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#1zombenJun 16, 2004 15:24:59 | Guys, I've got a question I'm hoping you can help with. I'm running a Greyhawk campaign currently. We're on like session 6 or so and the ball is really just getting rolling. The PCs don't know it yet, but the thrust of the campaign is going to be Iuz's final plan to take over the entire Flanaess. My theory, is that since his military campaigns have not worked over the last few decades, he's going for something more "insidious"... My basic plan is that Iuz has possessed 7 different evil lords in kingdoms around the Pale* and is enacting his evil schemes through them. All of these plans are really attempts as sowing social discord, and getting the kingdoms fighting against each other. It's all very "The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street." What I'm first wondering, is does anyone know of a spell of any sort that will allow a character to possess multiple targets spread out so far? If not, perhaps I'll just invent some sort of Artefact to get the effect I need. Or perhaps I'll skip the possession entirely, and just have these 7 evil warlords devoted to his cause. Secondly, does anyone know where I can find 3.5 ed. stats for Iuz? I'm going to try and snag a copy of Iuz the Evil for the background material if I can find it inexpensively enough. Thanks! (* = The crux of his plan is to destroy the Church of Pholtus in the Pale and outlying regions, turning his worshippers to other gods. A similar plan is being enacted against worshippers of Pelor. Once their power wanes, Iuz plans to kill the two Sun Gods, and blanket the world in eternal darkness, or take their power for himself and turn the sun's light into a source of evilness) |
#2mortellanJun 16, 2004 15:33:03 | There is a 3.0 (not 3.5) deities and demigods stat block for Iuz in Dragon magazine #294 |
#3castlemikeJun 16, 2004 16:46:00 | If you use the Dragon #294 stats you could change out one of his divine ability feats to either Possess Mortal (which would only give you 2 possessions as a Demipower if you use Deities and Demigods rules) or Alter Reality (that should be able to duplicate the level 8 "Mind Seed" power in EPH. Hope that helps. |
#4zombenJun 16, 2004 16:58:01 | Good stuff! Thanks guys! Another idea I had, was to create "Avatars of Iuz" like the new avatars in the Miniatures Handbook. Lesser versions of himself that he could spread out around the area to enact his fiendish plans. |
#5zombiegleemaxJun 16, 2004 17:11:10 | One small problem with Iuz's otherwise excellent plan: According to Deities and Demigods, the various pantheons of the world of Oerth do not need worship, not even for the tiniest iota of their power. You can feel free to retcon this, of course, but according to canon, guys like Rao and Pelor receive absolutely nothing from being worshipped. --canonically, all this scheme would do is **** Pelor and Rao off NB |
#6zombenJun 16, 2004 17:20:16 | Well, that throws a kink in the works... I think for now, I'll work on the idea that he's really just trying to pit the countries against each other to weaken them, and then swoop in for the kill after they've been softened up. At this stage in the campaign, they're still just fighting monsters and uncovering mysteries, so I've got some time to think about his ultimate goal... Maybe by destroying the church, he's ruining the central control of the priesthood. With the clerics scattered, it might be easier to overrun the area with demons or undead? |
#7scoti_garbidisJun 16, 2004 22:48:45 | I have also employed a Iuz wants to rule the world storyline in my campaign. I went about it a little different and used two home-made artifacts to accomplish the fear factor in my campaign. The first artifact is the Soul Surveyor Compass, the actual name in my game is "The Compass of Esk-El Rook" and is an artifact of the Farlaghn fellowship. This compass allows someone to use blood from one person to locate items their ancestors might have had or known locations of in the past. I can go into better detail if someone asks. The second artifact is a staff known as "The Cadeuseus of Repose." This staff can be used to place a person into suspended animation against their will and I have not yet decided but this could be the same power used to enslave Iuz in the first place. Iuz has captured the Compass already in my campaign and is in search of a bloodline that will lead him to the Staff. If anyone is interested I can continue. |
#8castlemikeJun 16, 2004 22:57:46 | Don't forget Iuz is a prime based demi-power. Historically demi-powers are granted a lot more leeway on the prime material plane of Oerth than other powers and prime based demi-powers are accorded more as it is their home plane. Usually St. Cuthbert is allowed to dispatch an avatar to deal with Iuz directly in critical and dire situations of world wide consequence which Iuz is directly taking a hand in. If in your campaign he could work out a deal with an Evil Greater Power to provide "Blocking for Him" as per Deities and Demi-powers it would prevent his primary actions from being sensed by all other powers except his benefactor and he would be much harder to thwart on the material plane. The same is true for Fharlanghn who is the only True Power (Lesser or greater power) to my knowledge based on the prime material plane in the Oerth/Greyhawk campaign setting since he is an Intermediate power. |
#9caeruleusJun 17, 2004 2:21:29 | Originally posted by castlemike According to Deities and Demigods (p. 94), Vecna is a lesser power, and his home plane is the Material Plane. |
#10castlemikeJun 17, 2004 2:42:10 | Thanks caeruleus you're right about Vecna, I was still thinking of Vecna as a Demi-Power because of 2E adventures and forget he got promoted to Lesser Power. |
#11mortellanJun 17, 2004 3:38:53 | Originally posted by castlemike I am fuzzy, how DID vecna get promoted past demi-god? hardly seems fair to other ascended mortals like iuz, wastri, zagyg, al'akbar. the only other mortal i can discern that got 'made' like vecna is raxivort! al'akbar would seem a better candidate for promotion than those two scum! |
#12MortepierreJun 17, 2004 4:45:03 | Originally posted by Nero's Boot Funny because, according to WGA4 Vecna Lives!, that's exactly how Vecna was going to become the Greater God of all Oerth. |
#13mortellanJun 17, 2004 5:17:04 | According to Deities and Demigods, the various pantheons of the world of Oerth do not need worship While I like this product, this shouldn't be the primary source of canon for how to handle Oerth's pantheons and their worshippers. Indeed, iirc doesn't Deities and Demigods provide more than one method of how to handle god-worshipper interaction just as it provides many ways to handle deicide or divine ascension? So I don't think it definitively says GH deities don't require adulation. Unless there is a quote I'll remain skeptical. |
#14zombenJun 17, 2004 9:37:56 | This is all great stuff guys, thanks! I did manage to find a copy of Dragon #294 yesterday, which had the aforementioned stats for Iuz, as well as Pholtus, so that's realy helpful... So, in consideration of a "Patron Diety" for Iuz (in regards to blocking his schemes from other Dieties) who would you guys recommend? I'm leaning towards Orcus myself, simply because of his ties to the undead... But perhaps that's just because I'm still not 100% familiar with the Greyhawk ins and outs... Maybe Tharizdun? |
#15scoti_garbidisJun 17, 2004 14:46:37 | Hey Zomben, I saw a link to Painting Zombie and tried to click on it. It was a dead link.... I'm just curious what the good address is to check out the Painting Zombie. |
#16zombenJun 17, 2004 15:34:40 | Hey, The Painting Zombie website ist kaputz. I keep forgetting to take it out of my .sig. If you want to see some samples of my miniatures, email me at benmonroe "at" att "dot" net and I'll send you some pics. You can also take a look at some zombie miniatures I painted for ZOmbie Smith HERE (scroll down to the painted pics towards the bottom of the page.) |
#17MortepierreJun 18, 2004 1:29:05 | Originally posted by zomben Not Orcus, Graz'zt. It's Iuz's dad after all ;) |
#18scoti_garbidisJun 18, 2004 7:29:18 | The Book of Vile Darkness has some great stuff on Grazz't. I have actually looked into using him in my campaign's Iuz situation but have yet to decide. Maybe some of the info here will inspire me one way or the other. |
#19zombenJun 18, 2004 9:17:18 | I'll take a look at the info on Graz'zt when I get home tonight. Thanks! |
#20zombiegleemaxJun 18, 2004 13:34:17 | Iuz and Grazzt Hate each other. They would be very unlikely to aid each other. Go back to the novels, even when they are working together, they are planning on backstabbing each other the entire time. More likely Iuz would side with one of his dad's rivals, just to stick it to dear old Dad one last time. |
#21scoti_garbidisJun 18, 2004 14:24:18 | I knew that but as they are related maybe in a non-canonical way they could join forces.... or maybe they could and still stab each other in the back later..... oh yeah, double-crosses and outside the storyline conflict... intrigue!!! |
#22mortellanJun 18, 2004 17:51:49 | Originally posted by Scoti Garbidis Awww just in time for father's day. |
#23zombiegleemaxJun 18, 2004 18:34:04 | Even the worst enemies can see eye-to-eye on occasion; look at the Really Real World: Stalin and Hitler hated each other passionately, but they signed a non-aggression treaty! (Granted, Hitler eventually stabbed Stalin in the back, but hey. That's what you get when you get two egomaniacs butting heads.) --I'd say go for the idea of Graz'zt and Iuz allying temporarily NB |
#24AmarilJun 19, 2004 17:17:03 | Speaking of Iuz and Tharizdun, I'm getting ready to run Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, and I found Iuz's current position on the aftermath of the original adventure to be lacking in detail. Does anyone have any input on what Iuz's plans might be in current Greyhawk, especially with his interest in the construction of the temple the first time around and his contempt afterwards? Something I'm looking to tie in is the dark elf Eclavdra's once prominent dedication to the Elder Elemental Eye during Vault of the Drow and then her repentance with Lolth and serving as ambassador to Iuz afterwards (according to the Vault of the Drow article in Dragon #298). Eclavdra is also plotting to gain power again in Erelhei-Cinlu, city of the drow. I'm trying to develop political background between the drow and Iuz and introduce it into the main plotline of RttToEE. Understanding Iuz's views of the Elder Elemental Eye, and Tharizdun. |
#25caeruleusJun 19, 2004 20:21:54 | Originally posted by mortellan Didn't Al-Akbar choose to remain at demigod status? Something about just taking as much power as duty requires, no more. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) I agree that he'd be more worthy of promotion, if for no other reason than that he turned it down! |
#26mortellanJun 20, 2004 0:58:54 | Originally posted by caeruleus Possibly. Although that sounds like something Zuoken would do. I just find it odd that even the gods of evil neglected/supported another lesser deity being ascended from lower status. |
#27MortepierreJun 20, 2004 2:32:16 | Originally posted by rostoff In the novels, Iuz and Graz'zt depend on each other. Iuz needs his dad's demonic legions to conquer the prime, while Graz'zt needs the Theoparts that Iuz's agents can recover. If Iuz sided with, say, Orcus or Demogorgon against Graz'zt, the latter would go ballistic. That was the mean reason Eclavdra was sent to Iuz's court as an ambassador-spy. A love-hate relationship to be sure, but a powerful one. So I don't see why the two couldn't cooperate still. After all, Iuz has no reason to "trust" another demon lord over his father. The main problem is the difference between what happens in the Gord the Rogue novels and some things described in the Iuz the Evil of C.S. |