Post/Author/DateTime	Post
IL DA BO 05-18-04, 12:29 AM	I come to you to seek the highlights of your favorite world. I have a campeign currently running in the world of Athas. I plan of having the PCs run across a wizard (possibly Elminster.) He will tell them that he will help them out if they come with him to an undecided world to solve some undecided conflict. I plan on using a spelljammer-like setting for their interplanetary travel. Of course, Athas and the desired world are far apart, so the party will need to land on several other planets for supplies and R&R. Now here's where you guys come in... I don't know about any specific setting aside from dark sun. I would like to show the great contrasts that exist between Oerth, Toril, Krynn, and the other world of D&D. So I would like to know from you what the big differences are on this world(in comparison to the mundane, no-name D&D campeigns that are ever too frequent.)
astrallionheart 05-18-04, 01:38 AM	Krynn seems very low magic. Faerun is high magic (seems like every berk and his brother's got some +1 sword going, plus the low population count of the Sword Coast particularly.) And thats about all I know. Other than the fact that Superman would own Ao in a arm-wrestling match.
BurgerKing 05-18-04, 05:09 AM	Krynn - A few basic tourist info for you. 1) Balance - The pendulum always swings between Good and Evil. The Forces of Good and the Legions of Evil are constantly checked by Neutruality. 2) Dragons - The world is full of them. Some of them are REALLY big! Beyond colossal size. 3) Arcane magic - 2 types (Ambiant Sorcery and High Sorcery) Practicioners of 4th lv and higher will almost be visited by a Wiz of High Sorcery to take test or be branded renegade. 4) War - Almost a constant event. Every few years, the cosmic forces tip the balance in one way or another. Then BOOM! War comes to restore the balance. Hope these tidbits of information helped!
Fredegar The White 05-18-04, 08:29 AM	Hmmm wild talented half giants in Faerun.......major butt kicking! Except for Illithids no one else uses psionics in Faerun and i think the are optional for Toril (right Kuje?). Are the characters 2nd or 3rd edition? If 2ed then the psionic attacks they will have are going to be very powerfull. In 3ed i don't know a thing about how psionics work. Another major difference......water earth fire air clerics who receive their spells from these elements will find it hard to channel spells through them. The gods of each element may give spells or something like that. Another thing Athasian characters will view Oerth Toril or Krynn as paradise compared to Athas. And why should they travel by Spelljamming means? The obelisk south of Tyr that strange creatures appear every now and then could work as a portal to the Nine Hells or a layer of the abyss.
Faraer 05-18-04, 09:33 AM	What's great about the Realms is its optimistc, heart-on-sleeve spirit, wry but never cynical; its interrelatedness and consistency and constant self-reinforcement; its subtle underlying themes and conflicts; its unshowy social and historical depth; its reflection of the whole tradition of sword and sorcery; the fecund imagination of its magic and peoples and places... ...not things that are easy to replicate quickly in play. Athas was designed to be different. Krynn is a Mormonized, thinner Middle-earth, whereas the World of Greyhawk is mostly based on 20th-century fantasy authors other than Tolkien. Comparing it to the Realms, it's more like a historical Earth but has more overt wackiness at the same time; its attitudes are more practical and cynical, more rooted in dungeon-bashing D&D play... Actually, reading this excellent introduction to the Realms by Ed than I often refer people to (http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Castle/2566/wellmet.htm) may give some ideas for a quick show of the setting; the promotional 'Grand Tour' comic as well -- someone who can lay their hand on their copy might relate the places it shows. astrallionheart's '+1 sword' comment is wrong. I don't know where that idea comes from; in fact, it was the Realms (Ed's early-1980s Dragon articles) that pioneered magic items being special and defined by their history, not routine production-line pluses. Magic isn't rare in Faerūn, but what will strike an Athasian about it is the care and complexity of its casting (a wizard might spend years crafting a single spell), the range of spells mages and priests can cast, the antiquity of its traditions and items, and so on. A few places like Halruaa have a particularly high density of magic. Also, to an Athasian, a beautiful, pastoral village like Shadowdale or Highmoon or a peaceful, relatively happy city like Silverymoon or even Waterdeep will be a shock.
Mystery Man 05-18-04, 02:08 PM	Originally posted by Faraer What's great about the Realms is its optimistc, heart-on-sleeve spirit, wry but never cynical; its interrelatedness and consistency and constant self-reinforcement; its subtle underlying themes and conflicts; its unshowy social and historical depth; its reflection of the whole tradition of sword and sorcery; the fecund imagination of its magic and peoples and places... Who said this originally? You? Brilliant!
Kuje31 05-18-04, 02:16 PM	Originally posted by Fredegar The White Hmmm wild talented half giants in Faerun.......major butt kicking! Except for Illithids no one else uses psionics in Faerun and i think the are optional for Toril (right Kuje?). Depends. :) Are mind flayer's optional? How about many of the psionic characters. The Knights of Myth Drannor also had/have many psionic powers.
IL DA BO 05-18-04, 02:22 PM	Fredegar, I thought I would use spelljammer because it will give a small taste of the setting to my D&D party. Right now, only two of us use campeign settings, and I'd like to show them all how nice they can be. Eventually, I hope to show them 4-7 different worlds, depending on wether or not I can make a good adventure out of each world. I apprecriate the help so far, if there's anything else, keep it coming!
Fredegar The White 05-18-04, 02:32 PM	I asked because i think i remember a thread about Psionics in Faerun and if some people use them or not..etc. I used them in 2ed but haven't in 3rd since i don't have the books! Another thing is Defiling Magic! A defiler can become GOD in Faerun as well as a powerfull foe.....and a cause for a campaign! THATS IT!!!! A powerfull defiler (possibly ex Templar) has entered Faerun and wreaked havoc destroying fields of vegetation and set up a stronghold somewhere creating powerfull undead and reaching a demigod status...!!!!! I would allow him to become a demigod in Faerun under the right circumstances!
Kuje31 05-18-04, 02:34 PM	Originally posted by Fredegar The White I asked because i think i remember a thread about Psionics in Faerun and if some people use them or not..etc. I used them in 2ed but haven't in 3rd since i don't have the books! Well there are also psionic organizations in the Player's Guide.... :) FR has always had a love/hate relationship with Psionic's. Some times they are included, some times they are not, etc.
Monsoon28 05-19-04, 07:37 AM	Also keep in mind that yuan-ti have some natural psionic abilities, as well as psionic characters have appeared in a few FR novels most recently in Smedman's Venom's Taste. As for Toril, there is too much to describe in one sitting. But the obvious, it is a magic rich world, with tons of gods found in a half-dozen or more pantheons (depending on whether or not you use Kara-Tur, Maztica or Zakhara). There are a hundred different empires/nationals/city states each with it's own agenda. As well it has one of the most developed histories of any campaign setting. Krynn has a more simplified pantheon, only a handful of kingdoms, and it's conflicts are saved for earth-shattering events. Krynn dragons were always puny in comparison to Toril's or Oerth's but after the War of Souls this no longer appears to be true. I'd also list the huge stack of novels and source material available to you to make Toril a living breathing world, but this takes both time and $$.