The party in the Age of Worms campaign I'm DMing (The Diamond Lake **** Weasels—long story) is starting the Spire of Long Shadows chapter and so will be heading to Magepoint for their first meeting with Tenser.
The adventure has Tenser visiting Arcadia when the PCs arrive, thus requiring several weeks of waiting in Magepoint.
What I'd like to do is have several other parties of adventurers also waiting to see Tenser in Magepoint, whom the PCs may or may not choose to interact with. I'd like all of these adventuring parties each to have a quest which they believe to be of world-saving importance—thus putting the PC's own situation, and how much aid they can expect from Tenser, in perspective.
FIRST: I would love to have other folks on this forum post a few quick details (race class level alignment and some personality notes) on the members of other adventuring parties they've either been a part of or DM'd for, and what world-saving quest they were undertaking.
Then while my PCs are waiting, I can describe and role-play these other adventuring parties as NPCs, who shall perhaps try to persuade my PCs that their quest is the REAL world-saving quest and that the PCs should join or assist them.
Obviously, I don't want any of these other groups undertaking the Age of Worms quest, and it would be supercool to hear about world-saving quests not tied to famous Greyhawk modules but original to other Greyhawk campaigns.
SECOND: I'd also love some role-playing advice for when I portray Tenser. I don't want to make him one more bland older powerful male wizard. I'm a trained actor and improvist, so I'm wondering if maybe there's a particular celebrity I could imitate that would make Tenser real and memorable for my players. I'd love to hear any advice on this that anyone has, esp. any DM who feels he or she portrayed Tenser successfully in the past.
...I'm wondering if maybe there's a particular celebrity I could imitate that would make Tenser real and memorable for my players. I'd love to hear any advice on this that anyone has, esp. any DM who feels he or she portrayed Tenser successfully in the past.
Lol! Matthew McConaughey, of course.
With respect to the various adventuring groups, I suggest you choose groups from the various campaign blogs posted here on Canonfire! Kirt, Lanthorn, Argon, Ragnar, myself, and others have posted quite lengthy blogs that detail the heroes of our stories extensively. If you want a high-level adventuring party, my own original party from the mid 80s is given as much information as you're asking for in this article:
Sir Xaris, thanks so much for that link. I'll definitely be looting that for NPCs.
Sadly, I spent the last ten minutes trying to persuade myself that Tenser = McConaughey could work. It cannot work.
I'm aware of the WG6 monologue—I'm just not sure it suggests much actual personality or traits I can perform besides the classic Gygaxian prose-style.
Side question: the lore around Tenser is that he geases parties into good quests even if they're unwilling. Has anyone actually ever done this to their players?
Sadly, I spent the last ten minutes trying to persuade myself that Tenser = McConaughey could work. It cannot work.
Perhaps, Morgan Freeman? If you can do the calm, steady voice, it may work well for such a powerful personage.
Quote:
Side question: the lore around Tenser is that he geases parties into good quests even if they're unwilling. Has anyone actually ever done this to their players?
Sir Xaris and his original party (noted in the link provided) failed in their attempt to defeat Lolth on her home plane. By DM fiat, the party was geased by the Demon Queen of Spiders and sent back to the prime material plane to further her goals. They were able to circumvent this forced enslavement by simply allowing the geas to kill them, then they were raised from the dead by high level clerics of Heironeous. (We were in high school, mid 1980s. )
FIRST: I would love to have other folks on this forum post a few quick details (race class level alignment and some personality notes) on the members of other adventuring parties they've either been a part of or DM'd for, and what world-saving quest they were undertaking. [snip]
Obviously, I don't want any of these other groups undertaking the Age of Worms quest, and it would be supercool to hear about world-saving quests not tied to famous Greyhawk modules but original to other Greyhawk campaigns.
Two mixed alignment groups from our home campaigns in the ‘80s (all PCs were male):
Group 1:
- Nor Grancher, LG human Paladin//Cleric 8//13
— henchmen:
— Frohf, NG elf ranger/bard 6/7
— Karnak, LN human monk 7
- Nigel Taj, CG half-elf Fighter/MU 7/13
— henchmen:
— Mathrac, NG human Cleric//Bard 7//9
— Gratamier, CG human Duellist 7
- Dolvar Nolen, NG gray elf Fighter/MU/Thief 5/13/14
— henchmen:
— Dwif, NG dwarf fighter 7
Group 2:
- Cyphlorenth, CE(n) drow F/MU 7/8
- Oldarion Nolen, CG(n) gray elf MU/T 7/8
- Loydrean, N(e) F/D 8/8
- Archaen, NG half-elf MU/C 7/8
- Grog, N(g) half-ogre F 7
- Neshoz Norsson, NG (l) human R 8
- Kato Soulspewer, dark halfling/half-undead F/A 7/8
- Sepicer, N(g) “human” Timelord 8 (with D 3 too)
- Staton, CN(E) half-elf F/MU 7/9
- Montag, N(g) human F 7
- Dzhot Dzhaggoth, LN human MU 8
- Tech, CN human F 7
- Adourian Darklock, NG(N) “elf”/shade Bard 8 (F//T-A 5//6)
SECOND: I'd also love some role-playing advice for when I portray Tenser. I don't want to make him one more bland older powerful male wizard. I'm a trained actor and improvist, so I'm wondering if maybe there's a particular celebrity I could imitate that would make Tenser real and memorable for my players.
Some actor suggestions to consider; take these with some good-sized boulders of salt, though, since as an actor you’ll have a better idea of your range/style, I’m sure:
- Ian McKellan as Magneto in X-Men
- Gabriel Byrne in The Usual Suspects
- Willem Dafoe in Aquaman
- Jeremy Irons in Ben Affleck’s Batman
- Max Von Sydow in Minority Report
- Alan Rickman in Die Hard
- Elias Korea’s in The Prophecy
- Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi
- John Wood in WarGames
- Ian McShane in John Wick and American Gods
- Christopher Plummer in The shriek with the Dragon Tattoo
In addition to EGG’s WG6 monologue intro, you might check a similar one in Rob Kuntz’s MoZ1 Maze of Zayene—Gary wrote the intro for that too (Rob wrote all the rest of the series).
Allan. _________________ Allan Grohe<br />https://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/greyhawk.html<br />https://grodog.blogspot.com/
Thanks you, Grodog, for the interesting parties. Two questions:
1) do either of these parties have an adventuring company name?
2) were either of these parties undertaking a (ideally, not linked to existing GH modules) quest that they might be visiting Tenser for in hope of assistance? If not, I may assign them one of the world-ending threats from Elder Evils.
I think I'm going to stay away from British actors for Tenser, since lore has him originating from the humble Wild Coast. I'm still weighing Morgan Freeman, and there are actors I don't know on Allan's list I'm going to check out.
Unless Sir Xaris has a better suggestion, I'll have his party at Magepoint trying to get Tenser's aid in freeing them from Lolth's curse.
Unless Sir Xaris has a better suggestion, I'll have his party at Magepoint trying to get Tenser's aid in freeing them from Lolth's curse.
Lol! Nice!
A few more notes on the 'Old Characters'.
Two (Xaris and Didymus Tek - neither had been knighted yet) are paladins and one (Dor) is a cleric. All LG and servants of Heironeous. Though Xaris is highborn and Didymus a commoner, they were best friends growing up and remain so throughout their lives.
Aaron House was originally a NG ranger, but gave up that status and became a TN fighter in order to wield Wave. He took to the sea and spent the rest of his career battling pirates from his stronghold on the forested (southwestern) Olman Island.
Karnak (CN) acquired Daoud's Wondrous Lanthorn and decided to retire to his tower in the free city of Greyhawk because no worthy opponents remained to challenge him.
Brian, Who is Called Brian (CG) was always a level or two higher than Karnak (because illusionists needed fewer experience points to level up than did magic-users). This always annoyed Karnak, especially because the rest of the party reminded him of this fact whenever they thought it would be funny to do so.
Tiny the dwarf was born an elf (NG) who began his adventuring career as a fighter/magic-user. While adventuring in The Lost City, he was cut in half and killed by a pendulum trap protecting the final resting place of the king and queen of the land. The party was still fairly low-level and had no access to raise dead, but they did have a scroll of reincarnation. Having little other option, they used it on the elf and he was reincarnated as a dwarven fighter/thief. Comically, he retained his elven accent. Tiny adapted easily to his new life and rose as high as 12/14 as a fighter/thief.
Etibonec (LG) considered the power of his mind and body to be supreme above all other character classes. In order to prove this theory, he attempted to clear the Caves of Chaos all by himself. He was a 7th level monk at the time. He managed to clear out all the kobolds and goblins and made it into the cave system of the first orc clan. There, he found himself surrounded and in a losing fight, so he retreated into a storeroom where he barricaded himself within. When the orcs finally battered down the door, Etibonec made the tribe pay in blood, but he was eventually defeated. His friends rescued his body and had him raised when they realized his effort had failed.
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