Some time ago, I purchased the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. Some of my players were really excited by it and the prospect of playing in the Realms, not that they'd done anything more than play Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights, but that's okay. The only other experience I've had with the realms is reading several of the Drizzt books. I've looked through the campaign setting, but I just couldn't bring myself to run a FR for two reasons:
1. I've got a homebrew that I've been working on for a long time, and am fairly attatched to. I don't want to just desert it, and I get the feeling that once we start in FR, we won't go back, since the players won't like switching pantheons left and right, etc.
2. Here's the important part: I keep feeling like I'm reading the book, but missing some key part about what I, as a DM, should be doing to my campaign to make it Faerunian as opposed to any other setting. Eberron has a very unique feel to it; the book comes right out and says, "Here, this is the atmosphere we are trying to capture." It introduces a lot of new rules and concepts that have a feel peculiar to that setting. Also, when I'm dealing with my homebrew, I have a since of placement and scope. I know who does what, when they did/are going to do it, what their attitudes are, how the people should be and towns should look, and good adventure ideas to capture the mood of all that. I feel that I'm missing that with FR.
So, please, write away, players and DMs, and tell me, in your experience, what sets apart the Realms from every other D&D world you've ever played in, besides NPC and place names? What have you percieved as a player that was special? What did you do as a DM that was unique?
Here is what I did when I first DMed the Realms (with a group of newcomers to the FR). Maybe it's a good tip when a group starts with the Realms:
1 - link the main plot to an existing FR evil organisation
The FR has a lot of intrigues going on, with many various evil, neutral or good aligned groups. A good way to root the plot and the characters in the setting is to let them interact, join or oppose these groups.
You could pit them against the Zentharim or the Cult of the Dragon and/or have them work (without really being sure, but guessing) for the Harpers.
If you have "Waterdeep: City of Splendors", you have access to the description of many organisations and power groups. Otherwise, the best source for evil organisations is the excellent "Lords of Darkness".
2 - Make the Divine presence be felt
The gods should NOT appear themselves, that's usually really bad and boring, but the FR is nevertheless very influenced by its divinities and it should be felt. You could have a sub-plot involving a fight between two faiths or put a strong evil Cleric in the ranks of the ennemies.
But it should not be about having a non-descript Cleric. Try to give out indications of the theological inclination of the different parties and give your players an insight of the various divine fights going on (usually enacted by the believers) in the Realms .
For example, you could have the Zentharim cell be led by a Cyricist cleric. Your players would then be able to see a Cyricist in action and learn to hate the god and its followers. You could also create a situation where they would have to ally with a follower of Bane or Mask (two evil deities opposing Cyric), even though they would be otherwise ennemies, to vanquish that Cyricist.
3 - Try to show them the background
Their adventure does not happen in a vacuum. Maybe it has ties to events that happened in the official Realms? For example if you are playing in or around Cormyr you could describe how the country is trying to recover from the war with the fiendish Dragon and show them the War Wizards in action.
They should get a chance to see that they are part of a wider world and the Realms is so richly described in many books so you have a lot of sources to draw from when describing the background in which they operate
4 - do NOT use the Chosen or other über-NPCs
I really hate when that happens. The players are the heroes and I do not like stealing their thunder. Anyway the Chosen are probably busy saving the Realms from some über-menace so they don't have the time to be there.
My players do not even know the Chosen or Drizzt exist (they do not own the FRCS or read FR novels).
That's really basic, but that way they will get to see what the Realms history and background is, while directly interacting with it and becoming a part of it.
Just my two cents.
Bocklin
...Try to show them the background...
I have DMed good and bad campaigns in different games and genres, and I've learned one crucial lesson:
Immersing players in the world is the single most important task to get them to enjoy the campaign.
A believable world (and one they feel they fit into) requires lots of little details (people, places, and history), often having nothing to do with the actual plot.
For what it's worth, published campaign worlds have that work done for you, so getting that immersion is quicker and easier.
Not quite on topic, sorry :)
Jack
As Steven Schend pointed out to those of us that frequent Candlekeep, everything in the Realms has a story. At low levels you may want to get very familiar with, and detail, a small area. There are tons of smaller areas that have ruins nearby to explore, or hooks that just scream to be exploited.
Every time you see a name on the map, look it up, because there is more to it. As I said, there is just so much detail. I have heard others complain about this amount of detail. All I can say is this: If you want to put in the time and effort, its very rewarding, because the setting will feel like a real place. If you don't have the time, then it may not be for you. Its not a right or wrong thing, its a style and concept thing.
I agree with Bocklin, another mistake that a lot of people have is to tie a famous NPC into a plot rather than just tying in a power group of the like. Power groups are very important to the Realms, and if one is interested in an occurance, more are likely to be. My PCs got tangled up in a situation in Anauroch that ended up having them cross paths with the Bedine, a cult within the Bedine, the Harpers, and the Shadovar. They also ran into an Extaminaar in Battledale that was spying on a local snake cult, some Malaugrym, and selling information to the Sembians.
Its not as daunting as it sounds either. You can show the interest from another group easily with a breif cameo, but one that is memorable to the PCs. You don't need to fully flesh out the agent of whoever they run into, just have them pop in and weasel some info, then dart back out. Enough to have your PCs thinking . . . "Why did he want to know that." Kinda like Chris Farley having all those answers in Wayne's World, except there really is a reason for it.
To repeat my point and agree with both KnightErrantJR and Bocklin -- it's the little details, not the big NPCs and events.
If anything, you want your players' exploits to be the important ones in the campaign -- why overshadow them with Elminister's (or Mordenkainen's, or whoever's)
Jack
No problem with not using Deus ex Machina. I dispise that. I figure that the epic NPCs are best used as stories to be talked about in taverns, or patrons for adventures once the Pcs hit 15th level or higher, but not to just pop in and save the day when the %&*^ hits the fan. Thanks for the help, everyone, and keep the replies coming. So far, my interpretation is lots of A.) Evil wizards, B.) Divine intrigue, C.) Dragons as Important Things, D.) Political intrigue, and, of course, E.) Drow (joke). :)
Three reasons my group has travelled the Realms for almost 10 years:
Depth, Depth, and Depth.
The following is from Ed Greenwood, Mr. Forgotten Realms himself (Originally posted at Candlekeep):
The Realms is a vast, very detailed world with a long and still-vigorously-unfolding history, and many, many characters. The Realms IS those characters, and if a DM doesn’t present it as a vast, everchanging webwork of intrigues and clashing interests, where caravans move from A to B for good reasons, and rulers (unless mad) don’t operate in a vacuum of whims but grapple with issues (the competing interests of their subjects, not just attacks from rival realms) small and large every day, the DM isn’t really showing players the Realms.
Any style of gaming can be accommodated by the Realms, even the simplest dungeon-crawls or “exploring your own small village and the haunted keep on the hill,” so those who play in it need not memorize huge reams of facts or have its entire bewildering complexity dumped on their heads at any time - - but unlike all of the other available published settings, the Realms has a LOT of detail available for the DM who wants to know WHY two noble families have been feuding for centuries, or who around this crowded royal council table has family or business ties or personal loves and hatreds with who else around the table, or what will happen diplomatically, as one consequence leads to another, if the PCs murder this envoy and frame a local bailiff for the killing (or the bailiff frames the PCs). In the Realms, people live ‘real lives.’ They need food (and usually money), they need water, they have to defecate somewhere, they usually have to obey local laws or customs (or flee to live “outlaw”), and almost all of that has been covered somewhere, in Realms fiction or DRAGON articles or Realms gaming products.
The trade routes (and winds, currents, shortages, and exports that affect them) are outlined, and a lot of Faerûnian laws and customs, slang, and even fashions have been written about: if you love detailed lore, or have a need to plunder that detail for your own gaming world or for any other purpose, it’s there. This much detail isn’t what all gamers want or like, but unlike most other settings, the Realms offers you a choice, because the information is there; we’ve done the work.
Thanks again, everyone. The next question is, "What supplements should I get?" I only have the FRCS, and one of my players has Races of Faerun. What else is really good material to get? My first foray into the Realms is going to be with Age of Worms, so are there any really good FR sourcebooks to get my hands on while running this campaign?
Well, if you are planning on following Eric Boyd's conversion notes, City of Splendors: Waterdeep is a definate must, but then again . . . I love Waterdeep. Depending on how heroic or villainous your PCs end up being, you may want to get Champions of Valor or Champions of Ruin, and the Player's Guide to Faerun clears up anything that changed rules wise between 3rd edtion and 3.5.
Oh, and download the free "The North" boxed set from WOTC's site, since it has a whole booklet on Daggerford, the town that replaces Diamond Lake in Eric Boyd's conversion notes. You can find it here:
http://www.wizards.com/forgottenrealms/thenorth.asp
Thanks again, everyone. The next question is, "What supplements should I get?" I only have the FRCS, and one of my players has Races of Faerun. What else is really good material to get? My first foray into the Realms is going to be with Age of Worms, so are there any really good FR sourcebooks to get my hands on while running this campaign?
Hey Saern,
I would definitly get the "City of Splendors" book. I am a Greyhawk guy, but I can't help but be impressed with this book. My buddy is running a campaign in FR and has started out in Waterdeep. If you are going to do AoW in FR this is a great city to use as the "Free City". Others in this posting have said it and I'll repeat it, detail, detail, detail. The unique plants, days of the week, festivals. They all make Whatever campaign you are running Feel like that campaign. Good Luck! :)-Rath
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Thanks again, everyone. The next question is, "What supplements should I get?" I only have the FRCS, and one of my players has Races of Faerun. What else is really good material to get? My first foray into the Realms is going to be with Age of Worms, so are there any really good FR sourcebooks to get my hands on while running this campaign?
As some of the other writers mentioned: start small. For starters the FRCS is optimal. Supplemental books can be somewhat overwhelming if you are new to the Realms.
You wrote that you already have a campaign (AoW) which you want to transfer to the FR. Use it, adapt it to the Realms, according to the conversion tips by Eric L. Boyd and start...
After the campaign your players will have reached level 18, got to know Waterdeep and huge chunks of western Faerûn, and you will know which places you will want to send them to next.
Maybe you grew curious before, maybe you will want to dig for more realmian information later: as some people wrote, there is quite some free material available at candlekeep or on www.wizards.com (both 2nd edition products and 3rd edition online material).
On the other hand there are the WotC supplements. They contain more recent events and of course lots of rule oriented material. So e.g. if your players are not content with the range of PrC offered in the Core Books and in the FRCS, you will find plenty of new ones in there (plus more information about the Realms).
Some of my favourites (just a matter of taste!):
- City of Splendors (if you want to work out Waterdeep, reall good supplement);
- Ancient Empires (I have a weakness for the FORGOTTEN Realms in The Realms);
- Silver Marches (a regional supplement, some of Salvatore's novels cover that area, plus: if you walk east from Waterdeep, you will find yourself there);
- Champions of Ruin (if you are in the need of more villains/ evil organizations).
Ok. Enough for now... ;-)
Enjoy your time in the Realms!
Günther
The best thing about owning the Forgotten Realms Campaign Sourcebook is you can take any piece of information you want and inject it in to your own setting with minimal work.
If you really care about the world youve created then use it and take ideas from the FR books. You can use the information provided without actually living in FR.
For example, you could use the Zhentarim in your campaign. You could change the name or leave it. All the information on the Zhentarim is provided. You just need to tweak a few things to make it a part of your world.
There is no need to throw away all of your hard work, especially if you really care for it.
so are there any really good FR sourcebooks to get my hands on while running this campaign?
Not a sourcebook but...
In case you haven't had your fill of Drow or the Underdark...the City of the Spider Queen is a nice module to advance characters from 10th lvl to 18th lvl. We're about 1/2 way through it right now. It's pretty challanging but an nice long module.
so are there any really good FR sourcebooks to get my hands on while running this campaign?
I also still have a place in my heart for the original FR Campaign Setting box set. I still read though those from time to time. That's where I cut my chops on the FR.
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Thanks again, everyone. The next question is, "What supplements should I get?" I only have the FRCS, and one of my players has Races of Faerun. What else is really good material to get? My first foray into the Realms is going to be with Age of Worms, so are there any really good FR sourcebooks to get my hands on while running this campaign?
Depending on which edition of dnd you're playing(3.0 or 3.5),if running 3.5, i recommend Player's guide of Faerun. Where exactly in the Realms you playing AOW anyway?
Thanks again, everyone. The next question is, "What supplements should I get?" I only have the FRCS, and one of my players has Races of Faerun. What else is really good material to get? My first foray into the Realms is going to be with Age of Worms, so are there any really good FR sourcebooks to get my hands on while running this campaign?Depending on which edition of dnd you're playing(3.0 or 3.5),if running 3.5, i recommend Player's guide of Faerun. Where exactly in the Realms you playing AOW anyway?
I'll be playing 3.5, relocating Diamond Lake to Daggerford and the Free City to Waterdeep, as detailed in the Overload. Just starting in the Realms, I'd prefer to go by the conversion notes as much as possible while I get used to the setting, as I wish to stay fairly true to what canon I know and am learning.
BEWARE THE REALMS!
The innkeeper can TPK, archmages abound, and anywhere worth going to is really too dangerous for you.
Was it meant to be?
I read something from Ed Greenwood lately where he had actually hoped to avoid having stats for the NPCs in FR. He was thinking in terms of "Elminster (high(est) level mage), Tomkin the bartender (retired low-level fighter), Sigtor (mid-level Bard)", and so forth.
I would highly recommend adjusting the stats of the NPCs to suit the needs of your story. Using the materials as written, low-midlevel adventurers are cheap, commonplace, and rarely of note until 11th level plus. (Which, in referring to Legend Lore, is supposed to be legendary, not merely noteworthy.) The power balance as written is implausibly stable and PC efforts should have minimal effect on such powerful factions.
Change it. Make your PCs count, make the ability to Raise or Teleport across a nation noteworthy. Lower the base levels.
That said, the Forgotten Realms is, perhaps with the exception of Middle Earth, the best-developed fictional world ever with nations, cultures, histories, rivalries, & places to suit most any storyline you need to place within.
BTW, just who forgot the "Forgotten Realms"?
With everybodys posts its good. I play the old 2nd and 1st editions of D&D so I havent even looked at the new campain setting. With that said all I use the forgotten realms for is the back drop and names on the maps. Everything else I make up that is the fun part of D&D you can do WHAT YOU WANT TO. Like it says in the forward of the 2nd edition DMG "MAKE IT UP" and have fun with it. If you get to involved with the rules the game gets boring. Thats my fellings on the forgotten realms. Have fun with it and enjoy.
I will only buy this if they bring out a 3.5 re-print. Anyone know when/if it will happen?
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 4, RPG Superstar 2011 Top 16
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Using the materials as written, low-midlevel adventurers are cheap, commonplace, and rarely of note until 11th level plus. (Which, in referring to Legend Lore, is supposed to be legendary, not merely noteworthy.)
Well Legend Lore is written with levels 1-20 in mind. Epic levels didn't exist when it was designed.
-"I am a Vrock, I'm a Tanar'ri!"
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I'll be playing 3.5, relocating Diamond Lake to Daggerford and the Free City to Waterdeep, as detailed in the Overload. Just starting in the Realms, I'd prefer to go by the conversion notes as much as possible while I get used to the setting, as I wish to stay fairly true to what canon I know and am learning.Thanks again, everyone. The next question is, "What supplements should I get?" I only have the FRCS, and one of my players has Races of Faerun. What else is really good material to get? My first foray into the Realms is going to be with Age of Worms, so are there any really good FR sourcebooks to get my hands on while running this campaign?Depending on which edition of dnd you're playing(3.0 or 3.5),if running 3.5, i recommend Player's guide of Faerun. Where exactly in the Realms you playing AOW anyway?
Nothing wrong with that despite what the purists say. as for running a faerunian style campaign all i can say is don't let the high fantasy overwhelm you and your group. As it is stated in FRCS:it may be a published campaign but its still your world.
Here's another question that I thought of recently: The Cosmology of the Realms. There is a cosomology detailed in the back of the FRCS, but the plane names are, I think (braces for rocks to be thrown) stupid. Dwarfhome? Dweomerheart? Hmmm... I prefer the semi-real world/mixed mythologies naming system of the Great Wheel, personally. I have yet to decide if I'm going to keep the Great Wheel in my FR or not. But, that's not the point. :)
I was recently looking over a 2e PDF (The North) recommended for download to run FR AoW. In it, as I perused, I noticed that some the deities were listed as residing in planes such as Ysgard, which is Great Wheel. Then, there's the Hordes of the Underdark expansion of Neverwinter Nights. I've no idea its accuracy to the "core Realms canon," but it used references to Sigil, Pandemonium, and even the Great Wheel itself.
What gives? Are these disreputable sources, or was there a cosmology switch when the Realms went to 3.x?
For what it's worth, I think the deities are one of the most important (and underappreciated) aspects of FR. In the wake of the Godswar, all dieties must strive for new worshippers in order to thrive and/or survive. The fact that virtually *everyone* in the Realms has a divine patron cannot be overstated.
As far as supplements go, I like the Underdark, Unapproachable East, and Champions of Valor (the Triadic Knight PrC is awesome).
And finally, with regards to the cosmology, well, if you're just getting started, I think you have time to put that issue off for later. ;-) Just my $0.02!
The main thing about the planes and the gods residing on them is that Ed envisioned the "Main God" of a group of gods and those gods beholden to that god to all dwell together. In other words, Talos, Auril, and Malar should have a common plane, but separate domains, Tyr, Torm, and Ilmater should be on the same plane, Mystra, Azuth, Savras, and Velsharoon are all on one plane, etc.
WAY back in the old grey boxed set of 1st edition, some of the current planar names are used (though not all), but the point is that different faiths might refer to planes differently. Oh, and if you keep the Great Wheel, you may consider Hell and the Abyss being free from deities, and only being the purvue of the devils and demons.
And when questioned about the change in cosmology, Ed points out that either side could be right or neither. The planes and the gods are suppose to be complex, mysterious things that mortals never really fully understand (i.e. if you like the Great Wheel, keep using it).
I most likely will keep using the Great Wheel; now I have to decide who goes where....
Okay, just doing the research into my old 2nd edition books came up with a list for you. These were the last official domains within the Great Wheel cosmology (i.e. before FR got its own specific cosmology). And yes, they changed from some of the 1st edition domains (see my apparently incongruous comment above):
Akadi (Elemental Plane of Air)
Auril (Pandemonium)
Azuth (Arcadia)
Bane (Acheron)
Beshaba (Abyss)
Bhaal (Dead, Gehenna)
Chauntea (Elysium)
Cyric (Pandemonium)
Deneir (Beastlands)
Eldath (Elysium)
Gond (Outlands)
Grumbar (Elemental Plane of Earth)
Helm (Mechanus)
Ilmater (Bytopia)
Ishtishia (Elemental Plane of Water)
Kelemvor (The Gray Wastes)
Kossuth (Elemental Plane of Fire)
Lathander (Elysium)
Lliira (Arborea)
Loviatar (Gehenna)
Malar (Carceri)
Mask (The Grey Wastes)(Might consider Plane of Shadow in 3.5)
Mileikki (Beastlands)
Milil (Beastlands)
Mystra (Elysium)
Oghma (Outlands)
Selune (Ysgard)
Shar (The Grey Wastes)(Might consider Plane of Shadow in 3.5)
Shaundakul (Ysgard)
Silvanus (Outlands)
Sune (Arborea)
Talona (Carceri)
Talos (Pandemonium)
Tempus (Limbo)
Torm (Mount Celestia)
Tymora (Arborea)
Tyr (Mount Celestia)
Umberlee (Abyss)
Waukeen (Outlands)
Finder (Arborea)
Garagos (Pandemonium)
Velsharoon (Gehenna)