Fantasy Novel Characters As NPCs?

[Exquisite Dead Guy]

Other than characters from the D&D Novels, have you ever used characters from fantasy novels as NPCs?

If so, how did your players react?

I've contemplated guest appearances by Elric and Corwin (from the Amber series) in the past but haven't found the right way to do so yet.

 

[Stone Angel]

Yeah Cameo's are great, but keep them as that cameo's. Players always try to exploit their notiriety, or make a name for themselves like when they tried to kill Bruenor when I dropped him into an old 2e realms campaign of mine. So I terrrorized them with the Harkles and a rouge battlerager that is doing his duty and protect the crown of mithral hall "for me King".


The Seraph of Earth and Stone

 

[IronWolf]

Yeah Cameo's are great, but keep them as that cameo's.

I have to agree with Stone Angel here. I would use them sparingly and only as cameos if it were my campaign. While I cannot hide the fact the NPC's are there (I DM an FR Campaign), I do like to keep them from overshadowing the PC's.

 

[Talmun]

I like throwing in little cameos, but I usually make them very subtle; use a little-known name for the charecter, for instance (Tolkien's great for those). You run the risk of the PC's taking advantage, being pulled out of the game, or trying to kill the charecter for bragging rights "I cast Fireball at Gandalf, does he save?"

 

[Desdichado]

I've never done that, no. I've never used NPCs from D&D novels either. Honestly, I don't know how it could be done and be fun for me instead of just silly. Which is why I've never done it, I guess.

 

[Christopher Lambert]

My group has a standing policy to kill Drizzt if they ever see him ... no matter what level they are.

 

[shilsen]

I've used characters from literature and history, rather than fantasy. Generally I'm subtle enough with the allusions that the characters actually don't work out that they just picked up Hawkeye (from Last of the Mohicans and the other 'Leatherstocking' novels) as a guide or are sitting in the Mermaid Tavern with a guy called Will working on his latest play at the next table, so it's more for my own fun than theirs. Man, I am such a geek

 

[Hypersmurf]

I have a lot of cameos when I DM... after a fashion.

I tend to envision a lot of my NPCs as 'played by X'... where X might be an actor, or a character from a TV show or movie, or a character from a book...

Sometimes the players pick up on it right away.

When Argyle the potion merchant answered the door with an unfriendly "Yes, yes, what is it!?", I didn't need to describe him for the players - they all recognised Basil Fawlty in my voice, and so the mental imagery was all there for them already...

When Captain Tallon of the City Watch was 'played by Dirty Harry', it again gave them that instant familiarity to ground their interpretation of the character on.

Sometimes they might not have any idea. I suspect none of the players knew that the dry priestess of St Cuthbert they were speaking with was 'played by Judi Dench as M'... but it helps me to keep her in character, and distinct from all the other NPCs...

-Hyp.

 

[Halivar]

<throw-away>
Yeah, well, if I ever put Drizzt in *my* game, he dang sure isn't going to be CG.
</throw-away>

Usually, the only fantasy characters in our game are the characters I rip-off for my PC's. Fa la la!

 

[Laundreu]

I'm thinking about adding Greyboar and Ignace from Eric Flint's The Philosophical Strangler. Halfling Rogue/Assassin and Ogre Monk, probably.