This is the updated campaign as it sits at the moment, just before Supplement II. Any changes from the last round-up are highlighted in bold.
RULES:
The rules used will be from OD&D, the original three booklet set from 1974. There are several things that are open to interpretation in these rules, and they are listed below:
• Player characters reroll their hit points at the beginning of every session - some days they feel great, and other days awful.
• Elves must pick what class they will play as at the start of every session, and abide by all the rules pertaining to that class. The only exception is that they can wear magic armor and still function as Magic-users.
• The 'system shock' roll no longer applies to paralyzation after the rules from Greyhawk are put in place.
In addition, the following rules will be imported from CHAINMAIL:
• Turn Sequence
• Movement Rules
• Terrain Effects
• Fatigue (but only for the first session in the campaign, until the characters become used to adventuring)
• Specific Missile Fire rules
• Morale
• Catapults and cannons
• Random Weather
• First Strike rules for melee
• Parrying
• Mounted Combat
• Jousting
• Racial abilities for Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits and other monsters
• Class Abilities for Heroes and Superheroes, and Wizards. Mostly this involves various bonuses to morale.
RULES PROGRESSION:
New rules will start to be introduced once a decent length of time has been spent playing with just OD&D. I would like to run through an entire 'campaign' using just the OD&D rules - so perhaps these will start to trickle in once the first lot of PCs hit name level. This is the general order (a rough guide) in which new rules and additions will be made to the campaign. Some of these changes will be made without the players knowing, and others will be explained to them through NPCs in the Guild:
The Strategic Review #1
• Session 1: Mind Flayers start to appear in the dungeons.
• Session 2: The key that allows players to access the Pit of Ultimate Chaos will be hidden in the dungeons below Castle Greyhawk.
Supplement I: Greyhawk
• Session 3: NPC hirelings now gain a half-share of XP – they are learning better how to profit from adventures under the leadership of a PC. NPC hirelings are also starting to become subconsciously aware of when their employer is Chaotic, and their Loyalty thus becomes lessened.
• Session 4: The gods have decreed – there is now a limit to the number of times a mortal may be raised from the dead.
• Session 5: Monsters and PCs are developing techniques that make Charm spells less effective.
• Session 6: Experience points gained from defeating monsters is lessened – the earliest adventurers were truly exploring the unknown, and so gained more experience from killing monsters. Newer adventurers are operating with knowledge gleaned from previous adventurers.
• Session 7: The new monsters from Supplement I: Greyhawk start appearing in the dungeons and wilderness. The new magic items from Supplement I: Greyhawk start appearing. The secret of using the Stone of Controlling Earth Elementals and the Broom of Flying is discovered to be easily usable by any class. Elementals are attuning themselves more to the magic of Earth, and now more powerful magic weapons are required to harm them. The Druids have heard about the new delvings into the Greyhawk dungeons, and will begin investigating to make sure that it will not upset the balance of nature. A book or scroll will be placed into Castle Greyhawk that details how to use magic armour and shields in unison - either the PCs will find it, or eventually an NPC will do so.
• Session 8: The Thieves' Guild starts to take an interest in the dungeons around the City of Greyhawk. They will petition to join the Adventurer's Guild, but the "Guild of Clerics" will object – and will only relent if someone from the Thieves' Guild retrieves the Cleric's Orb, Crown or Sceptre from the Greyhawk Castle dungeons. The Guildmaster of Thieves will set this as a quest which the PCs may complete, and if they do so the Thief class will become a playable option. Otherwise, an NPC will complete this quest after a while, and the Thief class will likewise be available. The Guild of Thieves will impose no level limits on demi-humans, and this will prompt the heads of the Adventurer's Guild to "discover" that Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits with exceptional scores in their prime requisites are able to progress beyond their old level limits.
• Session 9: From this point on, when a Lawful Fighter with sufficient Charisma is created, the gods will appear to him and offer to make him a Paladin of Law. If no player meets these requirements and accepts the offer, an NPC will eventually do so, becoming the first Paladin in Greyhawk's recent history. Also note that this is not restricted to humans – Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits may also become paladins.
• Session 10: Human-Elven half-breeds are becoming more common, enough so that some are starting to become adventurers.
• Session 11: A slew of new spells are introduced to the Adventurer's Guild – probably through a cache of Zagyg's spell books hidden in Castle Greyhawk. These are the new spells introduced in Supplement I: Greyhawk. With more spells now available, Magic-Users no longer have the capability to learn every single spell. Higher spell levels (7th to 9th) are introduced that require the magic-user to have high intelligence to learn. With more things to teach, the trainers no longer have time to teach 6th level spells to those students with lower intelligence.
• Session 12: In reaction to the increased power of the Guild of Magic-Users, the heads of the "Guild of Clerics" release the knowledge of prayers previously restricted to their inner circle.
• Session 13: As training becomes more reliable, Fighters become harder to kill, and so do Clerics to a lesser extent. Magic-Users, with increasing arcane demands, become less hardy. (In other words, the new hit dice method is introduced). Also at this point, the hit point totals become fixed, rather than rerolled at the start of each adventure. Constitution bonuses for hit points will also be increased at this point.
• Session 14: Monsters become hardier as they grow more used to raids from adventurers.
• Session 15: Monsters and PCs work out how to minimise damage from such weapons as daggers.
• Session 16: Monsters and PCs also learn how to make other weapons do more damage. A trade of for this, however, is that these techniques require more space when fighting with larger weapons.
• Session 17: Monsters learn how to use their natural attacks more effectively, while PCs learn how to minimise others.
• Session 18: Fighters can now train to make better use of their Strength, and to attain Strength levels that were heretofore impossible. At the same time, the training of Fighters and other classes has become more specialised and intensified, and weaker characters no longer receive the training that minimised their lack of Strength.
• Session 18: Fighters can now train to use their Dexterity to dodge and parry more effectively in combat, making their defenses much better.
• Session 19: Weapon Type vs. Armor: The Adventurer's Guild trainers have worked out how to apply techniques that make certain weapons more effective against certain armor types. At the same time, monsters and players alike have worked out how to use armor more effectively against certain weapons.
• Session 20: More effective techniques are developed for attacking those who have fallen over.
The Strategic Review #2 (Session 21):
• Ropers begin to appear in the dungeons near Greyhawk.
• Rangers hear about the dangers being posed by the newly reawakened dungeons, and some of their number join the Adventurer's Guild through the Guild of Fighting-Men. They will become player characters at this point.
• New types of pole arms start to appear on the battlefield.
The Strategic Review #3 (Session 22):
• The following monsters start to appear in the dungeons and wilderness: Yetis, Shambling Mounds, Leprechauns, Shriekers, Ghosts, Nagas, Wind Walkers, Piercers, Lurkers Above.
The Strategic Review #4 (Session 23):
• Even more types of pole arms start to appear on the battlefield, most of them redundant.
• An order of monks is making its presence felt on the battlefield, introducing the Jo Stick, the Bo Stick and the Quarterstaff.
• The secretive Guild of Illusionists is now rumoured to exist. They will be approached to join the Adventurer's Guild, and will do so for their own reasons – but they will refuse to share their magic with regular Magic-Users.
• A Manual of Golems with the means for creating a Clay Golem will be hidden somewhere in the Greyhawk dungeons.
• IOUN stones will begin to appear.
WORLD OF GREYHAWK:
The World of Greyhawk is currently at a level of society and technology equivalent to the Middle Ages of Earth. It consists mainly of the Great Kingdom. In a bog nearby is the weird enclave of Blackmoor, lying between the Great Kingdom and the fearsome Egg of Coot. The City of Blackmoor is a small village, a one-horse town. The City of Greyhawk is much larger, and detailed further below.
The world is flat, and ships can sail off the edge. The wilderness is generally an unexplored land dotted with cities and castles. These castles may be inhabited by any number of creatures fell or fair, but are most always ruled by some powerful character. Somewhere in the world there is a primordial swamp filled with dinosaurs. Elsewhere there is a mountain range that is home to a number of prehistoric mammals. There is also at least one forest which is home to many magical creatures such as centaurs and unicorns.
There is a common language that is known and spoken by most humans throughout the continent. Every other race that can speak also has its own language, and 20% of them can also speak the common tongue. In addition to this there are alignment tongues, special languages that were passed down to mortals by the primal forces of the universe. A creature aligned with Law that is able to speak will possess inherent knowledge of this language, and the same is true for each of the other alignments. The alignment tongues are now mostly reserved for ritual and prayer, but they are also frequently used by secret cabals and sects, and religious extremists who would never sully their tongues with less divine speech.
An ancient civilization once spanned the continent. They are known to have embalmed their dead, and that is why mummies are so prevalent in dungeons everywhere. Their language was once used to categorize monsters in a semi-scientific manner. That language survives in the name of the Red Dragon: Draco Conflagratio, or Draco Horribilis. It may also be the same language that gave us Chimera as a category of monster.
There is a group known as Rangers, descended from an ancient line of kings, who patrol the borders of civilization and protect it from evil monsters.
There are also Witches in the world. If a male character is captured by one, he will either be turned into a pig or kept as her lover, depending upon his Charisma. Some Witches are old hags, and others are beautiful.
Their is a civilisation of Amazons, whose traditional dress consists of little more than boots, belt, and a loincloth of some kind.
The Druids live in the wilderness, presiding over their barbaric followers and harnessing the power of nature for their own ends.
There is a thriving slave trade, fuelled by Bandits, Pirates, and others of their ilk.
Electrum is a valuable metal, but its exact value depends upon who you are dealing with. Most value it at half the price of gold, but there are others who believe it is sacred, and give the metal double gold's value.
The rare silvery metal known as mithral is mined by the Dwarves.
The strange alloy known as Adamantite was once used to make powerful magical armour, but the secret of its making has now been lost.
CITY OF GREYHAWK:
The City of Greyhawk is large, with bazaars, inns, taverns, shops, temples, and a risky Thieves Quarter.
There is an Adventurer's Guild in the city, and this is the only place where the PCs may receive training. There are three sub-guilds that unite to form this organization: the Guild of Fighting-Men, the Guild of Magic-Users, and the Guild of Clerics. The Guild Elders claim that they are incapable of training demi-humans to the same level as humans, but there is a widespread belief that this is just a case of prejudice.
The Guild bestows specific titles to those that progress through their class. For example, Fighting-Men begin as Veterans, and when they progress to the next rank they become Swordsmen. Each of the classes has a unique progression of titles.
Beneath the Guild is a strange circular portal, surrounded by hundreds of empty slots. There is a key for each slot, and when each is activated the portal has a different destination. Some of these destinations include Mars and Blackmoor.
The guild also runs a service whereby adventurers can name a beneficiary of their wealth and items, often a relative. The guild charges a fee of 10% of the goods transferred.
The following Guilds and occupations also operate in the city: Alchemists, Blacksmiths (including Armorers), Assassins, Animal Trainers, Engineers, Sages, Seamen (including Ship Captains), Spies and Men-at-Arms.
There is plenty of untamed wilderness near the city, and a large portion of it resembles the board from Outdoor Survival. This wilderness is ripe for conquest by the PCs, who may use it to build their own castles, but many areas have already been claimed by NPCs with castles of their own.
The lands around are lawless, and so the various humanoid types, especially Orcs, Ogres and Giants, are especially effective when they launch raids, possessing great hoards of treasure.
Somewhere in an around the City of Greyhawk there is a cult that sacrifices naked women to giant snakes.
CASTLE GREYHAWK:
Castle Greyhawk is a huge ruined pile, a vast castle built by a mad wizard who is also an insane genius.
The dungeon beneath has over a dozen levels in succession downwards, with more than that branching off at various points. At least two level are under construction at any time. Included within the dungeons are a museum from another age, an underground lake, a series of caverns filled with giant fungi, a bowling alley for 20' tall giants, an arena of evil and some crypts. In addition the tunnels often change their configuration from one visit to the next, and there are various teleporters and strange corridors that make mapping the place very difficult.
The castle and dungeon itself seems to hinder the PCs; monsters inside can always see in the dark, but the PCs and their allies cannot. In addition, doors that are always stuck for PCs, and always swing closed on them, open easily for monsters.
Somewhere in the depths of Castle Greyhawk is an object decorated with a bearded demonic face (this is pure conjecture on my part, based on the illustration in OD&D).
The tricks and traps mentioned in Supplement I: Greyhawk are all a part of Castle Greyhawk.
One room in Castle Greyhawk is called "The Living Room" – it is full of animated furniture that will trip, confine, and smother.
On level 2 of Greyhawk Castle there is a fountain that issues a continuous stream of snakes.
Somewhere in the Greyhawk dungeon is a Great Stone Face with two archways nearby. This face is also known as the Enigma of Greyhawk.
OTHER DUNGEONS NEAR GREYHAWK:
Somewhere in a dungeon near greyhawk there is a special iron golem that can only be killed by the very weapons that it guards. It has a fiery breath, a poison sword, and a whip of cockatrice feathers that can turn its victims to stone. Though many tales about it have been told, its location is unknown to most.
There is another dungeon near the City of Greyhawk. It has ten levels, and is six levels deep (as can be seen in the cross-section in D&D Vol. 3). The bottom level is dominated by a huge cavern. One of the 5th levels will include the sample dungeon level from Vol. 3. Level 1 will feature details from the sample of play in Vol. 3, notably a room with 6 gnolls guarding thousands of coins and a pair of Elven Boots.
Another dungeon can be accessed only through the portal below the Adventurer's Guild – The Pit of Ultimate Chaos. Though certain locations in the dungeon are always present, the layout is never the same from one visit to the next.
RACES:
The most common civilised races are Men, Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits.
There are three types of Dwarves – Hill Dwarves, Mountain Dwarves, and Burrowers (otherwise called Gnomes).
Dwarves and Gnomes share a great affinity, and may be different strains of the same species. Dwarves have a history of constant war with Goblins, and the same applies between Gnomes and Kobolds.
Dwarven clerics exist, but they do not venture forth and become adventurers. Their clerics are all accomplished fighters.
There are three general types of Elves that live in the world - wood elves, high elves and meadow elves. Though most Elves live on the same plane as the other races, many have retreated from the world to live in the Faerie Realm, and are known as Fairies. Elves share many of the same habitats as Orcs, Hobgoblins and Gnolls, and battle frequently with all of them. Elven warriors that remain in their homelands are all outfitted with Elven Cloaks and Boots. Those who leave to pursue a life of adventure are not openly shunned, but these traditional garments are denied them. Some elves with human ancestry are starting to appear, several of whom have even been seen sporting beards. There are also Elven clerics that do not become adventurers and rarely leave the Elven homelands.
Dwarves and Elves each have their own homelands. Among humans they are referred to as "Dwarf-land" and "Elf-land".
MONSTERS:
Common Dungeon Monsters: Those shown in the Wandering Monster Tables in Supplement I - Greyhawk.
Other Dungeon Monsters: These monsters are occasionally encountered in dungeons, though not very often. They are: Cyclopses, Juggernauts, Living Statues, Giant Crabs, Giant Leeches, Giant Octopi, Crocodiles, Giant Squids, Pterodactyls, Cyborgs, Robots, Androids, Shadows and Dopplegangers. It is not known from where the Cyborgs, Robots and Androids come from. (This list has had the monsters expanded on in Supplement I removed from it.)
Common Underwater Monsters: Mermen, Nixies, Dragon Turtles, Giant Leeches, Crocodiles, Giant Crocodiles, Giant Snakes, Giant Octopi, Giant Squids, Giant Crabs, Giant Fish
The following notes show how some monsters differ to what is in the rules:
Wraiths grow weaker when they venture forth from the dark demesnes; their level draining touch is reduced to that of paralysis, and this is how they act when fought in mass combat. Wights react in a similar fashion.
Zombies, regardless of whether they are encountered on the battlefield or in a dungeon, are immune to missile fire and can paralyze their opponents with a touch as cold as the grave.
The ghouls in dungeons occur naturally, though sages are as yet unsure how. Those found on the battlefield are created and strengthened with dark magic, and are immune to missile fire.
Spectres are also occasionally referred to as 'Nazgul', though the origin of this term is shrouded in mystery.
Trolls and Ogres are believed by sages to be a related species, though there is little evidence to support this supposition.
The dragons that venture forth to fight in mass combat are generally more vital than their dungeon dwelling brethren, who spend most of their days sleeping on piles of treasure. As such, they have no limit upon the number of times they can use their breath weapon. The current wave of dragons being encountered are the youngest generations, which age more quickly than did their ancestors, and are much less potent. Rumours persist that the ancient dragons yet live, slumbering in the bowels of the earth, and that they will yet awaken.
The Purple Worm is often called the Purple or Mottled Dragon. It is believed to be the result of a dragon that has no treasure hoard to sleep upon. They lurk everywhere, just below the surface of the earth.
Each type of Elemental can only be summoned once per day. This is a magical precaution against incursions from the elemental planes; the elemental summoning spell seals the plane behind the summoned elemental, and such is the strength of that seal that it cannot be opened again until the next day. Magic-Users are working to weaken it, but with little success so far.
The word Chimera was once used as a group name for strange monsters made up from parts of others - Manticores, Wyverns, etc. Eventually the creatures were given individual names, but the name Chimera stuck with the beast with three heads (lion, goat and dragon).
Every Goblin tribe has a King, who claims to be the one true king of the goblin race.
As strange as it may seem, the sorcerous interbreeding of Gnomes and Trolls resulted in the hyena-headed race known as Gnolls. Sages are still baffled.
Though Lycanthropy is a curse that can be passed to many humanoids, the various types of were-creatures are each a race unto themselves. How they feel about their cursed brethren is as yet undetermined.
Efreet reside in the fabled City of Brass.
Orcs are so common that they are freely available to hire as foot soldiers in large numbers.
Different kinds of Men can be found in any habitat. The same goes for all of the evil humanoids, including Trolls and Giants, as well as Demi-Humans and Ents.
Most cities in Greyhawk are built on the foundations of ancient ruins and graveyards, and as such encounters with undead may happen in certain city areas.
The presence of Cavemen suggests that the Men of Greyhawk evolved along similar lines to those of Earth.
The Dragon King, also known as the Platinum Dragon, lives in a palace behind the east wind. He is the king of all Lawful dragons. His main goal is to oppose the Dragon Queen and her host.
The Dragon Queen, also known as the Chromatic Dragon, is the Queen of all Chaotic dragons. She lives in a huge cavern beneath the earth, and her main aim is to spread evil.
Displacer Beasts and Blink Dogs have a mutual hatred, though the reason for this is lost in antiquity.
The dungeons are now home to a type of lice that becomes a burrowing killer if disturbed.
The Ogre Magi hails from the area of the World of Greyhawk that corresponds to Japan.
Bugbears, a hybrid of Giant and Goblin, often wear ceremonial battle masks carved out of pumpkins.
Shriekers, a type of large mushroom, are a prized food of Purple Worms and Shambling Mounds.
Ghosts are not true undead – their existence is a natural phenomenon rather than the result of an evil curse or magic.
There are vampires that hail from Greyhawk's equivalent of Asia, and they have different abilities.
Giant Rats are thought to originally hail from the part of the World of Greyhawk that corresponds with Sumatra.
MAGIC:
The Adventurers' Guild supplies all of its students with spellbooks. They receive one per spell level, and each book contains all of the spells commonly in use. Magic-Users receive books full of magic spells, and Clerics receive Prayer Books with the sacred forms and rituals required to contact the forces of Law and Chaos. Originally, the only spells commonly available are those listed in Vol. 1 of the OD&D boxed set. Later on the spells from Supplement I - Greyhawk will be made available.
In the beginning, the only Magic Items that have been regularly discovered are those listed in Vol. 2 of the OD&D boxed set. Later on the items from Supplement I - Greyhawk will be available.
All Magic Swords possess some form of intelligence. In ancient times they were bound with the spirits of the living, and to this day they retain some sort of sentience. Some of these swords have minds that are slowly dying, while others are as vital as ever.
The following Artifacts are known to be somewhere in the vicinity of the City of Greyhawk: a Teleportation Machine (the portal beneath the Adventurers Guild); a Crown, Orb and Sceptre for each of the three classes (Fighting-Man, Magic-User and Cleric); and the Stone Crystalization Projector. The Crowns, Orbs and Sceptres were once held by the most powerful guild members of each class, but the Guild has dwindled of late, and these items were stolen by a thief and lost within the depths of Castle Greyhawk. The Stone Crystalization Projector fires a ray that will turn anyone it hits to stone (with no saving throw), but its whereabouts are unknown.
Magic books require a specific size, shape and configuration – if they deviate from this design in any way, they will not hold the magic. (This applies only to magic items, not spell books, and is my half-assed way of explaining why they all look alike).
NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS:
Xylarthen would have been better suited as a Cleric, but became a Magic-User instead. His statistics are: Strength 6, Intelligence 11, Wisdom 13, Constitution 12, Dexterity 9, Charisma 8. He has 70 gold pieces and 0 experience points. He will be available for the PCs to hire at the Guild.
The following adventurers have operated in and around the city of Blackmoor – The Great Svenny, Marty the Elf and Richard the Hairy. Marty the Elf was killed by Nazis on a foray into 20th century Germany.
RELIGION:
Law and Chaos are the fundamental forces of reality, and most creatures are aligned with one or the other. Some are neutral, not caring which side wins the cosmic struggle.
Clerics do not serve specific deities, but devote themselves to either Law or Chaos. The cross is a potent symbol of Law used by its devotees. Cleric spells are divinely given.
Many Magic-Users believe that there are no great forces of Law or Chaos, and that Clerics have merely found some other method of tapping into the same arcane energies that they use. Clerics grow heated at this suggestion, and as such there is a great rivalry between the Clerics' Guild and the Magic-Users' Guild, to the point where someone of one class will not be permitted to switch to the other.
On a similar note, the Guild of Sages is highly protective of the niche occupied by its members, and resents that Clerics and Magic-Users often encroach on that territory. As such its members do not hire out to these classes.
These are some of the beings that are powerful deities or representatives of Law and Chaos: Odin, Crom, Set, Cthulhu and the Shining One. The war god Mars is also present, and often rides around on the shoulders of Talos, a giant man of bronze.
THE PLANES and OTHER WORLDS:
There is a spell that Magic-Users can cast to obtain knowledge from beings on "higher planes". There are 8 planes so far accessible through this spell, numbered 3 to 10 (the first plane being the material, and the second the Astral). These planes are levels of Hell, and it is demons who answer the questions - the higher the plane contacted the more likely the answer will be correct, but the higher the chance that the caster will be driven insane by contact with things man was never meant to know.
Clerics can similarly contact "powers above" for answers - these are the Gods, Demi-gods, Demons and Devils, powerful forces of Law and Chaos.
There are realms of the dead, but very few have been delved with magic - only those of Men, Dwarves and Elves are so accessible, and thus only these races can be brought back via the Raise Dead spell. The Hobbit realm of the dead is as yet unknown.
There is an extraplanar "non-dimension" which is where Invisible Stalkers are summoned from. Aerial Servants also come from this same dimension.
Travel to Mars has been documented, though the means to do so is as yet unknown. It is believed that the portal beneath the Adventurers' Guild in Greyhawk may provide such a journey if the correct key is found. The following monsters are said to reside there: Apts, Banths, Thoats, Red Martians, Tharks, Black Martians, Yellow Martians, White Martians, Calots, White Apes, Orluks, Sith, and Darseen. Martian architecture will be generated using the article in The Strategic Review #2.
The spell Rope Trick grants access to an extra-planar pocket dimension, but where exactly this is remains a mystery.
The Astral Plane has been discovered and named – Magic-Users now have a spell to enter it, and those beings in the Astral Plane can see into the primary plane, but are invisible to non-Astral beings. Anyone whose spirit is separated from their material body is sent to gibber and shriek on the floor of the lowest hell.
There is a plane known as Valhalla from which the spirits of powerful berserker warriors can be summoned.
Travel to the American "Old West" is possible via the portal under the Adventurer's Guild. One person that the PCs might encounter is Doc Holliday.
Near the city of Blackmoor there is a teleporter that leads to Nazi Germany. Adventurers from Blackmoor have in the past made forays through this portal, and some from Greyhawk have made similar journeys.
Another destination possible via the Adventurer's Guild portal is the world of Tekumel. Names for Tekumel characters will be generated using the article in The Strategic Review #4.
MASS COMBAT:
Once the player characters reach 4th level they will start to get offers to hire themselves out as mercenaries. Should they accept such an offer, the game session for that night will be a Chainmail scenario with their own characters as special troops.
Common Battlefield Monsters: Sprites and Pixies, Dwarves and Gnomes, Goblins and Kobolds, Hobgoblins, Elves (also include Fairies), Orcs, Heroes, Anti-Heroes, Rangers, Super-Heroes, Wizards, Wraiths, Werebears, Werewolves, Trolls, Ogres, Giants (probably Hill Giants), Ents, Red Dragons, Rocs, Wyverns, Griffons, Elemental (Water, Air, Earth and Fire), Djinn, Efreet, Basilisk, Cockatrice, Chimera, Giant Insects, Giant Spiders, Giant Wolves, Dire Wolves, Wights and Ghouls, Zombies, Balrogs
The following monsters are found on battlefields, but only very occasionally: Blue Dragons, White Dragons, Green Dragons, Black Dragons, Purple Worms, Hobbits
The Wizards found on battlefields are usually specialised Battle Mages. They can wield swords, and their magic is often more potent, though it takes longer to cast and cannot be used in regular adventuring situations. They are also able to attempt magic more powerful than their level would allow, though at some risk.
The following battlefield spells are available at the beginning of the campaign: Phantasmal Forces, Darkness, Wizard Light, Detection, Concealment, Conjuration of an Elemental. The second time the PCs get involved in mass combat, Moving Terrain and Protection From Evil will become available. The third time they become involved, the following spells will be there: Levitate, Slowness, Haste, Polymorph, Confusion, Hallucinatory Terrain, Cloudkill, and Anti-Magic Shell.
The armies of Law are often armed with Magic Swords crafted by the Elves. The armies of Chaos have no such means to produce these weapons on a large scale.
The Arquebus and the Horsebow are weapons that are generally only available in armies and mass copmbat situations. The scarcity of gunpowder guarantees that Arquebus's are difficult to obtain, and Horsebows are mostly used by Horse Nomads and so aren't in circulation in the City of Greyhawk and the surrounding lands.
Pole arms begin to be differentiated in order to increase effectiveness in different situations.
Phew... That's it, and I have to say that was way too big. I need to find a way to make these round-up posts more manageable. They're already unwieldy, and they are only going to get bigger.
Tomorrow, I start on Supplement II - Blackmoor.
No comments:
Post a Comment