How to capture the mystique of the realms [Archive] - Wizards Community

How to capture the mystique of the realms [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Ryan_Singer
11-10-05, 08:31 PM I have been a Realms player and avid fan for 7 years now. I'm about to start a new game, and it's with a group just coming out of an eberron game, and we have decided to play in the realms. For all of them, the Eberron game was their first D&D experience, and they loved it.

Do any Realms GM's have any advice for how to bring the wonder of the realms to life for these players?

Also, one player has asked to play an Artificer, should I allow it? If so, how should his backstory account for his unusual training?
Karsus the Mad
11-10-05, 10:38 PM Do any Realms GM's have any advice for how to bring the wonder of the realms to life for these players?
Anywhere:D ALL of the Realms are wondrous:P Ok, so maybe that doesn't really help.
Also, one player has asked to play an Artificer, should I allow it? If so, how should his backstory account for his unusual training?
You might want to introduce him to the Gnome Artificer PrC from MoF, and see if he's cool with that. But if he (and you) feel eberron's Artificer is better, you can still give it a similar backstory as that of the Gnome Artificer.
Gray Richardson
11-11-05, 01:00 AM Gond is the god of fabrication and craft. I imagine that artificers might be found in places where Gond has a big following. Lantan would be a good place for an artificer to come from. Gnomish communities too. Gnomes seem a natural fit.

As for bringing a sense of wonder to the Realms in your game, I would show the players some of the interesting sights of the realms. Show them Waterdeep, show them Silverymoon, Show them Cormyr or the Dales. A strong sense of place, colorful details and interesting characters will pique their interest. Grab a regional sourcebook like the Silver Marches book, or City of Splendors, or the Shining South or Unapproachable East. Use details from these books to give your players a vivid picture of the world and a strong sense of setting.

Then drop in a lot of little references to fallen empirers like Netheril and the cities that fell from the sky. Mention god-kings of Mulhorand, and ancient elves who abandonned their empires for an island across the sea. Pepper your game with hints of lost history. Yuan-Ti who lie in wait beneath the earth. Serpent Kingdoms and Lost Empires of Faerun are both great books to draw on for that sense of Wonder.

Then, since conflict is the bread and butter of a game, you want to give the players interesting villains. Pick up Lords of Darkness or Champions of Ruin in order to give you great Realms adversaries that your players will never forget. I still use Lords of Darkness to add spice to my campaigns. I have used the Arcane Brotherhood of Luskan extensively to vex my players, and also such groups as the Nightmasks, the Eldreth Veluuthra, the church of Shar, church of Cyric, Cult of the Dragon, Beholders, Red Wizards and so on have all played an important role too in my games at one time or another.

Also, the religions of Faerūn can provide a lot of great flavor. My players have strong memories of haggling with a priestess of Waukeen over a raise dead spell for one of their companions. They remember the warm reception they got from a temple of Sune one time... And another time they made a contribution at the church of Tymora and spun a wheel, winning a lucky coin that played a major part in an adventure a few games later.

Good luck with your campaign, sounds like your players have a lot of fun in store for them! :)
BrianCritchley
11-11-05, 01:39 AM the best way to capture the feel of faerun is to remember the feel can be slightly differnt. campaigning in the North can have a very... middle earth feel. great mountain ranges, vast lush forests. small towns, and great and powerful cities of magic and mystery. ruins of lost civilizations, elf man and dwarf. orc hoards constantly threatening to destroy the civilizations..
Another Gnome
11-11-05, 04:53 AM Think big, act small; that's how I find it easiest to get immeresed in the Realms. Start from the bottom, kill a few kobolds, romp dungeons, get drunk. Repeat. Heroics can wait for the heroes to simply live out their lives in the meanwhile.

The experiences I've had with my group has pointed out in no uncertain terms that the easiest way to kill the excitement of the larger-than-life events taking place in the Realms is by caring a rat's arse about them. The world's not going to end just because a few adventurers have better things to do than stop the evil overlord and his minions; the setting is there for the PCs, not the other way around.
Asche
11-11-05, 05:39 AM If you are willing to invest some work into reading/research, I suggest using the "Unapproachable East" Book and use Thay as the most prevalent power during the first few levels. Perhaps start out in Rashemen if the characters fit in there, or Telflamm as a seaside city with lots of foreigners works too.
This region, moreso than most others, has a unique style I think, a sense of character, its own rules.... in my opinion, the best and most creatively designed corner of the Realms.

If you like to go with more traditional areas and themes, Cormyr fits the bill quite well too, I would suggest reading "Cormyr A Novel" "Beyond the High Road" "Death of a Dragon" if you want to use the most important storyline, the invasion of Nalavara and her goblin minions, which makes for a great mix of warfare (something that might be new to them if they come from Eberron), larger-than-life characters (short glimpses of Azoun, or Alusair, maybe during a recovery phase at a Purple Dragons encampment) yet it leaves many opportunities for individual heroics (espionage at the sembian border, seek and destroy of goblin lairs, even diplomatic missions to faraway allies seeking for help)

The one big thing you should NOT do is feed the prejudice about the realms being about high-level NPCs mit artifacts going on a rampage. This, in my experience, detracts more from the setting than it adds for authenticy (sp?) especially in case of such universally powerful good-guy NPCs like Elminster, Khelben Blackstaff, or the Simbul. As bad guys though, Szass Tam always worked great for me.
Ltlconf
11-12-05, 06:51 PM Hello Folks,

I've played the Realms since it's first box set release in the Eighties. It quickly replaced Greyhawk (though I've kept a soft spot for Mystara :D ) and I've kept it as my main campaign setting ever since. However, as others here have said and done, I've pruned elements and metaplot devices as I saw fit and still do. I've shocked and ticked off many a player by simply telling 'em "Nope, that doesn't apply here :P " so feel free to do so yourself. For color have your players watch such films as Ladyhawke (how the Realms seems to approach adventure), The Lord Of The Rings (how the races seem to interact), and any film of the early to mid-Rennaissance Period (which the Realms most resembles technologicaly and culturaly) such as any of the excellent recent Shakespeare (he and his plays) and Elizabeth-oriented movies. If nothing else show scenes for color and examples of how folks act. Feel free, as I did, to change population levels of cities, regions, or nations up or down. I usually go down, the Silver Marches and North especially seem to have ALOT of folks per square mile for a frontier :thinks:. Just my opinion :P, no flames please.
Also, don't take the maps TOO seriously. Tolkein's maps were the pattern for every fantasy map ever since, but he forgot to explain that when Medieval mappers (his model) drew "forest" they meant either untouched virgin woods (alot of such at the time) or legal "forest" (hunting preserves, such as Sherwood, that were untouchable to the axe. And don't think Robin didn't use THAT little fact :smirk:). The "open" territory shown had the sort of woods you see across the rural American South and Great lakes today: Stretches of forest picked over for lumber and deadfall broken up by farms and pasture land.
Don't forget, wildlife is EVERYWHERE! Bird and insect song is constant. When a predator is around, the silence is DEAFNING. It'd be like all noise in Manhatten during rush hour STOPPING. As so much of the Realms is rural use the huge open spaces, color of the seasons, sounds of nature and weather (much as Tolkein and Jackson did for LOTR) to make an impact on your players. Nature itself kills easier than anything don't be afraid to use this. rember monsters are only monster if you've never heard of or seen the critter before. The "monster" you see everyday is just wildlife (a Nile crocodile was considered a monster in Medieval Europe, while a Russion Grizzly is seen as a monster on the Nile). Use this to make the world itself strange and unusual when they travel.
Most importantly: DO NOT LET YOUR PLAYERS SEE A WORLD MAP! Nothing kills mystery quicker than having a player read the worldbook from cover to cover. The officail world map is accurate (it has to be) and meant for GM eyes only, the maps the players see should never be accurate and rare to boot. Make one of the region you are playing in for the players to use that is hand drawn and on plain paper, and somewhat stylized (Tolkein's were relative as he himself admited and never meant to be taken as a literal spatial maps) and let them use this one. As they move on they MAY aquire new maps, not always accurate, to guide their way, sorta. A world map will only as accurate as the artist's knowledge. This also gives you greater control over travel time, especialy as roads are never straight, and how much the character actually knows. Just some ideas :devil:

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Ryan_Singer 11-10-05, 08:31 PM	I have been a Realms player and avid fan for 7 years now. I'm about to start a new game, and it's with a group just coming out of an eberron game, and we have decided to play in the realms. For all of them, the Eberron game was their first D&D experience, and they loved it. Do any Realms GM's have any advice for how to bring the wonder of the realms to life for these players? Also, one player has asked to play an Artificer, should I allow it? If so, how should his backstory account for his unusual training?
Karsus the Mad 11-10-05, 10:38 PM	Do any Realms GM's have any advice for how to bring the wonder of the realms to life for these players? Anywhere:D ALL of the Realms are wondrous:P Ok, so maybe that doesn't really help. Also, one player has asked to play an Artificer, should I allow it? If so, how should his backstory account for his unusual training? You might want to introduce him to the Gnome Artificer PrC from MoF, and see if he's cool with that. But if he (and you) feel eberron's Artificer is better, you can still give it a similar backstory as that of the Gnome Artificer.
Gray Richardson 11-11-05, 01:00 AM	Gond is the god of fabrication and craft. I imagine that artificers might be found in places where Gond has a big following. Lantan would be a good place for an artificer to come from. Gnomish communities too. Gnomes seem a natural fit. As for bringing a sense of wonder to the Realms in your game, I would show the players some of the interesting sights of the realms. Show them Waterdeep, show them Silverymoon, Show them Cormyr or the Dales. A strong sense of place, colorful details and interesting characters will pique their interest. Grab a regional sourcebook like the Silver Marches book, or City of Splendors, or the Shining South or Unapproachable East. Use details from these books to give your players a vivid picture of the world and a strong sense of setting. Then drop in a lot of little references to fallen empirers like Netheril and the cities that fell from the sky. Mention god-kings of Mulhorand, and ancient elves who abandonned their empires for an island across the sea. Pepper your game with hints of lost history. Yuan-Ti who lie in wait beneath the earth. Serpent Kingdoms and Lost Empires of Faerun are both great books to draw on for that sense of Wonder. Then, since conflict is the bread and butter of a game, you want to give the players interesting villains. Pick up Lords of Darkness or Champions of Ruin in order to give you great Realms adversaries that your players will never forget. I still use Lords of Darkness to add spice to my campaigns. I have used the Arcane Brotherhood of Luskan extensively to vex my players, and also such groups as the Nightmasks, the Eldreth Veluuthra, the church of Shar, church of Cyric, Cult of the Dragon, Beholders, Red Wizards and so on have all played an important role too in my games at one time or another. Also, the religions of Faerūn can provide a lot of great flavor. My players have strong memories of haggling with a priestess of Waukeen over a raise dead spell for one of their companions. They remember the warm reception they got from a temple of Sune one time... And another time they made a contribution at the church of Tymora and spun a wheel, winning a lucky coin that played a major part in an adventure a few games later. Good luck with your campaign, sounds like your players have a lot of fun in store for them! :)
BrianCritchley 11-11-05, 01:39 AM	the best way to capture the feel of faerun is to remember the feel can be slightly differnt. campaigning in the North can have a very... middle earth feel. great mountain ranges, vast lush forests. small towns, and great and powerful cities of magic and mystery. ruins of lost civilizations, elf man and dwarf. orc hoards constantly threatening to destroy the civilizations..
Another Gnome 11-11-05, 04:53 AM	Think big, act small; that's how I find it easiest to get immeresed in the Realms. Start from the bottom, kill a few kobolds, romp dungeons, get drunk. Repeat. Heroics can wait for the heroes to simply live out their lives in the meanwhile. The experiences I've had with my group has pointed out in no uncertain terms that the easiest way to kill the excitement of the larger-than-life events taking place in the Realms is by caring a rat's arse about them. The world's not going to end just because a few adventurers have better things to do than stop the evil overlord and his minions; the setting is there for the PCs, not the other way around.
Asche 11-11-05, 05:39 AM	If you are willing to invest some work into reading/research, I suggest using the "Unapproachable East" Book and use Thay as the most prevalent power during the first few levels. Perhaps start out in Rashemen if the characters fit in there, or Telflamm as a seaside city with lots of foreigners works too. This region, moreso than most others, has a unique style I think, a sense of character, its own rules.... in my opinion, the best and most creatively designed corner of the Realms. If you like to go with more traditional areas and themes, Cormyr fits the bill quite well too, I would suggest reading "Cormyr A Novel" "Beyond the High Road" "Death of a Dragon" if you want to use the most important storyline, the invasion of Nalavara and her goblin minions, which makes for a great mix of warfare (something that might be new to them if they come from Eberron), larger-than-life characters (short glimpses of Azoun, or Alusair, maybe during a recovery phase at a Purple Dragons encampment) yet it leaves many opportunities for individual heroics (espionage at the sembian border, seek and destroy of goblin lairs, even diplomatic missions to faraway allies seeking for help) The one big thing you should NOT do is feed the prejudice about the realms being about high-level NPCs mit artifacts going on a rampage. This, in my experience, detracts more from the setting than it adds for authenticy (sp?) especially in case of such universally powerful good-guy NPCs like Elminster, Khelben Blackstaff, or the Simbul. As bad guys though, Szass Tam always worked great for me.
Ltlconf 11-12-05, 06:51 PM	Hello Folks, I've played the Realms since it's first box set release in the Eighties. It quickly replaced Greyhawk (though I've kept a soft spot for Mystara :D ) and I've kept it as my main campaign setting ever since. However, as others here have said and done, I've pruned elements and metaplot devices as I saw fit and still do. I've shocked and ticked off many a player by simply telling 'em "Nope, that doesn't apply here :P " so feel free to do so yourself. For color have your players watch such films as Ladyhawke (how the Realms seems to approach adventure), The Lord Of The Rings (how the races seem to interact), and any film of the early to mid-Rennaissance Period (which the Realms most resembles technologicaly and culturaly) such as any of the excellent recent Shakespeare (he and his plays) and Elizabeth-oriented movies. If nothing else show scenes for color and examples of how folks act. Feel free, as I did, to change population levels of cities, regions, or nations up or down. I usually go down, the Silver Marches and North especially seem to have ALOT of folks per square mile for a frontier :thinks:. Just my opinion :P, no flames please. Also, don't take the maps TOO seriously. Tolkein's maps were the pattern for every fantasy map ever since, but he forgot to explain that when Medieval mappers (his model) drew "forest" they meant either untouched virgin woods (alot of such at the time) or legal "forest" (hunting preserves, such as Sherwood, that were untouchable to the axe. And don't think Robin didn't use THAT little fact :smirk:). The "open" territory shown had the sort of woods you see across the rural American South and Great lakes today: Stretches of forest picked over for lumber and deadfall broken up by farms and pasture land. Don't forget, wildlife is EVERYWHERE! Bird and insect song is constant. When a predator is around, the silence is DEAFNING. It'd be like all noise in Manhatten during rush hour STOPPING. As so much of the Realms is rural use the huge open spaces, color of the seasons, sounds of nature and weather (much as Tolkein and Jackson did for LOTR) to make an impact on your players. Nature itself kills easier than anything don't be afraid to use this. rember monsters are only monster if you've never heard of or seen the critter before. The "monster" you see everyday is just wildlife (a Nile crocodile was considered a monster in Medieval Europe, while a Russion Grizzly is seen as a monster on the Nile). Use this to make the world itself strange and unusual when they travel. Most importantly: DO NOT LET YOUR PLAYERS SEE A WORLD MAP! Nothing kills mystery quicker than having a player read the worldbook from cover to cover. The officail world map is accurate (it has to be) and meant for GM eyes only, the maps the players see should never be accurate and rare to boot. Make one of the region you are playing in for the players to use that is hand drawn and on plain paper, and somewhat stylized (Tolkein's were relative as he himself admited and never meant to be taken as a literal spatial maps) and let them use this one. As they move on they MAY aquire new maps, not always accurate, to guide their way, sorta. A world map will only as accurate as the artist's knowledge. This also gives you greater control over travel time, especialy as roads are never straight, and how much the character actually knows. Just some ideas :devil: