NPC

Not specifically related to Ars Magica in particular, but to role-playing games in general, NPC is an acronym that stands for Non-Player Character. An NPC is a character that is played exclusively by the story guide, and whose motives and incitement are therefore hidden from the Troupe. Not necessarily antagonists, the guide uses NPCs to confront player characters in myriads of facettes and levels of power.

The opposite of an NPC is a PC, a player character.