Impression examples

Face: angular, broken nose, dimpled, freckles, hawk nose, leathery, missing teeth, paint, scar, scowl, soft, sunburnt, tattoo, warts, etc.

Eyes: big, bright, cool, cloudy, dark, deep, droopy, missing, pale, small, squinty, quick, watery, etc.

Hair: bald, curly, greasy, straight, thick, thin, etc.

Body: big, heavyset, little, lithe, meaty, missing __, round, short, stooped, tall, thick, thin, wiry, etc.

Presence: alert, brooding, cheery, elegant, fidgety, friendly, haughty, hunched, intense, serene, etc.

Scent: earthy, musky, floral, ripe, sour, smoky, etc.

Clothes: boots, charms, clean, [color], dirty, furs, ribbons, silk, torc, threadbare, unkempt, etc.

Voice: breathy, clipped, crass, gruff, high, hoarse, lilting, lisping, monotone, mumbly, nasally, quavery, rumbling, shrill, soft, stutter, etc.

Each impression should involve a different sense or aspect of the NPC (see the sidebar for examples). Keep impressions short, simple, and evocative. Give less detail than you think you need; let the players' imaginations fill in the rest.

Maybe ask the PCs to help describe the NPC, especially if it's someone they know well. Of the Would-be Hero's crush, maybe ask "What do you find most attractive about them?" When Brennan the Claw first appears on screen, maybe say "Rhianna, you've met him—what about his face makes it just so punchable?"

Most impressions should reflect an NPC's concept—they're a way to show rather than tell. But maybe give one impression that contrasts with the rest of the NPC: give the dastardly mercenary soft, sad eyes, or say that the well-dressed merchant reeks of body odor. Such contrasts give your NPCs depth and texture.

I'm ready to portray Elios, so I frame the scene. "Like you said, Rhianna, you double the watches and step up drills. A few days later, you find Elios, competently running a shield wall."

I give some impressions that play up his role. "He's got this deep, almost monotone voice that folks kind of lean in to hear, and a scar on his face that you assume he got in his days down south." Then, to make him a little more human, I add, "And as he watches folks practice, you realize that he's, like, fidgeting with a… locket? Probably a gift from his new wife."