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Galuf the Dwarf
Senior Scribe
USA
744 Posts |
 Posted - 31 Aug 2025 : 02:28:22
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Couldn't fit enough in the title, so anyway, have you folks created characters (PCs or NPCs) inspired by characters outside of D&D?
I have yet to make my own campaign, but I was tempted to feature a Shield Dwarf adventurer who was largely inspired by Indiana Jones. Namely, he would seek to liberate abandoned dwarven clanholds, but not to claim its spoils for his own. The main purpose behind his crusade is to bring those back under dwarven control for the benefit of all, similar to how Indiana Jones sought to recover ancient relics so they could be displayed in museums for all to see.
Anyone else actually done such in their campaigns, whether as a player or as a fleshed-out supporting NPC as a DM?
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Galuf's Baldur's Gate NPC stats: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8823
Galuf's 3.5 Ed. Cleric Domains: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14036
Galuf's Homebrew 4th Edition Races: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13787
Galuf's Homebrew Specialty Priest PrCs: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14353
Galuf's Forgotten Realms Heralds and Allies thread: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8766 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36965 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2025 : 02:48:34
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I made an NPC based on a GI Joe figure. One of my Lords of Waterdeep was strongly inspired by Jaime Wolf from BattleTech. Another of my Lords of Waterdeep was a revamped character I played in an MMO. A third Lord of Waterdeep, her appearance was based on an image I'd recently seen of an attractive young woman. Yet another NPC is an amnesiac 40K Space Marine.
I'm sure there are others, but that's what immediately comes to mind. |
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4487 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2025 : 13:12:26
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One of my earliest 3.5 D&D characters, Valdrake Alandrith (LN Damaran fighter 10/ tempest 5/ aristocrat 1), was heavily inspired by the Headless Horseman (aka the Hessian) from Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow movie (1999). A Two-Weapon Fighting warrior with all the Mounted Combat feats was a lot of fun to play.
In our one-shot Epic 4e game, we recreated many 80s and 90s characters as they were pulled from their respective universes to defeat the combined power of Cobra, the Foot Clan/Krang, Hordak, and Ganon (from Zelda). We had She-Ra, Leonardo, Snake-Eyes, Link, and maybe one or two others. It was a lot of fun, like Super-Smash Bros, but with a plot and on table-top. It also really let us delve into the guts of the system to make these characters work well. |
Diffan's NPG Generator: FR NPC Generator
E6 Options: Epic 6 Campaign |
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Galuf the Dwarf
Senior Scribe
USA
744 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2025 : 16:40:02
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I made an NPC based on a GI Joe figure. One of my Lords of Waterdeep was strongly inspired by Jaime Wolf from BattleTech. Another of my Lords of Waterdeep was a revamped character I played in an MMO. A third Lord of Waterdeep, her appearance was based on an image I'd recently seen of an attractive young woman. Yet another NPC is an amnesiac 40K Space Marine.
I'm sure there are others, but that's what immediately comes to mind.
Oh, a G.I. Joe figure, huh? Cool! I had quite a few of those as a kid, but as many as I did Transformers figures.  |
Galuf's Baldur's Gate NPC stats: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8823
Galuf's 3.5 Ed. Cleric Domains: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14036
Galuf's Homebrew 4th Edition Races: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13787
Galuf's Homebrew Specialty Priest PrCs: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14353
Galuf's Forgotten Realms Heralds and Allies thread: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8766 |
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Galuf the Dwarf
Senior Scribe
USA
744 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2025 : 16:42:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Diffan
One of my earliest 3.5 D&D characters, Valdrake Alandrith (LN Damaran fighter 10/ tempest 5/ aristocrat 1), was heavily inspired by the Headless Horseman (aka the Hessian) from Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow movie (1999). A Two-Weapon Fighting warrior with all the Mounted Combat feats was a lot of fun to play.
In our one-shot Epic 4e game, we recreated many 80s and 90s characters as they were pulled from their respective universes to defeat the combined power of Cobra, the Foot Clan/Krang, Hordak, and Ganon (from Zelda). We had She-Ra, Leonardo, Snake-Eyes, Link, and maybe one or two others. It was a lot of fun, like Super-Smash Bros, but with a plot and on table-top. It also really let us delve into the guts of the system to make these characters work well.
Very cool on both counts. I am quite familiar with all those franchises mentioned in the latter game save for Super Smash Bros (which I cam only vaguely familiar with, having only briefly played the latest game on the Switch).
Ironically, I was also tempted to try to adapt the Transformers franchise into D&D/Forgotten Realms.  |
Galuf's Baldur's Gate NPC stats: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8823
Galuf's 3.5 Ed. Cleric Domains: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14036
Galuf's Homebrew 4th Edition Races: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13787
Galuf's Homebrew Specialty Priest PrCs: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14353
Galuf's Forgotten Realms Heralds and Allies thread: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8766 |
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4487 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2025 : 18:27:57
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quote:
Originally posted by Galuf the Dwarf
quote:
Originally posted by Diffan
One of my earliest 3.5 D&D characters, Valdrake Alandrith (LN Damaran fighter 10/ tempest 5/ aristocrat 1), was heavily inspired by the Headless Horseman (aka the Hessian) from Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow movie (1999). A Two-Weapon Fighting warrior with all the Mounted Combat feats was a lot of fun to play.
In our one-shot Epic 4e game, we recreated many 80s and 90s characters as they were pulled from their respective universes to defeat the combined power of Cobra, the Foot Clan/Krang, Hordak, and Ganon (from Zelda). We had She-Ra, Leonardo, Snake-Eyes, Link, and maybe one or two others. It was a lot of fun, like Super-Smash Bros, but with a plot and on table-top. It also really let us delve into the guts of the system to make these characters work well.
Very cool on both counts. I am quite familiar with all those franchises mentioned in the latter game save for Super Smash Bros (which I cam only vaguely familiar with, having only briefly played the latest game on the Switch).
Basically the notion of all these unique heroes from all sorts of franchises all fighting together at the same time has a weird look to it. Surprisingly enough, the 4e system worked well for bringing these together - albeit at the Epic Tier levels.
quote:
Originally posted by Galuf the Dwarf
[quote]Ironically, I was also tempted to try to adapt the Transformers franchise into D&D/Forgotten Realms.
I wonder how that would've worked? That'd take a lot of re-skinning things or a separate set of rules? |
Diffan's NPG Generator: FR NPC Generator
E6 Options: Epic 6 Campaign |
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Delnyn
Master of Realmslore
USA
1076 Posts |
Posted - 01 Sep 2025 : 07:58:19
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| Our original PC's were based on the crew of Space Battleship Yamato (Starblazers in USA). |
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Barastir
Master of Realmslore
Brazil
1607 Posts |
Posted - 01 Sep 2025 : 13:40:02
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Sure, a lot of them were at least partly inspired on fictional characters and real people. One of the most recent, though, is heavily inspired on Marvel's Iron Fist, mixed with Realms and Kara-Tur lore. I even made a subclass for him, the Warrior of the Immortal Dragons, and made him a member of Waterdeep nobility, named Danian Thann (this last page in Portuguese). 
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"Goodness is not a natural state, but must be
fought for to be attained and maintained.
Lead by example.
Let your deeds speak your intentions.
Goodness radiated from the heart."
The Paladin's Virtues, excerpt from the "Quentin's Monograph"
(by Ed Greenwood) |
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Thauramarth
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
734 Posts |
Posted - 02 Sep 2025 : 07:00:38
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Ai, man! Several times. Indiana Jones is one of them, lf course. Others include: Jimmy McGill / Saul Goodman (thief / scam artist), Inigo Montoya, Johannes Cabal, Fox Mulder, Mr. Morden, Dr. House, Elric of Melniboné, Corwyn of Amber, Benedict of Amber, Dale Cooper...
Basically, whenever I read or watch something, I go: how does this translate into a character . |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36965 Posts |
Posted - 03 Sep 2025 : 04:32:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Galuf the Dwarf
Ironically, I was also tempted to try to adapt the Transformers franchise into D&D/Forgotten Realms.
I once thought of dropping a Transformer into the Realms, but it wasn't something I thought on overly long.
There's a Transformers RPG out now. I will likely never play it, but that didn't stop my brain from deciding one night that instead of going to bed, I needed to know what kind of car my character would be, and what his name would be.
(I discovered that night that there was already a 57 Chevy Transformer. From what I read about him, I'm glad I was previously ignorant of that, and I kinda wish I still was.) |
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
12189 Posts |
Posted - 03 Sep 2025 : 13:29:51
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| My original take on Sleyvas was an amalgamation of Clint Eastwood in his spaghetti westerns and the Outlaw Josey Wales, etc..... he's definitely changed, especially since I've taken him from initially NPC, to PC, to NPC again.... and at one point included his "children" that were in some ways like Alias clones (he wanted to make "children" with his dead wife, but while he donated genetic and soul energy from himself, he needed other living individuals to .... often unwillingly or even unknowingly... provide the "soul energy" since he only had genetic material of his dead wife). I look at some of my early works nowadays and just shake my head... |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Your characters inspired by non-D&D Characters?
