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- I Cast...Brainstorm issue 27!
I Cast...Brainstorm issue 27!
A weekly newsletter of ideas and advice for D&D Dungeon Masters, players, and fans
Dave Palmer
October 10th, 2025
In partnership with
This week — Ten NPCs, and an Entrance to a Secret Lair
Thanks for reading I Cast…Brainstorm!, a weekly newsletter with ideas and advice to help make DM-ing and playing D&D (and other TTRPGs) easier and more fun.
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Let’s brainstorm some fun!
In this issue...
What an exhausting and fun week! I DM-ed three different games, played in one, and had an especially busy work-week, too. Work-lfe balance is always a challenge, and I’m grateful that somehow I found a way to fit it all in, as well as some quality family time.
I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend, and I hope next week is balanced and fun for all of us!
Ten NPCs
Here are some NPCs of varying CRs, with “types” selected from the 5e 2024 D&D Monster Manual, although you could swap the types below with similar types, roles or classes if you prefer other systems.
Mix and match any of the other details listed to create the perfect NPC for your game, story or world!
Evil
Gorab the Hidden
Gorab is a young and talented assassin working his way up the ranks of the local guild.
Age, Gender, Species - 51, male, Elf
Personality - decisive, intuitive, cruel
Alignment - Neutral Evil
Occupation, Type - Bandit Captain (CR 2)
Items and Appearance - dark circles under his eyes, rail thin, dagger +1
Values - The perfect kill, leaving no evidence
Goals - To make enough gold to retire in some small coastal town
Fears - Losing the respect of the guild
Frinden of Frist
Considered an odd aberration by his fellow gnomes, Frinden left (some say “chased away from”) the hidden gnome city of Fristwhen it became clear that he valued powerful magic over the lives of his kin.
Age, Gender, Species - 84, male, Gnome
Personality - curious, brilliant, opportunistic
Alignment - Lawful Evil
Occupation, Type - Mage (CR 6)
Items and Appearance - Bushy red hair, unkempt beard, stained and dirty clothing, satchel of spell books
Values - Powerful magic, regardless of cost
Goals - To find the lost spellbook of Hengryn the Mad
Fears - Any mage who is smarter or more powerful
Bonn Hiv Rada
An ambitious young Tabaxi pirate, Bonn would sacrifice any of her fellow crew for her own ends.
Age, Gender, Species - 31, female, Tabaxi
Personality - proud, fussy, ambitious
Alignment - Neutral Evil
Occupation, Type - Pirate (CR 1)
Items and
Appearance - Light gray fur, green eyes, green leather armor and boots, silvered rapier
Values - The ship and the sea, (the crew — not so much)
Goals - To become Captain of her own vessel
Fears - Bugbears
Kirik Skrill
If your characters meet Kirik, their initial impression might be of a cheerful, wise-cracking old Kenku. Should their goals obstruct any of Kirik’s however, they would soon need to deal with her true cold-blooded nature.
Age, Gender, Species - 53, female, Kenku
Personality - cheerful, scheming, cold-blooded
Alignment - Chaotic Evil
Occupation, Type - Slaver, Tough Boss (CR 4)
Items and Appearance - Hooded cloak, black feathers and beak, iron cudgel (“Clang”)
Values - Loyalty, her own skin
Goals - To live long enough to see her enemies laid low
Fears - Ghosts of those she’s slain
Good
Ekstan Yrmister
Ekstan is a young town guard who strives to become known for his observation and deduction skills, and his love of justice. If he notices the characters, he may start following them to see if they can lead him to his first big case.
Age, Gender, Species - 28, male, Orc
Personality - clever, honest, observant
Alignment - Lawful Good
Occupation, Type - Guard (CR 1/8)
Items and Appearance - tall, well-dressed, aways has his notepad, ink and quill
Values - Intelligence, the law
Goals - To solve a major case in the city, and have everyone know it
Fears - Not becoming a great leader
Vil’vondra Amond
Vil’vondra leads a band of elven rangers that roam the frontier on behalf of the small settlements and farms in the area, though some would say she’s too distracted for the job. Her brother disappeared on patrol 3 years ago, and she thinks of little else.
Age, Gender, Species - 162, female, Elf
Personality - courageous, haunted, tenacious
Alignment - Neutral Good
Occupation, Type - Scout Captain (CR 3)
Items and Appearance - Never smiles, long blond braids, longbow +1
Values - Working with others toward a shared goal
Goals - To find her brother Vikra, who disappeared on patrol years ago
Fears - Being alone
Iri Suncaller
Known as one of the strongest halflings for leagues, Iri is a staunch defender of her village an halfling interests, though she’s just as well-known in halfling circles for her unusual lack of sense of humor.
Age, Gender, Species - 64, female, Halfling
Personality - assertive, suspicious, prepared
Alignment - Lawful Good
Occupation, Type - Warrior Veteran (CR 10)
Items and Appearance - Portly, ruddy complexion, gap-toothed grin, scale mail and warhammer
given to her by her grandfather
Values - Halfling culture and courage
Goals - To protect her village as long as she can
Fears - Failure
Tref Starhammer
Tref Starhammer is a legend amongst the dwarven clans far and wide — a relentless and devout cleric who will stop at nothing to root out the cults of evil gods. Some whisper he may becoming overzealous as he gets older, especially the dwarven nobility who Tref is unafraid to voice his suspicions about.
Age, Gender, Species - 99, male, Dwarf
Personality - strict, tenacious, devout
Alignment - CG
Occupation, Type - Archpriest (CR 12)
Items and Appearance - Stout, long graying beard, steel holy symbol embedded in the chest of his plate mail +1
Values - Goodness, order, ritual
Goals - To destroy the cult of evil gods at any cost
Fears - The dwarven leadership has become corrupt
Neutral
Polombra Hillside
This talented bard and comic was born to an abusive family who expected her to stay home to cook, clean, and work on the family farm. Since escaping her family, her abiding fear of losing control of her own life keeps her moving from place to place. This also means she rarely has time to forge any friendships.
Age, Gender, Species - 27, female, Human
Personality - funny, talented, independent
Alignment - Neutral
Occupation, Type - Performer (CR 1/2)
Items and Appearance - Multi-hued clothing, longsword, beautiful viol
Values - Her independence above all
Goals - To keep moving and never stop
Fears - Being captured, jailed, or controlled
Xavion Mol
An orphan since he was a child, Xavion views the world as a place that needs to be endured. The only things that give him any real joy are a perfectly executed fighting move, (especially if it ends a bout), and — even more valuable and rare — the few moments of kindness bestowed upon him, which the gloomy warrior never forgets.
Age, Gender, Species - 44, male, Red Dragonborn
Personality - solemn, fatalistic, hopeful
Alignment - N
eutral
Occupation, Type - Gladiator (CR 5)
Items and Appearance - Shining red scales, missing front teeth, when not in battle tends to look at the ground
Values - A perfectly executed battle maneuver, kindness
Goals - To live to fight another day
Fears - There are no gods
An Entrance to a Secret Lair
The Huntsman’s Den
Polished oak double doors enter into this 30'x20' room. Across from the door is a grand stone hearth carved from shining limestone, etched with intricate reliefs of hunting scenes. The mounted head of an owlbear is hung above the mantle, which is dark ebony, inlaid with gold leaf filigree. A fire fills the room with light and warmth, causing the carved reliefs to cast soft shadows that dance across the stone.
In front of the fireplace are two comfortable chairs, high-backed and upholstered in purple velvet, with carved felsul wood feet and armrests. Between the chairs is a table made from a single cylinder of red-veined marble, 18 inches high and 3 feet across.
A corner cabinet of ebony and mother-of-pearl displays crystal decanters of brandy, mead, and wine. A silver tray holds etched glass goblets, which sparkle in the firelight.
The floor is polished black and white marble tiles laid in a checkerboard pattern, and the walls are paneled in dark oak, with sections of tapestry depicting hunting scenes. Between the tapestries brass sconces shaped like griffons grasp frosted glass lamps, which illuminate framed paintings of unsmiling men and women. One painting features hinged shutters, protecting the art like a reliquary.
The vaulted ceiling is 30' high at its center, made of chestnut beams with gilded bosses at each intersection. Between the beams, painted panels show celestial maps. The stars are painted with gold that causes them to shine and flicker in the firelight.
On either side of the fireplace are finely crafted floor-to-ceiling bookshelves displaying illuminated manuscripts bound in vellum and leather, small sculptures of bronze and quartz, and ancient relics encased in glass domes.
Items displayed on the bookshelves — on velvet pillows, under glass, or on wooden stands — include an obsidian mirror, an astrolabe, ancient-looking alchemical vials, a runestone, a silver and electrum amulet shaped like a scarab beetle, a huge tooth that could only belong to an ancient dragon, and the carved bust of some long forgotten god.
If the carved bust is moved, it reveals a keyhole. When the key (or lock picks) turn the lock, the marble cylinder in the center of the room slides aside to reveal a narrow, steep stairway leading down into darkness.
Brainstorming Links
You probably already know about the folks below, who are real inspirations to me, but if not, do yourself a favor and check them out.
The Arcane Library — masterpiece adventures, and Shadowdark, too!
https://www.thearcanelibrary.com
The Angry DM — so angry….so many great ideas….
https://theangrygm.com/
DMDave — on point analysis of D&D rules, and a ton of fun ideas
https://bsky.app/profile/dmdave.bsky.social
RPGBot — whip smart critique and explanations of 5e rules
https://rpgbot.net/
Sly Flourish — a DM’s best friend who is also a better DM
https://www.slyflourish.com/
Treantmonk — years of helpful advice and clever ideas
https://www.youtube.com/@TreantmonksTemple
If you like I Cast…Brainstorm!, you might also like these amazing newsletters with more great ideas, advice and news about RPGs.
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What I’m DM-ing
A high-level campaign (currenlty 12th) via Roll20 using 2014 5th edition rules.
A weekly Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign, in-person, with 2024 5th edition rules
A series of one-shots in a bi-weekly game at a bar in LA. The next session is October 22. If you’re interested in joining in, invites are sent via the Partiful app, and you can sign up at Ye Rustic Inn — 1831 Hillhurst Ave, Los Angeles, California.
Two different campaigns with my kids, (Rime and Storm Kings Thunder) when schedules align
What I’m Playing
Vecna: Eve of Ruin as Clybb Thistlebridge, a 11th level Halfling great-weapon Fighter
If you play Hearthstone, find me at BigKahuna (#1802)
Gifts for Gamers
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www.totalpartykits.etsy.com
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If you have an online store that sells D&D or TTRPG themed things, let me know — I’d love to add it here.
What Do You Think?
How do you like I Cast…Brainstorm! so far? What’s working for you? What would you like to see more of? Or less of, or done in a different way? How’s the layout? Please let us know at [email protected]
The original ideas in this issue of I Cast….Brainstorm! are covered under the Creative Commons BY-SA license — all content is free to use (including commercially) and change, with proper attribution.
You can read about the license here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en
