Vagrants - still a mystery!

So, we were discussing Vagrants here https://soulswiki.forumotion.com/t3476-i-love-you-vagrant

In short, the strategy guide (pre-patch) talks about Vagrants saying they are good or evil depending by the location. The wiki says, instead, it depends from evilness or goodness of the player. I tend to agree with the wiki 'cause I think I saw a good one where an evil was supposed to spawn. But what does good/evil player mean? Does it depend from sin?

A part from the evil/good discussion, yesterday evening something even weirder happened to me.

I was co-oping with my friend in New Londo, I was a White Phantom. We go to summon Beatrice and right beside her summon sign... An evil vagrant! It was white like me - not red. He just stood there while I killed him (and he went down with just 3 hits) and never attacked me. But he was definitely the evil form! That's the second time out of 3 an evil one doesn't do anything.

The odd thing is my host NEVER saw it. And when the vagrand died, HE could take the drop (1 humanity) and I coulnd't see it.

I thought, seeing as it was white and only I could see it, that maybe I brought it from my world, but then why did the host get the drop?
Mh, strange indeed...

I've only seen one red that never attacked. It spawned where the wolf ring is. It appeared literally the next time I loaded my game after dropping a dozen or crystal straight swords over the forest (some in my world and some in hosts I invaded)

What did it drop?

Humanity. Twin I think actually but I could be wrong. I was excited to see one finally

In the several hundred hours I have been playing this game, I have only ever seen one vagrant. It was the evil kind, and I was coming from the bonfire near Andre headed to try and kill the Bell Gargoyles (funny how easy they seem now, after so many playthroughs).

I drop tons of crap all over the place, I figured that most people have to do the same... can only use so may Hollow Soldier Helms. I wonder why we don't see more of these things. I imagine there are quite a few players who have never even seen one.

The OP's story happened to me except I was an invader in the forest.
It was on the bridge near Alvina.

I seen... well not seen, I mean I'm 99% there was one there, I was a host in Darkroot Forest, we were going to kill Sif, and, before the tiny bridge before the giant door, there is a hill. If you go downhill you get to the bridge, if you go right you eventually get to the place where the Giant cats are, but if you go to the right, there is another tiny hill. It's empty.

But that time, it's was not empty, the phantom ran fast as hell to the hill. I saw something shiny and that had the form of an circle but I was too far and I didn't see it well. The STUPID phantom killed it fast as hell, he didn't even looked at it, he killed it right away.

I then looked I got souls, and when I got to the hill, there was a yellow orb. That means that a mob died there a dropped something. It was humanity. *** YOU PHANTOM!

I've yet have to see one with my own eyes. And I have played more than 1800 hours! (2000 hours milestone ?)

I've actually seen three in total in about 300-400 hours worth of gameplay. admittedly, one of them was when I was summoned as a phantom so it wasn't actually mine, but I still saw it. The very first one I saw scared me and so I killed it immediately. The second one was the co-op one in Anor Londo up in the top of the large center room with the window that leads out towards the dragon slayer great bow. I also got kind of scared of it so again I just slaughtered it. If it helps, it was red so I assume it must have been evil. The third one I saw was just recently in the Parish right where you find the firekeeper's soul in the church. It was another red one, but I still wasn't sure what it was so I just killed it. Another thing, I don't drop any items because I feel no need to. I would rather just rearrange my inventory than drop everything I have.

That vagrant that spawns by Beatrice seems to be about the most common one, I think. It's a one-shotter if you get hit by it, too. The other really common vagrant spawns seem to be the altar in the Parish and the ramp leading up to the Harpoon Archers at Anor Londo. Many other spawn points for them, but those are the ones I've seen the most.

People seem to think they spawn wherever you die/drop stuff, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I'm sure the ones that spawn by Beatrice are from the lost souls/humanity caused by the Four Kings, just as the ones at the Parish altar are caused by the Bell Gargoyles, and not the knight they spawn next to.

I have lots of extra crap. Might go on dropping runs and see if anything happens

You don't suppose some vagrants are spawned because someone dropped a pendant there, do you?

When I've dropped a pendant, and it doesn't do anything, I pick it back up. But suppose it DID do something in another world?

Hmmm....comforts travelers. Gives humanity to someone possibly in another world. Maybe you're on to something. I thought it was weird that my only sighting was when I had been littering though.

Skare, to the Lore section quickly! For you, I'm going to be levelling up a toon. But I expect a rant on the relation between Vagrants and the Pendant when I get back!

I think it's fascinating how much stuff you can connect together when talking about this game...

I read on some japanese site (i think) that a good vagrant (who drops a humanity) will spawn where a player died with 5+ humanity, then died before picking up the bloodstain. This sounds plausible to me.

Must you also die in the predetermined areas where vagrants spawn, or can you die anywhere in that zone.
The question is also how the 'activated vagrant' seeks another world(s), and for how long it does so.
The mechanics are most likely similar to other online features (messages, bloodstains, gravelord infections, synergy rings).
Maybe the boss must also be alive, to create a vagrant in that area. This sound like it could be the case if you often encounter them by the archers in anor londo, or in front of the four kings.
You probably have to stay online as well, after you have 'created' it, because of the p2p system.

I have tried to create vagrants with the pendant, but I can never be sure if it did anything since I don't really know how to make them. Must you drop items before you die, before you die again, or is it something completly different?

Tolvo, I'm not gonna jeapordize my Muninn pendant theory for the sake of logic or random speculation. Ok, yes I would. Sadly that's all I got on that one

ive seen a total of 3 vagrants during my time playin dark souls. they were all evil. one was infront of the sunlight altar in undead parish, well another was next to reah in the church area. i know that i had killed the bell gargoyles when i saw the vagrant next to reah, so i dont think the boss in the area has anything to do with it. and lastly the 3rd 1 i saw was around the spiral staircase in Anor Londo after you reach the bonfire. i also disagree with your being good/evil and sin having to do with weather the vagrant you see is good or evil. i have been good with my cleric as WoW and i always absolve my sin when i get some. 2 of the vagrants ive seen have been with this character. perhaps the evil/good of the character in other worlds that some how spawns the vagrants has to do with the type that spawns in your world? not sure if that makes sense? :|