Sometimes people do things without realizing they do them, like crack their knuckles or pinch their eyebrow. These little quirks and tics can make an NPC memorable.
Anthony Owens shared a bunch of them, that we can adapt for D&D.
Roll a d30!
- Carries a large coin which he or she is always playing with in their hand.
- Is a habitual sniffler even when he or she is healthy.
- Regularly looks up at the sky to check the position of the sun/moon and comments on it.
- Always knows the direction he or she is traveling.
- Corrects people when they use colloquial speech.
- Is never seen without a feather in their cap.
- Whistles a jolly tune at random times, without realizing.
- Ends declarative sentences with in interrogative inflection?
- Is a mush mouth/mumbler.
- Is an incessant fidgeter and is always touching his or her face or head.
- Is unable to digest proteins correctly and gets very ill if too much protein rich food is consumed.
- Compulsively interrupts people telling stories to interject facts about the story that he or she only knows because they have been told the story before, not because they were involved with it.
- Makes up random lies about unimportant things for no reason.
- Has a weakness for rescuing stray animals.
- Gets physically angry when people mispronounce a certain word (e.g Illinois, precedent as president, especially as expecially).
- When stressed or lying, speaks from the corner of his or her mouth.
- Profusely sweats even when at rest.
- Is unable to take advice from anyone because he or she thinks that they know it all.
- Uses mundane items as toys (e.g. bottle caps, straws, chopsticks).
- Cannot drink anything that hasn’t been blessed.
- Walks in the middle of any aisle, sidewalk, or other shared walkway causing people to have to move around him or her.
- Drags his or her feet.
- Wears only (pick a color) socks/hose.
- Has several hidden body piercings or tattoos that regular clothing conceal.
- Always stands with his or her hands behind their back, sometimes in an “at ease” position, though he or she was never in the military.
- Doesn’t eat green things.
- Has the ability to speak in a cartoon-like voice which sounds little or nothing like his or her real voice.
- Is thrifty nearly to the point of obsessive or compulsive nature.
- Is always at least ten minutes early/late to any meeting or appointment.
- Always has change in his or her pocket to give to beggars or homeless.
