History TableTopGame / Greyhawk

* MadGod: Several [[GodOfEvil evil gods]] come off as at least sociopaths or psychopaths, but two gods deserve special mention: Zagyg (who prior to [[AGodAmI ascention]] was known as the mad archmage, and hasn't become any saner afterwards; not evil, though) and Dread Tharizdun (a CosmicHorror [[OmnicidalManiac wanting to unravel the universe]]; basically the UltimateEvil).

* GodOfEvil: There are dozens of evil gods, though [[CosmicHorror Tharizdun]] is the one who most closely embodied pure, destructive evil.

More recently, Mirrostone Books published ''TheKnightsOfTheSilverDragon'', which takes place in the Greyhawk city of Curston.

More recently, Mirrostone Books has publish TheKnightsOfTheSilverDragon, which takes place in the Greyhawk city of Curston.

* TakeThat: The bizarre Egg of Coot, a ruler in the Blackmoor area, was a [[http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/gh_anagrams.html jab]] at a certain Gr'''egg''' S'''cott''', who ran a wargames miniatures company and with whom DaveArneson had previously clashed.

** TrueNeutral: [[invoked]] In earlier Greyhawk stories and adventures, a lot of emphasis was placed on some characters' obsession with preserving the balance, especially the archmage Mordenkainen.

** To truly understand Mordenkainen's dedication to neutrality and balance, consider this: Mordenkainen released a sealed evil demigod from beneath Castle Greyhawk, simply because good was "too powerful". [[WhatTheHellHero Thanks, Mordenkainen.]]

The setting is named after the great Free City of Greyhawk, a sprawling metropolis that lies at the heart of the Flanaess, a continent on the world of Oerth. Ravaged by centuries of warfare, contested by dozens of races and organizations, the Flanaess is crawling with monsters to slay, ruins to loot, and vile magicians to foil. A very generic high fantasy setting, but one which suits the game's needs perfectly. In the ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}'' settings, the world of ''Greyhawk'' is part of a [[TheMultiverse larger universe]] that also includes ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' and ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms''.

In the ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}'' settings, the world of ''Greyhawk'' is part of a [[TheMultiverse larger universe]] that also includes ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' and ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms''. The setting is named after the great Free City of Greyhawk, a sprawling metropolis that lies at the heart of the Flanaess, a continent on the world of Oerth. Ravaged by centuries of warfare, contested by dozens of races and organizations, the Flanaess is crawling with monsters to slay, ruins to loot, and vile magicians to foil. A very generic high fantasy setting, but one which suits the game's needs perfectly.

* ArtifactOfGood / ArtifactOfDoom: There are several of these, such as the Crook of Rao (good) and the Scorpion Crown (evil).

There have been several ''Greyhawk'' novels, but the line never reached the same level of success as ''D&D'''s ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' and ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' franchises. Perhaps the most notable was the "Gord the Rogue" series by Gary Gygax, the tales of a dashing burglar from the City of Greyhawk.

* ArtifactOfGood / ArtifactOfDoom: There are several of these, such as the Crook of Rao (good) and the Scorpion Crown (evil).

* CrossoverCosmology: Iuz is the grandson of both [[RussianMythologyAndTales Baba Yaga]] and (maybe) [[CthulhuMythos Nyarlathotep]].

* TheDragon: Saint Kargoth to Demogorgon. Also Kas to Vecna.

* FantasyGunControl: Guns are generally accepted not to work on Oerth, although exceptions are made in some cases for the hero-god Murlynd and his paladins.

* ForScience / ForTheLulz: The mad archmage Zagig Yragerne created the wacky demiplanes of [[Literature/AliceInWonderland Dungeonland]] and [[KingKong the Isle of the Ape]] pretty much just because he could.

* GodsHandsAreTied: It's generally accepted that the gods cannot intervene directly on Oerth, and can only act through their mortal servants. This typically takes the form of granting divine spells, although they can act on a larger scale if their mortal servants meet the right conditions, such as using an ArtifactOfDoom. Exceptions to the rule are gods who actually dwell on the Prime Material Plane such as Iuz and Wastri (who tend to be among the weakest gods (AKA demigods), though still far more powerful than most mortals). St. Cuthbert has also appeared on the material plane on a couple of occasions, although it's implied that the gods of evil may be able to do the same at some point to restore the balance.

* HiddenElfVillage: The elven kingdom of Celene, which refused to aid its human allies during the Greyhawk Wars. The elven race as a whole tends to subvert this, as while they will help humans and other races in need they're just more comfortable living among their own kind. Even within Celene itself, many elves disagreed with their queen's decision to not help their human neighbours, and work to help the humans anyway.

* MalevolentArchitecture: Castle Greyhawk is one big, mile-deep {{death trap}}. The TabletopGame/TombOfHorrors, meanwhile, [[UpToEleven makes Castle Greyhawk look like one o' them bouncy castles]].

** So were Iuz, Zuggtmoy and many many others--mostly by the same band of intrepid adventurers ({{Gary Gygax}}'s original gaming group).

* ScienceFantasy: ''Expedition to the Barrier Peaks''. It concerns a crashed spaceship filled with aliens and robots--in the fantasy world of Greyhawk. The players can even hijack a suit of PoweredArmor and take it with them after the adventure ends (though thankfully it has limited fuel). Needless to say, many fans consider it {{FanonDiscontinuity}}.

* MalevolentArchitecture: Castle Greyhawk is one big, mile-deep {{death trap}}. The TabletopGame/TombOfHorrors, meanwhile, [[BeyondTheImpossible makes Castle Greyhawk look like one o' them bouncy castles]].

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: The Baklunish people are similar to real-world Middle Easterners. The Olmans and the Flan are clearly based on Native Americans-the Flan on northern First Nations (Cree, Sioux, Iroquois, etc.), and the Olman on the southern nations, especially [[Mayincatec the Maya and Aztecs]]. It's implied that the Rhenee ''are'' Roma, having arrived on Oerth from another place called "Rhop"--possibly Europe. The Great Kingdom of Aerdy had a HolyRomanEmpire vibe to it.

* FantasticRacism: Plenty to go around, especially since several

* AuthorAvatar: Mordenkainen (Who you may recognize for being the author of many spells of inconsistent quality) was originally Gary Gygax's player character. [[BackwardsName Zagyg]] [[strike:might]] almost certainly was also an avatar for Gygax.
* BackFromTheDead: After Rary killed him, Tenser was revived through a clone of himself he had hidden away.

* CrossoverCosmology: Iuz is the grandson of both [[RussianMythologyAndTales Baba Yaga]] and [[CthulhuMythos Nyarlathotep]].

* DemonLordsAndArchdevils: Most of the notable demon lords have had a hand in Oerth's affairs. Most notable are Graz'zt, the father of the [[HalfHumanHybrid half-demon]] demigod Iuz; Fraz-Urb'luu, a demon prince trapped under the ruins of Castle Greyhawk for centuries; Demogorgon, Prince of Demons, who launched a bid to conquer all of Oerth in the ''TabletopGame/SavageTide'' adventure series in ''Dungeon'' magazine; Lolth, Spider-Queen of the dark elves, who has ravaged both ''Greyhawk'' and the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms''; and Zuggtmoy, the Demon Lady of Fungi, who conspired with Iuz to build the infamous TabletopGame/TempleOfElementalEvil.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The racist, blond-haired Scarlet Brotherhood are basically Nazis.

* TheEmpire: The Empire of Iuz.

* EvilOverlord: Iuz.

** Rary the Traitor, a formerly heroic wizard who turned on his companions, the Circle of Eight.

** Following Vecna's apotheosis, one of the most powerful mortal spellcaster on Oerth is the witch Iggwilv (who tips the scales at 30th level!), a binder of demons who influences her son Iuz's empire.
*** Not to mention, she sleeps with Graz'zt. There's binding, and then there's '''binding'''.

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: The Baklunish people are similar to real-world Middle Easterners. The Olmans and the Flan are clearly based on Native Americans-the Flan on northern First Nations (Cree, Sioux, Iroquois, etc.), and the Olman on the southern nations, especially the Maya and Aztecs. It's implied that the Rhenee ''are'' Roma, having arrived on Oerth from another place called "Rhop"--possibly Europe.

* ForScience: The mad archmage Zagig Yragerne created the wacky demiplanes of [[Literature/AliceInWonderland Dungeonland]] and [[KingKong the Isle of the Ape]] pretty much just because he could.
* GodOfEvil: There are dozens of evil gods, though Tharizdun is the one who most closely embodied pure, destructive evil.
* GodsHandsAreTied: It's generally accepted that the gods cannot intervene directly on Oerth, and can only act through their mortal servants. This typically takes the form of granting divine spells, although they can act on a larger scale if their mortal servants meet the right conditions, such as using an ArtifactOfDoom. Exceptions to the rule are gods who actually dwell on the Prime Material Plane such as Iuz and Wastri (who tend to be among the weakest gods, though still far more powerful than most mortals). St. Cuthbert has also appeared on the material plane on a couple of occasions, although it's implied that the gods of evil may be able to do the same at some point to restore the balance.

*** Has anyone ever killed him by knocking him over a cliff? [[spoiler: "My, that's a long way to tip a Rary."]]

* MalevolentArchitecture: Castle Greyhawk is one big, mile-deep deathtrap. The TabletopGame/TombOfHorrors, meanwhile, makes Castle Greyhawk look like one o' them bouncy castles.
* TheManBehindTheMan: Iggwilv to Iuz, and to a lesser extent, Graz'zt to Iggwilv.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Iuz the Evil, Rary the Traitor.

** So were Iuz, Zuggtmoy and many many others--mostly by the same band if intrepid adventurers ({{Gary Gygax}}'s original gaming group).

* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame
* OurElvesAreBetter: Actually, Our Elves Are Pretty Standard, all things considered. This was where the dark elves first arrived in ''D&D'', though.
* OurOrcsAreDifferent: Out of all the ''D&D'' settings, the orcs of ''Greyhawk'' are probably the worst, if only because they have no notable heroes to show off their ProudWarriorRaceGuy side. They're very much of the "Tolkienian Orc" model, especially in early editions when they looked like pigs.

* PhysicalGod: All of the gods are capable of taking material form, but the ones who most often walk the Oerth are Iuz, who rules an empire as its god-king, and Saint Cuthbert, who often dispatches avatars to fight Iuz.

* TakeThat: The bizarre Egg of Coot, a ruler in the Blackmoor area, was a [[http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/gh_anagrams.html jab]] at a certain Gr'''egg''' S'''cott''', who ran a wargames miniatures company and with whom Dave Arneson had previously clashed.

* DevilButNoGod: Tharizdûn, an OmnicidalManiac CosmicHorror, is the ultimate force of evil in the cosmology, having the power to force all other evil deities and fiends to do his bidding; there is no corresponding good counterpart. A direct confrontation between Tharizdûn and the forces of good would have destroyed the multiverse, so the ''neutral'' gods tricked him into [[SealedEvilInACan sealing himself into a trap]].

* ForScience: Zagig created the wacky demiplanes of [[Literature/AliceInWonderland Dungeonland]] and [[KingKong the Isle of the Ape]] pretty much just because he could.
* GodsHandsAreTied: It's generally accepted that the gods cannot intervene directly on Oerth, and can only act through their mortal servants. This typically takes the form of granting divine spells, although they can act on a larger scale if their mortal servants meet the right conditions, such as using an ArtifactOfGood or ArtifactOfDoom. Exceptions to the rule are gods who actually dwell on the Prime Material Plane such as Iuz and Wastri. St. Cuthbert has also appeared on the material plane on a couple of occasions, although it's implied that the gods of evil may be able to do the same at some point to restore the balance.

** And the Nyr Dyv, the lake of unknown depths. "Nyr Dyv" is pronounced like "near dive." Get it? (Although [[YourMileageMayVary YMMV on how bad of a pun it is]].)

* LeftJustifiedFantasyMap: Averted - to the west lies the trackless Sea of Dust, all that remains of the Suel Imperium after the Rain of Colorless Fire burnt it to ashes.

* TheManBehindTheMan: Iggwilv to Iuz.
** To a lesser extent, Graz'zt to Iggwilv.
* MirrorUniverse: Oerth has several parallel worlds, including Aerth, Yarth, and Earth. The most notable, though, is Uerth, where everyone's alignment is switched (most notably Bilarro, the evil double of Robilar).

** At the beginning of time, the unspeakably powerful and insane Tharizdûn was trapped in a remote demiplane by the rest of the gods.

In the TabletopGame/{{Planescape}} and TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}} settings, the world of ''Greyhawk'' is part of a [[TheMultiverse larger universe]] that also includes ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' and ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms''. The setting is named after the great Free City of Greyhawk, a sprawling metropolis that lies at the heart of the Flanaess, a continent on the world of Oerth. Ravaged by centuries of warfare, contested by dozens of races and organizations, the Flanaess is crawling with monsters to slay, ruins to loot, and vile magicians to foil. A very generic high fantasy setting, but one which suits the game's needs perfectly.

''Greyhawk'' was originally introduced as an optional supplement, ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyhawk_%28supplement%29 Supplement 1: GREYHAWK]]'', by Gary Gygax and Robert J. Kuntz, in 1975. Unlike later setting material, ''Supplement 1: GREYHAWK'' focused on optional rules as opposed to towns, monsters, etc. The rules introduced for ''Greyhawk'' evolved into ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'', and ''Greyhawk'' remained the default setting until the release of Fourth Edition. During this time, numerous setting supplements, magazine articles, and adventure booklets were released for the setting, including ''TabletopGame/The TempleOfElementalEvil'' and ''TabletopGame/TombOfHorrors''.

A ''DungeonsAndDragons'' setting, originally developed by GaryGygax by amalgamating his and his friends' campaign worlds. As a result, it's often thought of as the "default" setting, to the point where, when the core rulebooks for ''DungeonsAndDragons'' have any flavor at all, it's generally {{Greyhawk}}-related flavor.

In the {{Planescape}} and {{Spelljammer}} settings, the world of {{Greyhawk}} is part of a [[TheMultiverse larger universe]] that also includes {{Dragonlance}} and ForgottenRealms. The setting is named after the great Free City of Greyhawk, a sprawling metropolis that lies at the heart of the Flanaess, a continent on the world of Oerth. Ravaged by centuries of warfare, contested by dozens of races and organizations, the Flanaess is crawling with monsters to slay, ruins to loot, and vile magicians to foil. A very generic high fantasy setting, but one which suits the game's needs perfectly.

{{Greyhawk}} was originally introduced as an optional supplement, ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyhawk_%28supplement%29 Supplement 1: GREYHAWK]]'', by Gary Gygax and Robert J. Kuntz, in 1975. Unlike later setting material, ''Supplement 1: GREYHAWK'' focused on optional rules as opposed to towns, monsters, etc. The rules introduced for {{Greyhawk}} evolved into ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'', and {{Greyhawk}} remained the default setting until the release of Fourth Edition. During this time, numerous setting supplements, magazine articles, and adventure booklets were released for the setting, including ''The TempleOfElementalEvil'' and ''TombOfHorrors''.

There have been several {{Greyhawk}} novels, but the line never reached the same level of success as ''D&D'''s {{Dragonlance}} and ForgottenRealms franchises. Perhaps the most notable was the "Gord the Rogue" series by Gary Gygax, the tales of a dashing burglar from the City of Greyhawk.

The fate of the {{Greyhawk}} setting under current canon is uncertain at best. While officially it has been discontinued, the ''DungeonsAndDragons'' franchise has dropped and revived settings in the past. Furthermore, the "look and feel", as well as many innovations introduced for the setting, such as the Paladin class and the Beholder and [[OurElvesAreBetter Dark Elf]] races, remain part of Fourth Edition.

** Oerth is one ''D&D'' world among many connected through the ''{{Spelljammer}}'' and ''{{Planescape}}'' campaign settings, at least until 3rd Edition when different settings were given their own cosmologies.
** Vecna and his traitorous lieutenant, Kas, were briefly imprisoned in the Demiplane of Dread, home of the ''{{Ravenloft}}'' setting. Azalin Rex, one of the archvillains of ''Ravenloft'', also originally hailed from Oerth.
** Duke Rowan Darkwood, one of the prime movers in the ''{{Planescape}}'' setting, was born on Oerth. He later used magic to travel to the world of ''ForgottenRealms'', and from there to the City of Sigil in ''Planescape''.
** Mordenkainen, along with Elminster from ''ForgottenRealms'' and Dalamar from ''{{Dragonlance}}'', was one of the "Wizards Three", a trio of archmages who met for friendly get-togethers in a humorous column in ''{{Dragon}}'' written by Ed Greenwood.
** Completely canon however is the presence of various spells bearing the name of Greyhawk mages (such as Mordenkainen) in other settings. One would suspect [[{{Planescape}} Planewalkers]] were involved at some point.

* DemonLordsAndArchdevils: Most of the notable demon lords have had a hand in Oerth's affairs. Most notable are Graz'zt, the father of the [[HalfHumanHybrid half-demon]] demigod Iuz; Fraz-Urb'luu, a demon prince trapped under the ruins of Castle Greyhawk for centuries; Demogorgon, Prince of Demons, who launched a bid to conquer all of Oerth in the [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/TabletopGame/SavageTide Savage Tide]] adventure series in ''Dungeon'' magazine; Lolth, Spider-Queen of the dark elves, who has ravaged both Greyhawk and the ForgottenRealms; and Zuggtmoy, the Demon Lady of Fungi, who conspired with Iuz to build the infamous TempleOfElementalEvil.

* MalevolentArchitecture: Castle Greyhawk is one big, mile-deep deathtrap. The TombOfHorrors, meanwhile, makes Castle Greyhawk look like one o' them bouncy castles.

** So were Iuz, Tsuggtmoy and many many others -- mostly by the same band if intrepid adventurers ({{Gary Gygax}}'s original gaming group).

* HiddenElfVillage: The elven kingdom of Celene, which refused to aid its human allies during the Greyhawk Wars.

* DevilButNoGod: Tharizdun, an OmnicidalManiac CosmicHorror, is the ultimate force of evil in the cosmology, having the power to force all other evil deities and fiends to do his bidding; there is no corresponding good counterpart. A direct confrontation between Tharizdun and the forces of good would have destroyed the multiverse, so the ''neutral'' gods tricked him into [[SealedEvilInACan sealing himself into a trap]].

** At the beginning of time, the unspeakably powerful and insane Tharizdun was trapped in a remote demiplane by the rest of the gods.

* ForScience: Zagig created the wacky demiplanes of [[AliceInWonderland Dungeonland]] and [[KingKong the Isle of the Ape]] pretty much just because he could.

* TakeThat: The bizarre Egg of Coot, a ruler in the Blackmoor area, was a jab at a certain Gr'''egg''' S'''cott''', who ran a wargames miniatures company and with whom Dave Arneson had previously clashed.

* TakeThat: The bizarre Egg of Coot, a ruler in the {{Blackmoor}} area, was a jab at a wargamer named Gr'''egg''' S'''cott''' with whom Dave Arneson had previously clashed.

* BrokenBase: And how. There are many fans who absolutely despise the changes wrought by ''From the Ashes'' and do not consider it canon, or otherwise dislike other parts of the setting, such as ''Expedition to the Barrier Peaks''.

* EvilIsSexy: Graz'zt, Iggwilv, Eclavdra. Maybe Mordenkainen if you go for older guys.
** Mordenkainen isn't really evil, he just does evil things sometimes.

** And the Nyr Dyv, the lake of unknown depths. "Nyr Dyv" is pronounced like "near dive." Get it?
*** Yeah, that's a pun, but I'm not sure it's lame.

* TakeThat: The bizarre Egg of Coot, a ruler in the {{Blackmoor}} area, was a jab at '''E'''. '''G'''ary '''G'''ygax by ''D&D'' co-creator Dave Arneson, with whom he'd had a falling-out. (They later reconciled.)

* TrueNeutral: In earlier Greyhawk stories and adventures, a lot of emphasis was placed on some characters' obsession with preserving the balance, especially the archmage Mordenkainen.

* UnfortunateImplications: The description of the Rhenee--a FantasyCounterpartCulture of the Roma--as sneaky, manipulative, unreliable, and chauvanistic plays up a lot of unfavorable stereotypes levied against Gypsies in the real world.

* DemonLordsAndArchdevils: Most of the notable demon lords have had a hand in Oerth's affairs. Most notable are Graz'zt, the father of the [[HalfHumanHybrid half-demon]] demigod Iuz; Fraz-Urb'luu, a demon prince trapped under the ruins of Castle Greyhawk for centuries; Demogorgon, Prince of Demons, who launched a bid to conquer all of Oerth in the [[Tabletop:SavageTide Savage Tide]] adventure series in ''Dungeon'' magazine; Lolth, Spider-Queen of the dark elves, who has ravaged both Greyhawk and the ForgottenRealms; and Zuggtmoy, the Demon Lady of Fungi, who conspired with Iuz to build the infamous TempleOfElementalEvil.

* DemonLordsAndArchdevils: Most of the notable demon lords have had a hand in Oerth's affairs. Most notable are Graz'zt, the father of the [[HalfHumanHybrid half-demon]] demigod Iuz; Fraz-Urb'luu, a demon prince trapped under the ruins of Castle Greyhawk for centuries; Demogorgon, Prince of Demons, who launched a bid to conquer all of Oerth in the SavageTide adventure series in ''Dungeon'' magazine; Lolth, Spider-Queen of the dark elves, who has ravaged both Greyhawk and the ForgottenRealms; and Zuggtmoy, the Demon Lady of Fungi, who conspired with Iuz to build the infamous TempleOfElementalEvil.

* DemonLordsAndArchdevils: Most of the notable demon lords have had a hand in Oerth's affairs. Most notable are Graz'zt, the father of the [[HalfHumanHybrid half-demon]] demigod Iuz; Fraz-Urb'luu, a demon prince trapped under the ruins of Castle Greyhawk for centuries; Demogorgon, Prince of Demons, who launched a bid to conquer all of Oerth in the "Savage Tide" adventure series in ''Dungeon'' magazine; Lolth, Spider-Queen of the dark elves, who has ravaged both Greyhawk and the ForgottenRealms; and Zuggtmoy, the Demon Lady of Fungi, who conspired with Iuz to build the infamous TempleOfElementalEvil.