Wednesday, 27 April 2016
Bibliography -sample
Bibliography
AD&D resources
Paul's Blog. (2011). Spells Through The Ages: Clairvoyance. [online] Available at: http://blog.binkystick.com/2011/12/17/spells-through-the-ages-clairvoyance/ [Accessed 27 Apr. 2016].
AD&D resources
Paul's Blog. (2011). Spells Through The Ages: Clairvoyance. [online] Available at: http://blog.binkystick.com/2011/12/17/spells-through-the-ages-clairvoyance/ [Accessed 27 Apr. 2016].
Sunday, 24 April 2016
Historical Notes: Money:
From
https://abagond.wordpress.com/2007/05/10/money-in-leonardos-time/
Leonardo da Vinci mentions money and prices in his notebooks, almost in passing. He tells how much he paid gravediggers, for instance, and how much it costs to have your fortune told.
Leonardo counted money in lire, soldi and dinari:
Like the English pound, shilling and pence, these come from the Roman system of of libra, solidus and denarius. But the money in Italy lost its value far more quickly than in England so that by Leonardo’s time the soldi had pretty much the same value as Shakespeare’s penny.
The coins that Leonardo mentions (with their rough value in metric pennies, which have 0.5 grams of silver):
The ducat was the gold coin of Venice, just as the florin was the gold coin of Florence. Both had 3.5 grams of gold and were accepted all over Europe. They are called “pieces of gold” in the Grimm stories.
The soldo and lire are silver coins. I put six lire to a florin, but in practice it was not that fixed. You might get anywhere between four to seven lire for a florin, depending on the going rate between silver and gold.
Leonardo generally got paid in ducats and florins. His income went up and down a lot, but in the long run he made about 50 to 100 ducats a year. That is equal to about a painting a year.
At the end of his life Leonardo worked for the king of France, who paid him 400 ducats a year. Compare that to Michelangelo, who got between 200 to 450 ducats for his sculptures.
One ducat was spending money for Leonardo, but for one of his students it was ten days’ pay.
In 1499, just before the fall of Milan, Leonardo had 600 ducats in the bank. In his will he gave his brother 400 ducats.
Some prices from his notebooks (in soldi):
https://abagond.wordpress.com/2007/05/10/money-in-leonardos-time/
Leonardo da Vinci mentions money and prices in his notebooks, almost in passing. He tells how much he paid gravediggers, for instance, and how much it costs to have your fortune told.
Leonardo counted money in lire, soldi and dinari:
- 1 lire = 20 soldi
- 1 soldo = 12 dinari
Like the English pound, shilling and pence, these come from the Roman system of of libra, solidus and denarius. But the money in Italy lost its value far more quickly than in England so that by Leonardo’s time the soldi had pretty much the same value as Shakespeare’s penny.
The coins that Leonardo mentions (with their rough value in metric pennies, which have 0.5 grams of silver):
- ducat (120)
- florin (120)
- Rhenish florin (120)
- scudo (110)
- grossoni (40)
- lire (20)
- carlino (4-8?)
- soldo (1)
- dinari (0.083)
The ducat was the gold coin of Venice, just as the florin was the gold coin of Florence. Both had 3.5 grams of gold and were accepted all over Europe. They are called “pieces of gold” in the Grimm stories.
The soldo and lire are silver coins. I put six lire to a florin, but in practice it was not that fixed. You might get anywhere between four to seven lire for a florin, depending on the going rate between silver and gold.
Leonardo generally got paid in ducats and florins. His income went up and down a lot, but in the long run he made about 50 to 100 ducats a year. That is equal to about a painting a year.
At the end of his life Leonardo worked for the king of France, who paid him 400 ducats a year. Compare that to Michelangelo, who got between 200 to 450 ducats for his sculptures.
One ducat was spending money for Leonardo, but for one of his students it was ten days’ pay.
In 1499, just before the fall of Milan, Leonardo had 600 ducats in the bank. In his will he gave his brother 400 ducats.
Some prices from his notebooks (in soldi):
225 a metre of velvet
140 bed
140 ring
120 to bury someone - bier, gravediggers, priests, the works
100 lined doublet
45 crockery
40 cloak
40 jerkin (up to 120)
40 pair of hose (up to 120)
30 for canvas
23 a metre of cloth (for a shirt)
22 gardener
21 sword and knife
20 anise comfits
20 cap
20 glasses
20 lock
18 for paper
16 for gravediggers to bury someone
13 shirt
13 jasper ring
11 sparkling stone
11 what a student of his could make in a day
11 to the barber
6 have your fortune told
5 pair of shoes (up to 14)
4 a dozen laces
3 rent a room for a day
3 melon
1 salad
See also:Saturday, 23 April 2016
Gold facts
Well lets assume that is true, how big is the room? We have 10 feet deep. If the treasure is say 50% gold (I assume the dragon likes to see his gold so he puts that on top, the lower 5 feet proably is copper, silver and basic treasures - the feathers of the dragons bed) how much more is the size of the room? Well lets make it 9' average height (the same as the treasure room in real life) there is a least one 22 foot by 17 foot section in that room so at least 1/2 the great horde (so about 6,000 pounds of gold, or 60,000 gp, and 6,000 pounds of other coins mostly copper mixed in) - so how many more or less 20 by 20 sections (a little less 20 by 19 ish but let us keep it simple) It looks like a big room say 40 by a 100? So about 10 20 by 20 sections for a total of 10 times the horde size in real life, 1/2 in gold, so 5 times the gold value or 300,000 gp (or 6 high end magic swords in value) 15 tonnes of gold.
Or 1/10 of the total plunder of all the gold the Spanish took. A HUGE horde for sure. The US mines about 120 tonnes a year currently of gold. So a bit more than 10% of 1 year gold production.
Of course that assuming 9 feet deep of treasure, with a room 40 by a 100. Make it 8o by 200 and the horde would be 4 times bigger - or 4 lords tax base for 250 years. As aside king Tuts Tomb was rated at $650 million in 2004.
http://www.numbersleuth.org/worlds-gold/
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=414468
Friday, 22 April 2016
Clerics and healing
Clerics and healing
Well I think your need normals even in medium magic worlds, and even most high magic worlds.
Two weeks ago at a tourney the players where playing 9+ characters with followers, and rather deal with the monsters themselves decided to hire some more troops and take the fighters and clerics followers on the march.
They only had one 9th level cleric, the player characters- admittedly they could have had some 1st level clerics along as new henchmen -but the none the less after the first wandering encounter they where ambushed by arrow fire, not killing any one but badly hurting about 60 men.
They drew the white flag, made peace with the monsters but then had to heal up. With 60 men, some in the negatives it took over 10 days to field the army with the cleric converting every spell he had into cures . . .
And of course I added the realistic factors of being in pain and what not, so really most of the men where not be treated at all for some time but anything but fellow soldiers who really should not be doing medical treatment. At the very least you need nurses an wound binders if not full medical personal - after a battle their are just to much wounded, and clerics might be among them.
The logic you suggest makes sense.
Well I think your need normals even in medium magic worlds, and even most high magic worlds.
Two weeks ago at a tourney the players where playing 9+ characters with followers, and rather deal with the monsters themselves decided to hire some more troops and take the fighters and clerics followers on the march.
They only had one 9th level cleric, the player characters- admittedly they could have had some 1st level clerics along as new henchmen -but the none the less after the first wandering encounter they where ambushed by arrow fire, not killing any one but badly hurting about 60 men.
They drew the white flag, made peace with the monsters but then had to heal up. With 60 men, some in the negatives it took over 10 days to field the army with the cleric converting every spell he had into cures . . .
And of course I added the realistic factors of being in pain and what not, so really most of the men where not be treated at all for some time but anything but fellow soldiers who really should not be doing medical treatment. At the very least you need nurses an wound binders if not full medical personal - after a battle their are just to much wounded, and clerics might be among them.
The logic you suggest makes sense.
Myth Busters: Gold
Fun facts
Statement:t: Smaugs horde has more gold than all the earth.
But in modern times:
"Their latest figure for all the gold in the world is 171,300 tonnes" - which is a LARGE horde of gold.
"....a cube made of 171,300 tonnes would be about 20.7m (68ft) on each side. Or to put it another way, it would reach to 9.8m above ground level if exactly covering Wimbledon Centre Court."
"But not everyone agrees with the GFMS figures.
Estimates range from 155,244 tonnes, marginally less than the GFMS figure, to about 16 times that amount - 2.5 million tonnes.
That bigger figure would make a cube of sides 50m (166ft) long, or a column of gold towering 143m above Wimbledon centre court."
Since the depth of the cave was no more than 1/2 a metre (half a hobbit) but lets say a 2 meter anway.So our regangle of floor gold would be 68 feet wide and 680 feet long and 6 feet deep - and that be pure 24 carret gold, not coins or plates or alloys etc. So raise that size at last 10% proably 200% for gold alloyed treasure and looking treasure - electrum looks just like gold to most people and in fact gold brass alloy as well.
And of course there is a lot more cold in mines yet unmined.
PS
After the Battle of Cajamarca, Atahualpa offered Pizarro to buy his liberty by filling the room where he was kept prisoner with gold and the two following rooms with silver, up to the level of the reach of his arm. The room was 22 feet long and 17 feet wide, while the red line marking the height of the Inca's reach, was 9 feet high. Atahualpa also offered to twice fill a smaller room with silver, asking for two months to do so
Much smaller than the lair of course, but again the floor looks like only a foot or three so of gold giving us 50 by 50 foot area of gold easily a foot or so deep.
The total collection of the gold, after being melted down into standard ingots, and before division amongst the Spaniards, amounted to 1,326,539 pesos de oro, worth 15,500,000 in 1847 US dollars. The silver amounted to 51,610 marks. Some of the most beautiful articles were saved for the emperor's royal fifth, which included vases, imitations of plants and animals, and a fountain
Apparently about 13,000 pounds of gold, or 130,000 gp from standard AD&D or 2 vorpal swords and some change.
If you go for 100 coins a pound it would be 23 vorpal swords.
Still 1 vorpal sword is enough to run an entire kingdom for several years, even at 23 swords to all the (taxable) gold in an empire.
The gold in modern terms (the ransom) as of today wold go for $196.23 milion dollars, or 1/403 of bill Gates banked/recorded wealth (as of today) or about 0.23% of his banked wealth. So if you have $100,000 in the bank is a few hundred dollars to him.
Or put another way bill gates could afford at least 200 or maybe even 2,000 vorpal swords if he was an AD&d character.
Scholz Cyclopedia & Encyclopedia
Scholz Cyclopedia & Encyclopedia
Index of terms by Edmund L. Scholz
Hints for Players:
Index of Terms:
Charellsfane-
Tassin's Wood-
Alcastra's Tower-
The Illhiedrin Book-
Tassin's Wood- A wood guarded with Alcastra's land.
Notes about dating: All dates are in the Imperial Great kingdom calendar (common year) unless otherwise said.
Alcastra's Tower- Perhaps more than one tower, but some time in the last half to the 6th century Alcastra the wizard (wizardess) of name level, who has set up her "name tower" as a buffer to the Orcs of the Pomarji. While not as effective as hoped, in the nearly days the Orcs avoided the tower.
She has taken an oath of support to the King of Keoland, and in has even taught him some magic, making him a Ranger of old.
The Illhiedrin Book- Reportedly a powerful spell book. Possibly just Illhiedrin's first book of first level spells, and thus only a rare antique rather than a book of true power. Others say that the Illhiedrin Book has "contents of which are said to be beyond any current knowledge."
Index of terms by Edmund L. Scholz
Hints for Players:
Index of Terms:
Charellsfane-
Tassin's Wood-
Alcastra's Tower-
The Illhiedrin Book-
Scholz Cyclopedia - Iuz Protected Zone
Tassin's Wood- A wood guarded with Alcastra's land.
Notes about dating: All dates are in the Imperial Great kingdom calendar (common year) unless otherwise said.
Alcastra's Tower- Perhaps more than one tower, but some time in the last half to the 6th century Alcastra the wizard (wizardess) of name level, who has set up her "name tower" as a buffer to the Orcs of the Pomarji. While not as effective as hoped, in the nearly days the Orcs avoided the tower.
She has taken an oath of support to the King of Keoland, and in has even taught him some magic, making him a Ranger of old.
The Illhiedrin Book- Reportedly a powerful spell book. Possibly just Illhiedrin's first book of first level spells, and thus only a rare antique rather than a book of true power. Others say that the Illhiedrin Book has "contents of which are said to be beyond any current knowledge."
Iuz Protected Zone -
Known only to the wisest of extra planar sages. Sometime in 6th
Century Cy the Githzerai sent a scout to the world of Greyhawk. By
happenstance this scout joined a party which soon meet with the
demi-god Iuz. It seemed everything this Young Githzerai meet was
insanely
powerful, and he just managed to escape with life. The Githzerai have
given the WOG listed as "To Dangerous to Visit" and the
whole area is off limits. This was later confirmed by the dark powers
when a young cambion also has a host of dangerous adventures from a
natural plant that allows astral travel. Soon a Deva, solar and lower
planes monster discovered the dangerous of Iuz and reported back that
the plane was to be avoided. The cambion was polymorphed into a Deva so
when he returned to the Prime he became a force of good.
However this protected zone was in a long list of obscure agreements held by the outer powers that most primes are totally unaware.
Charellsfane - A wizard who become famous around 300 CY, and then disappeared from history because of the Mad Wizard of Greyhawk fame at the same time period. Unlike most Wizards of the Mad Wizards fame he had no connections with the Mad Wizard. As he suddenly disappeared and his tower was never vised by anyone, he disappeared from history.
Charellsfane tower- One of the 7 wonders of his time, mainly for being mysterious and its location unknown to most. Many say it does not exist nor ever existed, and Charellsfane just lived in a small house in the city. However, there are many reports of a real and substantive tower from many hero's of the 4th century. The elven Queen of Celene (of the 4th century) has been said to have visited the tower once.
Jobs: solicitor - lawyer; almost non-existent; thought there are many similar jobs in some of more advanced nations; certainly the Great Kingdom has a Great legal tradition going back to the 1st century common year, and both Keoland and Sulward City have some kind of solicitor class based on modern and Suel traditions. Since the dark ages most court cases are a local lord holding "court' at his house hearing the complaints of the people under his care. While the old and infirm would be allowed another to plea for them, their is no room for a profession of solicitor in such a system of personal justice. Elves have a kind of lawyer class, but they consider it more of an art form or hobby, thought in the High folk area who knows? Human influences go deep since the 3rd century.
Religious Heresies of Scholz's Greyhawk:
Avatarism (Scholz neoglosim) - Belief that gods have avatars, that is, more than one body. The Church of Veluna does not care about other deities but are strong opposed to avatars for any deity of their core deities, with the exception of Rao. Rao being all powerful could have avatars but as of yet does not. Those worshipers of the church of Veluna who uphold the belief of Avartarism (that all gods have avatars, or could have them) are heretics.
From Other Sources:
https://edmunds-playersbook.blogspot.com/b/post-preview?token=vPOBvVMBAAA.N6rzVmKuL5uAdOUf2-r_qOIakhQFTCUB6ev60FixqRDQm_gvUx6XA12c76c5s18B21Gv04JzL9gIs-ggvtjddw.5QE3OcVf9SAd8msYFh2xog&postId=3102438717169696327&type=POST
Known Legends
THE HAND OF VECNA
The Hand of Vecna appears to be a dried, shriveled and blackened hand, such as could have been caused by having been burned. The hand (and it is also rumored in dark passageways, an eye) is the sole remains of an ancient lich who was so powerful that he was able to imbue his hand with wondrous/horrible powers and to enable it to survive even after his long-undead body had teased to exist.
THE EYE OF VECNA
The Eye of the Cat
It is also said, but not in the hearing of strangers, that when the mighty lien, Vecna, finally met his doom, that one of his eyes survived along with his hand. The eye may or may not have originally belonged to Vecna, as it is said to glitter much in the same manner as the eye of a feline. If the eye is pressed in the empty socket of a human's head, it grafts itself to the head of the user and gives him remarkable powers! Once placed, the eye cannot be removed, and
THE MACHINE OF LUM THE MAD
This gigantic piece of intricate machinery is far too heavy and bulky to move by hand. It may be teleported or dimension doored, but other means of transportation will probably result in the destruction of the machine's delicate workings. If the machine is dropped after a teleport, etc., it will lose at least one function and. if it falls far enough, be destroyed. It is far too complex to be repaired. The machine has 70 levers and 30 dials. It also has a type of booth large enough for four people to stand inside.
Trees (World of Greyhawk)
Deklo: A southern tree, Deklo trees are huge hardwoods, on average 15 feet in diameter and over 100 feet tall. They have thick, strong branches that grow almost parallel to the trunk. On a mature deklo, leaves are over a foot in diameter. These trees tend to grow in groves, excluding other forms of vegetation. Their timber is useful for furniture, shipbuilding, woodenhandled tools, and a variety of uses.
However this protected zone was in a long list of obscure agreements held by the outer powers that most primes are totally unaware.
Charellsfane - A wizard who become famous around 300 CY, and then disappeared from history because of the Mad Wizard of Greyhawk fame at the same time period. Unlike most Wizards of the Mad Wizards fame he had no connections with the Mad Wizard. As he suddenly disappeared and his tower was never vised by anyone, he disappeared from history.
Charellsfane tower- One of the 7 wonders of his time, mainly for being mysterious and its location unknown to most. Many say it does not exist nor ever existed, and Charellsfane just lived in a small house in the city. However, there are many reports of a real and substantive tower from many hero's of the 4th century. The elven Queen of Celene (of the 4th century) has been said to have visited the tower once.
Jobs: solicitor - lawyer; almost non-existent; thought there are many similar jobs in some of more advanced nations; certainly the Great Kingdom has a Great legal tradition going back to the 1st century common year, and both Keoland and Sulward City have some kind of solicitor class based on modern and Suel traditions. Since the dark ages most court cases are a local lord holding "court' at his house hearing the complaints of the people under his care. While the old and infirm would be allowed another to plea for them, their is no room for a profession of solicitor in such a system of personal justice. Elves have a kind of lawyer class, but they consider it more of an art form or hobby, thought in the High folk area who knows? Human influences go deep since the 3rd century.
Religious Heresies of Scholz's Greyhawk:
Avatarism (Scholz neoglosim) - Belief that gods have avatars, that is, more than one body. The Church of Veluna does not care about other deities but are strong opposed to avatars for any deity of their core deities, with the exception of Rao. Rao being all powerful could have avatars but as of yet does not. Those worshipers of the church of Veluna who uphold the belief of Avartarism (that all gods have avatars, or could have them) are heretics.
From Other Sources:
https://edmunds-playersbook.blogspot.com/b/post-preview?token=vPOBvVMBAAA.N6rzVmKuL5uAdOUf2-r_qOIakhQFTCUB6ev60FixqRDQm_gvUx6XA12c76c5s18B21Gv04JzL9gIs-ggvtjddw.5QE3OcVf9SAd8msYFh2xog&postId=3102438717169696327&type=POST
Known Legends
THE HAND OF VECNA
The Hand of Vecna appears to be a dried, shriveled and blackened hand, such as could have been caused by having been burned. The hand (and it is also rumored in dark passageways, an eye) is the sole remains of an ancient lich who was so powerful that he was able to imbue his hand with wondrous/horrible powers and to enable it to survive even after his long-undead body had teased to exist.
THE EYE OF VECNA
The Eye of the Cat
It is also said, but not in the hearing of strangers, that when the mighty lien, Vecna, finally met his doom, that one of his eyes survived along with his hand. The eye may or may not have originally belonged to Vecna, as it is said to glitter much in the same manner as the eye of a feline. If the eye is pressed in the empty socket of a human's head, it grafts itself to the head of the user and gives him remarkable powers! Once placed, the eye cannot be removed, and
THE MACHINE OF LUM THE MAD
This gigantic piece of intricate machinery is far too heavy and bulky to move by hand. It may be teleported or dimension doored, but other means of transportation will probably result in the destruction of the machine's delicate workings. If the machine is dropped after a teleport, etc., it will lose at least one function and. if it falls far enough, be destroyed. It is far too complex to be repaired. The machine has 70 levers and 30 dials. It also has a type of booth large enough for four people to stand inside.
Trees (World of Greyhawk)
Trees of The World of Greyhawk
The North (Snow Barbarians, parts of Iuz,): Alder, balsam, birch, fir, pine, scrub oak, sablewood (arrows.)
(Middle regions (Veluna, Iuz region): apple, beech, briar, bronzewood, cherry, chestnut, chokecherry, crabapple, elder, elm, galda *fruit (spring to summer,) hawthorne, hickory, hornwood (bow making,) ipp (or ipt), larch, locust, maple, mulberry, myrtle, oak, pear, phost, plum, poplar, roanwood, thorn, usk, walnut, willow, yarpick (nut bearing) , yew.
The South, and warm regions (Sea Princes) : apricot, ash, bay, camphor, cedar, fig, grapefruit, gum, kara *fruit tree, lemon, lime, mangrove, oak, olive, orange, peach, pine, tulip tree.
The south (30 degree N or less): banyan, baobab, deklo *lumber tree (unique), mahogany, mangrove, palm, teak.
Greyhawk Unique Trees:
Deklo: A southern tree, Deklo trees are huge hardwoods, on average 15 feet in diameter and over 100 feet tall. They have thick, strong branches that grow almost parallel to the trunk. On a mature deklo, leaves are over a foot in diameter. These trees tend to grow in groves, excluding other forms of vegetation. Their timber is useful for furniture, shipbuilding, woodenhandled tools, and a variety of uses.
encyclopedia
To add to encyclopedia
Active from 300 to 600 CY Famous adventures of Greyhawk city Keoghtom and Murland both have to hide their presence. Both come to Greyhawk primary to train new hero's and do a few good deeds, mostly charity work. Murland spends the day healing others and he has a ring that cures his own black and white curse. He will cure those who have done good deeds or those with high nonour (80+) for free , or who are normal people with no means of support. He will not cure them that day only after they have brought to him 5 people needing his help more than they, or he is certain his powers would go wasted otherwise (5% chance on any given day, meaning that all major aliments from the poor have been cured). Murland mostly cures women and children, and the old. Family men who need his help so they can tend their families also gain a high priority. Great benefactors to charity will also get his help, assuming that they help people on a weekly basis. He detects evil before curing of course as part on The other plane
Active from 300 to 600 CY Famous adventures of Greyhawk city Keoghtom and Murland both have to hide their presence. Both come to Greyhawk primary to train new hero's and do a few good deeds, mostly charity work. Murland spends the day healing others and he has a ring that cures his own black and white curse. He will cure those who have done good deeds or those with high nonour (80+) for free , or who are normal people with no means of support. He will not cure them that day only after they have brought to him 5 people needing his help more than they, or he is certain his powers would go wasted otherwise (5% chance on any given day, meaning that all major aliments from the poor have been cured). Murland mostly cures women and children, and the old. Family men who need his help so they can tend their families also gain a high priority. Great benefactors to charity will also get his help, assuming that they help people on a weekly basis. He detects evil before curing of course as part on The other plane
Thursday, 14 April 2016
Links=Players Starting Equipment
Middle Ages Jobs
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3931532125264168912#editor/target=post;postID=2556853270166517859;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=27;src=postname
Players Starting Equipment
http://edmunds-playersbook.blogspot.ca/2016/03/player-starting-equipment.html
Rules
Spe Rules
http://add-1stedition.blogspot.ca/2014/10/rule-1410-111-saga-character-generation.html
Character Generation: Normals
http://edmunds-playersbook.blogspot.ca/2016/03/rule-16-03-10.html
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
Gord's Greyhawk
From Gord's Greyhawk:
Beyond the Flanaess
Behow
A kingdom lying on the western border of the Sea of Dust. It is considered the stuff of legends by the folk of the Flanaess.
Changol
A kingdom lying on the southern border of the Sea of Dust. It is considered the stuff of legends by the folk of the Flanaess.
Chomur
A kingdom lying on the western border of the Sea of Dust. It is considered the stuff of legends by the folk of the Flanaess.
Jahind
A kingdom lying on the southern border of the Sea of Dust. It is considered the stuff of legends by the folk of the Flanaess.
Mulwar
A kingdom lying on the southern border of the Sea of Dust. It is considered the stuff of legends by the folk of the Flanaess.
Sa'han
A kingdom lying on the western border of the Sea of Dust. It is considered the stuff of legends by the folk of the Flanaess.
Suhfang Kingdom
A kingdom to the far west of the Flanaess, possibly still on Oerik, this place is similar in some respects to Earth's China. Its residents are sallow skinned.
Life sense
I have not problem with a life sense - but we presume it is covered by normal invisibility - invisibility to undead may target this one thing and the undead, while seeing the person with their eyes does not see the person - sort of like psionic invisibility, which makes more sense.
If you had a spell and cast infra-vision to give yourself sight you would not see invisible nor would the armlet stop it. The spell is not a divination spell. We can assume the same from undead and golems. But of course you could rule it the other way, or just have the amulet function against all magical forms of sight and hearing - so if you cast detect evil for example the person with the amulet would disappear (the magic blinding you in effect to their existence.) It is an interesting concept.
Monks:Ed Scholz Sage Commentary
Monks:Ed Scholz Sage Commentary
By E Scholz
Can monks gain the advantage of a magic strength bonus?
I say not with one exception perhaps : the gauntlets /girdle combo. As the bonus does not match actual strength score in that case, the bonus is clearly something else - related to strength but not a strength bonus.
Monks don't get a dex AC bonus either, it is replaced by their natural AC (though they should get the better of the two, I think) I should see a monk giving up his level bonus to damage for raw strength with a melee, but they would hit as a 0 level character in that case as it s contrary to their dex style fighting style (using skill and pressure points rather than raw strength.)
So yes, if they want to fight like a 0 level character. Borderline chaotic action, unless done for very good reason. From their perspective having a drunken brawl. Ignoring their training for a primitive "chaotic" style of fighting.
By E Scholz
Can monks gain the advantage of a magic strength bonus?
I say not with one exception perhaps : the gauntlets /girdle combo. As the bonus does not match actual strength score in that case, the bonus is clearly something else - related to strength but not a strength bonus.
Monks don't get a dex AC bonus either, it is replaced by their natural AC (though they should get the better of the two, I think) I should see a monk giving up his level bonus to damage for raw strength with a melee, but they would hit as a 0 level character in that case as it s contrary to their dex style fighting style (using skill and pressure points rather than raw strength.)
So yes, if they want to fight like a 0 level character. Borderline chaotic action, unless done for very good reason. From their perspective having a drunken brawl. Ignoring their training for a primitive "chaotic" style of fighting.
Monday, 11 April 2016
MASTER Bibliography
MASTER Bibliography
- Bulmahn, Jason, James Jacobs, and Erik Mona. Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007.
- Holian, Gary. "Places of Mystery: Spinecastle and Veralos." Dragon #293/Living Greyhawk Journal #9. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2002.
- Holian, Gary, and Rick Miller. "Treasures of Greyhawk: Magic of the Company of Seven." Dragon #359. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.
Tome of Xyb
Items of ledgend by Scholz
Legend: Tome of Zyx
Location: WOG
Date Appeared in Legends: 300 CY to 800 Cy then disappears from history.
Notes: Not much is know of the Tome, only that it is somehow related to the Group of Seven. It is said that it was found in one the ancient Flans Old faith sets of power, before the collapse of the Flan empire in time long ago.
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Legend: Tome of Zyx
Location: WOG
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Well defended town
6 Ballistae with full crews were now in active service
25 drilled and trained light infantry (spear, sword, ring mail and shield)
30 competent light infantry (ditto above)
20 basically trained light infantry (ditto above)
12 well trained heavy infantry (from local town)
An earth and wood palisade now surrounded the entire village
4 towers contained ballistae at strategic points and the
main gates also had 2 ballistae6 Ballistae with full crews were now in active service
25 drilled and trained light infantry (spear, sword, ring mail and shield)
30 competent light infantry (ditto above)
20 basically trained light infantry (ditto above)
12 well trained heavy infantry (from local town)
Sunday, 10 April 2016
The Masters By Ed Scholz
The Masters
By Ed Scholz
While common legends talk of the Seul Treasure chests, the real prize is that of the treasure of the masters. Before the Seul Empire there where the masters who controlled everything and enslaved everything. Their magenology is rumored to be what made the Suel empire great, and the Suel main reason to hid treasure chests was to stop others from looking for the real treasure . . .
Saturday, 9 April 2016
"The Eye of Terror is a realm of madness and despair, where
skies weep blood, ancient stars burn in multi-coloured flares and the
whims of the Dark Gods of Chaos hold sway. Synonymous with discord,
terror, ancient secrets and insanity, no other place in the galaxy fills
the mind with such dread and foreboding."
Ledengs and Lore Continued - Draft repost
Geoff
"c. -1000 FT: Worship of Beory, the Earth Mother, is very strong throughout the Flan tribes. Her druids have a position higher than clan chief. Beory’s children – Ehlonna and Obad-hai – have a small but growing following. Pelor is present but has no organized priesthood."[1]"c. -800 FT: As the Flannae grow in number in Gyruff, the giants notice their presence and start attacking the Flan tribes. The conflict becomes bitter and gruesome when the Flannae learn that the giants will eat prisoners." (Grand History of Geoff)
"c. -700 FT: Worship of Pelor increases as the Flan tribes struggle against the giants. Trithereon reveals himself to the Flannae." (GHoG)
"c. -500 FT: According to legend, Pelor teaches the Flannae how to make the longbow. Whether that is true or not, the Flannae use this powerful weapon against the giants." (GHoG)
"c. -250 FT: The Flannae and the elves have long lived beside each other peacefully. In an attempt to bring the humans in as allies against the dragons, the elves offer to share their knowledge of magic. They train the first wizards in Gyruff." (GHoG)
"c. -200 FT: To counter the human alliance with the elves, dragons make the same offer to the humans. Dragon magic relies on draconic blood to work. The next generation sees the first human sorcerers." (GHoG)
"c. -175 FT: The Flan tribes are divided on which side to take in the war. Some take the elves; some take the dragons. Some choose neither. Ultimately, the Flannae have little effect on the conflict." (GHoG)
"c.-100 FT: Llywellyn, the Great Druid-King, leads the Flan tribes of the Sheldomar in a crusade against the giants. The giants are pushed into the mountains. Llywellyn unites the tribes living in the Sheldomar into a loose confederation." (GHoG)
"c. -90 FT: With the giants gone, the Flannae discover the gnomes who live in the Stark Mounds and the Good Hills. The two races establish friendly relations." (GHoG)
"1 FT: The Druids of Beory oversee the erection of the Standing Stones at Rhun. The Flan begin tracking the years from this event." (GHoG)
"c. 250 FT: The first dwarves arrive in the Crystalmists. They traveled from the far north, seeking good stone and rich veins of ore. The Flan tribes begin trading with them." (GHoG)
"The descendents of Llywellyn, the Druid King, are no longer able to keep the confederation together. The tribes split and go their separate ways." (GHoG)
"456 FT: Many of the Druids of Beory die suddenly. This includes the Great Druid. Beory herself seems to distance herself from the world. Her priesthood wanes. Without the strong leadership from Beory, the druids of Ehlonna and Obad-Hai start to feud openly." (GHoG)
"1780 FT: Empire of Vecna falls as Kas the Bloody-Handed slays the Whispered One, the Lord of the Spider Throne." (-371 CY) (GHoG)
Tenh
- "The walled town of Stroun was long famed for its singular mage-priests of Boccob and Istus who were known throughout Tenh as "The Declaimers." Believed to be diviners without peer and to have powers of foreknowledge and precognition, these enigmatic men and women, no more than twenty in number, always refused to attend the courts of Ehyeh or any other noble. They gave their judgements, warnings, and announcements without fear or favor and did so when they deemed the time right. In 580 CY, they stood together in the town square and stated that Tenh would fall within three years. The immediate reaction was one of panic, followed by the budding of the town's walls, and then, after a year, gradual amnesia as the words of the robed masters faded from memory. It was another year before they were proven right, but by then, they had all vanished without a trace on the eve of the fall of Stroun. Now, the Declaimers whereabouts are unknown. They have disappeared as completely as the dervish High priests of Tdon, ten centuries before them." (Iuz the Evil, 75 pdf)
- Two years ago, a Tenha youth called Umenyeh enrolled in the college's history program. To gain credibility with his fellows, Umenyeh showed them an oversized, aged libram he had "liberated" from a partially destroyed wizard's tower as he fled his bome city of Calbut during the Stonefist invasion of 582 CY. The book, written in a phonetic transcription of a time-lost Flan tribal tongue, seemed to Umenyeh and his friends to have something to do with bound spitits an ancient traditions. The budding scholars hope to translate the entire work in order to gain insight into the "quaint" traditions of the primitive Ur-Flan who once inhabited the land that became Tenh."
- "This is the height of folly. as the work is actually the infamous Thrice-Damned Tome of Anashelaq. By personal order of the Duke of Tenh, the malevolent book had been kept under constant guard by a contingent of sorcerers until those adepts were called to the futile defense of Calbut, where they were slain to a man. A montb ago, one of Umenyeh's amateur translators vanished while at work on tbe volume, leaving behind the book and scraps of bloody clothing. Umenyeh covered up the disappearance and is now working more furiously than ever, convinced that the tome soon will reveal some all-important secret." (LGJ#4.7; Grey College entry)
Fleeth
I. Problem of Fleeth: A. Date of destruction 1. Some time after founding of Keoland in -342 CY (VR; date from LGG.64). a. However, Vecna’s empire fell a “few seasons” after founding of Niole Dra c. -359 to -358 CY. (LGG.64) 2. About 900 years after Vecna’s escape as a youth (VhotR.59, 61) 3. Before the destruction of the Kingdom of Mara in -419 CY (WGA4.bc)B. Location 1. N. Keoish frontier (“Vecna’s Realm”) 2. Eastern plains (VhotR.1) a. E of Keoland? Neheli lands? Sheldomar R? Would this be the D of Ulek? b. E of Lortmils? Veluna, perhaps? (Works if Pholtus=Rao) C. Size 1. Frontier town/city (VR) 2. Town/city (WGA4) 3. Metropolis (VhotR) D. Age 1. Founded “shortly after” founding of Keoland in -342 CY (VR; date from LGG.64). a. However, Vecna’s empire fell a “few seasons” after founding of Niole Dra c. -358 CY. (LGG.64) 2. Stood for “centuries” on the plains (VhotR. 1); a large thriving city even 900 years before its doom (VhotR.15-16)
Locating Fleeth
“Eastern plains” (VhotR.1) Eastern from where? Uhas’s POV (Niole Dra)? Vecna’s POV (Rushmoors?)? Uleks? Unlikely: “The County of Ulek has had a long history as one of the more peaceful lands in the Flanaess.” (LGG.117) “The Old Faith (druidism), as practiced by the common folk throughout the central Flanaess, was the center of culture here. The sovereign was always a member of the druidic hierarchy. . . .” (LGG.117) “The Uleks have provided shelter to Good-aligned nonhumans for untold centuries” (LGG.118) Duchly likely former subject of Celene, due to similar coinage (only ep differs)–LGG.38, 118) D. Of Ulek LG Triad claims elves of Celene ruled Duchy before being taken over by Ur-Flan. (OJ#16.61, 70) Katzman has similar take (OJ#16.72-74) “Dwarves have lived in these hills since well before the Great Migrations a millennium ago. Treated as an extension of the legendary dwarven kingdoms of the Lortmils at their height, there has been a dwur prince in these foothills long before there ever was a human king in Niole Dra” (LGG.121)
Mountains beyond N. Wall (VhotR.23, 24), west wall (29, 30), possibly south walls as well (VhotR.1)
River flowing from mts (VhotR.17)
Religion=Pholtus. Unlikely, Pholtus is Oeridian. Oerid migrations didn’t begin until c. -465 CY (tAB.55) IS a moon god (VhtoR.5) to whom Darknight is important (VhtoR.15) Rao fits bill on both accounts+ is Flan (LGG.129; DNG #41.47) Priests inVHotR wear white robes (some w/ cowls) trimmed in blue or gold) Pholtan priests wear white robes sometimes trimmed in silver, &/or gold (LGG.179; FtA.91; DR#294.28) Rao’s priests wear white robes (FtA.85) Rao’s paladins wear gray or blue-gray tunics trimmed in white and gold, and sometimes wear cowls Though Rao usually thought of as benevolent deity (LGG.181; FtA.85), his priesthood has demonstrated intolerance & fanaticism in a Pholtine vein (DNG#41.47), resulting in branding for theft (nobles), imprisonment for inability to pay church taxes during a bad harvest, and imprisonment for blasphemy (DNG#41.49) Darknight: VhotR, once/ 12 yrs (p. 15); Untrue: yearly on Goodmonth 11 (tAB.46) Could instead be a conjunction involving the moons & 5 wandering stars (WoG.4)
Palm trees in city Possibly transplanted &/or winter-hardy
No “kora” (Kara) fruits in Fleeth (VhotR.50) Kara native to southern flanaess (WoG.6; FtA.50) Found in Celadon (COG:FFF.3)
Possible location: Veluna, near Fals pass; near Mitrik? Mitrik holy site founded 9 CY (location of Crook of Rao) (LGG.129)
Seeing that the presence of palm trees are the only reason to assume Fleeth was located in a tropical region, one must therefore determine whether it is possible for palms to survive in “central” temperate regions, given the fact that kara fruit is only available
Demi-human realms
Elves
"Elves were present in the lands east of the Crystalmist Mountains for uncounted centuries prior to the rise of the first human kingdoms there. Slowly driven from open country to more secluded and better defended strongholds by the growing strength of both human and nonhuman folk, elves still held a number of forest and upland realms at the rime of the Twin Cataclysms. The invading humans, ores, and others pressed them further, until some prominent elven realms made military and political alliances with dwarves, gnomes, and halflings, and even with certain major human tribes (usually Oeridian), Today, elves are dominant in Celene, Sunndi, Highfolk, the Vesve Forest, and the Lendore Isles." (LGG.8)- Valley elf kingdom: "Gnomes lived as citizens of the valley kingdom even before the first grand duke reigned in Geoff. By the time the Keoish built their empire, humans from the lands west of the Barrier Peaks had immigrated to the Javan Vale." (LGG.127)
Gorna founded -311 CY or before: "With the help of the sylvan elves of the forests and the gnomes of the Stark Mounds, the Geoffites erected Gorna more than nine hundred years ago" before 591 CY. (LGG.48)
1st Grand Duke: "In 316 CY, the region was peacefully incorporated into Keoland, its nominal leader gaining the title of Grand Duke of Geoff" (LGG.48)
Keoland founded: "Keoland was officially founded in the year 303 OR (-342 CY), a union between the Neheli, Rhola, and minor Oeridian nobles who came to control large swaths of the central valleys between the holdings of the SueL" (LGG.64)
Gnome migrations: "Rock gnomes of the Flanaess have their origins as trappers and herders in the remote wooded highlands of the north. Their southward expansion began only a few centuries before the Invoked Devastation, bringing them into lands populated by other races. Their lairds and chieftain recognized the authority of elven or dwarven sovereigns, but discouraged any mingling of peoples until the Suel and Oeridian migrations encouraged cooperation between races." (LGG.9)
- Sheldomar: "According to legend, the elves live in the great forests in the Sheldomar Valley. Their knowledge of magic is strong and they war with the Dragons who are also strong with magic." (no date, Grand History of Geoff)
- Hocholve: "This relationship seems to have persisted until at least the end of the last century, despite vigorous and heated protests by the High Lord of Elvend om at Hocholve." (LGG.127)
- Celene: "Celene has ever been home to the gray elves of the Flanaess. In ancient days, elven princes held sway from the Velverdyva to the Wild Coast; by the time of the Migrations, their rule had diminished to isolated pockets such as Celene." (LGG.39)
- City of Summer Stars:
- Sunndi: "These men and women made the place their home, easily befriending the indigenous gray elven lords, who claimed to have lived in the land since the first tree had broken ground." (LGG.110)
- Vesve:
- Highfolk: "The Fairdells and the Vesve Forest were home to high elves for untold centuries." (LGG.53)
- Fellreev: "That castle itself is said to be built on the ruins of a high elven city razed by Oeridians neatly nine hundred years ago, and Dahlvier himself is thought to have many unique, ancient, elven magical items and lore in his citadel home." (Iuz the Evil) [-316 CY]
Dwarves
"The dwarves do not speak of their origins to outsiders, so little of their ancient history is known. However, it is understood that they once had great underground halls in the northern Crystalmists that were destroyed by the Invoked Devastation. Their last High King perished in the aftermath, and the clans have ever since been sundered. Led by lords and princes of differing noble houses, the dwarf clans allied with elves and gnomes during the Suel and Oeridian migrations, and even joined humans of reliable disposition to defend their territories. In the present day, dwarves are found in rugged mountains and hills, particularly in the Lortmils, Glorioles, Crystalmists, Iron Hills, Principality of Ulek, and Ratik." (LGG.9)- Dwarven kingdom of the Lortmils:
Ulek states
"The County of Ulek has had a long history as one of the more peaceful lands in the Flanaess. The native Flan and halfling peoples were willing to accept Oeridian sovereignty in exchange for protection from the more rapacious Suel, then showed an equal willingness to accept Suloise of more amiable disposition. They came under the rule of Keoland in that state's early history, though the county was always a distinct land with its own lord. The Old Faith (druidism), as practiced by the common folk throughout the central Flanaess, was the center of culture here. The sovereign was always a member of the druidic hierarchy, whose position was respected by both the human and nonhuman inhabitants of the county, regardless of the ruler's race or patron deity." (LGG.117)"The Uleks have provided shelter to Good-aligned nonhumans for untold centuries, while wars and displaced human nations have moved across the Flanaess, consuming most of the habitable lands" (LGG.118)
"Dwarves have lived in these hills since well before the Great Migrations a millennium ago. Treated as an extension of the legendary dwarven kingdoms of the Lortmils at their height, there has been a dwur prince in these foothills long before there ever was a human king in Niole Dra. These dwarven lords protected the wealth and resources of the southern Ulek hills for ages, establishing their lonely halls in the earth and interacting little with the native Flan who inhabited the flatlands. This remained true until the Suel and Oeridians came together in the central valleys to found Keoland." (LGG.121)
Named for Ulaa?[2]
Halflings
"Halflings originally occupied small settlements in the river valleys of the west-central Flanaess. They spread slowly into other territories, so that by the time of the Suel and Oeridian migrations, few were north of the Gamboge Forest or east of the Harp River. They are common in much of the Sheldomar Valley, interacting freely with humans, dwarves, elves and gnomes. Historically, they prefer to dwell in stable nations ruled by stronger folk Today, halflings are found in much of the Flanaess, but they still favor the central and western regions from the Urnst states to the three Uleks." (LGG.10)Citadel Cavitius
“Where the characters nave arrived is a special, small section of the negative quasi-plane of Ash. Originally, this piece was part of that uniform and deadly wasteland, undistinguished from the surrounding gray. Vecna took an interest in this place and, over the centuries, transformed the hostile environment into his own private fortress and prison-Citadel Cavitius.” (VL, 62) “Vecna has chosen to build his citadel on the border between the plane of Ash and the Negative Material plane. Through spells and magical devices, he has formed a small pocket of solid matter and fashioned it into Citadel Cavitius.” (VL, 62) Cavitius was actually seized from the Doomguard by Vecna (David Cook, Planescape Campaign Setting: A DM Guide to the Planes (Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1994), 37).Empire of Vecna
“From the loneliest chamber of a black tower, he ruled over a now-forgotten nation. Some say his realm was beyond the great mountains to the west. Another theory holds his tower once rose from the very depths of the Nyr Dyv. A few writers even go so far as to claim Vecna’s dominion extended over another plane and that he was ultimately destroyed by a revolt of the greater powers that dwelled there!” (VL, 6)“Even though his body gradually withered and decayed, Vecna remained “alive” and continued to expand his evil dominion.” (VL, 7)
“The scene shows the remains of an immense palace, shattered and broken. The destruction could only have occurred moments before, since rubble is still crumbling away and people are running in confusion. Even in destruction, the palace looks both majestic and corrupt. This is the palace of the Spidered Throne, the seat of Vecna’s ancient empire. The scene is moments after Vecna’s defeat by Kas.” (VL, 60)
“As an undying king he ruled a land ranging from the Sheldomar Valley [to] the northwest shores of the Nyr Dyv, although his immediate reach was only the land near his stronghold, called the Rotted Tower in the Rusbmoors.” (DR#348, 20)
The Occluded Empire of Vecna, as it became known, served ably as a ulcer in the gut of all migrants. Oeridians flowing east from the Fals Gap had avoided Vecna’s lands by coincidence, at first, but soon learned that the lich-lord’s dominion extended all the way to the northwest shores of the Lake of Unknown Depths. Despite Vecna’s control over such a wide berth of land, his actual grasp did not extend far from his own Rotted Tower, said to be located in the Rushmoors, or the now-ruined town of Tycheron, along the northern banks of the Velverdyva, not far from modern Dyvers. (Vecna’s realm)
“he once controlled an empire that spanned much of the Flanaess of Oerth and a number of extraplanar locations.” (DVD, 110)
“On the outside, this fearsome structure is an exact duplicate of Vecna's ancient seat of power, as his empire reached its height across a now-forgotten region of the Flanaess. The palace housed the legendary Spider Throne and was the site of Vecna's greatest political and magical triumphs (and, perhaps, his greatest mistakes).” (DVD, 57)
“This is the home of Vecna, a perfect replica (from the exterior) of the fabled Black Tower from which he once controlled an empire that spanned much of the Flanaess of Oerth and a number of extraplanar locations.” (DVD, 110)
About Vecna
Vecna’s appearance
“Formerly a lich, Vecna has retained the horrid appearance of these monsters. His body is mummified with patches of dry rot showing through the tatters he wears for clothing. His left arm ends in a crumbling stump. Vecna’s face is covered by a silken scarf, veiling his features underneath.” (VL, 73)Vecna in life: described as a “tall, dark-haired man with handsome features.” (DVD, 120) See also, DVD, 95-96 & 99-100.
Height: "Although the room appears to be unguarded, the seated statue of Vecna (Scene Five) is actually a stone guardian, a type of variant stone golem." (DVD, 95)
Stone Guardian . . . SZ M (6'1" tall) (DVD, 95).
"Scene Five: This scene is more of a sculpture than a relief. It is a life-size statue of the wizard from the other scenes, except now his features are gaunt and skeletal." (DVD, 96)
Vecna’s personality
Vecna prefers to act indirectly in the affairs of men, guiding and steering his followers to goals only he understands. Nursed on treachery and deceit, the Whispered One has no compassion for mortals, even his own worshipers. Those who follow him must commit themselves to being utter pawns to his schemes. Followers who serve him well are rewarded with knowledge, usually damning secrets others would prefer stayed hidden. Those who anger Vecna often find themselves betrayed and blackmailed, their darkest sins suddenly known to those who can hurt them most. (VL, 73)Vecna’s Cruelty
Even in life, Vecna’s strictness and cruelty were infamous. He built a great kingdom based on his wizardly skills and his fiendish cruelty. Some tales claim he bred entire villages like cattle, simply to keep his foul laboratories supplied with subjects for his experiments. Others describe military campaigns where he annihilated entire cities beneath tidal waves of rock and earth.” (VL, 6)“So formidable was his temper that men feared to speak his name. Lord Vecna was the Whispered One, the Master of the Spider Throne, the Undying King, and the Lord of the Rotted Tower.” (VL, 7)
“The lich committed horrible evils, exploiting the lives of those unfortunate enough to live under his rule. It is said he sacrificed entire villages of his own people just to fuel the magic of a single spell.” (DR#342)
Magical skill
- Though few admit it openly, a great numberof evil sorcerers and wizards revere Vecna, the Whispered One-possibly the grearest living wizard (and certainly the greatest unliving) of any age." (Complete Arcane, 188)
Lichdom
Vecna’s path to lichdom unknown.- “As entertaining as these tales are, most sources agree that Vecna was a supremely talented wizard who became obsessed with overcoming death when his beloved mother died." (DR#402, 2)
- "After hundreds of failures Vecna devised a ritual that siphoned power from the planes to animate his lifeless body, giving him immortality as a lich." (DR#402, 2)
- “According to some tales, Vecna amassed enough power to confront his own death and forever imprison it, thus escaping his doom.” (VL, 7)
“A third version is that Vecna found the secret magic of life and thus transformed himself into the most powerful of liches.” (VL, 7)
“Beyond death, he became the greatest of all liches.” (VL, 7)
“When Vecna betrayed the druids and twisted their power over nature into a source of undeath, they were completely unprepared. Some druids fled, many died, and the few who remained served the Whispered One. A number of scholars believe that the druids who served Vecna rescued many of the Ur-Flan secrets and the Old Faith preserves that knowledge to this day.” http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=lg/lgpg/20080122a
“Following this, a large group of Flan from the Velverdyva valley migrated into the Sheldomar. They were pastoralists, leading large herds of sheep, and worshipping Rao. The Old Faith directed their followers, by now settled agriculturalists, to oppose them. This led to years of low-scale warfare that finally ended when the leaders of the Old Faith turned to a warlord with ties to the Ur-Flan by the name of Vecna. They anointed him High King of the Sheldomar, and directed their people to follow him in defeating the newcomers.
Following his victory Vecna began to reorganize the small states of the Sheldomar, turning them into a coordinated nation to support him in his researches. It was at this time that the Great Druid of the Old Faith informed him that he was to be sacrificed in a ritual to restore the land. Feigning acceptance, Vecna allowed the ritual to proceed, but at the culminating moment, he revealed his powers, twisting the ritual, and using the power to turn himself into a lich-like creature. Slaughtering the leaders of the Old Faith, he proceeded to establish his rule over those Flan closest to him.” http://canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&thold=-1&mode=flat&order=0&sid=761 see also: http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=824
Acererak
“Acererak, who is said to have ruled the swamp in the distant past and now has his burial place somewhere within its confines.” (FTA.61)“Even when the Great Kingdom swelled to its greatest size in 5516 SD [1 CY] under Overking Nasran (Flan name for him?), Shar was protected from land assaults by the Vast Swamp. . . .” During the next two hundred years, the Brotherhood continued to develop its information network. . . . Rumors of a powerful lich, Acererak, building a stronghold in the Vast Swamp caused some alarm, as the Brotherhood feared another magical war with possibly cataclysmic consequences–especially as the undead mage was presumably unconcerned about any potential damage to the local ecology. Acererak later entombed himself after killing all of his slaves. . . . The first appearance of the frog-like demigod Wastri in 5730 SD [215 CY] was met with surprise, confusion and disgust.” (TSB, 4)
Kas
Reference :
http://scratchpad.wikia.com/wiki/Vecna_Notes
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Things I see a lack of that i suspect would help are:
-actual henchmen (to get a "real" henchmen you generally have to spend time and money) as opposed to tag along/fan henchmen (who have their value but come with "problems"}
-lack of sweet talking/bribing/ hiring those who can give advice traing.
-No sages/oracles
-lack of specific treasure hunting.
-Avoiding LUCK as the source of wealth. Example: Silk is valuable so I will take it to the sea king to sell As it turns out the sea king has mad binding contracts to other merchants to buy his silk only from them. After many lives lost the adventure was worth nothing.
-Lack of high level of preparation. 100 syrs per level of the adventure would be minimum, proably ten times that.
-Giving up after a first failure. Imagine you need to serve the best sushi in Toronto. Would look it up and hire the "best" guy. Would such a guy be on the internet. If you talking middle class best yes, but not five star best. You would be able to just hire the best - at least not in short notice. If you plan two years in advance . . or taking a mule ride in the grand canyon - which had a 2 year waiting list (who know what it is now). .