This week I’m still working on making the Starfinder NPC stat block as small as possible for as book of NPCs and Pawns that I’m working on. Per recommendations from Jeremy Todd Corff I have removed the Multiattack, Size, Reach portions of the stat block as normal or default entries don’t need to be called out. We talked about removing Resolve Points from NPCs, but the Gunslinger had an ability that can utilize RP so we left that in.

The next NPC is our Shopkeeper, looking at the picture, he’s a shirt, pants, vest, apron, a necktie, shoes, and some kind of undershirt with sleeves. He’s got two pens in his vest pocket and wears glasses. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that he’s a punctual man that opens the store at the same time every day and carries a pocket watch.

I have been toying with the idea of giving American characters $100 starting cash, the UK equivalent would be about £20 although I’m not certain a UK character could get the same equivalents for £20 no matter what the currency exchange rates may say.

The Array

Our shopkeeper is going to be a CR one Expert, Mechanic, with one of the Experimental alternate class features, I like Apparatus or Vehicle for this as I don’t need the shopkeeper to have heavy armor or a showy weapon. Potential Experimental Apparatus; Dust Goggles, shotalashu saddle, Thermal Regulator in his apron for working in the workshop. Potential Experimental Vehicles: Exploration Buggy, Goblin Junkcycle, Ravine Crawler. I think we’ll go with the Thermal Regulator.

I put his +4 into Intelligence, +2 into Dexterity, and +1 into Constitution.

Engineering is a class skill for Mechanics. I put his 3 Master skills in Engineering, Perception, and Physical Science, it has a lot of uses. Experts get 2 Good skills, Profession Merchant, and with Medicine, he won’t be taking any customers away from Doc, but he can help out and make enough medicines for folks in town to stay alive.

I went into a general store, but they wouldn’t let me buy anything specific.

-Steven Wright

Special Ability

Looking over Feats as special abilities, I am drawn to Master Crafter I know you’re supposed to have 5 ranks, but NPCs don’t really get ranks the same way as player characters.

Now our Shopkeeper from the General Store could just as easily run the Old Chemist Shoppe in Victorian times, his Physical Science and Medicine skills giving him the right qualifications to run a Victorian pharmacy. You might look into a Medical Feat then.

Alignment

I made him Chaotic Good. Frontier life isn’t always for Lawful types. While some who live off the land and avoid civilization might tend towards Neutrality. We know our shopkeeper is an inventor and maybe left the big cities to have enough room for his experiments. A purely lawful mechanic might set up a workshop just outside the big city, our fellow is looking to do good without a lot of rules holding him back.

Shopkeeper Mechanic

CR 1
Mechanic
CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2; Perception +10

Defense

HP 17 RP 4
EAC 11; KAC 12
Fort +3; Ref +3; Will +2

Offense

Speed 30 ft.
Melee Ball-peen hammer +4 (1d4+1 B)
Ranged Colt House Pistol +6 (1d4+1 P)

Statistics

Str +0; Dex +2; Con +1; Int +4; Wis +0; Cha +0
Feats Master Crafter
Skills Engineering +10, Physical Science +10, Medicine +5, Profession Merchant +5
Languages English
Gear Colt Navy Revolver, Ball-peen hammer, professional clothing, $10

Price comparisons

Our Shopkeeper comes out at $34.50 leaving plenty of pocket money from $100 starting funds even with one snub-nosed belt pistol. $15.25 of that is clothes that might end up being a free outfit in the final version.

Item	US Dollars	UK Pounds	Notes
Pants	$2	13s	Cost of Jeans from Bureau of Labor Statistics cost of living reports
Shirt	$1.25		Cost of Colored Shirt from Bureau of Labor Statistics cost of living reports
Vest	$3
Apron	$1
Spectacles	$2
Suspenders	$1	4s 6d	Ward’s 1878 page 21, Army-Navy Co-op Catalog 1883
Colt House Revolver	$9	£1 14s 6d	5 shot .41 Rimfire revolver, the 4 shot Cloverleaf was $8, Army-Navy Co-op Catalog 1885 £1/14/6-blued, £1/18/6- Nickel
Ball-peen hammer	$2		Cost of Tools from Bureau of Labor Statistics cost of living reports
Holster	$2		Bannerman’s catalog 1903, Army-Navy Co-op Catalog 1883
Belt	$2	9s 6d	Bannerman’s catalog 1903, Army-Navy Co-op Catalog 1883
Cartridges	$1.25	4s 9d	Per 100, uses .41 Rimfire, Army-Navy Co-op Catalog 1883
Pocket Watch	$5		Ordinary brand watch with European style movement kept in a pocket, not on a chain, chains get caught in machinery.
Shoes	$3		Cost of Shoes from Bureau of Labor Statistics cost of living reports

Our townsfolk at a high level

Name	Array	Class	Notes
Bartender	Expert	Envoy	Owns the Saloon, takes cowboys’ guns at the door, and keeps a shotgun under the bar.
Cavalry Officer	Combatant	Soldier	Blitz. The Commander of the local fort carries a saber and revolver.
Cavalry Soldier	Combatant	Soldier	Hit and Run. The soldier carries a revolver and percussion rifle.
Cavalry Soldier	Combatant	Soldier	Sharpshoot. The soldier carries a percussion musket and a saber.
Cavalry Soldier	Combatant	Soldier	Blitz. The Lieutenant carries a revolver and saber.
Gunslinger	Combatant	Soldier	3PP Gunslinger Archetype. Carries two revolvers and hasn’t forgotten the face of his father.
Gunslinger	Combatant	Soldier	Blitz. Carries two revolvers, a lot of bullets, and a spicy attitude.
Gunslinger	Combatant	Soldier	Hit and Run. Carries a revolver and is liable to smack you with it as shoot you. Bullets ain’t free.
Lanky Landry	Expert	Operative	Owns the long guns store, and keeps a Whitworth rifle with a scope on the wall behind him.
Peter Parnassus	Expert	Operative	Owns the pistol palace, revolvers, pepperboxes, derringers, he’s got ’em all.
Saloon Gal	Expert	Envoy	She’s all charm and smiles until the fighting starts.
Shop Keeper	Expert	Mechanic	Owns the General Store and when he’s not there, he’s tinkering in his workshop.
Schooolmarm	Expert	Envoy	Always carrying a book, always reading something, dime novels or classics.
Name	Array	Class	Notes
Bounty Hunter	Combatant	Soldier	Hunter. Armed with a rifle and a power glove.
Airship Pilot	Expert	Operative	No obvious weapons, but she’s ready for anything.
Airship Pirate	Combatant	Soldier	Blitz. Armed with a revolver and a saber, or is it a navy cutlass.
Inventor	Expert	Mechanic	His towering intellect is matched only by his enormous wrench.
Adventuress	Expert	Envoy	The lady’s fascinator is the least interesting thing about her.
Game Hunter	Combatant	Soldier	Hunter. He’s hunted big game on six of the seven continents.
Lady Detective	Expert	Operative	Whodunit? She’ll find out, and look stylish doing it.

If you have any feedback about this post or our books please feel free to contact us.

Paul

Evilrobotgames at Gmail.com