Greyhawk Poland 2011 Campaign

The idea is that this is a game of WotC's Dungeons and Dragons v3.5 with house rules,[1] which it is set in a world of my own fabrication, designed by cheery picking socio-economic and political elements from a game supplement entitled The World of Greyhawk published 30 years ago for TSR's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 1st edition.

The game world is a product of my imagination:[2] not the imagination of Gary Gygax,[3] to whom I am most grateful for the 1983 publication of The Boxed Set and its huge Map and for the origins of D&D as its co-creator with Dave Arneson; or the merchandising of Wizards of the Coat, who would like us all to believe no other Greyhawk but their official version exists. [Long time players should make special note to what I am saying here.}

In reality, there is only ONE Greyhawk and you are about to experience it for the first time. I use the information from the Boxed Set[4] as current to up to the Common Year (CY) of 517, retaining ONLY the social, economic and political information contained therein. The world, otherwise, is uniquely mine and, therefore, contains some surprises even for seasoned explorers of The Flanaess.

For the initiate of this game world, my world of Greyhawk is based on a large planet called Oerth. The continent where Greyhawk is situated is called Oerik. Geographically, the game focuses on the northeast corner of the continent of Oerik, which is known as The Flanaess. Greyhawk is a city in that section of Oerik, on the planet Oerth. The game opens in the Elven country named Celene.

While there is plenty of social-political information presented about The Flanaess, going as far back as to explain why that part of the continent is named for the Flan people, I really do not care and, subsequently, neither should my players because as I am the world builder. Neither am I an Otaku[5] when it comes to Greyhawk nor an obsessive compulsive when it comes to historical details about an imaginary planet, so players can relax. There will be no exam and no essential prior knowledge of the land is required outside of what is written here.

One might ask the question: What sort of ancient history would the inhabitants of The Flanaess know? A satisfying answer should consider that the institutionalization of education is a recent invention of modern Humankind, and ancient history had no place to sit an examination in medieval Europe, the raw setting of fantasy worlds. What is known would be through oral tradition. Apart from drinking tales like Beowulf,[6] most knowledge is centred around the family community and practical matters in nature. So a deep Gygaxian knowledge of the history of The Flanaess is well and truly beyond any player character or non-specialized Non-Player Character (NPC). As far as we understand studying ancient history, the characters are the ancient history of The Flanaess.

IF YOU READ THIS REMEMBER HOW FED UP I AM WITH READING STUFF THAT TAKES MY TIMNE AND OFFERS ME NOTHING IN RETURN. However, thank you for the easy instructios to create an account ^_^

Campaign Back Cover

The world of Greyhawk in 517 (CY) is a continuing expanse of ever growing alliances and conflicts between the races. The nation building conflicts visited upon the races by early Human settlements have been relegated to the long forgotten past by everyone but the Dwarven peoples and to a greater extent, due to their longevity, The Elven people. Still, even to the Elves, time has past and some wounds are healing.

In Celene, the land claimed by the Elven nation, a feudal monarchy has reigned for thousands of years. But for the past few years the monarchy has tried to remove long standing barriers between the Elven people and the other races, particularly the Human city state to the north in Verbobonc. When the Old King died in 511 of old age, he left his daughter, Yolande, to rule as Queen above the objection of her three older brothers and his many council advisors. To their surprise, the Lady Rhalta of All Elvenkind has proven a strong force to contend continuing in her father’s anti-isolationist footsteps and skillfully creating policies and enacting laws enabling co-mingling. Half-Elves, while still not openly accepted, are quietly tolerated and isolated tales of other races squatting in the small thorps of Celene are becoming more common. The situation is so delicate that open hospitality is about to erupt not only with the Human race to the north but with the Dwarven races to the west, races long tolerated because of their own protectionist policies.

Something must be done to save the culture of the Elven people, representing a mere 2% of the entire population of the world of Greyhawk, from assimilation! A secret society is formed to protect the Elven race.

And thus begins a story of fear, power and manipulation at the highest levels of politics leading to a civil war between the Elves in Celene, national wars with her neighbours and finally the opportunity the Humanoid hordes of The Pomarj have long and patiently waited for these many years: revenge.

This is the epic campaign that begins the adventure for 1st-level characters, considered outcasts in Celene, that first uncover more than simple treasure hidden inside a dungeon ruin. From there they learn of the power struggles taking shape in the capital Enstad, and rivalries harbored within the Royal Family itself. Two Barons will eventually come to blows forcing the players to take sides or be hunted by both. The choices are far from clear as one fulfills his fief duties to the Queen but earns the scorn of his people, while the other preys upon the fear of the people in an effort to undermine his neighbour and his nation.

Not until the characters stand in the very halls of power in Enstad, face-to-face with the Royal Family, will the campaign be resolved and the fate of a nation be decided.

Rumors, Information and Legends Important to the Game

Player and Player Character Knowledge

The adventure begins in the Elven country of Celene. The players play characters (PCs) that are outcasts of the Elven culture, where the popular protectionist beliefs are to avoid contact with other races and to be satisfied within the Elven homeland. Adventuring is strongly discouraged within the Elven custom.

Few Words About Knowing All The Ruless to Inexperienced Players<ref></ref>

The important thing is to enjoy the game without worry about rules. The game does have some rules to keep

Races Available for Player Characters

Humans are highly more favoured to play and are given preference to other races. Monsters, Orcs and Half-Orcs are definitely right out. They are hunted and unwelcome within my world of Greyhawk. >>>>The Flanaess

Half-Orcs, produced from the union of Human females and Orc males are commonly the by-product of the rape of the human slave after the Orc has pillaged the Human settlement. Female slaves are a mark of status within the Tribe of Orcs but maltreated and considered underlings to Orc females who treat them as slaves. Half Orcs bred by the Orc Tribe inherit some Human advantages fom increased size, emotional retardation and (some) higher intellect and are, therefore, considered more deadly shock troops - the first targets of Orc enemies.

Any Half-Orc born within a Human settlement is quickly strangled at birth, sometimes forcably over the objections of the unwed/unwanted mother by whomever is the local leader. Half-Orc babies are a sign of shame to the mother's family and a danger to the entire community since they are highly likely to be mistreated outsiders with an evil predisposition and plenty of reason to enact revenge.

Some Half-Orcs do survive in my world of Greyhawk because they were born and lived alone (with their mothers) in seclusion. They have no chance of any interaction with any

Dwarven

Dwarves represent 8% of the total polpulation of The Flannesse.

Elven

Elves represent a mere 2% of the entire population of The Flannesse.

Half-Elven

More Elven than Human, and more despised than Humans by Elves for a perceived parental slight on the customs and ores of Elven folk. Elves believe in the separation of the races and Half-Elves, often given the derogatory term "Half-lings" in their Elven nation, are the lowest of the low.

Gnome

Gnomes represent % of the total population of The Flannesse

Halfling, what we know to be Hobbits

Halflings represent % of the total population of The Flannesse

Human

Humans represent 80% of the total population of The Flannesse. Unlike the other races, Humans are not a unified race. They break along many cultural and political divides throughout the world perhaps due to their greater numbers than with the other races of Mankind. More apt to war amongst themselves than with other races, Humans fight for land space and the expansion of resource wealth. In all The Flannesse, Humans are the most interested in the control of a wealth supply than any of the other races.

Naming Conventions

Dwarves

Types of stone

Metal

Iron working

brute strength

Rolling Ability Scores

3d6 X 7 discard lowest score. Arrange however desired

Dice Rolls Any die result that completes its roll on the table, whether stopped by an inanimate object or on its own after rolling, is acceptable if the result is clearly visible. Dice that fall to the floor and results that are unclear (e.g. a die roll that stops between two numbers) are always rerolled by the player.

Secret Die rolls are a number of dice rolls done by each of the players for use in the order in which they were rolled during the current game session. The Dungeon Master collects these rolls before the game begins.

Player Characters backstory or history needs to be written and given to the Dungeon Master before a Player's Character can advance from the 2nd to the 3rd level.

Leveling Up has four prerequisites and one understanding: 1 - The required amount of experience points (XP) must be accumulated to gain the next level; 2 - A mentor non-player character (NPC) of sufficiently high level must be found and convinced to train the player character; 3 - The mentor will require payment or service for the training at the discretion of the Dungeon Master; 4 - Training must be done for a number of weeks equal to the number of encounters a player has

It is understood that once a player has sufficient XP to attain the next level, further calculation of XP is halted.

Experience Points (XP) Calculation is weighted on role playing not on simple defeating obstacles. The weights are Poor Role Play = Half XP Good Role Play = Full XP Great Role Play = 1.5 XP

The Angry Villager Rule The Angry Villager Rule... by Gary Gygax. The citation is on page 24 of the White Box booklet 3:

“Anyone who has viewed a horror movie is aware of how dangerous angry villagers are. Whenever the referee finds that some player has committed an unforgivable outrage this rule can be invoked to harass the offender into line. Within the realm of angry villagers are thieves from the “thieves quarters,” city watches and militia, etc. Also possible is the insertion of some character like Conan to bring matters into line.”

Rogues and Magic Unlike in the v3.5 rules, Rogues do not have the skill to detect magic in traps or disarm magic traps. They may not use a magical device.

The exeption to this rule is when the trap has a mechanical component that is not magical or when a magical device is deemed more mechanical than magical.

Arthur C. Clarke's 3rd Law by the British writer and scientist Arthur C. Clarke 3.Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarke's_three_laws#cite_note-1

a statement in a 1942 story by Leigh Brackett: "Witchcraft to the ignorant, .... Simple science to the learned".[2]

2.^ "The Sorcerer of Rhiannon", Astounding February 1942, p. 39. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigh_Brackett

, was proposed by Arthur C. Clarke in the essay "Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination", in Profiles of the Future (1962).<ref>"'Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination'" in the collection Profiles of the Future: An Enquiry into the Limits of the Possible (1962, rev. 1973), pp. 14, 21, 36.</ref>

The second law is offered as a simple observation in the same essay; its status as Clarke's Second Law was conferred on it by others.

Clarke's Three Laws are three "laws" of prediction formulated by the British writer and scientist Arthur C. Clarke. They are:

1.When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right; when he states that something is impossible, he is probably wrong. 2.The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible. 3.Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Starting spells

Technological Advancements

Mechanical Watches Stagecoaches central heating indoor plumbing vending machines Air balloons tall sailing ships concrete

No gunpowder - otherwise the swords and sorcery element of the game is lost

Money

Currency Coin of the realm Resource based Economy

Governments

Elven

Monarchy rulling feudal system

Celene

Dwarven Government

Limited form of Responsible Government.

Local Human Governments

Verbobonc, Viscounty and Town of

His Lordship, The Viscount Wilfrick of Verbobonc

Capital: Verbobonc (pop. 11,600) Population: 35,000 Demi-humans: Gnomes (4,000) Sylvan Elves (2,500) Humanoids: Few Resources: Copper, gems (I-V)

The viscounty is a large one, extending from the Velverdyva's south bank some 15 leagues into the Kron Hills, being over 50 leagues in breadth. Verbobonc is situated in the approximate center of its east-west axis.

Wild Coast

Capital: None but several major towns: Badwall - (5,200) Elredd - (8,400) Fax: - (6,700) Narwell: - (2,900) Safeton: - (4,600)

The western shores of the Sea Of Gearnat have long been a haven for malcontents, dissidents, demi-humans, humanoids, and the outcasts of other states.

Game References

Literary Influences

Brooks, Terry; The Sword of Shannarra

Martin, George RR; A Game of Thrones

Authors of note

Norton, Andre http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andre_Norton#Recurring_themes

Tolkien, JRR

Eddings, David

Ford, John M.

Religion

A Monotheistic belief in Herne, The Provider, with an ecclesiatical structure modelled on the Catholic Church.

Government

The Isle is governed by a Theocracy, led by a king deemed a saint.

The Church

The infallable Roe, corresponds to a Pope.

References

1. A common use of the term is in role-playing games to signify a deviation of game play from the official rules. The usage of house rules is encouraged in a number of official game materials, as a way to personalize the game. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=House_rule&action=edit&section=1

2. Gary Gygax: "When I initially began creating adventure material I assumed that the GMs utilizing the work would prefer substance without window dressing, the latter being properly the realm of the GM so as to suit the campaign world and player group.""Gary Gygax: Q & A (Part XII, Page 40)". EN World. 2007-03-28. http://www.enworld.org/forum/archive-threads/171753-gary-gygax-q-part-xii-40.html. Retrieved 2009-03-15.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Greyhawk#World_of_Greyhawk_boxed_set_.281983.29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Greyhawk_Fantasy_Game_Setting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flanaess

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomarj

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celene_(Greyhawk)

The Angry Villager Rule... by Gary Gygax. The citation is from page 24 of the White Box booklet 3: “Anyone who has viewed a horror movie is aware of how dangerous angry villagers are. Whenever the referee finds that some player has committed an unforgivable outrage this rule can be invoked to harass the offender into line. Within the realm of angry villagers are thieves from the “thieves quarters,” city watches and militia, etc. Also possible is the insertion of some character like Conan to bring matters into line.”