CoC Stock NPCs

A small collection of quick-and-dirty stock NPCs for the Call of Cthulhu RPG. The stats are drawn on the assumption that these NPCs will not need to be fully-fleshed characters, but rather simply there to do a job in one scene and disappear. Skill percentages are given in a small percentage range - pick a number in the range; when in doubt just go with the higher number.

Scientists and Experts

The Absent-Minded Professor

Absent-Minded Professor

• Quotes: "Extraordinary!" "Preposterous!" "It's theoretically possible, but that would mean... no, no, it would rewrite the very laws of physics!" "Yes, yes... who did you say you were, again?" "Now, if you don't mind, I really must get back to my work, and I really must not be disturbed!"
• Stock Character Role Description: An eccentric scientific genius who is so focused on his work that he has shortfalls in other areas of life (remembering things, grooming). This is the benign version of the mad scientist. The Absent-Minded Professor might be consulted by investigators for his expertise in a scientific matter, analyzing or researching a scientific question, translating a tome, etc., but due to the focus on his work, he may have little time, attention, or even patience for the investigators' distractions. A particularly interesting distraction, however, may drive the Absent-Minded Professor to begin ignoring the investigators while his full concentration is turned on the extraordinary implications of the question the investigators have posed for him.
• NPC Skills/Stats:
  • Absent-minded Scientist (any specialization): 40-50%
  • Other Scientific fields, or Medicine/Psychoanalysis: 15-25%
  • Language/Translation (Latin, Greek): 20-40%
  • Library Use or Consulting with his Colleagues: 30-40%
  • Use/Maintenance/Construction of Inventions or Improvised Lab Equipment: 20-30% (A failed pushed roll may result in a dangerous invention!)

Coroner or Crime Scene Investigator

• Quotes: "Unlike the living, when the dead speak, they do not lie!" "Every crime scene tells a story. For example, the story this stiff tells me is...." "Blood stains, the charred remains, the poor bastard who blew out his brains: I've seen it all, it's routine to me...." "I thought I'd seen it all until tonight, but this ain't a crime scene, it's a horror show!" "Oh no, not you guys again... the last time I talked to you, the stiff went missing and the Chief chewed me out for a month. You wanna get information from me, you gotta give me something in return...."
• Stock Character Role Description: Middle aged, drily sardonic, and desensitized to the horrors of death, perhaps eating a sandwich while casually examining a mutilated body or a gory crime scene, or engaging in one-sided banter with a corpse. The Coroner or Crime Scene Investigator might be a valuable source of information for Mythos investigators, but, depending on the investigators' Credit Rating, or relationship with this character or the police department in general, may be reluctant to talk to the investigators without a little Persuasion, Fast Talk, Intimidation, or creative bargaining such as doing the Coroner/Crime Scene Investigator a favor, or providing a bribe in the form of a gift, or an addition to the character's eccentric or even morbid collection.
• NPC Skills/Stats:
  • Forensic Science, Crime Scene Analysis, Crime Scene Photography, Tracking, Listen, Spot Hidden, Gallows Humor: 40-50%
  • Maintenance/Engineering: 15-25% (if this character has specialized in investigating e.g. aviation crash analysis, arson investigation, etc., this might go as high as 40% or more)
  • Criminal Psychology: 20-30% (if this character has specialized in criminal profiling, this might go as high as 40% or more)
  • Accounting: 20-30% (if this character has specialized in white-collar crime, this might go as high as 40% or more)

Collector or Expert

• Quotes:
• Stock Character Role Description:
• NPC Skills/Stats:
  • Antiquarian, Collector, or Genealogy: 30-50% (probably specialized to a narrow interest)
  • Book or Antique Restoration: 20-40%
  • Language/Translation (Latin, Archaic or Old English): 20-40%
  • Research or Library Use: 30-40%
  • Spot Hidden: 25-30%

Country Doctor

• Quotes:
• Stock Character Role Description:
• NPC Skills/Stats:
  • Medicine (Country Doctor): 40-50% (Doctor)
  • Science (Biology): 20-40%
  • Language/Translator (Latin/Greek): 30-40%
  • Listen/Spot Hidden: 25-30%

Police and Detectives

The Beat Cop/Security Guard

Rookie Beat Cop

• Quotes: "What's all this, then?" "Move along, nothing to see here!" "Let's your license and registration?" "I'm gonna need you to step out of the car...." "Freeze!" "Alright, put your hands where I can see them!" "No can do - authorized personnel only."
• Stock Character Role Description: In the Gaslight, Classic, and Pulp eras, police work could generally be thought of as unskilled labor; that is especially true of this stock beat cop or sheriff's deputy: he's little more than a uniformed security guard, there to provide a little muscle against common ruffians, prowlers, and the like. Though nominally suitable for civil police duty, his minimal policing skills focused mainly on guard duty, detaining suspicious characters, and intimidation mean that this character can readily double as a private security guard, night watchman, military police, bodyguard, gangster, and the like.
• NPC Skills/Stats:
  • Security Guard/Beat Cop: 20-40% (Includes security, crowd control, rounding up the usual suspects, writing tickets, verifying ID, etc.)
  • Listen/Spot Hidden: 30-40%
  • Persuade/Intimidate: 20-40% (may be susceptible to bribery, intimidation, etc. by a more intimidating or persuasive investigator, investigator with a higher credit rating, etc.)
• Combat and Weapons:
  • Hit Points (HP): 10-15
  • Damage Bonus (DB): 1D4
  • Dodge: 25-30% / (Hard 12-15% / (Extreme 6-7%)
  • Brawl: 30-40% / (Hard 15-20%) / (Extreme 7-10%) / Damage (1D3 + 1D4)
  • Truncheon: 25-30% (Hard 15-20%) / (Extreme 7-10%) / Damage (1D6 + 1D4)
  • Handgun (.38 revolver): 30-40% / (Hard 15-20%) / (Extreme 7-10%) / Damage (6x .38: 1D10) / Malf: 99%
  • Riot Gun (12g pump): 30-40% / (Hard 15-20%) / (Extreme 7-10%) / Damage (5x 12g: 1D10+6) / Malf: 99%

Criminals and Thugs

Crooked Surgeon or Veterinarian

• Can patch you up with no questions asked, for a price, but don't count on the results being pretty: this doctor is just a step up from a butcher. Paired with The Thug to provide some Intimidation, the Crooked Surgeon might do double-duty as a reluctant torturer.

The Thug, Bodyguard, Dumb Muscle

• Quotes: "You want I should break his leg, boss?"
• Stock Character Role Description: Essentially an armed criminal with minimal firearms training/experience, who may play roles like a mobster's bodyguard, "torpedo man" ordered to intimidate and if necessary kill someone, an armed bank or train robber, etc.
• For stats/skills, see the Beat Cop/Security Guard, above.

Townsfolk

Armed Hunter, Sheriff's Deputy, War Veteran

• Quotes:
• Stock Character Role Description: Essentially assumed to be armed civilians with minimal firearms training/experience who maintain law and order where a dedicated police force is unavailable; may or may not be organized by the Sheriff or Chief of police, and might as easily be a disorganized band of vigilantes as anything else. Might represent a member of a search party, local militia, or angry mob, or perhaps an armed civilian surprised in his/her home at night.
• For stats & skills, see the Beat Beat Cop/Security Guard, above.

Eye Witnesses

The Lookie-Loo

• A person who goes somewhere or stops to look at something (such as the scene of an accident): an intrusively curious onlooker.