It’s hard to playDungeons & Dragonsif you don’t have a bunch of NPCs that are either ready to go or can be made up on the spot. Thankfully, the 2025 Monster Manual has a bunch of NPC state blocks that are ready for you, as a Dungeon Master, to take and utilize however you please.
These are not the be-all-end all-for NPC stat blocks, but they work as a great base that you’re able to manipulate and tweak as you like. Plus, they might even give you ideas for encounters or for who your party could come across in their future adventures.
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Skills
Deception +5, Insight +4, Persuasion +5
It’s always good for your players to know people in high places (for better or for worse), and having a noble stat block may come in handy. Whether your player has been paid to protect a noble, or someone just got fed up with their high and mighty attitude and decided to attack, it’ll come in handy.
Unsurprisingly, a noble is not entirely unprepared for a fight, even if they weren’t particularly designed to be warriors. Fencing is the art of the rich in the world of Dungeons & Dragons, and the noble stat block makes it seem like every noble knows their way around a rapier.
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Attacks
Scimitar (+3 to hit, 1d6+1 damage), Light Crossbow (+3 to hit, 1d8+1 damage)
It’s not a surprise that the bandit stat block is going to be one of the best — after all, it’s going to be one of the most useful ones that you may get your hands on as a Dungeon Master. Bandits makegreat random encounters while travelingin any kind of campaign setting.
They also work as fodder for your party to fight through in dungeons or towns and possibly as friends they can make should they choose to go less-than-legal routes. Whether you’re just running random encounters or a more specific setting, chances are, you’ll need the bandit stat block.
15
Perception +6, Stealth +7, Survival +6
If your party is venturing towards an encampment, or they’re helping out a local militia or army force, then it might be good to have the Scout Captain stat block at hand. Scouts and Scout Masters are far more likely to run into trouble than your average NPC.
They regularly venture out ahead of the group to see any potential danger, issues, or good things that await the crowd. Plus, Scout Captains are great guides and have excellent stealth and survival skills — something that may be needed in unfamiliar territory.
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Athletics +5, Perception +2
Warrior Veterans aren’t necessarily retired from the fight, but they have seen more than their fair share. For a low-level party, these warriors can be excellent teachers andguides through low-level adventures, given that they can hold their own against common enemies.
Perhaps they have wise advice for your party or helpful tips to get them through their latest encounter. Whatever the case, Warrior Veterans make incredibly helpful NPCs that the party may just end up getting attached to. Their penchant for the fight may just end up being their doom, however, leading your party on a new quest for vengeance.
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Warhammer (+5 to hit, 2d8+3 damage), Heavy Crossbow (+4 to hit, 2d10+2 damage)
Toughs and Tough Bosses are going to be like your urban gangs, with the Toughs usually working under a leader as they gain territory, extort protection money, and generally keep their areas “safe” or whatever that so happens to mean to them.
Tough Bosses may be good people for your players to know if they’re going to venture into a city, but then again, maybe they’ll just end up getting in a fight with said boss. Either way, if your party is going to be spending a significant amount of time in a city, you’ll want the Tough Boss stat block.
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Athletics +6, Perception +4
Every city needs protection and someone to enforce whatever fantasy laws you have concocted for your world, and as such, you’re going to need guards and a guard captain. They keep the cities, and their important people, safe through their experience and their careful strategy.
They’re important people for your party to know — and possibly for your party to fight, should they insist on less-than-legal activities. Guard Captains, despite not having a high challenge rating, still have pretty good stats and would pose a challenge for players — especially if they’re paired alongside other guards.
Acrobatics +7, Perception +5
Who doesn’t love pirates? While the Pirate Captain doesn’t have as high of a CR Level as the Pirate Admiral, let’s be honest — it’s probably more likely that your party will run across a single pirate ship rather than an entire fleet of them.
Plus, a Pirate Captain is a great way to make friends on the high seas — they open up entire worlds of wonder. But if your party is less inclined to play friendly (or perhaps, less willing to bow to the whims of pirates), then the Pirate Captain stat block is one of the better ones to have at hand.
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Deception +7, Insight +7, Investigation +8, Perception +11, Sleight of Hand +9, Stealth +13
Unless your party has proven themselves to be a threat (which, admittedly, is likely), chances are they won’t meet the Spy Master by way of catching them spying. Perhaps they meet them through a friend-of-a-friend inside the government, or perhaps they encounter the Spy Master at a noble’s party.
Either way, the Spy Master could be a dangerous enemy or a useful ally. As one of the stronger NPC stat blocks, knowing what the Spy Master is capable of, inside and outside of battle, is important.
Arcana +13, History +9, Perception +6
It’s always good to know an Archmage, especially if you happen to get into a lot of trouble that you can’t particularly worm your way out of. While they might not be able to solve your party’s problem or drop everything to go on an adventure with said party, they’ve probably been on a few adventures themselves.
They know the lay of the land, and they can be excellent guides for your magically inclined characters. If it comes to the worst and your players do decide to fight the Archmage,you may need to cheat a little bit, as the Dungeon Master, just to keep them alive (or teach them not to pick fights with random powerful NPCs).
Athletics +9, Perception +5, Persuasion +8
Questing Knights are better than your normal knights because they have a purpose at hand and will do (almost) anything to achieve their mission. A Questing Knight can be a fun recurring character for your party, or they could potentially be a side quest.
They’re one of the more dangerous NPCs, so should your party decide to stop them, they can be incredibly helpful. Chances are, your Questing Knight is also going to get into a load of trouble, and having a pre-made stat block is incredibly helpful (especially if they do happen to be a random, recurring encounter).
