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Greyhawk Comic: Temple of Elemental Good

March 27, 2015, 1:12 pm
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It's a slow week so I thought I'd dig up one of my old comics to show off in honor of Wizards' new Elemental Evil storyline. The Temple of Elemental Good is one of my many parody covers of classic Greyhawk modules. Wow I can't believe it's been ten years already!? Anyhow, if there is a temple to elemental evil, it stands to reason somewhere there is a place dedicated to elemental good as well! Here is a link to the original comic over at Maldin's Greyhawk or you can view it below:

 


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The Complete World of Greyhawk Setting

March 31, 2015, 8:21 pm
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With apologies to Gary Gygax, Steve Winter and Allen Hammack, here is a partial table of contents for each of the six missing volumes of the Savant-Sage's catalogue of the Flanaess:
 
Volume I: A Guide to the World of Antiquity
A History of Ancient Flannae Realms
Prominent Olven & Dwur Kingdoms
Mythologies of Pre-history
 
Volume II: A Guide to the World of Mystery
Mysterious Places, Gates & Portals
Artifacts and Relics of the Flanaess
Bestiary of Legendary Monsters
Arcane Spell Casting Conventions
 
Volume IV: A Guide to the World of Dominion
An Overview of Flanaess Military History
Armaments, Armor and Engines of War 
An Examination of Laws, Politics & Currencies 
Power Groups & Notable Houses of the Flanaess 
 
Volume V: A Guide to the World of Culture
Art, Music & Dance Common to the Flanaess
Classic Literature & Higher Education
Popular Holidays & Past Times
Rural Life in the Flanaess
Urban Life in the Flanaess
Herbalism & Alchemical Properties of Minerals
 
Volume VI: A Guide to the World of Cartography
Atlas of Major Cities in the Flanaess
Trail Maps & Adventure Points of Interest
Nautical Charts of the Flanaess
Beyond the Flanaess
 
Volume VII: A Guide to the World of Tomorrow
Inventions & Innovations
Exploring Greyspace
Collected Doomsday Prophecies


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Conversion: Wand of a Wonder

April 6, 2015, 4:24 pm
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It's a slow week for me so it's time I did something easy yet useful like a 5E magic item conversion! One of the best part of old school modules was the appendices at the end of each book. This is where we used to find some of the best new setting material, monsters and nifty magic items. T1-4 The Temple of Elemental Evil is high among those resources. Here, along with backgrounds on Iuz, Zuggtmoy and the famous sword Fragarach is a lesser known version of the iconic Wand of Wonder called the Wand of a Wonder. For those who aren't familiar with this AD&D era item it's exactly what you would expect, simply now in 5E game terms:

WAND OF A WONDER
Wand, very rare (requires attunement)

   Quite similar to its cousin, the ever-popular wand of wonder, this item produces strange and unpredictable results for users of any class. This wand has 7 charges. While holding it, you can use an action to expend 1 of its charges and choose a target within 120 feet of you. The target can be a creature or object. Roll d100 and consult the following table to discover what happens.
   If the effect causes you to cast a spell from the wand, the spell's save DC is 15. If an effect covers an area, you must center the spell on and include the target. If an effect has multiple possible subjects, the DM randomly determines which ones are affected. The wand regains 1d6+1 expended charges daily at dawn. If you expend the last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the wand crumbles into dust and is destroyed.

d100     Effect

01-02     The target temporarily loses all hair, fur or feathers.
03-07     A pit 10 foot deep (any necessary width) opens under the target's feet.
08-09     The target gains advantage on all rolls for the next 3 rounds.
10-11     100 small bats appear, swarm around the wielder's head for 1 round causing disadvantage, then flit away.
12-13     The target grows useless wings, arms or tentacles (1 hour).
14-15     A cage of heavy iron bars (10 foot cube) surrounds the wielder.
16-17     Each piece of non-magical headgear within 20 feet (including helmets) changes to a skullcap topped by a bladed device, the blades turning in any breeze.
18-22     The target’s color turns to hot pink for 1d10 days.
23-25     All gold within 10 feet of the wielder permanently turns to lead.
26-29     The target is covered with a thick layer of honey. This causes disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws until removed.
30-32     In each of the next 5 rounds, 2d4 sp shoot from forth from the wielder’s ears.
33-34     The target is garbed in a beautiful, well-tailored, embroidered silk coat (2000 gp value but it is magical and can be dispelled).
35-39    You cast polymorph. Target must make a Wisdom saving throw or turn into a giant rabbit.
40-41    The target grows a large moustache in 1 round (possibly with goatee).
42-43    Thousands of horseflies fill the area within 30 feet of the wielder, causing disadvantage and interfering with concentration of spells. They remain for 5d4 rounds but will not leave the area except to follow honey.
44-48    You cast Otto's irresistible dance. Target gets no saving throw and is affected for 3 rounds.
49-52    A stream of acid shoots out to 10' range inflicting 4d6 damage on a failed Dexterity saving throw or half as much on a successful one.
53-55    Band instruments appear between the wielder and the target. They play loudly and march back and forth for 1d4+2 rounds, as if used by invisible musicians, then vanish. Anyone trying to interfere takes 2d6 damage and is knocked prone.
56-57    A tree grows under the wielder, lifting to the ceiling or 50 feet height, whichever is less.
58-62    100 dead and putrid fish rain down within 30 feet of the wielder.
63-68    You cast faerie fire on the target (no saving throw) for 5 rounds, and then the wielder vanishes (greater invisibility) for 1d4+1 rounds.
69-70    The sound of bells ring forth from the wand, drowning out all noise and speech (deafened with no save) for 1d4+1 rounds.
71-75    You cast dispel magic on everything within 20 feet of the wand.
76-77    You polymorph yourself into a mule-centaur (no saving throw).
78-84    You cast conjure minor elementals.
85-86    The target gains 1d4+9 hit points (as the spell false life) which last for 1 hour.
87-90    You cast levitate on yourself (no saving throw), hovering 20 feet up for 1d4+2 rounds before suddenly dropping.
91-95    Eight fiery spheres of different hues shoot forth one at a time from the wand, striking the target and seemingly causing great amounts of damage (actually 1 hp damage from each).
96-99    All non-magical weapons held in hand within 30 feet of the wand turn into bunches of flowers.
00         You cast disintegrate at the target (60 foot range).
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Castle Greyhawk: Traps & Teamwork

April 9, 2015, 9:51 pm
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Welcome back loyal Greyhawk readers! It's high time to promote a new page in the third chapter of our ongoing Castle Greyhawk graphic novel. Check out page-fifteen and read some lead-in lit by comic composer Scott Casper. On our site you can also check the archives and follow the entire Castle Greyhawk story from the very beginning.

Artist's Commentary: Everyone remembers the time their character fell in a pit, perhaps even a hundred times. How many times do you remember the effort put into getting your PC out of the pit? This little impediment for our Castle Greyhawk split party was fun to illustrate. The call back to Serten looking down the pit from last page was nice and the lighting we use in this comic only improves the more it's used.
By now I'm sure a lot of readers are also wondering what Tenser fell on, is he lucky or not? That's probably going to be important to know in the near future.
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Edition Five Shall Be One

April 14, 2015, 7:31 pm
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Anyone who knows me should know I have it pretty good when it comes to gaming. At our Monday group we just finished a Shadowrun campaign and are now doing classic Star Trek. On Wednesday I'm in our weekly Gamerstable gaming podcast and we're gearing up to do a Shadowrun actual play record followed by 5th EditionPrinces of the Apocalypse. Then on Sunday we're currently finishing up 5E Rise of Tiamat. Once any of those are finished I could conceivably jump back into the DM's chair.

My first inclination is to return to my ongoing Sea Princes franchise of campaigns which has only been 3.5/PFRPG rules. In the event I feel like trying out running 5E however, I have an urge to try converting a module or two. My favorite option so far is a rework of Five Shall Be One and Howl From the North.

These 2nd Edition modules were the lead up to the Greyhawk Wars and From the Ashes era by Carl Sargent. The quest for the five Blades of the Corusks is a worthy goal especially for a game group of five. The last time I ran this series, for whatever reason, my friend played all five heroes and it went well enough, even though the ending was a huge letdown (no spoilers). Back then the two of us enjoyed it and spun more stories from the published material, but with a new edition and a few new eager players, I'd really like a do-over of Five Shall Be One. It's also mainly because I know I can rewrite it to be better than the original.

For those not familiar, the adventure is set in and around the mountainous Thillonrian peninsula in the northeast of the Flanaess. By chance a search is started for the lost swords of five renowned heroes of the north which are the only thing that can help free the Great God of the North and unite the barbarian nations together into one force to be reckoned with. With some tweaking I believe I can expand the scope of the quest beyond the corner of the map, create some more riveting adversaries and without a doubt give the players a climatic story that doesn't fall flat at the end. My first concern however is whether or not to tailor character classes and alignments to the blades in the story. The original mods came with pregen characters for this reason. I may try to leave it open-ended on who can use what blade though making characters native to some part of the north would seem a prerequisite as well.

My second concern is that FSBO was made for character levels 7-9. I used to routinely start campaigns at 5th level, but since 3e I prefer to allow players to enjoy the entire career of their character. This of course means I need to run a lead in adventure to FSBO and/or else dial back the module to at least levels 4-6. That shouldn't be too hard. If I don't end up running this campaign I still intend to convert the five Blades of Corusk to 5E someday. Until next time!
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More Greyhawk More Dyvers

April 20, 2015, 7:30 am
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I extoll the virtues of all things Greyhawk related on Greyhawkery, but Charles Akins over at Dyvers is better at cutting to the chase. The latest snub by Wizards regarding their long term D&D plans to not update any settings or even feature them in an adventure, yet still update and fully support Forgotten Realms has made Mr. Akins inspired to create humorous Greyhawk themed posters. I have no doubt that between Twitter, G+ and ENWorld these posters will get some notice or at least get under the skin of D&D's head honchos a bit. Greyhawk fans are tenacious. We'll get along fine without any books or video games or whatever passes as D&D these days.

Keep up the good work Charles!
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Castle Greyhawk: Tending Wounds

April 23, 2015, 5:32 pm
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Welcome back diehard Greyhawk fans! It's time to promote a new page in the third chapter of our ongoing Castle Greyhawk graphic novel. Check out page-sixteen and read some accompanying material by sensational scribe Scott Casper. On our site you can also check the archives and follow the entire Castle Greyhawk story from the very beginning.

Artist's Commentary: This was one of my most satisfying pages of chapter three. I was very happy with all the angles and compositions. I also felt I did amazingly good depicting the torn fabric of Tenser's robes. I've drawn him enough by now that I should have him down pat. Serten the cleric has always been a challenge too. Compared to veteran fighters Yrag and Terik, I like to give his armor a newer sheen that has gradually got dingier as time goes on.

I am likewise pleased with Serten's gauntlets and the festering wounds of Tenser. Those areas where the eye is focused on the most is the part of a drawing that I like to get right. Usually extraneous details and stuff that might get cut off in the bleed of a page I don't try as hard on. As always continuity is important to me, so keeping track of Tenser's rips and wounds will be essential and oh man, what will Tenser do without his helmet? This may be a turning point in his fashion style. Stay tuned to find out.
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Sword of Kas Through Editions

April 26, 2015, 9:32 pm
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It's one of those slow weekends off from gaming so let's do some comparative study of the many versions of the famous Sword of Kas! All fans of Greyhawk should know the legends of Kas, Vecna and their named artifacts by now so let's continue on. Way back in 1976, the Sword of Kas was first published in Eldritch Wizardry. I don't have this rare booklet so for purposes of this treatise I'm starting with the 1st Edition AD&D version and moving onward. The Sword of Kas like many iconic things D&D related has continually changed over the decades and editions. Let's see how they vary (SPOILERS BELOW):

1st Edition Dungeon Masters Guide: Gary Gygax's version of the Sword of Kas starts it all off. The artifact is intelligent and has an overriding desire to kill Vecna and his cult. This is common across all the editions so let's call this "a given" from here on.  In this book, the blade is a +6 Defender short sword with an 15 Intelligence and 19 Ego, doing double damage against non-Prime Material Plane beings. This is significant because no item in D&D lore is +6 anything until this point. The sword is also merely a short blade which is a major point of difference in the future. AD&D always allowed DM's to fashion artifacts to their own need, allowing them to choose from a list of powers and drawbacks. For simplicity, the Sword of Kas has 5 benign powers, 2 major powers, 1 minor malevolent power, 2 major malevolent powers, 2 prime powers and 1 side effect. These extras would be expanded upon more definitively in later publications.

Vecna Lives!: David "Zeb" Cook brought us the module that launched Vecna from mystery lich to major story villain. The Sword of course figures prominently in the adventure, but this time it is a two-handed sword. This is probably because fighters (like Kas we assume) are more prone to choosing longer blades unlike thieves who are suited to shorter backstabbing blades. Beyond length, Cook's sword stays fairly true to the AD&D version being a +6 Defender with a 19 Int, 20 Ego and double damage versus non-Prime Material Plane beings. He further enumerates the powers giving Immunity to Fear, Magic Missiles, Charm Person and Hold Person spells. The sword pollutes holy water and can cast Foresight, Plane Shift and Shield plus grant Fire Giant Strength and Paralyze foes limited times a day. Cook gave the weapon a higher intelligence in my opinion to better outsmart the fighters holding it. The sword's drawbacks are devious, it needs to be sated with blooddaily or it tries to take control and second the sword shuts down within 60' of Vecna or his artifacts.

Book of Artifacts: David Cook also wrote this AD&D manual and the sword is again here in a similar fashion to Vecna Lives!:+6 Defender, 19 Int, 20 Ego, holy water corruption, Foresight, Shield, Fire Giant Strength, no Paralyze touch, and 3 random immunities and 2 random major powers. Gone is the double damage to "outsiders" and the sword gets nastier doing 2d20 damage when first touched among the usual shutdown drawbacks. Also gone is Plane Shift, never to return.

Die Vecna Die: This 2E module tries to put Vecna down for good and authors Bruce Cordell and Steve Miller put their own spin on the sword: +6 Defender short sword (why?!) with Foresight, etc. etc. however there is no Fire Giant Strength 3/day. This time sword gets an upgrade of Fire Strength, plus immunity to Fear and Paralyzation only if the wielder also has the Eye or Hand of Vecna. Seems excessive and contrary to the sword's theme, but okay. The cursed sword also only deals 2d10 damage on first touch, I guess 2d20 was killing too many candidates.

3rd Edition Dungeon Masters Guide: Monte Cook, Jonathan Tweet and Skip Williams had to include this famous artifact in their new edition of D&D and their version is more streamlined and fighter friendly: +6 unholy, keen, vorpal, long sword, granting +10 Strength. This is the first time the blade is a long sword and vorpal. The keen kind of takes care of the double damage lost during 2E, but the continuous giant strength boost is over the top with everything else already included. It is dumbed down, 15 Int, 13 Wisdom, 16 Charisma but a whopping 34 Ego. It has some new tricks too, casting Call Lightning, Blasphemy, Unhallow and Slay Living.

Open Grave: 4th Edition's supplement, Open Grave by Bruce Cordell , Eytan Bernstein and Brian James continues the legacy of the sword and with the new rules-set the blade gets quirkier yet: Now it becomes  a +5 vicious short sword (of course) with a 5d12 damage critical. It deals even more damage to allies (2d10),grants +5 during total defense (naturally) and among its weirder properties (which I won't detail all them because they're pointless) it is invisible until it strikes a target and even does +5 damage to Vecna and his cultists. The sword gets various upgrades which I won't get into except one, anyone who possesses both the Hand of Vecna and the Sword of Kas deals a5d12 crit on every hit against Vecna or his gang. That's a major reversal for an artifact that at one time shut down completely in his presence. It was the whole point of Kas' failure to slay his master with the sword. Will 5E redeem the Sword of Kas?

5th Edition Dungeon Masters Guide: Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins and James Wyatt's chance at the sword goes like this: +3 long sword, 19-20 critical, extra 2d10 damage to undead. It has 2 random properties and 2 random drawbacks. It has a 15 Int, 13 Wis, 16 Cha. The sword's bonus is scaled back like much of the edition's combat, but I see it's still keyed to killing undead things like Vecna. At least there is no vorpal properties or fire giant strength boosts. The sword adds d10 to initiative and the attack bonus can be put towards AC. That's the old Defender ability with a new twist. Spellwise, it has Call Lightning, Divine Word, Finger of Death. The sword still doesn't lose it's power when facing Vecna or his items so the futility of the sword's purpose isn't as bad as in the old days.

Well that's all for now. I'm sure with all these factors in one place one could distill the properties of an average Sword of Kas with general D&D rules. Strangely if I had to pick one version I'd go with the Vecna Lives! one because it's setting canon, but hey that's me.

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What is Dragon+

April 30, 2015, 10:03 pm
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Well I certainly didn't see this coming but after I read about Wizard's app based version of Dragon Magazine it sounds like an obvious move forward in the digital age. After 4e's eDungeon and Dragon ventures we've come to grips there will no longer be print Dragon magazines, but with Dragon+ (only available in iOs at the moment, drats) they will naturally provide the same D&D support material we've come to expect. In this case the current focus will be on the Elemental Evil storyline which means more Forgotten Realms development. Yipee. (snark) I really wonder how much this app will differ from the articles already featured on the Wizards main site. Only time will tell.

There is for instance, a comic included in Dragon+ which gives me hope perhaps for another shot at something like Dragonmirth? Then again, it's by the maker of Table Titans so my guess Dragon+ will be by invite only. I can't wait to check out this app. I know it'll have no Greyhawk info except maybe token homages to the Temple of Elemental Evil, but I always strive to stay on top of D&D related news and this seems to be the future source.
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Castle Greyhawk: Fire Pit

May 4, 2015, 9:37 am
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Welcome back loyal Greyhawk readers! It's again time to promote a new page in the third chapter of our ongoing Castle Greyhawk graphic novel. Check out page-seventeen and read some routine writings by yarn spinner Scott Casper. On our site you can also check the archives and follow the entire Castle Greyhawk story from the very beginning.

Artist's Commentary: This page was quite fun to draw, which is part of the reason I turned it in to Scott so quickly. The clip to the right of burning violet fungi is among my favorite effects so far in this entire project. I keep getting better as we go along!

At first I was uneasy about the Greek fire reference when so many works of fantasy rename the substance for their own needs (wildfire in Game of Thrones for example). I briefly forgot that part of the charm of Greyhawk is that it's just an alternate-earth and characters like Murlynd are prone to pick up things like six-shooters and cowboy hats or in this case, greek fire. Why not?

Poor Tenser's robes are a mess and he lost his helmet in the fiery pit. What could possibly happen next? Stay tuned and find out.
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Rage of Demons Speculation

May 6, 2015, 8:48 am
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Wow, Wizards has barely got going on Elemental Evil before they announced their next storyline for Fall, Rage of Demons. The multi-media blitz of books, minis and MMOs increases this time with a tie-in storyline for their new Sword Coast Legends computer game and a novel by RA Salvatore. Check out the details here. It's all quite overwhelming, fortunately I stick to just table-top gaming. Here's some observations and speculations (possible spoilers below):

"Rage of Demons will transport characters to the deadly and insane underworld. Rumors of powerful demon lords such as Demogorgon, Orcus and Graz’zt terrorizing the denizens of the Underdark have begun to filter up to the cities of the Sword Coast. The already dangerous caverns below the surface are thrown into ultimate chaos, madness and discord. The renegade drow Drizzt Do’Urden is sent to investigate but it will be up to you to aid in his fight against the demons before he succumbs to his darker temptations."

First, there is already some predictable blow-back on online to Drizzt being the main driver in this story. I understand why he's involved from a marketing standpoint and if you're going to use the Underdark it would be glaring not to involve the #1 drow. So yeah, no big deal here. It's Forgotten Realms, it's what they do.

"Players of the tabletop roleplaying game can descend into the Underdark in Out of the Abyss, a new adventure which provides details on the demon lords rampaging through the Underdark. Partners such as WizKids, GaleForce 9 and Smiteworks will all support Rage of Demons with new products to help bring your tabletop game to life."

I'm all for good demon minis, can't wait. Now the rumors of multiple demon lords terrorizing the Underdark is indeed an over the top epic storyline. How over the top? For perspective, Greyhawk (as well as FR) has seen Graz'zt manipulating things before in addition to lesser demon lords like Zuggtmoy, and the prince of demons himself, Demogorgon once tried to screw up Oerth in Savage Tide, but even then the PCs had to take the fight to him in the Abyss. Taken literally this is a bigger threat than Elemental Evil and Tiamat combined. Now something or someone has to have brought the biggest, most notorious demon lords in all the Monster Manual to the Underdark (specifically Menzoberranzan). It's not like they get along after all. Here is my fearless guess (don't read on if you want to be surprised):

 "To really get in the mind of Drizzt, fans will have to check out Archmage, the new novel by R.A. Salvatore, scheduled for release in early September."

A tie-in novel about Drizzt isn't surprising anymore, but the title is Archmage. This is key. It surely isn't about Elminster because that's Ed's character. Are there any notable archmagi in Faerun who deal with demons? There may be dozens, I have no idea, but Wizard's m.o. is to use existing high profile properties, and you know what that means. So my spoiler, educated guess is that the culprit behind this Rage of Demons storyline will be none other than Iggwilv!

Yes friends, Iggwilv is very Greyhawk but she is also a planar antagonist who isn't necessarily bound to one setting. She shows up in nearly everything Graz'zt gets involved in, she has the ability to summon demons like no one else in D&D history, plus, she is the author of the Demonomicon, another item that lends itself well to a story where multiple demon lords are being rehashed and researched. I do indeed hope this guess pans out. Motives aside, who wouldn't like to see the witch-queen Iggwilv destroy the Underdark and the Sword Coast? I may side with the bad guys on this one!

Update: Darn it I was already proved wrong when I found the blurb for Out of the Abyss:

"The Underdark is a subterranean wonderland, a vast and twisted labyrinth where fear reigns. It is the home of horrific monsters that have never seen the light of day. It is here that the dark elf Gromph Baenre, Archmage of Menzoberranzan, casts a foul spell meant to ignite a magical energy that suffuses the Underdark and tears open portals to the demonic Abyss."

Archmage Gromph?! Alrighty then. My idea is better, but that doesn't mean she won't make a cameo at some point...stay tuned this Fall folks.




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Rage of Demons Top Ten List

May 10, 2015, 5:14 pm
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Everyone who plays D&D loves to use demons and demon lords in their game. That is why the fiendish line up for this Fall's Rage of Demons is quite buzzworthy. I'm sure we'll get more details in the months to come and perhaps even at GenCon. Until then, Graz'zt himself is promoting his new project over on channel 666:




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Mike Schley Maps

May 14, 2015, 11:21 am
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This news is a week behind because at the time Mike Schley made the tweet concerning Greyhawk maps soon to be on his website, it didn't strike me as a great move forward for our favorite setting. Since then I've been to Mike's site and I see he does have an impressive body of work and illustration too. The aforementioned maps from Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk are not on here yet, but I do see he has maps from the 4EAgainst the Giants conversions that once ran in Dungeon and a map of Hochoch seen in Dragon #418 (from that same Giant-troubled region).

I enjoy his isometric city illustrations and anything nautical. It seems he's done work for other fantasy worlds outside D&D. Naturally, most of what you will find for sale printwise is Forgotten Realms material, a lot of which can come in handy if you're seriously running their current 5E adventures. Now for dungeonmasters curious to see what Greyhawk maps Schley might put up next from ETtRoG, I happen to have that book and can critique them:

The Green Dragon Inn is central to the story and it's a decent example of Schley's floor plan work. You won't find this inn illustrated anywhere else in Greyhawk canon that I'm aware of so it's worth a look though it's suitable to use as any generic inn really. 



Schley's full page map of the City of Greyhawk is a good piece of art that would look good as a print to hang on your wall. Those who have followed Greyhawk for a long time will note however it's just another version of a well-known mapview that has been done, first in the City of Greyhawk boxed set, then in Greyhawk the Adventure Begins, and finally updated by Denis Tetreault for the Living Greyhawk Journal. Schley's city map is merely an artistic redraw of Denis'functional game map so I assume if you want a print of the city to hang on your wall instead of on your game table this is the best thing out there.

Most of Schley's maps in Expedition are set encounter battle maps, which I won't cover here. They are generic and will find use in just about any situation you can dream of. The maps that most inspire me from this book are the overhead view map of the three ruined towers of Greyhawk castle and the cut away view of the castle dungeons and how their levels intersect. These are of course excellent redraws of material first seen in the module Greyhawk Ruins, but all of the cartography in those books is atrocious, so in this case kudos to Mr. Schley.

The top view of the three ruined towers seems like a simple exterior elevation map sure, yet it led me years ago to do this illustration of what the towers looked like before their ruination (or rebuilt as the case may be). Will I order anything from Schley? Probably not, but it gives me hope that maybe in the future other cartographers like Anna Meyer can get the green light to sell Greyhawk maps and with any luck new Greyhawk maps.


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Greyhawk Reborn at Gen Con

May 19, 2015, 10:08 pm
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As usual, this year I'm way late checking out the catalogue of events for GenCon. One thing that has returned to the scene is organized Greyhawk adventures by the excellent crew from Greyhawk Reborn. This year they have several 5E events scheduled and as of this writing they are all sold out, so if you want a shot at these, generic tickets are your only chance now. Since I too am shut out of these adventures, I thought I'd at least share some of the MANY enticing story ideas they have to offer this year:

GHR-KEO13-01 Piece of Mined
Gem shipments have stopped arriving in Cryllor. You are asked to check it out by the influential in the city. A one-round, Stand alone Universal Dungeon adventure set near Cryllor for character levels 1-4

GHR-INT14-01 More Than Meets the Eye
A short trip turns into a long journey as you discover that you've been sold more than you've bargained for. Can you deliver the merchandise to its ultimate destination? A one round Universal Wilderness adventure set in the southwestern Sheldomar Valley for level 1 characters only, and related to the Hidden Horrors story.

GHR-SEA14-02 Dark Discoveries
One of Sir Kinth's advisors has received news of slithering shadows emerging from the Hool Marshes, near the Wephgar outpost. Residents of the affected settlements are becoming too scared to go about their daily life. Investigate what's causing these incidents and help ease their troubled minds. Or perhaps you might end up discovering something better left alone. A one-round story arc Tactical Wilderness adventure for character levels 1-5, and Part 1 of the Hidden Horrors tory arc.

GHR-KEO15-02 March in the Marsh
You are asked to discreetly deliver some goods for the Merchants Guild of Saltmarsh into the Hool Marsh. Sure, the Hool is a dangerous place, but they assure you it is simple caravan guard duty. What could possibly go wrong? A one-round Story arc Wilderness Universal adventure for character levels 1-4, and Part 1 of the Wrath of the Reptiles story arc.

GHR-INT15-01 Incident at Gorlin's Mill
A respectable owner of several wood mills in the Lortmils needs guards to move some valuable cargo for one of his remote logging camps in a high forest valley. The terrain is rough and there are rumors of monsters roaming the mountains. Are the adventurers up for the task? A one-round Story arc Universal Wilderness adventure set in the Lortmil Mountains for level 1 characters, and the beginning of the Lortmil Menace Story-arc.

GHR-KEO13-11 Rose are Red and Violence for You
The lands are full of peril throughout Keoland. It takes real heroes to travel the roads unmolested. What will they call you when you prove brave enough to visit the lands of Nume Eor where the lands were unsettled BEFORE the rest of Keoland fell into ruin? A one-round story arc Universal Wilderness adventure set in Nume Eor for levels 1-4, and Part 1 of the Sewing the Seeds series.

GHR-SEA13-03 What's the Hold-up?
The town of Walharbor is looking to expand its boundaries. The party I asked to secure an abandoned hold for the town. A one-round Story arc Universal Urban adventure set near Walharbor for character levels 1-5, and Part 1 of the New Beginnings series.

GHR-WK14-01 Dazed and Confused
A grubby, dissheveled alchemist stumbles into Westkeep, the local healers ask for the aid of adventurers to find out what has happened. Can you brave the dangers of the Hool Marsh to uncover the mystery? A one-round Stand-alone Universal Dungeon adventure set in Westkeep and the Hool Marsh for character levels 1-10.

GHR-KEO15-01 Ancestral Grounds
Some jobs are a mystery, even to the employer. A recently relocated family from Sterich has been chased from their new lands by a band of orcs. Can you reclaim their family farm and recover their heritage? A one-round Wilderness adventure set in Keoland during CY 614 for levels 1-4.

GHR-SEA14-05 Spiraling Madness
Recent discoveries have brought to light some very disturbing events and Sir Kinth is trying to determine if these events are random or somehow related. Now you are asked to investigate a new situation. A one-round Tactical Dungeon adventure for character levels 1-10, and PArt 2 of the Hidden Horrors story-arc.

GHR-KEO14-15 Sinister Smugglers
Rumor has it that someone is sidestepping Saltmarsh and moving wares through the old haunted house east of town. What could they possibly be doing that requires them to bypass normal trade through the town of Saltmarsh? A one round Story arc Universal Wilderness adventure set in Salinmoor for character levels 1-10, and Part 1 of the Malevolent Mystery story arc.

GHR-LOR 15-02 Grim Works
Goblin lay siege to Palinfure, a mixed gnome and Halfling community in the southern Lortmils. No decisive battles have taken place but the goblins will likely wipe out the settlement soon. Good folk in an allied town want to bring in shock troops to help turn the tide. Are the adventurers ready to help rout the goblins? A one round Story arc Wilderness adventure set in the Lortmil Mountains for level 1-4 characters. Part of the Lortmil Menace story-arc.

That's a lot of good new material and there is a lot more for me to feature. I can't wait to swing by the Greyhawk Reborn room and check in on the action!

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Castle Greyhawk: Helms and Hidden Things

May 25, 2015, 9:09 am
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Welcome back Greyhawk mavens! I'm once again behind in promoting a new page in the third chapter of our ongoing Castle Greyhawk graphic novel. Check out page-eighteen and read some scintillating scrivenings by intrepid author Scott Casper. On our site you can also check the archives and follow the entire Castle Greyhawk story from the very beginning.

Artist's Commentary: I had a lot of fun with this page. Tenser cannot leave his helm behind it seems. I don't think it's magical but the gem must be worth a lot. Haha.
Anyhow, this page had some great textures that I got to work with. First was the charred metal surface of Tenser's usually gleaming helmet. I'm sure a cantrip will have that fixed in the future. Then there is the very charred violet fungi which are now brittle at the merest touch. I researched burnt wood pics to get the exact feel we were looking for. Of course there is the rope, pretty easy stuff until we get to a close up shot of one; and Tensers ever-torn garb. I try to keep the rips consistent across the pages. And lastly there is the cracked pit wall and secret door button. I've been doing randomly cracked, stacked and pitted stone walls consistently since the start of Castle Greyhawk, yet here I felt a certain satisfaction by trying to intentionally make the cracks go in a certain pattern. I can't to see where this leads our protagonists!
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The Curious Case of Jeff Starlind

May 29, 2015, 8:05 pm
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This post could also be titled, Two Shall Be One. So I've been re-reading 2e Greyhawk's Five Shall Be One and Howl From the North adventures. Overall I like parts of them, the swords, the locations, but not so much the characters or even story. Then there is the covers. I have those images burned into my brain and they're not special, merely passable. Of course looking in closer to see who the cover artists were, I noticed something peculiar...

The inside credits for Five Shall Be One's cover says it is by Jeff Starlind. All the googling in the world won't find you a Jeff Starlind, but there is a guy named Jeff Starling. Even at the bottom of the illustration it says clearly, STARLING 90. So yes if this is the same artist then he is also known for doing comics and work for White Wolf I believe. They did a typo on his name in the credits. That's a bad one on TSR. It gets stranger though...

Howl From the North has this iconic Viking-like warrior shouting to the wind with a longship in the background. I approve. The signature at the bottom is by ORBIK. A quick check shows Glen Orbik is a notable illustrator with his own site even. What does the inside credits say for cover artist? Jeff freaking Starlind!

I'd love to know how Jeff or his alter-ego, got credit for the cover of this flaming turd of a module, when Orbik is clearly the better artist (or painter at any rate). Maybe Jeff did the initial mock-up cover for HFtN and it was a bit too blah for TSR so they turned to Orbik to redo it. That's my best guess. Then as my brain tried to process this artist knot I noticed something compositionally odd...

 
Both covers can combine into one epic barbarian tussle. You got the black haired conan-esque guy from the first cover, out of the orc cave and now has got frost barbarian Orbikson in the same arm-lock as before. Two Shall Be One. You gotta love old-school D&D art, sometimes it's a real mess.
 

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13 Strangest Deities in D&D

June 1, 2015, 12:00 pm
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It's Monday, so here is something to lift your mood. Over at io9.com is a nice entertaining article by Rob Bricken titled The 13 Strangest Deities in Dungeon & Dragons. As veteran fans should expect there is some classic Greyhawk gods on this list. Check it out!
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Castle Greyhawk: Doors and Lights

June 5, 2015, 2:06 pm
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Welcome back Greyhawk lords and ladies! It's prime time to promote a new page in the third chapter of our ongoing Castle Greyhawk graphic novel. Check out page nine-teen and read some riveting writings by star scribe Scott Casper. On our site you can also check the archives and follow the entire Castle Greyhawk story from the very beginning.

Artist's Commentary: This page built off the previous one quite well as Tenser continues to poke around in the pit of charred fungi. There is some nice layers to the lighting and darkness going from one location to next. I particularly like the inset secret door perspective. The shading was subtle, effective and easy!

I also enjoy drawing the floating magic script the spellcasters use. Side thought: Tenser uses his dagger as a focus to cast spells. I don't think foci have been all that important in my home games. Magic items notwithstanding. I do think it makes sense though. When a magic user runs out of spells he has his weapon handy already!

One last item of note. Yrag has a bedroll. I like to imagine he has some more useful items tucked within that roll. If it never gets utilized no big deal, it's the small details that make Castle Greyhawk seem more real.
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A Few Greyhawk Things

June 7, 2015, 7:33 pm
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As you all know I generate a lot of original content for Greyhawk. It's been a hot, lazy weekend, so today I'm going to post a few interesting Greyhawk things that I've seen other people create online.

First is a cleaned up map posted on G+ by Random Wizard of the Forbidden City from the module I1: Dwellers of the Forbidden City. Pretty cool map, probably filled with spoilers so beware! Maybe someday I'll run this jungle adventure set in the depths of Hepmonaland.

 
 
Next up is another nice installment of Jason Thompson's walk-through cartoon maps of classic modules. This time he treats us to his rendition of the adventureT1: The Village of Hommlet. Jason always packs a ton of detail into his maps, check it out if you haven't already!
 
Lastly is this group on Facebook called the Bards of Greyhawk! Now that's what I'm talking about. How have I not heard of this until now? These guys have so far done a song on Keraptisand have another one in the works about the Bright Desert. There is undoubtedly more Greyhawk-centric music on this page. Very cool, I hope these guys go to GenCon.

 

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Temple of Elemental Evil Livestream

June 11, 2015, 2:03 pm
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Well this is rather surprising or amusing, maybe both. Over at Wizards they are promoting a livestream today of Mike Mearls running his 5E version of The Temple of Elemental Evil. I do take some solace in that the movers and shakers of D&D still love to playGreyhawk, but it's also only tangential in promoting their current projects. Yeah I know livestreaming Elemental Evil itself would be a spoiler so this is a good alternative for them. That's business. My computer/internet isn't really hot at streaming stuff so if anyone watches these episodes let me know how they go cause I'm curious. Is it fun to listen to, does Mearls stay true to the module story, is it still noticeably set in Greyhawk at all, and so on.
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