Using CraftWork to Make NPC Groups

I needed a group of rangers or scouts for an encounter, one of those times where you think the NPCs are going to hang around for a while so you want them a little more fleshed out than you might otherwise. I began to use CraftWork in a more deliberate way, using the crafts as ingredients for the group that I envisioned in this particular area. This pushes the procedural piece farther down the decision tree, so that the randomization is adding flavor to a structure rather than providing the framework itself.

I started with level and figured three level three characters. Each one will have one level of Wildcraft, with one of them adding in at least another. The second will have a layer of Thiefcraft and a layer of Warcraft. The third will have a level of Seer and one of Sorcery. They'll all start with some sort of missile weapon, with skills and spells rolled randomly.

What I ended with was a trio well acquainted with this bit of country, and with a variety of skills that would serve the party in their time of need. It is a dangerous passage for the group, so any of the three could be a substitute character if one of the player characters fails to make it, interesting enough to be fun to play for a short period of time, and maybe someone they would want to be for longer.