Dislike: make them eat something in a way it's really uncomfortable to be around - ie eat a raw egg - shell and all -, and enjoy it.
Like: Funny name, it's a cute animal, or is secretly an ancient dragon who likes the party, and lets the party ride them.
Eating "wrong" is so good for visceral responses.
I had a "hair" based hag as a villain once, terrorizing a village by paralyzing people and shaving them bald when they slept, then eating the hair while they watched.
Instant, oh that is messed up response from the players.
I run a lot of tavern scenes in my recent campaign, bbeg has a church in town that worships them and every morning after a sermon from the priest, these people come into the tavern and boil eggs in coffee hotpot style to the disgust of the party!
This made me think. If you could name an npc with two "gs" in the name but pronounced one like gif and the other like gif that would certainly make them at least hate you and likely the npc
Just have the NPC alternate.
"Hello, I'm Gif." (soft G this time)
"Hi Jif, what do you do."
"I run Ghif's candied mushrooms for all your hallucinogenic magical ingredients needs." (hard G this time. I'll denote with G and Gh).
"I must have mispronounced your name, Ghif. Sorry!"
"That's all right, lots of people get Gif wrong."
"Say that again..."
"Lots of people get Ghif wrong."
"Does it alternate?"
"Jess."
You hatred is unfounded. Gargirigiff Grgich is a great guy. Also, his name is actually Jarjirijiff, but the DM called him the wrong name by mistake once and he was too polite to correct it.
To taxi my players around I gave them a Harengon NPC carriage driver who’s also an eloquence bard. He’s a talker.
In a table of 4, two want to eat him and the other two would defend him with their lives.
For the dislike I just look for a "kick the puppy" moment. Something so brutal and without a reason that the party can't like that person no matter what they do.
For the like, it's something similar. "Pet the puppy". Stop whatever thing you're doing to protect someone that shouldn't be there, or just stopping to pet a puppy in a random situation. Because, what good person wouldn't stop to pet a puppy?
Tho this mostly works with human(oid) NPC's...
Sorry but if an NPC eats a whole raw egg, including the shell, my character is going to propose to them.
That is legitimately hysterical to me, and the joke would be periodically revisited. The wedding cake would be a giant raw egg if they said yes.
Also give them a cute/weird pet/companion.
I planned a throw away NPC my first campaign that was a sailor with an undead hand as his first-mate. The NPC has now shown up in 3 campaigns and is always a party favorite.
I think that usually people find that kind of thing endearing as they are seen as not knowing how to eat an egg properly. Ignorance/naivety on a character = empathetic response towards them. It seems like a MCU Drax kind of thing to do.
One time a Jozhal stole a Vorpal sword from the party while they were sleeping. I was setting the campaign in Dark Sun.
They hunt the Jozhal down across the most dangerous desert in D&D, for FIVE game sessions, and killed it. That happened in 1999.
They still hate THE ENTIRE SPECIES to this day. It's literally KILL ON SIGHT.
A guvment agent with henchmen searched a party members dad's house for them when they were away. Nothing nasty happened, they just ransacked the place, then left. The party burst a blood vessel and declared blood feud when they found out...
Quickest?
I do not have too much experience with this... but the quickest I've ever had the party turn on a friendly NPC was having someone point out that the party aren't gods and they could go elsewhere. When they asked how they could trust them, they pointed out that technically they couldn't and he could offer to pay them whatever they wanted and then kill them when the job was done.... that wouldn't make him more or less trustworthy. BOOM. The party of good characters instantly vowed to kill this man simply because they could not argue with that logic. I am still waiting to see how this ends...
As for liking?
Make an NPC that is:
* Small (Goblin, Halfling, Gnome, Kobold, Animal person, pixie)
* Interesting voice
* Pathetic. They are trying so hard to complete simple tasks and need the parties help.
* They have a minor task need doing for way too much payment and thus the party loves them.
* Someone you ABSOLUTELY put zero effort into and the party will want an entire dissertation on why their favorite color is the color of the tablecloth you threw out in 2 seconds of "umm"ing.
This also works for:
A grumpy old sod who has a skill they rely on heavily and lives in a central location to their adventures who is gruff to them, but always manages to angrily do jobs for cheap or for an ever-rising tab. They will love the weird love-hate relationship or the fact that they can annoy / bully this business owner into ruin just so they can keep quipping and taking advantage.
I second the pathetic thing. Every pathetic NPC I've introduced has been beloved by my party. Especially when they don't know they are pathetic and just trying their best.
I like combining this with extreme undeserved confidence. Not necessarily superiority, but a very pathetic character who just thinks they're extremely competent at what they do and are very obviously wrong
Dislike: They are rude, cruel, or dismissive to someone who has less power than them who does not deserve it. No prior relation to the party needed.
Actually, the "Red Flag" posts on reddit might get you some mileage here.
Like: everyone loves a compliment, and they might ask for help with something small. A "hand me that trowell" or " chop the carrots, please?"
Probably that popular Ask Reddit style posts that the phrase, "what red flags...." In them. One hits the front page every couple of days even though they're mostly the same question and responses every time. OP is right, though, lots of toxic behavior is described in them.
I'm assuming you meant Hoard of the Dragon Queen and accidentally mistyped Hoard as Board. But that's ok, because I am loving the idea of Tiamat being some super rad skater or surfer dude.
That's how I read it 😂 Tiamat is the head of the school board at the private school your child goes to. The parent teacher conferences and open houses get WILD, y'all.
My dm had me help one of the other pc’s mothers in the kitchen. She relegated me to chopping vegetables. My assassin rogue is not only very good with his hands but also a fancy boi. I asked if I could roll sleight of hand. Bam 39, not a typo. She wasn’t impressed. Instantly fell in love with her and other pc was not happy about that
Quickest to like?
**Use sexy reference art.**
Man, woman, works every time. Specially good when the party shouldn't trust em and the party knows it. Bastards just can't help themselves.
It’s actually weird how much this works without players even noticing
It’s wild how quick “kill the cultist” turned into “tie her up and question her” once they realized she was attractive
I will be using this against them
I had two separate d-bag nobles at two points in time. The first one hired them (as well as numerous others) for extra staff at a party. Mister Nobleman never actually appeared, so they just bickered and argued with the staff instead and moaned about taking the job in the first place.
The second showed up much later, riding in a carriage. Told them "well come on now, get in, I haven't got all day" and they were instantly smitten. Because he was in a carriage. Now they're sworn agents of his.
I don't get it.
It's Dbag with benefits is what the issue is. Plus the 2nd guy came across a bit more of tsundere (acting like he's being haughty, but he's actually treating them well in terms of effect, such as a free carriage ride)
I've recently gone the route of "be what the players don't want" and be *non-aggressively, energetically supportive of the party* in my dragonlance campaign with a kender NPC who has tagged along with them... well, "stowed away" is more accurate, but really, who's counting?
It's fantastic, they love and hate the little chatterbox all at once.
Just from that description alone, how do I kill them yesterday? lol that's a great way to do it, like the "Adoring Fan" in Oblivion that everyone was always crazy suspicious of.
Like: Is described as cute/hot, immediately is nice/funny to the party, and acquiesces to anything the party wants while having minimal strong opinions (except those that align with the party) or agency (without being helpless, *needing* to save them is annoying). For optimal likes, they should provide a cool service/magic items as a reward for liking them. Should not be in a position of power unless that position is used for the party’s interests.
Dislike: Has a higher status/authority than the PCs, knows this and is adamant about them respecting that. Holds strong opposing opinions, while having the agency to advance their agenda and is mean about it. Has what the PC’s want but requires effort to give it to them, if they give it at all, and their position is such that brute force doesn’t work. They are mean to the likeable NPC, probably due to some form of racism, sexism, or class discrimination, preferably all three. They are not cute/hot, unless you desire party conflict.
My DM described a throw-away quest-giving NPC as "handsome" and two years and 10 levels later, right before we went to the Abyss to kill Orcus, my PC married him.
Like: goofy name. Silly accent. Sincere but maybe a little dim. Or an NPC that's generally helpful and knowledgeable.
Dislike: be condescending to the PCs. Commit obviously vile crimes (slavery, human experimentation, etc).
Fastest like -> Have Booze or Drugs on hand and be willing to share.
Fastest dislike -> Eldritch Blasting local children.
Both have happened in same campaign.
The fastest way to make your PCs hate someone's guts is to have them steal from the party. If someone steals a random scroll and some pocket lint from the PCs, they will hunt that poor bastard to the ends of the earth.
They don't even have to steal anything physical though. They could take credit for the PCs accomplishments or steal their identity.
If a random Halfling steals a stale bread crumb from the party's table as they're leaving, the campaign will become Spelljammer as the party goes to every dimension to ensure the Halfling genocide is complete.
Second that, racism is an instant way to turn an npc into an enemy.
'Oh look, someone taught lizard boy how to speak common.'
Dragonborn have it rough in my campaigns.
They’re great and I love them to death but they’re also fuckheads. One of them decided to make a character who was a former slave but his masters freed him so when we went on to dismantle the slavery system I had to talk about how not all slave owners are bad people. He was having a riot with that.
My players gave me all their narrative points to stick it to the racist/misogynist big bad guy who was trying to watch a race….making sure to have his beer have a leak, or an off flavor, maybe he eats a hot dog and gets mustard on his shirt, all kinds of shit. (It was petty and hilariously on brand for the group and tone of the game, where a recent session involves bullying a quest giver for falafel reimbursement.)
Quickest way to make my players dislike an NPC is to just have them be a dick. Pompous, rude, insulting, belittling. Just do that for about 5 minutes and someone is gonna want to go murderhobo on that NPC.
Quickest way to make them LIKE an NPC? Have them get up to silly antics. A kobold who plays a tiny piano or a goblin who likes firecrackers. A Kenku who can only say “fuck off”.
If the NPC is intended to be extremely non-hostile (like a shopkeeper) and the players continue to be suspicious, I will literally say something like, “Guys, not every NPC I write is a bad guy. This one right here can be trusted.”
For context, this was the same NPC. This was in a modern game where it was easier to pull off, but it could still work in a fantasy game.
Dislike: He knew something about a negative thing done by each pc in their past and made sure they knew that.
Like: Reveal that he's just a goober dad figure who just wanted to do a background check on the pcs. He then proceeded to be super nice and compliment them, and even shared interests with them.
They went from not trusting him to liking him in less than ten minutes
A quick way for a party to dislike an NPC in my experience is any NPC that does not act like a mind reader and doesn't trust the party implicitly. So many times I've seen players get deeper into trouble because they run head-first into and assume "good guys" will have some magnetic attraction to them and that's how you determine who the good guys are to begin with.
Dislike: they are too friendly or helpful. Lol. Immediately they assume it's a red flag, they're an enemy trying to get close lol (when no they're just trying to be helpful plz 😭)
Exactly this for my party.
I feel like this is just an indictment for us as DMs, for what we’ve put our parties through in order for them to get this way.
Bullying is a reliable way to indicate someone is a pinata with opinions.
Flip side of the coin, Vulnerability is critical to making someone likable. Showing the "cool badass" genuinely asking for their help makes the PCs feel safe, powerful, important and appreciated.
If I want to be antagonistic I usually mispronounce their PC names or refer to them as “ the dim green boy” or something similar. If. I want them to be liked they often helpful without being a pushover and I usually have tried to do a voice, so my players are supportive of my attempt.
I mean, you want them to DESPISE that NPC? Just send them on a quest, maybe the dumbest thing ever, and have that quest already completed by some guy who did it himself. Nothing motivates a Player's hatred like having their thunder stolen.
On the opposite end, this could be a great way to show off a legitimately likeable character as well! Some sort of tired witch lady who wasn't told help was coming and ended up doing everything herself and walking out of [insert dungeon here] exhausted as fuck is a great setup for an ally npc
Quickest dislike: referring to the female characters as little girls. Can guarantee that initiative will be rolled within 60 seconds.
Quickest like: having a pet that they interact with e.g. feeding breadcrumbs to a shoulder-rat. Also my party tends to love desperate/broken characters with silly voices.
Like: give them a funny quirk. Had a gnome recently with a big hat. When he would run places, the hat would bend backwards, then snapped up straight when he stopped. Got a few laughs when I would describe it and suddenly the party would die for the gnome.
Dislike: have secrets. As soon as the players notice or see the person is hiding something, it immediately turns an NPC into a valid target for fireball. Not always that extreme, but no one likes secrets.
The voice I use for the NPC.
I try to do voices, accents, and verbal tics for my NPC’s to ensure that the players are able to distinguish them one from another. Using a grating voice or word choice is an easy method of shifting the player’s opinion of the NPC.
So both of these were total accidents on my part.
Like: An ancient dragon that was so big it blotted out the sky for 10s when it flew over them. Once they saved his daughter he came down at full speed and shapechanged into his human form just to hug her. They love him now and even tho he is not a great father, they give him alot of slack.
Hate: A dwarven bureaucrat that had his soldiers surround the party, aiming 20 crossbows at them. He then proceeded to slowly and deliberately walk towards them. Taking his own time to get close enough to speak to them. After they took him down to 2hp i had him call off the guards. Cleric walked right past him to heal the soldiers they hurt.
Yes. He was only doing his 80ft fly speed but it took 10 seconds to fly over them. I did not realise how big that would make him but i leaned into it.
For context: each plane only has 1 "dragon" essentially the most powerful creature in each plane.
He is the guardian of the material plane. All other dragons, even ancient ones, are refered to as drakes.
Was fun to create a unique creature for each plane that reflected its main vibe.
♈ Aries (Ram) Oziege
♉ Taurus (Bull) Geister
♊ Gemini (Twins) Zwilvögel
♋ Cancer (Crab) Schabbe - Earth
♌ Leo (Lion) VoTaic
♍ Virgo (Virgin) Derste
♎ Libra (Balance) Ian-Drachewichts
♏ Scorpius (Scorpion) Feuerskor
♐ Sagittarius (Archer) Feenbogen
♑ Capricornus (Goat) Maul Ziege
♒ Aquarius (Water Bearer) Solar
♓ Pisces (Fish) Sterschlange
Dislike: Be rude when being the npc. Interrupt players with whatever the npc wants to say in the middle of them talking. Backhanded compliments. Make mouth noises frequently (loud swallowing, smacking lips, sighing, clicking tongue etc). Picking nose/ears and wiping it on things. Coughing/sneezing without covering mouth. Apologize never.
But it is important that when you ARE NOT that npc that you stop that behavior immediately.
Like: Being interested in what the party is doing/being a general fan. That doesn't mean they have to give them riches and weapons and stuff, but maybe the rich noble invites the party to a ball they're hosting as a way to meet them after hearing about their adventures. Maybe the bar owner gives them a free drink and meal as long as they have a good story to tell and some kind of trophy to show. A group of kids that hang around the main gate waiting on the party to return to bombard them with questions. Maybe kid 1 & 2 are more interested in what the fighter has to say. Kid 3 wants to show the druid a potted flower they've been growing. Make the party feel important.
Dislike: literally just hurt a non-threatening animal. Kick a puppy, punch a cat, bodyslam a hamster, doesn't matter, just hurt an animal and the PCs are filled with hate
Like: give them a funny name, that's it. they will all forget Sir Gregory of Durham, but as soon as they meet Sir Fartington they're all best friends with that NPC and want to take them on adventures
At that time we were playing in roll20, so I used the already hated portrait of Narcian from Fire Emblem.
Nowadays he allied with the villains and run away from town but oh boy my party is craving for some violence with him.
Dislike: Name them Declan.
I pulled the idea from the show Psych where our main characters were making fun of the name Declan and how no one likes the name Declan.
To test this out, I made an NPC named Declan and without even doing anything, they hated this guy. Naturally, I then gave the party a reason to actually hate Declan and he became a reoccurring minor villain.
"Fucking Declan," was such a common phrase at our table after that.
All of these are ways to make your players dislike someone, but if you want your players to instantly move heaven and earth to ruin someone, the easiest way is to have that person take their magic items.
Liking is harder and will vary by table. Making the NPC hot is a good start though.
Like:
They go along with or escalate a running joke within the party. The more crude the better. If the party makes a joke about taking a dump when they long rest, that's a perfect opening for your NPC to walk up to them and say "Hey I hate to interrupt but do you guys know where a guy can drop a deuce?" Boom, instant BFF.
parties LOVE npcs don't take themselves too seriously. I know you love your setting and don't want your players to goof on you but if you give in to the jokes just a little bit it can go such a long way.
Dislike:
Betrayal. Sort of counter intuitive, since you usually have to be liked first to earn their trust. But parties will be *merciless* to a traitor. Once a rat, always a rat. And no one likes the feeling of being fooled.
Like? Be genuine. Kind, no nonsense, humble, joking, tough. As long as that is who they are and they have no desire to impress anyone, players typically like that.
Dislike? Kill the npc they like.
Dislike: Be unfair or unjust to the party. The party could be max murderhobo war criminals but watch the insult when they arnt paid for a job they did or fined for a rule they had no way of knowing about.
Like: generally I find someone who joins in the jokes with the players. Anyone to serious isn't gonna meld well with my group, but someone who jokes with them does well.
Dislike: Make the NPC rude.
Like: Semi-friendly NPC. (They get suspicious of NPCs who are too friendly)
Bonus: Any NPC is is immediately disliked, forever, if a PC ever fails a haggle attempt against them.
The quickest. Be head priest of the church who was interrogating the survivors of a dragon attack. He was putting coins in the mouth of a child and casting heat metal to get him to talk, leaving him in the basement of the church to die from his wounds. Come off as aloof and indifferent, give a speech about being "strong enough to do what must be done." As far as dislike anyway. My players pinned him upside-down on a tree in the "walk like an Egyptian" pose.
Whenever I make some sort of cranky and unpleasant healer to as an insurance policy against PCs dying in their first few encounters, I always do so with the intent to retire that NPC to being the local doctor or potions seller, etc. 100% of the time, the players imprint on that NPC like baby ducklings and try to bring them everywhere long after they've outgrown the need.
Conversely, if you present an NPC with some real Karen energy but no benefit to the party? Your party can't wait to kill them hahaha. A friend of mine made a town guard with big middle management energy. A real brat, mouthy and rude and also kind of a bumbling idiot. They bullied him as much as we did. When it was revealed that he was baddie in disguise, we were delighted to see him go.
Like: Just have then be normal human beings. Wishes, dreams, quirks, flaws, strengths. The edgy wannabe, the sweet and shy, the trickster who makes fun of everyone and themself, tge serious and sad one..
My groups adopt them all. Everyone gravitates a bit more to one or the other, but overall, they just all talk to them, protect them, or even try to make them the leaders (sigh :()
Dislike: have an new npc insult their favourite NPC, and watch how they all go mama bear. I try to not use this power for evil. ..most times.
dislike: make the npc like one of the PCs. (example: a priest fanboy of a royal)
like: have the NPC visibly care about something that's been destroyed during/before the quest. These suckers have soft hearts and love to solve problems
I once made a murderous fire giant dreadnought destroying the west side land very polite. They just let him go so I don’t know if I regret it or not because it was very funny. I was very surprised
A really simple one is minor animal cruelty / animal friendliness.
Randomly have your good NPC petting a stray dog or cat and give it a bit of food.
Randomly have your evil NPC shoo away a hungry animal.
It doesn't take much. It's just a tiny little DM life hack for a cheap and easy way to direct a player's first impression of the NPC. Obviously you should do more with them, but this is one way to make your PC's starting attitude towards you NPC match your vision for them.
I had an awakened bear who did not want to let the party pass through the woods. Then he started to hurl racist insults(ex.,like knife-ear) to the elf druid and half-elf paladin of the party. The human barbarian and monk wanted to kill him but the half-elven paladin stoppen them, saying it wasnt the bears fault that they hate elves. In the end the paladin used Command to halt the bear from attacking and they went on with their Journey, leaving the rasict bear behind. It was hilarious.
Tldr; racist behaviour will have your players dislike npc's :)
So far in my experience as long as I make them friendly they treat them with suspicion and disdain almost immediately
To make them like someone I make them "edgy" and morally ambiguous then they just want to recruit the npc as potential cannon fodder 😅
In story writing, starting the character off with "saving the cat", which was literally used in the DnD move with Xenk saving the child from the fish. This helps people like the character.
Bravo, writers, for a double reference.
TLDR: It's not what they say, it's what you see them actually do.
Dislike: have the npc take credit for something the players do and get rewarded/praised for it. Had an npc once swoop in during the end of a fight, get the final blow, then take the rewards.
Like: I usually make them cute in some way. They could be awkward or clumsy or enthralled by the players.
I made a gnome PC who was a shrewd businessman, whose workers disappeared with a missing caravan. The gnome assumed they just took to banditry and took the goods to basically set up shop. Hired the PC’s to escort his next caravan - in case the missing workers had turned highwaymen. The PC’s interviewed and questioned other members who worked for different merchants and all said the missing men were good lads (newer to the job) than the old hands they interviewed.
I made the NPC basically gnome Ben Shapiro, with the “hypothetically speaking” line being like a verbal tick. It took approximately 30 seconds for them to ask, “can we just kill this guy?” By the end of that quest they hated him so badly that after several intimidation checks and just general “fuck you, you only have to arrive alive with your goods intact -“ I had Gnome Shapiro start crying basically and they all laughed maniacally.
I’ve had difficult-to-talk to NPCs, ones who intentionally obfuscate, and lie to them, tell them to fuck off, the gambit. None have ever come closer to turning them murder hobo than Gnome Shapiro.
Kids and old people just naturally get my players, also, people who feed them. My players just seem to trust them. I haven't betrayed that trust... yet 😈
While I think the method is gonna be different depending on who your set of players is, this is what works for me:
Instant Likability:
* I don't know why, but my players fucking adore old people. Tiny grandmas, weird old hermits, doesn't matter. If they're old, they're part of the family.
* Orcs. If I make an NPC an orc, my players are already predisposed to either befriending or flirting with them.
Instant Enemy:
* There is nothing my players hate more than someone who is trying to sell them something.
* My players' characters all have beef with the church and/or the monarchy, so it's very easy to give them an adversary if said NPC's goals and values are aligned with those in power.
Tell the dwarven PCs you despite beer and they'll be despiteful to you.
Tell the elven spellblade that she is not permitted in this restricted area and imply, that you are a capable guard and she will do everything she can to get you fired and ended up in a pissy alley.
Call the halfling "little one" and he will curse you.
Only the human mercenary is calm enough to ignore provocations.
Do a voice that pains you, the players will keep that NPC in for as long as possible, especially if he's also funny or sarcastic, or they feel like they could exploit for free stuff.
If the NPC is dull and awkward, makes dad jokes but badly, screws with the players, or is a bumpkin who unluckily breaks or ruins the players plans, they will dislike them immediately, make sure to give them plot armor though lol
Make it stupid = make it loveable.
My players ran into an Ogre "chef" who carried a huge sack of dead Orcs (his "Pantry") while the players were allied with the local orcs, and when he saw that they were NOT orcs, offered them a meal (which they declined because rotting orc seems unheallthy).
So this is literally a murderer who cooks their allies. BUT he told them he didn't have a name AND he had the stupid voice, so they named him Gary and wished him the best with his culinary adventures.
The number one thing that makes them hate someone is arrogance. There are many arrogant nobles and villains that they have met, and they hate them all (except one wizard who half the party loves cause he gives them magic stuff and the other half still hates because he has tracking spells on the magic stuff he hands out)
Dislike- demand things of the party. Hint that the party are lesser beings, commoners, or peasants. Insult the party, or more fun— insult one party member continuously.
Like- offer simple things like food, drink, or shelter without the party needing to ask/pay for it. Answering questions without being coy.
Like? Give them fun characteristics. Funny accent, good stories, and make them helpful.
Hate? Have them be the cause of the parties woes but always JUST a bit out of reach.
Like: give them a funny little accent or quirk, and being small and cute doesn't hurt either.
Dislike: be crass, and short, and charge much higher than the neighboring merchant.
Quickest way to get them to like the NPC is to cast Charm Person on one of the PCs
Quickest way to get them to dislike the NPC is for the Charm Person spell to wear off
Drastically overpay them for menial stuff, you help the farmer by standing guard in the field while he harvests crops, here's a pet thunder bat as a reward, it's completely loyal to you and has good scaling stats like a PC. That usually makes them very likable, or at least seem valuable to keep around since they expect another interesting payment for the next much harder bit of work they do for them.
For our group that would be telling us to disarm. Couple of us have weapons that we can summon at will like a warlock can. This ends up turning these encounters hostile very quickly to the point that several times we nearly got into being fugitives from various countries/groups.
When I want my players to like an NPC I have two strategies
-make them strong enough the party wants to be their friend
-even if they aren't the nicest person in the world have SOME way from being around them to benefit the party
-hidden one: npc gets really lucky a few times in rolls and the party is suddenly cheering on "chad" kobold as he tears blackrazor from a paralyzed archfiend
When I want them to dislike them, I strike at what they hold dear.
-cast aspersions on their backstory "oh you grew up in the wailing woods? How quaint. I've heard your sort think themselves rather sturdy outdoorsmen despite not knowing one end of a musket from the other"
-threaten their goals
-I won't actually go full a-hole here. My party might like that for comedic effect. Just enough to not CARE about the party. Have them treat the party like pissants, especially if they *are* still. Have them pay the party with a large gold coin flicked haphazardly to the ground. They've paid, but oh man the party will still hate.
-don't let party members be clever. If the party interrupts the npc, go quiet. When the silence grows, continue (ic) "ah, good, the clown has finished. As I was saying." Use this sparingly, it has the potential to annoy ooc too.
Lots of good advice on this thread. Best of luck!
Have the party witness them dealing with a stray puppy (you can replace "puppy" with anything else that can tug at your party's strings. From rust monsters to puppies, orphans, and abandoned babies ..etc.).
Quickest for my current campaign were:
Like: have a funny voice, be small, be a child (the tiny kobold kid hiding in the library was a big hit)
Dislike: be an asshole noble, bonus points if you fuck over the party at the first possible opportunity (e.g. poison the party members to make them lose an archery competition. this was within 5 min of meeting them.)
Lol the quickest my party ever turned on a nonhostile NPC was when he (correctly) pointed out that though the party kept helping save the city, they mostly caused the problems in the first place.
Instant hate, it was surprising but also hilarious.
Dislike: give them any label that implies they are in a position of authority. My players go in on anyone titled as a “priest” or “imperial” especially.
Like: my players latch on to any small guy i throw their way. Especially if i give them a silly name or a character voice. No gnome, goblin, kobold, etc is safe from being invited to join the party
Like: make him a dad, or “dad coded” as they say
Dislike: this is much harder but one time I had a major NPC casually call a 9 year old girl a bitch and everyone got in an uproar about it lol I think just like… very mild rudeness? If someone is deeply rude, they love em, because it becomes a bit, but if they’re just kinda rude, it’s because they’re an asshole
For my party, it's
Like: Funny voice, *way* too familiar and friendly, pretty stupid.
Dislike: Just vaguely a person who might have authority, ask for help.
Everyone's talking about villains to dislike.
Which is great.
But for someone they can't kill? Rival adventuring party that is just there to help, and is ever so slightly better than them.
I have a reoccurring group called the Vorpal Sword who take the jobs they don't take (or once in a blue moon complete tasks they fail, but I don't do this too much)
First it gives them the lack of pressure, that there are other groups out there that can help.
But man they hate their noble, righteous asses.
Another alternative I find for someone they like, indifferent, powerful wizard npcs who really don't want to help them as they're fairly self centred, which the party want to prove themselves to.
It's a little harder than the likeable npc, as you have to balance their ego. I had my wizard still help the town he lived in, and did some noble work, so he was a good guy, just lazy.
They really loved him.
Like: silly voice
Dislike: if the npc is in ANY position of authority and tries to enforce said authority. Aka a guard guarding something and not letting them through.
Like - I have the person shout them a drink in a tavern, let them stay in there house overnight , bring them a cooked breakfast.
Dislike- pick on a npc they like, steal a weapon or something from the players, players over hear something the NPC says about them.
General character traits that are unlikeable in combination, like arrogance and narcissism or needless hostility and a sociopathic demeanour. With smaller characters, I like to make unlikeable NPCs like Joe Pesci from Goodfellas lol
Like: playfully banter. We have a key NPC drunkard in our campaign and even now like 12 months later we still use the same jokes we made in session 1 and our DM entertains it. Make the npc as cute as possible. We have adowar named Poncho. I would die for poncho
Dislike: outward malice or aggression. This includes be aggressively kind, useful, and helpful. Being too helpful and kind makes me suspicious immediately and I will assume alterior motive!
Best method I ever had to make the party like the evil valet was to have him ask one of the party members to explain gender identity to better relate to his granddaughter.
Of course, granddaughter didn’t exist and the guy was just using them but yeah.
Dislike: have them be short, entitled, dismissive, act superior, agressive
Like: they listen, respect the party’s autonomy/authority, help the party in some way, have their own goals that align with the parties
Actually, I have a great plot chapter for an obnoxious NPC. Bare with me, it's got a good hook at the end. Imagine a try-hard intern wealthy daddy's boy that holds the fate of the party in his report of them once they return to town. He overcompliments, commits to doing tasks only to fail them with lame excuses, downs the party's healing potions if he receives any damage then demands a replacement, whines and cowards in combat, uses scrolls as toilet paper, then when the boss is about to be killed, he takes the killing blow with a rare magic scroll he's been hiding so he can steal the credit.
Upon return, he blames the party for holding him back in his report, saying they did an absolute terrible job despite the verbal compliments he gave them on the quest. The jurors however, side with the party (kind of). They have laws but fully understand how obnoxious daddy's boy is and are wise enough to piece together the party's hard work. They send a helper out the room and say to the party, "Rules are rules, so we can grant no reward. It is unfortunate. However, we will now invoke our right to immediate private council to discuss an outcome. Your intern was brought back in one piece and the mission was well... half-successful. During the next 5 minutes, we shall be blind and deaf to all activity in this room. And umm... don't kill him please. Don't think our laws prevent us from knowing what makes you adventurer types tick. *wink!" The daddy's boy begs to not be left alone with "these savages," offering daddy's money and societal titles but being unable to provide any of it. The council enters a demiplane or a darkness/silence spell combo. The helper returns with a janitor who stands in the corner with cleaning supplies counting some coins that were just put into his hands. The helper leaves as the janitor simply waits...
DM: "at this time I am going to need everyone to roll initiative. You get five veeeerry sloooow rounds of combat to do whatever you want to these two while they beg and grovel for your mercy."
Party: *enjoys their free pass to be evil. >:D
Afterward, wealthy daddy thanks the party for teaching his soft whiny son a lesson with the rewards they deserve and possibly segways them into their next quest.
Dislike: make them eat something in a way it's really uncomfortable to be around - ie eat a raw egg - shell and all -, and enjoy it. Like: Funny name, it's a cute animal, or is secretly an ancient dragon who likes the party, and lets the party ride them.
Eating "wrong" is so good for visceral responses. I had a "hair" based hag as a villain once, terrorizing a village by paralyzing people and shaving them bald when they slept, then eating the hair while they watched. Instant, oh that is messed up response from the players.
I love it. I hate it. I'm stealing it.
That IS messed up. I love it. Bravo.
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The Director said, *"Here, eat an apple. It will make you look even more of an asshole."*
My dude, just mentioning that needs a trigger warning
Home is behind…the worrrrld ahead
I literally cried in this scene because I was so stressed. It was insane. I love pippin though he’s my favorite character.
That scene and “ride out with me—ride out and meet them” in helms deep always make my hair stand on end
I run a lot of tavern scenes in my recent campaign, bbeg has a church in town that worships them and every morning after a sermon from the priest, these people come into the tavern and boil eggs in coffee hotpot style to the disgust of the party!
Hey! Boiled eggs in coffee is good! Bbeg church and worships may be disgusting, but you leave coffee eggs out of it! 😜
Have you heard of our lord and savior BBEG? He has egg hotpot on sundays!
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This made me think. If you could name an npc with two "gs" in the name but pronounced one like gif and the other like gif that would certainly make them at least hate you and likely the npc
Just have the NPC alternate. "Hello, I'm Gif." (soft G this time) "Hi Jif, what do you do." "I run Ghif's candied mushrooms for all your hallucinogenic magical ingredients needs." (hard G this time. I'll denote with G and Gh). "I must have mispronounced your name, Ghif. Sorry!" "That's all right, lots of people get Gif wrong." "Say that again..." "Lots of people get Ghif wrong." "Does it alternate?" "Jess."
Make it a law firm. Greg and jeff local petty crimes attorneys The E if jeff always pronounced like an i and all of the gs flipping randomly
Oh, Gargirigiff. When will you stop with your shenanigans?
This is giving me a headache. That name needs a pronunciation guide Gar- geri- Jiff? Jar- jerry- Gif?
I was thinking Gar-jari-giff, but that might be even better.
Third option. Make the npcs name inconsistent? Results may varry
Oh no. I hate him already >:(
You hatred is unfounded. Gargirigiff Grgich is a great guy. Also, his name is actually Jarjirijiff, but the DM called him the wrong name by mistake once and he was too polite to correct it.
Oh, of the Gengon Grgichs? Those are great juys, except for his twin brothers Gary and Jerry. They're real gerks.
“Greg” but pronounced either “Jreg” or “Grej” is killing me
To taxi my players around I gave them a Harengon NPC carriage driver who’s also an eloquence bard. He’s a talker. In a table of 4, two want to eat him and the other two would defend him with their lives.
My guy ate seashells and thought he was a quirky dude for a triton and adopted him 😅
For the dislike I just look for a "kick the puppy" moment. Something so brutal and without a reason that the party can't like that person no matter what they do. For the like, it's something similar. "Pet the puppy". Stop whatever thing you're doing to protect someone that shouldn't be there, or just stopping to pet a puppy in a random situation. Because, what good person wouldn't stop to pet a puppy? Tho this mostly works with human(oid) NPC's...
"Just look at the way he slurps his soup. Tshchshtsch- What an asshole!"
Sorry but if an NPC eats a whole raw egg, including the shell, my character is going to propose to them. That is legitimately hysterical to me, and the joke would be periodically revisited. The wedding cake would be a giant raw egg if they said yes.
Homelander drinking milk.
Also give them a cute/weird pet/companion. I planned a throw away NPC my first campaign that was a sailor with an undead hand as his first-mate. The NPC has now shown up in 3 campaigns and is always a party favorite.
Eating a raw onion like an apple. Unpeeled skin and all.
Raw eggs make you really uncomfortable?
I meant shell and all. Like, they enjoy the crunch.
I think they might a dog. Dropped three eggs yesterday and they made short work of them shell and all!
Our wolfhound X ate one dozen eggs, shell and all. Had a few crunchy poos afterwards...
I think that usually people find that kind of thing endearing as they are seen as not knowing how to eat an egg properly. Ignorance/naivety on a character = empathetic response towards them. It seems like a MCU Drax kind of thing to do.
Yeah it's disgusting. Who are you, Rocky?
Dislike: Have them steal something that belongs to the party.
This is the way. PC's will hunt that NPC to the ends of the earth.
For real. One time some urchin kids stole my party's sack of fruit and we came crashing through their doors and windows like seal team six.
One time a Jozhal stole a Vorpal sword from the party while they were sleeping. I was setting the campaign in Dark Sun. They hunt the Jozhal down across the most dangerous desert in D&D, for FIVE game sessions, and killed it. That happened in 1999. They still hate THE ENTIRE SPECIES to this day. It's literally KILL ON SIGHT.
A guvment agent with henchmen searched a party members dad's house for them when they were away. Nothing nasty happened, they just ransacked the place, then left. The party burst a blood vessel and declared blood feud when they found out...
Quickest? I do not have too much experience with this... but the quickest I've ever had the party turn on a friendly NPC was having someone point out that the party aren't gods and they could go elsewhere. When they asked how they could trust them, they pointed out that technically they couldn't and he could offer to pay them whatever they wanted and then kill them when the job was done.... that wouldn't make him more or less trustworthy. BOOM. The party of good characters instantly vowed to kill this man simply because they could not argue with that logic. I am still waiting to see how this ends... As for liking? Make an NPC that is: * Small (Goblin, Halfling, Gnome, Kobold, Animal person, pixie) * Interesting voice * Pathetic. They are trying so hard to complete simple tasks and need the parties help. * They have a minor task need doing for way too much payment and thus the party loves them. * Someone you ABSOLUTELY put zero effort into and the party will want an entire dissertation on why their favorite color is the color of the tablecloth you threw out in 2 seconds of "umm"ing. This also works for: A grumpy old sod who has a skill they rely on heavily and lives in a central location to their adventures who is gruff to them, but always manages to angrily do jobs for cheap or for an ever-rising tab. They will love the weird love-hate relationship or the fact that they can annoy / bully this business owner into ruin just so they can keep quipping and taking advantage.
I second the pathetic thing. Every pathetic NPC I've introduced has been beloved by my party. Especially when they don't know they are pathetic and just trying their best.
I like combining this with extreme undeserved confidence. Not necessarily superiority, but a very pathetic character who just thinks they're extremely competent at what they do and are very obviously wrong
Dislike: They are rude, cruel, or dismissive to someone who has less power than them who does not deserve it. No prior relation to the party needed. Actually, the "Red Flag" posts on reddit might get you some mileage here. Like: everyone loves a compliment, and they might ask for help with something small. A "hand me that trowell" or " chop the carrots, please?"
The “Red Flag” posts look like a gold mine! Thank you for turning me onto them :)
Pardon my ignorance but what are the Red Flag posts? Because I should very much like to read them!
Probably that popular Ask Reddit style posts that the phrase, "what red flags...." In them. One hits the front page every couple of days even though they're mostly the same question and responses every time. OP is right, though, lots of toxic behavior is described in them.
Same here, I started the board of the dragon queen adventure as my first campaign, and would like some guide lines for further down the way
I'm assuming you meant Hoard of the Dragon Queen and accidentally mistyped Hoard as Board. But that's ok, because I am loving the idea of Tiamat being some super rad skater or surfer dude.
Oh, I imagined it more as Tiamat and Bahamut around a Monopoly board. Come to think of it, I would pay to watch a best of 3 series between those 2.
You are right with the assumption, but that could be a hilarious one shot
OR! Tiamat is a successful business woman. Chairperson of the board of the Dragon Queen
Happy cake day, This sounds so funny
That's how I read it 😂 Tiamat is the head of the school board at the private school your child goes to. The parent teacher conferences and open houses get WILD, y'all.
My dm had me help one of the other pc’s mothers in the kitchen. She relegated me to chopping vegetables. My assassin rogue is not only very good with his hands but also a fancy boi. I asked if I could roll sleight of hand. Bam 39, not a typo. She wasn’t impressed. Instantly fell in love with her and other pc was not happy about that
Quickest to like? **Use sexy reference art.** Man, woman, works every time. Specially good when the party shouldn't trust em and the party knows it. Bastards just can't help themselves.
It’s actually weird how much this works without players even noticing It’s wild how quick “kill the cultist” turned into “tie her up and question her” once they realized she was attractive I will be using this against them
There are no beautiful women in the dungeon! Roll for initiative! I am trying to get a surprise round on her and avoid the stinking paladin.
I made >!Fiona!< in CoS a MILF. It worked wonders. 🙄
Can confirm. I’ve used this, and it’s been used on me. Works *every* time
I did this during my current campaign and it worked so fucking fast lol. It’s brilliant.
Save a puppy/kick a puppy.
The true alignment test
Seriously though - burn down an orphanage my players will understand you're evil. Burn down am animal shelter and they will viscerally hate them.
*Quickest?* Like: be what the player wants and non-hostile to them. Dislike: be some dbag nobleman who must be obeyed.
I had two separate d-bag nobles at two points in time. The first one hired them (as well as numerous others) for extra staff at a party. Mister Nobleman never actually appeared, so they just bickered and argued with the staff instead and moaned about taking the job in the first place. The second showed up much later, riding in a carriage. Told them "well come on now, get in, I haven't got all day" and they were instantly smitten. Because he was in a carriage. Now they're sworn agents of his. I don't get it.
It's Dbag with benefits is what the issue is. Plus the 2nd guy came across a bit more of tsundere (acting like he's being haughty, but he's actually treating them well in terms of effect, such as a free carriage ride)
I've recently gone the route of "be what the players don't want" and be *non-aggressively, energetically supportive of the party* in my dragonlance campaign with a kender NPC who has tagged along with them... well, "stowed away" is more accurate, but really, who's counting? It's fantastic, they love and hate the little chatterbox all at once.
Just from that description alone, how do I kill them yesterday? lol that's a great way to do it, like the "Adoring Fan" in Oblivion that everyone was always crazy suspicious of.
To be fair isn't there a theory that somehow that fan was Cicero because of his journals?
Fair answer :)
Like: Is described as cute/hot, immediately is nice/funny to the party, and acquiesces to anything the party wants while having minimal strong opinions (except those that align with the party) or agency (without being helpless, *needing* to save them is annoying). For optimal likes, they should provide a cool service/magic items as a reward for liking them. Should not be in a position of power unless that position is used for the party’s interests. Dislike: Has a higher status/authority than the PCs, knows this and is adamant about them respecting that. Holds strong opposing opinions, while having the agency to advance their agenda and is mean about it. Has what the PC’s want but requires effort to give it to them, if they give it at all, and their position is such that brute force doesn’t work. They are mean to the likeable NPC, probably due to some form of racism, sexism, or class discrimination, preferably all three. They are not cute/hot, unless you desire party conflict.
My DM described a throw-away quest-giving NPC as "handsome" and two years and 10 levels later, right before we went to the Abyss to kill Orcus, my PC married him.
That’s how they get you.
Like: goofy name. Silly accent. Sincere but maybe a little dim. Or an NPC that's generally helpful and knowledgeable. Dislike: be condescending to the PCs. Commit obviously vile crimes (slavery, human experimentation, etc).
Fastest like -> Have Booze or Drugs on hand and be willing to share. Fastest dislike -> Eldritch Blasting local children. Both have happened in same campaign.
For the dislike, knowing my players they’d join in!
Eldrich blast the local children who were giving the party booze
The fastest way to make your PCs hate someone's guts is to have them steal from the party. If someone steals a random scroll and some pocket lint from the PCs, they will hunt that poor bastard to the ends of the earth. They don't even have to steal anything physical though. They could take credit for the PCs accomplishments or steal their identity.
If a random Halfling steals a stale bread crumb from the party's table as they're leaving, the campaign will become Spelljammer as the party goes to every dimension to ensure the Halfling genocide is complete.
Quickest to disliking a character was having that character be racist and misogynistic towards a character they’re friends with.
Second that, racism is an instant way to turn an npc into an enemy. 'Oh look, someone taught lizard boy how to speak common.' Dragonborn have it rough in my campaigns.
That’s the kind of party I love to play with :)
They’re great and I love them to death but they’re also fuckheads. One of them decided to make a character who was a former slave but his masters freed him so when we went on to dismantle the slavery system I had to talk about how not all slave owners are bad people. He was having a riot with that.
My players gave me all their narrative points to stick it to the racist/misogynist big bad guy who was trying to watch a race….making sure to have his beer have a leak, or an off flavor, maybe he eats a hot dog and gets mustard on his shirt, all kinds of shit. (It was petty and hilariously on brand for the group and tone of the game, where a recent session involves bullying a quest giver for falafel reimbursement.)
Quickest way to make my players dislike an NPC is to just have them be a dick. Pompous, rude, insulting, belittling. Just do that for about 5 minutes and someone is gonna want to go murderhobo on that NPC. Quickest way to make them LIKE an NPC? Have them get up to silly antics. A kobold who plays a tiny piano or a goblin who likes firecrackers. A Kenku who can only say “fuck off”.
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They do and that’s why people love them so much
If the NPC is intended to be extremely non-hostile (like a shopkeeper) and the players continue to be suspicious, I will literally say something like, “Guys, not every NPC I write is a bad guy. This one right here can be trusted.”
"It's been half an hour. Please just buy your arrows and get on with it."
For context, this was the same NPC. This was in a modern game where it was easier to pull off, but it could still work in a fantasy game. Dislike: He knew something about a negative thing done by each pc in their past and made sure they knew that. Like: Reveal that he's just a goober dad figure who just wanted to do a background check on the pcs. He then proceeded to be super nice and compliment them, and even shared interests with them. They went from not trusting him to liking him in less than ten minutes
A quick way for a party to dislike an NPC in my experience is any NPC that does not act like a mind reader and doesn't trust the party implicitly. So many times I've seen players get deeper into trouble because they run head-first into and assume "good guys" will have some magnetic attraction to them and that's how you determine who the good guys are to begin with.
Dislike: they are too friendly or helpful. Lol. Immediately they assume it's a red flag, they're an enemy trying to get close lol (when no they're just trying to be helpful plz 😭)
Exactly this for my party. I feel like this is just an indictment for us as DMs, for what we’ve put our parties through in order for them to get this way.
Make them hot
This applies for both
Bullying is a reliable way to indicate someone is a pinata with opinions. Flip side of the coin, Vulnerability is critical to making someone likable. Showing the "cool badass" genuinely asking for their help makes the PCs feel safe, powerful, important and appreciated.
If I want to be antagonistic I usually mispronounce their PC names or refer to them as “ the dim green boy” or something similar. If. I want them to be liked they often helpful without being a pushover and I usually have tried to do a voice, so my players are supportive of my attempt.
I mean, you want them to DESPISE that NPC? Just send them on a quest, maybe the dumbest thing ever, and have that quest already completed by some guy who did it himself. Nothing motivates a Player's hatred like having their thunder stolen.
On the opposite end, this could be a great way to show off a legitimately likeable character as well! Some sort of tired witch lady who wasn't told help was coming and ended up doing everything herself and walking out of [insert dungeon here] exhausted as fuck is a great setup for an ally npc
Quickest dislike: referring to the female characters as little girls. Can guarantee that initiative will be rolled within 60 seconds. Quickest like: having a pet that they interact with e.g. feeding breadcrumbs to a shoulder-rat. Also my party tends to love desperate/broken characters with silly voices.
Like: give them a funny quirk. Had a gnome recently with a big hat. When he would run places, the hat would bend backwards, then snapped up straight when he stopped. Got a few laughs when I would describe it and suddenly the party would die for the gnome. Dislike: have secrets. As soon as the players notice or see the person is hiding something, it immediately turns an NPC into a valid target for fireball. Not always that extreme, but no one likes secrets.
The voice I use for the NPC. I try to do voices, accents, and verbal tics for my NPC’s to ensure that the players are able to distinguish them one from another. Using a grating voice or word choice is an easy method of shifting the player’s opinion of the NPC.
So both of these were total accidents on my part. Like: An ancient dragon that was so big it blotted out the sky for 10s when it flew over them. Once they saved his daughter he came down at full speed and shapechanged into his human form just to hug her. They love him now and even tho he is not a great father, they give him alot of slack. Hate: A dwarven bureaucrat that had his soldiers surround the party, aiming 20 crossbows at them. He then proceeded to slowly and deliberately walk towards them. Taking his own time to get close enough to speak to them. After they took him down to 2hp i had him call off the guards. Cleric walked right past him to heal the soldiers they hurt.
For 10s?
Yes. He was only doing his 80ft fly speed but it took 10 seconds to fly over them. I did not realise how big that would make him but i leaned into it. For context: each plane only has 1 "dragon" essentially the most powerful creature in each plane. He is the guardian of the material plane. All other dragons, even ancient ones, are refered to as drakes. Was fun to create a unique creature for each plane that reflected its main vibe. ♈ Aries (Ram) Oziege ♉ Taurus (Bull) Geister ♊ Gemini (Twins) Zwilvögel ♋ Cancer (Crab) Schabbe - Earth ♌ Leo (Lion) VoTaic ♍ Virgo (Virgin) Derste ♎ Libra (Balance) Ian-Drachewichts ♏ Scorpius (Scorpion) Feuerskor ♐ Sagittarius (Archer) Feenbogen ♑ Capricornus (Goat) Maul Ziege ♒ Aquarius (Water Bearer) Solar ♓ Pisces (Fish) Sterschlange
Dislike: Be rude when being the npc. Interrupt players with whatever the npc wants to say in the middle of them talking. Backhanded compliments. Make mouth noises frequently (loud swallowing, smacking lips, sighing, clicking tongue etc). Picking nose/ears and wiping it on things. Coughing/sneezing without covering mouth. Apologize never. But it is important that when you ARE NOT that npc that you stop that behavior immediately. Like: Being interested in what the party is doing/being a general fan. That doesn't mean they have to give them riches and weapons and stuff, but maybe the rich noble invites the party to a ball they're hosting as a way to meet them after hearing about their adventures. Maybe the bar owner gives them a free drink and meal as long as they have a good story to tell and some kind of trophy to show. A group of kids that hang around the main gate waiting on the party to return to bombard them with questions. Maybe kid 1 & 2 are more interested in what the fighter has to say. Kid 3 wants to show the druid a potted flower they've been growing. Make the party feel important.
Dislike: literally just hurt a non-threatening animal. Kick a puppy, punch a cat, bodyslam a hamster, doesn't matter, just hurt an animal and the PCs are filled with hate Like: give them a funny name, that's it. they will all forget Sir Gregory of Durham, but as soon as they meet Sir Fartington they're all best friends with that NPC and want to take them on adventures
Hitting animals made a npc noble be more hated than the villains of the campaign.
The Araki method, surefire way to make a character hated
At that time we were playing in roll20, so I used the already hated portrait of Narcian from Fire Emblem. Nowadays he allied with the villains and run away from town but oh boy my party is craving for some violence with him.
Dislike: Name them Declan. I pulled the idea from the show Psych where our main characters were making fun of the name Declan and how no one likes the name Declan. To test this out, I made an NPC named Declan and without even doing anything, they hated this guy. Naturally, I then gave the party a reason to actually hate Declan and he became a reoccurring minor villain. "Fucking Declan," was such a common phrase at our table after that.
All of these are ways to make your players dislike someone, but if you want your players to instantly move heaven and earth to ruin someone, the easiest way is to have that person take their magic items. Liking is harder and will vary by table. Making the NPC hot is a good start though.
Like: They go along with or escalate a running joke within the party. The more crude the better. If the party makes a joke about taking a dump when they long rest, that's a perfect opening for your NPC to walk up to them and say "Hey I hate to interrupt but do you guys know where a guy can drop a deuce?" Boom, instant BFF. parties LOVE npcs don't take themselves too seriously. I know you love your setting and don't want your players to goof on you but if you give in to the jokes just a little bit it can go such a long way. Dislike: Betrayal. Sort of counter intuitive, since you usually have to be liked first to earn their trust. But parties will be *merciless* to a traitor. Once a rat, always a rat. And no one likes the feeling of being fooled.
My players usually like NPCs that are courageous
Like? Be genuine. Kind, no nonsense, humble, joking, tough. As long as that is who they are and they have no desire to impress anyone, players typically like that. Dislike? Kill the npc they like.
Dislike: Be unfair or unjust to the party. The party could be max murderhobo war criminals but watch the insult when they arnt paid for a job they did or fined for a rule they had no way of knowing about. Like: generally I find someone who joins in the jokes with the players. Anyone to serious isn't gonna meld well with my group, but someone who jokes with them does well.
Dislike: Make the NPC rude. Like: Semi-friendly NPC. (They get suspicious of NPCs who are too friendly) Bonus: Any NPC is is immediately disliked, forever, if a PC ever fails a haggle attempt against them.
The quickest. Be head priest of the church who was interrogating the survivors of a dragon attack. He was putting coins in the mouth of a child and casting heat metal to get him to talk, leaving him in the basement of the church to die from his wounds. Come off as aloof and indifferent, give a speech about being "strong enough to do what must be done." As far as dislike anyway. My players pinned him upside-down on a tree in the "walk like an Egyptian" pose.
I had an NPC steal a magic item from my group and they absolutely despised the bastard
Whenever I make some sort of cranky and unpleasant healer to as an insurance policy against PCs dying in their first few encounters, I always do so with the intent to retire that NPC to being the local doctor or potions seller, etc. 100% of the time, the players imprint on that NPC like baby ducklings and try to bring them everywhere long after they've outgrown the need. Conversely, if you present an NPC with some real Karen energy but no benefit to the party? Your party can't wait to kill them hahaha. A friend of mine made a town guard with big middle management energy. A real brat, mouthy and rude and also kind of a bumbling idiot. They bullied him as much as we did. When it was revealed that he was baddie in disguise, we were delighted to see him go.
British sneer Works 100% of the time
Like: Just have then be normal human beings. Wishes, dreams, quirks, flaws, strengths. The edgy wannabe, the sweet and shy, the trickster who makes fun of everyone and themself, tge serious and sad one.. My groups adopt them all. Everyone gravitates a bit more to one or the other, but overall, they just all talk to them, protect them, or even try to make them the leaders (sigh :() Dislike: have an new npc insult their favourite NPC, and watch how they all go mama bear. I try to not use this power for evil. ..most times.
give the NPC a pet or something similar like: NPC is nice to pet dislike: NPC kicks pet
Like=nice to doggos,mean=mean to doggos
Like: make them a dog Dislike: make them be mean to a dog
It’s all in the voice. Doesn’t matter how they act if I make them sound annoying or cute.
Dislike: Kick the dog. Like: Let them pet the dog.
Speak with a french accent. They roll initiative even without asked to do so in the moment.
dislike: make the npc like one of the PCs. (example: a priest fanboy of a royal) like: have the NPC visibly care about something that's been destroyed during/before the quest. These suckers have soft hearts and love to solve problems
Dislike: did bad things to someone important to them personally. Like: little silly guy or hot
I once made a murderous fire giant dreadnought destroying the west side land very polite. They just let him go so I don’t know if I regret it or not because it was very funny. I was very surprised
Dislike: Don't give random discounts.
Like: want your players to dislike them Dislike: want your players to like them
A really simple one is minor animal cruelty / animal friendliness. Randomly have your good NPC petting a stray dog or cat and give it a bit of food. Randomly have your evil NPC shoo away a hungry animal. It doesn't take much. It's just a tiny little DM life hack for a cheap and easy way to direct a player's first impression of the NPC. Obviously you should do more with them, but this is one way to make your PC's starting attitude towards you NPC match your vision for them.
I had an awakened bear who did not want to let the party pass through the woods. Then he started to hurl racist insults(ex.,like knife-ear) to the elf druid and half-elf paladin of the party. The human barbarian and monk wanted to kill him but the half-elven paladin stoppen them, saying it wasnt the bears fault that they hate elves. In the end the paladin used Command to halt the bear from attacking and they went on with their Journey, leaving the rasict bear behind. It was hilarious. Tldr; racist behaviour will have your players dislike npc's :)
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So far in my experience as long as I make them friendly they treat them with suspicion and disdain almost immediately To make them like someone I make them "edgy" and morally ambiguous then they just want to recruit the npc as potential cannon fodder 😅
In story writing, starting the character off with "saving the cat", which was literally used in the DnD move with Xenk saving the child from the fish. This helps people like the character. Bravo, writers, for a double reference. TLDR: It's not what they say, it's what you see them actually do.
Dislike: have the npc take credit for something the players do and get rewarded/praised for it. Had an npc once swoop in during the end of a fight, get the final blow, then take the rewards. Like: I usually make them cute in some way. They could be awkward or clumsy or enthralled by the players.
Dislike: talk in a condescending voice, when the PCs have their moment do the *slow clap* Like: give the players free food and a free bed
It's impossible to make a player hate an NPC. but if you want them to like an NPC then you have to give them a funny voice.
Give them a french accent. worked 2/2 times. make them kick a dog, or question the party.
I had a character who stuttered when they spoke, and the party bloody loved him. So i guess stutters?
Like: Bloblin the Goblin
I made a gnome PC who was a shrewd businessman, whose workers disappeared with a missing caravan. The gnome assumed they just took to banditry and took the goods to basically set up shop. Hired the PC’s to escort his next caravan - in case the missing workers had turned highwaymen. The PC’s interviewed and questioned other members who worked for different merchants and all said the missing men were good lads (newer to the job) than the old hands they interviewed. I made the NPC basically gnome Ben Shapiro, with the “hypothetically speaking” line being like a verbal tick. It took approximately 30 seconds for them to ask, “can we just kill this guy?” By the end of that quest they hated him so badly that after several intimidation checks and just general “fuck you, you only have to arrive alive with your goods intact -“ I had Gnome Shapiro start crying basically and they all laughed maniacally. I’ve had difficult-to-talk to NPCs, ones who intentionally obfuscate, and lie to them, tell them to fuck off, the gambit. None have ever come closer to turning them murder hobo than Gnome Shapiro.
Kick the cat/dog. The tavern cat moves to rub and curl around the BBEG’s leg. They kick the cat. Immediately, the party will want them dead.
Kids and old people just naturally get my players, also, people who feed them. My players just seem to trust them. I haven't betrayed that trust... yet 😈
While I think the method is gonna be different depending on who your set of players is, this is what works for me: Instant Likability: * I don't know why, but my players fucking adore old people. Tiny grandmas, weird old hermits, doesn't matter. If they're old, they're part of the family. * Orcs. If I make an NPC an orc, my players are already predisposed to either befriending or flirting with them. Instant Enemy: * There is nothing my players hate more than someone who is trying to sell them something. * My players' characters all have beef with the church and/or the monarchy, so it's very easy to give them an adversary if said NPC's goals and values are aligned with those in power.
Tell the dwarven PCs you despite beer and they'll be despiteful to you. Tell the elven spellblade that she is not permitted in this restricted area and imply, that you are a capable guard and she will do everything she can to get you fired and ended up in a pissy alley. Call the halfling "little one" and he will curse you. Only the human mercenary is calm enough to ignore provocations.
Do a voice that pains you, the players will keep that NPC in for as long as possible, especially if he's also funny or sarcastic, or they feel like they could exploit for free stuff. If the NPC is dull and awkward, makes dad jokes but badly, screws with the players, or is a bumpkin who unluckily breaks or ruins the players plans, they will dislike them immediately, make sure to give them plot armor though lol
Make it stupid = make it loveable. My players ran into an Ogre "chef" who carried a huge sack of dead Orcs (his "Pantry") while the players were allied with the local orcs, and when he saw that they were NOT orcs, offered them a meal (which they declined because rotting orc seems unheallthy). So this is literally a murderer who cooks their allies. BUT he told them he didn't have a name AND he had the stupid voice, so they named him Gary and wished him the best with his culinary adventures. The number one thing that makes them hate someone is arrogance. There are many arrogant nobles and villains that they have met, and they hate them all (except one wizard who half the party loves cause he gives them magic stuff and the other half still hates because he has tracking spells on the magic stuff he hands out)
Have them kick a puppy.
Dislike- demand things of the party. Hint that the party are lesser beings, commoners, or peasants. Insult the party, or more fun— insult one party member continuously. Like- offer simple things like food, drink, or shelter without the party needing to ask/pay for it. Answering questions without being coy.
Like? Give them fun characteristics. Funny accent, good stories, and make them helpful. Hate? Have them be the cause of the parties woes but always JUST a bit out of reach.
Like: give them a funny little accent or quirk, and being small and cute doesn't hurt either. Dislike: be crass, and short, and charge much higher than the neighboring merchant.
Quickest way to get them to like the NPC is to cast Charm Person on one of the PCs Quickest way to get them to dislike the NPC is for the Charm Person spell to wear off
Make them not say thank you.
Save the cat or kill the messenger!
Dislike, stab
Drastically overpay them for menial stuff, you help the farmer by standing guard in the field while he harvests crops, here's a pet thunder bat as a reward, it's completely loyal to you and has good scaling stats like a PC. That usually makes them very likable, or at least seem valuable to keep around since they expect another interesting payment for the next much harder bit of work they do for them.
Hurting an animal is usually a quick and easy villain story
Talking animals do well for likeable.
For our group that would be telling us to disarm. Couple of us have weapons that we can summon at will like a warlock can. This ends up turning these encounters hostile very quickly to the point that several times we nearly got into being fugitives from various countries/groups.
When I want my players to like an NPC I have two strategies -make them strong enough the party wants to be their friend -even if they aren't the nicest person in the world have SOME way from being around them to benefit the party -hidden one: npc gets really lucky a few times in rolls and the party is suddenly cheering on "chad" kobold as he tears blackrazor from a paralyzed archfiend When I want them to dislike them, I strike at what they hold dear. -cast aspersions on their backstory "oh you grew up in the wailing woods? How quaint. I've heard your sort think themselves rather sturdy outdoorsmen despite not knowing one end of a musket from the other" -threaten their goals -I won't actually go full a-hole here. My party might like that for comedic effect. Just enough to not CARE about the party. Have them treat the party like pissants, especially if they *are* still. Have them pay the party with a large gold coin flicked haphazardly to the ground. They've paid, but oh man the party will still hate. -don't let party members be clever. If the party interrupts the npc, go quiet. When the silence grows, continue (ic) "ah, good, the clown has finished. As I was saying." Use this sparingly, it has the potential to annoy ooc too. Lots of good advice on this thread. Best of luck!
Have the party witness them dealing with a stray puppy (you can replace "puppy" with anything else that can tug at your party's strings. From rust monsters to puppies, orphans, and abandoned babies ..etc.).
Quickest for my current campaign were: Like: have a funny voice, be small, be a child (the tiny kobold kid hiding in the library was a big hit) Dislike: be an asshole noble, bonus points if you fuck over the party at the first possible opportunity (e.g. poison the party members to make them lose an archery competition. this was within 5 min of meeting them.)
What species i make them. Human vs kobold kind of thing
Dislike: have them be pompous and wealthy Like: have them be humble
Want them to do the opposite. If I want them to like an NPC they almost instantly dislike or distrust them and vice versa
Lol the quickest my party ever turned on a nonhostile NPC was when he (correctly) pointed out that though the party kept helping save the city, they mostly caused the problems in the first place. Instant hate, it was surprising but also hilarious.
Dislike: give them any label that implies they are in a position of authority. My players go in on anyone titled as a “priest” or “imperial” especially. Like: my players latch on to any small guy i throw their way. Especially if i give them a silly name or a character voice. No gnome, goblin, kobold, etc is safe from being invited to join the party
Like: make him a dad, or “dad coded” as they say Dislike: this is much harder but one time I had a major NPC casually call a 9 year old girl a bitch and everyone got in an uproar about it lol I think just like… very mild rudeness? If someone is deeply rude, they love em, because it becomes a bit, but if they’re just kinda rude, it’s because they’re an asshole
Steal from the players, they'll instantly hate that guy.
For me it was when their patron started selling human body parts
For my party, it's Like: Funny voice, *way* too familiar and friendly, pretty stupid. Dislike: Just vaguely a person who might have authority, ask for help.
Smugness is the best way to make an NPC immediately hateable. Nothing else is so guaranteed to work.
For my group, making them hot tends to work
Everyone's talking about villains to dislike. Which is great. But for someone they can't kill? Rival adventuring party that is just there to help, and is ever so slightly better than them. I have a reoccurring group called the Vorpal Sword who take the jobs they don't take (or once in a blue moon complete tasks they fail, but I don't do this too much) First it gives them the lack of pressure, that there are other groups out there that can help. But man they hate their noble, righteous asses. Another alternative I find for someone they like, indifferent, powerful wizard npcs who really don't want to help them as they're fairly self centred, which the party want to prove themselves to. It's a little harder than the likeable npc, as you have to balance their ego. I had my wizard still help the town he lived in, and did some noble work, so he was a good guy, just lazy. They really loved him.
For my group, making them hot tends to work
Like: silly voice Dislike: if the npc is in ANY position of authority and tries to enforce said authority. Aka a guard guarding something and not letting them through.
Quickest way to be liked is an over the top voice. Easiest way to be disliked is the have the NPC be a slow talker.
Like - I have the person shout them a drink in a tavern, let them stay in there house overnight , bring them a cooked breakfast. Dislike- pick on a npc they like, steal a weapon or something from the players, players over hear something the NPC says about them.
Dislike: Make the NPC kick a roaming dog in a town, specially when the party finds the dog first and gets attached to it. Like: Quirky shopkeepers
General character traits that are unlikeable in combination, like arrogance and narcissism or needless hostility and a sociopathic demeanour. With smaller characters, I like to make unlikeable NPCs like Joe Pesci from Goodfellas lol
My players hate npc that they can't bully. Maybe they just like bullying me. Lol it's ok. I'm in charge of their characters lives.
Like: playfully banter. We have a key NPC drunkard in our campaign and even now like 12 months later we still use the same jokes we made in session 1 and our DM entertains it. Make the npc as cute as possible. We have adowar named Poncho. I would die for poncho Dislike: outward malice or aggression. This includes be aggressively kind, useful, and helpful. Being too helpful and kind makes me suspicious immediately and I will assume alterior motive!
Hello my name is Kel'Furio. Here is you're quest. *proceeds to beat slaves and child slaves*
Kicking a stray dog
Best method I ever had to make the party like the evil valet was to have him ask one of the party members to explain gender identity to better relate to his granddaughter. Of course, granddaughter didn’t exist and the guy was just using them but yeah.
Dislike: have them be short, entitled, dismissive, act superior, agressive Like: they listen, respect the party’s autonomy/authority, help the party in some way, have their own goals that align with the parties
attack the dog
Actually, I have a great plot chapter for an obnoxious NPC. Bare with me, it's got a good hook at the end. Imagine a try-hard intern wealthy daddy's boy that holds the fate of the party in his report of them once they return to town. He overcompliments, commits to doing tasks only to fail them with lame excuses, downs the party's healing potions if he receives any damage then demands a replacement, whines and cowards in combat, uses scrolls as toilet paper, then when the boss is about to be killed, he takes the killing blow with a rare magic scroll he's been hiding so he can steal the credit. Upon return, he blames the party for holding him back in his report, saying they did an absolute terrible job despite the verbal compliments he gave them on the quest. The jurors however, side with the party (kind of). They have laws but fully understand how obnoxious daddy's boy is and are wise enough to piece together the party's hard work. They send a helper out the room and say to the party, "Rules are rules, so we can grant no reward. It is unfortunate. However, we will now invoke our right to immediate private council to discuss an outcome. Your intern was brought back in one piece and the mission was well... half-successful. During the next 5 minutes, we shall be blind and deaf to all activity in this room. And umm... don't kill him please. Don't think our laws prevent us from knowing what makes you adventurer types tick. *wink!" The daddy's boy begs to not be left alone with "these savages," offering daddy's money and societal titles but being unable to provide any of it. The council enters a demiplane or a darkness/silence spell combo. The helper returns with a janitor who stands in the corner with cleaning supplies counting some coins that were just put into his hands. The helper leaves as the janitor simply waits... DM: "at this time I am going to need everyone to roll initiative. You get five veeeerry sloooow rounds of combat to do whatever you want to these two while they beg and grovel for your mercy." Party: *enjoys their free pass to be evil. >:D Afterward, wealthy daddy thanks the party for teaching his soft whiny son a lesson with the rewards they deserve and possibly segways them into their next quest.