Bandits and Warbands of Soderfjord

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Soderfjord is not a safe or stable realm. It is split up into competing and sometimes warring jarldoms, and law and order is in short supply. The ethos of the Northern Reaches involves a warrior code of strength of arms, courage and seeking death in battle, with a certain survival of the fittest.  Combined with the stretches of forest that cover much of the lowlands, and it becomes easy for bandits, brigands and worse to lurk in hideouts to prey on villages, travellers and the like - those who cannot defend themselves and fight back are liable to swiftly fall prey to those who take whatever they want. Some of these bands seem quite mundane and will fit into the description of bandits as given in the B/X D&D rules, armed with hand weapons, leather armour and only enough basic training to be slightly better than the peasants they are trying to rob. But then there are others, with the weapons and skills of professional warriors and the attitude of predators.  

Here are the most prominent and notorious of raiders that might be encountered. 

Rethgar's Reivers specialise in raiding from their longship, The Reiver's Razor. They have a secret base set into the cliff of a fjord, with an illusion covering the entrance. The Reivers know this well enough that they can sail their longship in between the two dead trees that stand either side of the disguised entrance. Rethgar's Reivers are mostly exiled or renegade warriors, formerly in service to one of the Jarls or other feudal lord. Some fled after committing crimes, others grew angry and disillusioned with their former lieges. Although the reivers as a whole do not profess any particular faith or deity, some have affinity with either Hel, Loki or Chaos in general. Others simply have a strong hatred of the Jarldoms and the society that forced them into exile. Rethgar is a fugitive from Ostland, having previously been part of a Jarl’s bodyguard who had an affair with the Jarl’s wife and then tried (and failed) to kill his liege lord.  

• Leader: Rethgar the Hated (human male, 8th level fighter, Align C, Str 16, Int 13, Wis 12, Dex 10, Con 13, Cha 14)
• Base: The Reiver’s Razor (longship), no known fixed location
• Members: 12 Recruits (1st level fighters), 14 Reivers (2nd level fighters), 2 lieutenants (4th level fighters)

The Bloodbeak Ravens are both bandits and mercenaries, fighting and raiding for whatever money they can get. They are consumate opportunists, and can even engage in trade if the other side seems too tough to rob. At other times they have turned to slave-trading if they think that it won't be too much trouble. They are utterly unreliable and can switch sides or turn on employers on a whim, particularly if they sense weakness or a chance for wealth. They are also wide-ranging and nomadic, they have been seen in both Ostland and Vestland and even around Landfall in southern Norwold, never settling down for long. Those who know of their reputation will avoid them if possible - only the naive or desperate would try to deal with the Bloodbeak Ravens.  

• Leader: Skottir the Ruthless (human male,  9th level fighter, align C, Str 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Dex 16, Con12, Cha 17), Mahalvak (human female, 5th level magic user, align C, Str 8, Int 16, Wis 16, Dex 10, Con 13, Cha 14)
• Base: None (itinerant)
• Members: 30 footmen (1st level fighters), 20 horsemen (2nd level fighters), 3 lieutentants (4th level fighters)

By Frank Frazetta -
frankfrazetta.net, Fair use, Link

Hel's Horsemen are among the worst of a bad bunch. As their name suggests they are all mounted on warhorses, and many of them do indeed follow Hel, Goddess of Death. They revel in slaughter in a way that other bandits and warbands do not bother with, and will leave their victims prominently displayed as a horrible warning to others. Their leader is a terrifying figure known as the Deathdealer, who has an uncanny, perhaps supernatural, ability to sense and recruit murderers and psychopaths, even offering to spare their lives if they put up a good fight, ensuring that Hel's Horsemen are the most brutal and bloody of the warbands. He rides a huge black stallion and wields a magical battleaxe and shield. His downward horned helm is distinctive and believed to be cursed by dark powers. 

• Leader: Deathdealer (Human male 15th level Chaos Warrior, Align C, Str 18, Int 12, Wis 10, Dex 12, Con 18, Cha 7), Agathi, Queen of Skulls (6th level cleric of Hel, align C, Str 13, Int 12, Wis 17, Dex 8, Con 11, Cha 12)
• Base: Unknown but believed to be in the Snowvale Valley
• Members: 10 Slayers (3rd level fighters), 5 Skull-takers (5th level fighters), 2 Spinecrackers (7th level fighters), 4 priests of Hel (3rd level clerics), all are chaotic

Garrath's Woodsmen are skilled at stealth and ambush within the forests of Soderfjord. They are aided in this by some elves who have taken a dislike to the Jarldoms as a whole and who see Garrath's Woodsmen as useful in slowing the encroachment of civilization. Garrath and his woodsmen tend to ignore the peasantry and instead focus on those who have wealth, particularly the Jarls and their households. This does not mean they are necessarily benevolent or have any sense of social justice, merely that they do not waste their time on low-value targets. Garrath will sometimes recruit common bandits from smaller gangs into his band, particularly if they prove capable of using his stealthy hit and run tactics. 

• Leader: Garrath the Slick (human male, 6th level fighter, align N, Str 13, Int 14, Wis 14, Dex 13, Con 10, Cha 14), Sherthi the Quiet (Male Elf 5th level spellsword, align N, Str 16, Int 13, Wis 10, Dex 12, Con 10, Cha 14)
• Base: Underground beneath the Hollow Oak, in the forest between Soderfjord City and Gudholm
• Members: 4 Spellswords (3rd level elf spellswords), 5 scouts (2nd level elf rangers), 20 foresters (2nd level human fighters), 20 woodsmen (3rd level human fighters), 3 lieutenants (4th level human fighters).  

Ottothar's Sea Serpents are piratical raiders who are based in Ostland and will sail across the seas to plunder the coasts, fjords and rivers of Soderfjord in their longship The Brine Venom. In this respect they are similar to Rethgar's Reivers. However, they are entirely given over to the Cult of Chaos and are led by a Chaos Warrior and a chaotic cleric who somehow commands a pack of hellhounds who travel with them on the ship. 

• Leader: Ottothar (human male, 7th level Chaos Warrior, align C, Str 16, Int 12, Wis 10, Dex 12, Con 14, Cha 12), Hallath (human male, 5th level cleric of Chaos, align C, Str 13, Int 10, Wis 15, Dex 11, Con 14, Cha 15) 
• Base: The Brine Venom (viking longship) and also The Forsaken Keep in Sognesholm, Kalslo Island, Ostland
• Members: 25 raiders (2nd level fighters), 3 raider bosses (4th level fighters), 4 dark adepts (2nd level clerics), 5 Hellhounds (as monster entry, 4HD each). All are chaotic

Wulfgar’s Howling Brethren are a small, select band of lycanthropes who will sometimes resort to man-eating as well as plunder and pillage. They have conducted some raids in their human form during the day but on the nights of the full moon they will attack villages in their animal or hybrid forms. They try to be careful not to let infected victims live unless they are certain they want to recruit the target. Wulfgar himself is a werewolf, and there are three other werewolves, three wereboars and a neutral-aligned werebear who is sometimes sickened by the werewolves wanton violence but does not know where else he would belong. [Although the rules could do with some revision, a DM could use my old rules for scalable werewolves here.] 

• Leader: Wulfgar (Male Werewolf, 6th level fighter)
• Base: Somewhere in Moderfeld, eastern Soderfjord
• The Pack: 3 werewolves, 3 wereboars, 1 werebear (as monster entry). Wereboars are neutral with chaotic tendancies

The Swooping Hawks are a band of marauders who have tamed a number of griffons and now use them to launch aerial attacks on villages, ships and caravans. They were formed by the mage Vaargen Clawscar (named for a face that was horribly slashed by an angry griffon in an attempt to subdue it). Because their griffons cannot carry too much loot, the Swooping Hawks look for targets with high-value lightweight treasure such as gems, jewellery or sometimes valuable people for kidnapping. Unusually they are led by a woman, Kelthi the Unwanted. Vaargen tends to stay behind in the Eyrie, a lair in the Hardanger Mountains, though he occasionally comes along on raids riding his own griffon Fury. They are accompanied by a small flock of harpies known as the Sisters of Song who leave the bandits alone as long as they can feed on targets. 

• Leader: Kelthi the Unwanted, (human female, 8th level fighter, align C, Str 16, Int 12, Wis 12, Dex 10, Con 13, Cha 16), Vaargen Clawscar (human male 12th level magic user, align C, Str 8, Int 17, Wis 12, Dex 13, Con 15, Cha 12)
• Base: The Eyrie, a mountain base somewhere in the eastern Hardanger mountains
• Members: 8 Skyriders (4th level fighters mounted on griffons), 6 wingriders (3rd level fighters mounted on giant hawks), 4 Sisters of Song (Harpies, as monster entry)

Another look at Minrothad

I started this post around the time a thread on the Piazza Mystara forum about Minrothad and its gazetteer began and that thread has certainly influenced this.  I may have been overly harsh with my overview of the Minrothad Guilds. Yes there aren’t the sorts of adventures I am used to. But that does not mean the nation should be dismissed as an oversized trading post.

Should Minrothad have adventures?

This is one idea that was brought up in the Piazza by Cab that caught my attention.  

cab wrote: ?Sat Mar 15, 2025 11:54 am

Interesting that responses to this GAZ are so varied. I loved it (I mean, everything's better with pirates), because of what it adds to a campaign almost anywhere across the wider setting. I didn't view it as a setting to base my campaign in, but I wasn't looking for that.

Minrothad isn't a setting to adventure in, at least not much. But its a tremendous toolkit to adventure from, the extended maritime and trade rules are a handy toolkit.

This is a really good take. I’ve had the assumption that each nation visited in the gazetteers was expected to host its own adventures and campaign, with the themes of each campaign depending (at least partially) on the themes and character of the nation. And I think the Gazetteers make that assumption as well. But if we drop the assumption that there ought to be adventures in each nation, then it becomes a question of “What role does this nation play in a Known World campaign?” 

Minrothad then becomes a stable, lawful (maybe too lawful in its social structures?) trading nation that has neither the imperial ambitions of Thyatis nor the dangerous northern border of Darokin. As such it has fewer distractions (though there are pirates) from generating money and prosperity. In fact it could be seen as the largest trading fleet in the Sea of Dread and the second largest navy (after Thyatis). Minrothad Merchant Princes could be seen not so much as a PC class so much as powerful and wealthy patrons, like nobility but without so many airs and graces.

This is something to bear in mind - Minrothad city and its islands are not just somewhere to shoehorn adventures into but may play a quite different role in the wider campaign. 

Nonetheless in this post I am also considering how to make Minrothad, especially its capital city, could host adventures, even dungeons.

My Changes to Minrothad City

Let’s make it more like Ptolus or Waterdeep or even like Ravnica. It’s still more civilized and organised than the pirate ports of Ierendi such as Vlaad. There are city watch patrols at least in the nice parts of town. The upper parts are well maintained. But there is an underbelly, quite literally. 

I'm going to bump up the population of Minrothad city. Page 45 says population across all islands is 280,000, with 25,000 in Minrothad City? Make the city closer to 100,000 people and 300,000 across all the islands. Can food supply cope or do they need new sources of food? I'm going to say that Minrothad as a nation is mostly self-sufficient in food, with both Guild Corser and Guild Quickhand overseeing farming and food production on all the islands, and Guild Eshan bringing in fish. And since Minrothad is famed for its trading prowess and is well-situated to import food from Thyatis, Karameikos, the Five Shires, Ierendi and even Darokin, bringing in food from elsewhere is always an option. 

I imagine Minrothad City now having the same layout as the map in the gazetteers, but with a larger scale and therefore larger surface area. Perhaps use the existing map but double all measurements?. The majority of the city is still raised considerably above the water level, contained by a large outer wall. At the water level the city is still surrounded on all sides by the river, with the Seagate leading to an underground harbour. However, the harbour does not extend all the way under the city, but instead takes up a smaller area inside the seagate. The rocky base that Minrothad City sits on is riddled with tunnels, passages and vertical winching shafts that connect the underground docks with the city above, and of course constitute part of the Underbelly (see below). 

Minrothad is big, organised and powerful enough to act as a foil against Thyatis and its imperial ambitions, particularly with its privateer navy. Although clearly not enough to take Thyatis on in an all-out one-on-one war, Minrothad would certainly prove a major thorn in the empire's side should war break out. However, as Thyatis is a major trading partner, none of the guilds nor merchant princes want this to happen. Foreign agents, particularly from Thyatis, might seek to influence or destabilise Minrothad. Darokin might even be the bad guy here if they seek to hinder a major trading rival.

The hefty restrictions on foreigners visiting Minrothad needs to be relaxed. Quite bluntly as the gazetteer stands a typical adventuring party sailing from Specularum or  Shireton would find Minrothad City more trouble than it is worth if work is so tightly controlled by the guilds. And I really don't think there is enough going on in the Minrothad Islands to justify a campaign for Minrothad-native PCs. Perhaps this is something the current Guildmaster has changed in his recent reforms. 

Another look at the guilds.

Established Family Guilds include

• Guild Corser (humans, dealing with various things including magic items)
• Guild Hammer (dwarves, dealing with metal, mining & smithing)
• Guild Verdier (Forest elves, dealing with wood)
• Guild Quickhand (halflings, dealing with leather)
• Guild Elshan (water elves, dealing with ships)

These family guilds will try to protect their monopolies on their various trades, but there are inevitably situations where either independent workers, craftsmen and traders or even members of other guilds will do their own work outside the guild that claims that field. Point in case: food and farming. Although Guild Corser has tried to maintain guild dominance over farming, it cannot stop others from farming. Food is just too important to depend on a single guild for it. However, some within the guilds take their monopolies very seriously and will take drastic action against anybody they see as infringing on their turf. This can seem an overreaction, even nonsensical, to outsiders who do not appreciate how protective guild members can get. 

Established Political guilds include 

• Tutorial Guild (Wizards) This contains individual members and also orders and circles for mages with similar goals and attitudes. See Orders of mages of Karameikos and apply the same principle to Minrothad, especially those who are not so commercially minded that they would rather join a merchant trader company.   
• Sages Branch
• Mercenary Guild (Fighters). Split into companies, as in commercial companies not necessarily military companies. They are all authorised to act as Minrothad’s militia but some just act as mercenaries.
• Thieves Guild (Thieves!)
• The Privateers
• The Assassins Branch, never officially acknowledged
• Merchant Sailor Guild (including most Merchant-Princes)

Guilds that I have created

• Spiritual Guild (clerics)
• The Gravediggers branch
• The Healers branch
• Guild of Governance (administrators & lawyers)

None of the guilds are entirely evil but some can have their dark side with certain members using their skills and positions for evil or Chaos. These guilds are sanctioned to do certain jobs in Minrothad that need to be done (thieves act as spies, privateers act as navy, gravediggers dig graves and conduct funerals) but within each there are plenty of individuals and groups who go beyond their official remit and into criminal activity. Being in these guilds means the government has given them permission to do some things for the good of Minrothad, but not carte blanche. It is unlikely that the guild will get into so much trouble that the Guildmaster of Minrothad disbands the entire guild, but that is a threat when a guild seems to get out of hand. 

One idea is that I don’t need a complete list of guilds and branches. I intend to keep and use established ones but smaller ones can always be invented. In fact one step further, the exact structure of each of the guilds is not that important in most cases. Whether net-makers are part of Guild Elsan or part of their own small guild is not important to most adventurers, unless net-makers become an integral part of an adventure or mystery.  

Also it is not necessary to come up with adventure hooks for every guild. Cabinet makers, large shell workers and barding-makers (all found under various family guilds in the gazetteer) are unlikely to be involved in activities that threaten other citizens or involve lootable treasure in way that attract adventurers. 

There are also NPC good guys. The White Pennants are part of the mercenary guild and act as the police in Minrothad city. Many of the members of the Spiritual Guild (the Minrothad Church of Law) and  Governance Guild are interested in keeping the peace and serving justice. Much of Minrothad City and the surrounding islands are lawful and peaceful because of decent folk like these. In fact most of Minrothad is in stark contrast to the unbridled lawlessness of the pirate ports of Ierendi just over the sea to the west. 

I imagine most adventures will occur within the city itself. It simply requires suitable bad guys. These include battling against criminals who will often be members of guilds. They will be vying for political control, money, resources, vengeance and the like. There might be merchant houses and companies that have become centres of chaos worship. In fact chaos cults infiltrating the city at various levels (hiding down in the dungeon-like cellars, pulling strings as guild-masters) could be a major threat to the city. Clashes between guilds over control of trades, territory and sources of income could pull the PCs in. 

The Cobra Cabal from my previous Minrothad post is still a thing, not a guild in itself but an organisation or network that infiltrates and corrupts established guilds. Even within the dark guilds the Cobra Cabal has its recruits and agents. 

The Underbelly of Minrothad City

There are now dungeons beneath Minrothad city. Like beneath Ptolus or maybe Necromunda or the process of Ditlana in Empire of the Petal Throne. Not so much specifically excavated as dungeons so much as old levels of the city that have been built over enough times to become buried by newer layers. The Underbelly is the network of sewers, cellars, tunnels, ancient ruins and the like that have gradually expanded over Minrothad's history. And of couse it connects to the underground docks that ships load and offload cargo in. There are a few well-patrolled stairwells that lead directly between the city surface and the docks, but there are also passages leading off these safe routes into far less maintained and far more risky areas.

According to the gazetteer the city of Minrothad was founded about 500 years ago. Actually the gazetteer suggests that it is on the site of "New Alphatia". I'm going with the idea of a blend or patchwork of different cultures, including elven, Nithian, Alphatian and Thyatian, all contributing to the Underbelly's architecture. Like Rome, Athens or Istanbul, the city has been inhabited for a long time and has accumulated a lot of odd architecture. 

Although I suppose all sorts of monsters could be found in the Underbelly, I am inclined to imagine it being more human-oriented, with gangs of thieves, bandits, cultists, slavers, evil mages and the like more common than gnolls, hill giants or harpies. It's not exactly impossible for such fantastic monsters to appear, but it does raise questions in my mind "How did it get here underneath a major city on an island?". Creatures that are sometimes found underneath other cities, such as giant rats, carrion crawlers, otyughs and similar scavengers are known to lurk in the Underbelly. Similarly undead and rogue constructs abandoned by their makers are occasionally encountered. 

Adventure Hooks in Minrothad

A merchant prince has been feeding information about his rivals to pirates. The PCs are hired to escort one of the rivals ships from Specularum when it is attacked by tipped-off pirates. This could lead back to the merchant prince. The pirate ship actually comes from Vlaad in Ierendi, where the pirates will fence their stolen goods and the merchant prince will sometimes visit to pick up such wares at a reasonable price.  

Unscrupulous members of the gravediggers have been passing corpses to a necromancer who has been animating them in his laboratory in the Underbelly. However, some of these have wandered out and attacked sailors and dock workers in the underground harbour. Both merchant princes and the dock-workers branch want this investigated before people die. 

A mercenary company is guarding a Chaos cult based down in the Underbelly that has been kidnapping and sacrificing innocent victims from Minrothad City.The cult is led by a senior member of the Guild of Governance. This has come to the attention of some merchant princes but they are not equipped to deal with these situations, and given the cult leader, reporting it to the authorities is unlikely to resolve the problem. As well as the mercenaries the cult has summoned several demons. 

A scion of a powerful merchant prince has run away from an arranged marriage into the Underbelly. His father wants him to return to complete the marriage. His mother is okay if he just makes it out of the underbelly alive, and maybe escape to Thyatis or Specularum. 

A merchant prince has sponsored an art exhibition in one of the smart areas of the city. As well as attracting a lot of attention from wealthy art collectors, it has been targeted by several gangs of thieves. However, the patron expects this and wants to set a trap to capture the thieves who stole a valuable heirloom and either punish them or retrieve the heirloom. 

The PCs are hired by the Cabinet-Maker branch of Guild Verdier to retrieve stolen furniture from a warehouse of a merchant prince. In fact the goods are not stolen but have been crafted in Minrothad but outside of the guild. Therefore as far as Guild Verdier is concerned the furniture is illegal. The merchant prince strongly disagrees and so do his mercenary guards. [this one is to see if I could create an adventure involving Cabinet-makers!]

Some more Geomorphs

In a previous post I talked about geomorphs in general and introduced the start of a set of square 190ft x 190ft geomorph tiles. This post is here to expand that set, to give map-makers using the geomorphs more options. As previously, no room contents are given - these are for the DM to fill in. 

Fitting it all together

As a sort of proof of concept, I have put these geomorphs together with the 1st level central hub for the Temple of Chaos Divided. I managed to fit all but one together on this map, though it has highlighted the need to have a range of different connection combinations (note to self - need more T-junctions and four-way junctions). I also realised it is not a good idea to use the same geomorph twice in one dungeon level because identifying the rooms then becomes more complicated. For example here I can say in Geo07 room 1 there is a water elemental. You can look at the map below, find Geo07 (second one down on the rightmost column) and room 1 within it - this should not be a problem. Had I reused Geo07 on the same map/level then it would be more confusing. 

Another idea (which has probably occurred to others), is that each geomorph tile could contain their own connected group of encounters. Perhaps one particular faction has taken over that geomorph or one powerful NPC or monster there affects the other residents, either dominating them or striking bargains with them or scaring them away. In a previous post on megadungeons I mentioned how I struggle to fill dungeons with over 50 rooms, but smaller dungeons, or dungeon sections, with up to 20 rooms, is a manageable chunk that I can deal with. Geomorphs do that, splitting megadungeons into sections that I can get my head around. 

Although I will leave the geomorphs alone for a while, I could produce more if readers express an interest. 

The Wilderness around Ozurfold Jarldom

 The village of Whiteheart  in the Soderfjord Jardloms is beset by many threats, so adventurers willing to investigate and confront these are cautiously welcome. 

The village has stretches of wilderness in all directions bar north, along the river towards Soderfjord City. To the south and east are the hills of Gnollheim. To the west is the Great Marsh and to the north away from the river is the forested Whiteheart Valley.

based on cartography first by Thorfinn Tait and also 
Patrick Sullivan, source

Gnoll Tribes of Gnollheim. 

The map of the region here has been changed by Patrick Sullivan to show his gnoll tribes. He has also written a series of posts detailing these gnoll tribes in this thread.  Although I don't necessarily take literally everything he has written, I think this is a good starting point: what he has written about the gnoll tribes can be assumed to be true unless I change it. 

According to the Basic Rules, gnolls in the wilderness are encountered in groups of 3-18. This is what I consider to be a patrol or hunting party. Actual clan lairs usually have 20-80 individuals (2d4 x 10) , and may be based above ground in a crude fort, or underground in caves. Some clans are nomadic, living in tents and wagons. Between half and two thirds of a clan will be warriors capable of joining a hunting party. The fifteen tribes of gnolls shown on the map consist of a network of eight or more of these clans. Each tribe is capable of gathering its clans into a great gnoll horde under the command of the tribal chieftain. The tribal chieftain is an exceptionally tough and cunning gnoll whose lair usually has double the usual gnolls (40-160, 4d4 x10) and is suitably imposing and well-defended. Shamans and mercenary monsters (ogres, trolls and the like) are more likely to be found in the tribal chieftain's stronghold than lesser lairs, as well as giant hyenas (sometimes known as hyaenodons or dire hyenas) that are used as both hunting animals and cavalry mounts by the strongest and bravest gnoll warriors. 

In Gaz7 p31 it mentions two gnoll personalities, Kaberu of the Mountain Wolf Clan and Suant of the Black Cliffs Clan. The Mountain Wolf clan is the most powerful clan of the Rubble Chiefdoms, although not strong enough to unite them to the same level of cohesion as the other fourteen great clans of Gnollheim. The Black Cliffs clan is the largest clan of the Scarp Empire. 

Other Creatures of Gnollheim

The gnolls are certainly the dominant race of the Gnollheim hills though not the only ones. Just to the south the Hardanger mountains are home to a wide range of creatures, some of which will wander down into the hills and then Soderfjord and maybe Ozurfold. These include:

• Kobolds (who have taken over numerous ruined gnome settlements around both Hardanger and Gnollheim)
• Trolls (small wandering bands, though in the Hardanger mountains there are larger tribes including troll hags, troll leaders and cave trolls)
• Hill Giants
• Stone Giants
• Griffons (a particular threat to the livestock of human farmers)
• Wyverns
• Red Dragons (rare but at least three have made their lairs in the Hardanger mountains)
• Grugnir is a small male red dragon found close to the coast near the gnollish Scarp Empire with a retinue of kobolds and orcs. He occasionally roams the coast, extorting merchant ships then burning them anyway once he has their treasure.
• Eldodla is large female red dragon  deep in the Hardanger mountains due south of Whiteheart. Although often asleep, when she wakes she is a menace to the whole region
• Brinnandeljus is a small female red dragon not far from Castellan and the road south to the Emirates. She has occassionally extorted or simply raided caravans travelling the road. She is served by a band of gnolls formerly of New Graakhalia.
• Dwarves, both normal (hill) dwarves and molder dwarves (modrigswerg). The former are gruff and cautious (often settlers or prospectors) but not hostile. The Modrigswerg are much rarer (and usually below ground) but also a lot more tricky and unpredictable, with a tendency towards treachery. 

Normal animals in the Gnollheim hills include:

• Wild Boar
• Brown Bear
• Cave Bear
• Wolf
• Dire Wolf
• Mountain Lion
• Giant Elk
• Giant Boar
• Great Ram
• Giant Hawk
• Herd Animal (1HD wild goats, 2HD hill ibexes)
• Driver Ant
• Killer Bee

The Great Marsh

This huge stretch of wetlands is populated by both wildlife and weird monsters. There are some human settlements but they tend to be on the northern and eastern edges, close to established towns and Jarldoms. 

Wildlife include 

• Giant Toads
• Giant Frogs (borrowed from AD&D)
• Giant Hawks
• Wild Boar
• Black Bear
• Auroch
• Herd Animal (2HD Marsh Deer, 4HD Moose)
• Giant Otter (stats as giant weasel but without blood-sucking)
• Giant Catfish
• Pit Vipers (known here as Water Vipers, can swim well)
• Giant robber fly
• Giant swamp termite

Monsters of the Great Marsh include:

• Bullywugs
• Eblis (Heron-men, avian humanoids with long legs and magical powers)
• Lizardmen (possibly degenerate descendents of the Mogreth civilization)
• Black Dragons, particularly Frätandedregla, large male black dragon, self-styled King of the Swamp. Smaller black dragons in the marsh are believed to be his offspring.
• Nekrozon/Catoblepas - only one of these deadly creatures is thought to dwell here. 
• Kobolds - a few tribes have become competent boaters, rowing and punting rafts and canoes around the swamp. 
• Trolls: at least four large tribes of trolls, each with a troll leader and a troll hag, have their lairs in the marsh. There are of course smaller bands of normal trolls. 
• Various fel sorcerers and witches have found dark sanctuary within the Great Marsh, particularly Carrah the Witch-Queen of Hel (Gaz7 p22) and Shamir Al'Menoo (MU15, human male, chaotic, formerly of Cinsa-Men-Noo but expelled for studying dark magic) both of whom are known to practice necromancy and have undead servants. 
• Some bands of brigands have established bases here from which to raid the farms and villages of southern Soderfjord, or sometimes waylay travellers on the Marsh Road. At least one band of brigands is under the leadership of a Chaos Warrior. 

The Forests of Soderfjord

Although claimed by various Jarls, and therefore borderlands rather than true wilderness, the forests that cover much of the Soderfjord Jarldoms are by no means safe or civilized. There are plenty of fey creatures in these woods and village folk sometimes tell of being enchanted or tricked by magical beings. Lycanthropy is also a significant problem, though the conflict between the werebears (who are usually not violent to humans) and the werewolves seem to mitigate this. 

Natural animals include:

• Hawks & Giant Hawks
• Herd Animals (1HD fallow deer, 2HD red deer, 4HD Moose)
• Wild Boar
• Giant Elk
• Giant Boar
• Auroch
• Wolf
• Dire Wolf
• Brown Bear
• Giant Weasel
• Giant Ferret

Monsters include:

• Sprites
• Pixies
• Dryads
• Elves (though often more mischievous than benevolent)
• Treants
• Werewolf
• Werebear
• Wereboar
• Gnolls, often infiltrating from Gnollheim as small raiding parties
• Trolls maurauding from out of the Hardanger Mountains or the Great Marsh
• Kobolds sometimes establish hidden lairs under the forest floor. 
• Human bandits and brigands, sometimes led by worshippers of Chaos. 

Specific Locations

In future posts I intend to add to the map above and add locations of interest and adventure to the areas around Ozurfold and Whiteheart. It should also be noted that although Whiteheart is the largest and primary settlement in Ozurfold, it is by no means the only one, which is something I intend to address later. 

Elves in my Mystara Campaign: Classes and high levels

This post was inspired by this discussion about elves on the Piazza Mystara forum. It is my way of reconciling different approaches to high-level elves in the BX/BECMI rules. 

Elves in folklore and fantasy literature have often had the aura of being better than mortal humans. Better at magic, better at swordsmanship, better at archery, better at poetry, better at architecture and so on. Although in old-school games balance is not held in such high regard as in later editions, nonetheless if one were to stick to the lore, elves would be completely broken in terms of choosing characters. How should the DM or game designer enable other characters to compete with the elves?

art by Terry Dykstra, from Rules Cyclopedia

 

In B/X D&D with its race-as-class elves are assumed to be fighter/magic users, capable of casting a wide range of low and mid level spells, while wearing any sort of armour and wielding any weapon and shield. Needless to say, this is a powerful combination of class traits. In the early game this is counterbalanced by hefty requirements for XP per level. Human mages need 2500 xp to get from 1st to 2nd level, human fighters need 2000 xp from 1st to 2nd level and elves require 4000 xp. This is something to redress the imbalance but then there’s more: the level cap. Elves are limited to 10th level while humans (including the fighters and magic users) can reach the mighty heights of 36th level. Up until the cap is reached this is of little consequence- in low level play the Elf is still the mightiest of classes at any particular level. But at 10th level or higher the player is acutely aware of this particular limitation of their chosen class.  Could some semblance of balance be maintained into Companion level play?  

Elves of Alfheim, the Companion Rules and Paths

There are two published approaches to elf characters beyond 10th level. The Companion Rules (and the Rules Cyclopedia) state that elves do not gain further spells, but do gain better THAC0s in the form of attack ranks, combat options as human fighters, and saving throws vs dragons breath. This means that martial skill improves but magical ability stays capped. Interestingly officially they do not gain further levels as they gain more XP but their improved attack ranks and other XP-linked abilities are levels in all but name. 

Conversely GAZ5 The Elves of Alfheim by Steve Perrin takes the approach that elves can gain further levels, up to 20, but this is only in improving their spellcasting, gaining access to spells of 6th-9th level, but not gaining attack ranks or combat options. Interestingly in the text it talks about some elves improving their fighting skills instead. From p63:

Elves who learn their magic from the Keeper of the Tree of Life can progress in their magics beyond the 10th level of experience, just as fighting elves who learn their fighting from humans can progress beyond the 10th level of fighting. 

The Experience point levels are the same as those for elves increasing their fighting ability but Experience must be applied to either fighting or magic but not both. In effect the elf becomes two characters progressing in two separate character classes, the Elf Lord and the Elf Wizard. 

Okay I'm going to break from Gaz5 here.  In this campaign at some point before reaching 11th level the character must make a decision whether to go with the path of the Elf Lord or that of the Elf Wizard. Once made as the character progresses to 11th level in one of those classes, the commitment cannot be reversed.  There is no splitting of XP between the two classes. Note that here the Elf Lord still retains current spellcasting abilities, but they no longer progress in that regard. If a spell effect (damage, duration etc.) depends on the caster level then the elf lord level is used. 

Although in some groups gaining levels is hand-waved and the character simply gains new spells or new class abilities, the DM is within their rights to say that training with some sort of mentor or tutor is necessary for the new class level to come into effect.   For the Elf Wizard Gaz5 says the PC must learn in Alfheim, not schools of human wizards though Elf Lords may train among humans when gaining levels. Ultimately this is DM's discretion, but I am happy to go along with this. Perhaps only elves know how to cast high level spells while wearing plate mail armour. The requirement for training could be the bottleneck that means that few elves progress beyond 10th level. The traditional level cap at 10th is where many elves, particularly those without training or tutors, stay.  High-level human fighters can help train Elf Lords but only the elders of Alfheim can teach Elf Wizards.  

 The B/X elf, known in my campaign as the Elf Spellsword, advances as follows:

Elf Spellswords				Prepared Spells by level
Character Level	Min XP	Hit Dice	THAC0	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
1	0	1d6	19	1
2	4,000	2d6	19	2
3	8,000	3d6	18	2	1
4	16,000	4d6	17	2	2
5	32,000	5d6	17	2	2	1
6	64,000	6d6	16	2	2	2
7	120,000	7d6	15	3	2	2	1
8	250,000	8d6	15	3	3	2	2
9	400,000	9d6	14	3	3	3	2	1
10	600,000	9d6+2	13	3	3	3	3	2

Those that then take the path of the Elf Lord advance as follows

Path of the Elf Lord				Prepared Spells by level
Character Level	Min XP	Hit Dice	THAC0	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	Notes
11	850,000	9d6+4	13	3	3	3	3	2	Combat Options as Fighter
12	1,100,000	9d6+6	12	3	3	3	3	2	Half Damage from Breath Weapons
13	1,350,000	9d6+8	11	3	3	3	3	2	2 attacks/round
14	1,600,000	9d6+10	11	3	3	3	3	2	-
15	1,850,000	9d6+12	10	3	3	3	3	2	-
16	2,100,000	9d6+14	9	3	3	3	3	2	-
17	2,350,000	9d6+16	9	3	3	3	3	2	-
18	2,600,000	9d6+18	8	3	3	3	3	2	-
19	2,850,000	9d6+20	7	3	3	3	3	2	3 attacks/round
20	3,100,000	9d6+22	7	3	3	3	3	2	-

Observant readers may note that the abilities on the right-most are those of the Companion rules and Rules Cyclopedia, albeit slightly different progression and with higher levels instead of attack ranks. 

Those that take the path of the Elf Wizard progress as follows

Path of the Elf Wizard				Prepared Spells by level
Character Level	Min XP	Hit Dice	THAC0	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
11	850,000	9d6+2	13	4	3	3	3	2	1
12	1,100,000	9d6+3	13	4	4	3	3	2	2
13	1,350,000	9d6+3	13	4	4	3	3	3	2	1
14	1,600,000	9d6+4	13	4	4	3	3	3	2	2
15	1,850,000	9d6+4	13	4	4	4	3	3	2	2
16	2,100,000	9d6+5	13	5	4	4	4	3	3	2	1
17	2,350,000	9d6+5	13	5	4	4	4	3	3	2	2
18	2,600,000	9d6+6	13	5	5	4	4	4	3	3	2	1
19	2,850,000	9d6+6	13	5	5	4	4	4	4	3	2	2
20	3,100,000	9d6+7	13	5	5	5	4	4	4	4	3	2

This table is heavily based on p64 from the Elves of Alfheim. Although it did not give Hit Dice and THAC0 I am putting them here for the sake of clarity. My decision to keep THAC0 flat and only increase hit points per level very slowly may not be to everyone's taste but seems appropriate to me.  For the majority of elves, spells that can be prepared and cast are from the magic user spell lists, including those from the Companion and Master Rules sets. 

Elf Mystics 

The extra spells in Gaz5 Elves of Alfheim, particularly the druidic and clerical ones, are at the DM's discretion. My suggestion is that elf characters that take the Path of the Wizard have another option available. If they take the Path of the Mystic they progress using the same table above as for the Path of the Wizard. However, they can also cast clerical and druidic spells, drawing on any spell in the druid and cleric spell lists and preparing and casting them as spells of the same magic user/elf spell level. They can also use the new spells given in Gaz5. This is at the cost of weapons and armour that use metal: Elf mystics cannot cast clerical or druidic spells in metal armour and tend to eschew any weapons except clubs and staffs (made of wood, no iron reinforcements) and slings (leather, throwing stone shot, not metal shot). Although you might think this is weird, perhaps nonsensical given human and dwarf clerics casting spells in armour, I believe it is appropriate for game balance. If you still disagree with these restrictions then I would suggest let the elf mystics use whatever weapons and armour they want as normal elves but they then become NPCs as I consider them too powerful to be player characters. This is all quite a departure from Gaz5 and its own spell-lists for high-level elves. I feel that by saying elven mystics can use all cleric and druid spells at their normal spell levels is a matter of simplicity, reducing the need to refer back to the spell list in Gaz5. 

Elf Rangers

Aside from the question of level caps and game balance, the B/X elf does assume a particular style and set of abilities. They are fighter/magic users, probably modelled after the Melniboneans of Michael Moorcock’s Elric stories who wear armour and wield swords and other weapons of battle while summoning elementals and demons. But what of other elves who are less reliant on magic and more on archery and woodcraft? In the early days of this blog I posted my version of the Elf Ranger. And I still believe it is valid, although I suspect other DMs would tweak and alter it (they are welcome to do so). If the classic elf fighter/magic user is based on Elric, the Elf Ranger is based on Legolas: stealthy, excellent with bows and not bad in melee either, but really not using any obvious magic. The illustration from Rules Cyclopedia at the top of this post is much more how I envision an elf ranger than an elf spellsword. 

In this revision elf rangers progress normally up until 10th level. Here they can progress further to 11th and beyond but require the same intensity of specialist training that lords, wizards and mystics require. And how many high-level elf rangers willing to train you does your character know? Thus many elf rangers (particularly those away from Alfheim) stay at level 10.  However, if they do find a suitable elf ranger to train them, they can gain similar benefits to elf lords of similar level. 

Elf Ranger Level	Min XP	Hit Dice	THAC0	Hide in Wild	Move Silently	Climb in Wild	Tracking	Notes
1	0	1d6	19	15	20	60	40	+1 to hit with longbows
2	2,000	2d6	19	20	25	62	43
3	4,000	3d6	18	25	30	64	46
4	8,000	4d6	17	30	34	66	49
5	16,000	5d6	17	34	38	68	52
6	30,000	6d6	16	38	42	70	55
7	60,000	7d6	15	42	46	72	58
8	120,000	8d6	15	46	50	74	61
9	240,000	9d6	14	50	54	76	64
10	360,000	9d6+2	13	54	58	78	67	Max level without specialst training
11	480,000	9d6+4	13	58	62	80	70	Combat Options as Fighter
12	600,000	9d6+6	12	62	66	82	73	Half Damage from Breath Weapons
13	720,000	9d6+8	11	66	70	84	76	2 attacks/round
14	840,000	9d6+10	11	70	74	86	79
15	960,000	9d6+12	10	74	78	88	82
16	1,080,000	9d6+14	9	78	82	90	85
17	1,200,000	9d6+16	9	82	86	92	88
18	1,320,000	9d6+18	8	86	90	94	91
19	1,440,000	9d6+20	7	90	94	96	94	3 attacks/round
20	1,560,000	9d6+22	7	94	98	98	97	.

See my original post for further rules and explanation about this class. 

Dwarves, Halflings and Gnomes

I am aware that having started off discussing about balance, I have left these rules leaving a gaping disparity between elves and other demihumans. Yes there are still the attack ranks from the Companion set and Rules Cyclopedia, and these are an acceptable stop-gap solution. I intend to deal with these in a separate post. 

Race as Class or Race-Specific Classes? 

Another aspect I am aware of is that this approach veers even further away from the B/X idea of race as class. Now elf characters can be lords (fighters), wizards (magic users), mystics (clerics) and rangers (thieves of sorts). Is this appropriate? Honestly I’m not sure but at the moment high-level elves are rare enough that it won’t have a major impact on this campaign. And besides, with the introduction of the dwarf cleric, elf ranger and halfling defender my version of B/X is not so much race as a single class so much as race-specific classes. When viewed as race-specific classes, the elf lord, elf wizard and elf mystic actually fit quite well.