FR: Silver Marches, Orcus, & Orc Invasion

If you also need a lot of cultural details about orcs (subraces, history, culture, psychology, government, tactics and strategy, social structure, and so on), you should check out Fury in the Wastelands. It is 3.0, but any rules tweaks would be minor, and there's little campaign-specific stuff that you couldn't easily change.

The author did an incredible job with this - so much so that we had him go on to write the book on Elves and Bugbears, and Gnomes and Kobolds. FitW is one of my personal favorites, so I had to bring it up.

Felon,

Nice. Well certainly think this ability MIGHT be some Orcus could grant. I mean hey, it's not like he doesn't have access to powers far beyond that of most other Demon Princes/Archfiends.

I’m going to do an orc invasion, and they will be allied with fire, frost, and hill giants. That way I will also be able to tie in the Giant Series modules.

For the Frost Giants, I’m going to use Gerti (main female frost giant leader) and her clan from the FRCS (she is also in the Salvatore novels) for the 2nd module. Each faction of giants will have a main goal, and a common secondary goal, destroy the Marches.

The main Frost giant goal will be to bring about an eternal winter, still working on a Fire giant goal.

I am probably not going to use the Drow much in the campaign; I might either use the Arcane Brotherhood or the Shades as an over arching evil force pulling strings.

Orcus!!

Orcs aren't that dangerous?!? Humans aren't that dangerous then. Or Elves. Or Dwarves.

But what makes them dangerous? Magic, training, battle tactics, skill at arms... Just assuming that because orcs are chaotic that they are stupid and incapable in war is absurd. Most humans aren't raised in the conditions that orcs are, were combat is driven into them from the youngest ages. Personal combat ability is cherished above all other talents, I'd think that an Orcish army in the field of battle would be a terror few other could stand against.

Take that a step further. Give them a strong leader who understands tactics and strategy, and is so feared that no orc would dare disobey his every command. Another step futher, the orcs stir up Troll nests, Ogre clans to war, and drive other humanoid tribes before them as combat thralls to soak up casualties while the orc forces close with the enemy to melee range where they are most effective. Another step, a pair of Dragons who are disgruntled at the power the forces of Silverymoon weild in thier once stomping grounds see this as a great opportunity to lay waste to the human city while it is distracted...

Dude... orcs weak? What ARE you thinking?

They are even more dangerous if a few are half fiend warlocks and favored souls working for the might of Orcus.

twofalls said:

Orcs aren't that dangerous?!? Humans aren't that dangerous then. Or Elves. Or Dwarves.

Click to expand...

If they've only got one hit die...then yeah, they're fireball fodder for characters at my group's current level.

Just assuming that because orcs are chaotic that they are stupid and incapable in war is absurd. Most humans aren't raised in the conditions that orcs are, were combat is driven into them from the youngest ages. Personal combat ability is cherished above all other talents, I'd think that an Orcish army in the field of battle would be a terror few other could stand against.

Click to expand...

I disagree. Just being mean and violent does not provide a creature with a firm grasp of military tactics. Most orcs equate brute strength as the sum total of combat prowess.

That's how they're described in the Silver Marches sourcebook, where orc hordes attack in huge, mindless waves. If orc armies were actually efficient, effective military units, the Federation would have been overrun long ago, as the orc population outnumbers that of the humans and dwarves many times over.

Of course, there's nothing that says that this time around they can't be galvanized by a brilliant commander, making them a truly dire threat. But that would be exceptional.

Hobgoblins are the prototypical organized, militant evil humanoids. Hence their favored class being fighter instead of barbarian.

Need some demon lords; adapting the Ebon Triad from Age of Worms

WARNING: Major spoilers here if you are still waiting to read (or play adventures from) Dungeon #124 or 126...

After getting my hands on the excellent Age of Worms material in recent issues of Dungeon, I decided to incorporate the Ebon Triad as a means of building up to the invasion.

There are some elements that dovetail nicely:

• The party is working in the Deadsnows area, which is a gold-rush boomtown that can serve as an analogue to Diamond Lake.
• The Age of Worms is supposedly heralded by some huge crisis, which could just as easily be an orc invasion.
• My invasion revolves around a plan to elevate Orcus to deityhood whereas in Diamond Lake it's Kyuss, another lord of the undead, who wishes to ascend.
• The party is about to go investigate a mine where a great "beast of blackness" dwells. In the Silver Marches sourcebook, that's supposed to be a Sharran temple wiht a fiendish black pudding. Here I can just insert the Ebon Triad's lair from Dungeon #125.

Now, here's where I can use some help. Dungeon's Ebon Triad consists of cults dedicated to Hextor, Vecna, and Erythnul. My Ebon Triad consists of demon cults, all of which believe that when their plans are complete, their lord will prove the strongest and consume the other two. My problem here? I don't know that many canonical demon lords. I know of the ones mentioned in BoVD, but that's not many at all: Grazzt, Demogorgon, Yeenoghu, Orcus, and Jubilex.

I've already elected to use Jubilex; he'll replace Erythnul, with a bunch of demented, self-mutilated grimlocks.

Replacing Hextor, I might go ahead and use Orcus himself and replace the leader with a tannuruk boss. I suppose I could also easily insert Yeenoghu, and use fiendish gnolls and a flind boss.

Figuring out who should replace Vecna is the trickiest part. Is there a secretive, subtle, smart demon lord? Grazzt seems more sly than his fellows, but not sure about incorporating the whole evil sex-fiend orgy-cult stuff.

How about that Pazuzu guy I've heard a lot about recently? The Vecna portion of the Triad's lair has kenku rogues in it, which made me think of Pazuzu. What else besides birds are part of Pazuzu's portfolio? What would suc a cult be like?

Pazazu is a good choice but another one might be good ole Frazzy. Frazzy is, after all, the lord of Deception. Dragon 333 has more details on him.

Most of Kenku cults dedicated to Pazazu seek to regain the ability to fly. Thus they try VERY hard to make such offering that would please their former creator as well as placate his ire for their previous trangression (ie worshipping other gods.)

For my part, I like the idea of Kyuss being replaced by Orcus (although I like both Orcus is the favorite of the two). I'd adjust the whole Triad slightly by having Orcus consume the winner and thus become the true power/overgod for the Age of Worms. Thus replace Hextor with Demogorgon or perhaps some other Demon Prince (Check Book of Fiends for ideas.). Another possible Demon Prince that IS cannon to FR is Eltab. Champions of Ruin has more details on him.

Of course you could have Graz'zt not use the whole sex fiend thing, merely have the most subtle male minions work in conjuction with him.

I hope that was helpful Felon.

(And yes this is a COOL way to intergrate BOTH ideas as well has use a great looking adventure path idea.)

Nightfall said:

Pazazu is a good choice but another one might be good ole Frazzy. Frazzy is, after all, the lord of Deception. Dragon 333 has more details on him.

Click to expand...

OK, I'll check that out if I can find it. What kind of agenda does Pazuzu have? What's the point of him?

For my part, I like the idea of Kyuss being replaced by Orcus (although I like both Orcus is the favorite of the two). I'd adjust the whole Triad slightly by having Orcus consume the winner and thus become the true power/overgod for the Age of Worms. Thus replace Hextor with Demogorgon or perhaps some other Demon Prince (Check Book of Fiends for ideas.). Another possible Demon Prince that IS cannon to FR is Eltab. Champions of Ruin has more details on him.

Click to expand...

Eltab? Is'nt he the demon that rules some land in the Unapproachable East? I'll bust out CoR and take a look.

Demogorgon, as I understand him, has things like aboleths as his followers. I guess I could try lizardmen though. I do have my blackscale lizzies coming in the mail....

I hope that was helpful Felon.

Click to expand...

You've been a big help. Have been for a while. Thanks.