Greyhawk Is Back!
It has been known for a while that the new Dungeon Master’s Guide for Dungeons & Dragons 2024 would feature Gary Gygax’s Greyhawk as the go-to world setting for this new edition of the game. Now that the DMG is out, we can read all about Wizards of the Coast’s 2024 version of this most OG of world settings. WoTC has not released any adventures based in Greyhawk for D&D 2024 yet, but in this article we’ll explain how you can readily start a new Greyhawk adventure (or even a full campaign) using existing adventures.
A World Setting With Devoted Fans
While Greyhawk actually never went away, The Forgotten Realms has been the official 5e Dungeons & Dragons world setting for over 10 years. The adventures published by WoTC for 5e D&D were mostly set in The Forgotten Realms. Some of the 5e adventures published by WoTC were updated versions of older Greyhawk adventures redesigned to fit into The Forgotten Realms.
Ghosts of Saltmarsh was an exception, being an original adventure set in Greyhawk. Ghosts of Saltmarsh brought Greyhawk back into the D&D 5e fold, not only for OG players who wanted to adventure in a familiar world setting, but also for new players who were interested in exploring a brand new world after adventuring in the FR for almost 10 years. Greyhawk remains a favorite world setting not only for OG players but for players who discover it decades after the World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting was launched in 1980.
Discovering Greyhawk 2024
The new Dungeon Master’s Guide does a great job introducing the world of Greyhawk. There is a sense of a living, breathing world coming off those pages; a world with awe-inspiring locations to offer; and peopled by different species, interesting NPCs and challenging monsters. In that, is it no different than any other D&D world setting; the lore and history of Greyhawk are what make the setting so unique and captivating.
The chapter devoted to Greyhawk is rather short, but we must remember that this is a mere introduction. OG players might feel that a lot is missing, but that’s only because their characters have been travelling up and down Greyhawk’s dusty paths for decades already, thanks to the extensive resources that were published over the years, most notably The World of Greyhawk launched in August 1980 and the Greyhawk boxed set released in 1983.
During a press briefing, WoTC Lead Designer Christopher Perkins said that Greyhawk was being presented as a foundation upon which DMs could build their own setting. Perkins did not specify if WoTC would develop Greyhawk any further.
This should not be problem, and 4th edition D&D is the perfect proof of that. In 4th edition, WoTC introduced the Nentir Vale, a new world setting only
partially developed to encourage worldbuilding by DMs. The Nentir Vale seemed claustrophobically small. However, it was highly detailed and readily came to life during game development and at the gaming table. Individual DMs contributed new material to flesh out the world, and while it does not have the appeal of the Forgotten Realms, Krynn or Greyhawk, the Nentir Vale is still home to many D&D adventurers today. Some novels set in that world were also published, including some key instalments in the Abyssal Plague story arc. Fell’s Five, arguably one of the best D&D comic books ever published, was also set in the Nentir Vale.
So, I foresee the same thing happening with the new Greyhawk. There is plenty of material presented in the new DMG to start a full-blown Greyhawk campaign. The Greyhawk boxed set and a number of other resources from previous editions of the game can still be used (and adapted) to bring more details to a new Greyhawk campaign.
Adventuring in the New Greyhawk – 3 Proposed Story Arcs
Even though WoTC hasn’t published any Greyhawk adventures for D&D 2024 yet, the new DMG presents three story arcs that can be readily used to build a new campaign. All the proposed story arcs can carry players from level one to level 16 or higher, and they can therefore become full campaigns. They represent significant work for DMs who prefer extensive worldbuilding of their own thrown into an existing setting, but we’ll show how some existing adventures can easily be built into these arcs with minimal work.
Chromatic Dragons Story Arc
The DMG 2024 introduces a very compelling story arc involving chromatic dragons. The evil dragons are on the rise, and the story arc even suggests that some forces could be at work to try to bring Tiamat into the world. This is a great setting for any DM who wants to take up the challenge of a full campaign featuring some of the most iconic D&D monsters. The DMG even offers a starter adventure for this story arc. For DM still interested in running such an adventure, but who would like a little help getting started, the story arc lends itself very well to the two-volume campaign comprised of Hoard of the Dragon Queen and Rise of Tiamat released for 5e D&D in 2014. The two adventures were edited and republished as a combined campaign titled Tyranny of Dragons in 2019 (and again in 2023). It would require some work to adapt, but Greyhawk offers some great locations that would fit key areas of the adventure (for example, the Riftcanyon would do very well as the Well of Dragons).
Elemental Evil Story Arc
This is the latest incarnation of the Elemental Evil story arc. Some players will have fond memories of The Temple of Elemental Evil, the adventure originally set in Greyhawk. People are still playing it today, repeatedly (I’m one of them). It is one of the archetypical D&D adventures that made thousands of players fall in love with the game. It was originally designed for the first edition of the game. It served as the inspiration for Princes of the Apocalypse, the adventure/campaign set in the Forgotten Realms for 5e D&D. If DMs don’t want to design a campaign from scratch based on the basic story arc provided in the new DMG, they have two choices: they can use Princes of the Apocalypse and transport it to Greyhawk without too much fuss, or they can see below for choice number 2.
Iuz the Evil
This third story arc brings players face to face with one of Greyhawk’s most notorious villains: the demigod Iuz. As (in)famous as Iuz is, there is surprisingly very little adventuring material pertaining to this demigod in 5e D&D. The DMG story arc therefore provides a very challenging opportunity to develop a campaign revolving around this mightiest of end bosses. The DMG offers a starter adventure for that arc that will help DMs get started.
Adventuring in the New Greyhawk – Using Existing Adventures
For those who’d rather not have to write their own adventures, there are some available adventures that can readily be used in a Greyhawk 2024 campaign. They don’t even need to be transposed; they came from Greyhawk, and they are ready for an encore in D&D 2024.
Tomb of Horrors
This dungeon has killed more player characters than the Spellplague did in Faerun! So, it’s strange to see the reverence some players have for it – including yours truly who lost his favorite character in that dungeon. Tomb of Horrors was originally published for 1st edition back in 1983. It was adapted for 5e D&D and rereleased under the name Tomb of Annihilation in 2017. Having played and enjoyed both versions, I must say that Tomb of Horrors was more of the quintessential D&D adventure and by far my favorite version.
If you preferred the original, then the relaunch of the Greyhawk world setting offers great timing, since Tomb of Horrors was updated in all its original glory for 5e D&D in Tales from the Yawning Portal published by WoTC in 2020. This adventure while being very challenging is still great fun. Your characters may not be able to play it right away since it was designed for player characters levels 10 to 14, but it should definitely be on your list. It’s easy to plop the adventure back in any one of its suggested original locations in the world of Greyhawk. Its updated version, Tomb of Annihilation, could also very easily moved from the jungles of Chult to a number of locales in Greyhawk.
The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth was published in 1982 for first-edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. It was set in the world of Greyhawk, and it was well received. It introduced new magic spells and several new monsters, including the derro.
This adventure can be readily played now using the new rules. An updated version of the adventure compatible with 5e D&D was published by WoTC in the anthology Quests from the Infinite Staircase. This is the chance for players to experience this adventure in its original setting.
Temple of Elemental Evil
I kept this one for last because after opening with one of the all-time classics, I also wanted to end the list with a similarly famous adventure.
The Elemental Evil was one of the new story arcs mentioned earlier in this article. And while the 5e adventure Prince of Elemental Evil can be ported into Greyhawk, it’s much easier to simply play the original adventure in all its first edition glory, but under 5e rules. The Temple of Elemental Evil is one of the game’s most recognizable adventures. It has been adapted for a number of other editions of the game, yet no iteration of the adventure is as iconic as the original version. Luckily, if you are playing 5e or D&D 2024 and still want to experience the iconic original version of the adventure, it was adapted by Goodman Games in 2022. It is a beautiful edition consisting of two hardcover volumes presented in a full-color slipcase. Goodman Games went all out, including versions of the original adventures (for those players who still want to play the adventure in its original 1st edition format) and an updated version compatible with 5e edition. I haven’t played this adventure with the new 2024 rules yet, but at a first glance it looks highly compatible. The beauty of this edition is that Goodman Games obviously put a lot of thought into remaining faithful to the original edition. There is a lot of reverence for the original adventure in those two books, and additional features and even new original content are thrown in. This is a happy marriage; the 2024 rules’ nostalgic undertones with the overtly nostalgic charm of the original ToEE adventure.
This adventure provides OG D&D players with an amazing dose of nostalgia where they can replay the original adventure in its natural setting. For new players, it provides one of the best opportunities to discover the world of Greyhawk.
So Much More to Discover
There are still more vintage Greyhawk material and older adventures that can be mined for incorporation into your fledgling Greyhawk campaign. Hopefully, new adventures will also be published. While Greyhawk is an older world setting, its return brings something fresh to the game, and I am looking forward to the adventures, old and new, about to unfold in its many cities, ruins and dungeons.
