NPCs
Quest givers, often
NPCs are non-player characters—figures in video games controlled by the computer rather than human players.
They populate game worlds as shopkeepers, quest-givers, enemies, or background inhabitants.
The term has spread beyond gaming as an insult for people perceived as unthinking or scripted in their behavior: These NPCs just repeat whatever they hear on the news.
Roleplaying session leader
- roleplayingAssuming fictional identities
- backstoryCharacter's past narrative
- motivationImpetus toward a goal
- encountersUnexpected meetings with others
innkeeper · townsfolk · hirelings · retainers · improv · worldbuilding · lore · campaign
Those who accompany
- merchantsThose who conduct commerce
- vendorsThose who sell goods
- shopkeepersRetail establishment proprietors
- villagersInhabitants of small settlements
guards · bosses · enemies · mobs · pathfinding · aggro · factions · reputation
Conventional, unremarkable people
- sheepleSlang for unthinking followers
- extrasAdditional items included
- unawareLacking knowledge of something
- obliviousLacking any awareness
scripted · predictable · robotic · automaton · basic · mainstream · conformist · followers
Digital or divine incarnations
- metaverseShared immersive digital universe
- MMORPGMultiplayer internet adventure game
- multiplayerInvolving multiple participants
- botsAutomated software agents
populated · vendors · auctioneers · trainers · immersion · world-building · procedural · ambient
game-master
Roleplaying session leader
- roleplayingAssuming fictional identities
- backstoryCharacter's past narrative
- motivationImpetus toward a goal
encounters · innkeeper · townsfolk · hirelings · retainers · improv · worldbuilding · lore · campaign · session
companions
Those who accompany
- merchantsThose who conduct commerce
- vendorsThose who sell goods
- shopkeepersRetail establishment proprietors
villagers · guards · bosses · enemies · mobs · pathfinding · aggro · factions · reputation · respawn
normies
Conventional, unremarkable people
- sheepleSlang for unthinking followers
- extrasAdditional items included
- unawareLacking knowledge of something
oblivious · scripted · predictable · robotic · automaton · basic · mainstream · conformist · followers · bystanders
avatars
Digital or divine incarnations
- metaverseShared immersive digital universe
- MMORPGMultiplayer internet adventure game
- multiplayerInvolving multiple participants
bots · populated · vendors · auctioneers · trainers · immersion · world-building · procedural · ambient · persistent
- game developmentgame engine, game design, game engines, game designer, rendering
- MUDsMUD, mudding, text adventure, rooms, zones
- gamingvideo games, buff, games, PlayStation 4, gameplay
- worldbuildinglore, setting, realms, kingdoms, races
- LARPgarb, player character, player characters, in-character, out-of-character
- tabletop RPGsD&D, sourcebook, dungeon master, game master, DM
NPCsmain characters
protagonists · individuals · freethinkers · critical thinkers · nonconformists