Greyhawk Campaign Storyline: Thoughts and Ideas

[Thrathgnar]

Hey everyone I am working on a campaign that takes place in the world of Greyhawk. I'm new to the setting, but I've researched some things and came up with a plot that I personally think is cool and has a unique flavor without straying too far from classical Greyhawk. I'd appreciate advice from more experienced players about this story, which is kind of overarching from beginning to the endgame as players go through different adventures and quests.

The story begins with the Twin Cataclysms, Invoked Devastation and Rain of Colorless Fire (The ideas in this campaign are based off of http://melkot.com/mysteries/twincat-mech.html). What is not commonly known is that these two spells were in the Book of Vile Darkness, added in there by Vecna, who is the primary antagonist of this campaign. Vecna, in his quest to become the most powerful of the deities, envisioned a uniting of all the planes into one, where all creatures - from halflings to gods - would stand on equal footing, with him as unopposed ruler of this new realm. For this purpose, he created the two spells mentioned above and added them to the Book of Vile Darkness, manipulating the ancient civilizations to cast them and create this new realm and give him absolute power to judge it. The plan failed however, as Vecna had never tested the spells himself. Invoked Devastation ended up only crossing over two planes over a small area, resulting in the famous destruction. Rain of Colorless Fire caused equal damage, with no real purpose since Invoked Devastation failed (Vecna wanted to use it as a tool to control the masses once the new plane was created).

After this failure, Vecna had to find a way to complete the spells. The answer came almost a thousand years later (liches can be patient) when a wizard and his apprentice proved powerful enough to catch Vecna's eye: Rolibar and Rary. Vecna lead the two wizards to discover the way to unparalleled peace through the completion of the two spells, without them knowing Vecna's involvement. The two decided to complete the spells, which would take a long time as they would have to collect catalysts from every plane and construct a powerful staff capable of using Rain of Colorless Fire to its full extent. After a while, war started brewing, and the two wizards saw an opportunity to work with less risk of being noticed. They, ironically, went to Vecna for aid in setting off the war. As a result, one of Vecna's servants killed the entire Circle of Eight (including Rary, who thought it would make his deception more believable.) Even though Mordenkainen was able to resurrect them all, they were weakened just as the famed Greyhawk Wars began.

After a long period of war, delegates met in Greyhawk to discuss peace. Desiring it to keep going, Rary set up a magical trap to attempt murder of the delegates, but he was discovered by the Circle of Eight. A great magical battle ensued, resulting in two of the Circle being killed and another being injured and Rary escaping. Rolibar, behind the scenes, destroyed the clones of the killed members, ensuring their deaths (one did have a hidden spare, but the other was gone forever.)

As it goes, Rary retreated to the Brass hills and stayed there. However, he still needed to travel the world and complete the techniques. This is when he decided to don a mask so that no one would recognize him, while Rolibar would stay in the Brass hills and manage things from there - also working on Invoked Devastation, as the preparation was unimaginable.

During his travels, Rary learned a smaller version of the Rain of Colorless Fire, which would burn its enemies into a fine white powder. He discovered that there was a way to reverse the process, and recreate life from the powder. The scale and precision of the technique was still far from complete, and Rary continued his travels for catalysts and ways to boost the power of Rain of Colorless Fire.

That is the basic setup of what happens before the campaign. The rest is ideas that I think I'd like to incorporate - but it should be player driven, so this stuff is more of a "what could happen" and "what would happen if I was writing a story," however I want it to be flexible to the party.

This is where the party comes in. Rary experiments with his resurrection and throws some revived heroes against a group of adventurers who gained a small amount of fame from defeating a wizard (Two things 1. The revived heroes are actually PCs played by the same players to level three in a type of tutorial campaign and 2. The adventurers thwarted a wizard's plot to resurrect a dragon before meeting Rary).

A bit later, one of the adventurers, a paladin who is the party leader, is killed in battle, but unbeknownst to his former comrades Rary saved him at the last moment, using him as aa offering attempting to make an alliance with Vecna (needing more resources, which liches can provide, ironically again). Vecna accepts, and he grants the paladin a second chance at life, making him into a warlock who must obey Vecna no matter what, as per the pact. The paladin/warlock is also gifted the hand and eye of Vecna and returned to the world, not knowing who his patron was or what had happened. The paladin/warlock eventually finds his way back to the party, a hidden pawn of Vecna's.

Eventually, Rary and Rolibar complete their techniques, Rary obtaining the staff. The two decide to test the techniques on Vecna, wanting to betray the evil lich, as their plan is to simply govern life and death with the Rain of Colorless Fire to keep those who break the peace dead and those who desire it alive. Vecna doesn't share this sentiment, however, and overwhelms the two in battle, killing Rolibar and leaving Rary barely alive, doing something to read their minds first to obtain knowledge of the spells. Vecna then leaves the castle they were in (in the brass hills) to confront the adventurers, who have made their way there. Vecna, needing a mortal form (reason will be explained shortly) enters the paladins body and takes it over, reuniting with his hand and eye and taking the powers of a now experienced warrior. Vecna then explains that the last piece of the puzzle to pull off this plan is a great source of magical power, at which time he summons the tarrasque from the depth of the earth (having researched it in his own spare time and needing a mortal body for it). He seals the tarrasque inside himself, prepared to take control of its power and cast Invoked Devastation.

Vecna has trouble controlling the power, however, in addition to the paladin fighting against him. This leaves him open to attack from the adventurers, in which the final battle takes place.

After the battle, Vecna is destroyed (the paladin's former diety saves him and restores his body) and the tarrasque is released. Rary crawls out from the castle and with his last breath seals the tarrasque in his staff, which Vecna had left behind, so that the tarrasque doesn't rampage around the world.

In the aftermath, Mordenkainen appears (for the first time in the adventurer's presence) and without a word retrieves the staff and vanishes.

So obviously there are a lot more player driven parts of the story here, and battles and stuff leading up to it, but this is the basic plot I have been mulling over for the past couple of weeks. Any suggestions, criticisms, thoughts, questions, concerns? Thanks for reading!

[Rallicus]

Makes me sad that this thread is a day old but has no responses. Granted, it might have been better suited for the "roleplaying games" section of the forums, but I can't help but thinking that it'd have at least a dozen replies had the setting been Forgotten Realms.

That said, the Greyhawk lover in me disagrees at some of your choices. Mainly that Vecna created the Twin Cataclysms (rather than it being just a horrific act and an equally horrific retaliation between two warring peoples).

I think what bothers me most isn't the lore changing, though. Even I'm guilty of that... more so, actually. I shoehorned in Dragonborn and Tieflings. What bothers me is the preconceived notion of what's going to happen.

It seems like you're just writing a story, not planning out a campaign.

And that Paladin Warlock -- is he your DMPC?

Don't forget, the players are the ones that are supposed to shine in campaigns.

[Feldarove]

Sounds like an awesome story.

I am confused as to how much of this has happened already, if any at all.

I think we could help more if you distinguished between whats already happened, what is happening in the background, and what you want the players to do.

[Thrathgnar]

Makes me sad that this thread is a day old but has no responses. Granted, it might have been better suited for the "roleplaying games" section of the forums, but I can't help but thinking that it'd have at least a dozen replies had the setting been Forgotten Realms.

That said, the Greyhawk lover in me disagrees at some of your choices. Mainly that Vecna created the Twin Cataclysms (rather than it being just a horrific act and an equally horrific retaliation between two warring peoples).

I think what bothers me most isn't the lore changing, though. Even I'm guilty of that... more so, actually. I shoehorned in Dragonborn and Tieflings. What bothers me is the preconceived notion of what's going to happen.

It seems like you're just writing a story, not planning out a campaign.

And that Paladin Warlock -- is he your DMPC?

Don't forget, the players are the ones that are supposed to shine in campaigns.

You bring up good points. I've only recently gotten into Greyhawk, so I'm a newbie when it comes to the actual world. I think its a good idea to disassociate Vecna from the Twin Cataclysims.

The paladin warlock is one of the actual players, who told me that he was interested in subclassing into Warlock and thats when I got the idea to incorporate him into the story.

Also, I fully agree with you on the campaign vs story point. I'm having a bit of a hard time finding a balance, but I will say that I haven't really planned out much except what Rary, Rolibar, and Vecna plan to do. Perhaps setting the ending was a bit too hasty of me, but it is a long campaign that I'm trying to maintain as open world and player driven, with this overreaching plot in the background. Help with this would be much appreciated, because as a fairly new DM I've gotten a good grasp of the mechanics but I want to start focusing more on story

[Thrathgnar]

Sounds like an awesome story.

I am confused as to how much of this has happened already, if any at all.

I think we could help more if you distinguished between whats already happened, what is happening in the background, and what you want the players to do.

Sorry for the confusion, most of this is before the campaign. The campaign begins with the adventurers thrown into a battle against an evil wizard, whom they presumably beat, and this grabs the attention of Rary as he is travelling the world. The details at the end were the plan for the end of the campaign, which I now see was written a bit hastily and should be more of an outline of what the villains plan to do, as it should be player driven

[Thrathgnar]

I updated my first post with a paragraph that distinguishes between the set-up and the campaign, and explaining that I want it to be player driven

[Rallicus]

snip

Don't get me wrong, the Twin Cataclysms thing might actually be a good hook. And something to consider: Oerth Journal, far as I know, isn't canon. It's fan-made. (Living Greyhawk Journal, on the other hand...)

While I wouldn't have Vecna necessarily be the creator of the Twin Cataclysms, it's not far-fetched to believe he'd be able to discover the formulae for each. We're talking about a lich deity that not only managed to escape Ravenloft, but also managed to sneak into Sigil to wreak havoc. Finding some world-destroying spells wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities.

However, you could also cut out Vecna entirely. Rary's motivation is dominating the world, that much is clear (maybe?); he's taken to the Bright Desert in order to build an Empire to do so. Since his Baklunish ancestors created the Invoked Devistation, it's entirely possible he could have some connection to it.

But... enough about lore. :p

As for planning out the "end game." You're not necessarily doing it wrong. It's always good to prep and have a story in mind for the players. However, the key here is to be flexible. I'm not saying to necessarily allow the players to decide, "Screw the metaplot! We're taking a ship to the Sea Barons to be pirates!" but at the very least, allow them to shape the story.

I generally prep with an endgame in mind -- a final confrontation, a dramatic twist, etc -- but every time it turns out different than anticipated. 75% of the time I change what happens, based on the players' actions. It never turns out how you expected, and this is one of the greatest things about DMing: presenting situations/a story to the players, and seeing them react to it in ways you would have never anticipated.

So don't think prep or having ideas is a bad thing! Just remember to be open-minded.

[Thrathgnar]

Don't get me wrong, the Twin Cataclysms thing might actually be a good hook. And something to consider: Oerth Journal, far as I know, isn't canon. It's fan-made. (Living Greyhawk Journal, on the other hand...)

While I wouldn't have Vecna necessarily be the creator of the Twin Cataclysms, it's not far-fetched to believe he'd be able to discover the formulae for each. We're talking about a lich deity that not only managed to escape Ravenloft, but also managed to sneak into Sigil to wreak havoc. Finding some world-destroying spells wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities.

However, you could also cut out Vecna entirely. Rary's motivation is dominating the world, that much is clear (maybe?); he's taken to the Bright Desert in order to build an Empire to do so. Since his Baklunish ancestors created the Invoked Devistation, it's entirely possible he could have some connection to it.

But... enough about lore. :p

As for planning out the "end game." You're not necessarily doing it wrong. It's always good to prep and have a story in mind for the players. However, the key here is to be flexible. I'm not saying to necessarily allow the players to decide, "Screw the metaplot! We're taking a ship to the Sea Barons to be pirates!" but at the very least, allow them to shape the story.

I generally prep with an endgame in mind -- a final confrontation, a dramatic twist, etc -- but every time it turns out different than anticipated. 75% of the time I change what happens, based on the players' actions. It never turns out how you expected, and this is one of the greatest things about DMing: presenting situations/a story to the players, and seeing them react to it in ways you would have never anticipated.

So don't think prep or having ideas is a bad thing! Just remember to be open-minded.

Thanks for the input! Maybe Vecna discovered the spells and added them to the Book of Vile Darkness without understand them, which is why they were incomplete. I also like the idea if taking Vecna out, Rary was actually my original villain but as I was researching Greyhawk lore I discovered Vecna and thought that they connected well. I also kinda liked the idea of Rary as a sort of anithero, motivated by his idea of peace, and in his final act sealing the tarrasque the prevent it from harming the masses since his plan failed. (Also leaves another plot hook open with the potential revival of the tarrasque.) I was also considering Rary offering the party a chance to join him in the pursuit of peace, which might lead to interesting party tensions.

Thanks also for the advice on DMing, I read once that the more prepared you are the better, and even if you don't use any of it it helps you understand your world and how it would respond to a player's actions. I think I have a better grasp on how to balance prep and player decisions now

[Envyus]

Quick thing Robilar is a Fighter not a Wizard. Unless Rolibar is a different character that just happens to have the same name with 2 letters swapped.

Also out of curiosity will Iuz or his Boneheart be up to anything?

[JAL_1138]

Having "one of Vecna's servants" kill the nine most talented and experienced wizards on Oerth in one fell swoop rubs me the wrong way. Be careful not to Villain Sue the lich too hard. Even TSR got in on that at the end of 2e ("Die Vecna Die!" mentioned earlier was terrible and conflicted with all the lore of Planescape and Ravenloft). The Circle wizards have an evil demigod, with his own nation and army, for a neighbor (Iuz) and he still hasn't take over the Free City yet.

[Thrathgnar]

Quick thing Robilar is a Fighter not a Wizard. Unless Rolibar is a different character that just happens to have the same name with 2 letters swapped.

Also out of curiosity will Iuz or his Boneheart be up to anything?

I didn't look closely enough, I've been spelling his name wrong this whole time lol. All I knew of him was that he was a member of the Citadel of Eight, so I assumed he was a wizard, but now that I did a little research I see that I was wrong. I also didn't know he was already connected to Rary, I had made up that connection myself lol. I'll have to change things a bit, but I think it'll still work.

Iuz (not sure what the Boneheart is, like I said I'm new to the setting) won't be involved with Rary, but he will be there and may come into play as another villain

[Thrathgnar]

Having "one of Vecna's servants" kill the nine most talented and experienced wizards on Oerth in one fell swoop rubs me the wrong way. Be careful not to Villain Sue the lich too hard. Even TSR got in on that at the end of 2e ("Die Vecna Die!" mentioned earlier was terrible and conflicted with all the lore of Planescape and Ravenloft). The Circle wizards have an evil demigod, with his own nation and army, for a neighbor (Iuz) and he still hasn't take over the Free City yet.

I thought it was canon that Vecna's servant killed the entire Circle of Eight excluding Mordenkainen?

[Beleriphon]

I thought it was canon that Vecna's servant killed the entire Circle of Eight excluding Mordenkainen?

Which servant? Kas?

[Envyus]

I didn't look closely enough, I've been spelling his name wrong this whole time lol. All I knew of him was that he was a member of the Citadel of Eight, so I assumed he was a wizard, but now that I did a little research I see that I was wrong. I also didn't know he was already connected to Rary, I had made up that connection myself lol. I'll have to change things a bit, but I think it'll still work.

Iuz (not sure what the Boneheart is, like I said I'm new to the setting) won't be involved with Rary, but he will be there and may come into play as another villain

Reading about Robilar he is actually pretty cool character. Rob Kuntz the guy who created and played as Robilar in the original games (Were he is famous for his habit of releasing great evils by mistake like Zuggtmoy and Iuz and also being the first to complete dungeons like the Tomb of Horrors.) even answers questions about him and how he played him on their forum.

These are both good articles on Robilar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robilar
http://www.canonfire.com/wiki/index.php?title=Robilar

As for the Boneheart they are Iuz's main henchmen along with his other group the Boneshadow. They tend to make good villains and show Iuz's influence with out him actually being there.

If you would like details on the Boneheart and Boneshadow I can post details about them.

[Thrathgnar]

Which servant? Kas?

"Later in 581 CY, nearly six months after Jallarzi joined, the group met with tragedy when all its members, save Mordenkainen, were slain by Halmadar the Cruel, a former Shield Lands tyrant under the control of the fabled lich Vecna, who had somehow achieved godhood. Mordenkainen responded by assembling a group of adventurers to thwart Vecna's plans, and was able to recover the remains of his allies and clone them. The cloning took some time, which could otherwise have been used to prevent the Greyhawk Wars.[9]"

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_Eight

[Thrathgnar]

Reading about Robilar he is actually pretty cool character. Rob Kuntz the guy who created and played as Robilar in the original games (Were he is famous for his habit of releasing great evils by mistake like Zuggtmoy and Iuz and also being the first to complete dungeons like the Tomb of Horrors.) even answers questions about him and how he played him on their forum.

These are both good articles on Robilar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robilar
http://www.canonfire.com/wiki/index.php?title=Robilar

As for the Boneheart they are Iuz's main henchmen along with his other group the Boneshadow. They tend to make good villains and show Iuz's influence with out him actually being there.

If you would like details on the Boneheart and Boneshadow I can post details about them.

Thanks for the resources I'll look into them. And that makes sense about Iuz, he would be interesting to have as a background villain

[Rallicus]

Be careful not to Villain Sue the lich too hard. Even TSR got in on that at the end of 2e ("Die Vecna Die!" mentioned earlier was terrible and conflicted with all the lore of Planescape and Ravenloft).

I still like the idea of Die, Vecna, Die!... mainly because it's so out there. I love that no other Prime Material Plane can boast that someone born there managed to escape Ravenloft (Solth doesn't count, he was just thrown out) and then proceeded to break into Sigil and wreak havok shortly thereafter.

Does it stomp over established lore, in a pretty much insulting way? Sure.

But I still find it cool.


The Circle wizards have an evil demigod, with his own nation and army, for a neighbor (Iuz) and he still hasn't take over the Free City yet.

Flight of Fiends sent him back a bit.

Also this (Living Greyhawk Gazetteer):

Enemies: [in alphabetical order] Ahlissa, Bissel, Bone March (for tribal and religious reasons), Celene (inactive), Circle of Eight, County of Urnst, Duchy of Urnst, Dyvers, Flinty Hills, Frost/Ice/Snow Barbarians, Furyondy, Gran March, Greyhawk, Horned Society, Keoland, Ket, Knights of Holy Shielding, Knights of Luna, Knights of the Han (all branches), Knights of the Watch, Kron Hills, North Kingdom, Nyrond, Onnwal (all factions), Pale, Perrenland, Pomarj (for tribal and religious reasons), Ratik, Scarlet Brotherhood, Shield Lands, Sterich, Stonehold, Sunndi, Ulek states, various Tenh factions, Veluna, Verbobonc, Wolf Nomads, Yeomanry, and all religions of Oerth excluding Iuz's.

Allies: None.

--------

He may be a demigod, but he's been imprisoned a number of times and having the entire world willing to kill you is probably pretty stressful.

[Envyus]

Well here is the info on the Greater Boneheart, Lesser Boneheart and Boneshadow. All info is taken from the 2e sourcebook Iuz the Evil. Which describes his lands.


These five NPCs are, to be blunt, monsters. Each is as evil as they come. They often attend Iuz in his throne chamber and are the prime movers of Iuz's will in the great empire of the Old One. Each represents a truly formidable enemy in his or her own right.
Originally six in number, the Greater Boneheart has a vacancy among their number after the loss of Patch and the mage Ormuz during the wars. The Lesser Boneheart are all vying for the position that is available. The mage Vayne has been demoted to a Lesser Boneheart member, while Null and Jumper have been promoted. Iuz likes to keep his proximate servants anxious to please him.


Althea is one of Iuz's most trusted servants. She and Halga have, between the two of them, filled the role of the destroyed High Priest Patch. Althea is 37, 5' 6", black-haired and green-eyed, and always wears simple black robes. She is an arrogant, cold, controlled woman, who treats her juniors with an air of menace and condescension. When she is angered, she reacts with a cold, icy calm, her words full of menace and threat. She may be chaotic, but she is a disciplined priestess, not prone to making foolhardy or over-hasty decisions.
Althea is the ruler of Molag, but divides her time between Dorakaa and that city. This allows her to keep tabs on Halga and blame Marynnek for anything which goes wrong in Molag and the Horned Lands in general.
Althea and Halga are very wary of, speak rarely to, and avoid each other. Each would like to supplant the other and establish themselves as the number one priestess.


Halga is 35 years old, 5' 10" tall, lean of build, with straw-blond hair and grey eyes. Her eyes have bags under them and her skin is sallow. She is very high-strung, neurotic, and always in a state of tension. Halga has a slight tremor in her hands and flies into a rage if this is commented upon.
Halga has been given the Vesve to rule by Iuz, but Halga rarely leaves Dorakaa to see how events are going there. Panshazek is a competent enough leader for that battle front and Halga is too fearful of being away from her master. She tries to master her anxiety by serving him as faithfully as possible, and plays a leading role in the rituals and ceremonies of the throne chamber. Save for Iuz himself, none is so well versed in the politics of the Abyss and has such a full knowledge of Iuz's fiendish alliances and antipathies as Halga.


Null is a nondescript, whining little fellow. At 5' 3", he is very self-conscious about his lack of height and secretly wears boots with raised heels to appear taller. He has thin, straggly black hair and brown eyes. This is a man whose sebaceous glands have run riot all his life, so Null is greasy, acned, and thoroughly unwholesome.
Null is easily bullied by Iuz or the High Priestesses, but he has formed an alliance with Jumper, partly because of their mutual fear of Kermin. Null and Jumper worked well together in the invasion of the Shield Lands and the Horned Society, but most importantly, Null managed not to make any serious mistakes during the war. That earned him the promotion to the Greater Boneheart.
Null declined the offer of rulership of the Shield Lands, knowing that he didn't have the personality or authority to do the job well, so he had Vayne sent there instead. Null has found a specific niche for himself where he canstick to what he is good at. Null is the experimenter par excellence. He has developed the bonewand, enchanted many of the magical skulls along the Road of Skulls, and has placed unique magical defenses and powers in some of the watchtowers and castles of the empire. Now he spends much of his time in Fleichshriver, trying to develop more malign new spells and magical items. Null's treasured pet project is an undead creature, zombie-like, which will explode into a great acid-laden firestorm when destroyed. The trick is trying to get it to not explode if destroyed within 20 feet of a priest or mage of Iuz, and that is causing Null some difficulty.
Null is an obsessive man who is only concerned with his magical experiments. He is also extremely self-protective, and managing to slay him would be a great feat indeed, certainly requiring several adventures and more than one slaying to finish him off for good. Of course, though, he does have an embryonic clone in temporal stasis . . .


Jumper is a bewildering figure. Standing 6' 4" tall, he is very thin and has an odd mix of Flan copper-colored skin with Suel blond hair and blue eyes. He is handsome in a crooked-smiling, wide-eyed kind of way. Jumper always seems surprised and startled. His attire is equally odd. Jumper likes very loud, clashing colors, preferably pastel yellows, pinks, and sky blue, and his particularly vile purple magical boots are worthy of special mention. He even wears these with his black robes when attending
Iuz's ceremonies and audiences.
Jumper appears to be fearlessly insane. He grins and babbles, skips and leaps, and laughs out loud to himself. But this is but a ruse, as he is exceptionally intelligent and wise too.
Jumper currently allies with Null, because he knows he can outwit the Archmage, whereas Kermin rather worries him. Jumper does not fear for his position, since his skills are unique and his shadow monsters, shadow magic and weird spells proved extremely effective in the wars. The latter are a specialty, and all saving throws against the effects of a weird cast by Jumper are made at a -1 penalty cumulative with any others. Jumper also has a unique eighth-level spell Phantom Bridge which permits him to create a semi-real highway of 18 miles length along which up to 100 creatures can travel at 1 mile per minute. This proved very useful in troop movements, as can be imagined.
Jumper is the commander of the Legions of the Deranged, and has been appointed ruler of the Barren Plains and the Bluff Hills in a rare moment of humor on Iuz's part. Jumper delights in this and announces all kinds of wild schemes for turning the hills into a gigantic lake, the plains into a huge monster park, and other such insane plans.
Jumper is a wild card and appears to be a crazy lunatic. In truth, he is exceptionally dangerous because of his outstanding combination of intelligence and wisdom. He just likes dealing with problems, including his enemies, with a certain style and panache.


The sinister, dark-haired, swarthy Bakluni figure of Kermin Mind-Bender is one disliked by all the other Greater Boneheart, for all fear his power. Kermin is strong, tall at 6' 2" and well-built, his brown eyes overshadowed by thick, bristling black eyebrows. Kermin is 60 years old, but is fit and looks considerably younger. He always seems to have pursed lips, as if about to say something and then thinking better of it.
Kennin is Iuz's expert diviner, but he also has an affinity for mind-affecting and mind-control spells. He and the exile drow Kaquizel have an enmity for each other because of their divination specialties. Kermin always has many Enchantment/Charm spells memorized and delights in breaking the will and resistance of his enemies, through the use of geas, feeblemind, symbol of hopelessness, and other delightful spells in his province of expertise. All saving throws against directly mind-affecting spells cast by Kermin are made at a -1 penalty cumulative with any others which apply. Kermin's ability to project a mental blast, as the mind flayer attack, at enemies is infamous. He can do this by "sacrificing" one memorized spell of seventh or higher level.
Kermin is empire-building. He has persuaded Iuz that trained mages will form a vital support for the priesthood in the Old One's dominion, and Iuz responded well when Kermin noted the efforts of Vesve elves and Knights of the Hart to find talented young boys and girls who could be trained as mages. So, Kermin does not have any specific land to rule, but rather has the task of finding budding mages and arranging for their training. This means that Kermin has a dozen mid-level mages and some 40 lower-level mages under his command throughout the empire seeking out such youngsters, especially in Tenh.
Promising candidates may be sent to Dorakaa, where Kermin scrutinizes them personally, if the commendation is good enough, but woe betide any junior mage sending Kermin an unsuitable candidate.
Kermin also has three mages of 11th-13th level in his own chambers and household and hopes to get one of them promoted into the ranks of the Lesser Boneheart should one of the current number there be demoted, slain, or promoted to the Greater Boneheart, which would displease him greatly. Lastly, like all good empire builders, Kermin keeps a special watch on the "other faction," Althea and Halga, whom he distrusts and dislikes.


These six NPCs are mostly in difficult situations, for they are charged with command and control of large areas of Iuz's empire and if anything goes wrong, they get the blame. Some of these, such as Vayne are in decline, others like Cranzer have especially tenuous positions, and some like Xenvelen are rising stars. Adventure themes may well focus, not on slaying them, but on stymieing them, which might get them replaced by Iuz, who does not stand for incompetence and failure.


Cranzer is a small, 5' 4" tall, balding, grey-eyed man who wears very dark blue robes and garments, with blood-red and gold edging and patterning. He is a perpetually hassled man, having to placate Iuz, Null and Jumper by keeping the Rift Canyon relatively problemfree and silver flowing into Iuz's coffers, while finding his technically-junior rulers at Stoink and Rookroost far from helpful, and the commanders at Balmund hopelessly inefficient. Cranzer has actually done a fair job, eliminating trouble in the Tangles so far and closing off most escape routes from the Rift Canyon. His system of Leering Keeps makes the Plar's bandits prefer raiding into the Shield Lands, so things fare reasonably well for Cranzer at the present time.
Cranzer doesn't like, and doesn't trust, the priesthood of luz and may well be stacking up trouble for himself on this score, even within Riftcrag. His own personal bodyguard of orog fighters is charmed to the hilt and he doesn't let them leave his sight most of the time. Cranzer's long-term goal is to become a member of the Greater Boneheart, and to this end he has been known to go adventuring with large warbands, acquiring the extra experience needed for level advancement and the development of more magical powers.
Cranzer is a controlled, careful man, with considerable patience despite his neutral evil alignment, and he is a good organizer to boot. The one quality he lacks is a steel will. He tends to take easy options, and is as likely as not to back down from confrontation with a mage or priest of equal or even slightly lower rank if that individual is forceful.


Marynnek is the "part-time" ruler of Molag, an especially thankless position. When he gets things right, Althea takes the credit, but when things go wrong, he gets the blame. Althea noticed that Marynnek was a favored pawn of Halga, who has now distanced herself from him, and, as such, stymied her rival and reduced Halga's power base in Dorakaa by requesting Marynnek's presence in Molag as deputy ruler. Marynnek was coldly angry, but there's little he can do about the situation.
Marynnek is 6' tall, strongly built, red-haired and green-eyed. He can be a pleasant and persuasive man, with refinement of gesture and manner, but he can also be a savage and ruthless brute. Marynnek always makes sure that he is allied with the physically strong. Hence his use of charm spells, through his priest and fiend servants and allies, on many Steelreach fighters. He has a bodyguard of eight Steelreach fighters of levels 9-12 and a half dozen mid-level mages to call upon. Marynnek commands Iuz's priests in an attentive, considerate manner, though he maintains strict discipline. He cannot afford to have any of them complaining to Althea.
Marynnek knows well that Molag may be a crucial site in the upcoming war against Furyondy, which he knows will come eventually. He does all he can to stymie magical scrying on himself or his most powerful lieutenants and visitors, using spells and devices to do so. Of course, he places a premium on gaining information about events across the Veng by scrying, skirmish parties of hobgoblins, and Petrenek, the spy in Furyondy, passes some information indirectly to him. Marynnek has very copious notes about events in Furyondy, which he doesn't share with Althea. What he does tell her is usually out of date information. He is keeping what he has learned to present to luz, whom he hopes will promote him to the Greater Boneheart when he distinguishes himself in the next war. Marynnek is biding his time, not revealing his strength in Molag, and looking to the long term.


Maskaleyne is nearly 325 years old, an exile from the Great Kingdom. He hungers to see Iuz's empire spread right across the lands and engulf shattered Aerdi. His own dreams of dominion are as unholy as those of his master, whom he has served since the cambion first came to power.
Maskaleyne is 6' 1", brown-haired with hazel eyes, and the typical pale complexion of the vampire. His elven boots allow him to tread softly and his ring of invisibility makes him a very dangerous foe indeed, able to surprise his opponents and get the jump on them. Maskaleyne is well-versed in fiendish politics and etiquette as befits an ex-servant of the House of Naelex, and he is also knowledgeable of the histories of Veluna and Furyondy and their magicians, wizards, sages and great priests. Such knowledge is valuable to luz, and Maskaleyne has been given Grabford to rule as a reward for his service.
Maskaleyne alternates between cold, icy self-control and bestial, bloodlusting rages. He dislikes humans and humanoids, preferring to surround himself with charmed and trained monsters, summoned creatures, undead, fiends. Being so old and effectively immortal save for violent death, Maskaleyne can take the long view. He is building up his resources in Grabford, preparing for the Furyondy war which he expects in some four to five years. His main emphasis is working on his fiendish allies. Maskaleyne has friends even Iuz doesn't know about.
Maskaleyne considers Xenvelen of Crockport an able man, doing well, but probably about to undo himself through over-ambition. For this reason, he is beginning to distance himself slightly from Xenvelen, co-operating increasingly with Marynnek of Molag to co-ordinate patrols along the northern banks of the Veng. Maskaleyne has no desire to be promoted to the Greater Boneheart, preferring the freedom of action his current situation allows. This makes Marynnek friendlier to him than he otherwise might be. He has two enslaved female vampiric courtesans, both mages of 7th level, and his own chambers are thoroughly magically trapped and the vampire has a dozen carefully hidden coffins in various locations in case his current one gets destroyed.



Panshazek is 39 years old, 6' tall exactly, slim of build and very wiry, with curly dark-brown hair, green eyes and a well-cropped beard which he strokes constantly when talking or thinking. Panshazek is the commander of the Vesve armies, save for those led by Xenvelen. He had onerous duties before the wars, acting as a spy in the Horned Society, and his information was of great value to Iuz when he invaded. Iuz has shown his favor by granting Panshazek rulership of Highvale, when he has vanquished it of course. Panshazek is generally able to report back encouraging news to Iuz and is probably in the pole position for promotion to the Greater Boneheart.
Panshazek himself stays well out of the fray, keeping to his base at Greenplane most of the time, with rare ventures to Izlen or into Vesve territory he controls. He has less terror of his superiors than most, since things fare well for him. Perhaps because of this, he is reasonably generous to his underlings, only rarely threatening to execute them for incompetence. He makes special efforts to keep the combat mages of the Vesve happy, ensuring they get supplies of spell components and scrolls to augment their efforts.
Panshazek has an enduring, bitter hatred of elves. As a very junior priest of Iuz he was once overcome by wood elves, stripped of all he had, and left to wander the forest. He was lucky to survive. Now, Panshazek's troops have standing orders to bring as many live elves back to Greenplane as they can manage. Panshazek pays a bounty for each live elf brought to him. The lucky ones just get killed, with the less fortunate ending up as potion ingredients after being appallingly tortured. Any elf PC should have a dear ambition to avenge his people by slaying this evil, sneering man.



Vayne's 6' 2" height tends to stoop now, his blackhaired head cast down, brown eyes looking to the ground. Vayne is a nervous, twitchy man, with hugely oversized hands bearing elongated, knobby fingers and unsightly thick black hair sprouting from his knuckles.
Wherever Vayne was during the wars, things tended to go poorly or indifferently at best. The final straw was his inept role in the Badlands debacle, where thousands of orcs were slain by Belvor's troops and Ghisellinn of Furyondy nearly toasted him with a meteor swarm. Vayne has been demoted and he knows it. Null, the wretched, characterless, insipid Null, has taken his place. Vayne is disillusioned and angry. He makes as few direct decisions as he can, not interfering with the priests of Iuz in the Shield Lands unless they are getting things hopelessly wrong in a way which might reflect poorly on Vayne himself in Iuz's eyes.
Vayne keeps to himself in Admundfort. There is little for him to do since the Shield Lands are thoroughly subjugated and the navies of Furyondy and Urnst dominate the Nyr Dyv without offering any threat. Vayne's bitterness festers and he wonders about betraying his master. For a big enough reward, he'd do it, but the magical protection and payoff would have to be tremendous, possibly
something only the Circle of Eight, Philidor the Blue Wizard, or equally mighty mages could guarantee. To hide his thoughts, Vayne has a mind blank spell running perpetually, re-casting it when it runs out. He has a pearl of power which allows him to recall this spell once it has been memorized and cast.
Vayne has a collection of past opponents polymorphed into frogs and toads which he keeps in bell jars. From time to time, he idly draws one forth to pull off its legs or drive pins into its body. He has enough of them now to enjoy polymorphing new victims into crickets and feeding them to the frogs, all of which he names individually, usually with obscene puns of their real names, if he knows them.

-level priest)"]
Cool, graceful, charming and brilliant, Xenvelen is a young and fast-rising star. Only 30 years of age, the redhaired, hazel-eyed man with a perpetual smile had a fine war record on the Furyondian front and his assault on Crockport was one of the great triumphs of the war. Iuz has rewarded him with rulership of that city and command of the southern Vesve front. Xenvelen is in the hot seat, since the Furyondian borderlands are where the action is and he faces the great armies in Chendl, Redoubt, and the Barony of Kalinstren across the Flare Line. Xenvelen relishes the challenge.
Xenvelen's current strategy is to continue amassing might in Crockport, maintaining stiff patrol strengths in the lands close by the border, and extending the Razing Line, which his junior priests and mages revel in doing. However, this is partly a feint. Xenvelen tests the Vesve defenses around Castle Ehlenestra and south of the Badlands, and that is where he will make a massive strike
when the time comes. Xenvelen is noted for the carefulness of his preparations and the swiftness and devastating force of his strike. Some Furyondians have nicknamed him The Cobra, tensed and coiled for a long while, then striking with devastating speed and effect.
Xenvelen has an extra edge. When he took Crockport, he found volumes of arcane lore on the baatezu in the libraries of a mage slain there. Using a gate spell to summon the appropriate intermediaries, he exchanged the tome with a great Balor Prince, who wasn't an Abyssal Lord, but is very close to that, in a pact which has guaranteed Xenvelen overwhelming fiendish aid for one battle when he requests it. Xenvelen, one can be sure, will cash in on that favor when the time is right, but it will take a goal as tempting as the sundering of Chendl to make him whet his lips and mutter the fateful words of summoning.
Xenvelen is skilled, flattering Althea and Halga, well mannered and pseudo-deferential to Panshazek, while expressing his true enthusiasm for the fray to his malign Lord in Dorakaa, who appears to think well of him. Xenvelen may well be the most dangerous priest in Iuz's massed ranks.


This is the collective name given to six spies and agents of Iuz who are active abroad in the Flanaess. Dungeon Masters owning The Marklands will know of Petrenek and the Shadowclaw organization active within Furyondy, but the Boneshadow are a much more formidable group. Each is quite a powerful character and operates alone. If a Boneshadow character has underlings, they will be hired hands, charmed servitors, and the like, and they will certainly not be aware that they are in the service of an agent of Iuz. Boneshadow members may lie idle for years, awaiting the call to service. During those quiet times, they will secretly store away all manner of political, economic, and other vital information about the land(s) they work in. They may pose as entertainers, foreign nobles, merchants, or whatever suits their need for concealment of their true purposes. When the command comes from Iuz to kidnap, sabotage, kill, or travel, they are ready. The Boneshadow have excellent resources of money and magic at their disposal for just such occasions.
Deliberately, only the scantiest details are given here of the members of this group. This allows the DM to flesh out these characters for campaign play. In brief, the six current members of this group are believed to be:

Lord Obmi: Obmi is a dwarven 11th-level fighter, known to have a dwarven throwing hammer. He comes from the Crvstalmists and is known as The Hammer of Iuz for obvious reasons. Obmi is an expert assassin and deployer of brute force. He was last heard of in Verbobonc and there are bounties on his head from there to Keoland.

Keak: The half-mad grey elven fighter-mage (levels 9/12) hails from the Vesve, and has been seen roaming there and in Veluna, Highvale and Perrenland. Keak is a spy, a master of mental-domination magic, and also a fine assassin.

Gleed: Gleed is a gnome thief/illusionist (levels 10/10) of unknown origin. He often disguises himself as a merchant and was last heard of in Dyvers. Gleed is a tracker, spy, and wheedler of information, but he is cowardly and does not risk his own life in assassination or combat.

Sunifarel Brightrobe: A Celene half-elf, Sunifarel is a 13th-level mage known to be active in the Suss, Welkwood and possibly the Pomarj-controlled portions of the Wild Coast. Sunifarel is a hunter of lore and magical items, a seeker-out of lost dungeons, ruins, and buried places of ineffable evil.

Griswald Hairhand: Often posing as a cook or chef of excellent quality, this rare evil halfling hails from the enclave of Elmshire on the shores of the Nyr Dyv and may have had something to do with the terrible disease which killed so many there of late. Griswald is a 15th level thief, an expert spy, cat burglar, information-gatherer and agent of subterfuge and sedition with his 17 Charisma.

Lord Dorag: A truly fearsome fighter, Dorag is known for his sword of sharpness, plate mail +4 and great (18/00) strength. He is a 15th-level fighter and reports of him filter back from the fractured lands of old Aerdi. As a slaughterer, he is unequalled and as a spy, he has many magical aids to augment his activities.


Obmi, sometimes called Lord Obmi, is a murderous mountain dwarven fighter and member of Iuz's Boneshadow. He has iron grey hair, has a taciturn personality, and delights in playing power games. Originally from the Crystalmists, he is known as "the Hammer of Iuz" due to his use of the dwarven throwing hammer, and "Obmi the Wily" for his cunning. He appears in the Gord the Rogue novels as an enemy of Gord, Leda, and Eclavdra.

Obmi is sometimes accompanied by a deranged grey elf fighter/mage named Keak and a gnomish illusionist/rogue named Gleed. In the past, Obmi was a slave of, then advisor to, the fire giant king Snurre Ironbelly.

Obmi's early history is unknown. He is known to have been a slave of the fire giant king, Snurre Ironbelly of the Hellfurnaces from 546–551 CY. By 551 CY, Obmi had proven his worth as an advisor, and served King Snurre for the next twenty-five years in that role. In 576 CY, Snurre's hall was raided by adventurers. Obmi escaped by masquerading as a dwarven prince. Shortly after his escape, Obmi joined the service of Iuz.

Creative origins
Obmi first appeared in Gary Gygax's original Castle Greyhawk campaign between 1972 and 1973, where he was placed in an old magical laboratory in the center of the third level of the dungeon. Gygax gave him boots of speed, a dwarven thrower, and several gnoll henchmen. He also had a magical device that shot a ray that teleported the PCs to another part of the dungeon if they failed their saves. After many unsuccessful attempts, the PCs (the Citadel of Eight) finally destroyed the device, but Obmi escaped. Their hatred of Obmi did not diminish.

[Thrathgnar]

Well here is the info on the Greater Boneheart, Lesser Boneheart and Boneshadow. All info is taken from the 2e sourcebook Iuz the Evil. Which describes his lands.


These five NPCs are, to be blunt, monsters. Each is as evil as they come. They often attend Iuz in his throne chamber and are the prime movers of Iuz's will in the great empire of the Old One. Each represents a truly formidable enemy in his or her own right.
Originally six in number, the Greater Boneheart has a vacancy among their number after the loss of Patch and the mage Ormuz during the wars. The Lesser Boneheart are all vying for the position that is available. The mage Vayne has been demoted to a Lesser Boneheart member, while Null and Jumper have been promoted. Iuz likes to keep his proximate servants anxious to please him.


Althea is one of Iuz's most trusted servants. She and Halga have, between the two of them, filled the role of the destroyed High Priest Patch. Althea is 37, 5' 6", black-haired and green-eyed, and always wears simple black robes. She is an arrogant, cold, controlled woman, who treats her juniors with an air of menace and condescension. When she is angered, she reacts with a cold, icy calm, her words full of menace and threat. She may be chaotic, but she is a disciplined priestess, not prone to making foolhardy or over-hasty decisions.
Althea is the ruler of Molag, but divides her time between Dorakaa and that city. This allows her to keep tabs on Halga and blame Marynnek for anything which goes wrong in Molag and the Horned Lands in general.
Althea and Halga are very wary of, speak rarely to, and avoid each other. Each would like to supplant the other and establish themselves as the number one priestess.


Halga is 35 years old, 5' 10" tall, lean of build, with straw-blond hair and grey eyes. Her eyes have bags under them and her skin is sallow. She is very high-strung, neurotic, and always in a state of tension. Halga has a slight tremor in her hands and flies into a rage if this is commented upon.
Halga has been given the Vesve to rule by Iuz, but Halga rarely leaves Dorakaa to see how events are going there. Panshazek is a competent enough leader for that battle front and Halga is too fearful of being away from her master. She tries to master her anxiety by serving him as faithfully as possible, and plays a leading role in the rituals and ceremonies of the throne chamber. Save for Iuz himself, none is so well versed in the politics of the Abyss and has such a full knowledge of Iuz's fiendish alliances and antipathies as Halga.


Null is a nondescript, whining little fellow. At 5' 3", he is very self-conscious about his lack of height and secretly wears boots with raised heels to appear taller. He has thin, straggly black hair and brown eyes. This is a man whose sebaceous glands have run riot all his life, so Null is greasy, acned, and thoroughly unwholesome.
Null is easily bullied by Iuz or the High Priestesses, but he has formed an alliance with Jumper, partly because of their mutual fear of Kermin. Null and Jumper worked well together in the invasion of the Shield Lands and the Horned Society, but most importantly, Null managed not to make any serious mistakes during the war. That earned him the promotion to the Greater Boneheart.
Null declined the offer of rulership of the Shield Lands, knowing that he didn't have the personality or authority to do the job well, so he had Vayne sent there instead. Null has found a specific niche for himself where he canstick to what he is good at. Null is the experimenter par excellence. He has developed the bonewand, enchanted many of the magical skulls along the Road of Skulls, and has placed unique magical defenses and powers in some of the watchtowers and castles of the empire. Now he spends much of his time in Fleichshriver, trying to develop more malign new spells and magical items. Null's treasured pet project is an undead creature, zombie-like, which will explode into a great acid-laden firestorm when destroyed. The trick is trying to get it to not explode if destroyed within 20 feet of a priest or mage of Iuz, and that is causing Null some difficulty.
Null is an obsessive man who is only concerned with his magical experiments. He is also extremely self-protective, and managing to slay him would be a great feat indeed, certainly requiring several adventures and more than one slaying to finish him off for good. Of course, though, he does have an embryonic clone in temporal stasis . . .


Jumper is a bewildering figure. Standing 6' 4" tall, he is very thin and has an odd mix of Flan copper-colored skin with Suel blond hair and blue eyes. He is handsome in a crooked-smiling, wide-eyed kind of way. Jumper always seems surprised and startled. His attire is equally odd. Jumper likes very loud, clashing colors, preferably pastel yellows, pinks, and sky blue, and his particularly vile purple magical boots are worthy of special mention. He even wears these with his black robes when attending
Iuz's ceremonies and audiences.
Jumper appears to be fearlessly insane. He grins and babbles, skips and leaps, and laughs out loud to himself. But this is but a ruse, as he is exceptionally intelligent and wise too.
Jumper currently allies with Null, because he knows he can outwit the Archmage, whereas Kermin rather worries him. Jumper does not fear for his position, since his skills are unique and his shadow monsters, shadow magic and weird spells proved extremely effective in the wars. The latter are a specialty, and all saving throws against the effects of a weird cast by Jumper are made at a -1 penalty cumulative with any others. Jumper also has a unique eighth-level spell Phantom Bridge which permits him to create a semi-real highway of 18 miles length along which up to 100 creatures can travel at 1 mile per minute. This proved very useful in troop movements, as can be imagined.
Jumper is the commander of the Legions of the Deranged, and has been appointed ruler of the Barren Plains and the Bluff Hills in a rare moment of humor on Iuz's part. Jumper delights in this and announces all kinds of wild schemes for turning the hills into a gigantic lake, the plains into a huge monster park, and other such insane plans.
Jumper is a wild card and appears to be a crazy lunatic. In truth, he is exceptionally dangerous because of his outstanding combination of intelligence and wisdom. He just likes dealing with problems, including his enemies, with a certain style and panache.


The sinister, dark-haired, swarthy Bakluni figure of Kermin Mind-Bender is one disliked by all the other Greater Boneheart, for all fear his power. Kermin is strong, tall at 6' 2" and well-built, his brown eyes overshadowed by thick, bristling black eyebrows. Kermin is 60 years old, but is fit and looks considerably younger. He always seems to have pursed lips, as if about to say something and then thinking better of it.
Kennin is Iuz's expert diviner, but he also has an affinity for mind-affecting and mind-control spells. He and the exile drow Kaquizel have an enmity for each other because of their divination specialties. Kermin always has many Enchantment/Charm spells memorized and delights in breaking the will and resistance of his enemies, through the use of geas, feeblemind, symbol of hopelessness, and other delightful spells in his province of expertise. All saving throws against directly mind-affecting spells cast by Kermin are made at a -1 penalty cumulative with any others which apply. Kermin's ability to project a mental blast, as the mind flayer attack, at enemies is infamous. He can do this by "sacrificing" one memorized spell of seventh or higher level.
Kermin is empire-building. He has persuaded Iuz that trained mages will form a vital support for the priesthood in the Old One's dominion, and Iuz responded well when Kermin noted the efforts of Vesve elves and Knights of the Hart to find talented young boys and girls who could be trained as mages. So, Kermin does not have any specific land to rule, but rather has the task of finding budding mages and arranging for their training. This means that Kermin has a dozen mid-level mages and some 40 lower-level mages under his command throughout the empire seeking out such youngsters, especially in Tenh.
Promising candidates may be sent to Dorakaa, where Kermin scrutinizes them personally, if the commendation is good enough, but woe betide any junior mage sending Kermin an unsuitable candidate.
Kermin also has three mages of 11th-13th level in his own chambers and household and hopes to get one of them promoted into the ranks of the Lesser Boneheart should one of the current number there be demoted, slain, or promoted to the Greater Boneheart, which would displease him greatly. Lastly, like all good empire builders, Kermin keeps a special watch on the "other faction," Althea and Halga, whom he distrusts and dislikes.


These six NPCs are mostly in difficult situations, for they are charged with command and control of large areas of Iuz's empire and if anything goes wrong, they get the blame. Some of these, such as Vayne are in decline, others like Cranzer have especially tenuous positions, and some like Xenvelen are rising stars. Adventure themes may well focus, not on slaying them, but on stymieing them, which might get them replaced by Iuz, who does not stand for incompetence and failure.


Cranzer is a small, 5' 4" tall, balding, grey-eyed man who wears very dark blue robes and garments, with blood-red and gold edging and patterning. He is a perpetually hassled man, having to placate Iuz, Null and Jumper by keeping the Rift Canyon relatively problemfree and silver flowing into Iuz's coffers, while finding his technically-junior rulers at Stoink and Rookroost far from helpful, and the commanders at Balmund hopelessly inefficient. Cranzer has actually done a fair job, eliminating trouble in the Tangles so far and closing off most escape routes from the Rift Canyon. His system of Leering Keeps makes the Plar's bandits prefer raiding into the Shield Lands, so things fare reasonably well for Cranzer at the present time.
Cranzer doesn't like, and doesn't trust, the priesthood of luz and may well be stacking up trouble for himself on this score, even within Riftcrag. His own personal bodyguard of orog fighters is charmed to the hilt and he doesn't let them leave his sight most of the time. Cranzer's long-term goal is to become a member of the Greater Boneheart, and to this end he has been known to go adventuring with large warbands, acquiring the extra experience needed for level advancement and the development of more magical powers.
Cranzer is a controlled, careful man, with considerable patience despite his neutral evil alignment, and he is a good organizer to boot. The one quality he lacks is a steel will. He tends to take easy options, and is as likely as not to back down from confrontation with a mage or priest of equal or even slightly lower rank if that individual is forceful.


Marynnek is the "part-time" ruler of Molag, an especially thankless position. When he gets things right, Althea takes the credit, but when things go wrong, he gets the blame. Althea noticed that Marynnek was a favored pawn of Halga, who has now distanced herself from him, and, as such, stymied her rival and reduced Halga's power base in Dorakaa by requesting Marynnek's presence in Molag as deputy ruler. Marynnek was coldly angry, but there's little he can do about the situation.
Marynnek is 6' tall, strongly built, red-haired and green-eyed. He can be a pleasant and persuasive man, with refinement of gesture and manner, but he can also be a savage and ruthless brute. Marynnek always makes sure that he is allied with the physically strong. Hence his use of charm spells, through his priest and fiend servants and allies, on many Steelreach fighters. He has a bodyguard of eight Steelreach fighters of levels 9-12 and a half dozen mid-level mages to call upon. Marynnek commands Iuz's priests in an attentive, considerate manner, though he maintains strict discipline. He cannot afford to have any of them complaining to Althea.
Marynnek knows well that Molag may be a crucial site in the upcoming war against Furyondy, which he knows will come eventually. He does all he can to stymie magical scrying on himself or his most powerful lieutenants and visitors, using spells and devices to do so. Of course, he places a premium on gaining information about events across the Veng by scrying, skirmish parties of hobgoblins, and Petrenek, the spy in Furyondy, passes some information indirectly to him. Marynnek has very copious notes about events in Furyondy, which he doesn't share with Althea. What he does tell her is usually out of date information. He is keeping what he has learned to present to luz, whom he hopes will promote him to the Greater Boneheart when he distinguishes himself in the next war. Marynnek is biding his time, not revealing his strength in Molag, and looking to the long term.


Maskaleyne is nearly 325 years old, an exile from the Great Kingdom. He hungers to see Iuz's empire spread right across the lands and engulf shattered Aerdi. His own dreams of dominion are as unholy as those of his master, whom he has served since the cambion first came to power.
Maskaleyne is 6' 1", brown-haired with hazel eyes, and the typical pale complexion of the vampire. His elven boots allow him to tread softly and his ring of invisibility makes him a very dangerous foe indeed, able to surprise his opponents and get the jump on them. Maskaleyne is well-versed in fiendish politics and etiquette as befits an ex-servant of the House of Naelex, and he is also knowledgeable of the histories of Veluna and Furyondy and their magicians, wizards, sages and great priests. Such knowledge is valuable to luz, and Maskaleyne has been given Grabford to rule as a reward for his service.
Maskaleyne alternates between cold, icy self-control and bestial, bloodlusting rages. He dislikes humans and humanoids, preferring to surround himself with charmed and trained monsters, summoned creatures, undead, fiends. Being so old and effectively immortal save for violent death, Maskaleyne can take the long view. He is building up his resources in Grabford, preparing for the Furyondy war which he expects in some four to five years. His main emphasis is working on his fiendish allies. Maskaleyne has friends even Iuz doesn't know about.
Maskaleyne considers Xenvelen of Crockport an able man, doing well, but probably about to undo himself through over-ambition. For this reason, he is beginning to distance himself slightly from Xenvelen, co-operating increasingly with Marynnek of Molag to co-ordinate patrols along the northern banks of the Veng. Maskaleyne has no desire to be promoted to the Greater Boneheart, preferring the freedom of action his current situation allows. This makes Marynnek friendlier to him than he otherwise might be. He has two enslaved female vampiric courtesans, both mages of 7th level, and his own chambers are thoroughly magically trapped and the vampire has a dozen carefully hidden coffins in various locations in case his current one gets destroyed.



Panshazek is 39 years old, 6' tall exactly, slim of build and very wiry, with curly dark-brown hair, green eyes and a well-cropped beard which he strokes constantly when talking or thinking. Panshazek is the commander of the Vesve armies, save for those led by Xenvelen. He had onerous duties before the wars, acting as a spy in the Horned Society, and his information was of great value to Iuz when he invaded. Iuz has shown his favor by granting Panshazek rulership of Highvale, when he has vanquished it of course. Panshazek is generally able to report back encouraging news to Iuz and is probably in the pole position for promotion to the Greater Boneheart.
Panshazek himself stays well out of the fray, keeping to his base at Greenplane most of the time, with rare ventures to Izlen or into Vesve territory he controls. He has less terror of his superiors than most, since things fare well for him. Perhaps because of this, he is reasonably generous to his underlings, only rarely threatening to execute them for incompetence. He makes special efforts to keep the combat mages of the Vesve happy, ensuring they get supplies of spell components and scrolls to augment their efforts.
Panshazek has an enduring, bitter hatred of elves. As a very junior priest of Iuz he was once overcome by wood elves, stripped of all he had, and left to wander the forest. He was lucky to survive. Now, Panshazek's troops have standing orders to bring as many live elves back to Greenplane as they can manage. Panshazek pays a bounty for each live elf brought to him. The lucky ones just get killed, with the less fortunate ending up as potion ingredients after being appallingly tortured. Any elf PC should have a dear ambition to avenge his people by slaying this evil, sneering man.



Vayne's 6' 2" height tends to stoop now, his blackhaired head cast down, brown eyes looking to the ground. Vayne is a nervous, twitchy man, with hugely oversized hands bearing elongated, knobby fingers and unsightly thick black hair sprouting from his knuckles.
Wherever Vayne was during the wars, things tended to go poorly or indifferently at best. The final straw was his inept role in the Badlands debacle, where thousands of orcs were slain by Belvor's troops and Ghisellinn of Furyondy nearly toasted him with a meteor swarm. Vayne has been demoted and he knows it. Null, the wretched, characterless, insipid Null, has taken his place. Vayne is disillusioned and angry. He makes as few direct decisions as he can, not interfering with the priests of Iuz in the Shield Lands unless they are getting things hopelessly wrong in a way which might reflect poorly on Vayne himself in Iuz's eyes.
Vayne keeps to himself in Admundfort. There is little for him to do since the Shield Lands are thoroughly subjugated and the navies of Furyondy and Urnst dominate the Nyr Dyv without offering any threat. Vayne's bitterness festers and he wonders about betraying his master. For a big enough reward, he'd do it, but the magical protection and payoff would have to be tremendous, possibly
something only the Circle of Eight, Philidor the Blue Wizard, or equally mighty mages could guarantee. To hide his thoughts, Vayne has a mind blank spell running perpetually, re-casting it when it runs out. He has a pearl of power which allows him to recall this spell once it has been memorized and cast.
Vayne has a collection of past opponents polymorphed into frogs and toads which he keeps in bell jars. From time to time, he idly draws one forth to pull off its legs or drive pins into its body. He has enough of them now to enjoy polymorphing new victims into crickets and feeding them to the frogs, all of which he names individually, usually with obscene puns of their real names, if he knows them.

-level priest)"]
Cool, graceful, charming and brilliant, Xenvelen is a young and fast-rising star. Only 30 years of age, the redhaired, hazel-eyed man with a perpetual smile had a fine war record on the Furyondian front and his assault on Crockport was one of the great triumphs of the war. Iuz has rewarded him with rulership of that city and command of the southern Vesve front. Xenvelen is in the hot seat, since the Furyondian borderlands are where the action is and he faces the great armies in Chendl, Redoubt, and the Barony of Kalinstren across the Flare Line. Xenvelen relishes the challenge.
Xenvelen's current strategy is to continue amassing might in Crockport, maintaining stiff patrol strengths in the lands close by the border, and extending the Razing Line, which his junior priests and mages revel in doing. However, this is partly a feint. Xenvelen tests the Vesve defenses around Castle Ehlenestra and south of the Badlands, and that is where he will make a massive strike
when the time comes. Xenvelen is noted for the carefulness of his preparations and the swiftness and devastating force of his strike. Some Furyondians have nicknamed him The Cobra, tensed and coiled for a long while, then striking with devastating speed and effect.
Xenvelen has an extra edge. When he took Crockport, he found volumes of arcane lore on the baatezu in the libraries of a mage slain there. Using a gate spell to summon the appropriate intermediaries, he exchanged the tome with a great Balor Prince, who wasn't an Abyssal Lord, but is very close to that, in a pact which has guaranteed Xenvelen overwhelming fiendish aid for one battle when he requests it. Xenvelen, one can be sure, will cash in on that favor when the time is right, but it will take a goal as tempting as the sundering of Chendl to make him whet his lips and mutter the fateful words of summoning.
Xenvelen is skilled, flattering Althea and Halga, well mannered and pseudo-deferential to Panshazek, while expressing his true enthusiasm for the fray to his malign Lord in Dorakaa, who appears to think well of him. Xenvelen may well be the most dangerous priest in Iuz's massed ranks.


This is the collective name given to six spies and agents of Iuz who are active abroad in the Flanaess. Dungeon Masters owning The Marklands will know of Petrenek and the Shadowclaw organization active within Furyondy, but the Boneshadow are a much more formidable group. Each is quite a powerful character and operates alone. If a Boneshadow character has underlings, they will be hired hands, charmed servitors, and the like, and they will certainly not be aware that they are in the service of an agent of Iuz. Boneshadow members may lie idle for years, awaiting the call to service. During those quiet times, they will secretly store away all manner of political, economic, and other vital information about the land(s) they work in. They may pose as entertainers, foreign nobles, merchants, or whatever suits their need for concealment of their true purposes. When the command comes from Iuz to kidnap, sabotage, kill, or travel, they are ready. The Boneshadow have excellent resources of money and magic at their disposal for just such occasions.
Deliberately, only the scantiest details are given here of the members of this group. This allows the DM to flesh out these characters for campaign play. In brief, the six current members of this group are believed to be:

Lord Obmi: Obmi is a dwarven 11th-level fighter, known to have a dwarven throwing hammer. He comes from the Crvstalmists and is known as The Hammer of Iuz for obvious reasons. Obmi is an expert assassin and deployer of brute force. He was last heard of in Verbobonc and there are bounties on his head from there to Keoland.

Keak: The half-mad grey elven fighter-mage (levels 9/12) hails from the Vesve, and has been seen roaming there and in Veluna, Highvale and Perrenland. Keak is a spy, a master of mental-domination magic, and also a fine assassin.

Gleed: Gleed is a gnome thief/illusionist (levels 10/10) of unknown origin. He often disguises himself as a merchant and was last heard of in Dyvers. Gleed is a tracker, spy, and wheedler of information, but he is cowardly and does not risk his own life in assassination or combat.

Sunifarel Brightrobe: A Celene half-elf, Sunifarel is a 13th-level mage known to be active in the Suss, Welkwood and possibly the Pomarj-controlled portions of the Wild Coast. Sunifarel is a hunter of lore and magical items, a seeker-out of lost dungeons, ruins, and buried places of ineffable evil.

Griswald Hairhand: Often posing as a cook or chef of excellent quality, this rare evil halfling hails from the enclave of Elmshire on the shores of the Nyr Dyv and may have had something to do with the terrible disease which killed so many there of late. Griswald is a 15th level thief, an expert spy, cat burglar, information-gatherer and agent of subterfuge and sedition with his 17 Charisma.

Lord Dorag: A truly fearsome fighter, Dorag is known for his sword of sharpness, plate mail +4 and great (18/00) strength. He is a 15th-level fighter and reports of him filter back from the fractured lands of old Aerdi. As a slaughterer, he is unequalled and as a spy, he has many magical aids to augment his activities.


Obmi, sometimes called Lord Obmi, is a murderous mountain dwarven fighter and member of Iuz's Boneshadow. He has iron grey hair, has a taciturn personality, and delights in playing power games. Originally from the Crystalmists, he is known as "the Hammer of Iuz" due to his use of the dwarven throwing hammer, and "Obmi the Wily" for his cunning. He appears in the Gord the Rogue novels as an enemy of Gord, Leda, and Eclavdra.

Obmi is sometimes accompanied by a deranged grey elf fighter/mage named Keak and a gnomish illusionist/rogue named Gleed. In the past, Obmi was a slave of, then advisor to, the fire giant king Snurre Ironbelly.

Obmi's early history is unknown. He is known to have been a slave of the fire giant king, Snurre Ironbelly of the Hellfurnaces from 546–551 CY. By 551 CY, Obmi had proven his worth as an advisor, and served King Snurre for the next twenty-five years in that role. In 576 CY, Snurre's hall was raided by adventurers. Obmi escaped by masquerading as a dwarven prince. Shortly after his escape, Obmi joined the service of Iuz.

Creative origins
Obmi first appeared in Gary Gygax's original Castle Greyhawk campaign between 1972 and 1973, where he was placed in an old magical laboratory in the center of the third level of the dungeon. Gygax gave him boots of speed, a dwarven thrower, and several gnoll henchmen. He also had a magical device that shot a ray that teleported the PCs to another part of the dungeon if they failed their saves. After many unsuccessful attempts, the PCs (the Citadel of Eight) finally destroyed the device, but Obmi escaped. Their hatred of Obmi did not diminish.

Wow those are pretty cool! I'm gonna refer to this when forming the campaign, thanks!

[Thrathgnar]

I still like the idea of Die, Vecna, Die!... mainly because it's so out there. I love that no other Prime Material Plane can boast that someone born there managed to escape Ravenloft (Solth doesn't count, he was just thrown out) and then proceeded to break into Sigil and wreak havok shortly thereafter.

Does it stomp over established lore, in a pretty much insulting way? Sure.

But I still find it cool.



Flight of Fiends sent him back a bit.

Also this (Living Greyhawk Gazetteer):

Enemies: [in alphabetical order] Ahlissa, Bissel, Bone March (for tribal and religious reasons), Celene (inactive), Circle of Eight, County of Urnst, Duchy of Urnst, Dyvers, Flinty Hills, Frost/Ice/Snow Barbarians, Furyondy, Gran March, Greyhawk, Horned Society, Keoland, Ket, Knights of Holy Shielding, Knights of Luna, Knights of the Han (all branches), Knights of the Watch, Kron Hills, North Kingdom, Nyrond, Onnwal (all factions), Pale, Perrenland, Pomarj (for tribal and religious reasons), Ratik, Scarlet Brotherhood, Shield Lands, Sterich, Stonehold, Sunndi, Ulek states, various Tenh factions, Veluna, Verbobonc, Wolf Nomads, Yeomanry, and all religions of Oerth excluding Iuz's.

Allies: None.

--------

He may be a demigod, but he's been imprisoned a number of times and having the entire world willing to kill you is probably pretty stressful.

While I'm trying to weave in the campaign with established lore, the thing about DnD that I love is that the DM can do whatever he wants, and that worlds are just a basis for him to go by. Thats why I'm not too worried about following the lore, but the more it fits in the cooler it is to me

[JAL_1138]

"Later in 581 CY, nearly six months after Jallarzi joined, the group met with tragedy when all its members, save Mordenkainen, were slain by Halmadar the Cruel, a former Shield Lands tyrant under the control of the fabled lich Vecna, who had somehow achieved godhood. Mordenkainen responded by assembling a group of adventurers to thwart Vecna's plans, and was able to recover the remains of his allies and clone them. The cloning took some time, which could otherwise have been used to prevent the Greyhawk Wars.[9]"

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_Eight

Huh. Guess I didn't play that module back in ye olden days. (Or else forgot in the decade since I played last.) Nevermind me, then. :smalltongue:

[Thrathgnar]

Huh. Guess I didn't play that module back in ye olden days. (Or else forgot in the decade since I played last.) Nevermind me, then. :smalltongue:

No prob I was surprised too. I did some research and apparently Vecna used time stop to break like six of their necks because you could do that back in that edition

[Envyus]

Because I feel like it. I am also going to try and convert the Boneheart to 5e a bit later.

[Thrathgnar]

Because I feel like it. I am also going to try and convert the Boneheart to 5e a bit later.

If you do, can you send me the stats? That'd be awesome

[Envyus]

Thought I should tell everyone my conversion is going along well. Along with the Boneheart I also decided to convert Iuz to 5e. To show some of my progress here are some converted magic items that the Boneheart uses. (And a Spell)

Magic Items of Iuz

Blackstaff: Staff, very rare (requires attunement by a Cleric)
This ghastly Blackwood staff is shod with silver banding and tipped with a skull likewise banded and decorated with runes of Iuz's cult. Only the highest level priests of Iuz will possess a blackstaff, of which very few exist. The item may only be used by clerics. Blackstaffs are charged items, holding 10 charges regaining 1d6+4 charges daily at dawn. They have a range of effects, some of which do not require the use of charges. A blackstaff is a +3 magical weapon, but on a successful attack roll of an unmodified 18+, it inflicts double damage on any creature of good alignment.
A priest employing a blackstaff is permanently protected from good and evil as long as they wield the staff. By gripping the staff firmly and touching one target creature, the cleric as an action may cast command or fear 3/day each. These functions do not require the expenditure of charges.
By expending one charge, the priest may create any of the following effects:
- cast fireball;
- cast level 4 Inflict wounds to a range of 90 ft;
By expending two charges, the priest may create any of the following effects:
- Cast Harm

Bonewand: Wondrous item, rare
This black wooden wand despite its name and functional similarity to a wand, a bonewand is actually a wondrous item, since its primary function is not limited to use by spellcasters. It has 7 charges and regains 1d6+1 charges daily at dawn.
By expending 1 charge, you can create a 60-foot long 10 foot wide line of razor-sharp bone shards. Every creature in the area takes 5d6 points of slashing damage (Dexterity Save DC 14 half). This effect counts as magical.
By expending 2 charges, you can use the wand to cast animate dead. This use is a spell trigger function, so you can use it only if you have animate dead on your spell list.

Ebon Skull: Wondrous item, Legendary (requires attunement by an evil worshipper of Iuz)
This sinister black humanoid skull, bearing glinting rubies in its eye sockets, is a potent magical item, which even Iuz has forgotten how to craft. Only three are known to be in existence at this time. Priests or wizards possessing such a skull have a considerable wealth of powers granted to them.
The holder of an ebon skull can animate dead 3/day and create a bonechain, even without prepared bones, of up to 16 skeletons 1/day. All forms of darkness spells do not affect the skull owner, who is likewise immune to Cold and Necrotic damage and effects. Magic jar spells and all illusion spells of 3rd level or below do not affect the skull owner. Worse still, a priestly owner of an ebon skull may turn good-aligned clerics as if they were Undead of the same level. Finally, once per day, the skull owner can conjure a drifting cloud of chilling black mist with an area of effect and movement equivalent to a cloudkill spell. The cloud inflicts 6d6 points of necrotic damage on any creature caught within it. After two rounds of continuous exposure, a creature so caught must also make a Constitution saving throw or be unable to move for 1d10 rounds.

Spells of Iuz

Bonechain (Necromancy)
Level: 4
Range: Special
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 1 round
A bonechain spell requires special preparation in the form of material components. For each link in the "chain," the priest must possess one bone from a deceased humanoid creature. Any bone may be employed, although tradition prefers finger or rib bones. Each bone utilized as a material component must come from a separate creature or the spell fails when a second bone from the same creature is activated. The maximum number of bones usable in the spellcasting is equal to 2 for each spell slot level used. Each bone can be placed up to 20 feet from any other bone employed in the spell. A distance of greater than 20 feet negates the continuation of the bonechain.
When the spell is cast, at the point where each bone is placed, a skeleton springs up and will do the bidding of the priest casting the spell, automatically fighting the nearest enemy of the priest, Each activated skeleton is a normal animated skeleton, and can spring up from the site where a bone has been concealed if this is plausible. Bones buried in earth, hidden in plasterwork or within wooden panelling, etc., can spring forth as skeletons. Bones buried below foot-thick marble slabs could not do so. DM discretion is required. Skeletons animated by a bonechain remain in existence until the dawn following the casting of the bonechain spell, unless destroyed earlier.
This spell was specifically developed to enable ambushes, with bones planted in the ground in a circle or column, and for protection, with ranks of bones hidden in alcoves, urns and the like along corridors and passages. The material components for the spell are the bones employed and an unholy symbol of Iuz.

[Envyus]

Because I just finished him. Introducing the 1st/2nd edition version of Iuz converted to 5e.

IUZ THE OLD
Medium (Huge) Fiend, chaotic evil
Armor Class 17 (+3 cloak) or 21 (Plate, +3 cloak)
Hit Points 540 (36d20+32)
Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
21 (+5) 18 (+4) 18 (+4) 18 (+4) 20 (+5) 18 (+4)
Saving Throws Str +8, Dex +15, Con+15, Int +7, Wis +16, Cha +15
Skills Athletics, Arcana, Deception, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Religion, Stealth
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning, acid, necrotic
Damage Immunities poison; bludgeoning piercing and slashing from nonmagical weapons
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, poisoned
Senses True sight 120 ft; passive Perception 23
Languages Abyssal, Common, Orc
Challenge 28 (120,000 xp)
TRAITS
Cloak of Protection +3: You gain a +3 bonus to AC and saving throws while you wear this cloak.
Discorporation: When Iuz drops to 0 hit points, or dies his essence travels to his soul gem in layer 222 of the Abyss and can’t take physical form for a time. If the gem has been destroyed, his essence goes to his domain on Oerth on the material plane instead unless he was slain there in which case he truly dies.
Divine Fortitude: Iuz has 20 sided hit dice no matter his size.
Innate Spellcasting Iuz’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 20, +12 to hit with spell attacks). He can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: finger of death, invisibility, phantasmal force, protection from good and evil, teleport, wall of force.
2/day: dispel good, dispel illusion, dispel magic, raise dead
1/day: anti-magic field, gate, harm, wish, symbol.
Magic Weapons: Iuz’s natural weapons other than his spittle count as magical.
Legendary Resistance (4/day): If Iuz fails a saving throw he can choose to succeed instead.
Limited Magic Immunity: Iuz is immune to spells of 6th level or lower unless he wishes to be affected. He has advantage on saving throws against all other spells and magical effects.
Shape changer: Iuz can appear as a medium sized old man or as a large or huge demonic cambion in golden and black plate armor. In his old man form, Iuz can use his spittle and claws. In his cambion form he can use his +3 huge greatsword and plate armor. Other statistics other than size remain the same no matter his form.
Spellcasting Iuz is a 16th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 21, +13 to hit with spell attacks). Iuz has the following Cleric spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): guidance, mending, resistance, spare the dying, thaumaturgy
1st level (4 slots): bane, cure wounds, false life, ray of sickness
2nd level (3 slots): augury, blindness/deafness, lesser restoration, ray of enfeeblement,
3rd level (3 slots): animate dead, bestow curse, dispel magic, sending, tongues, vampiric touch
4th level (3 slots): banishment, blight, death ward, freedom of movement
5th level (2 slots): antilife shell, cloudkill, contagion, insect plague, mass cure wounds, planer binding, scrying
6th level (1 slot): create undead, heal, planer ally
7th level (1 slot): resurrection, plane shift
8th level (1 slot): control weather

ACTIONS
Multiattack: Iuz attacks twice with his claws and once with his spittle in old man form or 3 times with his greatsword in cambion form.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: (1d4+5) slashing damage. If Iuz hits with both claws and his target is a medium seized creature with a neck, he grapples and restrains his target and starts to strangle them. (Escape dc 21) A creature being strangled counts as being suffocated and can survive for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum 1 round). At the start of its next turn, it drops to 0 hit points and is dying. Iuz can’t use his claws again until the grapple ends.

Spittle (1/round). Ranged Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature .Hit: The target is aged 1d6 years. Furthermore, the body part struck becomes numb and is useless for 1d4+ 1 rounds (roll ld12: 1 =head, 2/3 = right arm, 4/5= left arm, 6/7 = right leg, 8/9=left leg, 10/12=torso.) A torso hit makes a character collapse prone in pain, remaining conscious but unable to perform actions. A hit to the head brings unconsciousness.

+3 Greatsword (Cambion form only). Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 5/10 ft., one target: Hit: [6d6+8] slashing damage. In large cambion form the swords reach is 5 ft, in huge cambion form it’s reach is 10 ft.

LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Iuz can take 4 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Iuz regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
Attack. Iuz makes one of his attacks. If Spittle has been used earlier in the round it can’t be used again this round.
Move. Iuz moves up to half his speed.
Spellcasting (Costs 3 Actions). Iuz uses one of his spells as taking up a slot or use as normal

[Thrathgnar]

Because I just finished him. Introducing the 1st/2nd edition version of Iuz converted to 5e.

IUZ THE OLD
Medium (Huge) Fiend, chaotic evil
Armor Class 17 (+3 cloak) or 21 (Plate, +3 cloak)
Hit Points 540 (36d20+32)
Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
21 (+5) 18 (+4) 18 (+4) 18 (+4) 20 (+5) 18 (+4)
Saving Throws Str +8, Dex +15, Con+15, Int +7, Wis +16, Cha +15
Skills Athletics, Arcana, Deception, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Religion, Stealth
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning, acid, necrotic
Damage Immunities poison; bludgeoning piercing and slashing from nonmagical weapons
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, poisoned
Senses True sight 120 ft; passive Perception 23
Languages Abyssal, Common, Orc
Challenge 28 (120,000 xp)
TRAITS
Cloak of Protection +3: You gain a +3 bonus to AC and saving throws while you wear this cloak.
Discorporation: When Iuz drops to 0 hit points, or dies his essence travels to his soul gem in layer 222 of the Abyss and can’t take physical form for a time. If the gem has been destroyed, his essence goes to his domain on Oerth on the material plane instead unless he was slain there in which case he truly dies.
Divine Fortitude: Iuz has 20 sided hit dice no matter his size.
Innate Spellcasting Iuz’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 20, +12 to hit with spell attacks). He can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: finger of death, invisibility, phantasmal force, protection from good and evil, teleport, wall of force.
2/day: dispel good, dispel illusion, dispel magic, raise dead
1/day: anti-magic field, gate, harm, wish, symbol.
Magic Weapons: Iuz’s natural weapons other than his spittle count as magical.
Legendary Resistance (4/day): If Iuz fails a saving throw he can choose to succeed instead.
Limited Magic Immunity: Iuz is immune to spells of 6th level or lower unless he wishes to be affected. He has advantage on saving throws against all other spells and magical effects.
Shape changer: Iuz can appear as a medium sized old man or as a large or huge demonic cambion in golden and black plate armor. In his old man form, Iuz can use his spittle and claws. In his cambion form he can use his +3 huge greatsword and plate armor. Other statistics other than size remain the same no matter his form.
Spellcasting Iuz is a 16th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 21, +13 to hit with spell attacks). Iuz has the following Cleric spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): guidance, mending, resistance, spare the dying, thaumaturgy
1st level (4 slots): bane, cure wounds, false life, ray of sickness
2nd level (3 slots): augury, blindness/deafness, lesser restoration, ray of enfeeblement,
3rd level (3 slots): animate dead, bestow curse, dispel magic, sending, tongues, vampiric touch
4th level (3 slots): banishment, blight, death ward, freedom of movement
5th level (2 slots): antilife shell, cloudkill, contagion, insect plague, mass cure wounds, planer binding, scrying
6th level (1 slot): create undead, heal, planer ally
7th level (1 slot): resurrection, plane shift
8th level (1 slot): control weather

ACTIONS
Multiattack: Iuz attacks twice with his claws and once with his spittle in old man form or 3 times with his greatsword in cambion form.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: (1d4+5) slashing damage. If Iuz hits with both claws and his target is a medium seized creature with a neck, he grapples and restrains his target and starts to strangle them. (Escape dc 21) A creature being strangled counts as being suffocated and can survive for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum 1 round). At the start of its next turn, it drops to 0 hit points and is dying. Iuz can’t use his claws again until the grapple ends.

Spittle (1/round). Ranged Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature .Hit: The target is aged 1d6 years. Furthermore, the body part struck becomes numb and is useless for 1d4+ 1 rounds (roll ld12: 1 =head, 2/3 = right arm, 4/5= left arm, 6/7 = right leg, 8/9=left leg, 10/12=torso.) A torso hit makes a character collapse prone in pain, remaining conscious but unable to perform actions. A hit to the head brings unconsciousness.

+3 Greatsword (Cambion form only). Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 5/10 ft., one target: Hit: [6d6+8] slashing damage. In large cambion form the swords reach is 5 ft, in huge cambion form it’s reach is 10 ft.

LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Iuz can take 4 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Iuz regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
Attack. Iuz makes one of his attacks. If Spittle has been used earlier in the round it can’t be used again this round.
Move. Iuz moves up to half his speed.
Spellcasting (Costs 3 Actions). Iuz uses one of his spells as taking up a slot or use as normal


Whoa those are awesome! Thanks for posting them here!