Combat as Sport vs. Combat as War

A very thought provoking article over on EN World by Daztur. It explained in greater detail some of the philosophical difference in playing styles of the older editions more explicitly than I might have. The following text is lifted straight from that article.

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[Very Long] Combat as Sport vs. Combat as War: a Key Difference in D&D Play Styles...

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…and how to reconcile them in 5ed.

On another forum I’ve been running in circles with fans of other editions about different D&D play styles and how different editions support them, but I think I’ve finally nailed a key difference that sheds an enormous amount of light about so many disagreements about 5ed development.

Without quite realizing it, people are having the exact same debate that constantly flares up on MMORPG blogs about PvP: should combat resemble sport (as in World of Tanks PvP or arena combat in any game) or should it resemble war (as in Eve PvP or open world combat in any game).

People who want Combat as Sport want fun fights between two (at least roughly) evenly matched sides. They hate “ganking” in which one side has such an enormous advantage (because of superior numbers, levels, strategic surprise, etc.) that the fight itself is a fait accompli. They value combat tactics that could be used to overcome the enemy and fair rules adhered to by both sides rather than looking for loopholes in the rules. Terrain and the specific situation should provide spice to the combat but never turn it into a turkey shoot. They tend to prefer arena combat in which there would be a pre-set fight with (roughly) equal sides and in which no greater strategic issues impinge on the fight or unbalance it.

The other side of the debate is the Combat as War side. They like Eve-style combat in which in a lot of fights, you know who was going to win before the fight even starts and a lot of the fun comes in from using strategy and logistics to ensure that the playing field is heavily unbalanced in your favor. The greatest coup for these players isn’t to win a fair fight but to make sure that the fight never happens (the classic example would be inserting a spy or turning a traitor within the enemy’s administration and crippling their infrastructure so they can’t field a fleet) or is a complete turkey shoot. The Combat as Sport side hates this sort of thing with a passion since the actual fights are often one-sided massacres or stand-offs that take hours.

I think that these same differences hold true in D&D, let me give you an example of a specific situation to illustrate the differences: the PCs want to kill some giant bees and take their honey because magic bee honey is worth a lot of money. Different groups approach the problem in different ways.

Combat as Sport: the PCs approach the bees and engage them in combat using the terrain to their advantage, using their abilities intelligently and having good teamwork. The fighter chooses the right position to be able to cleave into the bees while staying outside the radius of the wizard’s area effect spell, the cleric keeps the wizard from going down to bee venom and the rogue sneaks up and kills the bee queen. These good tactics lead to the PCs prevailing against the bees and getting the honey. The DM congratulates them on a well-fought fight.

Combat as War: the PCs approach the bees but there’s BEES EVERYWHERE! GIANT BEES! With nasty poison saves! The PCs run for their lives since they don’t stand a chance against the bees in a fair fight. But the bees are too fast! So the party Wizard uses magic to set part of the forest on fire in order to provide enough smoke (bees hate smoke, right?) to cover their escape. Then the PCs regroup and swear bloody vengeance against the damn bees. They think about just burning everything as usual, but decide that that might destroy the value of the honey. So they make a plan: the bulk of the party will hide out in trees at the edge of the bee’s territory and set up piles of oil soaked brush to light if the bees some after them and some buckets of mud. Meanwhile, the party monk will put on a couple layers of clothing, go to the owl bear den and throw rocks at it until it chases him. He’ll then run, owl bear chasing him, back to where the party is waiting where they’ll dump fresh mud on him (thick mud on thick clothes keeps bees off, right?) and the cleric will cast an anti-poison spell on him. As soon as the owl bear engages the bees (bears love honey right?) the monk will run like hell out of the area. Hopefully the owl bear and the bees will kill each other or the owl bear will flee and lead the bees away from their nest, leaving the PCs able to easily mop up any remaining bees, take the honey and get the hell out of there. They declare that nothing could possibly go wrong as the DM grins ghoulishly.

Does that sound familiar to anyone?

Some D&D players love the tactical elements of the game and well-fought evenly matched combat within it while other players prefer the logistical and strategic elements and if only end up in evenly matched fights if something has gone horribly wrong. These two kinds of play styles also emulate different kinds of fantasy literature with Combat as Sport hewing to heroic fantasy tropes while the Combat as War side prefer D&D to feel like a chapter of The Black Company. This was really driven home by one comment from a Combat as Sport partisan talking about how ridiculous and comedic it would be PCs to smuggle in all kinds of stuff in a bag of holding so they could use cheap tactics like “Sneak attack with a ballista!” However, sneak attacking with a ballista is exactly what happens in Chapter Forty-Eight of Shadows Linger (the second Black Company book) and the Combat as War side think that’s exactly the sort of thing that D&D should be all about.

While either form of D&D can be played with any edition, it works better with some editions than others. A lot of people have played TSR editions from more of a Combat as Sport Mindset and a lot of later TSR products seem to consist of trying to frog march poor Croaker into heroic fantasy, but TSR-D&D mostly sucks at Combat as Sport. It’s not easy to gauge what would be a good fair fun fight for a given party and the same fight could end up as a cakewalk or a TPK, melee combat is repetitive, there’s one-hit kills etc. Also a lot of elements of TSR-D&D design that drive Combat as Sport people crazy, really tie into the Combat as War mindset. Things like tracking rations, torch usage, rolling for wandering monsters, etc. are important for this kind of gameplay since they make time a scarce resource, which is vital for strategic and logistical gameplay since if the players have all the time in the world so many strategic and logistical constraints get removed and without those constraints you get all kinds of problems cropping up (most notably the 15 minute adventuring day). As Gygax says, in all caps no less “YOU CAN NOT HAVE A MEANINGFUL CAMPAIGN IF STRICT TIME RECORDS ARE NOT KEPT” (DMG page 37), which sounds like crazy moon logic for people who like Combat as Sport gameplay but is a central factor in making Combat as War gameplay work.

With 3ed the game shifted a bit towards Combat as Sport and then shifted a good bit more with 4ed (although you can still certainly run 4ed as a Combat as War game with heavy use of things like rituals, but the main thrust of the game is towards Combat as Sport). In 4ed it’s easy to tell what’s a good fair fight for a given party and combat rarely goes in a direction that the DM completely didn’t expect and there’s tons of fun combat variety. However, the 4ed focus on balancing combat at the encounter level rather than the adventure level (or just not balancing it at all and running a sandbox) runs directly counter to Combat as War gameplay. In order for a combat encounter to be well-balanced nothing that happens outside of that encounter can matter too much. This means that in order to get proper encounter balance, the impact of strategic and logistical gameplay must be muted as if having stuff that happens outside of the combat make a huge difference in the difficulty of the encounter, then there’s no way to guarantee fun balanced fights. Hence Encounter Powers, hence Healing Surges (sure starting combat with half of your healing surges sucks but not as much as starting it with half of you hit points), hence not having any classes that are designed to be below par at tactical combat, hence a lack of abilities that are useless in some fights but “I win” buttons in other fights, hence a lot of Sports and War dislike for the few bits of 4ed design that don’t fit well with balancing combat at the encounter level (notably Daily Powers). Of course 4ed is not doesn’t do this 100%, but it comes a lot closer than any other edition. However, the whole line of thinking runs counter to Combat as War thinking, the whole POINT of Combat as War gameplay is to make the playing field as unbalanced as possible in the favor of the party, so mechanics that are built around balancing combat at the encounter level just get in the way. In addition, 4ed removes a lot of items from the Combat as War gamer’s bag of tricks and it’s much harder to rat **** the opposition with 4ed powers than 1ed spells, since they’re specifically written to be resistant to be used for ratf**king and the lack of specific information about specifically how 4ed powers work in real-world terms make it hard for Combat as War players to use them to screw over the opposition instead of beating them in a fair sportsmanlike match since it’s hard to figure out exactly how to use 4ed powers for off-label purposes.

But probably most importantly, 4ed combat just takes too damn long for Combat as War players. If you’re going to spend your time doing sneaky rat bastard Black Company stuff before combat starts, then having combat take a long time is just taking time away from the fun bits of play. Also if combat takes a long time you just can’t have the sort of attrition-based gameplay since there just isn’t time to have 5 combats in five hours with plenty of time for other stuff aside from combat and a break for pizza as well. 4ed thrives on big flashy set piece battles and that doesn’t work well with Combat as War gameplay since the best kind of combat for those players is having the enemy die like a chump in the first round (with a good admixture of the PCs running and screaming in terror in the first round).

OK, now how can we reconcile these two different play styles in 5ed. Having the tactical rules be an add-on module for the Combat as Sport people is an important first step, this lets the people who like that have fun with it while the Combat as War people can use the simpler combat rules to get combat over quickly. But I think that the Combat as War people could use a DM-side add-on module as well with ideas to emphasize strategic and logistical thinking (the “Fantasy F**king Vietnam” Module basically). How monsters are written up also matters a lot. In the getting the honey from the bees adventure, specifics of monster ecology and biology don’t matter that much for the Combat as Sport side, but just look at how much they matter in the Combat as War side (does smoke keep giant bees away? how much territory will one hive of giant bees patrol? what time of day is the owl bear at home in its cave? do owl bears love honey? will thick clothes and mud help against the bees? will the owl bear fight the bees or run away? how far will the bees chase the bear if it runs). Of course the DM will have to answer a lot of these questions, but monster write-ups can help a lot. Finally, the spells that appeal to each side are different with the Combat as Sport side’s favorite spells being boring to the Combat as War side and the Combat as War side’s favorite spells being far too quirky, situational and unbalancing for the Combat as Sport side. Hopefully some ways will be found to reconcile the two sides.

Combat as Sport: valuing the separate roles of the quarterback, linebacker and wide receiver and what plays you can use to win a competitive game.
Combat as War: being too busy laying your end zone with caltrops, dousing the midfield with lamp oil, blackmailing the ref, spiking the other team’s water and bribing key members of the other team to throw the game to worry about all of those damn squiggles on the blackboard.

Or:

Combat as Sport:

 

Combat as War:





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Personally I think both have a place at the gaming table depending on the mood of the game, players and DM as well as how best it would suit the storyline. In all fairness I do tend to lean towards the Combat as War moreso than Combat as Sport, but there is room for both at the gaming table. The real trick is knowing where and when to use them in any given encounter.

Greyhawk in Dragon Magazine in 2012

This from Chris Perkins editorial blurb at Wizards;

"This year in the magazines, we’re taking a break from the Nentir Vale “points of light” setting to shine a light on the Forgotten Realms as well as some of our other popular worlds, past and present. You’ll see more Eberron articles, more Dark Sun articles, and even some content for Ravenloft, Planescape, and the World of Greyhawk. But the Realms, in particular, will receive a lot of love."

Now while I do have a lot of Forgotten Realms material my first love will always be Greyhawk. This dates back to the release of the Greyhawk Folio back in 1980. Greyhawk was the first published world I traveled into and explored with my friends. My longest campaign to date (8 years) has been set in Greyhawk. Lately I have been re-visiting the 'Gygaxian' Greyhawk where possible. By that I mean I have forgone the use of 2ed material in favor of customized "City of Greyhawk" maps. I'm not dumping all of the later material, but in my version of Greyhawk "The Greyhawk Wars" never happened. I'm currently gaming with a group and the campaign start date was 575 CY. We'll see where the campaign leads to from there. We've already made it to 576 while exploring the Temple of Elemental Evil.

But getting back to the Dragon articles, I'll be waiting to see what if any new material they will be putting out, or are they just going to update the old material they already have like they did with the 4ed Hommlet release.

20 Quick Questions: Rules

Brenden from the Untimately blog posted a list of 20 questions / rules clarifications a DM should decide and inform the group of fairly early before play.
I'm sure most of these answers won't come as a surprise to 1ed players, but everyone does have their own flavor and preferences. Here are mine.

1. Ability scores generation method? Roll 4d6 6 times drop the lowest die, re-roll 1's the first time they come up only. Rolls arranged in order, you may swap one set of stats. 
2. How are death and dying handled? 0 HP unconscious and dying, lose 1 HP per round until stabilized/treated. Dead below -10 HP. If healed above 0 HP useless for the day (at least depending on severity of wound). Lose all spells, can't fight, and move at 1/2 speed at most .
3. What about raising the dead? Yes, but the cost will usually be a quest not gold.
4. How are replacement PCs handled? You come back at -1 level of lowest level member in the party.
5. Initiative: individual, group, or something else? Typically group initiative.
6. Are there critical hits and fumbles? How do they work? Yes 20 is a crit and 1 a fumble. Roll on custom table to determine the severity of the blow or the degree your clumsiness hindered you or a team mate.
7. Do I get any benefits for wearing a helmet? Prevents being knocked unconscious in certain situations.
8. Can I hurt my friends if I fire into melee or do something similarly silly? Of course you can, we're playing 1ed.
9. Will we need to run from some encounters, or will we be able to kill everything? Yes, of course you can kill everything, including yourselves.
10. Level-draining monsters: yes or no? Yes, although I do ease back to some extent. You only lose the equivalent XP not the actual level. You do die if reduced to 0 level.
11. Are there going to be cases where a failed save results in PC death? You know it.
12. How strictly are encumbrance & resources tracked? Needs to be maintained fairly accurately on the character sheet. Left to the honor system, but DM will check randomly.
13. What's required when my PC gains a level? Training? Do I get new spells automatically? Can it happen in the middle of an adventure, or do I have to wait for down time? Yes, you will need to train to increase in level, it doesn't happen auto-magically in the middle of a dungeon. Fighters will have to go get a tutor and practice with that new weapon they acquired and want to wield. MU will have to find/borrow/buy the spells they want to cast upon gaining a level.
14. What do I get experience for? Treasure, combat, and magic items as well as smart game play.
15. How are traps located? Description, dice rolling, or some combination? Either way a player wants to approach it. Low level thieves would do well if they didn't rely on their actual stats but instead used smart game play. Unfortunately not to many players catch on to this. To many years of playing relying on stats I guess.
16. Are retainers encouraged and how does morale work? Varies, but yes. BtB rules for morale
17. How do I identify magic items? Spells, sages, mages, bards, and just plain old fiddling around with it might work. As with everything there are consequences to every action.
18. Can I buy magic items? Oh, come on: how about just potions? Yes, to a certain degree, but only in large cities or huge metropolis's. Don't expect a village blacksmith to stock that Holy Avenger you want. Same goes for potions.
19. Can I create magic items? When and how? Yes, at high level with some very expensive components and rare ingredients.
20. What about splitting the party? Leave it up to the group. Although "Never split the party" is my motto when actually playing and not DMing.

Prominent Geographical Features of Greyhawk - Hills and Highlands

ABBOR-ALZ

 

The rocky hills, which run east and west between the Nesser River and Woolly Bay, are known as the Abbor-Alz. The northern verges of the hills are relatively safe, and these are claimed by the Duchy of Urnst, as are those softer highlands which are covered by the Celadon Forest. The central and southern portions are very arid, however, and wild tribesmen dwelling within these hills turn back all intruders – if they manage to return at all. These hills are so rough and precipitous as to preclude mounted movement or even thc passage of organized bodies of soldiers, so no aggression has proven successful in clearing these tall heights. Occasional adventurers will return with tales of having prospected within these hills, stories of encounters with the natives, monsters, and the like, but most can not be believed. There certainly are riches within the Abbor-Alz, however, for Urnst has productive mines in that part which is held by the Duchy.
How far the hills continue into the Bright Desert is unknown. The peoples dwelling in and beyond the Abbor-Alz are as unfriendly as the highland tribesmen.

CAIRN HILLS

 

The northward- thrusting arm of the Abbor-Alz (q.v.) is known as the Cairn Hills. These hills surround Midbay on Nyr Dyv and form the borderland between territory claimed by Greyhawk City and that of the Duchy of Urnst. Several thousand gnomes dwell in the central portion of the Cairn Hills, halflings enjoy its lower Northern slopes, while many dwarvenfolk live in the area where it meets the Abbor-Alz and the hills become young mountains. In the hinterland below Nyr Dyv’s Midbay, where the hills are very rugged, there have been strange burial sites discovered from time to time. These rich finds are of a people unknown even to the demi-humans, evidently predating them! Discoverers returned with harrowing tales of horrid guardians, death, and worse; but carried back ingots of precious metal, gems, and other treasures as well. The discovery of these burial sites gave the hills their name, and also makes them a target for many foolhardy adventurers.
There are no settlements east of the marshes around the Upper and Lower Neen Rivers until the eastern edges of the hills are reached.

 

HESTMARK HIGHLANDS

 

The Hestmark Highlands run northward up the coastline of South Province from the town of Dullstrand to the mouth of the Flanmi, branching northwestward into the Glorioles. These hills have always been a rallying point for disaffected humans, as their remote location and rugged character have enabled their demi-human inhabitants to remain free of the rule of the Overking or his minions. Many gnomes and dwarves live in the Hestmarks, and free-spirited men have their villages amidst the shelter of these hills as well. The area is well known for its precious metals and gems, and for this reason it is often raided by forces of the Overking who badly need the wealth thus obtained. Medegians, troops from the Herzog of South Province, and imperial soldiery alike probe these hills all too often. Its inhabitants, doughty in the beginning, have become battle-hardened veterans because of these continual skirmishes and raids, and with the men and elves of Sunndi are beginning to conduct their own forays into the lowlands beyond the Hestmarks in reprisal. The independent town of Dullstrand (pop. 5,5OO) and its environs proclaims neutrality in these matters, but it is probable that secret aid is given to the insurgents in the hills. Free-booters certainly find safe haven in the town, and its forges make weapons and armor which are not seen by the Overking or his men-at-arms.

KRON HILLS

 

It is estimated that nearly 20,000 gnomes live within the region of the Kron Hills. These heights spring eastward from the Lortmils and reach almost to Nyr Dyv. Their verge forms the southern boundary of Veluna, then stretches beside the Velverdyva for a time before peaking in the heart of the Gnarley Forest, where many Sylvan Elves happily roam over their crests. Their southern slopes demark the end of the Wild Coast region and are a part of the northern region of Celene. Some dwarven enclaves exist in the Kron Hills where they butt against the Lortmils, although the number of such demi-humans is not known. The gnomes of the region were instrumental in the organization of the army, which drove the humanoid hordes from the Lortmils (and the Kron Hills). They likewise served with honor in the host, which defeated the Horde of Elemental Evil in the battle above Verbobonc.
The Kron Hills are mined for metals, precious metals, and gems. The upper slopes are quite fertile and grow many crops in sheltered valley and glen. Quite a number of scattered enclaves of humans live in peace with the gnomes and other demi-humans of the area, save in the Gnarley Forest, where the Olvenfolk are isolationist.

LESSER HILLS AND HIGHLANDS

 

Blemu Hills: This chain of hills runs from a point about level with Belport southward to the town of Knurl, the Teesar Torrent cutting their eastern verge. These hills form the southeastern boundary of the Bone March. At one time they were home to certain demi-human folk, but tribes of Celbit, Jebli, and Euroz now infest the place.
Bluff Hills: The western terminus of the Griff Mountains slowly decreases into a series of rugged ridges and steep hills. This range separates the states of the Bandit Kingdoms from the lands of the Rovers of the Barrens. The former now occupy and claim the Bluff Hills as their territory, as they do the whole of the Fellreev Forest. The nomads to the north are too weakened to effectively dispute this move. The Bluff Hills are said to contain small deposits of copper and gold. Numerous monsters roam the area, and many ogre hands make it their home.
Drachensgrab Hills: The low mountains of the same name found in the Pomarj are surrounded by these hills. Rich in valuable minerals and gems, these hills have always been the home of many terrible beasts and monsters, which had to be contended with by the humans dwelling along the lowland coasts. Now that the area is in the hands of humanoid hordes, many of the monsters there will undoubtedly be enlisted into their ranks. Legends say that these hills hide the resting-place of one or more powerful creatures who may someday return to life.

Flinty Hills: This broad and deep hand of hills marks the southern end of the Rakers. The eastern shoulder, and an arm, which projects southward for many leagues, define the lower boundary of Bone March and the easternmost territory of Nyrond and Almor. The portion covered by the Adri Forest (west of the Harp River) is Almorish. The area is well endowed with minerals. Numerous halflings inhabit its southern portion, while many gnomes dwell to the north. The far western span of the Flinty Hills is within the Gamboge Forest (q.v.).
Good Hills: This is a range of rolling highlands in Keoland east of Stench and running all the way to the middle of the border with the Yeomanry, with the Javan River marking its western edge. These lands are home to many halflings and gnomes. They are also the source of considerable mineral wealth.
Gull Cliffs: The headlands which rise steeply along the coast west of the isles of the Sea Barons are known as the Gull Cliffs (or Gullcliffs) because so many sea birds nest among these hills and sea cliffs. The town of Roland nestles amongst the hills, a major port for commerce to and from Rauxes and the sea.
Headlands: The heights of the central portion of the Onnwal Peninsula are known as the Headlands. This spine runs from the city of Irongate along about half of the peninsula, forming cliffs on the Azure Sea coast. They are home to many dwarves and some gnomish groups as well.
Hollow Highlands: The north-south hill chain which divides the fiefs of Idee from Sunndi is called the Hollow Highlands due to the mining and burrowing which has taken place there for so long. Dwarves, gnomes, and halflings dwell amidst these hills. Although they are not particularly rich in minerals or gems any longer, their beauty and fertility keep this demi-human population high. The minions of the Overking do not venture into the Hollow Hills without strong forces.

Howling Hills: These hills are just below the southern edge of the Cold Marshes, a portion being divided from the main body by the Dulsi River valley. The eastern hills are now part of Iuz and undoubtedly home to all manner of hideous creatures and savage humanoid tribes who exploit their metals. The western portion is sacred to the Wolf Nomads as a burial place, and they have stoutly defended this area from any incursion of men or humanoids from Iuz. Several large battles have reportedly taken place in and around the wedge of hills between the Blackwater and Dulsi for this very reason, and Iuz likes not such thwarting.

Iron Hills: The series of highlands reaching eastward from the city of Irongate and demarking the fiefs of Ahlissa and Idee in the west are known as the Iron Hills. Most of these hills are in the hands of the Iron League. Very high-grade ore is taken from the mines there, as are several sorts of precious metals. Dwarves and gnomes do much of this mining.
Little Hills: The Jotens turn to very high hills as they come to the Javan River valley, and these hills turn southward as if following the river course. These looming hills can be called little only in comparison to the Jotens and Crystalmists beyond, and this is evidently what was done by the yeomen who named them. Considerable numbers of demi-humans dwell in the Little Hills, along with communities of men. The town of Longspear, in the foothills of the Littles, is an active trade center. The soldiers from this area are renowned for their ferocity in battle, human and demi-human alike.
Lorridges: These sharp ridges and hills are found at the northern end of the Lortmil Mountains. Some dwarves and gnomes have their dwellings and mines therein. These hills are about evenly divided between Gran March, Bissel, and Veluna. The pass between these hills and the foothills of the southern horn of the Yatil Mountains is the major entry point to eastern Flanaess. The Yatil foothills are known as the Northern Lorridges, but they belong to the Highfolk (q.v.), and their gnomish inhabitants serve the Olvenfolk.
Sepia Uplands: Perrenland now claims most of the block of highlands, which are the lesser heights of the Clatspur Mountain range. The Wolf Nomads hunt in the northern portion of the range, and the hills within the Vesve forest are unclaimed by any humans. Some mineral deposits are suspected to be within these hills.

Spine Ridge: The unwholesome Vast Swamp is butted on the south by a chain of rising hills which terminate on a great plateau in the center of the Tilvanot Peninsula. These hills, the Spine Ridge, are supposedly rich in precious metals and gems, but they are too dangerous for normal exploitation, being home to numerous humanoids and monsters.
Stark Mounds: The many-spurred Crystalmist Range thrusts some low mounts and high hills eastward toward the Javan River below the joining of the Real-stream. These mounts and hills divide Geoff from Stench. The Stark Mounds are probably old and weathered mountains. They end at the east bank of the Javan and are claimed mainly by Geoff. While some dwarves inhabit the steeper portion of the Stark Mounds, they are home to gnomes in the main.
Tors: The mesa-like hills, which mark the terminus of the last spur of the Crystalmists, are called the Tors. Bordering on the Hool Marshes, they mark the southern edge of the Yeomanry. These wild hills are a source of continual troubles for the yeomen, as they are home to many sorts of monsters and humanoid tribes.

Tusman Hills: The border between Ket and Tusmit is formed by the Tusman Hills, a series of highlands which eventually rise into the Yatils. The hillmen of the Tusman Hills are renowned fighters, thus maintaining semi-independent status, and gladly serving as mercenaries for both Tusmit and Ket.
Yecha Hills: These Yatil foothills are quite rich in mineral deposits, and the Tiger Nomads have actually begun to exploit these mines. They have a permanent settlement, their capital city of Yecha, within these highlands, and numbers of their herdsmen graze flocks of sheep and goats there.

AD&D 1ed Combat Computer

The Dragon Magazine (issue #74) contained a Combat Computer which was an essential tool when playing AD&D 1ed by the book. Now I realize everyone doesn't play with things like weapon vs AC tables, weapon speeds, segments and all that stuff. But unlike some old schoolers the group I play with does use some of this which makes this little combat wheel invaluable during play. Besides, its not like we looked these up during every combat. Every character has their "to hit" charts filled out on their character sheet beforehand, so all you need to do is look up the roll needed. As a DM this wheel makes looking up monsters "to hit" rolls much more convenient.
Taking a page out of Maldin's playbook I modified the combat wheel to include some of the more commonly needed charts on the back of the wheel. This saves on flipping through books during play.

Anyway without further ado the (slightly modified) AD&D 1ed Combat Computer;

Print it out on the best cardstock your printer can handle, or do as I did and glue the two printed sheets to some decently stiff cardboard.  Cut out the two discs.  The outer ring of large numbers on the lower disc should all be visible once the two discs are connected, while the inner ring of large numbers should only show in the "Target AC" window.  Cut out the four windows in the middle of the upper disc too (Xacto knife or razor knife - use caution). As has been commented below, it might be a good idea to laminate the discs before assembling them. Connect the two discs with whatever method you can find that works and allows the two discs to turn on the same axis.

    If you really need instructions for how to use it you obviously haven't played enough 1st Edition and you shouldn't be messing about with such complex tools as this - you might hurt yourself.  To use it, turn the two discs until the AC of the target shows in the window and lines up with the arrow.  Find the curved, colored band on the upper disc that corresponds to the class of the attacker.  Find the column section on the band that includes the attackers level (or hit dice for monsters).  Follow that column out to the outermost edge and read the number required to hit in the same column off of the lower disc.  Note, that common sense must be used here - when you try to read results where the adjustment windows are black you're "off the chart". Weapon-vs-AC adjustments will ONLY be accurate when turning the discs to select an AC between 10 and 2, because obviously you're actually selecting the corresponding armor TYPE at that point, not actual armor CLASS.

Let's try an example here. A 6th level MU attacks a unarmored foe with a dagger. You would line up the inner wheel with the target AC 10, look at the "to hit" needed for a 6th level MU and see that it was a 9 and then subtract the armor modifier for the dagger (+3) to arrive at the final score of 6 needed to hit. 

Easy-peasy right? That is why all the players are requested to calculate their "to hit" charts ahead of time, because it can be time consuming to do in combat situations. As with most things the explanation can be much more complex than the actual process.

Edit 11/1/13 - Corrected the tables on the back. The Cleric turning table was slightly modified from the BTB 1ed. version. That has been updated since this seems to be getting some traffic. If anyone sees any other irregularities or typos let me know.

Free City of Greyhawk

The Free City of Greyhawk is known as "The Gem of the Flanaess."  As of c550 the city is prospering, though the grey hawks indigenous to the city have disappeared, replaced by ravens.  Many secrets are held within the city.

Early history

Greyhawk, named for the small grey hawks which populate the region, was originally a trading outpost on the Selintan River specializing in local wood and woven garments. In time the town developed strong textile and meat-packing industries. Eventually, Greyhawk came to be ruled by a warlord, who took the title "Lansgraf of the Selintan". His son was then married to the Gynarch of Hardby's daughter. The nuptials formalized a political alliance that served as the basis for rule over the Lanstadt of Selintan, an area that eventually became known as the Domain of Greyhawk.
In 4 CY, Greyhawk came under the domination of the Great Kingdom of Aerdy and remained so while strong Overkings ruled from the Malachite Throne in Rauxes. By the third century CY, the Great Kingdom's influence over the city began to wane as the Overkings fell into evil ways and their hold on distant provinces became increasingly tenuous.

Rise to prominence, decline and recovery

Circa 310 CY, the mage Zagig Yragerne emerged from the Wild Coast and bribed his way into a seat on the Directing Oligarchy. Soon after, the Oligarchs elected Zagig Lord Mayor.
Greyhawk subsequently rose in fame and prominence under the leadership of Lord Mayor Zagig. He instituted legal reform, developed a new currency, fortified the walls, founded the city's first university and embarked on a major building program. Most notably, he directed the construction of nearby Castle Greyhawk.
Although Zagig, later known as Zagyg, became increasingly erratic over time, his rule is generally considered to be the most effective in the Free City's history and brought widespread prosperity to the region. Much to the annoyance of Dyvers and other rival cities, Zagig proclaimed Greyhawk to be the "Gem of the Flanaess," and did much to ensure this moniker was justified. Unfortunately, the "Mad Archmage" suddenly disappeared in 421 CY, leaving no clues regarding his whereabouts, and no heir to inherit the title of Lansgraf.
In 498 CY, after decades of Zagig's absence, the Lanstadt was therefore abolished, the title of Lansgraf permanently retired, and the Free City's Directing Oligarchy assumed political authority. The new Lord Mayor Paerinn officially proclaimed Greyhawk a free city, though it had been effectively independent of the Great Kingdom's rule for over a century.
Soon thereafter, the city lost its claim over Hardby and the Wild Coast, as the leading women of Hardby broke from Greyhawk and established the ruling office of Despotrix. This loss of lands sent the Free City into economic decline, a situation that persisted for several decades. Fortunately, the discovery of treasure in the dungeons beneath Castle Greyhawk and other nearby locales set off a gold rush of sorts, and Greyhawk's economic fortunes recovered substantially in the latter half of the sixth century.

  

Geography

The Free City of Greyhawk is located centrally in the Flanaess, which is the easternmost part of the continent of Oerik on the world of Oerth. The city controls a large swath of land along the Selintan River from the Nyr Dyv south to Woolly Bay most of the Cairn Hills, parts of the Gnarley Forest, the northern Wild Coast, and parts of the Abbor-Alz. The entire region is officially known as the Domain of Greyhawk. The Domain is bordered on the east by the Abbor-Alz and its western border lies within the Gnarley Forest. The area south of Greyhawk City along the Selintan is known as the Plain of Greyhawk.

Settlements

Several settlements fall within the Domain of Greyhawk:

Blackstone, Diamond Lake, Elmshire, Ery Crossings, Erybend, Greatrock, Greyhawk City, Greysmere, Grossetgrottel, Hardby, Magepoint, Narwell, One Ford, Phandlish, Safeton, Steaming Springs, Two Ford.

Population

As of 550 CY, the city itself boasted a population of 58,000, making it one of the largest cities on Oerth. The population for the entire Greyhawk Domain is roughly 75,000-100,000+, including the larger towns of Safeton (pop. 6,100), Hardby (pop. 5,100) and Elmshire (pop. 4,000).

Religion

The Free City of Greyhawk hosts temples and shrines to many deities, including Beory, Boccob, Celestian, Corellon Larethian, Ehlonna, Fharlanghn, Garl Glittergold, Heironeous, Istus, Kord, Kurell, Lirr, Moradin, Norebo, Obad-Hai, Olidammara, Osprem, Pelor, Pholtus, Procan, Ralishaz, Rao, Saint Cuthbert, Trithereon, Ulaa, Wee Jas, Xerbo, Yondalla, and Zilchus. The worship of evil deities and fiends is forbidden, and such cults, though they may have followers, do not have a public presence. Evil religions that have established a base in the city in recent memory include those of Incabulos, Iuz, Nerull, and Vecna.

Government

Executive branch: Greyhawk's Directing Oligarchy elects one of its own to as Lord Mayor, who serves as the head of state in addition to his directorial duties. The current Lord Mayor, Nerof Gasgal, has held office since 550 CY. The Lord Mayor heads both the Directing Oligarchy and the Council of Mayors and Manorial Lords. The chief of state also officially heads the military, though actual command is most often left to the Captain General of the Watch.
Legislative branch: The Free City of Greyhawk is ruled by the Directing Oligarchy, an executive council of twelve to eighteen members representing the City's major professional guilds and the military. In some cases, the Oligarchy may include important wizards or clerics. New Directors are chosen by current council members when a vacancy must be filled.
The Greyhawk Council of Mayors and Manorial Lords is an annual assemblage of leaders from the various baronies and towns in Greyhawk Domain. In theory, this gathering allows citizens of the Domain to have a voice in the governance of the region, but in practice this Council has little real authority.
Judicial branch:Major legal matters in the Free City of Greyhawk are adjudicated by a Judge of Greyhawk, one of eight such officials appointed by the Directing Oligarchy. One of these eight is chosen to serve as Chief judge of Greyhawk, a position currently held by Sir Anton Palmirian who also sits on the Directing Oligarchy and oversees the Guild of Lawyers and Scribes. In cases of great import, three Judges of Greyhawk may preside. Appeals of major cases are always heard by a panel of three Judges of Greyhawk, though the Lord Mayor sometimes sits in place of one of the Judges.

Transportation

Several roads link the settlements of the Domain of Greyhawk, including the High Road (from Greyhawk City to Elmshire), the Urnst Trail (from the High Road to the Duchy of Urnst), the Western Road (from Ford Keep on the Selintan to Dyvers), and the River Road (south from Greyhawk City along the Selintan).
Much river traffic takes place along the Selintan River, which can accommodate all but the largest sea-going vessels from the Nyr Dyv and Woolly Bay. Smaller vessels ply the Ery and Neen rivers.

Military

The Domain of Greyhawk's military forces, though technically under the Lord Mayor's authority, are usually commanded by the Domain's highest-ranking military officer, the Captain General of the Watch, who also sits on the city's Directing Oligarchy. The current Captain General is Tigran Gellner.
Greyhawk's forces consist of several units, including: The Cairn Hills Force, led by Commander Schinus Balint. The Greyhawk Mountaineers, led by Commander Carstane Geronten. The Hardby Marines, led by Commander Wilbrem Carister. The Narwell Headhunters. The Safeton Garrison, led by Commander Turin Deathstalker. The "Water Rats."

Free City of Greyhawk Heraldry


Based on Joe Bloch's hand drawn maps, which were in turn based on Gary Gygax's sketch map in the beginning of "City of Hawks". This map is also designed to use the keys in the TSR blue boxed City of Greyhawk set.

Clicking on the city will bring up a much larger image.

Note this City of Greyhawk map is a work in progress

Edit: Current state of the map;

See part 2 of this article as well as the Greyhawk undercity map.

Prominent Geographical Features of Greyhawk - Bodies of Water

AZURE SEA

This body of water is one of the main carriers of commerce between west and central nations. Freebooters are fairly common, and the savages inhabiting the islands of the Amedio coast practice piracy. There are a sprinkling of other pirates in the east, and the Sea Princes are not above occasional buccaneering.

 

NYR DYV (LAKE OF UNKNOWN DEPTHS)

This body of water is the largest fresh water lake known to us, although legends and tales report a veritable sea far to the west, if such stories can he believed. Much commerce plies the waters of the lake, for Nyr Dyv has many navigable inlets (Artonsamay, Veng, and Velverdyva Rivers) and outlets (the broad Nesser River, and the Selintan to a lesser extent). Its central position combines with these river routes to make it the busiest body of water in around the Flanaess. The cities of Admundfort, Radigast, Leukish, Dyvers, and even Greyhawk rely heavily upon this mercantile shipping. Squadrons of warships move continually about its surface to keep raiders to a minimum and combat occasional predatory water creatures as well.
One of the most unusual features of the Lake of Unknown Depths is the people who make their home upon great barges. These folk travel about trading, fishing, and generally earning their entire livelihood upon the bounty of Nyr Dyv; for unlike Lake Quag which sometimes freezes over much of its surface, and Whyestil which is cold and unwholesome in winter, Nyr Dyv’s southern shores remain relatively pleasant year long, and there these barges winter. Being both clever at barter and trade and able fighters as well, these folk are seldom molested. They are said to be skillful thieves and pirates by some, but such charges are unproven, although quite possible, and are ardently denied by the barges. Calling themselves the Rhennee, the lake folk can be found in all waters rivers and lakes, which connect, to Nyr Dyv – navigable by their barges, but always returning to Nyr Dyv in winter.
A typical barge is about 12 to 18 feet wide and 30 to 45 feet long. Each has a lug sail, and the larger usually have an aft rigged gaff sail as well. They also can be propelled by sweeps and poles. Although these craft have a relatively shallow draft, the hull is deep enough to be decked over, and a small cabin usually is built just abaft of the beam. Rails are planked over for protection, and many heavy crossbow mounts are stationed along them. Some barges carry scorpions at bow and stern. Each is crewed by a “lord” who dwells with his family in the cabin, and “cousins,” servitors who may or may not be related, who find living space on or below deck. A typical barge is thus home to 15 to 20 souls. All adults and able youngsters work and are trained in defense. When “camped,” the bargefolk chain their vessels together; this device also is used in defense. Most barges carry a small boat for use in communications, fishing, or shuttle. It is said that the bargees have developed a sophisticated communication system, which uses flags in daylight, colored lanterns at night, and sometimes even smoke. Similarly, it is reported that they use a special speech whose cant is understood only by others of the Rhennee. If the bargees are as rich in gold, jewelry, and prized fresh water pearls as stories tell, it cannot be determined from their dwellings, dress, or habits.
Nyr Dyv also is well known for the monsters, which inhabit its waters. Deep beneath the surface lurk huge creatures, which prey upon unwary sailors or anyone so unlucky as to fall into the water. Warcraft, and occasionally merchants or bargees will bring back such monsters as trophies, as constant warfare upon these creatures is necessary to make the lake useful and usable.

 

LESSER BODIES OF WATER

Aerdi Sea: The reach of water from the Tilva Strait to the northern tip of Asperdi Island, as far west as the islands beyond Spindrift Sound, and generally demarked by the islands which border the east coast of the Flanaess is referred to as the Aerdi Sea. Much seafaring takes place upon these waters, and many monsters are found upon and under its waves. For additional information see Spindrift Sound hereafter.

Densac Gulf: It is thought that this body of water stretches for a thousand miles south between Lower Oerik and Hepmonaland. Who sails upon its waters and what lies below is not known.
Dramidj Ocean: This body of water continues far westward. Warm currents from this direction sweep past Zeif and Ekbir and turn northward. In winter this ocean is cloaked in great fog layers, and huge chunks of ice move about on its waters as if they were ghost ships.

Gearnat, Sea of: This sea is full of shipping coming down the Nesser, crossing, or on its way to or from the Azure Sea. It is a treacherous place during both spring and autumn, when great storms sweep across and lash its surface into towering waves. Raiders from the Wild Coast, the Pomarj, and elsewhere make sailing a perilous adventure in the summer months.

Grendep Bay: This great arm of the Solnor Ocean is the favorite means of travel for the barbarians of the North when they raid the mainland. These brave sailors usually are anxious to cross southward as early in the spring as possible, however, and return late in the fall; for during the warm summer, great sea monsters are often seen sporting in the bay.

Icy Sea: The Solnor sweeps northward around the Thillonrian Peninsula and ends in the Icy Sea. These northern waters are frozen except in high summer months. The Northern barbarians sometimes take their galleys into these waters to hunt for ivory and furs and occasionally do a bit of raiding, too. Even in summer the Icy Sea can be dangerous due to thick fogs and floating mountains of ice.

Jeklea Bay: This small arm of the Azure Sea is little more than the private lake of the Sea Princes. Only their ships ply its waters, raiding into Amedio and returning laden with spoils.

Oljatt Sea: The water to the north of Hepmonaland and east of the Duxchans is known as the Oljatt Sea. These warm, deep, blue-green depths are dangerous in the extreme, for many creatures haunt this sea. Some are large enough to carry a ship to the bottom, and vessels going into the Oljatt are said to chain themselves together and have men with pikes and bows ready to fend off the monsters.

Quag Lake: Lake Quag is the third largest body of fresh water in the Flanaess. As the only civilized nation which borders upon it is Perrenland, it is exclusively theirs. It yields considerable food, although sometimes the fishers are themselves eaten.

Relmor Bay: The Gearnat between Nyrond and the South Province of the Great Kingdom is called Relmor Bay. Shipping from the south part of the Great Kingdom seldom makes the long journey round Onnwal through the Azure and Densac, round by the Tilva Strait and then northward up the coast, or vice versa. Therefore, the ships encountered there will be either those plying between Almor, Nyrond, or Onnwal, or will be those seeking to prey upon them the squadron from Ahlissa based in Prymp Town, in all probability.
Solnor Ocean: It is said the Solnor reaches for a thousand leagues and more eastward. The Sea Barons have reportedly sailed eastward for some distance and returned, but these rumors have never been confirmed. Great monsters dwell in the Solnor and sport in Grendep Bay when the sun warms the waters there.

Spindrift Sound: In these waters are fought some of the fiercest sea actions, for when Sea Barons and ships of the Lord of the Isles meet, no quarter is ever asked or given. Unknown pirates and buccaneers frequent these waters also, making it a lively place indeed.

Tilva Strait: This narrow strip of water between the cockscomb of Tilva and Hepmonaland must he used by vessels sailing to or from the central waters and those of the east. This commerce is preyed upon by piratical vessels – sometimes-whole fleets – so that squadrons of warships will be seen patrolling at times when important commerce is at a peak.
White Fanged Bay: The ice formations common to this body of water resemble the teeth of a predator, and thus the bay is named for the great ice-coated rocks and bergs that menace vessels attempting to land along its shores. In the summer, numbers of seals and walruses (and even odder creatures) bask along these rocky coasts, and there parties of hunters seek after ivory and furs. (Some say that the name of the place is based upon the long teeth taken from these creatures rather than the icicles and frozen spray.)

Whyestil Lake: The lake is bordered by Iuz, the Horned Society, Furyondy, and the Vesve Forest. Before the evil of Iuz, considerable trade used to ply Whyestil’s waters, to and from Dora Kaa, Crockport, and up and down the Veng from Nyr Dyv. Only the latter traffic now exists, and even that at great peril. The Furyondians maintain a strong fleet upon the lake, but the vessels of Iuz are numerous, and the Horned Society menaces the river traffic.

Woolly Bay: The wag who named this terminus of the Sea of Gearnat and made it stick is lost to history, but the appellation is not inappropriate. The small cogs, which move up and down the Wild Coast, are as often pirate as merchant. Considerable traffic moves through this area, from the west and from Greyhawk. Shipping rounds the Pomarj or Onnwal to or from the Sea of Gearnat, going east or west to or from Woolly Bay. Elredd, Fax, Safeton, and Hardby are all port towns, and most vessels can negotiate the Selintan to Greyhawk City, and the lighter craft can venture all the way to Nyr Dyv beyond. Some unscrupulous captains still put in at the humanoid-controlled town of Highport to trade.

Temple of Elemental Evil - level 2

This is the current player handout map of the of the infamous Temple of Elemental Evil for the 2nd level.

As noted previously to anyone actually planning on playing/running this module these maps have been edited from the original TSR module maps. They do not contain many of the secret/concealed doors/rooms or traps illustrated on the original maps. Its one thing not to make the players actually map because of time/willingness constraints it's quite another to totally give away everything on the map. They still have to explore and find out the many surprises of the temple the good old fashioned way.

For ToEE level 1 player's map. 

For ToEE level 3 player's map. 

Religions of Greyhawk

DEITIES & DEMI-GODS

The people of Oerth worship many gods, but patterns of allegiance change with the people and locations. This is a rather comprehensive listing, so don't be discouraged by the sheer number of names. See the DM for help choosing if not familiar with a pantheon or particular deity.

How Do Gods Look Upon Mortals?

The gods of Oerth rarely intercede directly in the affairs of Oerth. They expect their servants to be their right (and left) hands in the world. Clerics, priests, paladins, and less exalted but still valued souls are the agents of Gods, however minor their deeds may be. The gods have an implicit understanding that if one of them should act too directly, others will act in concert to oppose the meddler, for if all acted in such a manner, Oerth would be destroyed by them. This helps us understand why the demigod Iuz has been able to effect so much evil in the Flanaess. The Prime Material is his home plane, and therefore, he has a direct involvement in its affairs that other gods do not. The servants must oppose Iuz, not the gods themselves. One partial exception to this is St. Cuthbert of the Cudgel. Other gods allow St. Cuthbert to act in limited ways to oppose Iuz. Why they do this, and how far St. Cuthbert is allowed to act, is a matter known only to the gods. In other respects, the gods regard mortals as they do in almost all worlds. Mortals give reverence and their clerics and priests receive spells. The Gods watch with varying degrees of involvement. Greater gods tend to have less involvement than lesser gods, because greater gods are more absorbed in the affairs of many worlds and transcendent events that are far beyond the affairs of mortals.

How Do Mortals Regard the Gods?

The gods and powers of the Flanaess are an often-confusing mix of deities from a handful of cultures, representing natural powers and human attributes, virtues (and vices), and mental and emotional states. In such an environment, the powers and attributes of some gods overlap. Certain others, generally demi-gods or quasi-deities, are once-mortal heroes (or villains) who have attained godlike powers. Most humans and demihumans worship one or two primary gods, but their worship is by no means exclusionist. The people of the Flanaess are pragmatists, and they willingly embrace as many gods as necessary to make their lives run more smoothly. While a farmer may worship the old Flan goddess Beory as the Oerth Mother, he may also offer money or tribute to the Suel god Phyton to bring fertility to his fields. More than this, whenever the farmer strays into non-agricultural endeavours, he may very well offer tribute to the god or gods appropriate to whatever he is doing. For instance, if he travels to the City of Greyhawk to sell his products in the market there, he may at different times during his trip offer tribute to Fharlanghn (god of roads), St. Cuthbert (god of honesty), Velnius (god of weather) and Zilchus (god of money). A lot of this "worship" will look perfunctory, like tossing coins into a fountain for luck, but it will be no less genuine for that. The people of the Flanaess feel their gods are real and can take concrete action on the material plane. This feeling isn’t changed by the fact that the most powerful gods rarely involve themselves directly with happenings on Oerth, St. Cuthbert being an occasional exception to this.

Gods of Humankind

Deities are divided into four groups: greater, intermediate, lesser, and demipowers. The basis of this broad distinction is as follows: *Greater Gods:* These are distant gods, far removed from most mortal affairs. Some may be held to be among the Creator Gods of the multiverse or of Oerth. They typically have many spheres of concern, or are absolute masters of just one sphere. *Intermediate Gods:* While lacking the great creative force of greater gods, they are still very powerful and hold major sway over one or two spheres of concern. In some nations, they may be held as patron gods, even above a greater god. *Lesser Gods:* A lesser power may serve greater ones as a messenger or aide, may be a cast-out or solitary power, or may hold sway over a very narrow sphere of concern. Some lesser gods may be declining from exalted status or may be ascending to greater force. *Demi-Gods:* These are the least powerful and in many ways are similar to the Lesser Gods. Some may be mortals who have undergone divine ascension (Zagig and Mayaheine an being prime examples). Some may even be referred to as Hero Gods.

Greyhawk Deities – Summary Matrix

*Deity*	*Align*		*Domains*	*Weapon*	*Origin*	*Rank*	*Race*	*Holy Symbol*
Al’Akbar	LG		Good, Healing, Law, Protection	Falchion	B	demi	H	The Cup and Talisman
Allitur	LN		Good, Knowledge, Law, Nobility	Shortspear	Fc	lesser	H	Pair of Clasped Hands
Atroa	NG		Air, Good, Plant, Sun, Renewal	Sling	Oc	lesser	H	Heart with and Air-glyph Within
Azor’alq	NG		Good, Sun, War	Scimitar	B	hero-god	H	Armed man atop a summit
Beltar	CE (CN)		Chaos, Earth, Evil, War, Cavern	Spiked Gauntlet	S	lesser	H	Monstrous Fangs closing to bite
Beory	N (NG)		Animal, Earth, Plant, Water, Storms	Club/Druid Weapons	FC	greater	H	Green Disk marked with Circle
Berei	NG		Good, Plant, Protection, Family, Harvest	Sickle	Fc	lesser	H	Sheaf of Wheat Stalks
Bleredd	N		Earth, Fire, Strength, Metal, Craft	Warhammer	C	lesser	H	Iron Mule
Boccob	N		Knowledge, Magic, Trickery, Spells, Rune	Quarterstaff	C	greater	H	Eye within a Pentagram
Bralm	N (LN)		Animal, Law, Strength, Planning	Quarterstaff	Sc	lesser	H	Giant Wasp in front of a Swarm
*Deity*	*Align*		*Domains*	*Weapon*	*Origin*	*Rank*	*Race*	*Holy Symbol*
Celestian	N (NG)		Knowledge, Travel, Protection, Portals	Shortspear	OC	intermediate	H	Seven Stars (Gems)
Charmalaine	N		Luck, Protection	Light Mace	HC	hero-god	Hh	burning boot print
Cyndor	LN		Law, Protection, Travel, Time	Sling	C	lesser	H	Hourglass of black & white on it’s side
Daern	LN		Earth, Law, Protection	halfspear	OC	hero-god	H	Shield hanging from a parapet
Dalt	CG		Chaos, Good, Protection, Travel, Trickery, Craft	Dagger	S	lesser	H	Locked Door with Skeleton Key beneath
Delleb	LG		Good, Knowledge, Law, Magic, Planning	Dart	O	lesser	H	Large White Book
Daoud	N		Magic, Travel	Quarterstaff	B	hero-god	H	Multi-colored patch of cloth
Ehlonna	NG		Animal, Good, Plant, Sun, Elf, Family	Longbow/ Longsword	C	intermediate	H, E, G, f	Unicorn
Erythnul	CE (CN)		Chaos, Evil, Trickery, War, Fear, Battle, Hatred	Heavy Mace	OC	intermediate	H	Blood Red Drop or Hideous Mask
Fharlanghn	N (NG)		Luck, Protection, Travel, Cavern	Quarterstaff	OC	intermediate	H	Wooden disk carved with curved Horizon
*Deity*	*Align*		*Domains*	*Weapon*	*Origin*	*Rank*	*Race*	*Holy Symbol*
Fortubo	LG (LN)		Earth, Good, Law, Protection, Metal	Warhammer	S	lesser	D, H	Glowing-headed Hammer
Gadhelyn	CN		Chaos, Plant, Animal	Longbow	E	hero-god	E	Leaf-shaped arrow head
Gendwar Argrim	LN		Law, War	Dwarven Waraxe	D	hero-god	D	War-axe bearing ruin of Destruction
Geshtai	N		Plant, Travel, Water, Ocean	Shortspear	Bc	lesser	H	Waterspout
Heironeous	LG		Good, Law, War, Battle, Justice, Courage	Longsword/ Battleaxe	OC	intermediate	H	Silver Lightning Bolt
Hextor	LE		Destruction, Evil, Law, War, Battle, Tyranny	Flail	OC	intermediate	H	6 Red Arrows facing down in a fan
Incabulos	NE		Death, Evil, Destruction, Suffering, Disease	Quarterstaff	C	greater	H	Magic Icon for the Eye of Possession
Istus	N		Chaos, Knowledge, Law, Luck, Fate	Web of Istus (net)	BC	greater	H	Gold Spindle
Iuz	CE		Chaos, Evil, Trickery, Torment, Deceit	Greatsword	UC	demi	H	Grinning Skull
Jascar	LG		Earth, Good, Law, Protection, Metal	Warhammer	S	lesser	H	Snow-capped Mountain Peak
*Deity*	*Align*		*Domains*	*Weapon*	*Origin*	*Rank*	*Race*	*Holy Symbol*
Johydee	NG		Good, Protection, Trickery	Short sword	OC	hero-god	H	small, stylized mask of onyx
Joramy	N (NG)		Destruction, Fire, War, Battle	Quarterstaff	C	lesser	H	Volcano
Kelanen	N		Travel, War, Battle	Any martial sword	UC	hero-god	H	Nine swords in a star shape, points out
Keoghtum	NG		Good, Knowledge, Travel	shortsword and shortbow	UC	hero-god	H	Round disk bisected by an up-pointing arrow
Kord	CG		Chaos, Good, Luck, Strength, Courage	Greatsword/ Bastardsword	S	intermediate	H	Star composed of spears and maces
Kurell	CN		Chaos, Luck, Trickery, Darkness, Retribution	Shortsword	O	lesser	H	Grasping Hand holding a Broken Coin
Kuroth	CN		Chaos, Luck, Trickery	Dagger, rapier	OC	hero-god	H	Gold coin with symbol of a key set into it
Kyuss	NE		Undeath, Evil	club	U	hero-god	H	Skull with worms in its eyes and jaw
Lendor	LN		Knowledge, Law, Protection, Time	Greatsword	S	intermediate	H	Crescent Moon in front of New Moon with Stars
Lirr	CG		Chaos, Good, Knowledge, Magic, Travel, Song	Shortspear/ Rapier	C	lesser	H	Illustrated Book
*Deity*	*Align*		*Domains*	*Weapon*	*Origin*	*Rank*	*Race*	*Holy Symbol*
Llerg	CN		Animal, Chaos, Strength, Courage	Battleaxe/ Longsword	S	lesser	H	Great Bear, Snake, Alligator
Lydia	NG		Good, Knowledge, Sun, Travel, Song	Shortspear (shaft of light)	S	lesser	H	Spray of Colors from an Open Hand
Mayaheine	LG		Good, Law, Protection, War, Justice	Bastardsword /Mace/Longbow	UC	demi	H	Shield, Bastard Sword, Sunburst
Merikka	LG		Good, Law, Plant, Protection, Family, Harvest	Sickle	O	demi	H	Basket of Grain, long Scroll
Mouqol	N		Knowledge, Travel, Trickery, Trade	Dagger/ Light Crossbow	B	lesser	H
Murlynd	LG		Good, Knowledge, War	Longsword, light crossbow	OC	hero-god	H	6-point star with round points.
Myhriss	NG		Good, Healing, Protection, Charm, Beauty	Shortbow/ Whip	C	lesser	H
Nazarn	N		Luck, War, Battle	shortsword	Half orc	hero-god	half-orc H	Chain wrapped shortsword
Nerull	NE		Death, Evil, Trickery, Undead, Darkness	Scythe/ Dagger/Sickle	FC	greater	H	Skull, Scythe
Norebo	CN		Chaos, Trickery, Luck	Dagger	S	lesser	H	Pair of Eight-sided Dice
*Deity*	*Align*		*Domains*	*Weapon*	*Origin*	*Rank*	*Race*	*Holy Symbol*
Obad-Hai	N		Air, Animal, Earth, Fire, Plant, Water	Quarterstaff/ Druid Weapons	FC	intermediate	H,G,h,f	Oak Leaf and Acorn
Olidammara	CN		Chaos, Luck, Trickery, Song	Rapier/ Rogue Weapons	C	intermediate	H	Laughing Mask
Osprem	LN		Law, Protection, Travel, Water, Ocean	Trident/ Sailor Weapons	S	lesser	H	Dolphin, Sperm Whale, or Barracuda
Phaulkon	CG		Air Animal, Chaos, Good, War, Weather	Longbow/ Dagger	S	lesser	H, E	Winged Human Silhouette
Pelor	NG		Good, Healing, Protection, Sun, Strength	Heavy Mace	FC	greater	H	Stylized Sun-Face
Pholtus	LG (LN)		Good, Knowledge, Law, Sun, Nobility, Moon	Quarterstaff	OC	intermediate	H	Full Moon (Luna) eclipsed by Crescent (Celene)
Phyton	CG		Chaos, Good, Plant, Harvest, Sun, Beauty	Scimitar	S	lesser	H	Scimitar in front of an Oak Tree
Procan	CN		Animal, Chaos, Travel, Water, Oceans, Weather	Trident	OC	intermediate	H	Trident over Cresting Wave
Pyremius	NE		Destruction, Evil, Fire, Death, Deceit	Longsword/ Whip	S	lesser	H, OG	Demonic Face with ears like Bat Wings
Ralishaz	CN(CE)		Chaos, Destruction, Luck, Insanity	Quarterstaff/ Wooden Weapons	C	intermediate	H	Three Sticks of Bone
*Deity*	*Align*		*Domains*	*Weapon*	*Origin*	*Rank*	*Race*	*Holy Symbol*
Rao	LG		Law, Good, Knowledge, Nobility, Compassion	Light Mace	FC	greater	H	White Heart of Wood or Metal
Raxivort	CE		Animal, Chaos, Evil, Trickery, Moon	Falchion/Dagger	X	lesser	OG	Blue Flaming Hand
Roykyn	NE		Evil, Trickery, suffering	spiked gauntlet	G	hero-god	G	furled scroll dripping dark fluid
Rudd	CN (CG)		Chaos, Good, Luck	Rapier/Shortbow	OC	demi	H	Bull’s Eye Target
Sehanine Moonbow	CG (NG)		Chaos, Good, Knowledge, Travel, Moon, Illusion, Afterlife	Quarterstaff	E	intermediate	E	Full Moon topped by Crescent of Haze
Sotillion	CG (CN)		Air, Chaos, Good, Healing, Plant	Net	Oc	lesser	H	Pure Orange Tiger
St. Cuthbert	LN (LG)		Destruction, Good, Law, Protection, Strength, Justice	Club/ Bludgeoning Weapons	C	intermediate	H	Starburst of Rubies, Wooden Billet, Crumpled Hat
Stern Alia	LN(LE)		Knowledge, Law, Protection, Family		O	demi	H
Syrul	NE		Evil, Knowledge, Trickery, Deceit	Dagger	S	lesser	H	A forked tongue
Telchur	CN		Air, Chaos, Strength, Cold, Winter	Shortspear/ Shortbow	Oc	lesser	H	Leafless Tree in a Field of Snow
*Deity*	*Align*		*Domains*	*Weapon*	*Origin*	*Rank*	*Race*	*Holy Symbol*
Tharizdun	NE		Destruction, Evil, Knowledge, Insanity, Darkness, Madness, Force	Spiral of Decay (N/A)	U	intermediate	H	Dark Spiral, Inverted Pyramid
Trithereon	CG		Chaos, Good, Protection, Strength, Retribution	Shortspear/ Longsword/GrClub	C	intermediate	H	Rune of Pursuit
Tsolorandril	LN		Knowledge, Law	spiked chain	U	hero-god	H	sphere with wave-shape pattern
Ulaa	LG		Earth, Good, Law	Warhammer	UC	intermediate	G,D,H	Mountain with a Ruby Heart
Vathris	LN		Law, Retribution	Longspear	F	hero-god	H	a black spear
Vatun	CN		Air, Animal, Chaos, Strength, Cold	Battleaxe	S	lesser	H	Sun Setting on a Snowy Landscape
Vecna	NE		Evil, Knowledge, Magic, Illusion, Destruction	Dagger/ Quarterstaff	UF	lesser	H	Left Hand clutching a Human Eye
Velnius	N (NG)		Air, Travel, Water, Storms, Weather	Shortspear	O	lesser	H	Bird perched on a Cloud
Wastri	LN (LE)		Animal, Law, War, Scalykind, Deceit	Glaive-guisarme	U	demi	H	Gray Toad
Wee Jas	LN (LE)		Death, Law, Magic, Spell, Afterlife	Dagger /Wizard Weapons	S	intermediate	H	Red Skull in front of a Fireball
Wenta	CG		Air, Chaos, Good, Plant, Harvest	Club	Oc	lesser	H	Large Mug of Beer
Xan Yae	N		Knowledge, Trickery, War, Night, Darkness	Falchion/ Monk Weapons	BC	lesser	H
Xerbo	N		Animal, Knowledge, Water, Ocean, Trade	Trident/ Sailor Weapons	Sc	lesser	H	Dragon Turtle
Ye’Cind	CG		Chaos, Good, Knowledge, Magic, Song	Longsword	E	demi	E,H	Recorder
Zagyg	CN (CG)		Chaos, Knowledge, Magic, Rune, Insanity	Club	UC	demi	H	Rune of Insanity
Zilchus	LN		Knowledge, Law Trickery, Trade	Dagger	OC	intermediate	H	Hands Clutching a Bag of Gold
Zodal	NG		Good, Healing, Protection, Compassion	Hand of Zodal (unarmed)	FC	lesser	H	Hand partially wrapped in Grey Cloth
Zouken	N		Knowledge, Strength, War, Courage	Unarmed/ Monk Weapons	B	demi	H	Striking Fist

Align is the principal alignment of the deity and priests
Origin is the pantheon from which the deity arose.
B = Baklunish
F = Flan
O = Oeridian
S = Suel
E = Elf
C = Commonly accepted across the Flanaess
U = Unknown, mysterious origin
Domains are the domains available to priests of the deity.
Races are the races that commonly worship the deity.
H = Human
D = Dwarf
E = Elf
G = Gnome
h = Halfling
f = Fey
OG = Orcs & Goblinoids