Guild Wars Wiki:Formatting/NPCs

This article will give you a basic understanding of how to format your NPC-articles. These guidelines should be adhered to where possible to maintain an overall consistency. Please read it carefully. NPC articles have three segments: header, body, and footer. Only the footer is optional. Always be wary of spoilers and indicate them where necessary using the -tag. Make sure you've read the general formatting guidelines as well, which take precedence should there be a conflict. If things aren't clear or you're not sure how to apply a certain formatting then check out this page for additional info and examples.

Definition
Non-Player Characters, or NPCs are any creatures in the game world that aren't controlled by a human player. The term includes both friendly and hostile characters. NPCs are shown in the compass as red or green dots, or lime green triangles.

Special cases
There are certain types of NPCs that require additional explanation:


 * NPCs with multiple versions or that appear in multiple campaigns
 * NPCs that can be both friendly and hostile
 * NPCs that share the same name but appear in male and female versions

Generally: always treat it as a normal NPC and fill out the sections as usual.

An NPC may be presented differently from area to area. Use listings or tables in the appropriate sections to mark differences in between versions. If an NPC is present in multiple campaigns, use tables to distinguish the campaigns.

If an NPC is known to be friendly once, and hostile else given a certain period in a campaign, put a screenshot of the NPC as a friend and as a foe if possible. If there are significant differences, treat it as for multiple versions.

There are known cases of NPCs that appear as both male and female versions (i.e. Vabbi Guard). If possible, provide a picture of both versions.

Syntax and example
{| 

Intro text here (description, lore, or important information...) <-- this is level 0

Locations

 * campaign1
 * region1
 * (during quest name)
 * region2
 * : Level 2
 * campaign2
 * region3
 * : Level 2
 * campaign2
 * region3

Missions

 * Region

Quests
Quests given: Quests involved in:
 * Region
 * Quest name
 * Region
 * Quest name

Recruitment
Specify how to recruit or unlock this hero. Link to any relevant quests or missions. Add screenshot of the in-game hero unlocked message if possible.

Skills

 * (elite)
 * (elite)

Armor
Detail the hero's armor, such as the names, skins, and stats that depend on the hero's level. If the armor's appearance can be upgraded, explain where to upgrade and what it upgrades to. See also: My Hero/Armor gallery <-- optional page

Evaluation
Write down general NPC behaviour, comments. List pros and cons, tips... If you can't think of anything, this section can be omitted.

Dialogue

 * "Something NPC says when clicked on or when prompted. Group by location if necessary"
 * "No mission- or quest-specific dialogue."

Quotes

 * "Random/idle quotes, group by location or situation if necessary."
 * "no mission- or quest-specific quotes."

Battle quotes

 * "Random battle quotes, group by location or situation if necessary."
 * "no mission- or quest-specific quotes."

Items dropped

 * Granite Slab
 * etc...

Trivia

 * Trivia here.

etc...
 * }

Article header
The header portion is mainly the NPCInfo template info box. Please mark new NPC articles with. The stub mark can be removed if the article contains all the relevant information.

If it is necessary to hide the automatic table of contents (TOC), place the  tag in front of the NPCInfo template, on the same line. This prevents an unnecessary blank space at the top when the article is saved. In general you don't want a TOC when the article only has a few short sections, or you don't need to scroll down to read the article. Decisions on placing a TOC should be done on an article-by-article base.

NPC infobox template
Fill in only known details. Avoid using "Unknown" or question marks. If unknown, omit the parameter.

The template accepts following parameters: name, image, species, profession, profession2, profession3, boss, service , level, campaign, campaign2..campaign4, map1..map5, map1-text..map5-text. Example usage:


 * name : The name of the NPC in question. Defaults to pagename. Can be omitted. Do not leave this empty.
 * image : The image of the NPC in question. Defaults to a ".jpg" image file with the same name as the page, 150px wide. Remember that spaces and underscore characters are treated the same. Try to post an image that is as clear as possible. You will need to manually specify the size of the image; the recommended width is 150px. Read the helpful tips on screen capture. See also the image use policy. Do not leave this empty.
 * affiliation : Required. The general force or group the creature is affiliated with. Equivalent to the internal "army" grouping in game mechanic effects. Examples: White Mantle, Corsairs, Undead, etc. Defaults to "Not specified".
 * type : Required. Base type. Examples: Human, Plant, Zombie, etc. Defaults to "Not specified".
 * profession : Supply the name of the profession. This can either be in full form (e.g. "Warrior"), or it can be shortened as "w", "r", "mo", "n", "me", "e", "a", "rt", "p", "d". Unrecognized values default to "None".
 * profession2, profession3 : Applies only if profession# is specified. For NPCs with multiple professions.
 * service : Optional. If the NPC provides a service, list it here.
 * level : The level(s) this NPC can be found at. Use a single number, comma-separated numbers or a range of numbers as appropriate. Put hard mode levels in parentheses after the normal mode level.
 * boss : Optional. If supplied, a "(boss)" tag is added to the species. Omit if not a boss.
 * campaign : The campaign(s) this NPCs appears in. Defaults to "Not specified".
 * campaign2, campaign3, campaign 4 : Applies only if campaign# is specified. For NPCs appearing in multiple campaigns.
 * map1..map5 : Optional. Provide a map image for this NPC. You will need to manually specify the size of the image; the recommended width is 150px. A maximum of 5 maps can be added.
 * map1..map5-text : Optional. Defaults to "(Click to enlarge)".

Stick to the order shown above for consistency. Also, see the Template:NPC infobox for more on usage. Note: Only the image, map#, and map#-text parameters require manual wikilinks. All other parameters that should be linked are automatically linked.

Article body
The body of an NPC article contains the bulk of the information. As per the general style and formatting guidelines, please omit any section that does not have content.

Intro text
In general: put a short description, purpose and/or history of this NPC here. In-game relationships with other NPCs are also appropriate. Try to phrase it such that the more detailed version appears in their relevant sections. Rehashing something that will be stated in the other sections is not a good definition. If you cannot find anything to say, simply leave this section blank.

For hostile NPCs: include looks, patterns of movement, signs to spot them. Do not include notes and tips on fighting here. It's important to always establish context and define what the creature is.

Locations
List all explorable areas/towns/outposts/missions/dungeons... where this NPC can be found. Group by geographical region, list multiple locations in a region alphabetically. When grouping with regions from multiple campaigns, do not group by continent; group by campaign name instead, as regions are not unique to a campaign.

Use  as a wrapper for the location where the NPC can be found. Always use this template, as this also autocategorizes the NPC by location. Usage is:. For example:, and    For locations that don't have a disambiguation identifier, omit it, e.g.  . See NPC location for more detail.

For NPCs of high interest (like bosses with a unique item or elite skill that can be captured) a map should be added that shows in detail all possible locations where this NPC can be found, or a detailed text description of the location can be written.

Should an NPC appear in all towns/outposts in a certain region, name the region and mark it with A. Make a note of it on the page, like this:
 * A located in all towns and outposts

Important note: don't list missions here! Always use the "Missions" section for that. If an NPC only appears in a mission/missions, the whole "Location" section should be omitted and the "Missions"-section be used instead.

Missions
List the missions where the NPC takes part in. Group by region, sort alphabetically. Heroes: missions where the hero is required in the party should be marked with R. Make a note of it on the page, like this:
 * R indicates that  must be in the party

Use  as a wrapper for the mission where the NPC can be found. Always use this template, as this also autocategorizes the NPC by location. Usage is:. For example:. See NPC location for more detail.

Quests
List quests that involve or can be obtained from this NPC in any manner in the order of availability. There's no need to mention requirements, but do note if it is no longer available (such as special event quests). If an NPC both gives and appears during quests, group them like this: Quests given: Quests involved in:

Heroes: quests where the hero is required in the party should be marked as such:
 * R indicates that  must be in the party

Recruitment
This section applies for heroes only. Specify how to recruit or unlock this hero. Link to any relevant quests or missions. Add screenshot of the in-game hero unlocked message if possible. The image should be linked at the top of the section, placed to the right - as seen in the template above.

Skills
List all skills the NPC possess by using the skill icon template. Avoid adding unconfirmed skills. Sort the skills by profession, then alphabetically within each profession. Punctuation marks are sorted first (i.e. all the shouts). Common skills and monster skills are sorted below profession-specific skills. See also the profession formatting guidelines.

Monster skills should use monster skill icon instead. For elite skills, append a " " after the skill icon template.

If attributes are known or can be derived, list the known attribute levels on a single line above the skill list.

Multiple skill sets may be divided into subsections. The section headers for these subsections should concisely and clearly identify the conditions or situations for the skill sets. If two skill sets differ only slightly, consider appending a simple explanatory note in parentheses to the skill in question.


 * Bosses : Skill listings for bosses that are confirmed with a Signet of Capture should be marked with “Skills SoC confirmed” in the talk page, including the date of the check.


 * Heroes : List the skills that the hero has when first unlocked.


 * NPCs with multiple skill sets : Include subheadings for each variant. Omit subheadings if the NPC only has one skillset.

Level 20, Aeromancer
12 Air Magic (15 Air Magic in Hard mode)
 * (elite)
 * (elite)
 * (elite)
 * (elite)

Level 20, Hydromancer
14 Water Magic
 * (elite)
 * (elite)
 * (elite)
 * (elite)
 * (elite)

Level 24
15 Earth Magic, 10 Energy Storage, 12 Fire Magic
 * (elite)
 * (elite)

Armor rating
This section applies for hostile NPCs only. State the enemy's armor rating against each damage type, with Hard Mode values between parentheses.

Armor
This section applies for heroes only. Detail the hero's armor, such as the names, skins, and stats that depend on the hero's level.If the armor's appearance can be upgraded, explain where to upgrade and what it upgrades to.

Evaluation
This optional section applies to henchmen only. Write down general NPC behaviour and/or comments. List pros and cons, tips... If you can't think of anything at the moment then simply omit the section.

Do keep following restrictions in mind:
 * Keep it short and simple, no need to write entire biographies.
 * No personal opinions (i.e. I think  is a better henchmen than this one)
 * Nothing that can be mentioned in the other sections

Dialogue
Write down the lines an NPC says when clicked on or prompted. Group by location and/or situation if necessary. If grouped by location, sort them by storyline. Additional sorting should be done alphabetically. Don't include mission- or quest-specific dialogue, those dialogues are covered in the mission- and quest-articles itself. Mission briefings on the other hand can go in here. "Dialogue text should be written in italics, included in double quotes".

Quotes
Write down the random (idle) lines an NPC says for no apparent reason at all. It's known that for hero's the idle quotes change as the player progresses along the primary quests and missions, so always try to group by location and/or situation where applicable. If grouped by location, sort them by storyline. Additional sorting should be done alphabetically. Don't include mission- or quest-specific quotes, those dialogues are covered in the mission- and quest-articles itself. "Quotes should be written in italics, included in double quotes".

Battle quotes
List quotes during battles here. Again: don't include mission- or quest-specific quotes. Sort them alphabetically.


Before going further, see the editing guide for more information on tables.

Armorers: Add a section called Armor sets to list the offered armor sets in a table grouped by profession. See Category:Armorers for examples.

Artisans: Artisans produce Rare crafting materials. List the materials under a Rare crafting materials offered section. Use the  template. See Category:Artisans for examples.

Collectors: Add a section called Collector items to list the items offered. A table listing the name, requirement and rewards of the particular NPC. This information is placed on a separate page for inclusion in the article and collectible item articles. These subsections can also be indexed in pages such as Collector.


 * Armor:
 * The page should be called Collector armor.
 * List professions as per Guild Wars Wiki:Formatting/Professions.
 * If the collector offers armor and weapons, separate them onto different subsection pages and include them both into the collector's article.

====Collector name==== Location: Location Collecting: 1..10 Items


 * Weapons:
 * The page should be called Collector.
 * List the items shown in the order on the screen, or per profession.

 ====Collector Name==== Location: Location Collecting: 1..10 Items


 * Other items:
 * The page should be called Collector.
 * List the items shown in the order on the screen.

====Collector name==== Location: Location Collecting: 1..10 Items

Merchants: The section Goods offered is used to list items offered in a table. See existing merchant articles for examples.

Skill trainers and Hero skill trainers: List available skills by using the Skill trainer list template in a Skills offered section. Only include skills which the trainer offers before they are unlocked, as all skill trainers offer all unlocked non-elite skills available in their campaign. See any skill trainer for examples.

Weaponsmiths: List the possible weapons in a table under a Weapons offered section. For examples, see existing weaponsmiths.

Items dropped
This section applies to hostile NPCs only. List items that are dropped by this NPC in alphabetical order and singular form (e.g., not  ). The general rules for what is and isn't listed are:
 * Trophies - yes, list alphabetically.
 * Crafting materials - yes, list common and rare crafting material drops (only list the ones that you yourself have actually seen, do not make assumptions); also add the corresponding categories from Category:Drops common crafting material and/or Category:Drops rare crafting material
 * Dye - no, see Gold
 * Gold - no, just about everything will drop that
 * Keys - no, those have a small chance of being dropped by any NPC.
 * Quest items - yes, note in parenthesis if the item only drops when the quest is active
 * Salvage items - yes, see Crafting materials for rules
 * Scrolls - no, see Gold
 * Skill tomes - no, all creatures in hard mode have a chance to drop a skill tome of their profession (elite tomes for bosses)
 * Unique items - yes, mark them with " ".
 * Weapons - no (exceptions are unique items, and weapons only dropped by that species like the Magmas Shield for titans)

Article footer
The footer section includes the Notes and Trivia sections as well as the categories. Remember to omit them if they are not needed. As a matter of consistency, always place Notes above Trivia.

Trivia
Please use Trivia for any trivia information regarding the name or concept of the NPC.

Categorization
See Guild Wars Wiki:Formatting/Categories. Always try to use a subcategory, as Category:NPCs is considered the topmost category for all NPCs.

automatically categorizes the NPC in its appropriate profession category, and NPC location autocategorizes it in the respective location categories, so generally there should be no need to manually enter any of these category types.