Welcome! Halloween is still weeks away, but I’ve decided to put together a special list of Halloween themed NPC ideas for your fantasy tabletop campaign.
Whether you play D&D, Pathfinder, or another RPG system, this list will be sure to provide you with some great ideas and inspiration. As always, I love to get feedback from my followers so please let me know if you have any suggestions.
10 Great NPC Characters for Halloween Themed Adventures
Here’s my list of twenty great NPC ideas for Halloween themed games. Feel free to use them in your tabletop campaign – i.e. for non-commercial purposes. Enjoy! And be sure to check out the rest of the site for even more great content.
1) Harold Hoffenstein
Male Human Wizard (Chaotic Evil)
Harold has long, snow-white hair and intriguing eyes that glow. His hands are twisted like claws and he speaks in a low, gravely voice. He’s been a wizard since he was quite young, but his magic often clashes with that of other spellcasters.
When first encountered, he will be in the middle of an experiment that’s spooky in a lot of ways. Harold will be eager to join the party if they will provide him with a steady supply of human test subjects that he can replace at his whim. Harold’s spell list will likely include a mix of fire, necromancy, and illusion spells.
He’s using the bodies to create an army of sentient zombies that he can animate at will. He wants to overthrow the mayor of a nearby town and then spread his undead plague onto the surrounding countryside.
If players help him, they will be charged by the crown and will have to deal with royal troops. Alternatively, they can claim they were working undercover and help bring Harold Hoffenstein to justice.
2) Sarah Appletree
Female Halfling Bard (Chaotic Neutral)
Sarah has dark red hair that’s curly and a pudgy face that’s always smiling.
She’s been quite the troublemaker lately, but she’s always a lot of fun! Not only is she a great person to have around, she will often help novice adventurers explore dungeons and fight dangerous monsters that they’re not ready to face yet. While she’s not the most powerful character in the world, she’s probably the most fun to be around. Her merriment often helps to lighten the mood and can actually heal the wounds of the party.
She enjoys singing and dancing and the party will often find themselves enjoying her company or being serenaded by her during long dungeon crawls. She’s quite the storyteller and will often weave elaborate tales as they sleep on the road. She’s had a bit of a run of bad luck lately and needs to find her way to the next village in order to find work. If players help her out, she will be more than willing to share some stories with them and possibly even help them on their journey by performing for their supper.
3) Virgil Vilson
Male Human Wizard (Lawful Evil)
Virgil is a wizened old man with long, matted black hair and a crooked nose that speaks of many broken noses in the past.
He’s been a wizard for as long as he can remember and often seeks out adventures to obtain rare ingredients for his spells. He is often quite the pragmatist and will happily slay those that get in his way.
He is a tactical fighter and while he can be defeated, he is tough to take down. He has a large wagon that he pulls with an old mule and he travels the countryside searching for ingredients to use in his spell experiments. He is often quite the loner and will avoid rather large settlements unless he has found a promising source for his spells. If players allow him to join them, he will be very happy to share his expertise in his craft and offer a lot of advice.
He is fanatical about collecting rare ingredients and will likely be upset if the party decides to use them for something other than alchemical purposes.
4) Magnus Osbourne
Male Human Ranger (Chaotic Evil)
Magnus is a big brute of a man with a wide mouth that always seems to be grinning. He has a long scar that runs down one side of his face and neck and his eyes are fierce.
He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed and is often thought to be a bit simple-minded. He’s fiercely loyal to those that he respects and will do anything that he’s asked to.
He’s constantly getting into arguments with others because of his colorful and blunt way of speaking. He lives in the woods for the most part and is a master woodsman. He has a small hunting shack that he shares with a pet bear that he rescued from the claws of a wolf. He might be considered a brute by some, but he’s actually quite the skilled ranger.
He’s probably the only one that’s willing to eat a raw squirrel when times are tough. He knows the woods better than anyone and will use his tracking skill and animal sense to keep the party on course if they hire him. He’s looking for a group of bandits that have been raiding nearby villages and killing the inhabitants. He will be willing to join up with the party for the purpose of tracking down the bandits and taking his revenge. The Halloween twist is that he’s a werewolf.
5) Judith Fontenot
Female Half-Elf Bard (True Neutral)
Judith is a beautiful young woman with long brown hair and a perfect body. She’s a lot of fun to be around and is always cheerful and energetic.
She’s always looking for a good time and is quite popular with men and women alike, although she’s too young to settle down with anyone just yet.
She knows a lot of the songs that the people in the party like and will be happy to sing them a few times if they’ll help her out. She’s been traveling for quite a while and is headed to a big city for the first time. She doesn’t have a lot to offer other than music, but if the party is willing to help her out, she will happily join them.
She’s on her way to an audition with a traveling theater company in a nearby city and needs to get there before they leave without her. If the party helps her, she will happily perform for them and enthrall the crowd with her beautiful voice. She’s a master manipulator and will be happy to wheedle her way into the players’ affections if they are willing to pay her the attention that she needs.
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She’s been running from a failed relationship with one of the local guards that she left behind in the last village and she’s quite upset about the way things turned out. She’ll do her best to make sure that the players are happy and entertained, but it’s a double-edged sword. If players start to pay too much attention to her, she may just run off with their hard-earned gold.
The Halloween twist? She’s a vampire.
6) Nalice Harlowe
Female Human Wizard (Lawful Evil)
Nalice is a beautiful woman with long white hair and pale blue eyes. She has a soft, lilting voice and a bit of a frail appearance. She’s one of the most powerful wizards that the players will have ever encountered and she’s quite capable of wiping the floor with them if they prove to be a bit too annoying. She’s a bit of a ditzy airhead, but don’t let on that you know.
She’s a master manipulator and loves to toy with her enemies. She loves to dress up in all manner of costumes and often switches genders in order to get the upper hand in a fight. She’s quite fond of using polymorph spells and if the party is looking for trouble, they can probably find it with her.
Nalice is a bit of an odd duck and tends to do things that other people might think are strange. She’ll often help others for no good reason and sometimes it’s hard to tell whether she’s actually being helpful or just being sneaky. She’s always looking for a good time. She’ll be happy to join the party if they’ll accept her and she likes the look of the group.
She’s looking for a group of bandits that have been raiding nearby villages and killing the inhabitants. She will be willing to join up with the party for the purpose of tracking down the bandits and taking her revenge. The Halloween twist is that she is being haunted by a ghost.
7) Peter Pain
Male Human Warrior (Neutral Evil)
Peter is an old man that’s got a big pot belly and a long white beard. He has a black eye patch over one eye and he’s missing one of his ears. His clothes are torn and filthy and he smells like he hasn’t bathed in weeks. He’s a big brute of a man with a reputation as a big brute of a man. He’s loud, in your face, and everything about him is obnoxious.
If the party is a bunch of young, up and coming adventurers, he’ll be quite the nuisance. If the party is a group of grizzled old veterans, he’ll be an asset in the fight against evil. He’s been a warrior his whole life and if he’s in a foul mood and doesn’t like you, he’s quite likely to kill you.
His favorite pastime is drinking and taking on all comers, regardless of size and strength. He’s also quite handy with a club and is happy to demonstrate to anyone that’s interested. He’s been traveling the countryside looking for a fight and he’s not finding much in his travels. If he joins the party, he’ll be a valuable asset in the fight against evil. If the party is a bunch of youngsters that are still wet behind the ears, he’ll be an overbearing bully.
He’s a force to be reckoned with and will gladly stand up for his friends, but he’s not afraid to step on a few toes to get things done. The Halloween twist is that he’s being chased by the grim reaper – literally!
9) Old Man Pun-Kin
Male Half-Orc Illusionist Lich (Chaotic Evil)
Old Man Pun-Kin looks like a pumpkin-man-orc chimera hybrid. He has a pumpkin for a head, and it’s clear that he’s been mad for a long time. He smells rotten, and his voice is gurgling and wet. He’s not dangerous in a physical sense because he’s not much of a fighter. He can cast powerful spells that can make the party’s lives quite miserable, though.
He’s very clever and will use his magic to his advantage. He’ll cast mind-affecting spells on the party and he’ll play tricks on the party that they won’t easily forget. He’s a bit of a jokester, and if he can get a belly laugh out of the party, he’ll do it one way or another.
He’s not easy to hurt as a lich, but he’s a bit of a coward. If he thinks that he’s in danger, he’ll run away, but he’ll come back later and try to stab them in the back. He’s a master of bad puns and will challenge one of the players to a pun battle. Rules determined by DM beforehand.
8) Ralph V. Sellars
Male Half-Elf Ranger (Lawful Evil)
Ralph is a tall, handsome man with long brown hair, dark eyes, and the most perfect teeth that you could imagine. He’s a bit of a dandy and likes to wear the finest clothes that he can afford. His clothes are always clean and well-pressed and he smells nice enough to eat. He loves to spend money on nice things and he has a soft spot for children and the defenseless. He’s also an assassin and if he finds a target that needs taking care of, he’ll certainly be willing to step up to the plate.
He’s looking for a target on which to hone his assassination skills and he’s heard that the party may be able to point him in the right direction. The target is a powerful member of a rival guild and if the guild hears about the murder, he’ll have to leave the area. He’s quite the dandy and spends a lot of time primping and preening.
If the party is looking for trouble, he’s more than happy to give it to them. He’s got a few magical tricks up his sleeve as well and he’s not afraid to use them to get the job done. His biggest weakness is his fondness for the elderly after his parents died mysteriously. The Halloween twist is that the party will be charged for HIS murder. They will need to prove their innocence during a Halloween costume ball in the campaign.
10) Lewis Anderson
Male Human Paladin (Lawful Good)
Lewis is a tall, handsome man with long blond hair and clear blue eyes. He’s muscular and fit, but not overly so. He’s a good man through and through. Well, he’s a good man during the day. When night falls, his personality changes and he’s more dark and brooding. He believes that he was given his powers by an angel and he fights against evil in all forms.
When the sun sets, he becomes a vampire that hunts and kills any people he can find. He can’t control his actions during the night and he doesn’t even know that he’s committing these horrible acts. However, he does know about his condition and he does everything he can to keep his condition a secret, which is why he always wears a mask and long hair and is always indoors during the day.
The twist is that he’s being mind-controlled by a witch, and he’s not really a vampire, but he thinks that he is.
More Halloween Themed NPC Characters?
If you want more Halloween themed NPC characters, head over to LitRPG Adventures and check out our NPC Generator powered by GPT-3 AI. Members also get access to our library of already generated NPC characters. We’ve got hundreds!
