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The Incursion

githyank attack dnd

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53 views32 pages

The Incursion

githyank attack dnd

Uploaded by

theevilsquirt
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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a (err auc Rees ECM PL} by James Wyatt illustrated by Wayne Reynolds, Marc Sasso, and David Wahistrom’ cartography by Rob Lee Military Consultant: David Silbey, Ph.D. he sky darkens, and flame rains [snr ere sn ieee ke thins to provide glimpses of wheeling dragons, and the shouted commands of their inhuman riders are audible above the screams of the ;ople below. From their alien fortresses on the Astral Plane, the githyanki have come. This time, they simply raiding, establish new hatchery, or pillaging cities for supplies. No, this time the githyanki have come to stay, and the worid will never be the same. The Incursion campaign explo what might happen when war com ford, Specifically, the story: he inception, progress, and culmination of a githyanki inva » the Astral Plane WREAKING HA\ FOR FUN AND PROFIT Why would you want fo set the githyanki loose on your defenseless campaign? What could possibly moti- vate you fo unleash so much chaos on the campaign world you have lov- ingly worked to develop for so long? Ina word: fun {An invasion introduces a new level of excitement and danger into any campaign, and an invasion of hyanki is threat that even epic aracters won't quickly shrug off [Ar the same time, a low racial Challenge Rating and flexible advancement by clas opponents levels. The githyanki are one of the most intriguing villainous races ever created for the Duvctons &t DRA me, and bringing them back from Astral Plane them take center stage in your campaign. nd the fun factor, a war offers you the opportunity to change the face of your campaign world, eliminating elements you might have Ee oT GATES WORK Fach tne Bch-quon foals peatra ta had Fad ssa ace spies eater taieesoec wf cx be Mara Fir aor Pe se Tome A eT ee solders nog formation of fou esis a ae yearn the gityakl tart moving tregh ach sot rein hve ein! ca fron Tirana gn hasing DiRk eee ra een e aeloel ied he ase cn te eden te tronde tet e oi ee Astral ships must pss trough agen si le oxcept for he asl ifs, wich freely et wid: Lo the er the ‘hie ae ned op night formation andthe Slower ships log nar raiers-vays fp trough Pest One planar rater can move fraigeiaipes parvo eal ef leh oo Fan renal bres pr round pea go fe, gh 8o eek sed fay Og eoel ifs per round (peed 20 fet eg gfe rows of or) Tha aaa te sks Reve in lionel g pert raesi seal kee epiceforral ttt (ta elo fo $i solar al ar led copay. cities site tnd eta pls in ico Su Tasks merge a pls igo UaicTedeatipnn ober cs wa tre fet vai tle iy ike geri er a Yo oe Pally 8 soa aos oreo ave ed asl erate tie eos Fe aac oceanic ee ee ene ec we ess et Ices Vers she avs hem She mig ccabaly hate to oper apg fn te Sep yc pre try nto case oft third gaa, wich she ieee te poh betfair hos we ch year Wh sine day gre pes at heros ie Ligoateosi cine statview ary tothe Asal lane wit oe gre nd then 8 deen cation onthe Mati Phin oh soci pte he pierre function of the gate spel does wot have an ea ocoecn tat ie wiket trie Geile meinan he mbt nd for eee pee aE been dissatisfied with and replacing them with new ones. You're running a ForaorTen REALMS campaign and you're sick of the characters running to Elminster for help? Bad news for the players—the githyanki have arrived, and Elminster is at the top of their hit list. (As an added bonus, Elminster's demise ensures that the PCs will regard the invasion with appropriate gravity!) You're playing in GrevHawx and the Theocracy of the Pale has always bugged you? Let the githyanki wipe it from the face of Oerth. Then you can replace it with whatever suits your fancy—perhaps an oppressive nation ruled by githyanki, or a strong rebel force that moved into the power vacuum left by the Theocracy's fal. You certainly don't need a major cataclysm to incorporate the changes iniroduced in the new revision of the DEAD core rules, but if you want a rationale for these changes, Incursion ‘can provide it. For example, monks trained to fight githyanki must learn a variety of martial arts styles, so some choose Combat Reflexes as a bonus feat instead of the more traditional Deflect Arrows. Rangers and bards can also learn new techniques during the course of the war. Perhaps the influx of energies from the Astral Plane even distorts the workings of magic, so that certain spells (such as haste and bul’s strength) no longer work quite the same way that they did before. Perhaps most importantly, a war offers opportunities for trying out new ‘and different styles of play and unusual types of adventures. Most people prob: ably think of mass battles first when they think about war, and Incursion certainly offers plenty of opportunities for those. At the same time, however, a war creates a variety of other adven turing opportunities. Espionage is by no means an invention of the modern age; spies of any era really shine in times of war. A player who wants to take on the role of a medieval James Bond can find a perfect opportunity 0 do so here, since reconnaissance and counterinteli- gence are essential components of any successful defense against the githyanki invasion. in addition, characters could undertake missions to fol githyanki assassins, capture enemy spies (or sim- ply feed them false information), escape from a prisoner-of-war camp, or break info one for a rescue. In fact, just about any mission that has been attempted in ‘a war or spy movie can be incorpo rated into the Incursion campaign. ALTERNATIVE. INVASIONS The githyanki make an ideal invading force. They are magically powerful (especially the leaders-the lich-queen Viaakith is a 2sth-level wizard), and it is this power that makes many of the tactics described in this article poss ble. However, they are also eminently scalable Foes-the Fact that they advance by character class means that low-level characters can fight low- level githyanki soldiers, while high- level characters can fight high-level githyanki knights and warlocks. That said, itis certainly possible to use the ideas outlined here to build a ‘campaign around an invasion by some other kind of creature—drow, demons, beholders, dragons, or something else entirely. One of the key elements that makes the githyanki invaders so devas~ tating is their mobility specifically their command of flying ships, their red dragon mounts, and their dimen- sion door ability. To utilize the military tactics described in this article effec- tively, you need to give your invaders a similar degree of mobility. A horde of fiends from the Abyss that have the innate ability to use greater teleporr certainly meets that criterion, although it might be much harder to involve lower-level characters in a war against such creatures. A campaign like this could begin at 10th level or so, per= haps with the PCs encountering demon scouts, and continue well into epic levels (esth or higher). Dragons, with their natural ability to fly, are similarly mobile opponents. Whatever kind of creatures you choose for the invading force, you need an evil genius-preferably one with mighty magic. at her disposal directing the attack. I the invading force comes from another plane, the ability to use gare would allow a pow- erful spellcaster to send large numbers of troops to a specific point on the Material Plane-even fo a spot inside a walled fortification. The githyanki make excellent use of this tactic, but drow invading from the Plane of Shadow could easily do the same. (Such drow might possess a few distinctive spell- like abilities that other drow don't because of their adaptation to the Plane of Shadow. These abiities could make them similar to the githyanki in many ways.) ‘Scalability is an extremely important consideration when using other kinds of invaders. The sidebars in this article provide statistics for githyanki oppo- nents ranging from CR 2 to CR 17, as well as sample encounters from EL 5 to EL 20. You could replace these githyanki with drow, githzerai, sahua- in, tieflings, shades (from the Forcorren Reams Campaign Serving) ‘or even ores with litle impact on the difficulty of the encounters described. But it would be much more difficult to do the same with beholders, which ‘ypically occupy a very narrow range of Challenge Ratings. To make the lower-level encounters work with powerful invaders, consider giving them a servant race. For example, invading mind flayers might send armies of grimlocks ahead of their elit ilithid troops. Such a vanguard ‘would provide lower-level characters with suitable opponents. You might invent a new extraplanar humanoid race to make up the bulk of a demonic invasion force, or use tiefling hordes commanded by the lesser demons, Finally, the incursion campaign as described here assumes that the cam- paign ends when the PCs travel to the Astral Plane and defeat the lich-queen (as described in “The Lich-Queen's Beloved” in DuNazow #100) at around 18th level. If you use another kind of monster as the invading force, there is rno need to end the invasion at that level; it might stretch wel into epic levels, as mentioned above. Stil, you should probably envision some kind of climactic encounter that marks the turning point of the campaign, even if it doesn't end the action. You could Use an event that closely parallels the defeat of the lich-queen (such as a journey to another plane to confront the evil mastermind), or you could come up with a different way to turn the tide of battle (raveling in secret to Mount Doom to destroy the evil mas- termind’s ring of power, for example). THE. INVASION The premise of the Incursion campaign is the arrival on the Material Plane of a githyanki army bent on conquest. This section presents the motivation behind the invasion, outlines options for incorporating it into your cam= paign, provides a method for tracking its progress easily, and offers specific suggestions for adventures and cam- paign arcs The invasion could occur for any of humerous reasons. As a default, this article assumes that the githyanki lich- queen has commanded her followers to retake their homeworld-the place where the common ancestors of the _githyanki and githzerai lived before the mind flayers conquered them. In their fortresses on the Astral Plane, the githyanki have been mustering their strength for centuries in preparation for this event. A desire to retake their homeworld is understandable, but that alone doesn't explain why the githyanki are invading at this particular time, The specific reasons for the conquest and the timing of the invasion are up to you to decide, based on the needs and history of your campaign world. tt could be that the lich-queen has grown concerned about the fragmen- tation and isolation of the githyanki, and she feels that only a massive mili- tary effort can reforge the unity that was characteristic of the race during its early years. Perhaps she senses her Final doom approaching and ‘wishes to provide her followers with a stable homeworld on the Material Plane before her death. Maybe she. simply wishes to die (or enter demilichdom) on the homeworld of her ancestors. Or perhaps the lich-queen is frantically seeking some clue to the whereabouts of Gith, the primordial founder of the race, who disappeared into the pits of Hell untold centuries, ago. Signs and prophecies seem to point to Gith's imminent return, and the lich-queen seeks to either hasten or prevent that event. More fantastic possi- bilities exist as wel The “Knights of the Lich-Queen” game in Dunogon #100 describes @ default campaign setting in which the lich-queen’s goal is to find the corpse of the ancient deity wor shiped by the ancestors of the gith races. According to the game, this divine corpse was lost long. ago in a deep chasm in the Wasting Desert on the world of Pharagos, but you might decide that it's resting in a des- late wilderness area of your own campaign world. Wherever it les, the corpse is surrounded by a maelstrom of magical activity and guarded by a panoply of outsiders—either celestals or fiends. Alternatively, some resi- dents of your campaign world might be loudly bragging-truly or not=that they have discovered the tomb of Gith. The ich-queen could decide that the best way ro punish such upstart blasphemers is to destroy thelr entire world, If the tomb of Gith truly is there, she might also want to obliterate it before any more of her people start making pilgrimages to see it There could also be other reasons for this massive invasion that have nothing to do with conquering the world, For example, the ich-queen night have mobiized her people not for the conquest of their homeworld, but for a massive retributive crusade to exterminate the mind flyers from the Material Pane. The githyanki con- sider the surface cities nothing more Control Skull/ Spine of Earthly Wind Middle Deck Lower Deck Top Deck than impediments to their goal— accessing the subterranean lars of the ilihids~so they simply attack and destroy surface settlements fo get at what lies underneath. The brunt of their assault is, of course, directed toward the mind flayers rather than the surface-dwellers, although it might not seem so at first. The invasion is the key element of an Incursion campaign, whatever the reasoning behind it. Your next impor- tant decision is where the githyanki will arrive. There are two primary options, and your choice depends on several factors. Do you want the inva~ sion fo take center stage in your cam paign immediately, or come into play ‘gradually? Do you want its greatest impact to be at the center of your | ame a ae Lower Deck Go to [Link]/dragon to download miniature-scale versions of these maps. campaign activity or in outlying ‘areas? If you want the invasion to become the center of your campaign right away and possibly to have a large impact on your primary cam- paign area, then let the githyanki arrive right in the center of activity. Otherwise, choose a location more dis~ tant from the campaign's action for the invasion to begin Scouts Before the Storm ‘The Astral Plane is a timeless realm in which creatures neither age nor grow. The egg-laying githyanki therefore maintain hatchery outposts (called varsivisks) on many Material Plane worlds so that their young can hatch and mature. At such facilities, caretak- ers tend the eags, and githwarriors ‘and warlocks train the young githyanki in the arts of war. For the youngsters, every activity is a war exercise. These hatcheries serve a military purpose as well-they make ideal bases for scouts and spies assigned 10 observe the Material Plane. Regardless of the underlying reason you choose for the invasion, the reports from such scouts are crucial to the lich= ‘queen's decision to invade this particu- lar world at this time. Thus, allowing the PCs to encounter one of these hatchery outposts well in advance of the invasion can be a very effective foreshadowing of events to come. ‘As the invasion draws nearer, the lich-queen’s agents begin to scout the selecied world more thoroughly, iden ‘fying appropriate targets and locat- ing 2 desirable arrival point for the {git yanki armies. Encounters with simall parties of githyanki should grow more numerous during this time. Fre-Invasion Strategy “he lich-queen is one of the most infeligent beings in the universe, rank- ing just below the oldest gold dragons and above many deities in sheer brain power. Thus, she will not lead her armies to certain destruction, nor will sshe make her secret goals obvious through her selection of targets. Because her armies are strong, she is likely to select the most powerful military force on your campaign world as her primary farget. But before committing any significant number of troops to military action, the lich- {queen tries to exert control over a3 VESSELS OF WAR ‘On the Astral Pane, the giiyanki commonly wage war from massive astral hips. ‘Such vessels can be equivalent in sie to anything from a small keetboat with room fora single squad of solders roa massive galleen that can carry hundreds of troops, Powered by mage sais that catch the motion of astral energies, these ships are normaly useless on the Material Plane, where no such arcane winds blow. For centres, however he githyank’ have worked together to creste mage ems that alow cer- tain astral ships 10 fly through the skies of @ Materia Plane world. Armed with espn of earthly wind, an asa vesel can sal trough 9 poral into th Material Plane and darken the sky of your game worl. For infermaton about asta ships and other gihyank’ modes of rave, see Dunatan ‘#00. More vehicle rules can be found in ORACOV #294 and the Arms and Equipment Guide. ‘Atral Sif; Huge vehicles Profession (slr) + Sp fly 20 Fl. laverage Overall AG 3: Section hp 40 ardnes 1) Section AC 3: Ram 48 Face 15 ft by 5 M1: Height 1 fs SA ramming prow: Crew 1 (carries 3 Cargo 1 ton (Spd 10 ft. if 1/2 ton or mare) ‘Astral Brig: Gargantuan vehicle Profession (sallor) sc; Spd fly go ft. averags Overall AC ; Section hp 40 (hardness 1), Section AC 3; Ram 848; Size 60 by 20 fs Height 10 ft: SA great balsa, ramming prow; Crew (caries 50}; cango 4o tons (Spd 6o ff 20 tons or more Planar Rader: Colossal vehicle: Profession (sallor) +0: Spd fly 50M. (p00r Overs AG -3; Seaton hp ‘49 (hardness tok: Section AC 3 Ram roto; Size 100 F. by 30 Ft: Height g fz SA x0 great alist, remming prow Crew 1 (carries 125); cargo 150 fon (Spd 30 Ft. 75 fons or more. Great Baise: A great bolita f esently a Colossal heavy crossbow fed in places size makes hard for mest creatures to aim it, as described under Weapon Size on page ug ofthe Player's lndbook. Thus, 8 Medium creature tales a8 penalty on attack ros when using balsa and a Smal creature takes a-10 penalty. Each member of a great balist's crew (to @ maximum of 3) can attempt toad the operator's ranged attack witha special use of the aid another ston, providing 2 +2 to hit for each crew member who succeeds at ranged attack roll against AC to. Fortunately, great balistoe ae usualy Fred at buldings, ships, and other exceedingly large targer. takes four PU round actions to reload and resdy the great balista after ing due to the complicted system of ranks and winches that enable creatures to cock the powerful weapon. Each ful-round task can be done by a diferent member ofthe great balls’ crew, allowing it o be reloaded and ready 10 fre ‘afer Full round, A grear balsa takes up a space wo fet across ‘Cost 1000 gp: Damage 648; Critical (ig-20) x2; Range Increment to fs Typical crew 4 Spine of Earthly Wind: A Huge ar elemental fs bound wihin a elunn of mitral shaped ike 2 spine that runs from a contol skull fuse with the eel ofa gihyank astral ship. Astral ships wih 2 spine of earthly wind can sl the skies of a Material Plane world. The vessets iy speed on such a worlds equal ois astra speed minus 10 fet, adits maneuveraity is reduced by one class (from good to average, average to poor, or poor to clumsy). A spine of earthly wind has no effect om any vehicle ‘other than an astral ship. “The control sul of an astral ship shaped tke an iid shu and serves asthe Focus point for the pilot ofthe ship. A given touching 2 conrolskl perceives the world around it as though the ship and its contents ae transparent. Te gthyank can then mentally contol the ship's movement as 1a ful-round action, making Profesion (aioe) sil checks as necessary. A non-ghyenklsuers 4 negative levels while touching the contro skult which dlsappear after the skull is released, but can tempt fo plot the ship normally. The sku follows the mental commands ofthe last person to touch It so conirl ofthe ship maintained by keeping threats from entering the plot room the cantral ‘skulls typical housed in. A ship without plo continues on the course of is last command ‘spine of eartly wind ora contre skul can be damaged by attacks or spel tke any mage item. ‘Note that both are composed of mitra each has «hardness of 15 and 250 hitpoints for the Pur poses of causing enough damage to destroy it Destroying the spine releases the angry elemental 10 the Material Plane and causes the ships fight magic fal sending it plummeting to the ground. When a control sulis destroyed, the astral ship travels a is highest speed in whatever cretion the ship is pointing unt it colldes wih an object large enough to stop itor until the ship ts sufficiently arnaged to destroy it. No method can regan conrol of he ship, but 2 csmissa spell aston the spine after the sks destroyed releases the elemental trapped inside to the Elemental Plone of Air snd couse the ship 10 fal ‘Strong conjuration; CL te Craft Wondrous hem, binding, greater planar binding Price 140.000 many of the neighbor- ing realms as possible. To that end, she sends assassins to eliminate the leaders of small and weak kingdoms close to her primary tar- get. Her method of assuming con- trol thereafter might vary depending ‘on the success of those ventures, the nature of the kingdoms, and her spe~ cific needs. in one realm, she might rely on the chaos in the wake of the leader's death to make the kingdom ‘an easy target for outright conquest. tn another, a magically disguised githyanki spy might assume the role of the dead leader and subtly steer the realm toward policies that Favor the lich-queen's success. IF successful, these minor conquests provide the lich-queen with solid bases of operations close to her target and reliable sources of supplies for her subsequent forays. The degree of suc~ ‘ce38 she achieves during this pre-inva- sion period determines the starting point for the main invasion (see below). Invasion Stage One: Flying Ships, Marching Legions The githyanki invasion begins in full force when the lich-queen opens her first gare between the Astral Plane and the Material Plane. The gare appears high in the air, and a fleet of flying astral ships sails through, loaded with agithyanki soldiers and weapons of war: Compelled by the ancient pact forged between Gith and Ephelomon, the red dragon consort of Tiamat, red dragons of all ages begin to gather around the agithyanki ships, awaiting the commands of their age-old allies. From this point forward, the lich-queen personally directs every stage of the invasion from the relative safety of the Astral Plane, via magical communication with her knight commanders. Placing the First Gare The spot that the ich-queen chooses for this first gate should be near but not within her primary target realm, Her choice of location and her strategy after opening the gare depend on how successful her efforts to gain control of neighboring kingdoms have been. Neighboring Kingdom Controlled: If the lich-queen has already taken con: trol of a neighboring kingdom through a disguised agent, she positions the MPLS endpoint of the gare within that realm, near its border with her primary tar~ gel. She marshals whatever resources she can command within the smaller kingdom and sends fleets of astral ships and githyanki knights mounted ‘on dragons to the border. Once the defending forces have massed at the border to meet the invaders, the lich- queen opens a second gare, sending legions of githyanki Footsoldiers into the heart of the target kingdom. These footsoldiers actually make the first attack, seizing a key strategic loca- tion—a critical pass or crossroads, an important fortress, or even the king ddom’s capital city. When the defending forces pull back from the border to liberate this vital location, the astral ships and dragon-riding knights begin to advance. AS soon as the defenders are within striking distance of the footsoldiers’ encampment, the flying githyanki attack the rear of the oppos- ing army, destroying its supply trains in the process. When the defenders turn to meet the flying githyanki, the footsoidiers sortie out from their hold- ing. The two githyanki forces then crush the defending army between their onrushing waves. Throughout this process, the lich- queen never commits more of her forces than she believes (based on intelligence gathered by her spies) are required to achieve her goals. Huge legions of githyanki soldiers wait in reserve on the Astral Plane until this initial foray has succeeded. If this phase of the invasion goes very poorly, she sends some reinforce- ments, but she never sends more forces than she must until a githyanki kingdom is established on the world Neighboring Kingdom Destabilzed: the glihyanki have Successfully destabi- lized a neighboring kingdom through assassination, the lich-queen opens the first gare within that realm and openly seizes control of it. If she can achieve that goal without sending in her footsol- diers, she does so, then follows the strategy described above. If not, she sends her footsolders into the destabi- lized kingdom through the gare with orders to eliminate all resistance, then turns the realm into a githyanki stare that can serve as her first power base. From there, she makes more cautious forays into neighboring realms, attemp!- ing fo annex as many smaller, weaker kingdoms as possible before challenging the larger military powers. Only when she is sure that she has a sold base of power does she attack the stronger kingdom that was her original target No Neighboring Kingdom Available: If all of her intial forays have fale the lich-queen chooses a wilderness area near her intended target as the site of the first gate. From there, she directs her aerial forces toward her primary target but puts off sending the footsoldiers for as long as possible. IF the advance forces of astral ships and dragon-mounted knights can reach her primary target without assistance, she uses the second gate to place the footsoldiers directly into the target kingdom as described above. IF the advance forces are seriously hin- dered on their way to the target realm, the lich-queen sends footsoldiers to reinforce them as needed, trying to reserve a3 many as possible for the surprise internal assault Invasion Stage Two: A Power Base IF the attack on her major military tar- {get Fails, the lich-queen attempts to Create a solid base of operations in a neighboring realm, using whichever of the options above best suits the situa- tion. As always, she tries to hold as many faotsoldiers as possible in reserve during this period. Once she has established full control over a sizable realm in the campaign world, she opens a third gare and pours her remaining forces into that region. From this new terrestrial githyanki kingdom, christened Krr'a'gith'farak (the kingdom of Gith on solid ground” in the githyenki tongue), her soldiers sitike out across the world to forge a new githyanki empire, Once again, the lich-queen focuses her efforts on the kingdoms with the most military or magical power. Once they're under her control, conquering the rest of the world will be much simpler. While the sithyanki armies are extending her reach, the lich-queen’s most powerful ‘agents pursue her specific goals, if she has any beyond the conguest of this world. (As noted above, such goals Could include locating the divine corpse of the githyank’s former patron, obliterating the purported tomb of Gith, or raiding mind flayer settlements deep underground.) WawINe THE INCURSION INT© YOUR CARPAIGN ‘One way to increase the impact of the sgithyanki invasion upon your campaign world is to ensure that its repercus- sions affect peopl, places, and things with which the PCs are familar. This technique doesn’t necessarily boil down to a “hit them where ir hurts” philosophy, although that tactic can be Useful in moderation. I's more about weaving a variety of elements from the ongoing campaign into the overar- ching theme of the invasion, Reusing elements of your campaign in this way gives players an emotional investment in the invasion that goes 2 step beyond their concern for the campaign world in which they have been adventuring. Their familiarity with a particular person, place, or item can also give them an edge in a fight that might otherwise prove over~ ‘whelming~and in the Incursion cam paign, anything thar helps the players feel that they are doing well is an invaluable element People: The assassination of @ beloved or respected NPC, or the death of such an individual on the field of war, is one obvious way to drive the invasion home for the PCs. However, much the same effect can be achieved by having the githyanki take out key vilains or rivals. What if the PCs have sworn vengeance on a terrible villain, only to learn that their target died valiantly defending her kingdom from the githyanki? Do the PCs redirect their hatred toward the githyarki who robbed them of their just vengeance? Or do they resurrect the slain villain so they can have @ chance to fight her themselves? The ‘emotional impact of such an event can be quite dram: Places: Players often develop similar emotional attachments to places they have visited during their adventuring careers. If they stil talk about how they cleared all the undead creatures and deadly traps from the fabled Tomb ‘of Horrors, how would they feel upon learning that the place is now the site of a githyanki outpost? In a similar vein, the githyanki might capture a citadel that the PCs shed much blood defending in years past. In either case, the PCs might actually gain some advantage over the githyanki by virtue of their intimate knowledge of the occupied area, This tactic provides an excellent excuse for you to build an entirely new adventure around a dungeon map you have used before-even one that ‘your players already have a copy of! OF course, no matter how accurate a map they managed to make the first time through the dungeon, it can't pos sibly account for the devious modifi- cations the githyanki have made. Things: You can also tie the invasion to the PCs' past adventures through objects such as magic items or arti- facts. Perhaps the characters once undertook a dangerous mission 10 recover a holy relic for the temple oF Heironeous in Verbobonc. Now \Verbobonc is occupied by the sgithyanki, the temple of Heironeous has been burned to the ground, and ‘the fate of that holy relic is anyone's ‘guess. Or perhaps the PCs once dis covered a powerful evil artifact. Unable to destroy it, they hid it away as best as they could, Fencing it in behind layers of magical wards and placing mighty guardians to watch over it. Now information has reached the party that a team of githyanki adventurers is looking for the item—or perhaps has already found it! In any ‘case, the PCs must fight the githyanki to defend or recover something that matters to them because it is a part of their history. IF you are running a campaign in the Forcorren Reams Campaign Setting, you might want to incorporate some or all of the following setting-specific suggestions into the invasion plotline. + You don't have to kill off Elminster, Khelben, and the Simbul during the early stages of the invasion. Aer all, the three of them, along with the other very powerful figures of Faerdn, have already recently sur- vived another extraplanar incursion— namely the return of the city of Shade to the desert of Anauroch, But the more of these powerful NPCs that survive, the more difficult it will be for the PCs to take center stage in the campaign, even when they reach high TT levels themselves. Logically speaking, it’s difficult to rationalize why the fate of the world might hang on the success or failure of a PC mission to slay the lich-queen in the Astral Plane when Elninster could have gone and done it himself as soon as the invasion began. ‘As noted above, the lich-queen far~ .get5 a5 many of these powerful peo- ple as she can before launching her invasion. She might try to lure them into her clutches or some deadly trap, cor she might simply create a significant distraction with which to divert their aitention for a long period. The extent of her success depends entirely on how much you want to shake up your Foroorr Realms campaign. IF you want all those nearly divine NPCs out of the way permanently, grant the lich-queen a near-infalible chance of success in kiling them. IF you'd like to have most or all of them stil around when the invasion is over, imprison or distract them. (Freeing Elminster from his prison cell n the lich-queen’s strong- hold could be en excellent denouement for the PCs' climactic adventure.) If these powerful NPCs remain in Faerdn Thy Quest for Ovt-Of Print Games Endeth Here. Find nose race games and als save up t 50% natal products We bys end rode for noe sd ott print RP, eintres apa Wergomes Vw our anno nventeryof over #2000 products st ‘newenebckrghtcon crit for ree eataiog to 2219 orean'Valey Dr, Jane 53546 throughout the invasion, be prepared to explain why they're not taking the drastic and heroic steps necessary 10 save the workd. + IF your campaign is based in or near the Dalelands, Cormyr is an obvi- ous first target for the githyanki assault. In that case, the lich-queen’s assassins target Princess Alusair, her young nephew Azoun V, Caladnei, Overmaster Kendrick of Sembia, and other key figures in the Dalelands, including Storm Silverhand, Randal Morn, Lord Mourngrym, and of course, Elminster. The lich-queen then ‘opens the first gare in the southern reaches of the Dalelands (Deepingdale or Arkhendale), or possibly in Sembia. Her forces of flying astral ships and dragon-riding knights can cross the Thunder Peaks or the Vast Swamp to attack Cormyr with relative ease. The second gate opens within Suzail once Cormyr’s forces have massed along the borders. From there, the githyanki spread simultaneously in both directions around the Sea of Fallen Siars, into ‘Sembia and the Dragon Goast. Once they conquer the Vilhon Reach, they can expand westward into the rela- tively wild Western Heartlands, and from there northward to the Silver Marches, From Sembia, their expan- sion should progress more slowly up through the Dalelands to the Moonsea, then info the Cold Lands and the Unapproachable East. + If your campaign is based in the North, the Silver Marches can be the lich-queen's first target. The assassins should target Lady Alustriel, Taern Hornblade, Bruenor Battlehammer, Emerus Warcrown, Helm Dwart= Friend, and Obould Many-Arrows. The first gate then opens within the Evermoors and is noticed only by the trolls and other monsters, which quickly begin fleeing the moors and causing trouble in the surrounding lands. The githyanki have a relatively easy time establishing their control over a plot of land on Faerdn that offers no organized resistance, and they press a number of monsters into service as soldiers. When the trolls begin to muster in the northeast part (of the moors, with flying ships and wheeling dragons overhead, the armies of Silverymoon and Mithral Hall For- tify the banks of the Rauvin. Then the second gate openspossibly within Silverymoon itself, or even inside ‘Sundabar. Once Sundabar has been taken, the githyanki could hold a strong fortress against the rest of the Silver Marches. The Evermoors army could then sweep in to meet sorties from Sundabar and conquer the remaining cities of the Marches. From the strongholds of the Silver Marches, the githyanki would bring the rest of the North as tightly under their control as possible, subduing ores and giants as well as humans, dwarves, and elves. Next they would spread down into the Western Heartlands and ‘east to Cormyr, Sembia, the Dalelands, and finally around the Sea of Fellen Stars, as described above. ‘As an alternative to the two sce- narios outlined above, the lich-queen ‘could choose the Moonsea region os her primary military target, focusing ‘on enemies the PCs probably view as “bad guys.” An assault on the Moonsea ‘might not immediately capture the attention of the world’s heroes—after all, the elimination of the headquarters of the Zhentarim would do Faeran a ‘world of good. But once the githyanki kingdom is established and begins to expand southward into the Dalelands, the world would quickly realize that even the scheming Zhents were beiter than a teeming horde of githyanki bent (on world conquest. ln an attack on the Moonsea, the githyanki assassins target Foul Chembryl, Manshoon. Scyllua Darkhope, and Selfaril Uoumdolphin of Mulmaster, as well as Randal Morn and the usual suspects in Shadowdale, The lich-queen’s agents would stage the assassinations in the Moonsea in such a way as to sow suspicion and conflict among the cities of the region, which are already barely held together in a tenuous alliance. The first gate ‘opens in Daggerdale, then the footsol- diers pour through the second gate into Zhentil Keep. Once they have taken control of the ‘Moonsea region, the gihyankl begin 10 spread simultaneously in both directions around the Sea of Fallen Stars, first 10 the Cold Lands and the Dalelands. + The corpse of the ancient aithyanki deity might lie in the Plains of Purple Dust or in the middle of the Great Glacier. The tomb of Gith could stand high in the Spine of the World, deep in the Jungles of Chult, or even in the Underdark, far below Menzoberranzan. 1rsion into Oerth IF you are running a campaign ‘Grevsawk setting, the invasion progress as follows. The lich-queen’s most likely primary target is Furyondy, which is arguably the greatest military power in Greyhawk at present. The proximity of a nation ruled by an evil demigod makes an attack on Furyondy tricky, however. The lich-queen has two clear options. She could open the initial gate in the Empire of luz and subdue that realm first, then turn to crush Furyondy and conquer the rest of the Flanaess. ‘Alternatively, she could star in Veluna or the region of Highfolk, build strength for an assault on Furyondy, then move from there to luz’s Empire. In large part, this decision rests on the success of the lich-queen’s assassins~if they have any luck in weakening luz, his empire becomes their first target. The githyanki spies and assassins will probably have more success making inroads into Veluna, Verbobone, Dyvers, Highfolk, and Furyondy itself—after al, their rulers are only human. In this latter scenario, the lich-queen knows that Veluna and Furyondy share good relations and open borders, so she opens the first gate into Veluna and waits for Furyondy's forces to march to the aid of their alles. The second gafe then opens in the heart of Chendl. The lich-queen anticipates that luz will march on Furyondy while itis weak, so she sends guerila soldiers through another gafe into the heart of lz's empire so that they can strike at Dorakaa while luz’s armies march toward Furyondy. This action does not constitute a full-scale invasion of luz: iris simply a delaying tactic designed to give the lich-queen time to consoli- date her power in Furyondy and Veluna before dealing with luz. Once her kingdom is firmly estab- lished between the Vesve Forest and the Nyr Dyy, the lich-queen focuses her attention on luz, leaving the smaller kingdoms and principalities of the southwest for later. After con- quering luz, she concentrates on bringing the western lands, from Perrenland and Ket down to the Hold of the Sea Princes, under her sway before turning to the shards of Aerdy in the east. DUNGEON #100/ POLYHEDRON #159 ‘As mentioned several tines in this aril, osue #100 af Dunasow and Paryseovon contains more Incursion content for your campaign. In the Dunzay section of issue #109, high evel PC can take the war against the sgthyank 10 the Astral Plane. In city bult on the corpse of a god, countess gihyankl and hundred of red dragons lve, serving the ‘whims and wil of their leader. PCs must ven= ture there, to the heart of giheynk power, and batle their way tothe throne room of Vlaskth the ch-queen, Success inthis mega= adventure could end the war, but the price of failure is greater than the fate of the PCs or their world-Failre could make the lich-queen into a ich-geddess ‘Powrsconon presents the flipside ofthe Incursion and turns the war on Its head with the “Knights of the Lich-Queen” DOrD Min- Game, Play hapless or power-hungry githyanki ordered by the lch-queen to invade the Material Plane, lide the PotvscoAoy section, youll find new githyankl prestige lasses, magle items, equipment, feats, mounts, and monsters, ‘a well a cultural information and inspiration for roleplaying gihyanki, Whether your PCs are fighting for oF agsnat them, the ghyank! con- ‘et in his issue is sure to enhance your game This issue includes as is premium a poster imap of the city ofthe ich-queen, Twnarath, and a "know Your Fos" poster showing the ithyank in all heir evil glory. THE INCURSION BEGINS PLAYER CHARACTERS: AND THE INVASION ‘The aforementioned strategies employ pretty basic military concepts, but the ‘options involve a lot of “ifs” How exactly do you as Dungeon Master determine whether the lich-queen’s intial forays succeed or not, and thus which strategy she will employ? At least to some extent, you should allow the actions of the player characters, and the degree of success they achieve on their various adventures, to determine how successful the lich- queen is in her assault. ‘The PCs are the center of your cam- pign. If that isn't true, it probably should be-the people you sit down and game with every week need to feel that their actions are the most important things happening in the world, or at least that their actions matter. Character actions must make a differ ence, even if they are peripheral to the Incursion campaign, as they are likely to be when the PCs are relatively low in level. One way to achieve this goal is to think of low-level PCs and their adventures as a microcosm of the defending forces: IF they are successful in their smaller missions, then the larger defending forces also enjoy success; they fail, so do the greater defenders. At higher levels, of course, the PCs’ actions can have a more direct bearing on the defense of the world, and their success or failure might literally deter- mine the Fate of nations The following abstract timeline offers suggestions for adventures and events related to the invasion. These events are keyed not to actual time passing in the game world, but fo the levels of the PCs. If you are introduc~ ing the invasion into @ campaign with medium- or high-level PCs, you can simply ignore the earlier parts of the timeline and thrust the characters into the heart of the action sooner than you otherwise might. This timeline is based on the assumption that while the characters are low in level, the lich-queen's forces are far away from the PCs and therefore have litle direct impact on their lives. As they advance 10 higher levels, the invasion draws inexorably nearer until it sur- rounds them and sweeps them up in its tide, Other Ways to Run the Wai There are compelling reasons to fink the success of the invasion to the PCs" successes against the githyanki, but if that seems too heavy handed or artifi- cial to you, you can decide the success of the invasion in many different ways. + One option is to set a limit on the size of the githyanki forces. If you decide that there are go.000 githyanki on the Astral Plane, i's unlikely that even an impressive force like that could hope to dominate the entire world unless it very swifily subjugates and controls the people and armies of a very powerful nation. (On the other hand, if the number of the githyanki is so great as to sees lin iless, the only hope for the workd is that someone kills the lich-queen. Thus beheaded, the githyanki have no leaders of a level higher than i6th, a level shy of what is necessary to cast a single gate spell. « By taking a look at the lich-queen’s tactics and the resources of your world, you could decide the whole course of the war. The war can then play out as you designed, affecting the world as you wish, with the PCs taking parts in the epic struggle. + You could set the course of the war and assign several specific turn- ing points or key evenis that give the PCs a chance to alter the course of the war in predetermined ways. The PCs might take specific actions to change things or their actions could have unintended effects that set into motion a series of events. Levels | to 3 When the characters are just beginning, their careers, the lich-queen’s armies are in the initial stages of their inva~ sion, While exploring nearby areas, githyanki scouts based in subter- ranean hatcheries discover something of interest to the lich-queen—perhaps the fact that this world is the original homeworld of the githyank's ancestors fr some clue to Gith’s whereabouts, or some hint as to the location of the long-dead deity of the githyanki. During this period, the PCs should have only one or two encounters with githyanki-a mere taste of what lies ahead. Such an encounter might involve a small party of low-level sgithyanki scouts that present a signifi~ cant challenge for the PCs (EL = aver- age party level + 2 or 3). See the Githyanki Scouting Party sidebar. Effects on the Invasion: At this stage, the characters can mount no real defense against the githyanki incursion. Their success or Failure in their limited ‘encounters with githyanki has no bear ing on the invasion’s course. Further Encounters IF the PCs have any other exposure to agithyanki this early in the campaign, the contact should be very mysterious, While adventuring underground, for example, they might discover the headless corpse of a mind flayer. Or ‘hey might discover gold coins of an unfamiliar mint, each bearing an inscription. With the use of compre- hhend languages or a successful Decipher Script check, the inscription translates as, "Go forth and conquer all” These were the instructions that the red dragon Ephelomon gave to the first Vlaakith when he presented her with the Scepter of Ephelomon to seal the githyanki pact with his kind. Levels 4 to 6 This is the period in which the lich- queen begins her covert operations 10 subjugate realms close to her target. Ar this level, the PCs can begin 10 have encounters that could affect the course of the invasion. rer Ea GITHYANKI SCOUTING PARTY (EL 5) ‘Atypical scouting party at this level conaais of three githyankl a wst-lovel gihwarrior (usually a fighter or ranger), 2 ist-leval warlock (a soreerer or wis ard), and a and-leve gish (mubiclass gthyank, usually a Fighter Sorcerer CGithwarrior:Githyank! Fighter 1; CR 2; Medium humanoid (exirapla~ nar; HD adio+3: hp 8; lit +2; Spl 20 fn breastplate: base 30 ft [AC 17 touch re, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +1; Grp +93 Atk 45 melee (2d6+3/1g-20, masterwork greatsword); Full Ak +5 melee (246+3/1g-20, mastarwork greatsword); SA psionics: SQ. darkvsion 60 ft, spell resistance 6; AL NE: SV Fort +5, Ref +2, Wil 40: Str 15, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 8 ‘Skls and Feats: Craft (weaponsmithing) +2, Intinidate +s, Spot 2; Dodge, Weapon Focus (greatsword) Peionies (Spl 3/day—daze (DG 9), mage hand. Caster levels Possessions: Breastplate, masterwork grestsword, Warlock: Githyanki Evoker CR 2; Medium humanoid (extraplanar) HD 1dqs3: hp 5: Int 42; Spd 30 ft: AC 12, touch t2 flat-footed vo Base Atk +0; Grp +0; Atk +1 melee (d4/i9-20, masterwork dagger Full Atk +1 melee (144/19-20, masterwork dagger); SA psionic; SQ Aarkvision 6o ft, spell resistance 6; AL NE; SV Fort +3, Ref +2, Wil 42: Sr 1, Dex 15, Con 16, nt 15, Wis 10, Cha 8. ‘Sits and Feats: Concentration +7, Knowledge (arcana) +4 Knowledge (the planes) +4, Speleraft +6, Spot +2; Combar Casting, Scribe Scroll Prionies (Spk 3/day-daze (OC 9), mage hand. Caster lavel it. Wizard Spells Prepared (4/2 save DC 12+ spell level: o-acid splash, detect magic, Mlre, ray of trast s\~ burning hands, mage armor, magic missile. Wizard Speibook (prohibited schools: Ajuration, Enchentment: o- acid splash, arcane mark, dancing ights, derect magic, detect poison,

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