The Circle of Eight in your Greyhawk - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

The Circle of Eight in your Greyhawk

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
impy_and_chimpy_dup
Jul 25, 2003 8:49:10 Do they exist in your Greyhawk? If so, how much sway do they carry over the events of the Flanaess? Have you battled one of their number? Have you wiped them from the map? Do they run about foolhardy like the uber-Elminster or do they take a backseat to other happenings in Greyhawk? And what about Mordy?
#2
zombiegleemax
Jul 25, 2003 13:13:38 They exist in my campaign, but I've scaled them back to a lower power level (average level of 13th or so). I use Gygax's original Co8 (Mordenkainen, Yrag, Bigby, Riggby, Vin & Vram, Felnorith, Siggby Grigbyson, and Ziggby) and they are still primarily adventurers with only a few immersed in politics.
Scott
#3
tgsantini
Jul 25, 2003 14:27:08
Originally posted by ScottyG
They exist in my campaign, but I've scaled them back to a lower power level (average level of 13th or so). I use Gygax's original Co8 (Mordenkainen, Yrag, Bigby, Riggby, Vin & Vram, Felnorith, Siggby Grigbyson, and Ziggby) and they are still primarily adventurers with only a few immersed in politics.
Scott

Where did you get the stats for the orginal Co8? Or did you make them up?
#4
zombiegleemax
Jul 25, 2003 14:44:54 I've posted a lot of the information I've gotten from EGG pertaining to the Co8 here:
http://empiregames.proboards12.com/index.cgi?board=setting&action=display&num=1045285718
There are no real hard stats there, but it all cames straight from Gary. The Co8 I use in my campaign is lower level, and the stats are a combination of material I've gotten from Gary and Rob Kuntz (who devised many of the members as originally encountered by Mordenkainen, and stuff I've made up myself.
Scott
#5
cwslyclgh
Jul 25, 2003 14:54:32 sure they exist, but they have no impact on the lives of the characters at this point, so I tend to ignore them.
#6
Argon
Jul 25, 2003 16:18:29 Well the circle of eight is now the circle of six. I have decided to keep it that way Mordenkainen is based in Greyhawk City while all the other members have taken to their homelands and tried to repair what havoc was caused and what havoc still exists.
It is rumored that Rary is actually in Ket and not the Bright Desert, but nothing specific as of yet. Bigby has set himself up in Veluna, Mitrik city and has offered his services to the the Order of Rao ( the only school of magical study in all Veluna) whether this has anything to do with the rumors of Rary in Ket or not remains to be seen. For now Bigby is the most famous former student of the order and is a welcomed instructor for the time being.
Tenser and Ottiluke are worm food and it's staying that way in my campaign.
Some members are more active than others and even after the treachtory of Rary, Mordenkainen still has his seat untaken. Many members were outraged and asked why. Mordenkainen's only reply was that the Wars had taken three members and they will always have a seat for the deeds they were known for.
Another thing only the circle knows about the circle, maybe some rouge's but for the most part all members do their best to keep the Circle action's and existance quiet.
#7
zombiegleemax
Jul 25, 2003 16:58:23 The Circle has taken a turn down a dark road in my campaign. Rary was only the beginningwith the other members following suit after Tenser and Otiluke were imprsoned (rather than being destroyed). Thereafter, the only remaining member slightly approaching good (or balance) was yes, you guessed it, ol' Mordy himself.

Who has been on the run for some time now, and Greyhawk gets darker by the day. Iuz has carved up most of the Flanaess for himself, with the remainder being governed by the Circle and the Scarlet Brotherhood.

The Circle's current focus is upon locating and imprisoning Mordenkainen, yet he's been quite wily and elusive up til now.
#8
zombiegleemax
Jul 25, 2003 18:57:57 They are a distant echo of good. It will be a long while before my players encounter them if at all.
#9
zombiegleemax
Jul 26, 2003 4:39:05
Originally posted by tgsantini
Where did you get the stats for the orginal Co8? Or did you make them up?

There is info on the original members in 1e Rogues Gallery and WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure.
#10
zombiegleemax
Jul 26, 2003 5:41:45 I seem to remember there being something in one of the Vecna modules, Vecna Lives, I think. You could play as the Circle of Eight, if you so chose. It might be the other Vecna module, though. Anybody remember which one it was?
#11
zombiegleemax
Jul 26, 2003 5:47:49 Yeah it was WGA4 Vecna Lives. You play the Prologue as the Circle of Eight and the rest of the adventure as the Circle's henchman, who could be the player's regular PCs. But the Circle presented in that module isn't the original circle.
#12
zombiegleemax
Jul 26, 2003 13:35:50
Originally posted by Sardan
There is info on the original members in 1e Rogues Gallery and WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure.

Info on four of the nine members can be found in those sources. Nothing is in there regarding Felnorith, Vin, Vram, Zigby, or Siggby Gribbyson. There are actually nine members in the original Circle of Eight, but Vin and Vram, being twin brothers, are only counted as one.
Scott
#13
grodog
Jul 26, 2003 14:12:23 From what Gary and Rob have told me about the 1e Rogues Gallery, the stats in there don't reflect the original Greyhawk campaign characters.

Rob has said that Robilar is accurate, and that the versions of Gary's PCs in WG5 may be accurate, but he didn't remember for sure.

Gary has commented that the stats for Mordenkainen, Serten, Tenser, Bigby, Riggby, et al, were not those from his game: he refused to give out that info, so Brian Blume made up the information in the RG.

Scott, perhaps this is something to post to the ENWorld EGG questions thread?
#14
zombiegleemax
Jul 26, 2003 14:59:49 The stats in the Rogues Gallery are close. Blume did have some familiarity with Gary's and Ernie's PCs through game play, but when it came time to write the Rogues Gallery, neither would provide solid information, so Blume worked from memory. The stats in WG5 are close, but were intentionally altered for the same reason Gary didn't give the info to Blume; he prefers to keep the info secret/private.
Scott
#15
zombiegleemax
Jul 27, 2003 21:09:08 The Circle of Eight are as meddlesome and tiring as any I have encountered in other camapigns. They take balance to an extreme, so no one trusts them whatsoever. They have, in fact, given "neutral" a bad name.

Only the druids trust them, but even then...
#16
zombiegleemax
Jul 28, 2003 8:03:23 They are out there somewhere but do not deign to lower themselves to interract with the mere PCs.

We've been sneaking around the Bright & Abor-Alz for a while supposedly for the Furyondians but the intel we get is obviously via magical scrying and why would they be that bothered with Rary what with Iuz a hop skip and a jump from Chendle? So maybe the Co8 are the ones behind our forays ..... or maybe not.

I doubt we'll find out
#17
zombiegleemax
Jul 28, 2003 12:06:21 They aren't involved at all.
#18
extempus
Feb 06, 2006 2:41:47 They've encountered the adventurers before; mostly Mordenkainen, who shows up to offer his observations. Since they're on a par level-wise with him (yes, we have a very high-level campaign), they don't really pay that much attention to him anyway. They recently freed Scant from Brotherhood control with the help of Bigby, who has resumed his residency there; other than that, they are at odds with Tenser's clone. In a twist during the second war, Iuz' lackey Vayne sought asylum with the characters and stole a magical helm from one of them that he thought would aid him; it turned out to be a helm of opposite alignment, and, once he became lawful good, he immediately left them and joined forces with Tenser. Since Iuz falsely claimed to be Vatun at the start of the first war, they are now searching for the Five Blades of Corusk in order to slay and banish him to the Abyss, confident they can deal with Pazrael after him (they're a little slow, however; the adventurers just found the fifth blade, Harmonizer)...
#19
zombiegleemax
Feb 06, 2006 16:36:19 I don't really use 'em much. They have better things to do than chum it up with adventurers. (imo)
#20
extempus
Feb 06, 2006 20:52:52 The only reason Bigby even accompanied the party was because they approached him and thought he might be interested in helping free his former home from the Scarlet Brotherhood; obviously, he'd also know many of the citizens and help the adventurers gain the trust of the people as well. Other than that, the rest of the Circle of Eight are believed to be up to their usual behind-the-scenes business and so are rarely encountered other than perhaps to give advice on occasion (ie, I think it's kinda cool that they show up once in a while just because).

We've talked about journeying to the Bright Desert to deal with Rary and Robilar, but nothing has come of that yet; it'll be the only other time a (former) member of the Circle of Eight will actually be sought out and take part in an adventure. At the very least, he will likely be captured and returned to Greyhawk to stand trial for the murder of Otiluke; Robilar, on the other hand, is in store for a very special treat: if successfully captured, he will be returned to Greyhawk also and will stand trial for crimes against humanity. He did, after all, free Iuz in 570 CY (most likely by design rather than chance) and is therefore responsible for two wars, the deaths of many thousands and the untold misery and suffering of even more innocent people over the last few decades...

edited to add: I realize he lived in comfort and was never tried for his crimes in the preceding years, but it's something I've mentioned to see how it would fly. Even if it wouldn't happen in Greyhawk, I would imagine Belvor IV would love to get his hands on Robilar...

In other words, whether it happens or not is up in the air. It's just an idea so far...
#21
max_writer
Feb 07, 2006 10:40:27 I think in all my campaigns, only one group met one member. They were at the Royal Opera House or Theater in Greyhawk and Otto was there. They chatted with him only a few moments before he raided the buffet.
#22
zombiegleemax
Feb 07, 2006 10:40:34
The only reason Bigby even accompanied the party was because they approached him and thought he might be interested in helping free his former home from the Scarlet Brotherhood; obviously, he'd also know many of the citizens and help the adventurers gain the trust of the people as well. Other than that, the rest of the Circle of Eight are believed to be up to their usual behind-the-scenes business and so are rarely encountered other than perhaps to give advice on occasion (ie, I think it's kinda cool that they show up once in a while just because).

We've talked about journeying to the Bright Desert to deal with Rary and Robilar, but nothing has come of that yet; it'll be the only other time a (former) member of the Circle of Eight will actually be sought out and take part in an adventure. At the very least, he will likely be captured and returned to Greyhawk to stand trial for the murder of Otiluke; Robilar, on the other hand, is in store for a very special treat: if successfully captured, he will be returned to Greyhawk also and will stand trial for crimes against humanity. He did, after all, free Iuz in 570 CY (most likely by design rather than chance) and is therefore responsible for two wars, the deaths of many thousands and the untold misery and suffering of even more innocent people over the last few decades...

edited to add: I realize he lived in comfort and was never tried for his crimes in the preceding years, but it's something I've mentioned to see how it would fly. Even if it wouldn't happen in Greyhawk, I would imagine Belvor IV would love to get his hands on Robilar...

In other words, whether it happens or not is up in the air. It's just an idea so far...

I like that idea. In our campaign, the last time I remember encountering Robilar he had been turned into a Clockwork Dragon. Rary had to do it in order to save his life or some such thing, I can't remember too well. It was years ago and we've played so many campaigns I can't keep them all straight. Wierd.
#23
zombiegleemax
Feb 07, 2006 11:28:47
I've posted a lot of the information I've gotten from EGG pertaining to the Co8 here:
http://empiregames.proboards12.com/index.cgi?board=setting&action=display&num=1045285718
There are no real hard stats there, but it all cames straight from Gary. The Co8 I use in my campaign is lower level, and the stats are a combination of material I've gotten from Gary and Rob Kuntz (who devised many of the members as originally encountered by Mordenkainen, and stuff I've made up myself.
Scott

I'd like to read your stuff but your link directs me to the proboards front page.
#24
zombiegleemax
Feb 07, 2006 11:45:36
From what Gary and Rob have told me about the 1e Rogues Gallery, the stats in there don't reflect the original Greyhawk campaign characters.

Rob has said that Robilar is accurate, and that the versions of Gary's PCs in WG5 may be accurate, but he didn't remember for sure.

Gary has commented that the stats for Mordenkainen, Serten, Tenser, Bigby, Riggby, et al, were not those from his game: he refused to give out that info, so Brian Blume made up the information in the RG.

Scott, perhaps this is something to post to the ENWorld EGG questions thread?

Nevermind...found it.
#25
Monteblanco
Feb 10, 2006 18:52:14 I've used the circle in a couple of adventures, but I've a much more sinester approach to it. The idea of a cabal of archmages trying to shape the politics at Oerth sounds to me pretty scary. Also, in my campaign, the players' characters conquered Yrag friendiship, and his opinion of the circle is quite poor.
#26
lincoln_hills
Feb 14, 2006 16:24:00 Although I keep the Circle's activities in mind, it is actually quite uncommon for the PCs to encounter even one of them. In my opinion, high-level NPCs are to be reserved for special situations... because "high level" is a rare thing to encounter. Thus while the PCs might have goals or schemes that further or counter the plans of the Circle of Eight, they are more likely to encounter agents hired or encouraged by a member of the Circle than they are to encounter a member of that group. I've never deliberately set the PCs up with goals directly contradicting the Circle's, but I suppose it's only a matter of time before they develop some such aim. You know how players are.
#27
zombiegleemax
Feb 19, 2006 20:48:52 They exist, but I never actively have them involved in any of my campaigns.

I dunno, they remind me too much of the Harpers or something from Forgotten Realms- like this weird do-gooder group that has its hands in everything.

I know there are evil elements there, I'm just not really into that large scale stuff impacting my campaigns...
#28
pauln6
Feb 20, 2006 6:45:15 My players have been drawn into the Circle's sphere by playing the Return of the Eight. Plus they encountered Mordenkainen previously, giving two of the three Theorparts (of the artifact that can free Tharizdun) to hide.

Tenser is used as a cheap plot device to send them on missions. Jallarzi is more of a problem since she lives in Greyhawk (as they do) and is very grateful for their help. They whinge that Jallarzi and Tenser should load them up with cash or magic items and always be on hand to cast spells at their beck and call.

Fat chance.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 impy_and_chimpy_dup Jul 25, 2003 8:49:10	Do they exist in your Greyhawk? If so, how much sway do they carry over the events of the Flanaess? Have you battled one of their number? Have you wiped them from the map? Do they run about foolhardy like the uber-Elminster or do they take a backseat to other happenings in Greyhawk? And what about Mordy?
#2 zombiegleemax Jul 25, 2003 13:13:38	They exist in my campaign, but I've scaled them back to a lower power level (average level of 13th or so). I use Gygax's original Co8 (Mordenkainen, Yrag, Bigby, Riggby, Vin & Vram, Felnorith, Siggby Grigbyson, and Ziggby) and they are still primarily adventurers with only a few immersed in politics. Scott
#3 tgsantini Jul 25, 2003 14:27:08	Originally posted by ScottyG They exist in my campaign, but I've scaled them back to a lower power level (average level of 13th or so). I use Gygax's original Co8 (Mordenkainen, Yrag, Bigby, Riggby, Vin & Vram, Felnorith, Siggby Grigbyson, and Ziggby) and they are still primarily adventurers with only a few immersed in politics. Scott Where did you get the stats for the orginal Co8? Or did you make them up?
#4 zombiegleemax Jul 25, 2003 14:44:54	I've posted a lot of the information I've gotten from EGG pertaining to the Co8 here: http://empiregames.proboards12.com/index.cgi?board=setting&action=display&num=1045285718 There are no real hard stats there, but it all cames straight from Gary. The Co8 I use in my campaign is lower level, and the stats are a combination of material I've gotten from Gary and Rob Kuntz (who devised many of the members as originally encountered by Mordenkainen, and stuff I've made up myself. Scott
#5 cwslyclgh Jul 25, 2003 14:54:32	sure they exist, but they have no impact on the lives of the characters at this point, so I tend to ignore them.
#6 Argon Jul 25, 2003 16:18:29	Well the circle of eight is now the circle of six. I have decided to keep it that way Mordenkainen is based in Greyhawk City while all the other members have taken to their homelands and tried to repair what havoc was caused and what havoc still exists. It is rumored that Rary is actually in Ket and not the Bright Desert, but nothing specific as of yet. Bigby has set himself up in Veluna, Mitrik city and has offered his services to the the Order of Rao ( the only school of magical study in all Veluna) whether this has anything to do with the rumors of Rary in Ket or not remains to be seen. For now Bigby is the most famous former student of the order and is a welcomed instructor for the time being. Tenser and Ottiluke are worm food and it's staying that way in my campaign. Some members are more active than others and even after the treachtory of Rary, Mordenkainen still has his seat untaken. Many members were outraged and asked why. Mordenkainen's only reply was that the Wars had taken three members and they will always have a seat for the deeds they were known for. Another thing only the circle knows about the circle, maybe some rouge's but for the most part all members do their best to keep the Circle action's and existance quiet.
#7 zombiegleemax Jul 25, 2003 16:58:23	The Circle has taken a turn down a dark road in my campaign. Rary was only the beginningwith the other members following suit after Tenser and Otiluke were imprsoned (rather than being destroyed). Thereafter, the only remaining member slightly approaching good (or balance) was yes, you guessed it, ol' Mordy himself. Who has been on the run for some time now, and Greyhawk gets darker by the day. Iuz has carved up most of the Flanaess for himself, with the remainder being governed by the Circle and the Scarlet Brotherhood. The Circle's current focus is upon locating and imprisoning Mordenkainen, yet he's been quite wily and elusive up til now.
#8 zombiegleemax Jul 25, 2003 18:57:57	They are a distant echo of good. It will be a long while before my players encounter them if at all.
#9 zombiegleemax Jul 26, 2003 4:39:05	Originally posted by tgsantini Where did you get the stats for the orginal Co8? Or did you make them up? There is info on the original members in 1e Rogues Gallery and WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure.
#10 zombiegleemax Jul 26, 2003 5:41:45	I seem to remember there being something in one of the Vecna modules, Vecna Lives, I think. You could play as the Circle of Eight, if you so chose. It might be the other Vecna module, though. Anybody remember which one it was?
#11 zombiegleemax Jul 26, 2003 5:47:49	Yeah it was WGA4 Vecna Lives. You play the Prologue as the Circle of Eight and the rest of the adventure as the Circle's henchman, who could be the player's regular PCs. But the Circle presented in that module isn't the original circle.
#12 zombiegleemax Jul 26, 2003 13:35:50	Originally posted by Sardan There is info on the original members in 1e Rogues Gallery and WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure. Info on four of the nine members can be found in those sources. Nothing is in there regarding Felnorith, Vin, Vram, Zigby, or Siggby Gribbyson. There are actually nine members in the original Circle of Eight, but Vin and Vram, being twin brothers, are only counted as one. Scott
#13 grodog Jul 26, 2003 14:12:23	From what Gary and Rob have told me about the 1e Rogues Gallery, the stats in there don't reflect the original Greyhawk campaign characters. Rob has said that Robilar is accurate, and that the versions of Gary's PCs in WG5 may be accurate, but he didn't remember for sure. Gary has commented that the stats for Mordenkainen, Serten, Tenser, Bigby, Riggby, et al, were not those from his game: he refused to give out that info, so Brian Blume made up the information in the RG. Scott, perhaps this is something to post to the ENWorld EGG questions thread?
#14 zombiegleemax Jul 26, 2003 14:59:49	The stats in the Rogues Gallery are close. Blume did have some familiarity with Gary's and Ernie's PCs through game play, but when it came time to write the Rogues Gallery, neither would provide solid information, so Blume worked from memory. The stats in WG5 are close, but were intentionally altered for the same reason Gary didn't give the info to Blume; he prefers to keep the info secret/private. Scott
#15 zombiegleemax Jul 27, 2003 21:09:08	The Circle of Eight are as meddlesome and tiring as any I have encountered in other camapigns. They take balance to an extreme, so no one trusts them whatsoever. They have, in fact, given "neutral" a bad name. Only the druids trust them, but even then...
#16 zombiegleemax Jul 28, 2003 8:03:23	They are out there somewhere but do not deign to lower themselves to interract with the mere PCs. We've been sneaking around the Bright & Abor-Alz for a while supposedly for the Furyondians but the intel we get is obviously via magical scrying and why would they be that bothered with Rary what with Iuz a hop skip and a jump from Chendle? So maybe the Co8 are the ones behind our forays ..... or maybe not. I doubt we'll find out
#17 zombiegleemax Jul 28, 2003 12:06:21	They aren't involved at all.
#18 extempus Feb 06, 2006 2:41:47	They've encountered the adventurers before; mostly Mordenkainen, who shows up to offer his observations. Since they're on a par level-wise with him (yes, we have a very high-level campaign), they don't really pay that much attention to him anyway. They recently freed Scant from Brotherhood control with the help of Bigby, who has resumed his residency there; other than that, they are at odds with Tenser's clone. In a twist during the second war, Iuz' lackey Vayne sought asylum with the characters and stole a magical helm from one of them that he thought would aid him; it turned out to be a helm of opposite alignment, and, once he became lawful good, he immediately left them and joined forces with Tenser. Since Iuz falsely claimed to be Vatun at the start of the first war, they are now searching for the Five Blades of Corusk in order to slay and banish him to the Abyss, confident they can deal with Pazrael after him (they're a little slow, however; the adventurers just found the fifth blade, Harmonizer)...
#19 zombiegleemax Feb 06, 2006 16:36:19	I don't really use 'em much. They have better things to do than chum it up with adventurers. (imo)
#20 extempus Feb 06, 2006 20:52:52	The only reason Bigby even accompanied the party was because they approached him and thought he might be interested in helping free his former home from the Scarlet Brotherhood; obviously, he'd also know many of the citizens and help the adventurers gain the trust of the people as well. Other than that, the rest of the Circle of Eight are believed to be up to their usual behind-the-scenes business and so are rarely encountered other than perhaps to give advice on occasion (ie, I think it's kinda cool that they show up once in a while just because). We've talked about journeying to the Bright Desert to deal with Rary and Robilar, but nothing has come of that yet; it'll be the only other time a (former) member of the Circle of Eight will actually be sought out and take part in an adventure. At the very least, he will likely be captured and returned to Greyhawk to stand trial for the murder of Otiluke; Robilar, on the other hand, is in store for a very special treat: if successfully captured, he will be returned to Greyhawk also and will stand trial for crimes against humanity. He did, after all, free Iuz in 570 CY (most likely by design rather than chance) and is therefore responsible for two wars, the deaths of many thousands and the untold misery and suffering of even more innocent people over the last few decades... edited to add: I realize he lived in comfort and was never tried for his crimes in the preceding years, but it's something I've mentioned to see how it would fly. Even if it wouldn't happen in Greyhawk, I would imagine Belvor IV would love to get his hands on Robilar... In other words, whether it happens or not is up in the air. It's just an idea so far...
#21 max_writer Feb 07, 2006 10:40:27	I think in all my campaigns, only one group met one member. They were at the Royal Opera House or Theater in Greyhawk and Otto was there. They chatted with him only a few moments before he raided the buffet.
#22 zombiegleemax Feb 07, 2006 10:40:34	The only reason Bigby even accompanied the party was because they approached him and thought he might be interested in helping free his former home from the Scarlet Brotherhood; obviously, he'd also know many of the citizens and help the adventurers gain the trust of the people as well. Other than that, the rest of the Circle of Eight are believed to be up to their usual behind-the-scenes business and so are rarely encountered other than perhaps to give advice on occasion (ie, I think it's kinda cool that they show up once in a while just because). We've talked about journeying to the Bright Desert to deal with Rary and Robilar, but nothing has come of that yet; it'll be the only other time a (former) member of the Circle of Eight will actually be sought out and take part in an adventure. At the very least, he will likely be captured and returned to Greyhawk to stand trial for the murder of Otiluke; Robilar, on the other hand, is in store for a very special treat: if successfully captured, he will be returned to Greyhawk also and will stand trial for crimes against humanity. He did, after all, free Iuz in 570 CY (most likely by design rather than chance) and is therefore responsible for two wars, the deaths of many thousands and the untold misery and suffering of even more innocent people over the last few decades... edited to add: I realize he lived in comfort and was never tried for his crimes in the preceding years, but it's something I've mentioned to see how it would fly. Even if it wouldn't happen in Greyhawk, I would imagine Belvor IV would love to get his hands on Robilar... In other words, whether it happens or not is up in the air. It's just an idea so far... I like that idea. In our campaign, the last time I remember encountering Robilar he had been turned into a Clockwork Dragon. Rary had to do it in order to save his life or some such thing, I can't remember too well. It was years ago and we've played so many campaigns I can't keep them all straight. Wierd.
#23 zombiegleemax Feb 07, 2006 11:28:47	I've posted a lot of the information I've gotten from EGG pertaining to the Co8 here: http://empiregames.proboards12.com/index.cgi?board=setting&action=display&num=1045285718 There are no real hard stats there, but it all cames straight from Gary. The Co8 I use in my campaign is lower level, and the stats are a combination of material I've gotten from Gary and Rob Kuntz (who devised many of the members as originally encountered by Mordenkainen, and stuff I've made up myself. Scott I'd like to read your stuff but your link directs me to the proboards front page.
#24 zombiegleemax Feb 07, 2006 11:45:36	From what Gary and Rob have told me about the 1e Rogues Gallery, the stats in there don't reflect the original Greyhawk campaign characters. Rob has said that Robilar is accurate, and that the versions of Gary's PCs in WG5 may be accurate, but he didn't remember for sure. Gary has commented that the stats for Mordenkainen, Serten, Tenser, Bigby, Riggby, et al, were not those from his game: he refused to give out that info, so Brian Blume made up the information in the RG. Scott, perhaps this is something to post to the ENWorld EGG questions thread? Nevermind...found it.
#25 Monteblanco Feb 10, 2006 18:52:14	I've used the circle in a couple of adventures, but I've a much more sinester approach to it. The idea of a cabal of archmages trying to shape the politics at Oerth sounds to me pretty scary. Also, in my campaign, the players' characters conquered Yrag friendiship, and his opinion of the circle is quite poor.
#26 lincoln_hills Feb 14, 2006 16:24:00	Although I keep the Circle's activities in mind, it is actually quite uncommon for the PCs to encounter even one of them. In my opinion, high-level NPCs are to be reserved for special situations... because "high level" is a rare thing to encounter. Thus while the PCs might have goals or schemes that further or counter the plans of the Circle of Eight, they are more likely to encounter agents hired or encouraged by a member of the Circle than they are to encounter a member of that group. I've never deliberately set the PCs up with goals directly contradicting the Circle's, but I suppose it's only a matter of time before they develop some such aim. You know how players are.
#27 zombiegleemax Feb 19, 2006 20:48:52	They exist, but I never actively have them involved in any of my campaigns. I dunno, they remind me too much of the Harpers or something from Forgotten Realms- like this weird do-gooder group that has its hands in everything. I know there are evil elements there, I'm just not really into that large scale stuff impacting my campaigns...
#28 pauln6 Feb 20, 2006 6:45:15	My players have been drawn into the Circle's sphere by playing the Return of the Eight. Plus they encountered Mordenkainen previously, giving two of the three Theorparts (of the artifact that can free Tharizdun) to hide. Tenser is used as a cheap plot device to send them on missions. Jallarzi is more of a problem since she lives in Greyhawk (as they do) and is very grateful for their help. They whinge that Jallarzi and Tenser should load them up with cash or magic items and always be on hand to cast spells at their beck and call. Fat chance.