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New Monster Manual and Demons

October 16, 2014, 12:08 pm
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So I've been skimming the new Monster Manual this month and I have to say overall it's my favorite since the first MM in 3rd Edition. This book has just the right balance of fluff and crunch. The stat blocks seem to owe more to 4th Edition than prior iterations, but I have no complaints with the mechanics nor is this a review of that subject. The fluff is what I enjoy reading; and depraved as this may sound, as a Greyhawk fan I'm inevitably drawn to the section on Demons.

The manual entry provides several well-written sections on everything about demonkind from how they elevate in power to abyssal invasions and demonic amulets. Demon summoning and binding is covered, including the obligatory mention of my two favorite tomes, the Book of Vile Darkness and Demonomicon of Iggwilv.

Most of the time when monsters are converted to a new edition, their lore gets subtly expanded upon. The section on Demon Lords does a good job at concisely describing the major players of the Abyss such as Demogorgon, Orcus and Lolth. Then there's this bit bout Graz'zt which caught my eye:

"Rewards for Outsiders. Although most demon lords rise up from the vast and uncountable mobs of demons rampaging across the Abyss, the plane also rewards outsiders that conquer any of its infinite layers. The elven goddess Lolth became a demon lord after Corellon Larethian cast her into the Abyss for betraying elvenkind. Sages claim that the Dark Prince Graz'zt originated on some other plane before stealing his abyssal title from another long-forgotten demon lord."

Yes, evidently during last edition those wily sages expounded that Graz'zt might have been an arch-devil of Hell before leaving to take on the Abyss. That explains his more human-like appearance and demeanor. Graz'zt is one of those characters that has an abundance of backstory accumulated over the editions and novels. Graz'zt has a full family tree of demons and demigods and to think he started on a different plane is a development I like. I can only imagine the other lords hate Graz'zt and Lolth even more because of their migration.

The manual continues with sections on regular demons, bringing back the classic "type 1-6 " designations based upon strength. I also like this edition's demon entry because they've included Yochlol the rarely seen vile Handmaidens of Lolth. In addition I am pleased to see the Goristro featured again. This titanic demon got his AD&D start in Dragon Magazine then later only popped up in supplemental books, yet recently the Goristro is now a core book critter.

That's all for now. Happy gaming!
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Important People & Places of Greyhawk

October 19, 2014, 9:33 pm
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Welcome back Greyhawk fanatics. On this busy weekend I haven't had much time to write or draw anything, so I decided to dig into my old campaign notes and see what crazy Greyhawkery I was creating 25 years ago. Back in my youth I used to take awesome notes and historical records of everything. I've grown lazy in my old age evidently. In my digging through timelines, hand-drawn maps and old character sheets I found a list I made of Important People & Places from my "Golden Age" of Greyhawk, the 1st Edition AD&D. The list below isn't complete, but perhaps some of these location names and NPCs will spark the imagination of some DMs out there. I cannot remember what hardly any of these concepts used to be or why they were so important back then, so feel free to use these ideas however you see fit.

Places
The Pits of Alcon (Bandit Kingdoms)
Nunora (pop 320)
Chinak (pop 3500)
White Yeti Tavern (Soull)
Cold Dagger Tavern (Vlekstaad)
Isle of Minatra (isle of great suncat)
Tenacotala Isle (Tezcaolan tribe)
Emerald Woods (apparently in the Bluff Hills)
People
General Hyelac of Schnai (F10)
Tundrahillekk (white dragon, Corusks)
Ongoyo (chief of Chinak village)
Hanblod the Owl
Baron Hurlock of Jotsplat
Hindar of Snadheim (Rng 2)
Zinian (evil sorceress)
Norrod (vampire master of worgs)
Bujhall the Slavemaster (Tusmit, F14)
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Castle Greyhawk: Easy Decisions

October 23, 2014, 6:43 pm
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Welcome back Greyhawk mavens! It's time to continue with the third chapter of our ongoing Castle Greyhawk graphic novel. Check out page four and see lead in dialogue by fantasist 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: Ah it's a classic homage this installment. It's going to be interesting to see how a wizard-fighter heavy group navigates this chapter. This page is a prime example with poor Tenser being relegated to a task usually left to the more roguish types. Tenser does have climbing experience though, for those who remember chapter one's adventure in the big oak tree against giant centipedes!

I've been enjoying the lighting and mood of this story. Serten's continual light stone has been a minor artistic pleasure to me. You always hear about those magic baubles in home games (remember the old continual light coin in a tube trick?) but to see one rendered is fun.

One more thing. While the party searches the big statue, what is Murl and Mordy up to? I can't wait to see what sort of trouble this group gets into next time!
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D&D Conversion Manual

October 27, 2014, 11:11 am
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This is an off-theme topic for today. Going through my piles of old D&D material I came across an interesting paperback document I bet not many people still possess, the D&D Conversion Manual by Skip Williams. More specifically this was the manual to help switch your 2E characters over to the then new 3E rules. I remember this booklet being a big deal. My group had played 2E for quite a long time and the rules to 3E were slowly being leaked in Dragon Magazine to drum up interest. I believe it worked, because the campaign we were in the middle of when the books hit the shelves was switched over to 3E thanks entirely to this document.

In 22 pages Skip made us forget about 2E, showing how exceptional strengths like 18/91% was now a more impressive sounding 22 strength. The manual broke us of THAC0 and we learned Armor Class now went up instead of down. There was also three new streamlined saving throws down from that old clunky five. All the nonweapon proficiencies we grew up with were repurposed into skills with ranks like Etiquette became Diplomacy, Mountaineering became Climb and Healing became well, Heal. Class names changed, spell names changed, magic item names changed. Then there was feats. Actually, those needed no converting from last edition cause it was completely new and shiny, but they were teased at to get your interest.

It wasn't long though before it before we realized it was too much work retrofitting our favorite PCs to the new edition and just rolled with a new Greyhawk campaign. The rest is history. By the way I am not panning 2E, it was extremely fun and lasted a long time and I would play it again if someone else ran it. What I am panning is 4th Edition. I can't remember, but did Wizards do a similar conversion document or marketing campaign for 4E? I doubt it, and if they did it certainly didn't work. With 5E however, I feel it has the same word of mouth appeal that 3E had, though as far as I know there is no conversion documents to support it either (though I'm sure smart minds are working on it). And though the ability to spread hype through magazines is gone, the 5E playtest packets, the convention rules previews, online sneak peeks and the release of the free PDF Basic Rules went a long way toward establishing that buzz in the game. That has to be a reason why I'm excited about 5E going forward.

That said, whatever edition you enjoy, go with it I say. I'm about to run a special Halloween session of the AD&D Ravenloft module using 3.5E. The module as written is perfect, but it's easier for me to convert to 3.5 rules on the fly now. I got Skip to thank for that.
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10 Spooky Greyhawk Locations

October 31, 2014, 11:20 pm
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With October and Halloween winding down let's have a look at some places in Greyhawk that are quite spooky - that is to say spookier than most adventure locations in the Flanaess. The Tomb of Horrors goes without saying so I'll go from there. In no particular order, enjoy!

1. C2, Ghost Tower of Inverness: For obvious reasons, this is always one of the first places that pops into my mind when I think haunted. Located in the Abbor Alz Hills, the object of this classic first edition module is for the numinous Soul Gem.

2. Dungeon of Bleeding Walls: This place just sounds nasty. Nominally set at map coordinates N3-64 in the Wastes, this dungeon is featured in the boxed set Iuz the Evil. It's a place of wererats, vampires and of course, acidic bleeding walls. Would you stay in a dungeon that was bleeding?

3. Necropolis of Unaagh: This eerie location set in the Bright Desert is from the sourcebook WGR3,Rary the Traitor. Unaagh is the ancient burial ground of the evil realm of Sulm, a place where virtually any kind of undead can be found and lording over all is the lich Drokkas who has aspirations to restore Sulm as an empire of death (watch out Rary!).

4. Saltmarsh:U1, The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh is one of those seminal works of Greyhawk that every DM should run for their players once in their life. The story unfolds in the haunted mansion of an evil alchemist. No spoilers for this secret site, you'll have to check it out yourself!

5. Gibbering Gate: Set in of all places the Barrens, one of my favorite scary Greyhawk locations is the underrated insane asylum, Gibbering Gate. Found in the source book Iuz the Evil, this citadel is run by the illusionist Jumper and includes many demons and undead, notably a balor who presides over the Court of Delirium. This is a good spot for a DM to stick high level PCs who offend the Old One because they might get out but not with their sanity intact.

6. Halmadar's Crypt: The 2E module Vecna Lives! is a high level study in the use of horror and overwhelming evil. The mood is set early on as the story begins at the crypt of Halmadar the Cruel in the Kron Hills. The fact the Circle of Eight is doing the investigation is your first clue this is a place normal folk shouldn't poke around in!

7. WG4, Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun: Lost amid the vast Yatil Mountains, there is no place on Oerth that best embodies the strange madness inducing themes of H.P. Lovecraft than WG4. What starts as a standard dungeon becomes quite harrowing the farther in your explore. This module is only for the bravest PCs and the most demented DMs.

8. The Caves of Deadly Shadows: Found in the 2E boxed set From the Ashes, this Yatil Mountain location set in hex R5-81, just sounds like a terrifying place to lure characters into. Besides the normal hazards of spelunking, there is your normal variety of undead shadows here as you would expect. But that's not all! The caves are also home to many other kinds of shadowy creatures, all ready to pounce on hapless heroes such as shadow dragons, skulks, nabassu and yes even the characters' own shadows. Yikes.

9. Maure Castle: The site of WG5, Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure, is in my opinion, easily more fearsome than its more well-known neighbor to the west, Castle Greyhawk. The denizens and dangers of this place, from the Great Iron Golem to wandering bodaks and the guardian demon Kerzit are unconventionally scattered so that foolish heroes may not expect trouble until it hits. Expanded upon in the pages of Dungeon Magazine (#112 and beyond), there is a creepy backstory to the Maure family that underlies the placement of every room and treasure in this megadungeon.

10. T1-4, Temple of Elemental Evil: Naturally this place is among the scariest locations in Greyhawk. The original cover of this module is easily the most frightening in all the game, if not D&D itself. Nestled in the wilderness near the good nation of Verbobonc, we've all heard the Temple's story and this place has been returned to on more than one occasion across the editions. Much like WG4, this module deals with evils so iconic and powerful it defies logic why any sane person would go into this place.
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Autumn in Greyhawk

November 6, 2014, 12:46 pm
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Hello Greyfriends, autumn is my favorite season of the year so let's have an esoteric look at what weather conditions are like on Oerth in the Domain of Greyhawk. The World of Greyhawk boxed set as most know has the most elaborate weather generation system in all of D&D. For this post however I'm going to break open Roger E. Moore's quite excellent book from 2e, Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins. In this sourcebook he streamlines the climate rules of Greyhawk with this sensible if not blunt explanation.

"A few words should be said about weather as experienced by the average adventurer. First, almost no one bothers to measure it. Thermometers are not in great use in the Flanaess because they are fragile and mercury is hard to acquire; only a few sages, priests, and wizards have them for research purposes. Instruments exist that measure air pressure, humidity, wind speed, and so forth, but again, these are considered the province of the learned and homebound, with little practical application given them by explorers, treasure hunters and adventure seekers. To be fair, nearly all lower-class commoners and even many nobles have a similar regard for the value of meteorological equipment."

On autumn in the World of Greyhawk; there is but two months considered autumnal here (not including Brewfest, the week long festival leading in to autumn). One of the best things about this setting is the variety of cultures and their own names for things. In the case of seasons, the first month (October to us) is called Patchwall, or Brightleaf in elven lands, Hare by the nomads of the northern reaches and Feast by the peoples of Hepmonaland. The second month is Ready'reat (November), also called Tinklingice by the elves, Hawk in the north, and intriguingly Lovers in the jungles of the south.

Using The Adventure Begins, here's the current autumn condition for Ready'reat in the Domain and City of Greyhawk (assuming average die rolls and chances of change):

Sunrise 6:43 am
Sunset 4:42 pm
(10 hours, which is noted as a normal day's march. Also, unlike temperature, apparently adventurers do keep track of time.)
Sky partly cloudy
Temperature cool (40-55 degrees if you must know)
Precipitation none but 42% chance of light to heavy rain tomorrow
Winds blowing from the south (must be the Woolly Bay effect).

Now because I'm curious and for comparison, I will use the Weather Generator from the Glossography:

Sunrise 6:46 am (3 extra minutes to sleep in)
Sunset 4:45 pm (3 extra minutes to prepare for vampires)
Sky partly cloudy
Temperature low 35, high 57 degrees (a bit colder but close enough)
Precipitation 40%
Wind 4-9 mph (the Glossography says prevailing winds in the Flanaess come from the north and northwest during fall and winter)

Overall not too far off, so the streamlined weather rule tables in TaB are definitely worth using for DMs who don't need too precise information. More next time!





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What's Up At Wizards?

November 8, 2014, 5:53 pm
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I just took in the weekend news round-up over at ENWorld which follows every word that comes out of Wizards' corner. There's some interesting ideas coming (or not) in the near future. Here's my summary with links to the ENWorld news clip:

OGL: If 5th Edition gets an "Open Game License" this will spur more creativity from the gaming community and third party publishers. 4E didn't have one and look how long that lasted. Pathfinder RPG and a few other notable games however, are the legacy of 3E and the OGL. I'm optimistic about this one.

D&D Branding: As a long time D&D player, this speculation is somewhat exciting:

"There has been discussion about the overall "brand" strategy for D&D, which Perkins commented on. He mentioned that "...people at Hasbro that never cared about D&D before, care about it now; Hollywood is fighting over it" and assured folks present that "the role playing game is the heart of D&D, just like comics are for Marvel". He did note that "D&D has world wide cultural penetration, though Forgotten Realms does not."

Hasbro has done very well with properties like GI Joe, Transformers and uh, My Little Pony,so it's only a matter of time before those are played out and they put their corporate muscle behind D&D. I'm not expecting Greyhawk anything, but who knows? Also, perhaps this branding talk is what's holding up OGL talk?

No Print Dragon/Dungeon Magazines: This always tugs at my heart strings and I'm fine with letting it go. This article pretty much puts that question to bed. I tried their D&D Insider subscription all through 4th Edition (they made it lapse this month) and their production value was top notch in my opinion. It's still the best venue for aspiring D&D authors to try and break into the industry.

Two "Stories" A Year: Wizards has a new model which focuses all attention on a smaller less system bloating stories, basically two each year. I see the less is more approach as a positive. My own experience playing in the Tyranny of Dragons storyline has been quite good despite being an old Greyhawk grognard. The fact Wizards is trimming down their release schedule however, means their story lineup is already planned through 2018, That is some crazy Marvel Studios type preplanning.
Morrus writes: "So, this'll happen a couple of times a year. Tyranny of Dragons now, Elemental Evil in March, and presumably something new in Fall 2015. Mearls mentioned in his Reddit AMA that Planescape and Eberron were both "on the radar", Spelljammer "isn't at the front of the line, but it is in line", and that for Forgotten Realms they "want to provide a broad update on the Realms, but nothing to report yet". The storyline/sourcebook model seems like a great way to re-introduce settings, though - especially those with strong flavours."

Yes indeed.

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Castle Greyhawk: All Business

November 13, 2014, 7:45 pm
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Welcome back loyal Greyhawk readers! I'm a week behind and it's time to continue with the third chapter of our ongoing Castle Greyhawk graphic novel. Check out page five and read important story script by literary enthusiast 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 rather busy but slowly I'm starting to familiarize (or re-familiarize) myself with each character's distinctive look. This is a hard hitting group; strong in magic and heavily armored fighters. The lengths Tenser and company go to search or scour an area is more military than thievely. They need a sneaky type. I'm sure I've mused this before, has there ever been a thief/rouge character of any note in Greyhawk? Gord comes to mind but that alternate reality is not really in our scope. I guess they'll have to take Castle Greyhawk by force!
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Praise For Greyhawk Reborn

November 18, 2014, 11:00 am
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Years ago, in the aftermath of the RPGA's Living GreyhawkCampaign's demise a new group heralded as Greyhawk Reborn rose from the ashes. The fine staff behind this living campaign is made up of former triad members, RPGA writers and avid fans of the setting. I have to give Greyhawk Reborn heaps of praise for going strong now into the newest edition of D&D. Now I admit that I haven't paid much attention to either organized play group over the years mainly because I've been lucky enough to have my own robust home games. I've always been active in the community at large by writing articles, comics or whatnot, but never in the arena of writing adventures or going to smaller events like GR's recent interactive at MEPAcon in Pennsylvania.

Hopefully I can change this. I'm already a follower of Greyhawk Reborn on Twitter and recently I've enjoyed reading their new GHR Camapign Guide for 5E. I'm impressed with their list of deities (with cultural names in place like the Baklunish pantheon's Tharoth for Nerull) and I like their easily adaptable character bonus abilities for human subraces. Looking forward at D&D's future I hope Greyhawk Reborn will stay active and grow with the renewed interest that I see in this edition. One more thing, I hope GR or anyone involved with the campaign will be attending GenCon in 2015. I regularly attend this convention and would love to add GR to my list of things to do and people to meet.

See more about Greyhawk Reborn over at Greyhawk Grognard in this July interview with GR head honcho Dave Guerrieri.
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All Rogues Campaign

November 22, 2014, 7:01 pm
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The Gamerstable gang is always throwing around ideas for new games or campaigns. A few of us recently playtested one of these ideas with 5E rules. It was a homebrew "all rogues" game and for all purposes it went extremely well. That one shot game then reminded me of a Greyhawk campaign I once started on but never got off the ground (this would've been around 2nd edition era); an all rogue Free City of Rel Astra urban campaign. It was to be a game of politics, con jobs and turf wars. Just my fortune I never throw away notes, and today I found the binder! Let's see what inspired material I had cooked up:

Power Groups & NPCs of note

Blackhands: The PC's starting gang. Lenient and low key with politics
Shadow Rogues: Assassins, Information
Red Rogues: punks, bullies, muggers, fighting over city blocks
Astra Boys: youth gang, broke off of the Red Rogues
The Establishment: organized thieves guild with strong political power
The Clan: lycanthropic freelancers
Secret Police: incognito, spies (I assume they work for Lord Mayor Drax?)
Islers: neutral families with ties to the city of Roland
Blue Banner: a consortium of merchants at war with the thieves guild
Spider: independent dark elf thief
Passing Shadow: independent/shadow rogue (has Johydee's Mask)
Ditch: independent assassin from Rauxes

Before you think Rel Astra is a lawless free-for-all, here's a break down of Rel Astran City Watch:

Streetwatch (blue tabard with Rel Astran ship and sea shell heraldry, electrum pin)
Contraband Division (white tabard as above, gold pin)
Homicide Division (plain clothes, platinum pin)
Harborwatch (dark green tabard with symbol as above, silver pin)
Vicewatch (plain clothes, platinum pin)
Prisonwatch (black tabard as above, silver pin)


"I can tell From the Ashes,
it's the Fault of the Drow!"
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Citadel of Eight Illustrated

November 26, 2014, 2:07 am
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Tenser, level 7
Over the years I've gathered quite a collection of old Greyhawk material, from various sources including many things one would never expect. Digging through the archives I found one such item that piques me both as a Grey-historian and as an artist. This pdf is the tournament characters for a Greyhawk game ran at some unknown GenCon during the 3rd Edition era. I don't have any information on the adventure itself except what is hinted in the character backgrounds.

The pregenerated characters are of the famous Citadel of Eight during their mid-level careers; Mordenkainen the Mage (Wiz10), Tenser (Wiz7), Robilar (Fgt8), Quij the Orc (Bar4/Rog4), Bigby the Mage (Wiz7), Serten (Cl7), Yrag (Fgt8), and Riggby the Patriarch (Cl7). Whoever wrote the adventure did a great job statting out these legendary NPCs and providing useful roleplaying information and background for each.

What is most eye-popping to me is the profile illustrations that go with each character. Whoever the artist/s was for this adventure has my eternal respect. Many of these are characters that I myself have been illustrating for the Castle GreyhawkComic. These drawings of all the citadel members are done in a clean style that is quite expressive. Based on these, I'd love to see what other illustrations the adventure itself held. If anyone knows who the author of this Gen Con module is or can place the name of any artist, please give me a comment below. Until then, enjoy!
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Castle Greyhawk: Coin Toss

December 1, 2014, 1:00 pm
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Welcome back faithful Greyhawk heroes! It's way past time to continue with the third chapter of our ongoing Castle Greyhawk graphic novel. Check out page six and read some integral dialogue by comic 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: I'm really growing used to drawing Serten, and his affinity for light effects has been a nice change from the dark shadowy nature of dungeons up to this point. I am also going to love drawing ogres again. Astute readers will remember that Tenser and Yrag met one back in chapter 1. This time he has brought some friends. Even more astute readers will know who what movie the first ogre in line comes from. Even EVEN more astute Greyhawk fans will know what country the embossed coin comes from. Enjoy!
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Coming Soon: Oerth Journal #27

December 6, 2014, 1:42 pm
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Good news on the Greyhawk community front. The longest running D&D fanzine, Oerth Journal is springing to life yet again with an announcement of an upcoming 27th issue! The theme is Races of Oerth and if I know the staff of writers like I do this should be a quality issue. Stay tuned!

p.s. welcome back to the OJ, Duicarthan!
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Castle Greyhawk: Cloud Kill

December 9, 2014, 2:08 pm
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Welcome back friends of Greyhawk! After some technical issues I'm ready to promote the third chapter of our ongoing Castle Greyhawk graphic novel. Check out page-seven and read some essential story script by stalwart writer 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 posed a challenge for me not because of anything to do with Scott's direction, but because my laptop died halfway through finishing up the photoshop and text. I lost my hard drive and about five hours of work. Somehow I have major computer problems every holiday season for the last several years. Since I saw this issue coming I already had a new laptop at hand, but I have a problem with clinging to old technology way to long and I have a habit of forgetting to back up files. So yes, I pretty much had to do this page twice. Not a process I want to repeat.

About the art itself, I love this page. There's some good action poses of several different characters, not just one or two taking up all the screen time. Also, I kinda like drawing these ogres. I like to imgaine each one has his own personality and backstory. The horned ogre is like the chief/father of this tribe, while the ogre with the wolfskin is the most capable hunter. His beady friend is young and prefers to use a cleaver than get his claws dirty, unlike the ripped howling berserker ogre whose hands are scarred from battle. Then there is the spear wielding ogre from chapter one who has seen action before and likely lost some face after his rear was set on fire. Lastly there's the half-burnt ogre who evidently had a run in with a fireball once and his hefty, warty pal who's in the back of the party for more reasons than one. Unfortunately, I think this experienced group of adventurers will make short work of the ogre clan. Ah well we shall see, more next time.

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New DMG: Crossing the Streams

December 14, 2014, 8:28 pm
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I recently got my copy of the newest edition of the Dungeon Master's Guide and boy, it sure is a throwback to the old AD&D DMG. Ah, but that's a review for another day. No what I want to highlight today is the section of the book titled Flavorsof Fantasy which I'm sure most Greyhawk fans with this book have already picked up on, cause I think it's worth pointing out to the masses who aren't sure what Greyhawk involves. When it comes to describing Greyhawk the setting it isn't as easy as saying medieval fantasy; that's because, as this book explains, Greyhawk "crosses the streams."

To preface, the section gives the Forgotten Realms setting as an example of Heroic Fantasy, Darksun is mentioned among Sword and Sorcery examples and Dragonlance is a prime example of the DMG's take on Epic Fantasy. There are more flavors such as Ravenloft's Dark Fantasy and the War backdrop for Dragonlance. Astute Greyhawk readers will already note that our favorite setting comprises all of these flavors and more:

Crossing the Streams
"The renowned paladin Murlynd, from the world of Oerth, (as featured in Greyhawk novels and game products) dresses in the traditional garb of Earth's Old West and wears a pair of six-shooters strapped to his waist. The Mace of St. Cuthbert, a holy weapon belonging to Greyhawk's god of justice, found its way to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 1985. Somewhere in the Barrier Peaks of Oerth, the wreckage of a spacefaring vessel is said to lie, with bizarre alien lifeforms and strange items of technology on board...

...It's okay to send your characters hurtling through a magic mirror to Lewis Carroll's Wonderland, put them aboard a ship traveling between the stars..."

Great stuff, especially the reference to the 1985 module City Beyond the Gate from Dragon #100. Though many don't realize it or under-utilize it, Greyhawk back in Gygax's heyday was really just a testing ground for every imaginable genre. To plainly compare Greyhawk with the Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance is to hold back on a lot of what makes the setting special, namely it's quirky, anything-goes side. Sure, crossing the genre streams may not be for every DM, but it's good to know that Greyhawk is flexible enough to allow these odd elements (even as one-shot adventures) without breaking the campaign world in the process.

How is this relevant in today's RPG gaming? One only needs to look at one of the hottest games out there now by Monte Cook, Numenara (and spinoff The Strange). These games host worlds that are genre mashups to the extreme. Surely nothing that can be found in these wildly popular settings could not be done to a lesser extent in the World of Greyhawk. To each their own of course. It is good to see Greyhawk given such a unique slant in this DMG and I hope this may inspire DMs to try an alternative Greyhawk campaign someday.

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5E Greyhawk Conversions Anyone?

December 19, 2014, 7:56 pm
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Hey folks, it's been a slow week so I have a question/request for the Greyhawk community. Has anyone started doing conversions of published Greyhawk material (monsters, magic items, spells, etc) for the new edition of D&D yet? If so I'd love to check them out and possibly even feature them here on the blog. I'll eventually try my own hand at converting once I'm more familiar with the system. Happy gaming and happier holidays.
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5E Greyhawk Magic Items

December 24, 2014, 1:23 am
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Well met, it's almost time for Needfest in the World of Greyhawk and I figured, what better time is it to gift a few 5E conversions upon the loyal fans of the Flanaess? These three magical treats come directly from the pages of the classic sourcebook, Greyhawk Adventures. It's my first stab at adapting magic items to a new edition on this blog, so it's important to point out that the material below is originally the work of James M. Ward and is of course wholly owned by Wizards of the Coast. Enjoy, and Merry Needfest!


Lucky Ring of the Wild Coast
Ring, very rare (requires attunement)

This magical ring was created by a wizard who liked to gamble, though his greatest gamble was to use it under the suspicious eyes of the Thieves Guild. The ring increases a gambler’s chances of winning, and is prized among the rogues of the Wild Coast.
   While worn, the user gains Proficiency in any ability checks using a dice set. Furthermore, you have advantage on any ability checks that involve gambling with dice only.  

Shield of Greyhawk +3
Armor (shield), legendary (requires attunement)

This metal shield bears Greyhawk’s coat of arms, and was created by the Society of the Magi. It now hangs in the audience hall of the Lord Mayor’s mansion, and is well guarded.
   While holding this shield, you have a +3 bonus to AC. In addition you can use an action to cast the dispel evil spell. The shield can’t be used this way again until the next dawn.

Lantern of Greyhawk
Wondrous item, legendary

This hooded lantern was found by looters in the abandoned castle of Zagig Yragerne, the Mad Archmage. Exactly why he used it remains a mystery, though many people suspect that it served as a guard against the supernatural creatures with which he dealt.
   While lit this lantern burns for 6 hours on 1 pint of oil, shedding light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. As an action, the lantern bearer can shed a magical light for up to 10 minutes that renders all invisible creatures and objects visible. Likewise, out of phase and ethereal creatures and objects appear ghostly and translucent.
   This magic light also automatically turns or destroys undead within 30 feet as a 14th level Cleric.



 
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Castle Greyhawk: Spells and Spears

December 28, 2014, 10:36 pm
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Merry Needfest fellow Greyhawk fans! After a week lull I'm again set to promote the third chapter of our ongoing Castle Greyhawk graphic novel. Check out page eight and read some dynamic exposition by seasoned 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: This page was a lot of fun to draw. Little touches were fun here like the subtle glow of a magic sword or billowing phantasms reacting to a spear. In the previous installment Murlynd used a scroll to summon a noxious cloud and now Tenser uses a beefed up version of a spell he invoked back in chapter two atop the bandit parapets. No simple magic missiles and fireballs for this group. I can't wait to see what they cast next!
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New D&D Story Arc Reactions

January 3, 2015, 1:31 pm
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Over at ENWorld they are previewing the covers for 2015's next big D&D story arc concerning Elemental Evil. The two products listed are an Adventurer's Handbook and Princes of the Apocalypse. The comments section of this news item yields some interesting reactions; in particular to the story being set in the Forgotten Realms and involving the Elder Elemental Eye (originally of Greyhawk).

"So, it's official now. The Elder Elemental Eye has been somehow released from The World of Greyhawk to unleash havoc in the Realms. No fantasy world was described in more detail than the Forgotten Realms, and they still manage to produce not one, but two storylines in a row with themes and antagonists that have nothing to do with the Realms. Good job, Wizards." -Giltonio_Santos

That certainly sums up my initial thoughts too. It's almost as if those in charge (who are largely fans of Greyhawk) want to do Greyhawk storylines but can't bring themselves to stop making Forgotten Realms because it sells no matter what.

"Yeah, had these not been set in the Realms, they would have been an almost sure-fire sell to me.
In the Realms? No interest.

 For Christ's sake, the Temple of Elemental Evil, the Elder Elemental Eye and the whole elemental evil cult thing are all huge fixtures of Greyhawk. Sigh." -the Jester

In defense of this storyline I don't think the product blurb linked above mentions the Temple of Elemental Evil. Stripping that out of Hawk for Faerun would indeed be Grade A heresy sure, but to say Greyhawk has some sort of claim over elemental bad guys and cults is sketchy at best. Anything elemental related, including the Elder Elemental Eye is multiversal in scale at this point.

"I have to agree with this sentiment.

They've said they'll do other settings IF they have a story, and then they pull stories from other settings to force them into the Realms.

Which also isn't nice on the Realms. It's taking an established setting and forcing a story into that world, changing lore to accommodate the storyline. Like how they had to radically change the motives and plans of the Cult of the Dragon for their first storyline. That's not how you tell a story set in an established world. The story is meant to fit and compliment the world and if a bit of lore doesn't mesh then the story has to change to accommodate the world, not the other way around." -Jester Canuck

Now this point does kind of worry me. If a trend does in fact develop where Greyhawk or any other setting's best material is co-opted to use in the default Realms I would start rail against it too. It's still too early to say. And yes he is right, FR fans should be worried too. I'm not well versed in the setting, but what happened to the Sundering? Is the Realms "fixed"? Are these storylines a sign it is played out?

"I hope it works for Wizards, but I didn't see the appeal with the Dragon Queen stuff, and I'm just not seeing the appeal here either. If I want Realms action, I'm busting out the Zhentarim; Manshoon; Halaster Blackcloak; Karsus and the Netherese Shades; Orcus; Moander or Tyranthraxus. I don't care about Tiamat (belongs to Krynn, really) or Tharizdun (belongs to Oerth in my mind). I kind of share Giltonio_Santos' sentiments in that respect." -Henry

It never occurred to me that Dragonlance may have the strongest claim on Tiamat, but yeah I see his point and about the more Realmsy villains.

"IM ok with it.

Takes the best of Greyhawk, gods and badasses, and puts it in the Realms, which had better locations and flavors." -Astrosicebear

Debatable but it's a nice diplomatic response to the over-reactions. If both settings are lagging from age, perhaps a novel approach could be to be put Greyhawk in production alongside Forgotten Realms so Wizards could GASP do epic cross-over storylines across both worlds. Anything goes and no arguments about which setting owns what.

"Keep in mind the storylines will also tie into the organized play program, affecting the villains and themes of those adventures. So they have to be in the Realms until that establishes themselves or they develop a method of moving between worlds. So the first real non-Realms adventure might be a Planescape/ extraplanar affair to allow PCs (or plots) to easily move between worlds." -Jester Canuck

Yup, that's what Planescape and Spelljammer were made for, let's cross over those worlds like in the old days! Oh well enough of this for now. More next time.

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New Map At RPNow

January 6, 2015, 4:45 pm
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Frequent reader of the blog and avid Greyhawk mapping enthusiast Christopher Letzelter has created a stunningly good poster-sized city map available at RPNow titledChernel. The map of Chernel is loosely based upon the planned city of Chendl the capital of Furyondy first developed in Fate of Istus and partly ruined in From the Ashes. Chernel goes beyond its source material and is a homebrew work in its own right, a layered PDF map with nearly 400 unique features, though still easily adaptable for any Greyhawk campaign.

If you want a highly detailed map to base an urban campaign around (other than The City of Greyhawk for once) then perhaps Chernel can get you started!

p.s. go back and check out Chris'layered map of the Flanaess over at Dragonsfoot.com

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