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Mystara's Most Wanted?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
spellweaver
Jan 12, 2005 14:05:07 Who are Mystara's Most Wanted (criminals)?

Obviously, most nations would like to get rid of the various thieves' guilds and slavers such as the Iron Ring.

But what about individual bad guys? Evil wizards who escaped our heroes and live to fight another day? Murderers? Robbers and rapists? Kidnappers?

Who are the most wanted bad guys in your campaign?

:-) Jesper
#2
npc_dave
Jan 12, 2005 15:18:13 CM9 Legacy of Blood had a list of bounties for the NPC villains, and which countries these guys were wanted as criminals.

There are some famous pirate crews which must have bounties on them in Thyatis and elsewhere. Like Jalassa from the Shires.
#3
zombiegleemax
Jan 12, 2005 17:44:24 The Black Eagle and Bargle are the obvious two.
#4
agathokles
Jan 13, 2005 1:45:13 The almanacs also have ``most wanted'' lists, IIRC.

In addition to Karameikos and 5 Shires, other gazetteers include outlaws, e.g. Ierendi has several pirate crews, and Glantri has several outlaw organizations (and individuals).
#5
spellweaver
Jan 16, 2005 11:56:29 Thanks guys!

Those are all good inputs, but I was hoping that people would share bad guys that they had made up for their own campaigns - sort of like a catalogue of evil NPCs

I have already posted some of mine in the Mystara NPC Catalogue thread and as my campaign progresses I will gradually share more and more bad guys with you (I just want the PCs to meet them first :D )

:-) Jesper
#6
zombiegleemax
Jan 17, 2005 9:00:14 Joshuan's Almanac, as I recall, had a list of some "most wanted" villains. I can't remember who all was in it.
#7
Cthulhudrew
Jan 24, 2005 3:31:53 When my brother used to DM my friends and I, he created the now infamous "Black Knight". Not a particularly original name, no, but the actual development of the NPC was what was cool. He'd show up eventually in every campaign at least once, leading a group of evil humanoids and/or men. He was clad in his black plate mail and wielded a powerful black longsword. He was constantly laughing eerily, and would occasionally leave bottles around his dungeons that, when uncorked, would also laugh maniacally.

The interesting thing was he was almost invariably beaten by the PCs in the story, but his sword would continue laughing and would teleport away at the end of the fight. Speculation was that the sword was itself the Black Knight, and it just possessed men and used them. No one ever seemed to investigate the matter enough to figure out the truth, however.

I eventually developed a back story for the Black Knight myself (which I never actually ran past my brother- I'll have to see what he thinks of it someday). The story was that there was an actual living Black Knight back in the days of Blackmoor, who was an evil warlord. He eventually attained immortality in the Sphere of Entropy, and before leaving the mortal plane, imbued his sword with intelligence and a personality like his own, that it would continue his legacy. The sword, then, was an intelligent artifact that had multiple agents scattered across the Known World working to sow chaos and disorder. It would use its teleportation ability to transport back and forth between them.
#8
zombiegleemax
Jan 25, 2005 11:19:40 In my current campaign, I have a few criminals running, for one of the players is a kind of bounty hunter (a lawful ranger/hunter), associated to the cult of Tarastia.
So here's two of them:
1) A half-orc running in Darokin, leader of a band of orcs and half-orcs. The bandit is attacking caravans, taking hostages, and pillaging villages. The half-orc is a swashbuckler that dress himself in the latest vogue in Darokin ;) , fighting with a silver rapier. The bounty is know 5 000 daros !

2) A rogue, leader of the Cimetar, a band of thieves, operating in Selenica. The PCs run into one of his plots and ruin it, now he sends many assassins and thieves on them... He is also a known criminal, but it is unknown that he is the leader of the Cimetar.
#9
thorf
Jan 25, 2005 11:46:19 My favourite bad guy from my campaigns was a beholder questing for immortality. One of my players was playing twin shadow elves at the time. The best (worst? ;)) thing that the beholder villain did was trick one of the elves into wearing a helm of alignment changing. :D

The hero thought it was a nice magic helm, so he was quite happy with it at the time. I didn't tell the player until some time after, when at the most inconvenient time (naturally) the character backstabbed his friends, stole their best magical items and went off on his own.

Ah, good times...

Unfortunately that campaign didn't go that much further after that. But I really enjoyed taunting the players with their ex-character as a recurring thorn in their side.
#10
spellweaver
Jan 25, 2005 13:09:06
In my current campaign, I have a few criminals running, for one of the players is a kind of bounty hunter (a lawful ranger/hunter), associated to the cult of Tarastia.

Ranger bountyhunters working for the Cult of Tarastia - that is such a cool idea!
#11
zombiegleemax
Jan 25, 2005 20:52:37
Ranger bountyhunters working for the Cult of Tarastia - that is such a cool idea!
Thanks, the player came with the ranger / bountyhunter idea, and I suggest him that his PC could be associated with Tarastia, and that suits him well!

And a third:
3) One of my favorites - Ottar, a cleric/sorcerer of Loki, is search for many murders / thefts in Thyatis. A master of diguise, he is never catch, and if he ever is, escape. I use this NPC three times (in 3 different adventures) in my campaign as one of the best vilains to hate... He appears as a helpful npc (different disguise each time), and in the right time, stabs them before he escapes. :D

(Well, the pcs just catch him lately and send him to jail - with a curse, but in a few years he will come back... :D )
#12
RobJN
Feb 02, 2005 20:33:43
a kind of bounty hunter (a lawful ranger/hunter), associated to the cult of Tarastia.

Ranger bounty hunters! Why didn't I think of that before??

In my Mystaran-based campaign, I had the party's Paladin as a wandering Justice of Tarastia -- sort of like a judge/marshal/magistrate.

Ah, but the villains. My campaign's villains are all straight-from-the-books, but with a few twists of my own:

Zanzer Tem -- slave trading wizard with loose ties to the Iron Ring. Bought the PCs from a local township's crooked constable to put them to work in his salt mines.

His hobgoblin gaoler, Jerj, who was not the stupid brute he led everyone to believe he was.

The Rahib (B7) -- a high priest of Hel, who'd read a bit of prophecy, and was kidnapping elven maidens, intent on bending fate to his own ends...

Illyana, self-proclaimed "Goblin Queen,"(B12) nobleman's illegitimate daughter. Massing an army of goblins and hobgoblins bolstered with orcish mercenaries to take the lands she believes to be her birthright.

I'm pretty sure there were a few more, but these were the major players for the first half of the string of adventures...

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 spellweaver Jan 12, 2005 14:05:07	Who are Mystara's Most Wanted (criminals)? Obviously, most nations would like to get rid of the various thieves' guilds and slavers such as the Iron Ring. But what about individual bad guys? Evil wizards who escaped our heroes and live to fight another day? Murderers? Robbers and rapists? Kidnappers? Who are the most wanted bad guys in your campaign? :-) Jesper
#2 npc_dave Jan 12, 2005 15:18:13	CM9 Legacy of Blood had a list of bounties for the NPC villains, and which countries these guys were wanted as criminals. There are some famous pirate crews which must have bounties on them in Thyatis and elsewhere. Like Jalassa from the Shires.
#3 zombiegleemax Jan 12, 2005 17:44:24	The Black Eagle and Bargle are the obvious two.
#4 agathokles Jan 13, 2005 1:45:13	The almanacs also have ``most wanted'' lists, IIRC. In addition to Karameikos and 5 Shires, other gazetteers include outlaws, e.g. Ierendi has several pirate crews, and Glantri has several outlaw organizations (and individuals).
#5 spellweaver Jan 16, 2005 11:56:29	Thanks guys! Those are all good inputs, but I was hoping that people would share bad guys that they had made up for their own campaigns - sort of like a catalogue of evil NPCs I have already posted some of mine in the Mystara NPC Catalogue thread and as my campaign progresses I will gradually share more and more bad guys with you (I just want the PCs to meet them first :D ) :-) Jesper
#6 zombiegleemax Jan 17, 2005 9:00:14	Joshuan's Almanac, as I recall, had a list of some "most wanted" villains. I can't remember who all was in it.
#7 Cthulhudrew Jan 24, 2005 3:31:53	When my brother used to DM my friends and I, he created the now infamous "Black Knight". Not a particularly original name, no, but the actual development of the NPC was what was cool. He'd show up eventually in every campaign at least once, leading a group of evil humanoids and/or men. He was clad in his black plate mail and wielded a powerful black longsword. He was constantly laughing eerily, and would occasionally leave bottles around his dungeons that, when uncorked, would also laugh maniacally. The interesting thing was he was almost invariably beaten by the PCs in the story, but his sword would continue laughing and would teleport away at the end of the fight. Speculation was that the sword was itself the Black Knight, and it just possessed men and used them. No one ever seemed to investigate the matter enough to figure out the truth, however. I eventually developed a back story for the Black Knight myself (which I never actually ran past my brother- I'll have to see what he thinks of it someday). The story was that there was an actual living Black Knight back in the days of Blackmoor, who was an evil warlord. He eventually attained immortality in the Sphere of Entropy, and before leaving the mortal plane, imbued his sword with intelligence and a personality like his own, that it would continue his legacy. The sword, then, was an intelligent artifact that had multiple agents scattered across the Known World working to sow chaos and disorder. It would use its teleportation ability to transport back and forth between them.
#8 zombiegleemax Jan 25, 2005 11:19:40	In my current campaign, I have a few criminals running, for one of the players is a kind of bounty hunter (a lawful ranger/hunter), associated to the cult of Tarastia. So here's two of them: 1) A half-orc running in Darokin, leader of a band of orcs and half-orcs. The bandit is attacking caravans, taking hostages, and pillaging villages. The half-orc is a swashbuckler that dress himself in the latest vogue in Darokin ;) , fighting with a silver rapier. The bounty is know 5 000 daros ! 2) A rogue, leader of the Cimetar, a band of thieves, operating in Selenica. The PCs run into one of his plots and ruin it, now he sends many assassins and thieves on them... He is also a known criminal, but it is unknown that he is the leader of the Cimetar.
#9 thorf Jan 25, 2005 11:46:19	My favourite bad guy from my campaigns was a beholder questing for immortality. One of my players was playing twin shadow elves at the time. The best (worst? ;)) thing that the beholder villain did was trick one of the elves into wearing a helm of alignment changing. :D The hero thought it was a nice magic helm, so he was quite happy with it at the time. I didn't tell the player until some time after, when at the most inconvenient time (naturally) the character backstabbed his friends, stole their best magical items and went off on his own. Ah, good times... Unfortunately that campaign didn't go that much further after that. But I really enjoyed taunting the players with their ex-character as a recurring thorn in their side.
#10 spellweaver Jan 25, 2005 13:09:06	In my current campaign, I have a few criminals running, for one of the players is a kind of bounty hunter (a lawful ranger/hunter), associated to the cult of Tarastia. Ranger bountyhunters working for the Cult of Tarastia - that is *such* a cool idea!
#11 zombiegleemax Jan 25, 2005 20:52:37	Ranger bountyhunters working for the Cult of Tarastia - that is *such* a cool idea! Thanks, the player came with the ranger / bountyhunter idea, and I suggest him that his PC could be associated with Tarastia, and that suits him well! And a third: 3) One of my favorites - Ottar, a cleric/sorcerer of Loki, is search for many murders / thefts in Thyatis. A master of diguise, he is never catch, and if he ever is, escape. I use this NPC three times (in 3 different adventures) in my campaign as one of the best vilains to hate... He appears as a helpful npc (different disguise each time), and in the right time, stabs them before he escapes. :D (Well, the pcs just catch him lately and send him to jail - with a curse, but in a few years he will come back... :D )
#12 RobJN Feb 02, 2005 20:33:43	a kind of bounty hunter (a lawful ranger/hunter), associated to the cult of Tarastia. Ranger bounty hunters! Why didn't I think of that before?? In my Mystaran-based campaign, I had the party's Paladin as a wandering Justice of Tarastia -- sort of like a judge/marshal/magistrate. Ah, but the villains. My campaign's villains are all straight-from-the-books, but with a few twists of my own: Zanzer Tem -- slave trading wizard with loose ties to the Iron Ring. Bought the PCs from a local township's crooked constable to put them to work in his salt mines. His hobgoblin gaoler, Jerj, who was not the stupid brute he led everyone to believe he was. The Rahib (B7) -- a high priest of Hel, who'd read a bit of prophecy, and was kidnapping elven maidens, intent on bending fate to his own ends... Illyana, self-proclaimed "Goblin Queen,"(B12) nobleman's illegitimate daughter. Massing an army of goblins and hobgoblins bolstered with orcish mercenaries to take the lands she believes to be her birthright. I'm pretty sure there were a few more, but these were the major players for the first half of the string of adventures...