Blackpowder Weapons in Greyhawk

Recently in my swashbuckling Sea Princes campaign I have come to a new, somewhat progressive opinion on the use of guns, cannons and other things that go boom. My resolve was only strengthened after a discussion a couple weeks ago during our weekly Thursday night Canonfire! chat. Here is my "canon" proof that intentionally or not, blackpowder weapons have slowly been leaked into the World of Greyhawk and should inevitably become commonly known in the Flanaess:

1. Dragon Magazine #71/1983 Glossography: Murlynd, an original character from Gygax's own home campaign is a quasi-deity with "6-shooters" (acquired from another plane) that only function on Oerth due to his "magical aura".
2. Murlynd is promoted to hero-god of Magical Technology in 2nd edition's Slavers. He has few priests but they can take a firearms proficiency and those who gain high level may use smokepowder normally implying they acquired the same aura as Murlynd.
3. 3rd edition's Dragon Magazine #306 introduced the paladin variant, White Paladins who can take the feat "Secret of the Firebrands" which is essentially the same ability open to 2e priests of Murlynd. There is a note in the article about Murlynd struggling against St Kargoth (the main death knight in Greyhawk) over an item called the "Quannon".
4. Dragon Magazine #263: One depiction of Delleb, Oeridian god of reason and intellect is of an armored warrior on a warhorse, carrying a sabre and a "strange projectile weapon of metal and wood". Delleb is also said to have invented the crossbow, a weapon of metal and wood that is not strange to any race of the Flanaess.
5. Daern, the Oeridian hero-deity of defenses and fortifications was sponsored to godhood by Delleb. She is known mainly for her magic item Daern's Instant Fortress,
but in Dragon Magazine #82 she is also said to have authored a book titled, "Components and Reactions of Phosporous".

6. Lastly, just for fun, the 1980 Folio/1983 Guide: Both covers of these books show the heraldry for the Fief of Ahlissa (once Flan now Oerdian) with three fuse-lit blackpowder bombs.

That is plenty of evidence, though there is many other references that have the potential to bring even higher technology to the Flanaess as well, such as City Beyond the Gate (Dragon #100), The Jungle of Lost Ships (1983 Glossography), Doomgrinder (shudder), the World Serpent Inn (Dragon #351) or Expedition to the Barrier Peaks(S3).

Now all this evidence is pointless because of some unseen power on Oerth supposedly prevents blackpowder weapons from working (Note it did not stop the more advanced weapons from Barrier Peaks from working). In order to use or even create  blackpowder weapons this effect has to be overcome. In my opinion, this effect is the work of the gods trying to control pace of development for their mortal worshippers. This is key because as you've seen above, certain deities see technology as a balance to magic and have started to leak their secrets to mortals. Murlynd's dogma says this specifically and he can easily unlock his mortal priests from the restriction. Delleb similarly wants teachers to pass on their rare knowledge to trusted students, and he does so to Daern who then writes it down in a book for her faithful to later discover. I postulate that blackpowder weapons have always worked normally but that the knowledge to safely create them is what is magically suppressed.
It is known in Greyhawk canon that the Epoch of Magic wanes by 998 CY. Perhaps it's the slow rise of blackpowder that contributes to this. What all this boils down to in a campaign sense is a pre-renaissance level Greyhawk where blackpowder weapons can be manufactured with strong limitations to preserve the feel of the setting. More on what sort of limitations I mean next time...

Obligatory Wizards News

Yeah the news is likely to be spreading like wildfire across the blogosphere by now, but Wizards has announced that development is underway for the next [5th] edition of D&D. Can't say I'm shocked or excited. At this point it's almost shrug-worthy. Time will tell as always. As I read across the various blogs I don't have much else to add or comment on except that I'll try to keep my finger on the pulse of Greyhawk related things over at Wizards be they 4th, 5th, 6th edition, etc. It's too early to get on my pro-Greyhawk pulpit so for now let's enjoy the chaos! The next couple Gencons should at least be more interesting...

Update 4/28/2021: The link to the Wizards article is not on their site anymore, but a few of the blogged articles will still tell the story. It's fun to see 5E is still around ten years later, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down.

Sea Princes #18: Dangerous Diversions

Sorry for the delay. The following is a summary of two short game sessions. Last we saw the crew of the Sea Princes vessel, Bird of Prey, they were still in the Onnwalian capital of Scant looking for the sage Lockard Meek to help them decipher a map to the Well of All Heals. Instead they found his colleague the botanist Olfon Trebus who agreed to aid their search south in the deadly Amedio jungle. But there was still other dangers to present themselves before they'd get far. Here is our protagonists:

Victor Emmitt Hammond (rogue, swinging swordsman)

Araxo Tydan (rogue, temporarily gallant)

Cuahtehmoc aka "Cuahto" (ranger, savage shooter)

Brother Pickles (cleric, shark harpooning)
and Henri Morgan (rogue, boarding partier)

guest starring Gunther Stohl (hacks humanoids)

 

As he was helping round up everyone to set out of Scant, Henri Morgan overheard gossip in a tavern about a Keoish privateer called Lydia's Light that was on the lookout to capture Captain Rennaud and hang his renegade Bird of Prey crew. Armed with this news he ran back to the ship and told the captain who immediately knew the danger. Lydia's Light is a carrack led by one Captain Rynn, a learned naval veteran and rival of Rennaud's Keoish sailing family. The Sea Princes hastily left Scant bound for the "Hook" of the Amedio when sure enough waiting for them out to sea was the privateer looking for them. Caught unaware however, Lydia's Light was outpaced and after an hours long struggle the Bird of Prey crew could breath easier as they drove westward toward the Pomarj in order to lose the bigger, slower vessel. For now.

 

This evasion however led them into new trouble. A fog rolled in off the rocky coast and Cuahto sighted a smoking ship derelict in the water. Captain Rennaud was convinced to check it out but was wary given their haste and the area they were in. As Lt. Tydan organized his away team, their ship got closer in view enough to notice the smoldering cog was in fact an orcish pirate ship intentionally sending up smoke to lure them in. Before an order could be made to change tack another orcish pirate ship rowed out of the fog to cut them off, a galley bristling with oars and one catapult. Flaming arrows began to fly from the smaller ship and hit short of the Bird of Prey. The battle was engaged.

 

Everyone got to their posts except Lord Key who went below deck for his own safety. Ballistae were aimed, and two light cannon were loaded. The majority of the crew however made to turn their ship starboard in order to send a broadside volley back at the orcish cog called the Wounded Eye. Flaming arrows and ballista bolts were traded with the Wounded Eye suffering more damage due to a round of loud cannon fire. From afar the galley called Gruumsh's Fist fired its catapult at the moving caravel and missed. The galley gave chase as the Bird of Prey was ordered to go into the fog for cover. There, a boarding launch would be sent down to hopefully even the odds.

 

As the speedy Wounded Eye and Bird of Prey circled the stationary cog, missiles flew in all directions. In the chaos of battle Captain Rennaud seemed weakened or wounded and was carried to his quarters by Caine the surgeon while Quartermaster Skullbreaker took his post at the wheel. Just then, from the east another vessel entered the fray, a carrack called Osprem's Kiss, flying the anchor and crown flag of the Lordship of the Isles. Osprem's Kiss was armed for battle apparently and took the fight to Gruumsh's Fist allowing the Bird of Prey a chance to emerge from the fog and begin a boarding action on the Wounded Eye from two directions.

 

From a launch, Lt. Tydan led Cuahto, Brother Pickles, Gunther Stohl and Henri Morgan climbed over the side of the orcish cog, while swinging in from the Bird of Prey, Victor Hammond led a rag-tag band of Sea Princes from the other side. What orcs remained on the burning ship rushed to repel the boarders but were smashed through by the quick reflexes of Gunther Stohl. Behind him the Olman Cuahto pulled one orc into the water before climbing on deck. A melee broke out all over the Wounded Eye while in the distance the Osprem's Kiss had similarly started a boarding action against the orc galley. The heroes started off by firing their newly bought blackpowder weapons but found that the roiling deck and smoky conditions made it hard to hit even at close range. One orc in fact was miraculously missed three times before his gods deserted him and a fourth shot turned him into paste.

 

In a turn of temporary insanity, Araxo taunted and called out the captain of the orcs, Glork Spleenstabber who was all too happy to come down and stick his wicked cutlass through the pompous human. Henri Morgan took the chance to throw his poisoned dagger at the distracted captain but missed. As he himself was distracted an orcish ballista flew by his head nearly skewering him. Meanwhile, still in the launch, Pickles harpooned an orc and turned him into chum, then wrestled with the orc that had first fell into the water and got aboard their rowboat. The mad cook raged and eventually choked out the drenched orc pirate.

 

Defending himself, Araxo took some mean chops from the enraged orc captain and his compatriots rushed to his aid else the hapless first mate fall. Vic dashed in to flank the foe but was already suffering from multiple wounds as was many of the other boarders (Salty Sal lost an arm). Tumbling into the middle of an orc mob, Henri retrieved his poisoned dagger and stabbed Glork who seemed indignant more than affected by the little blade affectionately called "toad". That would still be his undoing as Gunther charged in and cleaved into the side of his head with a brutal swing. Dropping to his knees, Henri knocked Glork over to the brink of death. Araxo had him bound and stabilized to use as a hostage. A few remaining orc pirates leapt into the bloody sea to their own doom. The battle was won. Not far away, victory seemed evident for Osprem's Kiss against the galley, as slave oarsmen spilled out onto deck and began cheering.

 

The wounded needed healing and the cog needed searching before it could completely burn and sink beneath the Azure Sea. Signals were sent to parley between the "allied" vessels. As they met, it was soon discovered much to their surprise, that the commanding crew of Osprem's Kiss were all women...

 

Game notes: The first session was ship to ship combat using my hybrid seafaring rules. It went fairly well as an abstract which is all I wanted to achieve. The second session was then the boarding action using normal 3.5 combat rules. My first use of black powder guns in the Sea Princes campaign went well too. Their rate of fire will assure that they aren't going to break this game. All in all a good battle scene. 

Maps, Maps and More Maps

As duly reported by fellow Greyhawkian Rory Klein on his blog, Anna Meyer (Atlas of the Flanaess Project) has recently released a composite map of all her Flanaess sections to date. It's a big download but trust me its worth the wait for fans of her work and the setting. Follow either link for more details.

While I'm on the subject, another Greyhawk mapping community favorite, Eric Anondson has returned and has been busily working on his stunning views of the Sheldomar Valley (SW Flanaess). You can find different variations of Mr. Anondson's newest maps and also his older classic works of Greyhawk cartography on his gallery.

But that's not all! The Greyhawk map renaissance continues over at the Cartographer's Guild where a member named Lukc posted a commissioned map of Radigast City. I have to say, I don't know much about Radigast City in canon, but it doesn't matter. This map is stunning. Check it out. Kudos to Lukc and the Guild.

Podcast Topic: Maps

As many of you know I'm involved in a gaming podcast with my friends called Gamerstable. Last week we discussed a good topic on maps (This one is for you Anna). It's a broad subject: there's the utility and art of game maps, cartography programs, sites and materials and more. Oh yeah, and we even managed to drop a few names from the Greyhawk community. Enjoy!

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

Ring of Five Questions: Greg Vaughan

Welcome back and Happy New Year, Greyhawk mavens to another installment of the Ring of Five Questions! In the last couple interviews we were entertained with the old school insight of Joseph Bloch and blessed by the words of the great James M. Ward. Following in these big shoes is an author who is still rising in the RPG industry, and along the way has managed to leave his mark on the World of Greyhawk setting: Greg A. Vaughan. Greg started out freelancing in Dungeon Magazine, writing a module called Tammeraut's Fate and was also partly responsible for importing the classic adventure Isle of the Dread to the Greyhawk setting for Paizo Publishing's Savage Tide Adventure Path, a series that saw his heavy involvement including the climatic adventure Prince of Demons in Dungeon #150. From this humble beginning working in the Greyhawk milieu, Mr. Vaughan catapulted into even more freelance work for both Wizards of the Coast and Paizo Publishing on their highly successful Pathfinder setting. Greg is a member of the Werecabbages, a group of freelance RPG writers and is also an instrumental member of 3rd party publisher Frog God Games. Enough background, it's time to throw Greg into the Ring of Five...

Q1. As an experienced Greyhawk fan, you should know the Darlene map by heart. What land in the World of Greyhawk is your favorite?

Greg: Phew, this is a tough one.  Over the last 30 years I've had so many favorites that have shifted over time, it's hard to say.  Probably my lastest favorite area would be the Bissel/Ket Gap area.  There's just so much of Gary's early lore caught up in that area between the Expedition to Barrier Peaks and the Lost Caverns/Forgotten Temple stuff.  Plus it's the land of Iggwilv and has this neat East-meets-West (or in this case West-meets-East) vibe between the Baklunish and Oeridian cultures.  It's just a super rich environment for adventure and inspiration in my mind. In my home game I like to set Castle Ravenloft there in the lower peaks of the Yatils and run Bissel like Walachia and Ket like the Ottoman Empire and let the fur fly.
When I was a kid, though, the answer was definitely the Wild Coast/Pomarj area.  I LOVED the slave lords adventures and pretty much all my home campaigns eventually got around to that area at some point.

Q2. If you could be any one Greyhawk deity which one would it be?

Greg: Zagyg

Q3. Which author inspired you the most to write adventures for Greyhawk and later Pathfinder for Paizo Publishing?

Greg: Has to be Gary (Gygax).  I think I see a little bit of his stuff in just about everything I write.  Or at least I try to.  He's still my favorite, though there have obviously been a lot of great ones since.

Q4. You've written your fair share of Greyhawk material. Did you have any Greyhawk-themed ideas that didn't make publication?

Greg: Yes, I had a 5-part adventure series steeped in Greyhawk lore that I had pitched to Dungeon as a mini-adventure path that had the preliminary green light.  But the magazines were killed before it could get past the outline and discussion stage with James Jacobs.  I've thought about converting it to Golarion and pitching it as a complete adventure path to Paizo, and I think the conversion would work fairly well--there are enough parallels to make it work.  But in my heart of hearts I think it's always going to be a Greyhawk adventure.

Q5. You're shipwrecked on the Isle of Dread. Which Greyhawk NPC would you take with you?

Greg: Not Tenser...only his clone would survive.  Not Robilar, he'd just kill me and take my stuff.  Not Rory Barbarosa, people with him tend to get eaten. Probably Will or Tom Stoutly, 'cuz those dudes can row like nobody's business and seem like the kind of guys who will do what you tell them. And if you're stuck on the Isle of Dread, having somebody that's a strong rower has got to be a plus.

Greyhawk Resolutions 2012

Here I go again...
Every year I try to reassess what I want to get accomplished Greyhawk-wise and like any resolution they aren't easy to keep. I decided this time to try comparing last year to this year and see what is realistic.

2011: Maintain 2-3 posts a week, here on Greyhawkery.
2012: Maintain 2-3 posts a week on Greyhawkery and once a week on the Canonfire Crier.
Greyhawkery was a success. So riding that high I talked the guys at Canonfire into having an official blog. Based on my blog experience and the fact my role there keeps ascending it seems I'll be doling out most of the news on Crier. I just have to balance the content of both. Oh yes, and I have a full year of trying to chase down more interviews for my popular Ring of Five Questions series (some at Gencon). I can't wait.

2011: Write more articles. 
2012: Write more articles.
Nothing new here. I sort of failed. Cutting back on the comic I anticipated writing more, which I did technically just not for Canonfire or Oerth Journal. I started a Sea Princes campaign which has been successful and some of my posts on Greyhawkery have been downright article-worthy. So, better luck net year. On the Ull front, I would like to finally publish my Ulakand Gaz. Of course by then I'd like to have a Kester Gaz to go with it. We shall see.

2011: Promote Greyhawk.
2012: Promote Greyhawk.
Success. I lead by example and promote any fan articles, blogs or Greyhawk related news here. That one is easy to keep up. The added benefit is that in 2011 I joined a gaming podcast with my friends called Gamerstable. I get ample opportunities to promote and reminisce about Greyhawk in that venue as well.

2011: Greyhawk Comic.
2012: Redesign the Greyhawk Comic page.
Fail. Well cutting back from a 1/week schedule didn't help out. I started out strong but by summer I downright took a permanent vacation, except at the end when I put out one last Needfest Special. At this point sadly I am going to have to accept the comic is done and work on a site design into an archive and categorize what 300+ comics I already have. Denis Tetreault deserves alot of respect for keeping me up and running in 2011. I may make comics time to time when something really funny hits me, but for now I would rather come up with something new. Someday.

2011: Greyhawk Fiction.
2012: Greyhawk Maps.
I utterly failed at this one. I have ideas, I even have outlines, but it's a matter of dedicating time to it and deciding on a format. On the bright side there has been a few authors at Canonfire who have stepped up and made some good Greyhawk fiction and I applaud them. For now I'm keen on a resurgence in Greyhawk mapping via Anna Meyer's Flanaess Geographic Society. Some people may also know Eric Anondson's map work from Canonfire and having him back on Greyhawk cartography has only boosted interest in the community more. Last year I did my masterpiece of mapping, the South Seas and hopefully I can modestly add something more to the movement. I'm pondering something informative like a trade route map.

(NEW) 2012: Greyhawk gaming
Speaking of the Sea Princes. My first regular Greyhawk game in years was spur of the moment and very successful in 2011. I finished one story arc 1-3rd level and hope to finish a second story arc that takes the players from 4th to 6-7th level. It's a campaign that we hope to come back to frequently over the year/s rather than run into the ground Adventure Path style.

Update 4/28/2021: Yes indeed, Greyhawkery was a success. Kester Gaz though? Still a fail!