Dragonlance Black Robe character hook

[Snig]

Hey guys, I'm getting ready for a playthrough of the new Dragonlance campaign and I've decided to play as a black robe mage (old wizard). I don't have much experience with the setting and I'm looking for ideas.

I was thinking something along the lines of him secretly studying how to achieve immortality, and has set out to uncover it's secrets.

Anyone familiar with Dragonlance able to help me fill in the blanks?

[KorvinStarmast]

I was thinking something along the lines of him secretly studying how to achieve immortality, and has set out to uncover it's secrets. Make sure to name him Niltsiar :smallbiggrin:

[Snig]

Make sure to name him Niltsiar :smallbiggrin:

Google produced nothing for me 😞. I'm assuming he's a Dragonlance character?

[JadedDM]

It's 'Raistlin (https://dragonlance.fandom.com/wiki/Raistlin_Majere)' spelled backwards.

[firelistener]

If you aren't familiar, the Black Robes are aligned with the Evil dark moon god Nuitari. And beyond that, really anything goes. Wizards usually come to the towers and apprentice with a wizard, usually of their eventual robe color, and then join an order after their test.

With that in mind, I'd probably invent a master Black Robe mage for the character, and then a reason the master wanted an apprentice. Maybe your character has a particular skill or trait from their background the master found useful, like being a pickpocket for them in the city streets to steal valuable scrolls or a guild artisan who helps with lab work. Unless your character is supposed to be cartoon-villain Evil, then it would also make sense to give the master a particular reason the character sought them out despite being a notorious Black Robe. Maybe their master was a powerful Transmuter or Necromancer that was known for some life-prolonging technique.

[Forum Explorer]

Hey guys, I'm getting ready for a playthrough of the new Dragonlance campaign and I've decided to play as a black robe mage (old wizard). I don't have much experience with the setting and I'm looking for ideas.

I was thinking something along the lines of him secretly studying how to achieve immortality, and has set out to uncover it's secrets.

Anyone familiar with Dragonlance able to help me fill in the blanks?

Two or rather one wizard has already figured out a form of immortality. He is a black robe human named Fistandantilus, and his trick was stealing the life from young apprentices with a talent for magic and the occasional bout of body swapping. He also did a brief stint as an undead spirit that would do exactly the same thing. Until he met Raistlin who was such a close match in power that when they fought it was so close that their memories fully merged and they essentially became the same person. Though it was later revealed in an author's note that Raistlin ended up victorious, for all that matters considering their merger was so perfect even the literal gods of the setting can't tell who won.

Raistlin also became the Master of Past and Present, and was so powerful that in an alternative timeline he actually defeated the gods and destroyed the world universe. When this future was revealed to him, he allowed himself to die a mortal rather than live in a universe where all life and light was obliterated. He was briefly resurrected to save the world (twice and kinda), but out of fear, the gods took away his magic. Despite that, he still retained the ability to travel between the present and the past.


So basically prepare for a lot of people to reference Fistandantilus and Raistlin. You might even consider having your character be explicitly inspired by them, and seek to perfect the form of immortality they possessed, since very few people knew how Fistandantilus was managing to outlive elves.

[KorvinStarmast]

since very few people knew how Fistandantilus was managing to outlive elves. I think it was the keto friendly diet. :smallcool:

[Unoriginal]

I would have an hard time not making a Palpatine expy.

Or maybe taking inspiration from a different character, but making them evil could be fun.

Imagine King Bumi from Avatar: the Last Airbender but as a Black Robe mage.

[Gignere]

If you want to be faithful to Raistlin you would need to dump con.

[Tawmis]

Hey guys, I'm getting ready for a playthrough of the new Dragonlance campaign and I've decided to play as a black robe mage (old wizard). I don't have much experience with the setting and I'm looking for ideas.
I was thinking something along the lines of him secretly studying how to achieve immortality, and has set out to uncover it's secrets.
Anyone familiar with Dragonlance able to help me fill in the blanks?

As Forum Explorer noted; if you go the route of seeking immortality, and if anyone at your table is even REMOTELY familiar with Dragonlance, they're going to associate it to Fistandantilus and Raistlin.... and rest assured, Fistandantilus and Raistlin's storyline is a major, major, major story in Dragonlance. It's not like a little side thing.

So if I were you, I'd go another route, just to avoid following the Fistandantilus and Raistlin story too closely, as they were both Black Robed wizards on top of it all.

If you ever need a story written up, whatever you decide, check out my signature and post in my thread. I will gladly write something up, as I am quite passionate about Dragonlance. :)