Lone Wolf: Difference between revisions

{{tropework}}

{{quote| ''You are Lone Wolf. In a devastating attack, the Darklords have destroyed the monastery where you were learning the skills of the Kai Lords. You are the sole survivor.''}}

There are 20 books out that follow Lone Wolf himself, then 8 after that following a student of his, with more being written. There's also a four-books ''World of Lone Wolf'' [[Spin-Off|spin-off]] that takes place in the same world, with Grey Star the Wizard as the hero. There are also 12 ''Legends of Lone Wolf'' novelizations roughly covering the first 8 books, fleshing out characterization and the series mythology, as well as a ''Magnamund Companion'' guidebook. There are even ''two'' [[Tabletop RPG]] versions of the books and a graphic novel spin-off. [http://www.projectaon.org/en/blog/2011/08/lone-wolf-game-in-production/ A computer game is in the works], though it's been stuck in [[Development Hell]] for some time.

'''The Final Four'''<ref>[[Un CancelledUncancelled|Lone Wolf Books 29-32]], presumably a continuation of the New Order</ref>

* [[Alien Non -Interference Clause]]: The Shianti are forbidden from interfering in human affairs, even though {{spoiler|Wytch-king Shasarak, one of their number, is doing just that.}} Of course, when a human baby accidentally lands on their island, there [[Aint No Rule]] about teaching him to use magic and "allowing" him to go into the world to deal with the threat.

* [[Always ChaoticExclusively Evil]]: The Drakkarim, the Darklords, the Giaks and too many others to count.

* [[Arrows Onon Fire]]: Kai-alchemy grants this as a spell.

* [[Ascend to Aa Higher Plane of Existence]]: The funerals of Lors Casis in ''The Buccaneers of Shadaki'', as the Elder Magi is passing over to the Plane of Light, leaving no body behind.

* [[Blessed Withwith Suck]]: Or possibly [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard]], though replace "The Computer" with "The Author". The [[Infinity+1 Sword|Sommerswerd]], mentioned below, makes the next few books in the series much easier, but after that, Dever began compensating by making some fights ''harder'', or taking away non-combat options, if you have it. Perhaps the most egregious example is in Book 11, where having the Sommerswerd forces you into a battle that is almost unwinnable without cheating or massive good luck.<br />And in Book 12, if you try to use it too soon... you just die. Since, if you draw it from its magic scabbard in the Darklands, the release of holy energy will tell the entire forces of darkness where you are. The same goes for Books 17 and 20. Even an [[Infinity+1 Sword]] is of little good when you're lit up like a Christmas tree and ripe for ''every evil creature in an entire realm of evil'' to converge on your location. On the other hand, if you do bring it along {{spoiler|it will ''vaporize'' the [[Big Bad]]}}.<br />You know it's bad when there're fan justifications for the hero ''not'' to have his [[Infinity+1 Sword]] for Book 11, and for continuity's sake Book 10 as well.

* [[Body Armor Asas Hit Points]]

* [[Bow and Sword Inin Accord]]: Starting with the Magnakai series, the hero can use a bow alongside melee weapons.

* [[Cast Fromfrom Hit Points]]: Some spells work by burning Endurance in the adventure where you play Banedon, and sometimes too in the Grandmaster books, with Kai-alchemy and Magi-magic.

* [[Clean Cut]]: Can happen with the Sommerswerd due to [[Cutscene Power to Thethe Max]] -- especially to [[The Undead]].

*** [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin|Helshezag]] ("Blacksword") and [[Fictionary|Nadazgada]] ("Darkflame");

* [[Deal Withwith the Devil]]: The malevolent Chaos-master, who grants wishes with the expected Monkey's Paw twists.

{{quote| ''You strike again, curving the golden blade in a great arc. It bites into the Vordak's neck, tearing through its unnatural body, and severing it diagonally from collarbone to hip.''}}

* [[Due to Thethe Dead]]: Both paths in Book 8 lead to an example.

* [[Everything's Deader Withwith Zombies]]: Vonotar's ghost fleet in Book 2.

* [[Everything's Worse Withwith Bears]]: One rare actual bear he meets in the series (depending on if he has Animal Control or not) will either just leave him alone when he gets attacked by a pack of hungry Akataz, or he'll come to Lone Wolf's aid and [[Curb Stomp Battle|curb stomp them]]. So it's worse for Lone Wolf's ''enemies'', making this a nice change of pace from [[Everything Trying to Kill You]].

{{quote| ''It seems that nature and the Darklords have conspired against you, but it does not shake your determination to reach the King.''}}

* [[Forged Byby the Gods]]: More specifically "a race that men would now call gods" for the Sommerswerd.

* [[Glowing Eyelights of Un-DeathUndeath]]: Helghasts

** In ''Dawn of the Dragons'', the Eldenorian guards capturing Lone Wolf and bringing him before Prince Lutha take his gold, backpack and weapons... but not the weapon-like special items. Including the Sommerswerd!<br />This one was so glaring that the French version actually [http://projectaon.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1574&page=1 changed the scene by adding an Eldenorian traitor who brings back his special items to Lone Wolf.]

* [[IImpersonating Amthe HeEvil As You Are HeTwin]]: Lone Wolf taking the place of Wolf's Bane at the end of Book 19.

** [[Knockout Gas]] in ''Castle Death'', filling some trapped rooms or delivered by an ugly dwarf blowing it in your face through a brass tube.

** {{spoiler|Naar, King of the Darkness}} is the real [[Big Bad]] of the entire series, and the one who created {{spoiler|the Darklords}}. Possibly subverted; though he's not mentioned in the first twelve books, being a {{spoiler|god of evil}}, his existence was probably widely known already. He is heavily mentioned in the [[All There in the Manual|novelizations]].

** A better example of this trope exists in the ''World of Lone Wolf'' books starring Grey Star. {{spoiler|[[Sealed Evil in Aa Can]] Agarash the Damned}} is [[The Man Behind the Man]] to {{spoiler|Wytch-King Shasarak}}.

* [[Mauve Shirt]]: Don't get too attached to any of the named characters who get characterization and accompany Lone Wolf on any of his adventures. If they stick around for more than a few page turns, chances are they're going to die horribly. Depending on the path taken, examples of ill-fated Mauve Shirts can be found in Books 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, and 18. In other words, practically the entire series. The guy's called "Lone Wolf" for a reason.<br />There are exceptions, however, notably Vakeros Warrior Paido, Guildmaster Banedon and Captain Prarg. If one of them happens to die while they accompany Lone Wolf, the hero meets his end shortly thereafter (making these books somewhat [[Escort Mission|Escort Missions]]). {{spoiler|The three of them get captured by the enemy at some point, but are later rescued by Lone Wolf.}} Sadly, {{spoiler|Paido isn't an exception to the end. He was killed off-screen by Gnaag at the end of Book 10. Lone Wolf learns this in Book 20 when he finds Paido's soul being tortured in the Plane of Darkness. Ouch.}}

* [[Medieval Stasis]]: Right from the [[Word of God]], as Dever has stated that Magnamund does not have a "technological" future. The idea was hinted at in one of the deuterocanonical ''Legends'' novels, and was [[Fanon Discontinuity]] among most fans even before [[Canon Dis ContinuityDiscontinuity|Dever confirmed it.]]

* [[Mugging the Monster]]: Various rogues (robbers, thieves, bandits, pirates, backstabbers, grave diggers, pickpockets, brigands...) regularly try to mug Lone Wolf or his disciple in their travels. More often than not, it's the hero who ends up richer (and the cutthroats dead). Later in the series, the book may not even involve the player in such encounters. You get an off-hand paragraph that you're set upon by bandits, demanding gold but instead [[Cutscene Power to Thethe Max|"receiving a harsh lesson in the powers of a Kai Master"]].

** Another example is the eponymous "Castle Death" from Book 7, which is [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin]]. Book 7 is one of the harder books in the series; the castle is full of monsters and traps, and that's ''before'' Lone Wolf gets to the Maze...

** Book 11 concludes with three boss-level fights in close succession (one of which is virtually impossible [[Blessed Withwith Suck|if you have the]] [[Infinity+1 Sword]]) with hardly any chance to heal between the last two.

{{quote| ''"Who dares disturb me?" he hisses, rising from the Brumalmarc throne, his eyes searching for an intruder. Upon seeing you, he emits a horrified gasp and fumbles for his black staff. He has the look of a criminal who has been discovered in the act of some dreadful crime.''}}

* [[Only Known Byby Their Nickname|Only Known by His Nickname]]: "Lone Wolf" is not his birth name, nor even the name he was given when he first joined the monastery. It was "Silent Wolf" before he changed his name due to being the [[Last of His Kind]]. Lone Wolf's birth name is never mentioned. ([[All There in the Manual|At least, not in the gamebooks themselves.]])

* [[Powered Byby a Forsaken Child]]: The [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Lake of Blood]] in Helgedad, the capital city of the Darklands. A sea of supernatural flames fed by the pain of those thrown into it. Even worse, the victims aren't able to die and remain trapped in a state of undying agony. {{spoiler|Fortunately, Lone Wolf blows up Helgedad and the Lake at the end of Book 12}}.

* [[Sealed Evil in Aa Can]]: Quite a few of these appear as major and minor foes in the series. Two notable examples in the [[Backstory]] are Agarash the Damned, a powerful demon created by Naar that killed Nyxator and was sealed in another dimension by the Elder Magi, and Darklord Vashna, the mightiest of the Darklords and the first to be defeated by the Sommerswerd. The remains of Vashna and his army, along with their vengeful spirits, were sealed in the Maakengorge (a.k.a. the Chasm of Doom). These two examples subvert the usual path of this trope since, canonically {{spoiler|they ''never'' escape. Yes, they ''stay'' sealed, thanks to Lone Wolf and Grey Star}}.

* [[Sealed Good in Aa Can]]: Not quite a true example since they weren't actually sealed away, but the goodly gods Kai and Ishir are relegated to their own dimensions and can only provide aid to Magnamund indirectly. It is revealed in Book 19 that {{spoiler|their [[Evil Counterpart]] Naar can bypass the same limitation by using the Moonstone to open Shadowgates, allowing his minions to constantly harass Magnamund and Lone Wolf in particular}}.

** Both played straight and subverted. The Kai and Magnakai skills of Books 1-12 are rendered almost obsolete by the new Grand Master Disciplines. Noncombat related Magnakai skills don't cut it against the new threats in the Grand Master books. Subverted since the gameplay bonuses from the Magnakai skills are still relevant such as the [[Healing Factor]] from Curing and the bonuses from Psi-Surge and Weaponmastery (though Weaponmastery is replaced by Grand Weaponmastery for balance issues).<br />Many powers that you can select as Magnakai or Grand Master are simply improvements over existing powers. Yet there's no reason offered why you can't use Hunting in lieu of Huntmastery. In fact, even some of the gameplay benefits of discipline you should have disapear when improved versions of these powers become available. (Why do you still need to carry meals around when when you don't have huntmastery? You should still have Hunting which ''also'' allows you to get your own food.)<br />The Project Aon versions have clarified that you ''should'' get the benefits of hunting as an [[Old Save Bonus]] -- but Hunting doesn't work in wastelands (remember Book 2) so won't work in Book 8 at least.

* [[Tactical Suicide Boss]]: There are very few weapons that can kill Helghast-level undead, and even less for Darklords or worse. (In the remake, it's commented that the Sommerswerd is the only ''Good'' weapon that can kill a Darklord.) If you don't have the Sommerswerd, there's almost always some way to use the [[Hoist Byby His Own Petard|villains' own magic weapons against them.]]

* [[Town Withwith a Dark Secret]]: {{spoiler|Eshnar in Book 4. The moment you visit the town, you can tell there's something wrong. By then, it's too late.}}

** Vonotar [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin|the Traitor]], who gets his comeuppance ''twice'' in the series.

* [[Updated Rerelease]]: To go with getting a new publisher, all previously released books are being rereleased with new art, fixed typos, and a [[Gaiden Game|bonus adventure]] tacked on to the end. In the case of the first book, this also involves heavy re-writting in many areas -- notably having Lone Wolf participate in the doomed defense of the Kai Monastery rather than sitting it out due to [[Tap Onon the Head|an errant tree branch]].

* [[Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?]]: Here it's more like "Why did it have to be flying flesh-eating tentacled brain monsters?" The Crypt Spawns are one of the few enemies that Lone Wolf actually ''fears'' throughout the series.

* [[You Have Failed Me...]]