age)
96-00 Senior Citizen (4D6+51 for age)

General Appearance
01-05 African, Roll on sub-table:
01-80 Congoid: The peoples of West Africa generally have deeply pigmented skin, hair, and eyes; coarse, tightly curled hair; broad noses; prominent front teeth; and thick lips. In southern Africa, many people are short and not very dark-skinned. No one is actually black, and among the dark-skinned peoples of Africa, both regional and individual differences can be found. Congoid Negroes are the largest population group in Africa. Their physical characteristics vary from region to region, but in general they are dark skinned and have little body hair.
81-95 Capoid: In southern Africa remnants, often mixed, survive of the San (Bushman) hunters and gatherers; these people are short and not very dark. 20th-century Capoids consist mainly of the San people, also called the Bushmen, and the Khoikhoin. Both live in southern Africa. The San live mainly in Botswana, Namibia, and northwestern South Africa. The Khoikhoin inhabit the Cape Province of South Africa and Namibia. There are also two smaller Capoid tribes in Tanzania--the Hadza and the Sandawe.
96-00 Pygmy: The Mbuti or Bambuti are the shortest population both in Africa and in the world. The Pygmies average 5 feet (150 centimeters) in height. Most of them live in the Congo River basin.
06-80 East Asian, constitute the largest human racial group (nearly three fourths of the world's population). include Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Philippines, Indonesians, Malayans, and Thais. East Asians have straight, black hair and generally a wide, flat face with such features as sparse beard and mustache and a fold of skin (epicanthic fold) that covers at least the inner corner of the eye and gives it an almond-shaped appearance. Most East Asians share these features, but the peoples of Southeast Asia are generally smaller, darker, and more slender than those farther north. Most East Asians share these features and certain characteristics of the teeth, but the peoples of Southeast Asia are generally smaller, darker, and more slender than those farther north. In fact, people of South China tend to resemble other Southeast Asians more than they do North Chinese. Also, it is not always possible to distinguish Chinese people from Koreans and Japanese on the basis of physical characteristics.
81-85 European, European peoples range in skin color from dark to pale and in hair color from black to blond, but they are generally lighter in pigment than any other peoples of the world. Generally stature is greatest in northern Europe, and hair color is darkest in the southern parts of Europe.
86-90 Indian, The people of the Indian subcontinent fit most closely with those of Europe and the Mediterranean basin, but many of them are dark-skinned and also distinct in other ways.
91-92 American Indian, almost always have straight, black hair and large faces. Native Americans differ in various parts of the Americas, and they differ also from East Asians in generally having more prominent noses and eyes that lack the epicanthic fold. The Native Americans and the Inuit and Aleut people of the northern coasts almost always have the same straight, black hair and large faces, and some of the dental characteristics of East Asians. The Aleuts and Inuit are much like East Asians in some respects, but they tend to have narrow noses and other features not found in East Asians.
93-94 Australian, The aborigines of Australia are another dark-skinned group not closely related to the peoples of Africa.
95-96 Melanesian, The Melanesians are a dark-skinned people with rugged facial features.
97-98 Micronesian, Micronesians are somewhat lighter-skinned than Melanesians.
99-00 Polynesian, Polynesians differ physically from island to island, though they are usually taller, stockier, and have lighter skin than Micronesians.

4.12 Faceless Characters are the NPCs agents encounter that often have little bearing on the plot of the adventure. With the exception of minions, most of the NPCs are nothing more than backdrops to the game. A single sentence description of these NPCs more than suffices to cover their details. Typically this sentence lists a basic description including sex, general height and weight, clothing worn, notable features such as hair style, scars, piercings, tattoos, race, skin color and occasionally general personality. If you want to make players suspicious of these NPCs, throw in a few more lines of description, since the expanded description may attract the PCs' notice, (falsely) indicating that they are more fleshed out NPCs which are more important to the adventure.

4.13 Victim Characters are step up from the Faceless Characters in that they might get killed or wounded during the game. In addition to a single descriptive sentence about the victim, HP and SDC, at much lower than average levels should be listed. Perhaps another sentence on how they will react during the adventure (or even a quick, short statement) could be used to further flesh them out. In stress-centered situations such as robberies or sidewalk shootouts, these non-player characters behave erratically (except for those in authority, like bank presidents or police). By generating a reaction table and rolling for each observer, their reaction can be determined. Horror/Awe Factor rolls can be used for determining how the NPC reacts, as well as Charm/Impress and Trust/Intimidate. For both D20 and percentile rolls of this type, rolling over the target number results in the NPC acting aggressively, rolling below the target number results in the NPC running for cover or staying put. Some types of NPCs (notably those developed as Minor Characters, Major Characters, and Full Blown Characters) will react more in line with their own personalities than Faceless or Victim Characters and should have their reactions modified to reflect such. Minor Characters should have a bonus to their rolls, typically a low to medium bonus which determines if they fight or flee. Major Characters will have either a high bonus or will only roll for their reactions in more complex situations, such as taking a certain amount of damage. The GM should always determine the reaction of Full Blown NPCs based on their personalities rather than random rolls.

Victim Attributes of Note

	Infant	Toddler	Child	Preteen	Teen	Adult	Senior
S.D.C.	2	4	6	8	10	12	8
H.P.	3	5	7	7	7	10	10

4.14 Minor Characters are in the middle range of NPCs. These will be NPCs that the player characters may interact with on more than one occasion, yet don't play a major role in the game or campaign. To give Minor Characters more variety while keeping down the effort in their development, I recommend updgrading the one or two sentences of a Faceless Character to three essential sentences. These sentences used to describe the NPC provide a starting point for developing a set of essential data containing what the essential elements to allow PCs to deal with and remember the NPC. Just because I typically use three sentences does not necessarily mean each NPC is described in exactly three sentences. For the sake of the English language and clarity, sometimes more than one sentence is used for a given point.
1. Occupation & history
The first sentence serves as the introduction to the NPC, describing his occupation and giving a brief history of the character. A brief historical note can give the NPC more depth and indicate skills and knowledge that are not readily apparent to the PCs. Also of note is the possibility that the NPC has knowledge useful to the PCs.
2. Physical description
The second sentence is a brief physical description of the NPC. With the exception of Personality traits, this is identical to the single sentence used for Faceless NPCs. The only possible exception would be the addition of a distinguishing feature or trait that makes this NPC easier to remember by PCs.
3. Personality
Personality should cover how they interact with others, values, motivations, quirks, likes, dislikes, habits, secrets, moral, ethical, economic, political, and religious beliefs, and how strongly he is biased toward those beliefs. Rolling on a Disposition table (any of Palladium's, my own composite, or one from another game system) covers the basic aspect of the character's personality and should be the first sentence. Other sentences should cover quirks and unique traits, beliefs, secrets, and other important personal information.

Minor Character Attributes of Note
DESCRIPTION
Occupation:
Typical Alignment:
Typical Attributes: I.Q.: #D#+# (AVG#), M.E.: #D#+# (AVG#), M.A.: #D#+# (AVG#), P.S.: #D#+# (AVG#), P.P.: #D#+# (AVG#), P.E.: #D#+# (AVG#), P.B.: #D#+# (AVG#), Spd: #D#+# (AVG#). (The average number is used to represent the average attribute of these NPCs and is most useful in converting monsters with randomly determined attributes and the random roll NPCs provided in various books to have a baseline attribute for GMs who need quick NPC attributes. I recommend taking the various NPCs and monsters with such attributes and penciling in or noting somewhere the average attributes by using the average numbers plus any modifiers to determine their base attributes. For example, 2D6 averages as 7, 3D6 averages as 10.5 (10 or 11), 4D6 averages as 14, etc. Remember, the average roll of 1D4 is 2.5 and the average roll of 1D6 is 3.5...keep these useful numbers handy or memorized if you want to quickly determine attributes, hit points, S.D.C. or other factors involved in random rolls where an average will suit you as well as rolling.)
Average Age: xx-xx Sex: Varies. Height: Varies. Weight: Varies.
Average Experience Level: Most Minor Characters are levels 1D4+2. Generally, one experience level for every two years on the job.
Hit Points: xx S.D.C.: xx
Combat Training:
Average Number of Attacks:
Bonuses:
Other Combat Info:
Notable Skills: (Typically languages known, occupational skills, weapon proficiencies, physical skills, and piloting skills.)
Special Abilities: (If any, if none, this section can be removed)
Money:
Weapons:
Vehicles and Other Equipment:
Typical Behavior:

4.15 Major Characters are almost fully designed NPCs that the characters will either interact with quite a bit or play major roles in the campaign or game. Their attributes are identical to that of Minor Characters, except they typically don't have average attributes, and they should have their full list of skills listed. The average experience level of Major Characters is often much higher than that of Minor Characters, typically 1D4+4 or 1D6+4.
In general, when designing the background, personality, and appearance of your Major Characters, you should be able to summarize the cognizant points in three paragraphs. Not surprisingly, these paragraphs are called background, personality, and appearance. Each paragraph should be from three to seven sentences long.
Background
In the background paragraph the country of origin (including any ethnic 'sub-class'), family information, and rough history of growing up should be covered. Major points of a NPC's history includes countries lived in, education taken (usually a who or where question), major disruptions, and any significant recognition of the NPC's actions that occurred. The Background paragraph has one important factor that gauges it's length...the NPC's age. Most NPCs start their career as young adults (ages 20-30). However, some are play younger (typically teen-aged) or older (middle aged adults or even senior citizens). If the NPC a younger person, they will have less of a background, hence a shorter Background paragraph. Older NPCs will have a longer background, after all, they've been around longer. Also of note in this paragraph is it provides some hint as to what useful information the NPC will have that the PCs can possibly find out about.
Personality
This should cover quirks, likes, dislikes, habits, secrets, moral, ethical, economic, political, and religious beliefs, and how strongly he is biased toward those beliefs. Rolling on a Disposition table (any of Palladium's, my own composite, or one from another game system) covers the basic aspect of the NPC's personality and should be the first sentence. Values & motivations are used to help the GM decide how the NPC will react to conversation, questions, and deals with the PCs, howevery the PCs must discover what these values and motivations are for themselves through observing how the NPC talks and acts in order to exploit or manipulate the NPC. Also of note is how the NPC interacts with others, be it loud and obnoxious or condescending and rude. Other sentences should cover quirks and unique traits, beliefs, secrets, and other important personal information. This paragraph will typically be the shortest one the character has.
Appearance
Covering the remaining questions; what does the NPC look like, does the NPC have any distinguishing features, what does the NPC typically wear or have with him (note, this shouldn't be a full equipment list, just the most notable equipment such as clothing and large items that would be recognizable). I typically arrange such paragraphs so that they are easily managed and provide a distinct impression of the NPC. The first sentence concerns the overall physical appearance and consists of height, weight appearance or 'build' (as opposed to specific weight), skin color/race, hair color and style, distinguishing facial hair and eye color. Sometimes this sentence is divided, covering the first few items in one sentence and the others in the next sentence. Other factors could be distinguishing features such as scars, piercings, tattoos, etc. After the physical description, I cover the usual clothing and dress. This includes the general type of clothing worn (especially amount of clothing worn) from head to toe, with the colors of the clothing mentioned. The cut or style of the clothing may also be mentioned if it is distinctive. Clothing accessories and other accouterments may also be described. The last sentence I use typically concerns commonly seen weapons and other equipment that other characters would typically see (even if they only see it in use). For espionage characters (and any other type of character which typically uses disguises, covers, aliases, etc.) a useful tool is to write an Appearance paragraph for each disguise/cover/alias. While many of the details would remain the same (it is often difficult to change some of the basic physical traits), there is a wide latitude in what can be changed, thus you could have a character with two or more entirely different Appearance paragraphs.

4.16 Full Blown Characters are NPCs developed to the same level that player characters are developed. Their complete details should be listed. When determining the experience level of these PCs, I recommend having them high enough to actually provide the PCs with a challenge.

4.2 Game Mechanics of Using Non Player Characters
Creating tons of different types of NPCs for different games is often time consuming. However, there are methods of creating NPCs quickly and efficiently for use in games.
The key to using non-player characters is to organize them. While many GMs advocate writing down the stats of NPCs on 3" x 5" cards, and filing them in order to keep everything organized and quickly accessible. There are two problems with this method. First off, you've got to get 3x5 cards and a place to put them. Second, while 3x5 cards can hold quite a bit of information (especially if the back is also used), more fully developed NPCs can often take up much more room than a 3x5 card will hold. If the 3x5 card method does work for you, go with it, however, I prefer notebooks or three ring binders to store my NPCs. While you still have to purchase them, you typically don't have to worry about keeping them together in one spot, since they hold all your information together in one spot. Organization of notebooks and three ring binders can be accomplished fairly simply through a variety of means. Another advantage of notebooks and binders is that it allows you room enough to make an NPC as fully developed as you want. If the NPC's description takes more than one page, move onto the next (yes, I know you can use multiple 3x5 cards, but let's face it, you're looking at paper clips, staples, or some other fastener to keep them together and an 8.5"x11" sheet of paper will hold a lot more information than a 3x5 card).
On the downside however, using a notebook or binder means that NPCs needing little detail will waste more space than writing down the short descriptions and/or stats on 3x5 cards. Of course you could always put more than one of these types of NPCs on the same page, but that can cause disorganization by making it harder to find the specific description of a minor NPC on a page with a dozen others. Whatever method you use however, make sure it's organized to suit you and easy to reference.
Sure, you think, all that's nice and stuff, but how does it help me cut down on the time it takes to create NPCs? The answer is simple, by keeping your NPCs organized in an easily referenced central grouping, you can reuse those NPCs over and over for different games. Also, as time goes by and you run more and more games, you tend to collect more and more NPCs, making it even easier to find some useful quick NPC notes available for another game. Of course, organizing and reusing your NPCs isn't the only method of creating NPCs quickly. Jotting down only important notes about NPCs, rather than going into full blown descriptions and stats is the easiest and most logical method of cutting down on the time required to make NPCs. Seriously, the players aren't going to care about little details like the secondary skills available to that guard they're about to shoot, or the flight attendant that's serving their in-flight meal, so neither should you. On the other hand, if that flight attendant is really a terrorist planning to hijack the plane, then more detail and depth may be warranted.

4.3 GM Handling of Non Player Characters
Non-player characters are useful to most GMs, because through NPCs the GMs can have a little role-playing fun in their adventure, too. NPCs fill missions with life; it is nearly impossible to create an exciting adventure without human contact. Wherever agents travel, they should encounter NPCs: good, bad, and selfish.
Those non-player characters important to the mission should be carefully constructed. You can progress agents further into a mission by having them follow up on certain personalities of the NPC. Agents can investigate local hangouts of that NPC or take advantage of an NPC's secret bad habits through blackmail or threats. If an NPC must be followed around, let him be predictable in his normal activities. This creates realism in that NPC and reassures that the agents are doing the proper actions.
Of course, the greatest temptation for the GM is to allow the NPCs to act upon knowledge that they would have no way of knowing. The GM has to put himself in an NPC's place, and ask what he would know and do in a particular situation, limiting your responses to what can be allowed based on the NPC's statistics. One frustrating hazard the GM faces is when some of his prize NPCs are wandering into a brilliantly planned trap, courtesy of the players, and there is no way NPCs could know anything about it. You have to sit there and let it happen.
Give the NPCs a three-dimensional quality. An enemy agent may be fond of classical music, or a professional thief may have a personal distaste for killing and thus not carry a gun.
Not every confrontation with an enemy agent need be fatal. Nothing injects a little color more than a healthy rivalry with someone who can be a challenge. This lends continuity to the campaign. The players get a sense of accomplishment in foiling and outwitting an archenemy. Perhaps the rivalry will ultimately end with one side or the other dead, but at least both can be satisfied that each gave a good account of themselves, and the victory will have been well-earned.
With such a well-crafted NPC, the GM can design a variety of scenarios to pull the players into the mission. In short, make your NPCs human. The PCs will be less prone to kill if the characters they face seem real. When running an NPC, play the part well. Ham it up! That's what role-playing is for.

Disposition
01-02 Amiable, well-mannered
03-04 Arrogant, feels superior to others, may underestimate others
05-06 Bad tempered, irritable all the time
07-08 Blabber-mouth, nice guy, but talks too much
09-10 Boastful, rascal
11-12 Braggart, may be a nice fellow, but likes to brag about his or her abilities and exploits
13-14 Complainer; constantly aggravated about something
15-16 Coward, tends to avoid danger
17-18 Devout, pious, holy
19-20 Easy going, laid back; trust almost anyone until they are proven unworthy of trust
21-22 Forgetful, has trouble remembering things
23-24 Gentle, kind hearted
25-26 Greedy, bad hearted, jealous
27-28 Gung-ho, guts and glory type who sees himself as a hero; likes combat and challenges
29-30 Honest, tells the truth to the point of getting into trouble
31-32 Honest, hard working
33-34 Hot-head, quick-tempered, emotional, but basically nice
35-36 Imperious and condescending
37-38 Impulsive, always jumps in without thinking
39-40 Industrious, frugal
41-42 Intolerant, a bigot or racist, may be biased against a particular race or class of people or against anyone who is different
43-44 Jealous, obsessed and watchful
45-46 Jealous, physically violent
47-48 Jealous, accusational and confrontational
49-50 Lazy, doesn't like to work, does as little as possible
51-52 Lecherous, can't resist grabbing/pawing the opposite (or same) sex and makes lewd comments
53-54 Mean or bitter, suspicious and vindictive
55-56 Nice guy, friendly, courteous and hospitable
57-58 Paranoid, trusts no one
59-60 Paternal, overprotective of others, tends to be overbearing, especially toward young children
61-62 Schemer, gambler who likes to take chances
63-64 Shy, timid, tends to be a loner
65-66 Slow, doesn't learn or understand as fast as other people
67-68 Snob, arrogant, feels superior to others
69-70 Spoiled, fickle
71-72 Stubborn, doesn't give in to anyone
73-74 Tough guy, lone wolf; cocky and self reliant
75-76 Uncouth, boorish
77-78 Vane, obsessed with appearance, hair, and clothing
79-80 Violent, quick-tempered
81-82 Wild man, cocky, overconfident, takes unnecessary risks
83-84 Worry wart, nervous and cautious
85-90 Roll twice and combine two personalities
91-95 Alcoholic
96-98 Drug Addict, roll on the following table to determine particular drug addiction:
01-10 LSD
11-20 Cocaine derivatives
21-30 Heroin/Opiates
31-40 Sex Drugs
41-50 Speed (amphetamines)
51-60 Marijuana
61-70 Party Drugs
71-80 Mood altering drugs
81-90 Barbituates (downers)
91-00 PCP
99-00 Insane, roll on the following table:
01-10 Psychotic: Roll on Psychosis Table
11-20 Neurotic, roll on Neurosis Table
21-30 Kleptomaniac: A compulsion to steal, even if of a good alignment
31-40 Compulsive Liar: Constantly tells lies and tall tales even if of a good alignment
41-50 Obsessed: Roll on Obsession Table
51-60 Phobic: Roll on Phobia table
61-70 Recluse: The character prefers to be alone, quite and unobtrusive.
71-80 Hypochondriac: The character is constantly concerned about sickness, disease, and poisoning. He exaggerates the slightest discomfort and illness he may suffer and is constantly under the belief that he is "coming down" with something. He may avoid others who are sick even with the common cold, may blame others for his illnesses (so and so coughed in my direction yesterday) and is likely to have a half dozen "quack" cures for every ailment imaginable; most taste terrible, or are ridiculous, and none of them work!
81-90 Affective Disorder: Roll on the Affective Disorders Table
91-00 Multiple Personalities: Roll on Multiple Personality Tables

4.4 Helpful NPCs
Not all NPCs are out to kill your characters, take over the world, or provide targets for the shooting range. Many of the NPCs a GM uses are their to help the characters or provide them with direction or other bits of useful information.

4.41 Player Agency NPCs
In an organization such as the PCs' Agency, the characters and agency personnel usually do not know one another by sight. Countersigns and code words are the standard methods of recognition. While the remote offices are usually ordered to give the character every possible support, the character will find it easier to deal with their immediate boss if he has developed a rapport with them. Typical NPCs that fall into this category include the Agency's Director (whether or not the characters will interact with him or her on a regular basis), their immediate supervisor (call him their mission officer, case officer, control, what have you), a few technicians (preferably R&D types, desk analysts, and the like), a secretary or two (especially for the Director and/or a front desk secretary), and some security guards. Another overlooked area of Player Agency NPCs are the ones that may occasionally be sent to the field, or already be present in the field, to assist the characters in their current mission. These NPCs include specialists, technicians, remote office personnel, and regional guides. Another NPC type that the characters may encounter is the cleaner.
Cleaners are those individuals within the agency who are responsible for fixing major screw-ups in the field. They're primary objective is to make whatever happened look like something else, preferably something normal. Field agents like the characters often have orders to call in a cleaner whenever their operations have left collateral damage that cannot be easily explained away. Of course, since many cleaners are ruthless killers with little regard for eliminating those people seen as a threat, often including the agents that called them in, a wise field agent is reluctant to call them in.

4.42 Help from NPCs Outside the Agency
These persons are important sources of information and frequently function to keep the plot lines going. Contacts will prove useful as a means of passing on important information to the characters. Various types of Contacts will be described in more detail below.

4.5 Neutral NPCs
These non-player characters can either be helpful, opposed, or completely indifferent to the characters. Rather than list all of the varieties of NPCs over and over, most of them will be described here. There are several considerations that need to be taken into account for these NPCs to make them useful and believable within the game.
Unless the GM or a player is in actual control of designed and keyed characters such as bodyguards, technicians, etc., all other characters will generally be unarmed. Such civilians include shopkeepers, entertainers, pedestrians, pilots, shoppers, students, and public servants, to name a few. These characters can inhabit the homes, businesses, fields, vehicles, and streets of the well-designed environment.

4.51 Other Espionage Agents
These members of intelligence organizations may or may not be allies of the PCs agency. They all have extensive training in the skills vital to an espionage agent. Being on a close basis with another nation's intelligence agents can give a character greater freedom in that country and greater credibility with local authorities. These NPCs can be very useful in obtaining equipment and/or manpower in the contact's home country.

4.52 Foils
These are women (or men) with whom the character may have a romantic interlude, but they also prove their worth in other areas and often become allies. They are often wild cards to the adventure and their motives are rarely simple. The loyalty of these NPCs is often suspect, though they are dangerous and occasionally romantic elements within an adventure that are designed to confuse and distract the PC agents, usually with bitter results.

4.53 Contacts
Contacts are non-player characters that an agent communicates with. The solitary nature of an agent's work will often put him out of touch with his home office. This fact of life, combined with the GM's aim of making the character as autonomous as possible, calls for the creation and maintenance of NPCs the players can turn to for information and/or equipment. These Contacts are designed to act merely as aides to the characters. They do not have any authority over a character and they should not offer advice or solutions. For an agent to get unusual information from a contact, the two must meet in a non-combat situation-bullets and fists cannot be flying while the agent and the contact are trying to communicate verbally! Usually, both parties must speak the same language, be within speaking range, and located face-to-face. Listed below are the general categories of Contacts who may prove useful to a character in the field.

Technicians: These character's provide some kind of technical assistance (it does not necessarily have to be scientific). When the character is out of touch with headquarters, especially R&D, he may still need a specialized piece of equipment made or repaired. The technical (communications, computer, electronic, mechanical, science, and/or technical) skills the technician has should be listed with the character, in addition to any other details. Such knowledge is also helpful when tracking down the equipment used by the opposition. Enemy Technicians, because they rely on brain over brawn, they are not usually confronted directly by the PCs.

Informants: People on the periphery of the intelligence networks hear rumors and bits of information which may be useful to the character. Such people include local power figures (legal or otherwise) and local free agents..

Indigenous Personnel: Whenever a character enters a locale of which he has no first hand knowledge, he will need maps, directories and guidebooks, or, better yet, some native who is friendly to him. A guide will have more intimate knowledge of an area than any guidebook or dossier. Note these characters should have the skill Area Knowledge and their areas of specialty listed in addition to whatever other stats are done for them.

Specialists and Academicians: Often a character's assignment will require specialized knowledge which cannot he obtained through the normal channels. Should an adventure deal with an esoteric subject or should a character request information on such a subject, the GM should be ready to handle such a situation. In addition to the skills involved in whatever field the specialist focuses on, the basic research skill is a good skill to note for these characters, to look up answers for any questions the NPC may not normally be familiar with.

Minor Functionaries: People of even the smallest measure of authority can cross the path of a character. These include such petty types as lower-level bureaucrats, head waiters, train conductors, hotel managers, and the like. These are hardly ever cultivated as life-long friends but the character can make use of them briefly, usually through the age-old custom of greasing the palm. I like to include notes on bribing these functionaries, any information about their habits or activities that could be used on them (blackmail or other methods) and any other factors that may help the PCs interact with them, such as useful information.

4.54 Guards, Police, Security, and Military

Guards: Guards are defined as armed private protectors of object and human targets. Most guards fall under the Victim or Minor NPC categories. Typically, the average guard will be a Victim NPC, guard officers, specialists of note and other important guards will be Minor NPCs.

Local Authorities: Having a contact in local law enforcement or government can be very useful when a character enters foreign territory or needs help in tracking a lead. It may help keep him out of serious trouble should he be forced to break the law on an assignment. These characters are usually Minor NPCs.

Police are defined as the local law enforcement. Police cannot enter a building or board a vessel without permission of the owner unless a crime is being committed there at the time. Police have no jurisdiction in regions other than where they are assigned. Each police unit has communication with all other regional police units. Agents can assume that police will fire on anyone that attacks them or does not stop when ordered to. Like Guards, Police are typically Victims or Minor NPCs.

Military: Military characters may include members of the armed forces of the character's nation, opposing nations, or neutral nations. Not all of these characters are combat personnel, and the PCs may interact with military technicians, medics, clerks, drivers, specialists, and even civilian contractors working for the armed forces in addition to combat personnel. Military personnel are usually considered Minor NPCs, though there may be Victims as well as Major Characters.

4.55 Ordinary People
Frequently, characters encounters a people who play a major part in a mission but are not part of any organization. Like most TV and movie superspies, the characters in N&S live, work and fight crime in a world very much like our own. The dates and places are almost always the same, and sometimes, so are the people. The technology is basically what one would find available at local stores or online, and weapons and combat equipment are fundamentally the same as our modern times, with the Military, Governments and select cutting-edge Corporations and with the most advanced technology and equipment (roughly 10-25 years ahead of the 80s, though I recommend giving the technology in N&S a 20 year upgrade before applying the advanced technology).
The biggest difference is that the N&S world has a bit of fantasy and science fiction to liven it up. The agent's players creativity and control in the game are larger than life, with amazing abilities that normal people do not have. They also have the will and drive to do something personally about the troubles around them, things that most normal people feel is out of their hands. Likewise, many of the villains these heroic characters face are also super-powerful. But everyone else is a normal human being. Compared to the super-powered villains threatening their world, the Average Joe is a wimp. This is why they need "superspies" to protect and help them.
Game Masters may be tempted to assign O.C.C.s to "ordinary" humans, such as making all mercenaries or all espionage agents, but even everyday heroes like police officers or detectives are not larger-than-life in the N&S game setting. Likewise, supersoldiers are rare (even in military special forces), and not all martial arts masters or instructors will be DMAs. Most assuredly, there are those very rare human individuals who have exceptional abilities above the norm, but they are the exception, not the norm. For any number of reasons, these exceptional people have not chosen a life as a super spy or martial artist, and live comparatively normal lives.
Legendary and famous humans will more often than not have amazing skills because of their high levels of experience (8+) and/or high I.Q. and other attributes rather than because of any super ability. Note that outstanding attributes of 24 or higher can also make a human famous or legendary. Remember, no matter how high one's character's stats may be, player heroes also have other special abilities or training most ordinary humans do not. For the Average Joe, moderately high stats alone are enough to seem impressive.

The Typical, Modern Human
Alignment:
01-14 Diabolic
15-28 Miscreant
29-42 Anarchist
43-56 Scrupulous
57-70 Principled
71-84 Unprincipled
85-98 Aberrant
99-00 Taoist
Level of Experience: Most adults are third to sixth level (1D4+2). Highly skilled NPCs, especially those in high-risk professions, may have years of experience and can be as high as nine to thirteenth (1D4+9) level. If this sounds rather high, remember that they do not have super abilities and thus would have much lower experience tables than the PCs. Also note that a person's occupational skills will be taken first, with less important skills being secondary, including most physical and combat skills. Thus, their combat ability will be less than impressive (soldiers, law enforcement personnel, and athletes are exceptions) if they exist at all. Note: Most people have no fighting skills, not even Hand to Hand: Basic, and only have two melee actions per round.
Attributes: These vary widely from person to person.

	Infant	Toddler	Child	Preteen	Teen	Adult	Senior
I.Q.	1	2	1D6	2D6	2D6	2D6	2D6
M.E.	1	2	1D6	1D6	2D6	2D6	2D6
M.A.	1	2	2D6	2D6	2D6	2D6	2D6
P.S.	0	1	1D6	1D6	2D6	2D6	2D6
P.P.	0	2	2D6	2D6	2D6	2D6	2D6
P.E.	0	1	1D6	1D6	1D6	2D6	2D6
P.B.	2D6	2D6	2D6	2D6	2D6	2D6	2D6
Spd.	0	1	1D6	2D6	3D6	2D6	2D6

Hit Points and S.D.C.:
The average adult, male and female, commonly only has around 21-32 Hit Points; P.E. attribute plus 1D6 (3.5) per level of experience. S.D.C. is 1D6+6 (+15 for those in occupations or environments that would build the body, like farmers, construction workers, athletes, etc.). Note: S.D.C. can be increased with the selection of certain physical skills.
Teenagers have an average 7-10 (P.E. attribute plus possibly one level of experience). S.D.C. is 1D6+10 (tough, young and virile, but this S.D.C. drops to the adult range after the age of 21). Note: S.D.C. can be increased with the selection of certain physical skills, like being a high school athlete or other physical hobbies (running, climbing, etc.) that build the body and keep it strong. However, these skills and S.D.C. bonuses remain in adult life only if the character regularly continues these activities even if only on an amateur level.
Children have only P.E. attribute number (experience level is considered zero). S.D.C. is 1D6+2 (kids, especially little ones, are practically indestructible).
Senior citizens have an average of 16-36 (26) Hit Points; P.E. attribute number+2D6+12 (H.P. from experience levels don't count). S.D.C. is 1D6+2, plus any S.D.C. gained from physical skills, but at half the normal amount and only if the Senior remains physically active (otherwise they don't count at all).
Education: The average North American, European, and city people in the rest of the world typically has the equivalent of a high school education, or one or two years of college. Japan, and some other countries, will have 50%-60% of their people with four years of College.
Ultimately, education will be appropriate to the occupation selected for the NPC; i.e., Doctors have Ph.D.s, gang members have "street education," etc. Also keep in mind that normal people will have a number of mundane skills (i.e., Domestic and/or technical skills). Any Physical skills they might have reflects regular, serious devotion to that activity. For example, marathon runners would have the Running skill, regular racquetball or tennis enthusiasts would have General Athletics, and so on.
Combat Skills: Most people will have no combat skills! The Average Joe with no combat training will have two attacks per melee round. Period. Boxing would make that three. If the character regularly happens to study Karate or takes similar martial arts self-defense classes he will have the equivalent skill of Hand to Hand: Basic.
Characters with a Military or Police Training will have Hand to Hand: Basic, while military personnel with years of combat duty, mercenaries and special operatives will have Hand to Hand: Expert. Remember, we are talking about the "average" soldier or ex-military (probably out of shape since leaving the military), so we will not consider Assassin or Martial Arts for them. Of course the G.M. can elect otherwise.
Weapon Proficiencies: The Average Joe has no W.P. About 40% will have one or two and is likely to be limited to W.P. Blunt, W.P. Knife, W.P. Revolvers, W.P. Pistol or W.P. Bolt-Action Rifle (for hunting). Handguns and rifles will be the most common, but even most people who own a handgun have little or no training in its use.
Military or Police Training characters will have 2D4 W.P.s, typically the standard Modern W.P.s of Pistol, Revolver, Bolt-Action Rifle, or Shotgun for Police training; W.P. Pistol, Assault Rifle, and/or Grenade for Military training. Most of these characters will also have a ancient W.P. such as Blunt, Knife, or Spear (equivalent to Bayonet training). Special units such as SWAT, Special Forces, etc, will often have W.P. Submachine Gun or Heavy Weapons and possibly Sniper in addition to the other skills.
Clearly, even a Police Officer or professional boxer will pale in comparison to any player hero, but don't judge a book by its cover, or a character by the numbers on his sheet. Some of the most normal people can be the best opponents. One terrorist with a gun or bomb stands little chance against even a lone hero, but that same terrorist surrounded by innocent hostages is much harder to capture or defeat without loss of life.

4.56 Animals
An often overlooked resource of NPCs are animals. Characters can encounter a wide variety of animals in a wide variety of roles and locations. Zoos and the wilderness are often the most common occurrence of animals, but there are also other places where animals may be found. Ranches and Farms may contain the common domestic animals, while many private homes contain a pet or two. There are even some animals that are common to urban environments, for instance rodents and birds.
Of course, let's not overlook the most useful place for a GM to have animals...guards and security. That's right, in addition to animals being backdrops in the overall setting, they can be used to further enhance the adventure by being presented as obstacles to the characters. Guard dogs may be the most obvious form of animal security, but they're far from the only animals used for security. Song birds and talking birds (such as the parrot) could be used by a canny foe to give a form of alarm by either singing or talking when someone enters the area they are in. Of course combining animals with natural barriers for security is another method of using animals for defensive purposes. Putting pirana, alligators, mutant sea bass, electric eels, sharks (or better yet, sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads), puffer fish (an added treat for those oriental villains), poisonous sea snakes or octupi, etc. in water barriers such as moats, pools, lakes, and the like can make things dicey for characters attempting to traverse that barrier. Poisonous spiders, snakes, scorpions, and other such deadly creatures could be placed in a room or area to discourage any attempts at moving through an area. Particularly clever villains may have trained birds of prey that attack can be used to attack the characters. Of course maybe the villain has a personal pet (or pets) of the exotic nature, lions, tigers, bears, wolves, and other predatory creatures could be kept for a variety of uses.
Some more exotic uses of animals in a game stem not from animals directly, but from other, related sources. Mutant animals (for which, more in-depth information can be found in After the Bomb and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures, even genetic mutations could all be used to provide a twist to the standard animal encounter. Of course, then there's insects themselves, stinging or poisonous insects can be used to seriously distract characters, possibly even kill them.
At this point you're probably wondering how this helps you. Since N&S itself really contains little information on animals of any sort, you'll have to go to outside sources to make this NPC workable in a game. Palladium Fantasy's Monsters & Animals, with it's 200+ animal descriptions and stats, is the obvious source for getting information on a variety of animals for use in games. However, there's a few other sources that may come in handy. Aliens Unlimited, Galaxy Guide, Transdimensional TMNT, Rifts: New West, and a few other sources all have bits and pieces of information on dinosaurs and dinosaur-like creatures (of course there are quite a few games and books out there that could provide monsters and other such creatures for the more bizarre animal monstrosities you may want to use, Beyond the Supernatural, Palladium Fantasy, Nightspawn and Rifts (with some tweaking to MDC) could all be used as sources of a variety of monstrosities). HU, TMNT, and ATB could be used to generate normal animals, but it would take quite a bit of work in most cases. Also be aware that TMNT/ATB, HU, and Rifts all contain useful information on insects.
For animals as NPCs, a quick, one sentence description of the particular creature (or group of creatures) usually suffices, however, notable abilities and attributes should be noted, as well as the (possible) A.R., hit points and S.D.C of the creature (let's face it, for many characters, the simplest way to deal with these NPCs is to kill them). Another thing you may want to note is how the animal typically reacts, especially to strangers.

4.57 Cameos
These are guest appearances by real or fictional people from other sources. By introducing such a famous person into the adventure, you delight and intrigue the players, resulting in a more vivid adventure. Of course there are two things to keep in mind for such NPCs.
They shouldn't be used in every adventure, especially since their appearance can distract from the main focus of the adventure. Always have a plausible explanation for their appearance within the adventure, famous generals, spies, or entertainment celebrities popping up in the middle of the adversary's headquarters or in the middle of a desolate wilderness because they're just out wandering around doesn't make much sense. However, encounter such a celebrity at a restaurant, airport, or other public place with many people would make sense.
Another thing these NPCs shouldn't be used for is to get the players out of a jam. They're used to lighten the tension of a game, not save the PCs every time they get into a bad situation. Of course this doesn't mean that they can't be used to rescue the PCs at all. For instance, having a famous NPC that likes to fly their own plane, sail their own ship, or who just happens to have a private car or helicopter when the PCs are stranded in a spot, give them a lift (or rescue them from mother nature's fury) could be just the thing to get a game back on track or move forward to more interesting action. In general, remember to also keep these guest appearances short. Give the player characters time for a short conversation with the guest, but don't let it bog down the game.

4.58 Cliches
Non-player characters that are walking cliches of their occupation also fit well into adventures. A short, plump old man with a balding scalp and red apron, filled with sagely advice, always makes a good bartender. A taxi driver with a New York accent asking "Where to, mac?" or a cocky waitress smacking gum between "What'll it be?" adds a touch of humor and "fictional realism" to the game. But keep these individuals to a minimum; too many disrupt the mission and make the game less believable.

4.6 Opposing NPCs
The "bad guys" in any campaign must be a cut above the ordinary people used. One way to handle this is to design an enemy agency and have your players' agents go up against it. Or, you could come up with individual villains for your agents to tackle. In either case, the following guidelines should be used when you design villains:
1. Give each villain a distinct personality. While the usual enemy agent in a black leather trench coat might work in a normal campaign, the same agent simply won't do in an elite campaign. It doesn't matter if your villain is an elite enemy agent, a suicidal terrorist, or a mad scientist. Give each one motives, interests, likes, dislikes, and habits. One thing that should be common to all your villains is a strong desire for revenge. True elite villains don't like to lose and will stop at nothing to hurt those who hurt them.
2. Make your Henchmen and Rival Villains at least equal to your agents in power and ability. This point cannot be stressed enough. Since the agents are supposed to be larger-than-life, the villains you send out against them should be at least as good if not better than the agents themselves. This can be difficult, since some GMs occasionally have trouble deciding if they want to kill off their PCs or give them an easy ride. One method I have used successfully to correct this is what I call " +2." All that means is that if, for example, your agents are fourth level, the major villains should be sixth level (or the equivalent). This keeps both you and your players honest.

4.61 Criminals
While often run of the mill criminals don't necessarily oppose your player characters, they can often be opposed to their purposes and mission. Just like other NPCs, there are different levels of criminals and their impact on the game. One key thing of note about criminals, is that many of them operate in groups, be it gangs, drug cartels, organized crime syndicates, what have you.

Thugs: The lowest level of common criminals that the PCs will encounter. These typically include basic thieves, enforcer types, two bit punks, getaway drivers, con men, forgers, pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers, and the like. Good quick rolls for these types of criminal can be found in the HU GMs Guide, however, this often places them with attributes unsuited for the victim level of play, with that in mind, the Hit Points, Attributes, and S.D.C. should be adjusted accordingly.

Elite Criminals: A step up from the common criminal, these NPCs will typically be in charge of groups of thugs and other lower level underlings. Another type of Elite Criminal is the Professional Criminal, one skilled in one field (or more) of crime, such as professional cat burglars, jewel thieves, computer hackers, freelance assassins, master forgers, smugglers and the like. They fall into the Minor Character Range of NPC and should be detailed accordingly.

Master Criminals: While typically, no character would be caught associating with common thieves, knowing some high-class, "respectable" criminals can be quits beneficial because they have sources of information usually unavailable to legitimate operatives. These are the criminals in charge or large organized crime syndicates and have hordes of underlings as well as several elite lieutenants. They are also efficient sources of men and equipment. However, these types are most likely to help when it serves their own purposes. Since they're a step up from even elite criminals, they fall into the Major Character Range of NPC..

Super Criminals: The rarest of the criminal types, these are Full Blown NPCs and often occur not in their capacity as a criminal, but rather as a Mastermind villain that the characters are out to thwart.

4.62 Targets
A suggested list of human targets for the various missions follows: activist, ambassador, assassin, attache, body guard, business manager, business owner, conspirator, corporate CEO, corporate president, corporate stock holder, criminal, cult leader, defector, diplomat, double agent, drug lord, embassy worker, foreign agent, foreign dignitary, freedom fighter, gang leader, guerilla leader, head of state, informant, lawyer, media figure, military officer, militia leader, organized crime figure, paparazzi, photojournalist, politician, regular joe who found out something they weren't supposed to, religious figure, reporter, scientist, secret society leader, sleeper agent, spammer, telemarketer, terrorist, traitor, and writer. The list of possibilities is, of course, endless. Most of these NPCs will range from Victim to Full Blown Characters, depending on the needs of the GM.

4.63 Minions
Inhabiting the films in unbelievable numbers, these include the guards and soldiers, police and militia, commandos and mercenaries who safeguard the Major Villain's stronghold or engage in the final shoot-out with the Villain's cronies. Minions are the dime-a-dozen faceless hordes and bit characters (often known as Mooks) that the agents overcome to get to the henchmen and masterminds. Usually they appear in large groups with similar traits, a common schtick, and identical attributes. This means they are typically Victims, however leaders and champions of this type are often Minor or even Major Characters.

4.64 Henchmen
Every Master Villain needs a good "right hand man" and before the PCs can tackle the Master Villain, they usually must confront the Henchman in an exciting fight. These characters are the principal thugs in a mastermind's organization. They are generally lieutenants whose job is execute key orders, and they are often dispatched to deal with delicate problems like nosy agents. They are the right hand men of the masterminds they serve and are usually fanatically loyal to their employer. Henchmen should also be well defined and possibly tailored for the specific adventure they are the focus of.

4.65 Rivals
One great way to have useful NPCs is to secretly assign one NPC to each PC at the start of a campaign as his personal enemy. That NPC could be encountered at any point during the campaign (i.e., right away or saved for later). In any case, this enemy must be roughly equal to the player's agent in all abilities. There should be a plausible reason for this rivalry (e.g., the PC killed a friend of the NPC agent), but the exact reason need be important only to the NPC. It is very possible that the player in question would never know the real reason for the rivalry. Adding such rivalries opens many paths for the creative GM. Special missions can be created for a particular player that revolve around his agent's particular rival. A whole elite agency can be uncovered because an agent's enemy managed to learn about the secret organization that the PC agent works for. The possibilities are almost unlimited. These should naturally be generated as Full Blown NPCs.

4.66 Masterminds
These adversaries are the top of the opposing chain of command. They are the ones who concoct nefarious schemes that threaten world peace. Most missions involve thwarting the plan of a mastermind. Masterminds should be carefully defined, as their goals, personality, and other quirks affect the organization and its operation throughout the campaign. Another NPC that should be generated as a Full Blown NPC.