My characters have never met any SK other than Hammanu so I've only had the chance to role play that one. He feels more human than the other for me. Or is it more sane? In the novel he seems aware of things other SK do not, or maybe he assumes he knows more. Regardless, he always seemed very sure of himself in everything. What about you guys? If you have any stories about games you've played, please share them.
One of the guys who played a character in my game when we were doing Dragon's crown is always very arogant. In and out of game. When all the PCs met up with Hammanu in his Palace where they are to contact the avangion, his arogance got the better of him and he talked back to Hammanu. After that, when he had to make a new character he learned the lesson. ;)
While in the ToO trilogy he appears weak, unglorious, vain, quick to anger over the little things...
Andropinis appears as the most normal of all the PP SKs. Albeit Kalak is not extraordinary, Andropinis isn't either. Even his illusions are sedate. He seems like a true greek/roman man: all the power is in the stature, personality, force of will.
Kalak is...abscent-minded, focused on a far away goal, obsessed, drained of all humanity (the other SKs seem to be full of humanity).
The other SKs are but briefly glimpse through the eyes of the heroes of Tyr when they do batlle with them. Not enough to build a personality around. The same goes with the Dragon.
Kalak appear as a short and bald very old men. He his ruthless and doesnt care about anything except is own self. He his ruthless, scary. He doesnt talk much. His like Shoot first and ask question later. Unlike the other Sk, he dont really care about his representation and appearence. He dont make himself appear scary or whatever. he just look like an old men, really short (5'4 feet).
He was like a dwarf in his mind cause he only cared about finishing is ziggourat as fast as possible.
Androponis appeared as tall (8') and slim human. Kind of like an elf. He had long long white air and a hawkish nose. He remained in his chair all the time the PC saw him, so I dont know for his action and such, but he his even more ruthless than Kalak since he dont hesitate to use Power word kill if you dislike him. He is realy proud about himself and like his people to fear him or love him. He even told to an elf PC ``Its because of my will that your people now run like kank in the desert!``
He portray himself as chosed by the people. He dont like someone look him in the eye. My Pc bowed before him and kept looking on the ground at his feet.
The Oba his even more insane. She portray herself as a godess of the forest and even think she one. She always nude, kind like the templar of Nibenay, but in a Nymph kind of way. She always appear as a beautifull woman. She sometime change her mind at the last moment and if you disagree, you die. She can ask her templar to do something and later in the day, she ask the templar to do something completly opposed. Oh, and she a ***** in every kind of way. When she get out of her temper, she the scariest of all sorcerer king throwing spell and psionic attack at the people who made her mad and at innocent bystander too.
Hamanu is a big lion men. His square, and never change idea since he think all he does is right. For Hamanu, he cant do no wrong. His law are perfect. If he fail at something, he blame a templar (and send him to the obsidian quarries or just kill him on the spot). He portray himself as a living god, but he know he his not. He his more militaristic than the other SK, so he always talk in military language about battle (we must win the battle of the harvest). He like to give himself long pompous name like Lion of Urik, Lord of the west, King of the world etc.
The Shadow king, ironicly, is the less maniac of all the SK. He his a very intelligent men, cultivate and know everything. He know he his near to turn insane cause of his transformation,so he try is best to keep his mind. He remain in his Naggamarakam reading old text about his project. He never goes out of his Naggaramakam. He doesnt care for his city (I play before the PP) in a kind of way like; ```This is for mere mortal, its innimportant. I have more important task to care about like my transformation and understanding how the plane are working.``
So he doesnt care about the PC and such unless they threaten him very bad. The only thing he make sure are done well his sending the Dragon levy every year.
Abalach Re is paranoïd. She see ennemy everywhere and always keep long distance between her and someone (like in the movie Hero were the emperor his sitting very far on his trone, and if you want to get near, you must prove yourself by certain loyalty task.)
She think the city is in war, that people want to overthrow her and that the crop will not grow. And if you disagree with her, she think you are a traitor and want to overthrow her, so all her templar do as she ask. You cant get near Abalach Re in my campaign.
Tectutitlay now really believe he his a god of the moon. He portray himself as such (with an eagle head) and he act like it. You must show a complet obediance and adoration of his cult. Oh and he like blood and making sacrifice. He his perhapse the most violent of all sorcerer knig, even mor than Kalak and Hamanu. He sacrifice slave on his pyramid every year so he can achieve his Dragonhood. He never let you talk. You must always hear what he have to say and obey is order. He his a god, and your just a poor mortal.
That about it.
Nibenay I played out as cold and calculating, but at the same time a being of honor. My PCs have worked for him on more than one occasion, but have also earned is ire as well. Its been a love hate relationship.
Dregoth they met during the the CbtSS adventure. Needless to say, there wasn't much role-playing during an encounter where the PCs were fleeing for their lives.
Androponis met with the PC only beifly after his return from the Black. He was agitated to say the least. Lucky for the PCs he was quickly returned to the Black shortly before attempting to destory them.
VoDaF has a short but eloquent section on the psychology of a being as powerful and ancient as Borys. Its quite easy to consider this the template of all SK mentality, however they are all to one degree or more wrapped up in their fantasy (portaying self as gods) and interacting with the their populations, moreso than the dragon, each to some extent. in this way Borys differs from all others, so they all posess the neuroticism and mental tics that accompany prolonged social exposure with a sense of alienation or isolation (and abalach-re is just full blown nutters). and of course personalities :D
MLotLS also provides a really good view as to how "immortality" may effect a being's psychology after centuries of life.
When meeting PCs, the thing I try to get across is that a Sorcerer monarch is OVERWHELMING. His/her vast power, immortality and wealth of experience means he/she is going to get his way. Even if he has to kill the PC and animate them as an undead slave.
However, I tend to run very heroic games. So whilst I make certain the PCs undertand that they are going to obey the whim of the sorcerer monarch they are confronting, I do allow PCs to at times back chat a SK, particularly when he needs the PC to do something for him.
At the end of it all, when you are immortal, have a city servicing your whim and have Huge butt kicking powers, one or two mortals being defiant is really nothing more than some mild entertainment rather than a threat to their power.
Post FY 10, I have also started having the SKs being a little desperate. They have seen the stable world they lived in for millenia suddenly change. They each need to shore up their defences before they too are killed off.
Post FY 10, I have also started having the SKs being a little desperate. They have seen the stable world they lived in for millenia suddenly change. They each need to shore up their defences before they too are killed off.
In the DS revised box set it actually mentions how and why the remaining SK's views have changed after the events of the Prism Pentad. Good stuff.
Kalak was always brilliant, evil, and efficient. In my mind, to get into character, I always pictured him as a Palpatine-type character (the Emperor from Star Wars). So powerful, but maybe a bit too cocky (2,000+ years as a ruler will do that) for his own good. Also, Kalak was not killed in most of my campaigns, although it did take him a LONG time to reform and the intervention of the PCs, unknown to them.
Hamanu is the next King that my PCs have actually encountered. I figure he's more an "anything to win" type of person (dragon?) rather than truly evil (he doesn't sacrifice virgins or eat babies). For him, I turned to history and looked at great, but absolutely merciless, generals. Napoleon without the lack of stature or mental mistakes. A brilliant military commander who runs his entire nation like an army.
Nibenay is another of my favorites and, while I have a substantial write up on him just in case, my PCs have never encountered him. Very dark and very quiet, Nibenay doesn't say anything without consulting every possibility first. I kind of picture him as the ultimate chess player playing for the end-game. Definitely a behind-the-scenes mover and shaker. In this case, I don't go with a historical figure, although a few come to mind (Lenin), but rather go with Shadowrun. For those familiar with the setting, I use Nibenay as kind of a Lofwyr of Athas.
The Oba is a ruler that my players tend to avoid. I'm not sure if it's the forest setting or what, but they tend to steer clear of Gulg. Even so, I play her like an Aztec chieftan, or maybe a violent African one. Absolutely loyal to her people and her nation, but maybe not to the individuals. Outsiders are fair game.
Abalach Re was the last of the rulers my PCs have encountered. I played her as very smart, but maybe a bit out of her league when dealing with an entire city-state. She rules through fear and paranoia, and mostly just tries to stay out of the way and let her templars run things. The PCs managed to overthrow her and she's currently licking her wounds, looking for the right time to strike.
Tec would be a fun one to flesh out, but, like the Lalalai-puy, his city is one that my PCs tend to avoid. He's all Aztec and allows absolutely no doubt of his god-hood status. He's overbearing and insufferable, always looking for some reason to gut someone on his pyramid. If he can't find one, he might make it up.
Androponis, while he lived, was one of my favorites. I always played him like the best and worst of the Roman Emperors - half Nero and half Constantine. His insanity was just under the surface, like his contempt for humanity and elves.
My players avoided the Northern cities, but I'd play Daskinor like Big Brother and Oronis like a paranoid good guy, similar to Gene Hackman in that one movie with Wil Smith where he's being watched and set up. No idea what it was called, but it seemed a good fit.
Dregoth was very calculating with them, having them wander the ruins below like rats in a maze with tossing all kinds of nasties at them.
The Oba, well, that's an interesting one. My players were looking for a powerful sceptre from the Green Age with both magic and psionic properties. It was contained within a tree in Gulg. One of the players was really bold, and touched the tree using psionic disintegrate to get to the sceptre. The defense mechanism of the sceptre caused a disintegrate backlash. I should have vaporized the party from that, but instead I made it interesting. The tree and everything inside a 50 foot radius from the tree was disintegrated. The player came to his senses realizing he was grasping the sceptre, but looking around, he saw that the rest of the party had their clothes, their gear, and even their hair disintegrated, and they were all standing in a 50-foot crater. They ran from Gulg as fast as they could, in their buckers, one clutching a glowing sceptre.
I guess they never really encountered the Oba, but she wanted them dead in a really bad way.
similar to Gene Hackman in that one movie with Wil Smith where he's being watched and set up. No idea what it was called, but it seemed a good fit.
Enemy of the Sate.
Enemy of the Sate.
That's it, although I thought it was enemy of the "state." :P
I do not play any SK as insane. That takes all the fun out of them. It is far more fun trying to figure out the justification for being so utterly evil rather than simply saying that they are mad.
I think what most people mean by insane is more in the manner of Hannibal Lector than giggling crazily and bouncing around the room randomly stabbing things. At least, that's what I meant; I don't know what the rest of these goofballs are thinking.
I think what most people mean by insane is more in the manner of Hannibal Lector than giggling crazily and bouncing around the room randomly stabbing things. At least, that's what I meant; I don't know what the rest of these goofballs are thinking.
Yes, but even Hannibal is crazy, even if he is charismatic and honourable to an extent. Giving your villains very human justifications for their actions makes the character more believable.
That is why Hamanu in RaFoaSK is quite a cool character. He is just a guy who felt the Trolls HAD to be wiped out. He knew it was wrong, but did it anyway, because someone had to in his opinion.
The point where Agis is inside Sacha's mind and sees all the corpses in tVP was a lost opportunity I felt. If you also found out that Sacha wiped out the pixies because they were "responsible" for the death of his wife say, you instantly have a character you can empathise (to some extent, the man did commit genocide) with, and that is where good drama lies.
Unfortunately, the Prism Pentad does not really provide much insight into the Sorcerer Monarchs. Still great books though... I should read them again sometime soon.
I agree, "Humaning" them out is nice, and I always give my SKs emotions, fears, desires, and other aspects that point to their ancient heritage (they actually lived during the Green Age - not many on Athas can say that). Even so, anyone that has lived that long is going to display some psychosis.
In my tari history/time-line I posted several months ago I had provided reasons as to why Kalid-Ma would take up the role of the Tari Killer beyond that Rajaat just told him too.
I feel that Rajaat looked further than just picking his best students. I believe he would have looked for beings that were actually mentally capable (or deprived) enough to wipe out an entire sentient race from Athas.
And after literally millenia of being alive, and centuries of war, I very much doubt the mental processes of the SK's resemble that of a sane human, in any event.
I think what most people mean by insane is more in the manner of Hannibal Lector than giggling crazily and bouncing around the room randomly stabbing things. At least, that's what I meant; I don't know what the rest of these goofballs are thinking.
this is an important point on roleplaying. Insane does not mean gibbering nutcase drooling and flailing at anyone within 20 feet. Insane means a lack of empathy. essentially someone who lacks sanity (ie humanity), because they are capable, willing, and prone to do things normal people (the general consensus) would consider reprehensible or extreme. it is NO deferment of intelligence, which is the capacity to formulate & execute those designs, though it may be of wisdom (given their essential lack of human understanding they might make obvious errors or fall into ego traps...serial killers giving themselves away is a good example).
now this is important to the roleplaying of any powerful entity. and let's be clear, on a simple, plain fact:
Immortal reptile men who pretend they are gods and willingly participated in species genocide are NOT sane rational sociable people!!!
okay..with that in mind, they are neither stupid, nor shortsighted. they have an understanding of tactics and human responses, since they have both lived human lives, and observed them for the better part of 2000 years. the victim of insanity is a sense of decency, a grasp of the feelings or value of others, and a sense of selflessness. the insane are selfish, its really what makes them unlike others, since they are unbridled in their ambitions and personal desires, and willing to do anything to get them. add this to a position of power and personal ability, and you have a tyrant, which is what the SKs occupy as a role in the world.
few things makes me sadder than people portraying them in a heroic or detached light (ala Hammanu in RaFoaDK). they are killers, for one. they would see all life on athas destroyed before they surrendered their power or their positions. the only aspect one can draw any sense of wonder or awe from them is their immense power and their proven disdain for life. keeping this perspective allows you to portray the Sks as the powerful, immoral and evil beings they are. the biggest danger of understanding your enemy is you may begin to sympathize with them, after all
Immortal reptile men who pretend they are gods and willingly participated in species genocide are NOT sane rational sociable people!!!
Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that the Sorcerer Monarchs are nice guys. They all exhibit very anti-social behaviour. All of them have 'issues', but giving your PCs something to empathise with (even if the SK is faking it) is great fodder for drama. Which is something that should be encouraged.
This sort of thing really only works for your higher level groups though who are accomplished servants of a SK and thus worthy of some of a SK's secrets. Particularly if to that point the SK in question has seemed unfazable or totally detached.