Captives are a staple feature of almost every dungeon. No doubt, the dungeon’s denizens have dealt with intruders before—or emerged from their lair in search of slaves, sacrifices or food; captives (of all sorts) are the result.

Every would‐be hero looks rather alike when they’re tackled to the ground, stripped of all possessions and flung into a cell to await judgement, execution or subjection to the cruel whims of their jailor. Use the NPCs below, to portray adventurers rescued by the party.

1. Nagunt Vromir (LG male human paladin 1) has languished here a long time—long enough for his scraggly black beard to reach his chest and his greasy hair to reach passed his shoulders. Bright blue eyes roll in their sockets before fixing on his rescuers, as if he isn’t used to focusing on faces. The tattered tunic covering his now-scrawny chest has a faded, golden crest emblazoned upon it. Perhaps his captor allowed him to keep this badge of service as a form of mockery. Nagunt mumbles constantly through cracked lips though whether in madness or prayer, it is impossible to say.

2. Undel Sprocksten (LG male dwarf fighter 3) gazes out the window of his cell, unchained but obviously not desperate enough to try battering down the door. His huge, scarred hands are clasped behind his back, as if he’s preparing to give a speech. Copper and brass rings are woven into his reddish brown hair and beard, and it’s hard not to imagine him clad in a noble’s garb, rather than the simple grey robe he now wears.

3. Oliv Nothuen (NG female half-elf druid 2) is on her hands and knees; her wrists and ankles shackled together. Yet she still finds the strength to crawl across the floor, peering at the stones comprising her cell, dragging bloody fingertips through the grooves between each stone. A grungy pelt, the remains of her beloved wolf companion, lies in a corner. She is distraught at her pet’s demise and plots bloody revenge on her captors.

4. Anera Kanak (CG female half-orc fighter 3) glares at rescuers from the corner of the cell—which is little more than a cave hewn into solid rock—where she’s been stashed. Thick chains wrap around her equally thick arms, thighs and waist, keep her from moving too far. Her automatic threats diminish to growls and her black-green eyes glint with curiosity as she recognises the characters aren’t her captor. She is a proud warrior and doesn’t take kindly to her rescuers pointing out her predicament.

5. Filahn Thorpe (CN female halfling bard 3) is apparently asleep, curled up in the middle of the cell. A perceptive character notices, however, the bony halfling is listening intently and waiting for the characters to make the first move. A soiled shift is the only thing covering her tiny frame, and the blood on her feet reveals she’s been recently beaten or tortured.

6. Wollop Thous (N male halfling fighter 2/rogue 2) looks up in surprise when the cell doors swings open. He’s kneeling on the other side, trying to pick the lock with a piece of straw drawn from the thin bedroll allowed him. A quick grin cuts between his cheeks, and he springs back with easy energy, brandishing the straw as if it were a dagger. Wollop’s captivity has not subdued his zest for adventure and he eagerly joins the party—if properly outfitted.

7. Jool Thims (N female human wizard 1) has a permanent pout which doesn’t move even when the possibility of escape emerges. Willowy and well-kept despite her imprisonment, she’s grousing about her adventuring partner who tripped her up and ran ahead when they were being chased. When she finds him again, she has a series of inventive (and painful) punishments in mind.

8. Elsar Quindle (CN male elf ranger 1) is bald, with a hawk-like nose and equally predatory eyes. His fingers twitch and drum along the chains binding him, as if he could snap them like a bowstring. A broken arrow sits on the floor in front of him, just out of reach. The scent of a misty forest, all dew and fresh breezes, somehow clings to him, and his skin has a greenish tint, as if a light layer of moss is growing on it. He craves sight of the sky and leaves the dungeon as quickly as possible—even if the party will not escort him to safety.

9. Punct Lillisth (LN female gnome cleric 5) moans constantly, a noise which is audible through the cell door. The reason is soon obvious—someone has smashed the poor gnome’s delicate hands with a hammer, ensuring she can’t cast spells. Her face is hidden by her bowed head and long, purple hair, but observers see the teardrops falling to patter her lap and ruined fists all the same. Punct is in terrible pain, both physical and emotional—she fears she may never be able to commune with her patron again.

10. Luthia Mollos (LN female human sorcerer 3) watches the party with calm, green eyes, their every movement observed and calculated according to whatever formula is being concocted in her mind. A leather strap gags the woman, while her hands are bound behind her back. She wears a many-pocketed robe that has been slashed many times by a bladed weapon, though she appears uninjured.

11. Havik Lopsom (LG male dwarf fighter 3) raises bloody fists, revealing several broken knuckles gained trying to punch through the thick wooden and iron-strapped cell door. His face is mostly hidden by curly black hair and a beard, but the bestial look in his brown eyes is unmistakeable. Stripped to a simple shirt and leather trousers, scars pockmark his face, forearms and practically all his exposed skin. Havik is an aggressive fellow and is particularly vicious and merciless in battle—traits at odds with his goodly personality.

12. Eda Ripples (LG female halfling paladin 2) has scratched out odd charts and diagrams on the cell’s mud-caked walls. The scrawling reaches as far as her chains allow, and pride fills her clear, grey gaze. (The drawings are astronomical charts, despite her having no way to see the sun, moon or stars during her incarceration). Eda believes the drawings are inspiration from her patron and that they show an upcoming alignment of stars that heralds a momentous event. She does not know if that event will be good or bad.

13. Qualla Uncet (NG female dwarf cleric 1) is kneeling, hands in prayer when the characters discover her. She’s tried to cobble together a miniature altar out of the detritus in her cell: a little mound of mud, straw and stones. Silky brown hair frames her face as she rises and smiles peacefully at the party. “And so my prayers are answered,” she says in a croaking voice.

14. Plathe Remoste (CG female half-elf cleric 2) loves to curse. She promises her god’s wrath upon any who don’t immediately free her. She promises her god’s wrath upon her captor as soon as her blessed weapon is restored to her hand. She especially promises her god’s wrath upon the jailor who fondled her before throwing her into the cell. It seems, she has a long list of wrongs to right.

15. Indonoste Veruthen (NG male human fighter 4) keeps his face averted, casting his visage in shadow even as the characters study him. The reason becomes apparent with the lift of a lantern or torch, revealing what must’ve been a handsome set of features marred by a nose that’s been sliced off, ears that have been gnawed on, one missing eye, and bloody gouges down his cheeks. Realising the party has noticed his disfigurement, he moans, showing his tongue has also been cut out.

16. Nok Drithy (CG male human fighter 1) is deep into the twelfth round of a drunken song when discovered. Even if he wasn’t chained to the wall, he appears too besotted to even walk a step or two without help. The stench of him reaches well beyond his cell. When he’s able to focus enough to realise someone else is there, he fixes a snaggle-toothed grin on the party. His eyes are bloodshot. He talks loudly and incessantly—even if the characters are evidently trying to remain silent.

17. Asden Xerl (LG male halfling bard 3) is flipping a copper coin in the air, laid back and casual despite his situation. With a bored air, he makes little bets on every possible action, such as whether or not the party will leave him to languish, how long it’ll take them to get the door open and chains off him, whether or not the jailor will see him coming before he gets his hands wrapped around the villain’s throat…

18. Sindla Bovrelle (LG female gnome paladin 5) sits quite still for a gnome, none of the fidgeting or shifty eyes that characterises many of her kind. She appears possessed of a grim purpose, and solemnly thanks the party for their aid, before they even offer it. Golden-haired and amber-eyed, she is one of the noblest-looking people the party have ever seen, both in her stature and compose. Her imprisonment does nothing to mute her determined spirit.

19. Jikkers Mertun (CN male human barbarian 2) booms greetings in a jolly voice the instant he sets his wide, brown eyes on the party. Rotund and plump-cheeked, capture has failed to destroy his positive outlook on life, though there are hollows under his eyes that probably weren’t there before. He pats his belly in anticipation of a good meal to celebrate his release, should the party be kind enough to facilitate such. He knows of a nearby inn where they serve the most delectable roast and foamy beer. Of course, that’s also where the villains responsible for his capture just so happen to lounge about, when not preying on adventurers and innocents.

20. Tulla Flavian (CN female gnome sorcerer 4) barely misses the lead characters’ head with a bolt of flame when they peek into her cell. Her powers would explain the charred marks all around the walls of the chamber, plus the distinct stench of burnt hair. Her profuse apologies follow, though she’s quick to light another flame on her fingertips just in case the party even think about abandoning her. Green hair and silver eyes give her an oddly reptilian look. She loves setting fires—and sometimes these fires can accidentally or “accidentally” get out of hand.

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This article is an extract from Dungeon Dressing: Captives 2.0. Add the book to your GM’s toolkit today! Alternatively, check out the 20 Things Archive for more handy, flavoursome and time-saving 20 Things articles ready for immediate use in your campaign.