D&D General grodog's Greyhawk campaign update, with bonus Pholtus ponderings!

[grodog]

Hola folks!---

I shared a new post in my blog that's a mixture of Greyhawk campaign update and some noodlings on Pholtus:

Enter Stage Left - Agutha, the Glimmering Sister of Pholtus

Allan Grohe's game design column covering the elements of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventures with practical examples useful in campaign play.

grodog.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Allan.

 

[Voadam]

I always found the lack of Identification of specific religions in the 1e boxed set's religious states to be baffling, leaving a bit more DIY than I wanted for someone trying to run the setting straight from the boxed set as I was in the 80s. I would have appreciated something like a religious map similar to the ethnic migration and alignment and political divisions and terrain ones we had. Also saying things like the specific religious aspects of the theocratic See of Medegia or the Arch-clericy of Veluna or who the patron gods of the cleric rulers listed in the nation and major NPCs section were.

The Theocracy of the Pale hints strongly at Pholtus through its intolerance of other religions and not so perfect mortal population and political alignment of LN followers of a LG god of the one true way and O blinding light creed as well as its confluence of ethnic population and geographic location but the boxed set is never explicit.

2e and 3e fill in a lot of the blanks, but there is a lot of post-Gygax people judgment calls and decisions.

I tend to see Pholtus as basically a LG good guy with a lot of one true wayism that can be a not so great aspect for either the god or the followers' interpretation.

 

[grodog]

I would have appreciated something like a religious map similar to the ethnic migration and alignment and political divisions and terrain ones we had.

I think that's a great idea, and although it would likely follow general cultural footprints from the migration maps, it would still be useful to see the zones of "control" for the Flannae, Suloise, Oeridians, et al. The map visual could be extrapolated from the national breakdowns listed in the Guide on page 14:

Also saying things like the specific religious aspects of the theocratic See of Medegia or the Arch-clericy of Veluna or who the patron gods of the cleric rulers listed in the nation and major NPCs section were.

While I get what you're saying here, I think not defining that leaves more latitude for individual interpretation of the setting. Perhaps in your game Pholtus is very commonly worshipped in Almor, but in mine it's Rao (or whatever).

The Theocracy of the Pale hints strongly at Pholtus through its intolerance of other religions and not so perfect mortal population and political alignment of LN followers of a LG god of the one true way and O blinding light creed as well as its confluence of ethnic population and geographic location but the boxed set is never explicit.

2e and 3e fill in a lot of the blanks, but there is a lot of post-Gygax people judgment calls and decisions.

I tend to see Pholtus as basically a LG good guy with a lot of one true wayism that can be a not so great aspect for either the god or the followers' interpretation.

I agree: I tend to see Pholtus as more LG than LN---he's listed as "Lawful good (neutral)" in the Glassography, which suggests less neutralness to me than say Wee Jas (who was originally LN then changed to LN(e) in her Dragon Magazine debut)---and is simply less tolerant than other LG gods perhaps. Whether that intolerance stems from the godhead or from the mortal hierarchy in the sects is always open to question

Curiously, like Wee Jas, Pholtus' worshippers may be any Lawful alignment in the boxed set---LG, LN, or LE.

Allan.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I think that's a great idea, and although it would likely follow general cultural footprints from the migration maps, it would still be useful to see the zones of "control" for the Flannae, Suloise, Oeridians, et al. The map visual could be extrapolated from the national breakdowns listed in the Guide on page 14:

View attachment 402562

I really like the idea of a sort of ethnicity/culture based influence map. It could very well be a proxy for the cultural pantheons too.

<cartographer musings>

It might go well like the old resource map with just the letters to represent each heritage. Coloring, like color bands for each, could get awkward with the tiny states like Dyvers or Greyhawk that are very diverse.

 

[grodog]

I really like the idea of a sort of ethnicity/culture based influence map. It could very well be a proxy for the cultural pantheons too.

I imagine a series of time-based maps, then showing changes in zones as the Great Migrations commence, in waves, showing the displacement of the Flannae and demi-human realms over time.

It might go well like the old resource map with just the letters to represent each heritage. Coloring, like color bands for each, could get awkward with the tiny states like Dyvers or Greyhawk that are very diverse.

Agreed—it would be difficult to be so granular for the free cities, but there’s also likely less need: they were probably relatively homogeneous with their regional surroundings, overall.

Allan.