What do I need to play FR? [Archive] - Wizards Community

What do I need to play FR? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Sober
09-07-04, 03:24 PM Can somebody help me by telling me what I essentially need to play/DM an FR game in 3.5E?

Obvious start are the core rulebooks and FRCS.

Now there is PGtF, Magic of Faerun, Races of Faerun, to name a few.

I've heard that the PGtF is mostly a crappy book, mostly crunchy stuff, so do I need it to play FR in 3.5E or can I live without it?
The ShapeLess One
09-07-04, 03:31 PM well if this is the first time you play FR then PGtF would be good for you. What I can say to DM it is read the FRCS chapter 8 really, Also read any sorce books that you have for the game read them befor you use them, they will tell you about the area that they take place in and PRC's new feats spells ext.
warlockco
09-08-04, 01:02 AM I've heard that the PGtF is mostly a crappy book, mostly crunchy stuff, so do I need it to play FR in 3.5E or can I live without it?

The PGtF provides revision rules for the Realms, especially the FRCS. If you want to do a 3.0E game then you don't need to bother with the PGtF unless you want to. But if you want to do a 3.5E game then you should get the PGtF.

Faiths and Pantheons if you need more information on the gods and PrCs.

Magic of Faerun: book of toys and magic.

Regional books (Unapproachable East, Underdark, Silver Marches) good if you playing in those areas.

Races of Faerun: More PC races, and information on the races of Faerun.

Lords of Darkness: Evil power groups.
PlaDeDump
09-08-04, 04:25 AM Lot's of good info on these boards. I've been getting back into D&D after a 20 year hiatus. I've decided to concentrate on the 3.5 edition and use the Forgotten Realms as my setting. Also, I've started reading RA Salvatore's books on Drizzt and the realms so I get a good idea of what Faerun is all about. D&D is such a cool hobby!
chme
09-08-04, 05:52 AM Here are a few books that I feel are essential other than FRCS and the rules:

The Volo Guides (except Volo's Guide to All things Magical)
Faiths and Pantheons
Dwarves Deep
Evermeet (Novel - Elaine Cunningham)
Underdark

With these you get *a lot* of Fluff that is usable in most campaigns, and that will likely continue to be usable whatever version of DnD comes along next time. You could even exchange Faiths and Pantheons for the 2e Forgotten Realms Adventures to get even more Fluff and handy campaign stuff. Cunninghams novel could be exchanged for Cormanthyr - Empire of the Elves, that also gives a lot on Elven Culture as well as overall history.

Those of the above suggestions that are out-of-print can be gotten as pdfs or second-hand-books at reasonable prices.

In my opinion, PGtF should be very far down on the list of things to buy. Other than the above, I would recommend buying a few novels that take place in the area you intend to play in, to get a feel for it, maybe some PCs and nice environments. For instance, a campaign taking place in Cormyr would benefit from you having read the Cormyr Saga.
The_Declaration
09-08-04, 08:27 AM i'll just post what i said last time someone asked for that:

1- General informations about Faerūn:
- Lord of Darkness
- Magic of Faerūn
- Faiths and Pantheons
- Races of Faerūn
- Player's Guide to Faerūn
2- Geography of Faerūn:
- Silver Marches
- Unapproachable East
- Underdark
- Shining South (forthcoming)
- Waterdeep (forthcoming)
3- Books focusing on a particular matter:
- Ancient empires (forthcoming)
- Serpent Kingdoms

Now i'll try to rank them:
A- Very good - Excellent:
- Lord of Darkness
- Races of Faerūn
- Silver Marches
- Magic of Faerūn
- Serpent Kingdoms
B- Good:
- Unapproachable East.
C- Average:
- Player's guide to faerūn
- Faiths and Pantheons.
- Underdark

So I think it's up to you to decide what to buy first, depending on your needs. But i'd probably go with Races of Faerūn and Silver Marches, then maybe with Lords of Darkness when you'll need vilains.

Concerning PGtF, well, it's maybe the one i use the most, but also the one I like the less. I'd suggest you start without, and get it only if you miss the updates that are in it (btw, updates of monsters are available in PGtF's web enhancement that you can download on WOTC's website).
Lashan
09-08-04, 02:35 PM To be honest, you don't NEED anything other then the Core books and the FRCS. I would say that it is really handy to have the Player's Guide if you are playing in 3.5 rules. I clears up some cheaty things (balances some game aspects) and clears up some rules for 3.5. Everything else, at this point, is just icing on the cake. What do I recommend?

Well, for a DM, I would highly recommend the Lords of Darkness book, as it is full of great villians. I also highly recommend the Races of Faerun book, as it has a lot of stuff for characters, NPC creation, and it also sums up A LOT of the world's history in one spot. It also clears up inaccuracies in different histories of FR products. It is the only product to really detail the different human cultures, as well.

I think it would be very smart to visit the DOWNLOADS section of the WOTC website (Just look on the upper left border of this screen). It has a lot of the older 1E and 2E products that are FREE for download. while the rules are not 3E, the amount of info that is useful to ANY version of FR is vast. I highly recommend the VOLO'S GUIDE series as it details small, but useful areas of FR like no products before or since. The rulers of countries may change, but many of the taverns and businesses remain the same no matter what type of campaign you are running.

Faiths and Pantheons is the 3E book about all the gods. It has a lot of PrC's and other rules useful stuff. If you want more detail about the gods and their actual religions (flavor and fluff) then you want to try to get the old 2E Faiths and Avatars series on .pdf or hardcopy. It is WELL worth any money you spend on it. It is full of detail.

You can get by without the Magic of Faerun, but many people think that magic is the best part of FR. If you are of this mind or have anyone in your group like this, then you will want to pick it up. It's got some neat stuff in it, but isn't essential.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Sober 09-07-04, 03:24 PM	Can somebody help me by telling me what I essentially need to play/DM an FR game in 3.5E? Obvious start are the core rulebooks and FRCS. Now there is PGtF, Magic of Faerun, Races of Faerun, to name a few. I've heard that the PGtF is mostly a crappy book, mostly crunchy stuff, so do I need it to play FR in 3.5E or can I live without it?
The ShapeLess One 09-07-04, 03:31 PM	well if this is the first time you play FR then PGtF would be good for you. What I can say to DM it is read the FRCS chapter 8 really, Also read any sorce books that you have for the game read them befor you use them, they will tell you about the area that they take place in and PRC's new feats spells ext.
warlockco 09-08-04, 01:02 AM	I've heard that the PGtF is mostly a crappy book, mostly crunchy stuff, so do I need it to play FR in 3.5E or can I live without it? The PGtF provides revision rules for the Realms, especially the FRCS. If you want to do a 3.0E game then you don't need to bother with the PGtF unless you want to. But if you want to do a 3.5E game then you should get the PGtF. Faiths and Pantheons if you need more information on the gods and PrCs. Magic of Faerun: book of toys and magic. Regional books (Unapproachable East, Underdark, Silver Marches) good if you playing in those areas. Races of Faerun: More PC races, and information on the races of Faerun. Lords of Darkness: Evil power groups.
PlaDeDump 09-08-04, 04:25 AM	Lot's of good info on these boards. I've been getting back into D&D after a 20 year hiatus. I've decided to concentrate on the 3.5 edition and use the Forgotten Realms as my setting. Also, I've started reading RA Salvatore's books on Drizzt and the realms so I get a good idea of what Faerun is all about. D&D is such a cool hobby!
chme 09-08-04, 05:52 AM	Here are a few books that I feel are essential other than FRCS and the rules: The Volo Guides (except Volo's Guide to All things Magical) Faiths and Pantheons Dwarves Deep Evermeet (Novel - Elaine Cunningham) Underdark With these you get a lot of Fluff that is usable in most campaigns, and that will likely continue to be usable whatever version of DnD comes along next time. You could even exchange Faiths and Pantheons for the 2e Forgotten Realms Adventures to get even more Fluff and handy campaign stuff. Cunninghams novel could be exchanged for Cormanthyr - Empire of the Elves, that also gives a lot on Elven Culture as well as overall history. Those of the above suggestions that are out-of-print can be gotten as pdfs or second-hand-books at reasonable prices. In my opinion, PGtF should be very far down on the list of things to buy. Other than the above, I would recommend buying a few novels that take place in the area you intend to play in, to get a feel for it, maybe some PCs and nice environments. For instance, a campaign taking place in Cormyr would benefit from you having read the Cormyr Saga.
The_Declaration 09-08-04, 08:27 AM	i'll just post what i said last time someone asked for that: 1- General informations about Faerūn: - Lord of Darkness - Magic of Faerūn - Faiths and Pantheons - Races of Faerūn - Player's Guide to Faerūn 2- Geography of Faerūn: - Silver Marches - Unapproachable East - Underdark - Shining South (forthcoming) - Waterdeep (forthcoming) 3- Books focusing on a particular matter: - Ancient empires (forthcoming) - Serpent Kingdoms Now i'll try to rank them: A- Very good - Excellent: - Lord of Darkness - Races of Faerūn - Silver Marches - Magic of Faerūn - Serpent Kingdoms B- Good: - Unapproachable East. C- Average: - Player's guide to faerūn - Faiths and Pantheons. - Underdark So I think it's up to you to decide what to buy first, depending on your needs. But i'd probably go with Races of Faerūn and Silver Marches, then maybe with Lords of Darkness when you'll need vilains. Concerning PGtF, well, it's maybe the one i use the most, but also the one I like the less. I'd suggest you start without, and get it only if you miss the updates that are in it (btw, updates of monsters are available in PGtF's web enhancement that you can download on WOTC's website).
Lashan 09-08-04, 02:35 PM	To be honest, you don't NEED anything other then the Core books and the FRCS. I would say that it is really handy to have the Player's Guide if you are playing in 3.5 rules. I clears up some cheaty things (balances some game aspects) and clears up some rules for 3.5. Everything else, at this point, is just icing on the cake. What do I recommend? Well, for a DM, I would highly recommend the Lords of Darkness book, as it is full of great villians. I also highly recommend the Races of Faerun book, as it has a lot of stuff for characters, NPC creation, and it also sums up A LOT of the world's history in one spot. It also clears up inaccuracies in different histories of FR products. It is the only product to really detail the different human cultures, as well. I think it would be very smart to visit the DOWNLOADS section of the WOTC website (Just look on the upper left border of this screen). It has a lot of the older 1E and 2E products that are FREE for download. while the rules are not 3E, the amount of info that is useful to ANY version of FR is vast. I highly recommend the VOLO'S GUIDE series as it details small, but useful areas of FR like no products before or since. The rulers of countries may change, but many of the taverns and businesses remain the same no matter what type of campaign you are running. Faiths and Pantheons is the 3E book about all the gods. It has a lot of PrC's and other rules useful stuff. If you want more detail about the gods and their actual religions (flavor and fluff) then you want to try to get the old 2E Faiths and Avatars series on .pdf or hardcopy. It is WELL worth any money you spend on it. It is full of detail. You can get by without the Magic of Faerun, but many people think that magic is the best part of FR. If you are of this mind or have anyone in your group like this, then you will want to pick it up. It's got some neat stuff in it, but isn't essential.