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Friends and Foes: Low Level NPCs (1st-6th level) for 5E Dungeon Masters
Written by: Andrew Cawood
Cover Illustration by: Travis Hanson
Layout by: Catherine Chen
Review by: Nikki (Nerdychicken) Ewart
I have to be honest, I opened this book knowing that I would like it. Andrew has proven time and again that he does quality work. I was not prepared, however; for how much I love it.
This is the first time I have ever done any kind of review so please, bear with me. I don’t have a formula, I’m just going to go with what feels right and my honest opinion. I am not one of those who performs invasive surgery on the rule books I read and I am certainly not a rules lawyer, so if you’re looking for that kind of in-depth analysis, you’ve come to the wrong place.
Friends and Foes is magnificent in its simple and easy to follow layout. First, he has created friend NPCs, then foe NPCs and then a huge list of foe monsters (of course the way my mind works….maybe some of those monsters could be friends, who knows, right?) If you have looked at a 5E character record sheet you will be right at home here. That part is nice, but it’s not what got me. These are not just throw away NPCs! Andrew has created fully realized characters with personality traits and the whole shebang! Some of them even have their own catch-phrases like: “Jane is bringing the pain!” I don’t want to share too much and risk giving away any secrets so that’s all I have to say about that.
I think the thing that won my heart the most though, are his random generator tables at the back of the book. If you can’t decide what direction to go in, these tables are your friends. Just as an example:
The first table is about characteristics; I rolled a 38 (it’s a 1-100 table , as are they all) and this gets me: complaining. Table 2: Races, I rolled a 94, so bam, Earth Genasi. Table 3: Class, I rolled an 18, that’s barbarian. Table 4: Background, I rolled a 25 (this one made me snicker a little), my barbarian is a sage (alchemist). Table 5: Appearance, I rolled a 74, which is stocky.
There! I have a short, thick (thicc? Hehe) Earth Genasi barbarian who complains all the time and happens to know a ton about alchemy….for some reason. I think this can bring a wonderful randomness to anybody’s game. We tend to stick with what we know and what makes sense to us, this could push the boundaries a bit and provide some little surprises for the PCs and this could lead to some brilliant role playing experiences that never would have happened otherwise.
I honestly couldn’t recommend this product enough. I think it would add so much to any DM’s game, but especially for those who want to create a more immersive atmosphere in their game. No more fumbling in the recesses of your brain looking for the name of the dwarf your party just encountered. It’s all here in a wonderfully put together, high quality package.
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