General RPG DiscussionDiscussion of all RPGs and non-system-specific topics. DM/GM/player issues, settings, etc. Rules discussion belongs in one the forums below.
Avenger: Ripping aside the ethereal nature of Wolf's Book of the New Sun and treating it as a comic book of sorts, Severian the torturer was a major influence on this class's initial feel and direction. Obviously its divine roots steered in a different direction, but I can easily see playing an avenger based on fantasy's most famous torturer.
Bard: Fflewddur Fflam from Alexander's Prydain books provided a fair amount of inspiration.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rechan
I'm unfamiliar with either of these.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mouseferatu
You can be forgiven for the former, but lack of familiarity with the latter is cause for having your Geek Card revoked.
Wait... I think my Geek Cred card is in jeopardy! While I certainly know of Wolfe and the Book of the New Sun (not for the casual reader, BTW, but excellent nonetheless) I didn't know of Lloyd Alexander until today. Did I miss an important part of my childhood? I was a young fantasy reader in the mid-late 70s and early 80s.
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Books currently in play: Dungeon & Dragon Magazine (*Scales of War AP*), WOTC 4e Core and Supplemental books
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I didn't know of Lloyd Alexander until today. Did I miss an important part of my childhood? I was a young fantasy reader in the mid-late 70s and early 80s.
Um, yes. Yes you did.
In the pantheon of Classic Fantasy You Darn Well Better Have Read, Lloyd Alexander is only one step below Tolkien, Howard, or Moorcock in importance. Heck, he's also the only semi-modern writer I can think of to have inspired a Disney movie. (The Black Cauldron, while neither a fantastic movie nor particularly loyal as an adaptation, at least pushed the books further into public consciousness for a time.)
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Mouseferatu
--Rodent of the Dark
In the pantheon of Classic Fantasy You Darn Well Better Have Read, Lloyd Alexander is only one step below Tolkien, Howard, or Moorcock in importance. Heck, he's also the only semi-modern writer I can think of to have inspired a Disney movie. (The Black Cauldron, while neither a fantastic movie nor particularly loyal as an adaptation, at least pushed the books further into public consciousness for a time.)
Ohh! I remember that now! That's the movie with the puppets and the vulture-things called skeksis, right?
Skip the descriptions of the individual books, though, as they contain spoilers.
For those who don't want to read the entire entry, the Chronicles is a five-book fantasy series. It's technically written for adolescents and young adults, but I've found it to be enjoyable as an adult, and it's much darker than what we consider to be YA-material today. (It was written back in the 60s.)
It draws heavily on Welsh mythology, particularly for names and locations, and even includes some characters from said mythology (though they're often reimagined for the books).
I don't know if modern readers will find all that much new in it--it is, as I said, nearly 50 years old--but it really is part of, if not the foundation of today's fantasy, then at least the first or second floor.
__________________ Ari Marmell
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Mouseferatu
--Rodent of the Dark
...I didn't know of Lloyd Alexander until today. Did I miss an important part of my childhood? I was a young fantasy reader in the mid-late 70s and early 80s.
Yes. Start reading the Chronicles of Prydain yesterday.
For those who don't want to read the entire entry, the Chronicles is a five-book fantasy series. It's technically written for adolescents and young adults, but I've found it to be enjoyable as an adult, and it's much darker than what we consider to be YA-material today. (It was written back in the 60s.)
Decent books, just don't expect too much, they are written for kids (IMO).
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Gnoguh, human fighter/cleric (kensei->adamantine soldier)
Carric, elf cleric/ranger (radiant servant->saint)
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Truxas, human feylock/bard (feytouched->feyliege)
Tagron, human rogue (daggermaster->deadly trickster) 21th level Musings of an Epic Virgin
I loved the Chronicles when I read them in middle school; I should read them again as after 20 years, my memory has become very fuzzy. I do remember a couple of years ago that Dragon had an article about adapting the Chronicles to 3.5e D&D.
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The only contact I had with Prydain was The Black Cauldron, and Ffleudderr Flan (or however it's spelled) was by far the most annoying character (even more than the pseudo Gollum).
The only contact I had with Prydain was The Black Cauldron, and Ffleudderr Flan (or however it's spelled) was by far the most annoying character (even more than the pseudo Gollum).
Judging the Chronicles of Prydain by the Disney version of The Black Cauldron is like judging D&D by the Dungeons & Dragons movie with Marlon Wayans and Jeremy Irons.
__________________ Ari Marmell
aka
Mouseferatu
--Rodent of the Dark
Judging the Chronicles of Prydain by the Disney version of The Black Cauldron is like judging D&D by the Dungeons & Dragons movie with Marlon Wayans and Jeremy Irons.
Awgh, don't do that! You brought back memories I tried to forget.
When I was younger the Cauldron-Born were the freakiest villains I had ever read in a book.
What about those hunting packs (whose name I forget), where the members get progressively stronger as you kill other members, until the remaining few are nigh invulnerable?
I think about that notion quite often, but have never really gotten around to actually fleshing it out in game terms.
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