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At any given time, the basically Neutral
Evil populace of the village
can turn out
some number of militiamen who are
roughly equal to bandits (Level 0 normal
men, not leaders or other exceptional types)
in armor and weapons. The total number
depends on the circumstances:
Village threatened with destruction 60
Possibly over 1, 000 gp loot 40
Minor loot and easy battle prospects 30
Village leaders demand service 20
Party or force to be attacked is Good 10
In addition, 5-30 actual brigands
are in
Nulb, and turn out if their leaders see the situation
as lucrative enough for their participation.
Whether Tolub's crew (see area 4) is
in the village or not, 2-12 additional pirates
likewise participate if the rewards seem
worthwhile.
The Evil and Good factions in the village
of Nulb are not isolated groups who act randomly
and ignore events elsewhere. If one
place is attacked, someone is likely to see or
hear, and spread the word. A serious combat
at the Boatmens' Tavern (area 4), for
instance, attracts everyone from the Waterside
Hostel (area 1), the citizenry (including
10-40 militiamen), and Otis (area 2), Y'dey,
and Murfles (area 3) as well. The latter three
are aware of such reactions, and in most
cases do not help even Good individuals—
for that would reveal their true identities
and betray their greater purpose.
All this is not to say that a silent, swift,
and deadly attack upon one place or
another is always noticed. But if a noisy or
protracted fight takes place, the results
might prove unpalatable to those causing
the problem.
Otis, Y'dey, and Murfles, as agents of
Good, must be handled as rational, clever,
intelligent, thoughtful individuals. They do
nothing foolish, nor offer aid to unproven
groups. They will not risk losing their cover
identities, let alone their lives, for no purpose.
Conversely, their participation in a
death-stroke to the Temple (an expedition
with purpose, planning, sure goals, and
solid chances for success) is logical and reasonable.
In short—play each and every character
and group as if you yourself were there!
As noted, a handful of men-at-arms are
usually in the village, and will serve for pay.
Because of the repute of the area, these mercenaries
are Evil (Neutral or Chaotic)
or
Chaotic Neutral. Such types
are in the village
mainly to seek service with some bandit
chief or similar person—perhaps even to
hire on with a minion of the Temple. When
mercenaries are encountered by PCs, determine
alignment as given on Mercenary
Table 1.
The alignment of a leader, of course,
determines the bent of a group. Evil men-atarms
will serve with your players' characters,
but are most likely seeking to rob,
abandon, or betray them, depending on the
circumstances. Chaotic Neutral groups are
just that—and possibly dangerous through
their unpredictability and avarice.
If the party is rather on the weak side, you
should alter the probabilities for mercenaries
rather than involve Otis, Y'dey, or
Murfles. The players would tend to rely too
heavily on these NPCs, rather than developing
their own characters' skills. To adjust for
a party in need of strengthening, use Mercenary
Table 2. Assume that each time a PC
enters the Waterside Hostel 5-8 such mercenaries
are present.
Mercenary Table 1 (Normal)
1-3 Chaotic Evil
4-5 Neutral Evil
6 Chaotic Neutral
Mercenary Table 2 (Party in need)
1 Bandits
2-3 Neutral Evil mercenaries
4-6 Neutral mercenaries
Leaders
Mercenaries are led by a second level
fighter, and if more than six are
present, by
a first level "serjeant" as well.
Note that
these leaders are not added to the total; they
form part of the stated group of 5-8. They
do not progress beyond their stated levels.
Troop Types
Each group of mercenaries always contains
the following types of troops and
weaponry. Each mercenary has 1-2 daggers
as well, usable as either thrown or handheld
weapons.
Light crossbowmen: 2
Spearmen: All remaining men
Swordsmen: Leader + Serjeant
Armor
The leader and serjeant have chain mail
and shield (AC 4). Spearmen have ring mail
and shield (AC 6). Crossbowmen
have
leather armor and shield (AC 7, AC
8 while
firing).
If Otis requests aid, Burne (at Hommlet)
assists magic-users, furnishing
them with
spells for their books at the cost of
1, 000 gp
per spell level. He offers only the following
spells:
First level
burning hands
magic missile
protection from evil
shield
spider climb
ventriloquism
Second level
audible glamer
continual light
levitate
ray of enfeeblement
web
Third level
dispel magic
fireball
suggestion
tongues
Furthermore, if Otis happens to be along
on an adventure during which the true numbers
and power of the Temple are revealed,
he informs Burne. The latter will, in turn,
summon powerful characters from Veluna
and Verbobonc. They remain in Hommlet,
but aid in training and
preparing the adventurers
to gain levels of experience. Costs
are
as shown in the AD&D® DUNGEON MASTERS
GUIDE, but time is cut by 50% due to
concentrated efforts.
The village of Nulb is filthy, ramshackle,
and still fairly active despite the destruction
of the Temple. The buildings are of turf,
mud brick, crudely hewn logs, and old timbers
from boats. One or two have stone
foundations and proper boards, but even
these are in need of repair. The inhabitants
of the village are boatmen, fishers, herdsmen,
farmers, and the like. It is apparent
that no one manages to make much of a living
in Nulb, and as it is such a poor place, it
is generally ignored by lords and bandits
alike.
A small amount of commerce moves
along the Low Road, as well as into Nulb
from the Velverdyva, as Imeryds Run is
wide and deep enough for the small river
vessels to use for offloading cargo and likewise
embarking it from Nulb, north of the
ford there. Only four points in the entire village
are noteworthy.
>> 1.
<see 114>
<see 228a>
<see 238>
<see 243>
Sounds familiar.
My group spent a lot of time
with adventures in Nulb and Stoink.
That's another reason why
I didn'd add more dungeon levels to the Temple...no need, as dungeon crawling
was not paramount 
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by tintagel
Ok Mr. Gygax, this isn't
as much of a question as it is a request for you to review my work - work
that's a tribute to the Temple of Elemental Evil. Please don't be turned
off - this is serious work that I hope you will find interesting - if not
a bit nostalgic.
I'm running the Temple now for the 4th time since I purchased it as a kid. For the first time, however, we are converting it to 3.5E and using a virtual tabletop software (www.d20pro.com). This software lets us play directly on the maps, even over internet, and use the software to track initiative, hp, and effects. Well, I started mapping some with Dundjinni, and I got really into the artistic process of creating vivid and highly detailed maps.
I mention this only because
it's what prompted me to start my project... To render the entire Temple
of Elemental Evil module maps in high resolution (100 pixels / 5 ft), with
details matching the Boxed text of the original module. To put things into
perspective - the 1st Dungeon Level is 7,000 x 9,000 pixels in size. If
printed at miniature scale, it would be 5' 10" by 7' 6" in size. Luckily,
we project the image digitally, so we don't have to use that much ink... 
These maps follow the original boxed text in the module pretty faithfully, even including small details like footprints in the Moathouse courtyard, the hidden broadsword behind a shelf in one room, and even items on tables. If the text has it, I try to include it. Our group has had a great time, and they love the details, but I thought you and Frank might be particularly interested. So far, I've mapped Nulb, the Moathouse, the Inn of the Welcome Wench, the broken tower, and the 1st dungeon level. I have also created a 3D model (& animated flyby) of the temple itself. Oh, and we also have put together a wiki for our campaign (warning: this is NOT canon!!).
Please take a moment to view my work and know that your work inspired a young kid to play this amazing game in the first place. I'm still playing, and revisiting my favorite childhood module in a new light.
My maps: http://www.danielrivera.org/maps.htm
Thanks for your consideration.
This has made my 
,
week, and probably month. 
Well...not to disappoint
you, but there is no way that I will actually review such a project in
depth.
I did have a brief look
at the maps--very nice indeed!
Note that old taverns in
Europe did and still do not have seating at the bar.
The bar is a plank that
keeps the customers away from the liquor supply and provides a place where
the barkeep can place drinks ordered.
So do get rid of the barstools
in the Welcome Wench 
I have no idea where that
map purporting to be of Nulb came from BTW.
It is not one that I did,
nor do I believe that Frank did it.
He did only the 3rd and
4th levels of the ToEE to the best of my knowledge, stepping in to complete
the place when I was too busy to get to the project in a timely manner.
Of course after more than
two decades I could well be wrong. I'll have to ask Frank about this.
Your project is ambitious and certainly worthwhile. I congratulate you, and it is certain that your players will very much benefit from your considerable efforts.
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vargo
Gary,
The weird thing is I remember that map of Nulb - it was in the T1-4 "book" released in 1985. No idea who made it, though.
That was after I was directing
such matters at TSR.
Cheers,
Gary
>> 1.