Canonfire!

Sun Feb 27, 2011 11:59 pm Your Favourite Friend or Foe in the Flanaess

If you had to pick a friend or foe in the Flanaess, who would be your favourite? (any time period)

If you have difficulty picking one then list your top 3 - 5.

Now I must go think about this for a while Confused

Mon Feb 28, 2011 9:05 am

Easy! My favorite foes are Iggwilv and Eli Tomorast.
http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/01/virtuosos-of-villainy-eli-tomorast.html

As for friends, hm, I would have to say I'm partial to the Greyladies, like Countess Bellisica or Jallarzi Sallavarian.

Mon Feb 28, 2011 2:08 pm Well, waitaminute...

Hi again,

Is the question, who are your favorite friends and foes as a DM, or who would be your favorites, if you lived in Greyhawk?

As a DM, my answer is - friend: Tenser, foe: Eneever Zig

Answering for myself, I'd probably still pick Tenser for my friend ("Protect me, buddy! Nice Meteor Swarm!"), but an old, crippled kobold for my foe.

~Scott "-enkainen" Casper

Yak-Men don't want to be your friends and don't want you to know they're your enemies...

Mon Feb 28, 2011 2:44 pm

I am a DM 90% of the time I play D&D, so I'll answer from that perspective.

My favorite enemies to pit my players against are Iuz, Iggwilv, and Eclavdra.

My favorite friends for my players to run into and appreciate help from are my own retired characters. However, as far as canonnical Greyhawk characters goes, my favorite is Tornamir (Castellan of the Keep on the Borderlands).

SirXaris

Mon Feb 28, 2011 5:44 pm

I too like the grey ladies.

My most used heroines are Sheroyl Kubiak, Bajastelle Rendarin, Marissa Hunter, and Marie Sennefort.

My most used villainesses include Drelzna, Glasya, Markessa, and Tiamat.

I apologize for any misspellings; I don't have my books handy.

Mon Feb 28, 2011 6:30 pm Favorite Friend and Foe ...

Well, I too use retired former PCs as contacts and whatnot for my players, but insofar as the OP goes ...

I think that I would have to say one of my favs for helping PCs are Talasek Thrayden and Derider Fanshen, now that she's retired. Another one that I have really loved for years is Karistyne. I was horrified and exhilarated when, in the Living Greyhawk campaign, there was a story arc that involved Rary trying to wipeout her and her castle.

As far as foes, Rary would be one of my biggest ones that I love to loathe, as is Lord Robilar (but, if you follow Expedition to the Ruins of Castle Greyhawk he's no longer impersonated by his evil counterpart.)
... and Iuz is probably the most awful big baddie, in my book.
I also like to add Duke Karll to the list (snicker, giggle) since he is such a horrible oppressor of the Rhennee. Evil hearted bastard that he is.
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Mon Feb 28, 2011 6:32 pm [Duplicate Post]

[Edit: Post deleted - duplicate post. Computer glitched, apparently.]
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Mon Feb 28, 2011 9:54 pm

I like Iggwilv had a campaign with one of her cults in Perrenland Drelzna was in charge of this faction.

Cults of Incabulos especially in my Veluna campaign. Hobgoblins and goblins in general.

Gods of death in my campaign are the only ones who can bring back the dead. If your character dies only a death priest can make a contract to bring them back to life. Hence forth not many pcs come back to life. What price must one pay to bring the dead back to life?

Turin Deathstalker was one of my favorite Greyhawk NPCs because he could be the villain or ally.

Evard is one of my favorite villains. Until I killed him off Canon Hazen was one of my favorite allies.

Turrosh Mak is my favorite ally he is responsible for the death of many elves. What a great individual

Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:19 am

What a great topic, Dark Herald! Happy

I'll say my favorite allies were Ingrid Maelstromsdottir (which is what my DM at the time named the Storm Giantess from the Against the Giants trilogy) and Shahng (the drow weaponsmistress from the Dungeon Istivin series, whom I once had a PC of mine enter a kind of Dark One/Tyslin San-type situation with). I suppose, like some of the others, I have a thing for the Greyladies. Laughing

My worst enemies would be Warnes Starcoat, Theodain Eriason (very bitter rivals of a favorite long-term PC of mine), and Jumper (who tormented that same PC for a period of about five years, nearly killing him at least five or six times in that span). Death to the lot of them!

TCM

Tue Mar 01, 2011 1:44 am Greyladies?

Tue Mar 01, 2011 4:37 am

Lareth became quite a fun recurring villain in our campaign. I've always liked Blackthorn (Markessa's henchman from the slavers modules). My version became a half-demon ogre mage sorcerer who acts as a power broker between various factions (slavers, drow, otherworldly Cabaal), who went on to ally himself with a night hag and a hag covey.

I was always fond of Sturtevant as a friendly NPC (although our version has been held at Gibbering Gate since the Greyhawk Wars).

Tue Mar 01, 2011 5:00 am

Mine would be Balabar, who was the father to one of my players characters. He was a terrible man with many dark secrets. Not only did he dabble in the dark arts but was a wereboar as well.

My player had built up such a hatred towards her father that she went nuts when she saw him and tried to kill him at every turn. He was playing all factions in the adventure, players were never sure of his intentions. just as they thought they should kill him, he would bail them out of the fire.

Next was Venaur a priest in the service of Iuz who had an assassin after the party whois name was Malek. He hunted the characters down striking from the shadows.

The players had a priest of St Cuthbert that would save the day when the opportunity presented itself

Tue Mar 01, 2011 5:44 am Re: Greyladies?

Icarus,

Tue Mar 01, 2011 8:00 am

The Scarlet Brotherhood. I use them all the damn time. My players go "its the SB again" about as often as the Doctor says, "its the Daleks~!"

Tue Mar 01, 2011 8:18 am

Favorite villain: Drelzna; being a vampire helped her survive after the Lost Caverns were looted, and I have since used her, and highlighted her relation to Iggwilv and Iuz.

Favorite friend: Bigby. Introduced him to one party using the "Prisoner of Zagyg" card adventure from From the Ashes, despite the campaign not yet getting to the Greyhawk Wars (yet). However with an different party and players, Tenser, in his Age of Worms role, is obviously going to play a big part as they advance.

I guess I just keep using those NPC's that show up in the adventures and appreciate it when notable NPC do appear in published items.

Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:12 am

The bane of the characters in my longest running GH campaign (mid-late 80's) was a Ketite necromancer, who I cannot remember the name of to save my life. He was a real nasty piece of work. They tracked him all the way from GH City to Ket, which is a pretty long journey IMC. Ended up killing him and saving Bissel from an invasion by destroying the artifact he was using to aid the Beygraf's invading army.
In my current Sterich campaign the big villain for this arc is the Scarlet Witch, who unknown to the characters is an agent of the Scarlet Brotherhood. Fortunately none of the player have even the slightest knowledge of greylore and what the SB is, so this is all new and fresh to them. It's nice to work with a clean slate sometimes. They have also killed some of Obmi's henchmen, so he'll probably come into play later. This is an alternate-from-canon version of Obmi though, who instead of going to work for Iuz after the events of the Giant's series, set himself up as the head of a dwarven criminal gang in Istivin.

Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:54 am

I had forgotten about Drelnza and want to add her to my list of favorite PC foils now that Skech and Argon have reminded me.

In the current campaign that I am DMing for my son and his friends (who are all new to the game), I named a Dwarven Fighter/Thief 1/1, whom they have just rescued from enslavement in the Caves of Chaos, 'Obmi'. None of the players know that name as they are all new to D&D and Greyhawk. I'm still trying to devise ways to forshadow Obmi's future during the year and a day he has promised to serve the party for his rescue. And, I'm quivering in anticipation of all the issued the boys will have when they discover where Obmi's adventuring career takes him after parting ways with the party. Evil Grin

SirXaris

Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:58 am

Quote:

In the current campaign that I am DMing for my son and his friends (who are all new to the game), I named a Dwarven Fighter/Thief 1/1, whom they have just rescued from enslavement in the Caves of Chaos, 'Obmi'. None of the players know that name as they are all new to D&D and Greyhawk. I'm still trying to devise ways to forshadow Obmi's future during the year and a day he has promised to serve the party for his rescue. And, I'm quivering in anticipation of all the issued the boys will have when they discover where Obmi's adventuring career takes him after parting ways with the party

Sounds like you are having a blast playing with your son. How old is he, SirXaris?

My son is turning a 11 tomorrow and we have just started playing last year. He is playing a dwarf called Hangover Laughing

How do you find it playing with the younger kids?

Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:59 pm

My buddy would be Mordenkainen. My feared bad guy would have to be Incabulos. I know he's a deity and not really an active NPC but he creeps me out more than Iuz or Tharizdun. I always did like Nerull. Incabulos takes it for me. EVIL and Nasty....*shivers* Evil

Tue Mar 01, 2011 4:45 pm

GH has so many great canonical villains (Warduke, Iggwilv, Dragotha, etc) that it's hard to choose. I would likely pick Vecna as my top villain. Don't know if I have a fave canonical heroic character, but I think Otto would be fun to hang out with--great food & music are hard to top. I'd like to hang out with Mordy's apprentice, Rautheene, however, for other reasons. :D

Speaking of "Greyladies," perhaps there should be a calendar?

Tue Mar 01, 2011 5:39 pm

Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:45 pm

Friend- Talasek Thraydin, the noble paladin of Greyhawk City who's taken a vow of poverty, and who helps the poor. Not some snobby git, but somebody that walks the walk, not just talks the talk.

Foe- Minions of Incabulos. So underused, and yet so cool. And no, I don't mean just Hags either.
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Wed Mar 02, 2011 12:27 am

Villain would definitely be the Big T Tharizdun. But as far as friends go I have never used a named NPC in any of my games. They have all been ones of my own creation usually old Characters of mine or other players from games past.

Wed Mar 02, 2011 8:07 am

Wed Mar 02, 2011 8:48 am

Wed Mar 02, 2011 9:40 am

Wed Mar 02, 2011 10:20 am

Wed Mar 02, 2011 10:27 am

Thanks Smillan Happy

Besides having the day started with an unexpected damper. I had an awesome day with my son, watched him play cricket! HE managed to take 3 wickets, which really made his afternoon. Then it was time to watch my son open his presents.

So overall great day

Wed Mar 02, 2011 5:59 pm

Thu Mar 17, 2011 4:35 am

Of all the wizards across the know multiverse who in your opinion is the strongest wizard of all?

Or the strongest in Greyhawk vs the strongest in Forgotten Realms vs Krynn

Thu Mar 17, 2011 9:57 am

Historically speaking, Merlin, Morgan Le Fey, and Circe come to mind.

In Greyhawk I'd rank Zagyg, Vecna, and Mordenkainen from greatest down. There are too many to rank in FR, though I can't think of any that would top Elminster. For Krynn, I'd have to go with Raistlin followed by Fistandantalus, but as with FR, I simply don't know those worlds well enough to do more than speculate.

SirXaris

Thu Mar 17, 2011 3:13 pm Mordenkainen vs. Elminster