Greyhawk Adventures: Difference between revisions

From Greyhawk Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
← Older editNewer edit →
VisualWikitext
Renegade54 (talk | contribs)
VerifiedUsers
114 edits
m formatting
Expanding to include more info from WP.
Line 11: Line 11:
|cover_artist    = [[Jeff Easley]]
|cover_artist    = [[Jeff Easley]]
|inter_artist    = [[Jeff Easley]]. Jeff Dee, Diesel, [[Larry Elmore]],Jim Holloway, [[Erol Otus]], [[Dave Sutherland]], Dave Trampier, Gary William
|inter_artist    = [[Jeff Easley]]. Jeff Dee, Diesel, [[Larry Elmore]],Jim Holloway, [[Erol Otus]], [[Dave Sutherland]], Dave Trampier, Gary William
|first published  = 1988
|first published  = 1 August 1988
|series          =  
|series          =  
|pages            = 128
|pages            = 128
Line 17: Line 17:
|class            = Officially published material
|class            = Officially published material
}}
}}
'''Greyhawk Adventures''' is hardcover 1e book adding more detail to the {{smallcaps|[[World of Greyhawk]]}}™ campaign setting, written by [[James M. Ward]] and published by [[TSR]] in August 1, 1988.  
'''Greyhawk Adventures''' is a hardcover 1e book adding more detail to the {{smallcaps|[[World of Greyhawk]]}}™, written by [[James M. Ward]] and published by [[TSR]].  


== Description ==  
==Contents==
The 128-page book was the thirteenth and final manual published for the 1st edition Advanced ''Dungeons & Dragons'' rules, although a note on its cover claims the book is also compatible with the 2nd Edition AD&D system. ''Greyhawk Adventures'' contains information about Greyhawk deities, non-player characters, monsters, geography, spells, and magic items of the setting, rules for playing zero-level characters, and a few short adventures.
''Greyhawk Adventures'' contains information about [[Greyhawk deities]], clerics, major [[:Category:Characters|NPCs]], [[:Category:Creatures|monsters]], [[:Category:Geography|geography]], spells of the setting's famous magic-users (such as [[Bigby]] and [[Otiluke]]), [[:Category:Magic items|magic items]] of the setting, rules for playing "zero-level" characters, and six short adventures.<ref name="HW">{{cite book|last=Schick |first=Lawrence|title=Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games|publisher=Prometheus Books |year=1991|isbn=0-87975-653-5 |page=101}}</ref> The supplement is compatible with both the 1st and 2nd Edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' rules.<ref name="HW"/> As suggested by the note in the starburst-medallion on the cover, the contents of ''Greyhawk Adventures'' represent a transitional state between the 1st and 2nd edition AD&D rules;<ref name="Dragon #143">{{cite journal| last = Bambra| first = Jim| author-link = Jim Bambra| title = Role-playing Reviews| journal = [[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]| issue = #143| pages = 71–72| publisher = [[TSR, Inc.|TSR]]| location = [[Lake Geneva, Wisconsin]]|date=March 1989}}</ref> the NPCs in the Hall of Heroes include monks, a 1st Edition character class not included in the 2nd Edition rules, while the "Monsters of Greyhawk" chapter uses the 2nd Edition's system of rolling two ten-sided dice (2d10) for monster morale, rather than the 1st Edition's d100-based morale system.
 
''Greyhawk Adventures'' is unusual among ''AD&D'' hardcover manuals, in that the author solicited input from the gaming community about what subjects to include in the book before publishing it (Ward 1988a). Ward later credited the 511 letters he received as the major impetus for including the rules for zero-level characters and adventures, both topics that had not been previously included in hardcover ''AD&D'' manuals (Ward 1988b).


As suggested by the note on the cover, the contents of ''Greyhawk Adventures'' represent a transitional state between the 1st and 2nd edition ''AD&D'' rules (Bambra 1989). For example, the NPCs in the "Hall of Heroes" include monks, a 1st edition character class not included in the 2nd edition rules. On the other hand, the "Monsters of Greyhawk" chapter uses the 2nd edition's 2d10-based system for monster morale, rather than the 1st edition's d100-based morale system.
''Greyhawk Adventures'' elaborates on the religions, deities, and clerics of the setting, and introduces the concept of avatars: low-powered physical manifestations of the various deities, each of which receives a portion of a deity's power and is sent to the [[Prime Material Plane]] to carry out the deity's wishes.<ref name="Dragon #143"/> ''Greyhawk Adventures'' also continued the process of making clerics more individualized—begun in the second edition of the ''[[World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting]]''—by detailing such things as the use of special powers granted by their deities, the types of weapons they must use, and the types of spells a cleric may employ.<ref name="Dragon #143"/>
[[File:Greyhawk Adventures02.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''Dark Citadel'' by [[Jeff Easley]].]]
Unlike many of the ''AD&D'' manuals, ''Greyhawk Adventures'' was not reissued for the 2nd or 3rd editions of D&D, although much of its content was incorporated into other supplements. All but two of the monsters introduced in ''Greyhawk Adventures'', for example, reappeared in the ''[[Greyhawk Adventures Monstrous Compendium]]'' appendix (ISBN 0-88038-836-6).


''Greyhawk Adventures'' takes its name and logo from a series of novels written by [[Gary Gygax]] and [[Rose Estes]], published by TSR in the 1980s. The logo was later used on several 2nd Edition AD&D products, such as ''[[City of Skulls]]'' and ''[[The Marklands]]''.  
The monsters in the "Monsters of Greyhawk" section are classified similarly to the existing ''Monster Manual'' books, but with additional information provided on its habitat terrain type, organization, active times, diet, and other game statistics.<ref name="Dragon #143"/> The "Hall of heroes" section contains detailed descriptions of some of the key non-player characters active in the world of Oerth, including: the City of Greyhawk's Lord Mayor; Constable of the City; Captain-General of the Watch; the heads of the Thieves and Assassins Guilds; [[Jaran Krimeeah]], the Mage of the Vale; and two members of the Scarlet Brotherhood of evil monks.<ref name="Dragon #143"/>


The book presents 106 new spells drawn from the spell books of notable wizards such as Bigby, [[Mordenkainen]], [[Nystul]], [[Tenser]], and [[Rary]].<ref name="Dragon #143"/> Each of the book's magical items comes with a background that ties it into the campaign setting.<ref name="Dragon #143"/> The descriptions of various geographical locations include a number of adventure outlines which show the kind of encounters that PCs entering different geographical areas are likely to experience, and include notes for DMs to show how the featured locations can be turned into adventure settings.<ref name="Dragon #143"/>
The book provides six adventure scenarios, as outlines for DMs to fill in. Two are for zero-level characters struggling to work up to 1st level, and the other adventures include a dive to a sunken ship to recover treasure, entry into the Valley of the Mage, a rescue mission set in a house, and an evening's entertainment in a gambling house.<ref name="Dragon #143"/> The zero-level character system for fledgling characters allows PCs to grow into their character-class roles and gives them special abilities not normally associated with a character class.<ref name="Dragon #143"/>
==Publication history==
''Greyhawk Adventures'' was written by [[James M. Ward]], with cover art by [[Jeff Easley]], and was published by [[TSR, Inc.]] in 1988 as a 128-page hardbound book.<ref name="HW">{{cite book|last=Schick |first=Lawrence|title=Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games|publisher=Prometheus Books |year=1991|isbn=0-87975-653-5 |page=101}}</ref> The book features additional design by Daniel Salas, [[Skip Williams]], [[Nigel D. Findley]], Thomas Kane, Stephen Inniss, Len Carpenter, and Eric Oppen.<ref name="Dragon #143"/> Editing and coordination was by [[Warren Spector]], with editing by Anne Browne, Karen Boomgarden, [[Steve Winter]], [[Mike Breault]], [[Scott Haring]], and [[Jon Pickens]] and special developmental work by Pickens.<ref name="Dragon #143"/> The book was the thirteenth hardback manual published for the 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules, though a note on its cover states the book is also compatible with the 2nd Edition.<ref name="Dragon #143"/> It was the final hardback manual published for 1st edition. The book features interior illustrations by Easley, [[Jeff Dee]], [[David S. LaForce|Diesel]], [[Larry Elmore]], [[Jim Holloway (artist)|Jim Holloway]], [[Erol Otus]], [[Dave Sutherland]], [[Dave Trampier]], and Gary Williams.
TSR released ''Greyhawk Adventures'' in response to requests from Greyhawk fans,<ref name="Dragon #143"/> and the book is unusual among AD&D hardcover manuals in that the author solicited input from the gaming community about what subjects to include in the book before publishing it.<ref name="ward1">[[Jim Ward|Ward, James]]. "The Game Wizards." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' No. 129 (TSR, 1988)</ref> Ward later credited the 511 letters he received as the major impetus for including the rules for zero-level characters and adventures, both topics that had not been previously included in hardcover AD&D manuals.<ref name="ward2">Ward, James. "The Game Wizards." ''Dragon'' No. 135 (TSR, 1988)</ref>
Unlike many ''AD&D'' manuals, ''Greyhawk Adventures'' was not reissued for the 2nd or 3rd editions of ''D&D'', although much of its content was incorporated into other supplements. All but two of the monsters introduced in ''Greyhawk Adventures'', for example, reappeared in the ''[[Greyhawk Adventures Monstrous Compendium appendix|MC5 Greyhawk Appendix]]'' <small>(ISBN: 0-88038-836-6)</small>.
''Greyhawk Adventures'' takes its name and logo from a series of novels written by [[Gary Gygax]] and [[Rose Estes]], published by TSR in the 1980s. The logo was later used on several 2nd Edition ''AD&D'' products, such as ''[[City of Skulls]]'' and ''[[The Marklands]]''.
[[Image:Greyhawk Adventures02.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''Dark Citadel'', the original art for ''Greyhawk adventures''.  Illustration by Jeff Easley (1988).]]
== Cover art ==
== Cover art ==
The famous cover art of this hardback was painted by [[Jeff Easley]].  Years later, Easley noted the title of the piece as "Dark Citadel".<ref name=JETC>''Jeff Easley Trading Card'' #3, (1995)</ref>  He added an anecdote, saying, <blockquote>"The hardest part of this was dealing with the light put off by the magic sword, without washing out the figure.  I also decided to 'stipple' the magical back draft of the wings, which took a while."<ref name=JETC /></blockquote>The artwork has later been used on a miniature version of the book, on card #224 ([[Tyrinon]]) of the 1991 [[Trading Cards]], on card #176 (also Tyrinon) of the [[Spellfire]] CCG, the ''Jeff Easley Trading Cards'', and was used in ''[[dragmag|Dragon]]'' magazine #137 (September 1988) as a 15" x 19" poster included inside that issue to advertise the release of the hardcover.
The famous cover art of this hardback was painted by [[Jeff Easley]].  Years later, Easley noted the title of the piece as "Dark Citadel".<ref name=JETC>''Jeff Easley Trading Card'' #3, (1995)</ref>  He added an anecdote, saying, <blockquote>"The hardest part of this was dealing with the light put off by the magic sword, without washing out the figure.  I also decided to 'stipple' the magical back draft of the wings, which took a while."<ref name=JETC /></blockquote>The artwork has later been used on a miniature version of the book, on card #224 ([[Tyrinon]]) of the 1991 [[Trading Cards]], on card #176 (also Tyrinon) of the [[Spellfire]] CCG, the ''Jeff Easley Trading Cards'', and was used in ''[[dragmag|Dragon]]'' magazine #137 (September 1988) as a 15" x 19" poster included inside that issue to advertise the release of the hardcover.
Line 55: Line 64:
*-----. "The Game Wizards." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #135. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1988.
*-----. "The Game Wizards." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #135. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1988.
*-----. ''Greyhawk Adventures''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1988.
*-----. ''Greyhawk Adventures''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1988.
{{wikipedia}}
{{index}}
{{index}}


Revision as of 17:35, 17 December 2021

Greyhawk Source
Greyhawk Adventures
Cover of Greyhawk Adventures, art by Jeff Easley (1988).
Type: Hardcover rule book
Code/Abbreviation: TSR 2023
Edition: AD&D 1e and 2e
Author(s): James M. Ward
Editor(s): Anne Brown, Karen Boomgarden, Steve Winter, Mike Breault, Scott Haring, Jon Pickens, Warren Spector
Cover Artist(s): Jeff Easley
Interior Artist(s): Jeff Easley. Jeff Dee, Diesel, Larry Elmore,Jim Holloway, Erol Otus, Dave Sutherland, Dave Trampier, Gary William
Publisher: TSR
First Published: 1 August 1988
Pages: 128
ISBN: 978-0880386494
Class: Officially published material

Greyhawk Adventures is a hardcover 1e book adding more detail to the World of Greyhawk™, written by James M. Ward and published by TSR.

Contents

Greyhawk Adventures contains information about Greyhawk deities, clerics, major NPCs, monsters, geography, spells of the setting's famous magic-users (such as Bigby and Otiluke), magic items of the setting, rules for playing "zero-level" characters, and six short adventures.[1] The supplement is compatible with both the 1st and 2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules.[1] As suggested by the note in the starburst-medallion on the cover, the contents of Greyhawk Adventures represent a transitional state between the 1st and 2nd edition AD&D rules;[2] the NPCs in the Hall of Heroes include monks, a 1st Edition character class not included in the 2nd Edition rules, while the "Monsters of Greyhawk" chapter uses the 2nd Edition's system of rolling two ten-sided dice (2d10) for monster morale, rather than the 1st Edition's d100-based morale system.

Greyhawk Adventures elaborates on the religions, deities, and clerics of the setting, and introduces the concept of avatars: low-powered physical manifestations of the various deities, each of which receives a portion of a deity's power and is sent to the Prime Material Plane to carry out the deity's wishes.[2] Greyhawk Adventures also continued the process of making clerics more individualized—begun in the second edition of the World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting—by detailing such things as the use of special powers granted by their deities, the types of weapons they must use, and the types of spells a cleric may employ.[2]

The monsters in the "Monsters of Greyhawk" section are classified similarly to the existing Monster Manual books, but with additional information provided on its habitat terrain type, organization, active times, diet, and other game statistics.[2] The "Hall of heroes" section contains detailed descriptions of some of the key non-player characters active in the world of Oerth, including: the City of Greyhawk's Lord Mayor; Constable of the City; Captain-General of the Watch; the heads of the Thieves and Assassins Guilds; Jaran Krimeeah, the Mage of the Vale; and two members of the Scarlet Brotherhood of evil monks.[2]

The book presents 106 new spells drawn from the spell books of notable wizards such as Bigby, Mordenkainen, Nystul, Tenser, and Rary.[2] Each of the book's magical items comes with a background that ties it into the campaign setting.[2] The descriptions of various geographical locations include a number of adventure outlines which show the kind of encounters that PCs entering different geographical areas are likely to experience, and include notes for DMs to show how the featured locations can be turned into adventure settings.[2]

The book provides six adventure scenarios, as outlines for DMs to fill in. Two are for zero-level characters struggling to work up to 1st level, and the other adventures include a dive to a sunken ship to recover treasure, entry into the Valley of the Mage, a rescue mission set in a house, and an evening's entertainment in a gambling house.[2] The zero-level character system for fledgling characters allows PCs to grow into their character-class roles and gives them special abilities not normally associated with a character class.[2]

Publication history

Greyhawk Adventures was written by James M. Ward, with cover art by Jeff Easley, and was published by TSR, Inc. in 1988 as a 128-page hardbound book.[1] The book features additional design by Daniel Salas, Skip Williams, Nigel D. Findley, Thomas Kane, Stephen Inniss, Len Carpenter, and Eric Oppen.[2] Editing and coordination was by Warren Spector, with editing by Anne Browne, Karen Boomgarden, Steve Winter, Mike Breault, Scott Haring, and Jon Pickens and special developmental work by Pickens.[2] The book was the thirteenth hardback manual published for the 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules, though a note on its cover states the book is also compatible with the 2nd Edition.[2] It was the final hardback manual published for 1st edition. The book features interior illustrations by Easley, Jeff Dee, Diesel, Larry Elmore, Jim Holloway, Erol Otus, Dave Sutherland, Dave Trampier, and Gary Williams.

TSR released Greyhawk Adventures in response to requests from Greyhawk fans,[2] and the book is unusual among AD&D hardcover manuals in that the author solicited input from the gaming community about what subjects to include in the book before publishing it.[3] Ward later credited the 511 letters he received as the major impetus for including the rules for zero-level characters and adventures, both topics that had not been previously included in hardcover AD&D manuals.[4]

Unlike many AD&D manuals, Greyhawk Adventures was not reissued for the 2nd or 3rd editions of D&D, although much of its content was incorporated into other supplements. All but two of the monsters introduced in Greyhawk Adventures, for example, reappeared in the MC5 Greyhawk Appendix (ISBN: 0-88038-836-6).

Greyhawk Adventures takes its name and logo from a series of novels written by Gary Gygax and Rose Estes, published by TSR in the 1980s. The logo was later used on several 2nd Edition AD&D products, such as City of Skulls and The Marklands.

Dark Citadel, the original art for Greyhawk adventures. Illustration by Jeff Easley (1988).

Cover art

The famous cover art of this hardback was painted by Jeff Easley. Years later, Easley noted the title of the piece as "Dark Citadel".[5] He added an anecdote, saying,

"The hardest part of this was dealing with the light put off by the magic sword, without washing out the figure. I also decided to 'stipple' the magical back draft of the wings, which took a while."[5]

The artwork has later been used on a miniature version of the book, on card #224 (Tyrinon) of the 1991 Trading Cards, on card #176 (also Tyrinon) of the Spellfire CCG, the Jeff Easley Trading Cards, and was used in Dragon magazine #137 (September 1988) as a 15" x 19" poster included inside that issue to advertise the release of the hardcover.

See also

References

Notes

Citations

  1. ↑ a b c Schick, Lawrence (1991) Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games, Prometheus Books, p. 101 ISBN: 0-87975-653-5.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Bambra, Jim (March 1989). "Role-playing Reviews". Dragon (#143): 71–72. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR.
  3. ↑ Ward, James. "The Game Wizards." Dragon No. 129 (TSR, 1988)
  4. ↑ Ward, James. "The Game Wizards." Dragon No. 135 (TSR, 1988)
  5. ↑ a b Jeff Easley Trading Card #3, (1995)

Bibliography

  • Bambra, Jim. "Role-playing Reviews." Dragon #143. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.
  • Ward, James. "The Game Wizards." Dragon #129. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1988.
  • -----. "The Game Wizards." Dragon #135. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1988.
  • -----. Greyhawk Adventures. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1988.
This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors).

Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic Type Description Product Page/Card/Image

Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook 83, 105
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, The City of Greyhawk: Adventure Cards 1, 11
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, The City of Greyhawk: Folks, Feuds and Factions 6, 10, 20, 24, 39, 43, 64
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, The City of Greyhawk: Gem of the Flanaess 6, 9, 12, 56, 60
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, DMGR4 - Monster Mythology 128
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, Dragon magazine #241 75
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, Dragon magazine #263 46
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, Dungeon magazine #073 58
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, TSR Jam 1999 12
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, Return of the Eight 37, 52, 57, 59, 60, 62
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, SJR6 Greyspace 9
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, The Adventure Begins: Adventure Maps 5
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, LT1 The Star Cairns 2
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, WG8 Fate of Istus 80, 118
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, WGA1 Falcon's Revenge 2
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, WGA3 Flames of the Falcon 2, 13, 32, 41, 54
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, WGA4 Vecna Lives! 47, 80, 84, 94
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, WGQ1 Patriots of Ulek 5
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, WGR1 Greyhawk Ruins 44
Greyhawk Adventures Publication Supplement, WGR3 Rary the Traitor 28, 29
MC5 - Monstrous Compendium - Greyhawk Adventures Appendix Publication Rulebook, DMGR4 - Monster Mythology 14, 77, 118
Retrieved from "https://gateway.greyhawk.city/greyhawkwiki/index.php?title=Greyhawk_Adventures&oldid=59771"