Using Canonical NPCs

[Confused Wolf]

While the LW RPG is set 50 years before "Flight fromt the Dark", the GM could use NPCs out of the gaming books (if he's careful not to let them die). Possibilities I can think of at the moment are Lord Rimoah, Loi-Koymar and Vonotar (as young apprentices) and, of course, the Dark Lords. Who else would be suitable?

 

[Eternalknight]

Storm Hawk would be one that I could think of, Gwynian the Sage another.

 

[Greg Smith]

Ulnar V as a boy or squire.

 

[Anonymous]

Rimoah would not be an apprentice however; he would still be an elder magii, and just as powerful as he is in the lw gamebooks. Remember, they are nearly immortal, due to shainti blood in their veins.
Ofcourse, it is up to you to consider if rimoah is active in worldy events, or is sleeping his time away.

 

[Holmes]

I'm trying to think of a reference to Vonotar's age in the gamebooks...I just remember he was described as being 'hunchbacked', but no references come to mind concerning his age.

If Legends is taken at face value, he's in his thirties.

 

[Ordovician]

-- Chiban, the Crystal Star mage in Tahou (Book #9)
-- Cyrilus (Book #6)
-- The druid of Malis Mound imprisoned in the Daziarn (Book #11)
-- The old visionary guy in the feathered suit* (Book #9)
-- Tipasa the Wanderer (AFAIK; Book #5)
-- Urik (Grey Star #1, #2)

* I could see a decent plot developing around a younger version of this guy.

I'm trying to think of a reference to Vonotar's age in the gamebooks...I just remember he was described as being 'hunchbacked', but no references come to mind concerning his age.

IMHO, from the books, I never thought he looked particularly old... an evil look to him, but not old.

 

[Confused Wolf]

Rimoah would not be an apprentice however; he would still be an elder magii, and just as powerful as he is in the lw gamebooks. Remember, they are nearly immortal, due to shainti blood in their veins

The Elder Magi have Shianti blood in their veins? Where did you get that information from? I thought they were a wholly separate branch of demi-gods.

 

[Eternalknight]

Rimoah would not be an apprentice however; he would still be an elder magii, and just as powerful as he is in the lw gamebooks. Remember, they are nearly immortal, due to shainti blood in their veins

The Elder Magi have Shianti blood in their veins? Where did you get that information from? I thought they were a wholly separate branch of demi-gods.

The Lone Wolf RPG states it under the Magician of Dessi class.

 

[Confused Wolf]

The Lone Wolf RPG states it under the Magician of Dessi class.

I just looked into the book; it's stated under "Age" (page 13). Still a strange thing, though. Maybe it is an error and should have been "the blood of the Elder Magi"? The class description only says that they are descendants of the Elder Magi, while the Shianti are not mentioned

 

[Confused Wolf]

One small correction: the class description mentions a possible link between the Elder Magi and the Shianti, but nothing definitive is said. Maybe the whole thing is something intentionally left open for the GM.

 

[Eternalknight]

Page 48, Religion:

• Many questing Dessi Magicians have been investigating the possibility of a link between the Elder Magi and the Shianti... but nothing conclusive has come of these inquiries

Other than that, the only other reference I can find is, as you said, page 13. (Of course, other than the fact that Magicians of Dessi use the Shianti powers from the Grey Star books :wink: )

Edit: You beat me too it!

 

[Confused Wolf]

My theory why Elder Magi and Shianti powers are basically the same would be that both are creatures of Light, thus they share the same source of magic. The magic used by the brotherhood, on the other hand, is rather neutral: it can be used for good or evil.
But, of course, now I'm just speculating...

 

[Eternalknight]

While I can't remember where it was stated, apparently Brotherhood magic is descended from the Elder Arts.

 

[Nyxator]

As for why the Shianti and the Elder Magi share the same form of magic, August gave a good explanation here: http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2454

 

[August]

Things have been intentionally left vague (as it was in the notes I worked from and the books themselves) because honestly, do you REALLY want it all spelled out for you?

If I define everything, you have less room to work with in your games. Make your own explanations. Invent your own races. Have fun; don't bog down in the details.

Take care,
-A

 

[Confused Wolf]

Things have been intentionally left vague (as it was in the notes I worked from and the books themselves) because honestly, do you REALLY want it all spelled out for you?

Nope. It is fun, though, to speculate in a forum such as this. :wink:

 

[Nyxator]

Things have been intentionally left vague (as it was in the notes I worked from and the books themselves) because honestly, do you REALLY want it all spelled out for you?

If I define everything, you have less room to work with in your games. Make your own explanations. Invent your own races. Have fun; don't bog down in the details.

Take care,
-A

Ahem... maybe you misunderstood me because of my bad english grammar. I meant that you *already* gave a good explanation, and I posted a link to it. I wasn't asking for another explanation.

 

[August]

I understood, Nyxator, and thank you.

I was just clarifying.

-A

 

[ParanoidObsessive]

While the LW RPG is set 50 years before "Flight fromt the Dark", the GM could use NPCs out of the gaming books (if he's careful not to let them die).

Why be careful to keep them alive? If they die due to the actions (or inactions) of the PCs, then just consider them "out of play" for future stories. This, of course, creates NASTINESS when you finally get to 5050...

For instance, having Lord Rimoah die 40 years before he's meant to help Lone Wolf likely only results in another of the Magi taking his place - the same thing would happen with a lot of NPCs. But if someone like Gwynian the Sage dies too soon, then Lone Wolf never gets the scroll in Book 4 (not overly important), nor does he receive aid from the Sages in Book 6 (remember, they were fighting over whether or not to help him - without Gwynian, they probably wouldn't have).

I'd say make the players eventually reach 5050, and go through the actual events of the books, albeit with results based on their actions beforehand. Kai players probably get wiped out (it's only fair), though non-Kai could easily be off fighting other minions of Naar while Lone Wolf is running around. If the PCs let too many of the "support" NPCs die along the way, Lone Wolf fails. Then the only people left to stop Naar's total victory would be, you guessed it, the players...

For a REALLY evil idea, what if one of the PC Kai become so powerful and legendary, that all the Kai of the order look up to them? Then, one day, they offer some words of encouragement to a young novice, who then vows to become a better Kai like his new idol. Of course, said young novice then slacks off less during his lessons, and is never sent on punishment duty when the Feast of Fehmarn is held... you get the idea. :twisted:

That does give me an interesting idea for a campaign, though - get players to make characters of any class other than the Kai, then have the Kai completely wiped out by the Darklords, so that only these few would-be heroes can hope to save the day. Clearly the Sommerswerd is out of the question in a game like this, but perhaps another potent artifact will serve... or, perhaps, the fall of Sommerlund is the first step in the Darklord's conquest...

 

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure Chiban and the like can even be used at all.

Think about it. By the time LW is halfway through his Magnakai adventures it's 5061 or so.

Unless you role-play Chiban or that old guy in Anari as kids, I don't see how you're really going to be able to have that.

I think, to an extent, you even have to make up some info for the rulers of Magnamund's nations, because I'm pretty sure Sarnac(who was very old by the time of Darke Crusade) was not ruling Lencia in MS 5000.

Like August said, play it out how you want, but if you want to use canonical NPCs, I'd think only Shianti(and even then only in dreams,) Shasarak, the Elder Magi and maybe a couple of others could be used.