So I wrote this little table of skeletal NPC Complications. Depending on the game you play, you could just use it straight-up in NPCGen, or you could use it as an MC Move. (For a PC-employed NPC, for example, this might be “Activate their stuff’s downside”). Roll 2d6 and brainstorm based on your campaign and known NPC details:
2 = Disaster/Emergency, natural or otherwise OR savagely attacked by someone
3 = Psychological/Physical abuse, brainwashing, coersion, codependency OR lying sociopath
4 = Being extorted/vandalized/threatened/ blackmailed by someone, OR playing for sympathy
5 = Personal/family/friend’s addiction/illness OR lying about who’s really addicted/sick
6 = Owes someone/lost a gamble/took a loan and can’t pay it OR throwing good money after bad
7 = Being extorted by someone with local authority but they’re innocent OR so the story goes
8 = The problem isn’t personal, but a person they love has a problem OR they see it that way
9 = Bitter rival, monopolist, once-friend-now-enemy, family feud OR yes but we started it
10 = Someone they know is robbing/sabotaging them OR they are robbing/sabotaging someone
11 = Their selfish acts are being exposed OR they are exposing someone’s selfish acts
12 = It’s Magic! OR something, something, something, Maelstrom…