Okay I'm running GURPS:TRAVELLER...but I like a nice variety in the NPCs that my players might bump into or interact with.

 Anyone have advice on making random charts for NPC backgrounds or specialties?
 So far , I've taken TWO stabs at it. Both are meant to represent the most common careers of "adventurer" type characters or denizens of Startown bars that the PCs might run into.

First one :
Dice Roll :      Career/Job/Role :
01-03          Athlete
04-08         Attorney
09-11          Barbarian
12-15         Belter
16-18          Bounty Hunter
19-21          Bureacrat
22-24          Computer Technician
25-27          Corsair(Pirate)
28-30          Diplomat
31-34          Engineer
35-37         Entertainer
38-40          Farmer
41-43          Guide (Hunter)
44-47          Hunter
48-50         Journalist
51-54          Reporter
55-58          Law Enforcer
59-61          Manager
62-64          Martial Artist
65-67          Mechanic
68-70          Technician
71-73          Medical Doctor
74-76          MEDical Technician
77-80          Merchant
81-83         Professor
84-86          Rogue
87-91          Scientist
92-94          Scout
95-97          Undercover Agent.
98-00          Wealthy Traveler.

What I've been doing to get the atrributes of ST, DX, IQ & Ht for these GURPS NPCs is doing the old-school D&D method or rolling 4 6 siders and dropping the lowest number of the four. Add the remaining 3 numbers - and thats the attribute stat.  Been some very amusing results with this way of doing things. Even came up with a formula for randomly rolling ages for each NPC.

...and This is my SECOND go at such a chart for TRAVELLER NPCs.

D100 or Percentile Roll:                   Career /job :
01:                                        ACTOR/Actress (struggling)
02:                                       Advertiser/Promotional Agent
03:                            Arms Dealer
04:                              ARMY
05:                              ARMY(ENLISTED)
06:                              ARMY(OFFICER)
07:                              ARMY AVIATION (ENLISTED)
08:                              ARMY AVIATION (OFFICER)
09                               ATHLETE
10                               ATTORNEY
11                    Back-up Musician (Comfortable job)
12                       BARBARIAN
13                        BARBARIAN
14            BELTER
15            BELTER
16            Black Marketeer (Comfortable)
17            Black Marketeer/Fixer
18            Bodyguard
19            Bouncer at Better-Quality Dive (Struggling job)
20            Bouncer at Low Quality Dive (Poor job)
21            BOUNTY HUNTER
22            Broker
23            BUREACRAT          (supplement 4)
24            BUREACRAT          G:T
25            COMPUTER TECHNICIAN
26            Corporate Lawyer          (Far Trader)
27            CORSAIR (Pirate)      G:T  
28            DIPLOMAT          S4:CotI
29:                  DIPLOMAT          G:T
30:                  DOCTOR          S4:CotI
31:                  Doctor (Comfortable Job)
32:                  ENGINEER          G:T  
33:                  Engineer (comfortable job)
34:                  ENTERTAINER          G:T
35:                 Entrepreneur          Far Trader
36:                  FARMER          G:T
37:                 Financier         Far Trader
38:                  FLYER          S4:CotI
39:                  Free Trader          Far Trader
40:                  General Laborer (struggling)
41:            HUNTER     S4:CotI
42:            HUNTER/GUIDE          G:T
43:            Journalist (struggling)
44:            JORNALIST/REPORTER          G:T
45:            Lab Assistant   (Average Job)
46:            LAW ENFORCER         G:T
47:            Lawyer (comfortable job)
48:            Local Law Enforcement: Detective (comfortable job)
49:            Local Law Enforcement:Patrol (average job)
50:            Low-Level Spy (Average Job)
51:            Major Corporate Stockholder (Wealthy job)
52:            MANAGER
53:            MARINES
54:            MARINE (ENLISTED)
55:            MARINE (OFFICER)
56:            MARINE COMMANDO (ENLISTED)
57:            MARINE COMMANDO (OFFICER)
58:            MARTIAL ARTIST
59:                    MECHANIC/TECHNICIAN
60:                    Mechanic/Technician (struggling)
61:                    MEDICAL DOCTOR
62:                  MEDICAL TECHNICIAN
63:            MERCHANT
64:            MERCHANT
65:            Mercenary Officer (comfortable)
66:            Mercenary Trooper (Average job)
67:            Mid-Level Spy (comfortable job)
68:            NAVY
69:            NAVY (ENLISTED)
70:            NAVY (OFFICER)
71:            NAVY AVIATION (OFFICER)
72:            NOBLE          Spplmnt 4: CotI
73:            PIRATES        Spplmnt 4 CoftI
74:            Private Detective (Average Job)
75:            PROFESSOR          G:T
76:            Prospector/Belter (Average job)
77:            Purser/Cargomaster          Far Trader
78:            Remittance Man/Woman  (Wealthy job)
79:            Roadie   (struggling)
80:            Rock Star   (Wealthy job)
81:            ROGUE         S4:CotI
82:            ROGUE        G:T
83:            SAILOR       S4:CotI
84:            Sales Clerk  (Struggling job)
85:            SCIENTIST          S4:CotI
86:            SCIENTIST          G:T
87:            Scientist (comfortable job)
88:            SCOUT          BOOK 1
89:            SCOUT          G:T
90:            Security Guard (Struggling job)
91:            Shipper's Agent.         Far Trader
92:            Skip Tracer           G:T Far Trader
93:            STARPORT PANHANDLER  (Poor job)
94:                        Starship Crew   (Average job)
95:            Starship Officer  (Comfortable job)
96:                        Street Entertainer  (Poor job)
97:            Studio Musician  (average job)
98:                        Translator (Struggling)
99:                        UNDERCOVER AGENT  
00:                        WEALTHY TRAVELER (REMITTANCE MAN)

Works for Trav and Serenity, both:

A...(trait)
1   Happy-Go-Lucky
2   Starry-Eyed
3   Taciturn
4   Grizzled
5   Mouthy
6   Whiny
7   Angry
8   Stupid
9   Smarmy
10   Sly
11   Manipulative
12   Naïve
13   Generous
14   Greedy
15   Wealthy
16   Pretentious
17   Passionate
18   Wimpy
19   Intellectual
20   Religious

...(role)

• Mercenary
• Ex-Marine
• Former Soldier
• Retired Scout
• Former Navy
• Doctor
• Noble
• Explorer
• Dilettante
• Preacher
• Gearhead
• Pilot
• Young punk
• Career Criminal
• Fugitive
• Merchant
• Prospector/Speculator
• Entertainer
• Laborer
• Vagabond

...WITH...(advantage/disadvantage)

• A past
• Lots of enemies
• Delusions of grandeur
• No social skills
• Lots of guns
• A strong fear of
• An eye for the ladies/men
• An axe to grind
• Nothing to lose
• A good heart
• Wanderlust
• A ship
• Strange habits
• Strong Ethnic ties
• Incredible patience
• An obsession with
• A price on his/her head
• No experience
• A chronic illness
• An inferiority complex

...WANTS (Goal)

• Wealth
• Power
• Sex
• Knowledge
• To see the universe
• Freedom
• Escapism
• Pleasure
• To coast through life
• Revenge
• A family
• Personal excellence in a skill
• To uphold a tradition
• To go home
• To do something no one's done before
• Enlightenment
• A job
• Fame
• To take a vacation/go somewhere
• A McGuffin

Examples of some characters created this way ...these are just quick sketches that need a little fleshing out mind you....

Akgun,Alenka     Law Enforcer    AGE: 24

ST: 13
DX: 10
IQ: 15
HT: 14

Aershugginkh, Enli         AGE: 56
ST: 11       Vilani Male       75 point character
DX: 10
IQ: 14
HT: 11

I'm bumping this because: 1) It's cool and didn't get enough comments the first time around; 2) I'm working on Traveller stuff and AoF is working on Wanderer; 3) I'm getting sick of all the petty bickering threads and would like to see more positive threads about cool gaming stuff.

Thanks Stuart!!

I'd almost forgotten that I had posted that on here.


Still using something very close to those charts when I gotta populate a starport bar or other gathering spot with NPCs for the players to encounter.


- Ed C.