PDA

View Full Version : Greyhawk Magical Traditions



Vetril
2014-01-19, 05:27 PM
Hi, I am researching some Greyhawk lore I need to build a wizard for a Greyhawk campaign. I wanted to ask your help because I'm not an expert with this setting's lore.
Does Greyhawk have magical traditions comparable to (for example) Forgotten Realms Elven High Magic, Netheril, the Red Wizards or Hathrans?
Could you name a few?
Thanks.

LibraryOgre
2014-01-21, 03:52 PM
IIRC, there's some talk about the ancient Suel having some weird magic, but I don't remember a lot.

You might look at Canonfire (http://www.canonfire.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page). Generally speaking, though, Greyhawk is less detailed than the Realms, with fewer described canon-described weird bits.

inexorabletruth
2014-01-21, 07:56 PM
I always thought Greyhawk was intentionally open-ended, with no fixed lore… just a roughly drawn, not-too-detailed map.

I believe the last setting books ever created for Greyhawk was back in the early 80s. If you're a stickler for lore, you can check that out. I think you can find special edition box sets on eBay and stuff.

LibraryOgre
2014-01-21, 08:44 PM
I always thought Greyhawk was intentionally open-ended, with no fixed lore… just a roughly drawn, not-too-detailed map.

I believe the last setting books ever created for Greyhawk was back in the early 80s. If you're a stickler for lore, you can check that out. I think you can find special edition box sets on eBay and stuff.

Not true. Towards the end of 2nd edition, WotC put out some good Greyhawk books, including the excellent Scarlet Brotherhood, which was about the Brotherhood, their home, and their society.

inexorabletruth
2014-01-21, 10:53 PM
Ooh! Now I'm really interested!

I mean, 2nd edition is a little dated, but it would be cool to get a glimpse into Gygax's vision for the setting.

I'll be following this thread now to see if further information pops up.

meschlum
2014-01-22, 01:01 AM
Greyhawk is a bit of a grab bag, but you can find a lot of hints and indications as to older magical traditions.

The core two are, of course, the Balunki and Suloise, who are largely responsible for the colonization of the known continent. These were two civilizations that reached very high levels of magical power - in their own traditions - and came to arms.

The Balunki called down the Rain of Colorless Fire, which is responsible for the Sea of Dust, where the Suloise empire once stood. It's the big blank space to the southwest of the map of Greyhawk. A very few Suloise archmages survived long enough to allow their people to escape into the 'known map', and their traditions and descendents remain to this age, albeit diminished and changed. See the Scarlet Brotherhood and Great Empire for some of the better known remnants.

In retailiation, the Suloise magi brought forth the Invoked Devastation, a doom so potent that no one knows exactly what is did - only that the Balunki no longer exist as a culture, and barely as a people. From the magical affinities displayed by the inheritors of the Suloise, one might suspect that it involved significant numbers of fiends, but there is no way of knowing.


Another form of tradition is that of the hero-mage, working with Good, Evil, Balance, or his own interests. These figures make a habit of plundering the arcane secrets of the past and creating their own legends. Weird artifacts, eldritch locations, fanatical humanoids or warped beasts, even minor godlings... all these are proof that hero-mages have been, and will be, an integral part of Greyhawk.

Names? Zagyg the mad Archmage, who became a demigod and left his secrets in his castle and city of Greyhawk. Keraptis, served by fanatical gnomes and their of potent magical weapons. The Circle of Eight, powerful mages who still live and act today. Iggwilv, a witch who enchanted and bound the demon lord Grazzt - and bore him Iuz, whose evil empire remains to this day. The Mage of the Valley, whose fanatical servants have diverged from elvendom enough to be race apart. Vecna, a lich who might have ruled over all of time, were it not for Kaz's betrayal.


Of course, you also can focus on the locales and secrets that provide much of the power wielded by certain arcane traditions. Greyhawk has a number of forgotten deities, whose lost fanes can be plundered or awakened in order to gather their power. Some speak of the lost caves of Tsjocanth, where Iggwilv learned her arts - and wonder what other mystic secrets they hide. Others point to the ruins of Blackmoor, and the twisted artifacts found there, full of unknown power that wait to be awakened. A few whisper rumors of a temple to the lost god Tharizdun, suggesting that a worshipper with sole access to such might would be potent indeed...

Greyhawk is old, and the tradition of taking and waking past mysteries is one that has served many a mage.


And then, you have some cultures whose magics influence their ways of life and favored arts. Most folk will mention elves and gnomes at this point, for their interest in the lores of nature and illusion. Others will curse the Rheenie and their knack for deception, some of it even without magic. Any number of histories can be relied on to record the acts of varied unsavory cults, and dark suspicions as to how they manage to return after being burned out. The Scarlet Brotherhood does not make great use of its mages - at least not openly - but the Great Empire has certain traditions and demands it makes of those who have the Talent. Drow have their traditions and styles of magecraft, of course - and the strange faiths of humanoids might qualify as well.

But overall, the people of Greyhawk have learned that mages and rulership rarely mix well. The tale of the Suloise and Balunki is recited by historians, and the relatively recent deeds and laws of Zagyg are well known among the common folk. So far, attempts to build nations ruled by wizards have been failures overall - small and isolated realms survive (witness the Valley of the Mage), but larger kingdoms seem prone to ruin. Perhaps Istus, or Boccob, have meddled, ever so lightly, in the workings of this world.

Khedrac
2014-01-22, 07:44 AM
It is known (to some) that the ancient Suel had something usually called "Power Magic" - but it is not known what this was. It is generally thought to make epic spells look pathetic.

Although a lot of stuff was published late 2nd Ed this won't give you a look at Gygax's ideas, this was well after he left the company.
You can get a look at some of his ideas in early Dragon magazines - he did a regular column with chronological happenings in the Flanaess. Best bet for these would be a copy of the old 5-CD Dragon archive set.

I have read that 90% of Gary's adventures were set in and around Greyhawk, so I have to wonder how much of the rest of the world he desgned at all!
Blackmoor was partially taken from Dave Arneson's campaign (rather more was transferred to Expert D&D).

hamlet
2014-01-22, 09:38 AM
Meschlum has covered it pretty well, thoughpoint of order, it is "Bakluni" or "Baklunish." :smallsmile:

Essentially, the Greyhawk setting is loose enough to permit you to create your own organizations and ideas in the world and not impinge upon anything else that's being created. I know folks who import ideas they like from other settings (Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance in particular) over to the Flaeness as they see fit.

There's also a 2nd edition Greyhawk book that describes organizations and power groups in the world that is not at all bad. Some stuff has to be weeded, but it's got some good ideas in it. Don't remember the title, though, but Nobleknight might still have a copy on sale somewhere.

EDIT: Also, seek out the web. Canonfire has a lot of stuff. Dragonsfoot has a whole forum devoted to Gary's version of Greyhawk, which differs from the public version. There's also a guy called Greyhawk Grognard who publishes a blogspot that delves from time to time in all things Greyhawk including history and maps and setting supposition. He's also published a version of AD&D as a retroclone specifically intended to be more like what Gary would have done for 2nd edition and is very good for a Greyhawk campaign if you want to go old school.