Sages how have you used them?

[bestialwarlust]

In the U&WA there is a small bit about sages and warning the DM to be careful with them. It lists the price at 2,000 gp a month. It really doesn't say much more about costs, research time, etc.. Has anyone here used sages in games? have the pc's ever expressed interest in tracking one down? Did you use any of the sage info int eh 1st ed DMG? how have you utilized sages in your games?

[makofan]

My players have never used them. I usually have a magic shop in the big city that charges an arm and a leg for anything magic or information related

[tec97]

As a player, I've consulted sages in-game. In an AD&D game I played in, the party found an extremely valuable crown - to the point that my character had an artist make a detailed drawing of it, and took it to a sage for research. It was a non-magical historical artifact of the country we were adventuring in. My character - a neutral evil 1/2 orc assassin - was trying to figure out a way to use this to his advantage.

[cooper]

Blackmoor and ad&d dmg goes into much more detail on sages. I use them as JRR Martin uses maesters (an idea taken directly from Arneson I would not hesitate to argue).

It's a money sink for lords. If you look at the required costs for libraries in the dmg you'll see why. But ultimately worthwhile. Wizards use sages as gandalf did, as men to travel to and use to help with research. Only fighters/lords can request a sage in residence for his holdfast.

All of the above loosely follow how the roman church sent learned priests out to the Norse-worshipping lords of the seven kingdoms in England between 400-900AD.

[Deleted]

Sages are great, especially when players want to cheap out.

HINT: Avoid the sage with the "NOLLEGE R US" sign.

[bexley]

I like sages. I use them as an NPC type (meaning all my NPCs have special NPC classes). I also like to use pricing in alternative ways. One of my favourite sages is a barroom (drunk) philosopher and poet. The more the PCs want out of him the more they have to buy him drinks but each drink increases the poetic or cryptic nature of the information. I don't really like the, pay x amount of monies and gain information. That's too easy based on the kinds of information typical PCs seek.

The other way sages are interesting is making them books instead of people. I've often thought a White Plume Mountain-esque adventure based around 3 books would be pretty cool. The first 2 books unlock the puzzles in the dungeon to get to the 3rd book which contains the end-goal information.

I haven't read the DMG but I'll second Blackmore as primary inspiration for sages.

[bestialwarlust]

Aug 16, 2013 20:15:04 GMT -6 @gronanofsimmerya said:

Sages are great, especially when players want to cheap out.

HINT: Avoid the sage with the "NOLLEGE R US" sign.

Well d**n there goes the name of my sage guild.....

[tombowings]

Aug 17, 2013 5:40:55 GMT -6 bestialwarlust said:

Aug 16, 2013 20:15:04 GMT -6 @gronanofsimmerya said:

Sages are great, especially when players want to cheap out.

HINT: Avoid the sage with the "NOLLEGE R US" sign.

Well d**n there goes the name of my sage guild.....

You can start a for-profit college instead.

[captainjapan]

In the bay area, in the seventies, the Sage became a playable class. It's advancement scheme was the model for Runequest's skills. In the twin cities Dungeon game, a sage could be awarded as treasure. Gold, gems, Sage!

[Zenopus]

I use a Blackmoor-supplement sage, complete with the ability to curse if attacked, in my In Search of the Brazen Head of Zenopus con game.

[doublejig2]

I like sages too. Sages of various stripes embody the opportunity to link historical epochs, esoteric knowledge, and concrete understanding - all potentially very useful for constructing/fleshing out a milieu. Can't afford to pay Pauli, go consult a sage, someone might add. Maybe he'll know about the ancient realm's smiths or some fated cache.

[Vile Traveller]

I've used them quite a lot - that is, my players have whenever their characters have more money than sense, which is pretty much all the time. Some of them have become frequent guest stars major NPCs. It is a constant source of regret to me that they have never given cause to be cursed.

[tkdco2]

The last time my D&D group consulted a sage, one of the player characters stabbed him! That nearly led to a TPK when his friend, a hill giant archer, decided to avenge the sage.

[Piper]

Nov 28, 2020 5:06:45 GMT -6 tkdco2 said:

The last time my D&D group consulted a sage, one of the player characters stabbed him! That nearly led to a TPK when his friend, a hill giant archer, decided to avenge the sage.

I use them, but I've expanded their role and importance to their communities a great deal. They are often a combination of librarian/google search, eccentric scientist (à la Doc Brown), brewer and identifier of potions, writer of spell scrolls, and chirurgeon, winemaker, brewer of ale, identifier of magic items, etc.

Because of their eccentricity, townfolk only bother them when necessary; and because of their importance they are quite protective of their sages (when they have one). Two examples from my campaign follow.

The first is an archmage of indeterminate but venerable age: Ahmeck. Ahmeck wants to live forever and if he must needs obtain lichdom to do so? Then so be it. He's making progress toward his goal though he still has some more work ahead of him. He's neutral but beginning to slip toward Chaos, he tends to mutter his internal conflicts to himself as he works. The locals are leery of him but he hasn't actually done anything to invoke the "Angry Villager" clause to his social contract so they tolerate his presence. For Ahmeck's part? He cares little for the townies but takes care of them so they'll leave him in peace. PCs will find Ahmeck distantly helpful but if they bother him too much he'll hit them with geas to find some artifact or relic he needs for his research.

The second is a lonely and very ancient gold dragon, Fesarius, though this fact is unknown to the townfolk. The locals see him as a rather daft old man with a headful of knowledge and minimal common sense. His reputation keeps people away but he is slightly more gregarious than Ahmek and will occasionally be spotted at the local tavern spinning some seemingly fanciful tale of ancient times (and usually true, more or less). Fesarius is fiercely protective of his town and will deal ruthlessly to any who threaten it.

[Deleted]

Sages are a perfect quest-giver NPC type, because they're always searching for obscure knowledge hidden away in dangerous places. Whether they want an ancient clay tablet from the vanished Golden Dwarves or the egg of a Roc for study, they'll send you to some godsforsaken nook or cranny of the map. In addition to this, they're also "ye olde Google search" to a smaller or larger degree, depending upon their area of specialization. Conveniently enough, they're generally the ones who can identify magic items and potions, for a price.

[Zenopus]

Nov 28, 2020 5:06:45 GMT -6 tkdco2 said:

The last time my D&D group consulted a sage, one of the player characters stabbed him! That nearly led to a TPK when his friend, a hill giant archer, decided to avenge the sage.

The Blackmoor Supplement anticipates that PCs might attack a Sage (presumably when they realize how much GP they charge), and has the following rules to discourage such:

Anyone who attacks or kills a sage is automatically changed to Chaotic alignment unless the sage himself was Chaotic. Sages are able to cast curses when close to death or dying because of assault or mayhem or murder. The power of the curse depends upon the knowledgability of the Sage. A very low-level one might curse a person so that all of his teeth fell out, while a very high-level one could curse you so as to never be able to make a saving throw again! A normal curse removal would not work to remove a sage's curse, but some form of Cleric-assigned quest might.

Also, there are the Guild rules:

Sages are all members of a very powerful Guild.

If a sage is dismissed from service without a just reason the Guild will never allow another sage to serve that person who was responsible for the dismissal.

Presumably, attacking a Sage would incur even greater retribution from the Sages' Guild.

[tkdco2]

What happened is that we consulted the sage about identifying a few magic items. One character kept asking the sage about different items in the tower, finally asking about a dagger. Annoyed, the sage told the dagger did exactly what daggers did. The character said, "You mean this?" and stabbed the sage.

It turns out the dagger had the life-stealing property. The sage's last words were "I didn't know it could do that!"

The rest of the party was outraged. We immediately turned on the offending character and killed him in a single combat round. However, the sage had a mental link to a giant who was supposed to avenge his death. The giant rained arrows on the sage's tower until he ran out of arrows. Almost everyone was mortally injured by the time the barrage ended. We never even got close to the giant.

[atlantean]

In one of my games, an evil guy who wanted the local sage dead, sent the players to kill him.  He wanted them to suffer the dying sage's curse instead of himself.  When they met the sage, they decided that something was fishy and didn't do it. d**n.