D&D 5E What's so great about Elminster?

Eltab

Lord of the Hidden Layer

• Aug 5, 2018

• #21

Elminster is (maybe was) a Chosen of Mystra. He is magically old old old. He set up shop in some small town to 'plug the cork' vs a Dark Threat To All The Realms. He trained some of the great and famous wizards of yore - the Seven Sisters, the mad necromancer who founded The Cult of the Dragon, Khelben Blackstaff (well, maybe not him). In his youth he was quite a hit with the ladies. He likes to pick groups of nearly-new adventurers and give them cryptic advice that turns into great quests.
Nowadays, he is cranky and cantankerous and if you go bother him, you will get what you have coming.

Elminster was written up in the 3e Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting and it took two pages of small print to describe everything he can do (L30 or so).

 

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S

Seramus

Hero

• Aug 5, 2018

• #22

Most people don't know about Eliminster. He is not famous among the common folk like the far more visible Seven Sisters or Khelben. He just set up camp in Shadowdale and dispenses advice and old man grumping in equal measure. If people know much of anything about him, it is the way he hangs out with the Harpers a lot.

Of course, people in power know him to be one of the biggest movers and shakers in the realms, and frequent poker buddies with Mordenkainen.

 

S

schnee

First Post

• Aug 5, 2018

• #23

He's worse than a Mary Sue.

He's worse than a DM PC.

He's a game setting publisher's PC.

That's beyond exponentially worse.

 

S

Seramus

Hero

• Aug 5, 2018

• #24

southjersey said:

He's worse than a Mary Sue.
He's worse than a DM PC.
He's a game setting publisher's PC.
That's beyond exponentially worse.

Click to expand...

Yep. That Mordenkainen is such a scoundrel!

 

steeldragons

Steeliest of the dragons

Epic

• Aug 5, 2018

• #25

There's nothing "special" about him any more than any other narrative super-wizard who knows more than the regular peons running around the world/in power. Maker of kings. Mover of nations. He's just Greenwood's...really rather direct carbon-copied version of a Merlin or a Gandalf.

If anything, because he's a derivative of a D&D setting, he throws a bit more of the flashy-boom "big" magic around than the originals.

 

steeldragons

Steeliest of the dragons

Epic

• Aug 5, 2018

• #26

Eltab said:

Elminster was written up in the 3e Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting and it took two pages of small print to describe everything he can do (L30 or so).

Click to expand...

Iirc, Elminster was written up in 1e..."Hall of Heroes" I think was the FR supplement. Statted up and gave history/background on all of the FR novel characcters who were big/had been introduced...at that time.

 

aco175

Legend

• Aug 5, 2018

• #27

I remember that he was a king or such of a kingdom long vanished by where Waterdeep is today. Maybe something with a stag name.

This and he can hold his thumb and forefinger out so that he can squishy your head.

 

Warpiglet

Adventurer

• Aug 5, 2018

• #28

He stood up to Sauron and guided some hobbits. He had a ranger friend and wore robes with a sword on his hip. He smoked a pipe and amazed kids with magic and fireworks.

Oh, my mistake! The name is different.

 

S

schnee

First Post

• Aug 5, 2018

• #29

Seramus said:

Yep. That Mordenkainen is such a scoundrel!

Click to expand...

Gygax never wrote fan fiction of Mordenkainen ing the goddess of magic.

Try again.

 

A

amethal

Hero

• Aug 6, 2018

• #30

southjersey said:

Gygax never wrote fan fiction of Mordenkainen ing the goddess of magic.

Click to expand...

A gentleman never tells.