1. Battle Wall GC1

It looms sheer and imposing from the ground, gaining magnificence not from its more than adequate height but from its sheer, breathtaking expanse. Nearly a thousand feet long, the wall gives one standing before it the impression of something greater than man-made. It seems to spring from the ground itself.

The wall is actually 45 feet high around its entire circumference, except where the towers and gate house loom even higher. On the outside it drops in an almost vertical descent- the base of the wall juts only five feet beyond the top. The top of the wall is 20 feet wide around its entire length, while the bottom is 40 feet wide. Thus, the other 15 feet of the bottom's extra width is gained on the inside, which slopes into the courtyard at a much more gentle angle than the outer surface of the wall. Even so, it is too steep and smooth to walk on, though the slope grants thieves a +10 to their percentage chance to climb sheer surfaces here.

The rim of the wall top, both outer and inner, is protected by a five-foot-high parapet, notched every six feet with a two foot-deep, one-foot-wide gap for a defender. There are no stairways con necting the wall top to the ground. The only access is through the towers and buildings.

The wall itself is solid stone. Within its solid surface are a number of gas traps, placed so that any attempt to bore through the wall, employ a passwall spell, or otherwise open a hole into the stone has an 80% chance of striking one.

These traps contain a gas that explodes violently when exposed to air, inflicting 12d6 points of fire damage to anyone within 50 feet of the hole when it is opened. Victims out to a range of 100 feet suffer half-damage from the explosion. All affected are entitled to a saving throw vs. breath weapon, with success reducing the damage by half.

This explosion is directed outward from the wall and does not affect individuals on top of the wall or on other side of the wall.

There are no standard guard postings on the wall itself, for its top is generally clearly visible from the towers. At night, torches placed every 40 feet along the outer rim of the wall cast flickering light and shadows along the wall. Thieves successfully hiding in shadows can cross and avoid notice altogether. Other characters and thieves who fail their hiding attempt stand only a 33% chance of being noticed by guards if they cross the wall top at night. During the day there are no shadows, and there is a 95% chance that an individual is noticed.

Once again, nonchalance pays off, however. Characters who look like they belong there are not accosted by the guards on the tower tops. Check for random encounters on the wall top with the Citadel Random Encounter Table.

GC1: Grand Citadel’s Wall and Towers. The walls are very old and solidly built. The walls are 45 feet high, rising above the city wall. The wall base is 40 feet wide and the top is 20 feet wide; the outside of the wall is very steep, with the base projecting only 5 feet beyond the top, but the inside base projects 15 feet beyond the top for a slightly gentler slope. (Thieves gain a +10 bonus to their chances to climb walls from the inside — not that many get the chance to try.) The top of the wall has a notched parapet providing cover for archers. Access to the wall tops is gained only from the towers, which have stairs inside. The Grand Citadel’s towers are square, each 5O feet across, 70 feet high, and massively built. The top of each tower is covered with a pyramidal roof of slate shingles, fairly resistant to fire and lightning, It is known that spellcasters patrol the towers with the regular Watch guards on an irregular basis.

DM's Notes: Regular guard postings were instituted here as a precaution after the Greyhawk Wars, when public paranoia about half-orc thieves, assassins of Iuz, and Scarlet Brotherhood spies was at a peak. Magic is thought to be used extensively to hide sentries here and detect invisible opponents. The wall itself is rumored to be trapped in devious ways to prevent anyone from bashing or drilling through it. The Grand Citadel is built on dense bedrock, so sapping and mining attempts against it are all but impossible.