Usage
Adversaries are organized by tier and role. Grab any entry, rename it to fit your setting, and use as-is or tweak one aspect. Skill values assume Fate Core; for Fate Accelerated, substitute the closest Approach.
Stress and consequences follow standard Fate Core defaults unless noted.
Nameless NPCs
Nameless NPCs have no consequence slots. They absorb stress until they’re taken out. Use them in groups. When a nameless NPC hits zero stress, they’re out – no negotiation.
Mobs: Treat a group of 2–4 nameless NPCs as a single unit with +1 skill per additional member (max +4 total). The mob is taken out when it runs out of stress, not individuals.
Grunt – Basic Melee
The warm body with a weapon. Loyal until it hurts.
Aspects
- Hired Muscle, No Questions Asked
- Follows Orders Up to a Point
Skills Fight +1, Athletics +1, Physique +1
Stress □□
Shooter – Basic Ranged
Hangs back, takes shots, retreats when closed on.
Aspects
- Better from a Distance
- Not Built for Close Work
Skills Shoot +2, Athletics +1, Notice +1
Stress □□
Runner – Scout / Skirmisher
Fast, annoying, hard to pin down. Carries messages, sets up ambushes, vanishes.
Aspects
- Gone Before You Can Catch Me
- Knows Every Exit
Skills Athletics +2, Stealth +2, Notice +1
Stress □□
Lurker – Ambush Specialist
Waits. Strikes once hard. Disappears or folds.
Aspects
- Patient as a Trap
- One Good Hit Is All I Need
Skills Stealth +3, Fight +2, Notice +1
Stress □□
Stunt Ambush – When attacking a target who hasn’t acted yet, +2 to Fight and the hit creates a free boost.
Thug – Intimidation / Presence
Doesn’t fight unless it has to. Presence is the weapon.
Aspects
- I Don’t Have to Hit You for It to Hurt
- My Employer’s Reputation, Embodied
Skills Provoke +2, Physique +2, Fight +1
Stress □□□
Supporting NPCs
Supporting NPCs have one mild consequence slot in addition to stress. They matter enough to survive a hit or two. Named, but not central.
Enforcer – Melee Specialist
Knows what they’re doing. Trained, not just willing.
Aspects
- Violence Is a Profession, Not a Passion
- I’ve Done This Before and I’ll Do It Again
Skills Fight +3, Physique +2, Athletics +2, Notice +1, Provoke +1
Stress □□□ Consequences Mild (2)
Stunt Trained Combatant – Once per conflict, reduce a physical consequence by one step by rolling with a technique instead of taking the hit straight.
Sharpshooter – Ranged Specialist
Stays out of melee range. Prefers elevation. Dangerous until you close in.
Aspects
- I Don’t Miss at This Range
- Uncomfortable When Things Get Personal
Skills Shoot +3, Notice +2, Athletics +2, Stealth +2, Fight +1
Stress □□□ Consequences Mild (2)
Stunt Covering Fire – Once per scene, force all enemies in a zone to either take cover (creating a scene aspect with one free invocation) or expose themselves to a free attack.
Brawler – Heavy Melee
Big, tough, slow to anger but hard to stop once started.
Aspects
- Built Like a Problem
- Slow to Start, Hard to Finish
Skills Physique +3, Fight +3, Provoke +2, Athletics +1, Notice +1
Stress □□□□ Consequences Mild (2)
Stunt Immovable – +2 to Physique when resisting being moved, knocked down, or displaced from a zone.
Knife Fighter – Fast Melee / Skirmisher
Quick, precise, fights dirty. Avoids extended exchanges.
Aspects
- Speed Over Strength, Every Time
- First Blood Wins
Skills Fight +3, Athletics +3, Stealth +2, Notice +2, Deceive +1
Stress □□□ Consequences Mild (2)
Stunt Flurry – Once per conflict, make two Fight attacks against the same target at -1 each instead of one normal attack.
Tracker – Pursuit / Wilderness
Follows. Doesn’t stop. Good at finding people who don’t want to be found.
Aspects
- I Always Find What I’m Looking For
- Patience Is the Real Weapon
Skills Notice +3, Athletics +2, Investigate +2, Stealth +2, Survival +2, Fight +1
Stress □□□ Consequences Mild (2)
Stunt On the Scent – +2 to Notice and Investigate when tracking a specific target I’ve previously encountered.
Operator – Tactical Ranged / Team Support
Coordinates. Keeps allies in the fight. Dangerous because of what they enable.
Aspects
- My Job Is to Make Everyone Else Effective
- I See the Whole Board
Skills Shoot +3, Notice +3, Rapport +2, Athletics +2, Fight +1
Stress □□□ Consequences Mild (2)
Stunt Coordinate – Once per scene, grant an ally in another zone a +1 bonus to their next action by calling out a tactical opening.
Investigator – Social / Intelligence Threat
Asks questions. Notices things. A threat that doesn’t throw a punch.
Aspects
- I Already Know More Than You Think
- The Truth Is Just a Matter of Time
Skills Investigate +3, Notice +3, Empathy +2, Rapport +2, Deceive +2, Contacts +1
Stress □□□ Consequences Mild (2)
Stunt Cold Read – +2 to Empathy when assessing whether someone is hiding something; on success with style, name the specific thing they’re hiding.
Manipulator – Social Aggressor
Doesn’t fight. Doesn’t need to. Turns people into weapons.
Aspects
- Everyone Has a Price or a Fear, Usually Both
- I’m Not the Threat. I’m the One Who Sends It.
Skills Provoke +3, Deceive +3, Rapport +2, Empathy +2, Contacts +2, Notice +1
Stress □□□ Consequences Mild (2)
Stunt Leverage – When I succeed on Provoke or Deceive against a target, I may immediately place a fragile aspect on them reflecting their exposed weakness; it lasts until the end of the scene.
Face – Social Blocker / Gatekeeper
Controls access. Information, people, places. Pleasant but immovable.
Aspects
- You Don’t Get Through Me, You Get Around Me
- My Loyalty Is Real and Thoroughly Inconvenient
Skills Rapport +3, Deceive +3, Contacts +2, Notice +2, Empathy +2, Resources +1
Stress □□□ Consequences Mild (2)
Stunt Immovable Courtesy – +2 to Rapport when deflecting, redirecting, or politely refusing requests; on success, the target must make a new approach rather than press the same one.
Spy – Infiltration / Information
Already inside. Has been for a while. Hard to spot until it’s too late.
Aspects
- I Was Here Before You Arrived
- My Cover Is Better Than My Real Identity
Skills Deceive +3, Stealth +3, Notice +2, Empathy +2, Contacts +2, Fight +1
Stress □□□ Consequences Mild (2)
Stunt Deep Cover – Once per session, reveal a false identity, planted advantage, or prior access that has been in place since before the scene began; it has two free invocations.
Hound – Relentless Pursuer
Doesn’t stop. Not particularly smart, but not required to be.
Aspects
- I Don’t Give Up. That’s the Whole Thing.
- Sent to Find You and That’s What I’ll Do
Skills Athletics +3, Fight +2, Notice +2, Physique +2, Investigate +1, Provoke +1
Stress □□□□ Consequences Mild (2)
Stunt Relentless – When I fail to catch or harm my target, I don’t generate a boost for them; I simply haven’t succeeded yet.
Elite NPCs
Elites have mild and moderate consequence slots. They’re meaningful opponents – lieutenants, specialists, rivals. They should feel dangerous alone and terrifying with backup.
Elite Enforcer – Veteran Combatant
Has survived enough to know what works. Fights smart, not just hard.
Aspects
- Veteran of Too Many Fights to Count
- I Know Which Battles Are Worth Having
- Loyal to Whoever Pays, But There Are Lines
Skills Fight +4, Physique +3, Athletics +3, Notice +2, Provoke +2, Will +2, Shoot +1
Stress □□□□ Consequences Mild (2) / Moderate (4)
Stunts
- Combat Veteran – Once per conflict, reduce a physical consequence by one step through sheer experience and controlled breathing.
- Zone Control – Enemies who want to leave my zone must succeed on an Athletics roll against my Fight to do so.
Elite Sharpshooter – Long Range Specialist
Set up before the scene started. Knows three exits. Doesn’t panic.
Aspects
- Already Sighted In Before You Arrived
- Controlled. Professional. Patient.
- The Shot I Don’t Take Is the One That Hurts Most
Skills Shoot +4, Notice +3, Stealth +3, Athletics +2, Investigate +2, Fight +1, Will +2
Stress □□□ Consequences Mild (2) / Moderate (4)
Stunts
- Called Shot – Once per conflict, declare a specific effect on a successful Shoot attack (disarm, pin, wound a specific limb); the GM describes the consequence accordingly.
- Overwatch – When I’m in an elevated or concealed position, all enemies in a designated zone get -1 to all actions while I’m covering it.
Elite Infiltrator – Specialist Operative
Gets in, gets out, leaves no trace. Fights only when cornered and then fights viciously.
Aspects
- I Was Never Here
- Every Room Has a Second Way Out
- I Only Fight When Running Isn’t Faster
Skills Stealth +4, Deceive +3, Athletics +3, Notice +2, Fight +2, Investigate +2, Burglary +1
Stress □□□ Consequences Mild (2) / Moderate (4)
Stunts
- Ghost – Once per scene, vanish from a zone completely; I cannot be found without a Great (+4) Notice or Investigate roll.
- Prepared Exit – Once per session, leave any scene without opposition by declaring a route I scouted in advance.
Elite Manipulator – Power Broker
Doesn’t dirty their hands. Everyone in the scene either owes them or fears them.
Aspects
- The Room Was Arranged Before You Walked In
- I Don’t Make Threats, I State Outcomes
- Everyone Here Has a Reason to Do What I Say
Skills Provoke +4, Deceive +4, Rapport +3, Empathy +3, Contacts +3, Resources +2, Notice +2
Stress □□□ Consequences Mild (2) / Moderate (4)
Stunts
- The Web – Once per session, reveal that a named NPC in the scene has been working for me; they act accordingly.
- Psychological Pressure – When I succeed with style on Provoke, the target gains a consequence instead of a boost being created.
Elite Brute – Heavy Specialist
The door you can’t open, the wall you can’t climb, the problem that hits back.
Aspects
- I Am the Obstacle
- Pain Is Information and I Don’t Learn Fast
- Sent to Make an Impression
Skills Physique +4, Fight +4, Provoke +3, Athletics +2, Notice +1, Will +3
Stress □□□□□ Consequences Mild (2) / Moderate (4)
Stunts
- Unstoppable – +2 to Physique when pushing through barriers, resisting being moved, or absorbing hits.
- Wrecking Ball – When I succeed with style on Fight, I may destroy a piece of the environment in addition to dealing stress.
Rival – PC-Level Opposing Character
A mirror, a foil, or a former ally. Built like a PC. Memorable.
Aspects
- High Concept: [Designed to Mirror or Counter a PC]
- Trouble: [Shared flaw, old wound, or parallel failing]
- We Were the Same Once
- I Made the Choice You Wouldn’t
- There’s No Version of This Where We Both Walk Away Clean
Skills Two at +3, two at +2, two at +1 – tailored to their role
Stress □□□□ Consequences Mild (2) / Moderate (4)
Stunts Two stunts, one offensive and one that creates social or narrative pressure. Design to create interesting decisions for the PC they mirror.
Note: The Rival is intentionally left partially blank. Fill in the High Concept and skills to counter or parallel a specific PC in your group.
Boss-Level Notes
Bosses are intentionally not pre-statted here. A boss that works for one campaign is background noise in another.
When building a boss, consider:
Structure
- 3–5 aspects including a High Concept that encodes their power and a Trouble that is a genuine vulnerability
- Skills at +4 and +5 in their core areas
- Full consequence track: Mild / Moderate / Severe, plus one Extreme if they’re the final antagonist
- 2–3 stunts, at least one of which changes the nature of the conflict rather than just adding a bonus
Design Principles
- Give them something the players can’t just fight through – a social shield, a hostage, a position of power, a moral complication
- Their Trouble should be something the players can discover and exploit
- At least one stunt should create a moment, not just a modifier
- Consider a Countdown Aspect – a situation aspect that changes the scene if the players don’t address it
Suggested Consequence Add-On When a boss takes their Moderate consequence, something changes – reinforcements arrive, they reveal a new capability, the environment shifts, or their demeanor cracks. This makes the fight feel like it has phases without requiring a separate mechanic.