The Elf Tower

[jowens]

I was wondering if anyone had an idea on the strange man who claimed to be the Necromancers apprentice. I assumed he would have been detailed in the DOM and was surprised at his omission, as he was actively creating a power base a few days out of Rhosgobel.
I don't think he was supposed to be the Gibbet King, and I was hoping to be able to flesh him out as the main villain plaguing the Woodmen before the Shadow returns and he was drawn/summoned back to Dol Guldur.
All I could think of was using a spell or two from the Nazgul.
Any thoughts would be most helpful.

[Otaku-sempai]

I had to look up the Elftower in The Heart of the Wild. Yes, it does seem like there might have been plans to include the Master of Elfengard in The Darkening of Mirkwood that never quite materialized. In terms of Attribute level, skills and knowledge, he might be very similar to the Sorceress of Mirkwood with the addition of the Special Ability: Dreadful Spells (which, honestly, the Sorceress should probably have as well). As to which Dreadful Spells, you might consider:

• Holding Spell as the Great Spiders in the Core Rulebook.
• The Gibbet King's spell of Paralysis in Tales from Wilderland.
• Curse of the Hill-men as the Hill-men of Rhudaur in Rivendell (perhaps the Necromancer's apprentice is such a Hill-man).
• Prohibition as the Lord of the Nazgûl in Rivendell.

Or any others that you feel are appropriate.

[jowens]

I didn't think of any spells other than the ones in the Rivendell Nazgul section. I was thinking of the Wight King template for hate and attribute scores with a few tweaks for a living foe.
Thanks for the reply- I couldn't find any posts for this or the Toft, both of which I assumed would play more of a part in DOM. At least where the Woodmen are concerned. Guess that mweans my group won't know what's in store for them.

[Vuriche]

Ah, yes, the so-called Necromancer's Apprentice. In my very early draft of a campaign-outline I've envisioned him as a rather hapless individual with some knowledge, but little real power, who by force of persuasion and initiative managed to convince a group of miscreants from Dol Guldur to follow him to The Elf Tower. I plan on having him be embroiled in a conflict of interests with The Sorceress of Mirkwood and a mysterious Dunlending in The Toft who both start to encroach on his "zone of interest" as their agents move about in and around The Gladden Fields.

I plan to make him known to my players through them hearing about him from complaining Woodmen and he would make a follow-up appearance as they hear of hostilities between agents of different self-proclaimed sorcerers. Without outside involvement (as in,the players show no interest and I choose not to railroad them into it), the Apprentice would be an early loser in this "War of the Sorcerers." This story-line is meant to introduce antagonists with a human face early in the campaign and also to portray how the scattered remnants of The Necromancer have no loyalty to each other and easily turn on one another during the early years when The Enemy is absent.

[Otaku-sempai]

Ah, yes, the so-called Necromancer's Apprentice. In my very early draft of a campaign-outline I've envisioned him as a rather hapless individual with some knowledge, but little real power, who by force of persuasion and initiative managed to convince a group of miscreants from Dol Guldur to follow him to The Elf Tower.

Yes, that is another distinct possibility: that the Necromancer's Apprentice is largely a self-taught fraud who talks a good game but can't back it up. In that case he might have no Dreadful Spells or maybe just one. He might have acquired some magical item that allows him to appear more formidable or impressive than he is in reality.

[Rich H]

I actually removed (sort of) The Elf Tower in my campaign as I felt the 'clutter' of another agent of the Necromancer wasn't really necessary. Instead I moved the elf woman, Ash, and her followers to the tower instead in order to give them a site that the players and the Woodmen could look to aid etc should they so wish.

I like the ideas outlined so far here though; it's nice to see how we each shape the official content to our own (often, different) ends.