The "Gandalf" in your campaign

[Hammerhead]

Kind of. He's old, he's smart, a powerful arcanist, and occasionally he'll give the party advice. He's also a manipulative, treacherous, and part devil who has used the party for his own ends on several occasions. The party knows all of this. He comes more off more as a goofy salesperson with a sinister agenda than any wise sage type, but is only second to one of the PCs in terms of lore.

 

[Shemeska]

Sort of:

Lothar the Master of Bones. Very unused chap, though he was present in Planescape: torment. Very high level cleric of the abstract concept of death who lairs within Sigil and largely doesn't have much to do with anyone. He stays to himself and doesn't get into the politics of the City of Doors. Besides, it's probably better for his longevity if he stays that way.

I've never presented him, or anyone else, as a 'wise high level NPC to help the PCs when they need it'. But by virtue of him being wholly neutral and a veritable treasure trove of knowledge if you're willing to give him something in return, my PCs have gone to him from time to time for obscure bits of information. However it has never been at my instigation or even suggestion.

He was there for the three years of my first campaign, and now in my second campaign (150 years later in character) he's still there.

And then there was Tollysalmon, the former factol of the Bleak Cabal. However she was totally insane and scary, so they only asked her anything on one or two occasions. And she too is still around.

 

[megamania]

In my Darksun campaign I have someone with very different methods. Diana whom is very determined to remove sorcerer-kings from the world. The good guys fear her as much as the bad since she may very well start the next magic war.

In Eberron I currently have a dragon whom belongs to the Chamber whom helps or hinders the PCS and their villians so as to fulfill the Draconic Prophesy involving THE CREATION SCHEMA

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

In my current steampunk camapign, Mycroft Holmes (genius brother of Sherlock Holmes--yes, he's mentioned in the stories).

Glad to see another Doyle fan around

Is it true that Gandolf was originally designed as an alter-ego of a real person named Gary Flodnag?

LOL!

Morgoth is a lot more sinister than he seems from The Silmarillion.

Amen!





I don't really have any Gandalves IMC, but there's a Faerie goblin-king who's helped the PCs with some info after a previous exchange involving dragon-bits and a swamp-hag that gave 'em some more info in exchange for some martial aid. Neither of them are really walkers.