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Thoughts on A1 Slave Pits of the Undercity

2025-10-16T19:04:48-04:00September 11th, 2020|

Thoughts on A1 Slave Pits of the Undercity Thoughts on A1 Slave Pits of the Undercity “Begin, be bold, and venture to be wise.” ― Horace It is time to put a stop to the marauders! For years the coastal towns have been burned and looted by the forces of evil. You and your fellow adventurers have been recruited to root out and destroy the source of these raids. But beware, hundreds of good men and women have been taken bythe slavers and have never been seen or heard from again! [A1] For those of you who are of a certain age, or those who have read my thoughts on A0 Danger at Darkshelf Quarry, and Lowdown in Highport, you know the events leading up to this module. For those who haven’t, this is how the adventure was introduced: For several years, organized bands of pirates and slavers have made a living by raiding the coastal towns on the Sea of Gearnat. Ranging from Onnwal to the Wild Coast, they have descended quickly and ruthlessly on the small towns and villages, and carried off innocent citizens into the night. Although these marauders were not approved of by the lords and rulers of the lands they raided, they were allowed to continue their depredations. Feuding amongst the lords and lack of funds prevented all but an occasional naval battle with the villains and the slow fortification of towns. Bribery was often a more effective method of protecting one’s lands from the incursions of these avaricious seawolves. Recently, however, the slavers’ attacks have become more frequent and vicious. Believing their prey to be weak and helpless, ... read more!

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Kuroth, Hero-Deity Warlock Patron

2025-10-16T19:04:52-04:00September 6th, 2020|

Kuroth, Hero-Deity Warlock Patron Art by Michael Dubisch Originally published on the Greyhawk Companion blog, by William Dvorak.

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Daern, Hero-Deity Warlock Patron

2025-10-16T19:04:54-04:00September 5th, 2020|

Daern, Hero-Deity Warlock Patron

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Daoud, Hero-Deity Warlock Patron

2025-10-16T19:04:55-04:00September 2nd, 2020|

Daoud, Hero-Deity Warlock Patron This Hero-Deity patron is by far the most restrictive and powerful of all the one's I have done so far. Daoud charges a steep price for a warlock to follow the Path of the Seeker. I felt that this offset the powers of the warlocks granted abilities. Originally published on the Greyhawk Companion blog, by William Dvorak.

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Charmalaine, Hero-Deity Warlock Patron

2025-10-16T19:04:55-04:00August 30th, 2020|

Charmalaine, Hero-Deity Warlock Patron Art by Blue Birdy Originally published on the Greyhawk Companion blog, by William Dvorak.

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For the Love of Greyhawk – Reprise

2025-10-16T19:04:56-04:00August 25th, 2020|

World of Greyhawk Gazetteer, 1980Over on ENWorld, the user Snarf Zagyg started an interesting conversation in response to some discussion about Greyhawk that arose as fans learned about the release of the new 5e book, Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.Snarf Zagyg entitled the thread "For the Love of Greyhawk: Why People Still Fight to Preserve Greyhawk" and it offers some good food for thought for Greyhawk fans, and for D&D players in general. This reproduces my reply in that thread:==A very interesting conversation, thanks for starting it up, @Snarf Zagyg !While I am a long-time Greyhawk fan, I too would be interested to see what interesting and new material could be published for Greyhawk. Unless and until WotC releases older editions for publishing via DM's Guild, that means new official Greyhawk material will be written for 5e and 6e, ad not for 1e/OSRIC or the other clones. So, if WotC publishes a Greyhawk book that I like, I'll pick it up. Adapting new material Greyhawk is a natural process that every Greyhawk DM has to do who's not playing with the current rules set; it's not a big deal, and it works forward as well as backward (all of those 1e adventures are also easy to bring forward into 5e too). I do the exact same thing with material from FR, Necromancer Games, Call of Cthulhu, and whatever else feels right to use in my Greyhawk campaigns.One of the core strengths of Greyhawk (in addition to its resilient and enthusiastic fanbase, who provide support for the setting through many ways, including the Oerth Journal---a freely downloadable professional quality zine---to name just one example among multitudes*) is ... read more!

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Murlynd, Hero-Deity Warlock Patron

2025-10-16T19:05:00-04:00August 19th, 2020|

Murlynd, Hero-Deity Warlock Patron Art by Michael Dubisch Originally published on the Greyhawk Companion blog, by William Dvorak.

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Thoughts on Lowdown at Highport

2025-10-16T19:05:01-04:00August 14th, 2020|

Thoughts on Lowdown at Highport Thoughts on Lowdown at Highport “Remembrance of things past is not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were.” ― Marcel Proust Needless to say, spoilers ahead! What did the world need during Wotc’s 4th edition era? More AD&D. More Greyhawk and instalments of the epic Slavers series, specifically. Chris Perkins obviously thought so. It was he who contacted Skip Williams to write a prequel to the A-series, so I assume the resulting compilation was his idea. Against the Slave Lords was published in June of 2013; oddly, that was the same month that WotC released a further finale to A4 In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords in Dungeon magazine #215 titled The Last Slave Lord. I say oddly, because I can’t help but think that the compilation could have only been made better by its inclusion, not to mention that of what followed in December in #221: Lowdown at Highport. (Sadly, that was also the final issue of Dungeon magazine, as well.) Why weren’t they included? I don’t know. Maybe they thought the compilation was long enough as published. Maybe they thought a longer compilation would have been too expensive. Maybe they wanted to sell more magazines. No matter, for whatever reason, they were not included, and I suspect that there are a lot of people out there who never knew that these adventures even exist. How could they, many of them having migrated to Pathfinder after the release of 4th edition? Until now, that is…. In any event, Lowdown at Highport follows A0 Danger at Darkshelf Quarry and precedes A1 Slave Pits of the Undercity. They dovetail ... read more!

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A Fifth of Greyhawk Part 6 – Dungeon Master’s Notes on “Housecleaning.”

2022-03-01T13:56:59-05:00August 13th, 2020|

A Fifth of Greyhawk Part 6 - Dungeon Master's Notes on "Housecleaning." As you read this, Oerth Journal #33 is out, and along with it, my Fifth Edition Greyhawk Adventure, “Housecleaning.” If you plan to play it, please stop reading. SPOILERS BELOW. If you plan to run the adventure, here are some notes. The idea behind Housecleaning was that often there is a Boss Bad Guy at the end of an adventure that the players don’t have any connection to because they only encounter them when it’s time to roll for initiative. He’s really just a pile of Hit Points at that point. I thought of this adventure as a way for the PCs to gradually learn the backstory of the victim (Faedra) and the evil Mahone throughout the adventure so when they finally met them both, they were motivated to fight because the adventure dribbles out the story while the PCs plow through Moonglade Spire. The main Greyhawk element I wanted to get across was the concept of the Great Kingdom once ruling over most of the continent. So all the heraldry and the talking Pearl of Power (who works great if played like C-3PO) and the abundance of mundane magic items were all meant to sell the idea of this past golden age. I hate reading texts to PCs for lore purposes so I tried to think of as many ways to make it come alive as I could. The Harry Potter-esque Magic Paintings, the talking ancient Pearl full of concern, the books on the shelves, all of it is there to avoid ever having to tell the players “Hundreds of years ... read more!

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grodog’s Greyhawk Campaigns Updates

2022-12-26T15:57:33-05:00August 11th, 2020|

Life in the real world has been full of strife, chaos, madness, and the bat plague of late (to quote Gabor Lux!), so our escapism has been into the World of Greyhawk. Castle Greyhawk - The Boys over 4th of July WeekendFathers Day AD&D gaming coupons redeemed from the boys meant a return to the dreaded halls of grodog's Castle Greyhawk! =)Unfortunately for the dungeon's inhabitants, the PCs plowed through most of them, then retreated back to the City of Greyhawk for healing.The boys discovered a new entrance to lower levels via a trapdoor, but upon banging around on nearby barred doors, the PCs stir up more orcs, who sounded the alarm gongs, and began pursuit!Spooked, the PCs bugged out via a secret door (seemingly unknown to the orcs), only to encounter a pair of shriekers in the main entry/exit hall, who in turn attracted a swarm of 20 kobolds. That engagement delayed their departure sufficiently long for the orcs to catch up, which is where we left things off for lunch.... The dragon mini (one of my favorite sculpts!) is a stand-in since I don’t have a black dragon that currently has attached wings, but you can never go wrong with Tom Meier’s work 🙂The boys met this same dragon IRL several years ago, and fled from it quickly (they were particularly awed by it yelling at them, and the ranks of lizard men in front of it and charging in the PCs' direction!). This time they were prospecting the dungeon level with a wand of metal and mineral detection looking for more loot, when they happened upon it by chance 😉 Henry's Underground Mansion ... read more!

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Keoghtom, Hero-Deity Warlock Patron

2022-03-03T16:48:37-05:00August 10th, 2020|

Keoghtom, Hero-Deity Warlock Patron 3rd in my conversion of the Hero-Gods of Greyhawk into warlock patrons is Keoghtom. I thought that the key area to focus on was Keoghtom’s thirst for knowledge, which would be essential in any person deemed worthy enough to be a warlock for the hero-god. Looking at Gygax’s writings on Keoghtom, I also gave his warlocks access to medium armor and martial weapons to emulate the hero-gods proficiency with every weapon and type of armor. The only notable ability of Keoghtom’s I decided not to have his warlocks emulate was the hero-gods magic resistance. I felt that this warlock already had more than enough diversity to it and left that out. Keoghtom illustration by Harry Quinn

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Theocracy of Dimre, A Brief History, Part 2

2022-03-03T16:54:14-05:00August 10th, 2020|

Theocracy of Dimre, A Brief History, Part 2 Again I'd like to thank Tom Harrison, Erik Mona, and many authors of the Living Greyhawk community for the inspiration for my articles on Dimre. Now a full-fledged theocracy, Dimre under the direction of Canon Sagmered went about strengthening itself internally and externally. The first order of business being the reorganizing of the Militias. Since it's founding as an Earldom Dimre has prided itself on its militias. The militias, situated in a chaotic land full of bandits, were initially formed to protect the silver mines in the Rift Canyon. As the then province grew and villages turned into towns and a few small cities, protection of the populace became an issue. With a large percentage of the growing population being followers of Pholtus, many of the troops that were recruited into the militias were used to a lifestyle of laws and order. Many of the visiting dignitaries from Rel Mord would often remark how orderly and disciplined the Militias were. With Dimre changing from being a province of a vast kingdom to an independent theocracy, there was some culling of the officer core. Fortunately, those officers stripped of their rank, and commissions were not the field commanders. A new code of ethics was introduced, and those that felt they could not adhere to the new standers could leave without incident. The regime change did not affect the rank and file much, which was vital in keeping out the bandits and later in its war against Iuz. As it became apparent that Nyrond had no intention of retaliating, Canon Sagmered shifted his focus to the kingdom's western ... read more!

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Johydee Hero-deity Warlock Patron

2022-03-03T16:55:41-05:00August 8th, 2020|

Johydee Hero-deity Warlock Patron Johydee, the 2nd in my series of turning the Hero-deities into warlock patrons for 5th edition. One thing I feel that is equally important for a warlock of Johydee’s ability to change shape is their ability to gather information. Being a patron of espionage information is critical. So, while the shapechanging aspect of the warlock was covered through their spells, I focused the information gathering through their patron granted abilities. What do you like or dislike about the concept? If you have suggestions, go ahead and leave a comment, and maybe I’ll adjust it if we get a better idea.

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On the Age Before Ages, Part 1

2022-03-03T16:57:12-05:00August 8th, 2020|

On the Age Before Ages, Part 1 “The story so far: In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.” ― Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe Where did Greyhawk come from? Gary Gygax created it, obviously. With a great deal of influence from Dave Arneson, Rob Kuntz, and Len Lakofka, I imagine. I also imagine that each and every one of Gary’s early players did, as well, in their own way. Not to mention those who wrote the modules and sourcebooks that followed. Few, if any, ever settled on a creation myth, or so they’ve said. I’ve heard interviews where those who had a hand in developing the setting expressed their desire to never actually nail down a creation myth, believing that DMs would wish to write such themselves. Did they? Some probably did; but I believe most never bothered, focusing instead on their own little corner of the world and the adventures within it, not caring whence it came from, knowing their players didn’t either. Despite their claims, those very same designers pushed the timeline back very far indeed, almost to the very hour, in some cases. Frank Mentzer did. And some of his creations were slipped into the pages of the sourcebooks that followed. Chris Pramas certainly started the clock very close to what might be called a beginning. What follows is a fairly esoteric collection TSR and WotC passages that over the decades dealt with just that: where did the multiverse come from? Were they successful in what they presented? I will leave ... read more!

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Theocracy of Dimre, A Brief History, Part 1

2022-03-03T17:02:36-05:00August 7th, 2020|

Theocracy of Dimre, A Brief History, Part 1 As I dive into one of my favorite places in the Bandit Kingdoms, and the Flanaess, I have to say that the history I put forth is one of my own devise. Much of what I have written here was influenced by the writings of Tom Harrison, Erik Mona, and many authors of the Living Greyhawk community. While I try to stay true to canon where I find it, I do alter some events slightly from the materials I find, most of which are not canon. I hope you enjoy this first installment as I take a look at The Theocracy of Dimre. Out of the chaos that would birth the kingdom of Nyrond, also came the formation of the Theocracy of Dimre. While other lands were in the throws of transition from the rule of the neglectful Great Kingdom to independence, Dimre emerged a small but strong nation. The seeds of what would become the Theocracy of Dimre were sown in the towns and villages of Wintershiven, Holdworthy, and Hawkburgh. In this area, the religion of Pholtus was growing and becoming more influential. Members of city governments and even lords were turning to this orderly faith. By 300 CY, tensions had been increasing for nearly a century, and the threat of a civil war was brewing. In response, the people who lived there turned to the ridged order of the religion of Pholtus for security. As the influence of the main sect of the cult of Pholtus, the Blinding Light, grew, the once overt repression of other minor sects turned into open religious persecution. Chief ... read more!

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