Like every body that ever read a good book and plays RPG you will want to make it into your next campaign setting. I am no different than most people.
I'm aiming to adapt the setting of S. Erikson's Malazan books masterpieces, but I'm not sure how to decide what is and isn't an Icon. For example, which of the entities of the Deck of Dragons should be Icons? Which other entities outside the Deck should be Icons in 13th Age's system?
Basically, what criteria separate people with a great destiny (like say the Obelisk Bottle, or the Priest of House Life, Kruppe) from a truly influential Icon (like Shadowthrone)?
My sense of it is that only entities that have reign, domination, over magic, or a significant population could be Icons. Like for example, the The First of the Seguleh could be one even though he is not part of the Deck of Dragons.
How do you decide what is and isn't an Icon when adapting a setting to 13th Age?
And in case that's simply the wrong question to ask, an explanation of how I've misunderstood the true role of the Icons would be appreciated.
Best Answer
Something or someone makes a good icon when they are
I'm afraid I don't know the Malazan setting, so I'm going to fall back on something that comes close to lingua franca among gamers: the Star Wars universe. If I were setting a 13th Age game there, I might use…
…as potential Icons. That's about the scale you want: even someone as powerful as Darth Vader isn't quite to Icon level.