TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

This is the multi-year Q&A sessions held by D&D co-creator Gary Gygax here at EN World, beginning in 2002 and running up until his sad pasing in 2008. Gary's username in the thread below is Col_Pladoh, and his first post in this long thread is Post #39.

 

[ScottyG]

LOL!

When Erac with his two (honestly gained) Vorpal Swords and the Paladin Aylerach with his +5 holy Avenger two-handed sword accidently freed Fraz'urb-lu. he carried them to his Layer of the Abyss, and all three weapons became useless hunks of iron.

I honestly think that som Ernie and Mark Ratner have never forgiven Rob Kuntz and me for that adventure run back in the days of us playing OD&D and the Greyhawk supplement...

Cheers,
Gary

LOL, having talked to both Ernie and Mark regarding that adventure, I can say you are correct. I think Ernie's e-mail started out, "Oh Scott, you are bringing up some painful memories...".
Scott

 

[Col_Pladoh]

LOL, having talked to both Ernie and Mark regarding that adventure, I can say you are correct. I think Ernie's e-mail started out, "Oh Scott, you are bringing up some painful memories...".
Scott

I am conflicted

As a DM I say to the players

As a father and friend all I can offer is :\

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Anson Caralya]

Gary, thanks as always for a quick reply!

...there are only two item-cointained wish spells in the whole of the Obsidian Citadel's magic repository.

Would that repository be Treasure Table III from the DMG?

Cheers!

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Gary, thanks as always for a quick reply!

Would that repository be Treasure Table III from the DMG?

Cheers!

Heh...

Always fun to take a few minutes to communicate with fellow gamers

The magic hoard in the Citadel is large...and sadly mostly of very low level. Poor Zigby the dwarf lost his +2 shield in the frost giant jarl's ice caves and had to accept a +1 replacement from Mordenkainen :\

This is not to say that Mordenkainen, Bigby, Yrag, and Riggby don't glow like bonfires when a detect magic spell is played upon them...


Gary

 

[SuStel]

Speaking of wishes, I've always wondered how people worded wishes to raise ability scores. A wish can only raise a score a certain amount depending on how high it is, so what did a player character say? "I wish to be stronger"? "I wish I had a 16 strength"? "I wish to raise my strength score"? The first is in-character, but wouldn't a character be more likely to say, "I wish to be immensely strong," or something like that?

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Speaking of wishes, I've always wondered how people worded wishes to raise ability scores. A wish can only raise a score a certain amount depending on how high it is, so what did a player character say? "I wish to be stronger"? "I wish I had a 16 strength"? "I wish to raise my strength score"? The first is in-character, but wouldn't a character be more likely to say, "I wish to be immensely strong," or something like that?

The pharsing of wishes is a matter of some consternation on the part of most players, that due to the devious and malign nature of most DMs... I have had some hilarious times "fulfilling" the wishes of PCs in my campaigns.

You are correct abot players using PC-held wishes to increase stat scores, and I am amongst the latter group. As with most cautious players a good knowledge of the DM's mind is a prerequisite to uttering a wish and having it come out anywhere near the result desired.

For instance, a reasonable DM being in charge, a whish phrased thus is likely to succeed in gaining a point of Intelligence: "I wish to have my mental ability increased so as to emulate the most intelligent sane living human being of benign ethical and moral compass, this increase in my own intellect permanent and not detrimental, harmful, or incapacitating to me in any way."

Not perfect but difficult for a reasonable DM to pervert

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

I'm back. Hey there, Gary.

Mordenkainen the Magnificent, your character, lives in the Obsidian Citadel, correct?
What is Mordenkainen like? What does he do to enjoy himself in life? How long has he lived? And does he plan lichdom?

Why doesn't Mordenkainen go and remove Ivid and free the peoples of Aerdi from the tyranny of the Fiend Seeing Throne?
Why does he choose neutrality instead, and why did he form the Council of Eight?

I realize you did not produce the From the Ashes Boxed Set, or I would ask: why didn't Mordenkainen bring back Tenser and Otiluke, and proceed to teleport down to the Bright Desert and fry those two traitors, Rary and Robilar?!

And why is the Obsidian Citadel way up in the northern Yatils? It's COLD up there, in the northern Flanaess (no magic to moderate that climate!)

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I'm back. Hey there, Gary.

Mordenkainen the Magnificent, your character, lives in the Obsidian Citadel, correct?
What is Mordenkainen like? What does he do to enjoy himself in life? How long has he lived? And does he plan lichdom?

Why doesn't Mordenkainen go and remove Ivid and free the peoples of Aerdi from the tyranny of the Fiend Seeing Throne?
Why does he choose neutrality instead, and why did he form the Council of Eight?

I realize you did not produce the From the Ashes Boxed Set, or I would ask: why didn't Mordenkainen bring back Tenser and Otiluke, and proceed to teleport down to the Bright Desert and fry those two traitors, Rary and Robilar?!

And why is the Obsidian Citadel way up in the northern Yatils? It's COLD up there, in the northern Flanaess (no magic to moderate that climate!)

Howdy!

All that stuff you mention has nothing to do with my PC, save for descriptive material and what relates to my play in Rob Kuntz's campaign

He built a fortress that eventually became the Obsidian Citadel, an octagonaly-walled castle, in which he and his associated resided with various military forces.

I envisaged Mordenkainen as around 30 year of age when he began adventuring, so that would make him around 80 years of age now (considering campaign time)--although he has quaffed a number of potions of longevity preiodically, always when a wish was cast, so likely he appears more like a vigorous 50.

He does not plan to remain as a lich, not at all his style.

Because he knew and associated with characters of varying alignment, Mordenkainen can to view the opposing alignments as necessary parts of the cosmos, rather akin to the concept of yang and yin. He is likely not a True Neutral any longer, as he leans away from Evil and Law.

That's it in a nutshell.

What others have done with the names is beyond my control and has no bearing on my PCs of the same name, or on other persons' PCs whose names were also acquired by T$R.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[haakon1]

(humor)

That's ok.
My character Edena (this SN derived from that) has visited Terra many times.
He has a complete library of D&D products, among his spellbooks.

He thinks the Terrans are very arrogant and prideful, to so describe Oerth, Toril, and Krynn, when in truth they don't know what they are talking about.
Edena wonders if Volo has anything to do with these leaks of information to the Terrans, and he is quick to warn Terrans that anything they receive from Volothamp Geddarm is, at best, questionable source material.
Edena also believes the Terrans should be leave certain subjects alone (such as Vecna, Acererak, Larloch, Raistlin, Fistandantilus, Rajak, etc.) if they wish to keep their precious little world from being (quickly and totally) crushed and subjugated by those Powers Best Left Alone.

But, as usual, the Terrans do not listen.

Long ago, in the Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, my players found an interesting book in the library: "There and Back Again", by Bilbo Baggins. It seems this particular copy had been owned by a dwarf named Balin some years ago, and somehow found its way to the coast of Keoland . . . and yes, the campaign back story had an explanation.

More recently, a character found light-intensification binoculars in a magic shop (the only one in my campaign) in Thornward, Bissel. There's also a long story behind that.

 

[haakon1]

He built a fortress that eventually became the Obsidian Citadel, an octagonaly-walled castle, in which he and his associated resided with various military forces.

I forgot that was up in the Yatils.

My silly players have been trying to win the help of dwarves and gnomes in the war of Bissel (with aid from Veluna and the "Brotherhood of the Sword" that runs Gran March -- Gary would get the reference without even the hint that our paladin player's parents were born in Latvia) against invading Kettites (with aid from Perrenlander and Uli mercenaries).

They could have been asking Mordy for help!

What would Mordys reaction to a party of 9th level LG types showing up to beg for aid? And if he chose to answer and agree, how big were his forces/how large was his regional influence?

On the other hand, if as is likely you don't feel inclined to answer, that's OK -- in my campaign, Mordy will do the same, should it ever come up.

More seriously, I figure IMC, WOTC's ownership of stuff doesn't matter and if you want to answer for a character in my campaign called Mordy of Braunswiger who happens to live in the Yatils and be a wizard, that's our business, but I understand there are things I don't understand, and there are scars. :\