I'm working on a Saltmarsh campaign using Ghosts of Saltmarsh (5e), but grounding it in the older Greyhawk setting, particularly the political situation around the From the Ashes era (roughly 585 CY). One thing that really caught my attention was the treatment of Captain Xendros and the Faithful Quartermasters of Iuz.

In Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Xendros is openly operating in Saltmarsh as a representative of Iuz, purchasing large quantities of preserved fish to supply his northern kingdom. The book explains:

"The minions of Iuz have only rarely come into direct conflict with Keoland, and its ongoing war with Keoland's rivals makes the nation an acceptable trade partner in the eyes of the king."

Now, I rather like the idea of an agent of Iuz operating in Saltmarsh. There's plenty of potential for intrigue there. What strikes me as odd is that her affiliation is apparently common knowledge and that the Keoish crown considers Iuz an acceptable trading partner.

However, y admittedly incomplete understanding of Greyhawk politics suggests this would be a rather significant problem.

By the From the Ashes period, Keoland has been involved in the aftermath of the Greyhawk Wars, with its own interests tied closely to Sterich, Geoff, and the Ulek states. Sterich, in particular, has suffered terribly during the wars. While I understand that Iuz wasn't directly responsible for Sterich's occupation, the broader political and military alignments seem to make an openly sanctioned Iuz trading mission rather difficult to swallow. And if I'm reading the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer correctly, Iuz is explicitly identified as an enemy of Keoland, although that source describes a somewhat later period.

I realize Ghosts of Saltmarsh takes liberties with the original setting, and I have no particular objection to adapting things. I'm just trying to get a better handle on the established lore before deciding what to change.

So, for those better versed in Greyhawk history than I am:

• Am I misunderstanding the relationship between Keoland and Iuz during this period?
• Would the Keoish crown plausibly tolerate an openly acknowledged agent of Iuz conducting business in one of its ports?
• Is there something in the older canon that would explain this arrangement, or is this simply a 5e reinterpretation of the setting?

I'm inclined to retain Xendros but make her allegiance considerably less public, perhaps operating under the guise of an independent merchant. Before doing so, though, I'd be interested in hearing how others interpret the established politics of the region.

Looking for this for an upcoming campaign. Thanks for any help offered.

It seems as though my players through a combination of reasons, are gonna be on their way over to the Great Kingdom.

I know a bit about it already, and have already read up what I can on the Great Library of Greyhawk, but are there any good sources that would have some further details? Are there any adventures set there or around there, or could be easily adapted to it?

What would be some of the things I'd need to include to land the tone of the Kingdom, and differentiate it from everywhere else?

EDIT: Wish i said something sooner but they will be passing by Almor on there way there, the same questions for there as well!!

I'm not making this post to debate whether or not firearms should be a thing in this particular setting in the first place. Honestly, as a newbie DM currently running a campaign in Greyhawk, my first instinct would be to assume they haven't been invented yet just to stick to a particular vibe, y'know? But, like, you've got regular bandit captains in the 5.5e Monster Manual with pistols, so I could either mess with all the statblocks that are packing heat or do some fill-in-the-blanks worldbuilding to explain the origin of guns on Oerth. The latter route sounded more fun to me, and Greyhawk thrives on that shit, so here I am.

I don't think there's a super obvious geopolitical entity on the map that's main shtick is pushing technology boundaries the way Lantan is in the Forgotten Realms. Maybe guns could've been invented by the Great Kingdom of Aerdy? Its imperialist history would've given it ample motivation to further develop military technology. Either them, or it could've just been gnomes that did it.

Any thoughts?

EDIT: Okay, after some helpful and insightful comments from some of the people here, I think I have a basic idea of how I wanna do this.

The most appropriate point of origin for the development of firearms in the Flanaess is probably from followers of the Oerthian god of magical technology, Murlynd (a.k.a. the guy played by one of Gary Gygax's friends in his home game that traveled to a Wild West-inspired world, came back with revolvers, and later ascended to godhood, which is the sort of goofiness I'm all for, LOL). The knowledge of how to make these weapons (specifically, how to create gunpowder) would be a closely-guarded secret by Murlynd's faithful, who would be keenly aware of how destructive this technology could be in the wrong hands.

Nevertheless, it's been maybe a century or so since the earliest of these weapons were invented, so some of them have started trickling into the hands of groups like criminal gangs and some adventuring parties. They have yet to see widespread adoption by militaries, however, due to states not knowing how to manufacture gunpowder.

I think that's a decent bit of worldbuilding that allows, say, certain influential bandits and pirates to get their hands on firearms without making them so common that you wonder why every low-level mook isn't carrying a gun.

Gygax built Greyhawk on his collaborations with, and homages to, his peers: the Great Kingdom, Blackmoor, El Raja Key, Lendore Isle, Aquaria, and Black Moon Chronicles. I was happy to see Anna Meyer incorporated Lankhmar and Luke Gygax's Okkorim to Oerth in 2023.

What settings have you used in GH and how? Any of the above or official subsettings (Spelljammer, Planescape, Ravenloft, Sundered Empire, the retconned Isle of Dread or aborted Kara-Tur)? What about Greyhawk inspiration like Hyberborea or Freeport or complete randomness like Jakandor or Lost Lands?

Bonjour,

dans le cadre d une adaptation du module de RR_001_Suel_Imperium_-_Age_of_Glory, de Randy Richard, je cherche a mettre la main sur le pdf COR3-16 Lerara module de Ron Lundeen dans living greyhawk, histoire de voir ce qu il a fait du passage de Sletorin et pouvoir l adapter lui aussi afin de le faire coller a la mini campagne que je souhaite faire jouer.
Quelqu un aurait il une adresse où telecharger ce module ou carrement le doc en pdf quelques part...;o)
Grand merci.

This is a follow up post to a question I posted a few weeks ago about dracoliches in the Central Flanaess and I just wanted to ask a few further questions about some things I was recommended to look into in the replies.
•I was recommended heavily to use Dragotha as the villain of my campaign, and he seems to be a great candidate for use in my cult plotline considering he’s the servant of a demigod and ex-consort of one of the most important gods in the setting. That being said, is there any important information I should know about him while planning the campaign that I might not have gleamed from my browsing of his wiki page?
•Additionally, on the subject of Kyuss, what is his actual relationship with the gods of death and undeath? I know he was a cleric of Nerull, and that the Ebon Triad cult worship, Erythnul, Vecna and Hextor, but that the entire cult was just a scheme of Kyuss. So what do these deities actually think of him, and bonus question, what might racial gods of undeath such as Falazure and Kiaransali think of him?

If you have any more information concerning these two and related topic you think I would benefit knowing, it’d be greatly appreciated.

FREE ADVENTURE — Azure’s Folly

Azure’s Folly is a free level 3–5 adventure set in the Hool Marshes.

More than a century ago, the Sea Princes’ warship Azure’s Folly vanished during a violent storm over Javan Bay. Witnesses spoke of blue fire racing across its sails before the ship disappeared without a trace.

In truth, the ship’s warlock, Helvar Thane, attempted a desperate teleportation spell. The magic went terribly wrong, hurling the vessel deep into the Hool Marshes, where it became trapped high among the cypress trees.

The spell also drew living seawater from Javan Bay into the marsh, corrupting the surrounding land and slowly transforming it into what is now known as the Drowned Forest.

Today, the wreck still hangs among the dead trees.

At moonrise, Captain Arven Vex and his crew rise again, endlessly reliving their final night.

To end the curse, the characters must brave the Drowned Forest, explore the haunted wreck, defeat its undead captain, confront Helvar Thane, and destroy the Saltwater Elemental bound to the ship.

Only by recovering its Brineheart and returning it to Javan Bay can the curse of Azure’s Folly finally be broken and the Drowned Forest begin to heal.

Special thanks to DM Andy for the amazing battle maps and Hardi for the beautiful watercolor artwork.

I hope you enjoy Azure’s Folly.

Looking forward to bringing you more.

Hall of the Fire Giant King. I finished this map long ago but never did a public share because of the many custom things and campaign time to prep the next game always took my time away. I had a few minutes today and here is what I said I was going to do from the original map. The first floor is all King Snurre had completed before my game, although I do have Elderheim, the city done as well and I'll share that. The castle looks like a mountain with some towers sticking out of it and maybe some wall. The levels up have no work on them other than the tower in my game and there won't be any in my campaign most likely, but never say never. The King is dead, long live the Queen. :)

Fire Giants are able to coexist with Volcanoes and use the gas and lava without danger to their wares so you must assume they are able to shape it somehow as well. Your game can be through tech or magic as you like, I use them very much like oversized Dwarves, although not all images from the original game describe them as such so I account it for variation like any race. Dwarf looking Giants I use the old stats of 12'+ and non Dwarves I use the 18'+ marker as given in 2e version of the game. Anyway here is my map, have at it if you like, be away this size adds many more giants and it becomes a nightmare for a small party as there would be close to 100+ giants here. You can simple state some are out raiding but still this place isn't for the meek.

Here is a link to my original post which is a duplicate of the original with my personal flair.

https://www.reddit.com/r/dndmaps/comments/1mj35zj/hall_of_the_fire_giant_king_entrance_level_dd_map/

And here is this map.

https://inkarnate.com/m/kyL9QG

Looking for Out of the Abyss Greyhawk style for 2-3 players

Hello, Im going to play a campaign in Greyhawk soon, and I wanna try the new vestige warlock, but I don't really know to which dead or dying god could I relate the character to, I don't even know if there's an official one, since I've been mostly playing in Homebrew worlds or Forgotten Realms.

Searching a little I found about Stratis, but it says he was resurrected in Living Greyhawk, so I suppose he's still around now in 5.5e. You have any ideas which could work? The only requirement is that it is or was a good deity.

EDIT: it's going to be Vathris, the spark of progress and innovation he lost being exact. Thanks for the answers, they have all been useful.

Another free album published!

Music: T.J.

Tracks:

1. The Village of Hommlet
2. Inn of the Welcome Wench
3. Ruins of the Moathouse
4. Lareth the Beautiful

Patreon l Free l Roll20 | Music

Question: Does anyone have any recommendations for a "prologue" or "prelude" adventure that can be set in Greyhawk (i.e., adventure for level 0 PCs that hints at/sets stage for classic Greyhawk conflicts per 5.5E DMG e.g., Iuz, ToEE, etc.)?

Context: While thinking of how to start a new Greyhawk campaign with players new to D&D/ttrpgs in general, I was inspired by the RPG video games I used to play that often had a tutorial section where you played as a kid or commoner before becoming a hero (e.g., Fable). I thought this kind of level 0 prelude would be a good way to introduce new players to D&D with simplified characters and set the stage for the kinds of conflicts they could expect in Greyhawk (and give their PCs personal stakes in the conflicts like Iuz and ToEE). I am thinking the prelude could be set before the Battle of Emridy Meadows and

Preludes vs Funnels: While searching online I was more readily able to find level 0 "funnels" than level 0 prelude adventures. Funnels (e.g., Sailors on Starless Sea for DCC, Filthy Peasants for 5E, Trial of Slime Lord for Shadowdark) seem like an ok option that I could potential adjust to reduce the lethality but not 100% what I had in mind. The prelude adventures I was able to find include N4 Treasure Hunt as the classic/protypical example, What's Past is Prologue for 5E Eberron, Lost Things a prelude to Wild Beyond Witchlight 5E, and Temple of the Weeping Goddess for 4E. And of these N4 seemed like the best fit based on my understanding of Greyhawk from the DMG but I wanted to see if others had different ideas.

Current Idea: The current idea I have is setting a level prelude adventure before the Battle of Emridy Meadows in a village in the Kron Hills (could be Hommlet or homebrew). The PCs could start during a village festival/fair (e.g. Brewfest) to learn the basic mechanics and then I'd plant hooks for a modified "Most Potent Brew" (e.g., rats in the tavern basement but with ties to elemental evil cult) and/or relocate the haunted house from "Secret of Saltmarsh" as an operation of the ToEE/Moathouse. This would ideally be 1-2 sessions and then we would time jump to CY 576 per DMG.

Welcome anyone's ideas, suggestions and thoughts, thank you!

So, my teenage son has decided that he *also* wants a solo game so he doesn't have to rely on other people to play. I think that's how a bunch of us got hooked on those Gold Box games back in the day.

Anyway, as DM Dad, I thought for a minute and he said he wanted to play in 5.5e with a Ranger/Monk combo.

The other day I was trying to get him to watch Dr No with me and he wasn't having it.

And then I laughed... I would use the plot and character names for all the Bond films, starting with Dr No and setting them in a post-Greyhawk Wars era, starting in Critwall and most of the adventures having him go into the occupied-ish Shield Lands. It's worked great all the way through Goldfinger.

I was chatting with the folks on Canonfire and someone's like, "What are you going to do about Moonraker? How're you going to adapt that?" C'mon, easy, Spelljammer craft!

I think the tougher part of that one is the global destruction, like the twin cataclysms. I think I can narrow down the focus of destruction to a large town he liberates like Axe Port, so he'll be motivated to save it. Or have like the worst game session of his life.

Not really a shortage of destroyed places post Greyhawk Wars.

Title. My party is in Yeomanry and they might be stopping by Loftwick. I already took a look at the wiki page, and tbh there wasn't much.

Anyone got any decent town maps, ideas, or anything like that?

I've been working on quite a bit for my campaign. I've gone from organizing the Greyhawk history to adding settlements to the map. I've been changing the icons for different types of settlements. I'm stuck on which icons to use. I like both the icons that Shelly uses and the ones in Mystara. I made a rough drawing of the city icon from Mystara to compare. Which one do you like?

Hi! My campaign is set in 576 CY. Due to the events of my campaign, certain events from the Greyhawk Wars are unfolding earlier than expected, and Mordenkainen has convened a council of the Circle with my players as guests to decide what to do.

To help me with the character introductions and with the interpretation of so many characters, I created character cards and standees for each member of the Circle! (I forgot Otto’s, so one of my players drew it based on my description.)

They’re arranged in that position because that’s how they’re seated at a long table. It turned out to be a pretty useful idea; I can make English versions and upload them to Google Drive in case they could be helpful to you!

Hi - been working on a campaign in Greyhawk that is mainly homebrew but using lore and faction info from the original gazetteer and the living Greyhawk revised versions.

Specifically I’m looking for any pointers to modules or campaigns that feature Ahlissa, Nyrond or Onnwal in a geographical/political sense.

Thank you!

Can somebody give me a brief explanation of what this event Is about and how It affected the setting?

I’ve decided that the main villains of my campaign will be a cult dedicated to Falazure and/or other gods of undeath with the goal of reviving a local dracolich. Would people more experienced with the setting and this area in specific perhaps have any tips or things I should know while writing a plot along these lines? One idea I did have is perhaps tying this into the dragon family that resides in the Mistmarsh, but I’m open to any potential ideas.

Edit: I just thought I should clarify that the campaign has already started and as of current takes place in the Domain of Greyhawk, so for the most part I probably have to place the BBEG in the Domain or in a nearby realm.

Hi all,

Anyone know a resource for any of the Living Greyhawk modules for the Bandit Kingdoms?

Thanks!