| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Mythander |
Posted - 11 Jul 2003 : 16:00:29
I was wondering, what is everyone's favorite supporting character in a FR Novel? (they can be a main character of a short story but not of a full novel). I think that I myself have to go with Mirt, Merciless or Moneylender. |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Mythander |
Posted - 15 Jul 2003 : 16:04:51
quote:
Originally posted by Bookwyrm
quote:
Originally posted by Mythander
A rouge Sage?
I'll have you know I've never used rouge in my life!
Indeed |
| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 15 Jul 2003 : 16:01:56
quote:
Originally posted by Mythander
A rouge Sage?
I'll have you know I've never used rouge in my life!
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| Mythander |
Posted - 15 Jul 2003 : 15:59:40
Watches Bookwyrm fly out the window. Smiles and thinks to himself. A rouge Sage? Turns and check another shelf. |
| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 15 Jul 2003 : 00:13:49
Not a problem . . .
::hears footsteps returning::
Okay, there would be a problem if Alaundo assigns extra work for this . . . butthenhehastocatchmefirstseeyoubye! 
::He jumps out the window; a moment later, a large, silvery, winged shape flies away . . . .:: |
| Mythander |
Posted - 14 Jul 2003 : 22:37:01
My collection thanks you. |
| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 14 Jul 2003 : 22:05:57
Mythander, just go here.
Baen Publishing is a very nice place, I think. They've posted a bunch of free books you can download, to find out if you like a particular author. Believe me, unless you're crazy, you'll want to buy a copy of the dead tree versions after this. Even if you don't like the SF, he's got two fantasies that are also worth the time it takes to read them. Trust me on this one. And when you're done with the free downloads of Weber, go visit another author.
::runs away at the sound of Alaundo's footsteps . . . .:: |
| Mythander |
Posted - 14 Jul 2003 : 21:52:30
I will have to obtain some of Mr. Weber's work for review.
Another author I love and think has a great grasp on Character development is George R.R. Martin. His Song of Ice and Fire series is a prime example of what you speak.
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 14 Jul 2003 : 21:40:13
I think that the best current author for that sort of global character development is David Weber. I've mentioned him before, and he's (sad to say) unRealmsian. However, he's a good example of that sort of thing, and something I (try) to emulate in my own writing.
See, he treats everyone in there like a main character. Even if they aren't viewpoint characters, they aren't faceless. They might be nameless sometimes, but he gives the feeling that the extras are all real people.
A lot of times, in an author's writings, you can tell when a character will die. You think "this one's going to live. This one's just an extra, he's not going to be missed." It makes it all the more shocking when a character that's been around for five books suddenly dies when the ship is hit. Just because the character survived one book doesn't mean she lives though another. And it doesn't mean that it will be anything like an heroic death. Fecal matter happens.
He extends the realism to everything. After all, when you're tossing multiton warheads across hundreds of thousands of kilometers, in a battle where usually you can't see the enemy with the naked eye, it's unlikely that just the low-ranking characters die.
You have to admire that sort of courage; I'd have a hard time just dealing a senseless death to someone I've spent so much time on.
I think Salvatore's the only one to have done something like that in the Realms, and that's really just with Wulfgar. I'd really like to see more of it; not necessarily more death, but more characters. Keeps things hopping. |
| Mythander |
Posted - 14 Jul 2003 : 17:24:21
quote:
Originally posted by Sage of Perth
Keeping in line with this scroll though, I think that there are some interesting PrC possibilities that could be useful as supporting characters, or even as antagonists. For example the Aglarondan Griffonrider PrC could be useful for a novel based in Aglarond, or the Thayan Slaver, for a novel based in Thay.
A group of Peerless Archer's would have been useful in the events surrounding the attacks on Evereska, while an Illithid Savant could work well in an Underdark novel.
Many interesting possibilities...
I fully agree I think Supporting Character development is lacking in a lot of the tomes that I have read. Bringing in some of the new prestige classes would be great for smaller roles. I think that making the supporting characters almost as interesting as the main character brings a novel to another level. Example: the before mentioned Cleric Quintet. In my opinion, what made that series great was the range and depth on all of the characters.
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 11:39:05
Same here. It seems to me to be a PrC made for an NPC.
::blinks at the alphabet soup coming from his own mouth in one sentence . . . .:: |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 11:19:17
I have never really put much faith in the usefulness of the Druken Master PrC. In fact I have always gone out of my way to prevent my players from choosing it. The only way I have ever considered using something like this is, as an NPC for the party when they enter an inn or tavern, and the resident drunk, challenges a member of the party to a duel for some imagined alcohol induced insult.
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 11:02:31
True. Most of them either don't stand out well enough or they simply aren't suited for a main character in a novel. For instance, the Drunken Master PrC stands out -- rather prominantly. But I don't think it would be good for a main character. A sidekick, yes -- I can imagine the crusty, drunken, down-on-his luck monk catching the eye of a young, inexperienced hero-type. That would work, as long as you keep a safe distance from the associated cliches. But it wouldn't work in the opposite direction. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 11:00:05
Keeping in line with this scroll though, I think that there are some interesting PrC possibilities that could be useful as supporting characters, or even as antagonists. For example the Aglarondan Griffonrider PrC could be useful for a novel based in Aglarond, or the Thayan Slaver, for a novel based in Thay.
A group of Peerless Archer's would have been useful in the events surrounding the attacks on Evereska, while an Illithid Savant could work well in an Underdark novel.
Many interesting possibilities...
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| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 10:54:37
I like to see a Ghostwalker PrC in a novel, or maybe even something along the lines of a True Necromancer. But as I said before, there are simply so many to choose from, that I could never really hit upon one that stands above the rest.
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 10:45:53
Indeed. |
| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 10:44:53
quote:
Originally posted by Sage of Perth
PrC are a good idea, but considering the multitudes of classes published, the real difficulty would be in deciding which one to use.
Well, personally, I've taken a liking to the Duelist PrC, ever since I read the description. It would make for an interesting character. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 10:43:11
We really have to stop posting at the same time Bookwyrm. It is becoming frustrating .
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 10:41:49
That's a good idea. I've been curious about the idea of evil bards and monks. They're less obvious than other evil characters. An evil druid would also be somewhat interesting. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 10:41:09
PrC are a good idea, but considering the multitudes of classes published, the real difficulty would be in deciding which one to use.
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 10:38:28
Right, I forgot the druid. The 3e bard's also a good choice. Another thing would be something based around a particular prestige class. Or a particular template -- like the half-dragon. That one would be interesting. A bit hard to do, though. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 10:38:21
Actually since the short story in Halls of Stormweather about the opera by Guerren Bloodquill, I have been toying with the idea of writing a story myself based on sinister musical works penned by an evil Bard. Taking into consideration my nearly-capable classical music training and the minor piano solo I once wrote and performed at school, this would at first appear to be an easy task, but finding the right essence for the character is where the magic really works .
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| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 10:31:51
That's an interesting idea to consider. But I have been really waiting for a decent Druid novel, or even something based on a 3e Bard.
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 10:21:57
Ah. Maybe someone should do a novel on a monk, now that they're back. I think we've had everyone else as a main character -- even excluding the characters like Drizzt who are heavily multiclassed. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 10:13:52
Yes it does. It basically states that RAS was originally asked to publish a trilogy based on a 1e monk character. But as the story idea progressed 1e changed and became AD&D 2e. Since there were no monk character classes, the story's main character had to be changed. TSR decided to go with a cleric, but RAS was unsure since he had never really played a cleric character class before. The number of books in the story was also changed from 3 to 5. There is more, but this is the basic theme of the forward.
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| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 09:59:54
I just did. I cannot believe that I did not make an effort to read these material earlier  .
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 09:58:52
I never got the CQ Collecter's Edition. Does it have a similar about-the-story forward? |
| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 09:55:39
Well, take it out and read the begining. There's a foreward by Ed Greenwood, and after that is the one by Salvatore. Both are interesting. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 09:47:32
Although this is similar to the story about the 'Cleric Quintet' which was originally supposed to be about a 1e Monk character, but was then changed to represent the cleric class in the novels.
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| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 09:45:52
Figures . I purchased the collector's edition several months ago, but since I had already read the trilogy in single book format, I never really bothered to read through the collected edition. I simply placed it on my over-populated shelf and really didn't think about it...until now.
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 12 Jul 2003 : 09:26:23
It's in his forward to the Dark Elf Trilogy (Collecter's Edition). He talks about how he thought up the character on a moment's notice. Drizzt was also originally a sidekick to Wulfgar, but when he actually started writing, he realized Drizzt was the main character. That's why he wrote the Dark Elf trilogy in the first place; he wanted to learn where this character had come from.
(And if it sounds weird to hear of an author wanting to learn more about a character (s)he created, then you aren't an author yourself. Sometimes stories and characters take on a whole life of their own. I think that's where the myth of the muse came from; sometimes it feels like it's not really you writing, that you're just a channel for the story to come out.) |
