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

[pemerton]

Who's Snurre?

King of the Fire Giants. From module G3. Grugnur is the jarl of the Frost Giants (G2), and Nosra chieftain of the Hill Giants (G1).

 

[pukunui]

King of the Fire Giants. From module G3. Grugnur is the jarl of the Frost Giants (G2), and Nosra chieftain of the Hill Giants (G1).

He's also on the cover of the 2014 PHB!

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Planescape would be something like:

Lady of Pain
Then characters from Planescape: Torment like: The Nameless One, Morte, Dakkon, Annah, Fall-From-Grace
Then some factols like: Rowan Darkwood, Erin Montgomery, Skall, Rhys
Then some of the name narrators like: Tarsheva Longreach and Xanxost the Blue Slaad
And finally some characters from Uncaged: Faces of Sigil like: Kylie, "Sly" Nye, Shemeska the Marauder, A'kin the Friendly Fiend, Kesto Brighteyes, Fell

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

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).

Well, I appreciate the Vecna love. Because, for me, Vecna is, and always will be, Greyhawk. But I think that this is likely a disappearing fact (and opinion).

As for Azalin, he appeared first in I10, which was four years prior to the Ravenloft boxed set. But I wouldn't go to the mat for him. Acererak, on the other hand?

Who's Snurre?

WHO IS KING SNURRE?

Snurre Ironbelly is only the rockingest fire giant around! I mean, Queen Frupy keeps him home sometimes, so he can't rock out with the boys, while they're getting killed by pesky PCs, but still.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

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

I just saw this.

You know better. You must know better!

I am just your friendly voice of warning.

YOU VOICE THE NAMELESS ONE'S APPELLATION AT YOUR OWN PERIL. THE NAMELESS ONE DOES NOT FORGET, AND THE NAMELESS ONE DOES NOT FORGIVE.

That which shall not be named is that inchoate fear you have every night before the sleep takes you ... do not tempt it's wrath.

Once, a person depicted the nameless one as a Georgia O'Keefe painting on a module; the eternal darkness chose to destroy TSR as retribution.

Allow the name of the howling madness to pass your lips, and you will regret what little life you have left.

Do not summon doom by even thinking of that which shall not named, let alone letting those words form in your voice. For that way lies madness.

If you see someone beginning to voice those words, slap the sound from their piehole before they gain power. Slap them twice if they are a bard.

You know all of this to be true.

 

[Arnie_Wan_Kenobi]

I've also been trying to pick the Dragonlance iconics. I agree with everyone who has answered, but I think I'd add Dalamar, thanks to Wizards Three in the real world and head of the Conclave in-world.

But overall, for non-Krynnophiles, Soth and Raistlin are really the only ones I think a general majority of people would recognize, and I'm basing this on a highly scientific fuzzy memory of how heavily they featured in back-of-comics advertising in the 80s.

 

[JEB]

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.

The Lady of Pain is certainly iconic, since she's featured in the artwork for the setting (both in 2e and 5e). Barely a character, though...

Did any of the factols appear as characters in a large number of works, or outside game products? Ditto Tarsheva (or any others)?

 

[JEB]

King of the Fire Giants. From module G3. Grugnur is the jarl of the Frost Giants (G2), and Nosra chieftain of the Hill Giants (G1).

He's also on the cover of the 2014 PHB!

WHO IS KING SNURRE?

Snurre Ironbelly is only the rockingest fire giant around! I mean, Queen Frupy keeps him home sometimes, so he can't rock out with the boys, while they're getting killed by pesky PCs, but still.

Ah, OK. Other than those classic 1e modules and the 2014 PHB cover, has he made any other appearances?

 

[JEB]

As for Azalin, he appeared first in I10, which was four years prior to the Ravenloft boxed set. But I wouldn't go to the mat for him.

I10 is "Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill"... so isn't that still Ravenloft, not Greyhawk? Again, I like him, I'd just say he's a Ravenloft icon if anything. (But as previously noted, Strahd and Van Richten seem like a solid top tier.)

 

[Kobold Avenger]

The Lady of Pain is certainly iconic, since she's featured in the artwork for the setting (both in 2e and 5e). Barely a character, though...

Did any of the factols appear as characters in a large number of works, or outside game products? Ditto Tarsheva (or any others)?

Rowan Darkwood and Erin Montgomery were highlighted over the rest of the Factols as important characters in the Boxed Set. Rowan Darkwood ends up becoming the big campaign story arc villain.

There's 1 picture of Tarsheva Longreach that I recall in the Planewalker's Handbook, but mostly she's the mouthpiece of Monte Cook in Planescape.