D&D General Who are the iconic NPCs in each D&D campaign setting?

[Snarf Zagyg]

Let's see... Greyhawk?

Yeah, I might have done that once...

D&D General - Greyhawk did what? A partial list of Greyhawk Personalities

After looking at the two threads involving Greyhawk, I realized that there are many people who don't realize certain things are Greyhawk; either they think it's just "general D&D," or it's something that the Realms has tried to swallow up, or something else. So I thought I'd do a short post to...

www.enworld.org

...or twice....

D&D General - A Rose By Any Other Name: Names in Greyhawk and a Little Judgin'

Howdy all! I am combining two topics today, shared by one slender thread. Names, they can be funny, amirite? So I will be doing a short dive into some lesser-known and famous judges, and then doing a bit of a deeper dive into Greyhawk, and more specifically ... why are the names so weird? If...

www.enworld.org

Note- the first post is a list of the notable people of Greyhawk (partial). The second post is a combined post about names, and has some fun (for generous values of "fun") information about how the names in Greyhawk were often quite ... familiar.

ETA- if you go the second post, it has a link to the use of spell components as jokes in early D&D. Not important, but one of the more entertaining bits of research (again, for generous values of "research") that I've done.

 

[jasper]

Meepo from the Sunless Citadel

 

[JEB]

For DragonLance, I would go with:

Tanis Half-Elven: The brooding leader of the Heroes of the Lance who gets torn between love and lust.

Flint Fireforge: The stereotypical grumpy, stompy dwarf who is like the Heroes’ father figure.

Caramon Majere: The dimwitted strongman torn between love and duty.

Raistlin Majere: Caramon’s much smarter but weaker twin who has magic and ambition in spades. The setting’s edgelord.

Laurana: The real star of the series who gets the most character development out of everyone, going from a lovesick “teen” (she’s an elf so is at least a century old or so) who runs away from home to chase after Tanis only to become the “golden general” leading the fight against the Dragonarmies.

Tika Waylan: The buxom barmaid and Caramon’s love interest. She also featured in the 2014 PHB as an example PC.

Tasslehoff Burfoot: The loveable kleptomaniac kender.

Riverwind and Goldmoon: The whitewashed tribesmen who are the impetus for the adventure beginning as they magically appear with the special macguffin staff. Goldmoon becomes the setting’s first magic-using cleric in centuries.

Sturm Brightblade: The fallen-on-hard-times noble knight with a tragic future and a notable moustache.

Fizban: The setting’s crazier Gandalf who is actually the god Paladine in disguise.

Kitiara: The loveable bad girl who is the Majere twins’ older half-sister. She goes to the dark side. She seduces Tanis. She kills Sturm. And so on.

Lord Soth: The iconic death knight with the distinctive look. He was the illustration of a death knight in the 2014 MM. He has the tragic backstory where he could have prevented the Cataclysm but let his insecurity get the better of him. Kind of the Darth Vader of the setting.

So to narrow the list down from 13... are they all equally well known in your view? Or do some stand above the rest? I know Lord Soth has been a villain in two 5e adventures...

 

[JEB]

That one guy, Acererek, from Tomb of Horrors.

I feel like Wizards tried to make Acererak a bit of a thing in the early 5e era (DMG cover, Tomb of Annihilation), but there hasn't been a new reference in a while, has there?

 

[JEB]

I agree you have to put the Circle of Eight - pretty sure the ORIGINAL Wizards of the Coast - as iconic. I mean, how many spells are named specifically after them through all the editions?

People know the names, but how many of the famous Greyhawk wizards are well known as characters? Mordenkainen for sure, due to multiple 5e appearances, but any others?

Let's see... Greyhawk?

Yeah, I might have done that once...

D&D General - Greyhawk did what? A partial list of Greyhawk Personalities

After looking at the two threads involving Greyhawk, I realized that there are many people who don't realize certain things are Greyhawk; either they think it's just "general D&D," or it's something that the Realms has tried to swallow up, or something else. So I thought I'd do a short post to...

www.enworld.org

...or twice....

D&D General - A Rose By Any Other Name: Names in Greyhawk and a Little Judgin'

Howdy all! I am combining two topics today, shared by one slender thread. Names, they can be funny, amirite? So I will be doing a short dive into some lesser-known and famous judges, and then doing a bit of a deeper dive into Greyhawk, and more specifically ... why are the names so weird? If...

www.enworld.org

Thanks for sharing those links! But to narrow it down a bit, do any of those names you listed stand above the rest, in your view? Have some appeared in more game material as characters, or more novels, or more non-RPG media? Do some have particular affection from the settings' fanbases? Trying to narrow to the top-tier examples. (I think @M.L. Martin pretty much nailed Ravenloft, for example, even though I have other favorites from the setting.)

 

[pukunui]

So to narrow the list down from 13... are they all equally well known in your view? Or do some stand above the rest? I know Lord Soth has been a villain in two 5e adventures...

Kitiara and Lord Soth would be the most famous of DL's villains.

In terms of the heroes, I would say Raistlin first, followed by Tanis, Sturm, and Tasslehoff.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Thanks for sharing those links! But to narrow it down a bit, do any of those names you listed stand above the rest, in your view? Have some appeared in more game material as characters, or more novels, or more non-RPG media? Do some have particular affection from the settings' fanbases? Trying to narrow to the top-tier examples. (I think @M.L. Martin pretty much nailed Ravenloft, for example, even though I have other favorites from the setting.)

It's hard to do this for Greyhawk, because it's ... complicated when it comes to "canon" and what fans like - given that fans of GH have different views, etc.

So I'd put them into "categories," instead.

1. Spells
These are the people you know because you probably know their spells, if nothing else.

Tasha (or Iggwilv, not getting into that), Bibgy, Drawmij, Evard, Leomund, Melf, Mordenkainen, Nystul, Otiluke, Otto, Rary, Tenser

Of them, I think that only Mordenkainen still has independent significance. Others might just get used for their names in ways that have nothing to do with the original character (ahem, BIGBY).


2. Villains
The classic villains of Greyhawk.

Acererak, Azalin Rex, Dragotha, Eclavdra, Graz'zt, Iuz, Kas, Keraptis, Rexfelis, Snurre, Vecna

This is even harder, because either the villains have been "borrowed" into other settings (Vecna, Azalin Rex, Acererak) or people don't understand the Greyhawk connection (Graz'zt). But Iuz? ALWAYS GREYHAWK.

Snurre too.


3. Magic Stuff
These are the names people know, for the most part, only because magic items or artifacts were named after them. Some are "Circle of Eight" or other important people in GH.

Bucknard, Heward, Lum & Leuk-O, Nolzur, Quaal


4. Independent Personages.

Gord a/k/a/ the Gord Mouser, the protagonist of the Gygax's books.
Murlynd The original six-shooter.
Robilar Rob Kuntz's character; did Tomb of Horrors solo.
Zagig Yragerne The Mad Mage; ascended to godhood (various spellings, it's Gary Gygax ... get it)

 

[JEB]

The classic villains of Greyhawk.

Acererak, Azalin Rex, Dragotha, Eclavdra, Graz'zt, Iuz, Kas, Keraptis, Rexfelis, Snurre, Vecna

This is even harder, because either the villains have been "borrowed" into other settings (Vecna, Azalin Rex, Acererak) or people don't understand the Greyhawk connection (Graz'zt). But Iuz? ALWAYS GREYHAWK.

FWIW, I would still consider Vecna a Greyhawk villain, despite becoming a multiversal franchise since 3e.

Had Azalin appeared in Greyhawk before he appeared in Ravenloft stuff? I like Azalin, but I thought he was a Ravenloft original (simply having his story origins in Greyhawk).

Snurre too.

Who's Snurre?

 

[pemerton]

Greyhawk: Mordenkainen, Bigby, Otto, Tenser, Iggwilv (Tasha), Vecna, Robilar, Zagyg, Gord, Melf, Grazzt, Iuz, Eclavdra, Obmi, Tharizdun, Dragotha, Brazzemal the Burning

I've read and played a lot of Greyhawk. Where is Brazzemal from?

Anyway, Nerof Gasgal, Turin Deathstalker, Derider Fanshen could all be added to the GH list. Also Slerotin.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Planescape is an interesting case.

You could make a case for all of the Factols, as a whole. They really embody the "both potential villain and potential hero" of the setting, and 15 or so of 'em show off some of the wild potential of the setting.

You could also make a case for maybe Tarsheva Longreach, an NPC often presented as giving advice to adventurers new to Sigil and the Planes. Some of the NPC narrators have risen to the level of memorable (Xanxost is a fan favorite).

The Lady of Pain, probably, though it's really better if she DOESN'T appear in your game.

There's also a book of NPC's for Planescape with interconnected plots that similarly shows off the "potential villain and potential hero" and the breadth of options for NPCs, and while they're not all bangers, there's some that are very, very good.