NPCs

I had avoided NPCs for a while since many of them are so setting specific, but I hope that a) these NPCs help flesh out the world, and b) they are compelling enough in themselves that people would want to use them in their own games, and with a little tweaking, could make them work for other settings. I also struggled with whether to focus on NPCs related to a specific place or faction, or do more of a "best of", and I went with the latter, although unfortunately there were several NPCs I would have loved to include, but for various reasons chose not to. Also, I struggled with how much lore I should reveal and how specific to my own game these entries should be. In general, I would suggest you take what you like and cut what you don't. My personal favorites off of this table are the Grim General in Blue, Edward Nzimbe, Doctor Lovesmenot / The Honeycomb Man, and Hopscotch and Honeybee. Let me know what you think!

NPCs (1d20)	Appearance	Personality/History	Special Abilities	Role / Notes
1. Grim General in Blue	Mutant with sickly bluish-green tinted skin, a face burned so badly as to appear skeletal, and a gnarly, twisted, burnt tongue. Dresses like a black leather fascist.	Born a slave in the deino kingdom. Fought for the deinos in the myco-wars. Burnt his face after being infected by the psilosymbiotes to kill the infection. A tactical genius who likely saved the world from the psilosymbiotes. It is said that he was asked to manage Nova Arkham personally by the Fey King. Despite being in many ways a typical sociopathic, narcissistic, fascist tyrant with no regard for his people, he has been undeniably a competent ruler.	It is unknown if he has any special mutant abilities, but it is believed that he is extremely powerful. He carries various powerful ancient artifacts or modern tools, such as elemental power orbs which orbit around him, and a powerful laser-pistol.	I imagine him as someone who has deeply internalized his abuse and is a tragic anti-villain, but one could also use him as a more straightforward villain. He should be powerful and intimidating relative to the party (at least at first), but in the grander scheme of things is as much at the mercy of gods and monsters as anyone else. He has reached his position more so through cunning than raw power.
2. Sieg and Zeffre Shang Mars Di	Both have blue-ish skin, purple fin-like ears and purple lizard-claw forearms, hands, ankles, and feet, but are otherwise conventionally attractive. Sieg is in his early 20's, Zeffre in her late 20's.	Sieg is brash, violent, and immature, but also more cunning than he appears. Zeffre is known for being cold and calculating, but is more good-natured and reasonable than she may seem.	Sieg is a garlic knight who often wears full byzma metal armor and carries a katana and large chakram. Zeffre is a jammer who carries a bone kris dagger-like IFOD said to be carved from the bone of a dragon.	The siblings have an antagonistic relationship with each other, with Edward, and with their father (the Grim General in Blue). Should also be cooperative but antagonistic towards the players at first. Good for political intrigue stories.
3. Edward Nzimbe	Light mocha skin with shimmering, crystalline filament hair, including a goatee. Below average height. Wears round glasses low on his nose, the gold frames covering only the lower half of the lenses. Not good looking in the conventional sense, but not wholly unattractive either. Often wears a white lab coat.	Highly intellectual, very talkative (sometimes to his own detriment), unusual and rapid cadence. Highly respected by the Grim General, who also heaps praise on him as a (sometimes not so) passive aggressive stab at his children, creating a strained, "third sibling" relationship between himself, Sieg, and Zeffre.	Super-genius phreaker, with broad knowledge in other intellectual fields such as materialism and apoptomancy. Not much of a fighter/adventurer, but his intellect has been instrumental to the success of the Grim General's Nova Arkham.	His consciousness is distributed across the paraverse, conglomerating into the god-like entity SLIME Edward, who resides in Deep Time. His behaviors often seem utilitarian or a-moral, but he is generally a good and reasonable person. Depending on the state of the paraverse, this version of Edward may not be consciously aware of SLIME Edward.
4. Occulon	A giant, red, veiny, dry eyeball mutant hovering on a bio-jet optic nerve exhausting a cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF)-like combustive substance.	Proponent of a "maximum exploitation function"- a way for a government or business to extract the most value out of its populace / employees with the least risk for rebellion. A cynical industrialist. Intelligent, but myopic (pun intended).	Reflects and refracts light precisely, cutting the air to produce a whistling voice. Uses hard-light to manipulate objects. Can project his explosive, napalm-like CSF.	A wealthy industrialist transitioning into politics. Has become a divisive figure in the Public Forum. Cooperative with and ideologically similar to the Grim General, but without honor. Would gladly backstab and replace him. Likely would be a worse (or at least more cruel) ruler.
5. Arnold Tanaka	A middle-aged, slightly overweight, black-haired, balding, almond-eyed mutant. Wears a black suit, cowboy hat, and glasses. Has antennae on the top of his head, and many eyes across his forehead which glow various colors in random patterns. Speaks in a Texas accent.	A functional alcoholic. Jovial when off the job, but so serious when working as to be off-putting. Surprisingly competent to those who only know him casually. Jaded, but ultimately well-meaning. Knows how to work people.	Impressively competent "super spy", powerful mesmerist. A paraversal being who generally has all the intel on what's going on in the relevant segments of the paraverse or Deep Time.	The handler of the Pearl Panthers mercenary group, a good starting point for an adventuring party. The party may or may not be aware that the Pearl Panthers are one of several fronts for the dada-DA, the paraversal organization Tanaka actually serves.
6. Guttersnipe	An ugly, scrawny, heavily scarred kobold in a trench coat. Shady and dangerous looking.	Rough around the edges, but all around good guy. For someone who has been through a lot, he seems surprisingly wise, worldy, and well-adjusted.	Carries a giant, super powerful, ancient, techno-organic plasma sniper rifle which can also morph into armor. Wears aether tactics gear with claws instead of hooks underneath his trenchcoat, which he uses to grasp onto and ram into enemies in freefall while wearing his rifle as armor.	Given his appearance and demeanor, could be a red herring in an investigation. In my campaign, he was already working with Tanaka prior to the start of the game, has been to Deep Time, and is aware that he works for the dada-DA.
7. Acid Mongoose	A humanoid mongoose mutant, average humanoid-sized, wears a rubbery tactical suit with Kevlar-like body armor, has a patch over his left eye, and wears a bandanna.	Like Guttersnipe, he is rough around the edges, but with less of a soft side. When not undercover, he is generally gruff and unlikable, at least until you get to know him. Idealistic and true to his beliefs.	Similar "super spy" skills as Tanaka, although more heavily equipped and physically stronger (but less competent at mesmerism). Has other mongoose-like abilities.	Has a long and complicated history with Tanaka and the dada-DA. Should have a cooperative but antagonistic relationship with the party (if they're working with the Tanaka), but the relationship could change as they get to know him.
8. The Butler (aka The Butler of Dada)	Mutant with an abnormally large, round head, large facial features, and a small, frail looking body. Speaks with a comical, over-the-top British accent.	Servile, but with a certain biting, dry sarcasm. In the rare case where he must fight, reveals a much more dominant and aggressive side.	Carries a cane which can be used as a weapon, creating a strobe effect which seems to wipe things from existence. Despite his oddness, he is clearly quite powerful.	Should initially come off as a background character / facilitator, but there could be subtle hints that he is much older, more knowledgeable, and more powerful than he pretends.
9. Freaksmith	Large mutant with yellow eyes, blackish green skin, sharp teeth, and covered in a mossy substance. Raspy voice with a cajun accent.	Will intentionally play up his intimidating appearance for laughs, but is actually a generous and humorous person.	An expert at collecting, repairing, or modifying ancient or odd artifacts, and has designed plenty of his own weapons, armor, and gadgets (to mixed success).	Resides in Deep Time, and is the go-to armorer for the top agents of the dada-DA. Finds and sells the best and rarest tama-dama for a fair price.
10. The Honeycomb Man (aka Doctor Lovesmenot)	A sad, world-weary, post-middle aged mutant with pinkish skin and rosewood colored hair, neon green irises, and no pupils. When revealed as the Honeycomb Man, is covered in meat-honey and honeycomb like holes all over his body that "bees" crawl out of. A third of his skull is cracked open at a 45ish-degree angle, exposing a wasp-like head underneath with compound eyes on a stalk.	While hiding his Honeycomb Man form, acts like a kind and gentle, if nervous and weary doctor. Although he serves as a benevolent non-profit doctor in Perdition, he is actually a completely deranged serial killer, riddled with guilt over his past. His victims are primarily those he holds responsible, in some roundabout way, for the suffering of the God Mutant (instead of himself).	An extremely powerful apoptomancer, made more dangerous given his swarm of "bees" and Deep Ones, and his own metamorphosis. May also carry impossigen-based weapons or gadgets.	The God Mutant manipulated the doctor to induce his own immaculate conception. This version of Doctor Lovesmenot served as a surrogate father to the God Mutant, but was in some way coerced by Yagak-Sha (possibly by way of another agent), corrupting the it in the process. It is also possible that it was always corrupted, and Yagak-Sha was incidental, or motivated by the God Mutant itself.
11. Doctor Lovesmenot	Tall, fit, handsome mutant in his early 30's with pinkish skin and rosewood colored hair, neon green irises, and no pupils.	Intelligent and charismatic, but in an inauthentic way, like a politician. Seemingly well-meaning, but often puts his research above traditional morality, and always seems like he's hiding something.	An extremely powerful apoptomancer (and possibly an empowered agent of Yagak-Sha). Lacks the metamorphic powers of the Honeycomb Man, but has the force of will of one who has not been psychically broken.	This version of the Doctor does not come into being unless the God Mutant is removed from the paraverse. Should be a mystery; works for the Grim General but may or may not know about the paraverse, his history with the God Mutant, and Yagak-Sha.
12. Macaroni and Cheez	Mostly humanoid, chimp-like and orangutan-like mutants, respectively. Dirty, under-dressed, dopey-looking.	If encountered in Perdition (pre-eradication of the God Mutant), are absolute solid stick addicts, and behave as such. Afterwards, are dopey and stoner-like, but well-meaning.	No special abilities to speak of. It is not clear why they work for Doctor Lovesmenot in either configuration of the paraverse (pre- or post- eradication of the God Mutant).	Unlike Doctor Lovesmenot, they should be genuinely clueless about the Paraverse, or how they got from Perdition/Deep Time to Nova Arkham after the reconfiguration.
13. Scout Raptor Maeder	Middle-aged deino, well below average sized and frail, but gorgeously well-feathered, making him attractive and regal-looking.	Even by deino standards, is cold, dry, and serious. Treats mutants (and to a lesser extent all non-deinos) with disdain, but is outright hateful towards deino-passing mutants.	A low-ranking general (Scout Raptor). A decent shot, otherwise not physically threatening, but he is a competent military strategist, tactician, and bureaucrat.	Runs a slave labor camp of deino-passing mutants (who are anathema to the deino religion) and is generally awful. Nonetheless, he does genuinely care for his own people, and can be merciful or reasonable under the right circumstances.
14. Nina Soulchild	Tall, attractive tartarian woman with a two-puff afro who wears a silky crimson jumpsuit, low cut, with a gold ascot scarf, bellbottom pants, and high platform shoes. Carries a steak-like gold wand running through a small, beating heart which drips blood which quickly evaporates without leaving a stain. The steak conceals a retractable blade.	Fun, sarcastic, free-loving, romantic, adventurous. All of this is genuine, but is also a cover for her ongoing depression, lost love, and deep personal regrets. Despite the dubious moral nature of her mercenary work, she is a mostly caring and well-meaning person.	A powerful combat necromancer. She uses the blade in her steak to slit her wrists or throat- using suicide blood to activate her blood font. Has an abnormally-powerful blood golem which she can summon from her blood font.	Currently resides in the Harlequinade Embassy, working as a mercenary. Has a close working relationship with most major factions.
15. Tezura Niko and Aleph	Tezura is a male dogu. Carries a large dagger with glowing blue circuits and a blue orb towards the hilt. Wears a silver cloth armor with similar blue circuitry. Has frosty-blue hair and unnatural, similar-colored eyes. Aleph is a mostly humanoid-passing, tall and lean but muscular female-looking golemite with navy blue hair.	Tezura is the archetypal scientist-adventurer renaissance man, and is considered a hero among the dogu. Aleph is his silent-but-deadly companion, who is every bit as capable as him, but clearly not in her most fully-functional form.	Tezura is a capable fighter, but is more so a materialist, phreaker, and amateur zoomer and aether dragoon. Aleph is super-humanly strong and durable, and has various advanced golemite gadgets and enhancements within her.	These two can show up basically anywhere for any reason, and can be useful for wrapping the players up into some random plot, or moving a given plot along, if things are running stagnant.
16. Raisa Nikoladze	Has braided, metallic red hair, and wears leather armor with a non-euclidean clockwork mesh underneath. Her bestial form is like a reptilian jackal.	Tezura's foil. She is the right-hand of Asimov Dengo, the leader of the dogu mafia. Not necessarily evil, but certainly ruthlessly self-interested.	Similar intellect and skillset as Tezura, but with a greater emphasis on the martial sciences. Has recently acquired void powers.	In my campaign, her dealings with the Harlequinade cult, Kurobozu, leads to her body being taken over by the god Mordiggian, forcing out Asimov Dengo from the mafia, overthrowing the dogu kingdom, reviving an ancient positronic golemite army, and starting a war with the tartarian kingdom.
17. Enno Piero	Harlequinade with blue and white skin and a face like a theatre mask. Wears an outfit like a cross between a caped superhero and the Swiss guard.	Like most harlequinade, is manic, unpredictable, and difficult to understand by typical mortals. Seems to be the governor of the Harlequinade Embassy.	Extremely powerful, both in direct combat and given his various magical and psionic abilities, many of which are not well-understood to non-harlequinade. Also carries many powerful artifacts.	May be associated with the Kurobozu, or with some other unknown faction...
18. Xeymour	A short, bald, young (early 20's) dogu who wears rhomboidal glasses, each composed of a purple and a gold triangle. Archetypal punk zoomer outfit. Speaks in 1980's hip-hop street slang.	The leader of the fonce resistance, a counter-culture of zoomers who engage in mostly non-violent, and 100% non-lethal protest, and are heavy users of the positronic network. Immature and idealistic, but competent and well-meaning, with a surprisingly mature side underneath his wacky, thrill-seeking outward demeanor.	A capable zoomer, wavespace prodigy, decent phreaker and materialist, but not otherwise exceptionally powerful.	In active conflict with Hak Moon's faction. Is not aware of the long-term implications of heavy use of the positronic network. In my campaign, the fonce resistance is a reaction to the dogu mafia taking over the kingdom, but they could pre-date that event for another campaign.
19. Hak Moon	Large dogu in his early 20's. Wears a black and white striped leather jacket, white and black makeup, zoomer gear, and a heavy electrocoil gun.	The dark side of thrill-seeking; manic, self-destructive, has an addictive personality, loves to gamble and play games. Appears idealistic, but it is unclear (even to himself) if this is genuine or an excuse for violence and the rush of rebellion.	Equal to Xeymour as a zoomer, but less so a wavespace prodigy. However, he has learned how to summon objects from wavespace through silence and exaggerated gestures using a method known as mime-etics. Also has a powerful bestial form.	He and Xeymour were old friends who grew up in the slums working for the mafia. After rising the ranks, they had a falling out and Xeymour formed fonce resistance. Hak Moon later left the mafia with a bloody trail, and formed his own violent rebel faction.
20. Hopscotch and Honeybee	A short humanoid mutant wearing a weird, creepy, caricature-esque rubber mask of a handsome man, and a large, rabbit-like mutant, both dressed in black, expensive looking three-piece suits and fedoras. Accents like early 20th century mafia goon and wiseguy, respectively. Hopscotch isn't the one you're thinking he should be.	A dynamic duo (of dunces). Hopscotch is intelligent, but tends to pontificate in ways that sound smart unless you know what the words he's saying actually mean. Honeybee is outwardly a dullard, but can be surprisingly sharp. They like to act tough, but they're so comically inept that it makes them endearing.	Despite their comical ineptitude and overr- and under-estimation of themselves (respectively), they are actually surprisingly capable, in a baffling manner. They come from some very, very distant part of the paraverse, and have access to knowledge and resources which make them dangerous, under the right circumstances.	It's not clear where they're from, who they work for, or what they do, except that it involves a BUTTLOAD of murder. They seem to somehow always get mixed up in things way too big for them, and yet the few who have the wherewithal to even recognize them know not to get in their way. Also, a word of warning: Don't look too closely behind Hopscotch's mask...