Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Zargain 10-07-06, 02:05 AM	Hold on to your hats fan boys because we're about to leave the canon safety net ;) Okay people, here is my question... how often do you divert from official material and make FR YOUR campaign? or are you the type who follows the book to a T? I personally feel that as a DM it is your respinsability to at least make some changes to what fits your style or add a few things here and there. So how about it folks? Tell me something that makes YOUR faerun unique from mine or the local nerd down the road?
BrianCritchley 10-07-06, 03:13 AM	I go with the material as written that works but don't worry about deviating from it in general. I'm currently devising some rituals regarding Tyr as my PCs are witnessing a Cleric NPC they know get promoted in the near future in my game, I've been discussing it with a friend of mine who is a follower of Aeisirism (Neo-Norse)and I'm trying to weave in what he knows about genuine Norse Tyrrian Customs into the Faerunian version of Tyr, to maintain consistancy of course, while giving Tyr a slight viking feel. Apparently the Norse followers of Tyr used a warhammer for their religous ceremonies instead of say a Bible. thus I've basicly taken the warhammer approuch and replaced it with a Judge's Gravel.
MerrikCale 10-07-06, 09:24 AM	we basically only deviate locally. The locales we played (first Harrowdale and then Neverwinter) have been rearranged to some extent.
Mordrid Soud 10-07-06, 04:08 PM	I am making quite a few changes. First off, I am doing alot with airships. Basically I am taking alot of the stats, prc's, and feats from stormwrack and modding them to fit in with the airship idea I have. Next, I am doing alot with the continents to the east (many of which have zero info on them) and grouping them into a large super power hell bend on world domination. I am destroying the maztech empire(spelled wrong I am sure) as I never really liked it as they are now part of the dominion (yes a bit a s ds9 rip off). They will be invading faerun shortly which will result in some major deviations in cannon. I am also working on a few custom races (though I am thinking about getting and using the races of ebberon-blasphemy to many FR players I know) for the dominion. I just figured that wizards will probably never touch any other continent, and as they are just sitting there collecting dust why not use/develope them?
Bladesong 10-07-06, 05:27 PM	Our DM HATES deviating from the canon. He likes small events, not killing prominent NPCs, essentially making as few ripples as possible. This way, he believes, when new canon comes out, it won't conflict with what's currently in our campaign and it's easier for him to have us jump into it.
Raelan_Harpell 10-07-06, 05:33 PM	The Faerūn of my games is usually pretty similar to the canon Realms save that it tends to be higher-level, much like it was in 2nd Edition. (Ever notice how many NPCs lost levels in the change from 2E to 3E?) However, if a change is needed to fit an adventure or campaign idea--or just because I think something is lame and needs improvement--then I don't hesitate to change it.
meigin 10-07-06, 06:27 PM	we started out with the 'cannon' material and basically let the campaignre/shape the world from there. In our campaign we utilise all known and some "unknown" areas (Kara-Tur, Maztica - with a couple changes, Zakhara, Anchorhome and the Unknowns). It has led to some interesting developements with the PC's networking all over Toril - this has led to many campaign lead possibilities with a number of exotic adventures.
CuttingTorch 10-07-06, 06:36 PM	I am deviating on a "global" scale as of tonite. Basically, all the gods have gone to war and destroyed the landscape of Faerun. Think apocalypse style Forgotten Realms. The specifics have to detailed more, as I only thought of it last nite. The landscape is blasted, pestilence and plague run rampant and the gods are still warring with each other so I can still allow clerics their spells and even more of a purpose to be more aggressive if they wanted. Any feedback?
BrianCritchley 10-07-06, 08:59 PM	Our DM HATES deviating from the canon. He likes small events, not killing prominent NPCs, essentially making as few ripples as possible. This way, he believes, when new canon comes out, it won't conflict with what's currently in our campaign and it's easier for him to have us jump into it. thats more or less the approuch I take, I'm going to try and find story room in FR without massivly changing it, I don't need some sort of massive empire from another continent invading Faerun as a source for my games (no offense intended to you personally MS, ;) ) as IMHO thats not what the realms is about. the realms at it's heart is a big massive world yes, but the real heart of it is the little people doing what they can to make their small corner of the world a better place
CuttingTorch 10-07-06, 09:34 PM	IMHO thats not what the realms is about. the realms at it's heart is a big massive world yes, but the real heart of it is the little people doing what they can to make their small corner of the world a better place I agree, my players will find a way to step back in time one-hundred and fifty years and stop a lesser deity from usurping portfolios, and thereby stop the war that rages today.
AlorinDawn 10-07-06, 11:11 PM	As stated earlier, we started with cannon and let our realms grow from there. Overall it seems we go with published material, however our Dm isn't timid about letting things take their own course and let history fall as it may. Most of our changes have been in the locals in which we play, however some have been major in important areas such as the leadership chaging hands. We've been running the same campagin with the same characters since 1991. Our realms has grown alongside the official realms and also has many differences. Our biggest difference is our Delimbiyr Vale. In our Delimbiry Vale the Lord's Alliance has helped construct a large keep between Zelbross and Secomber with a High Marshall who helps regulate fair trade and safety in the region. Loudwater and Secomber are now both members of the Lord's Alliance. Llorkh and the Zhents have been contained and have little effect on free trade. Many of the leaders of the realms have changed in our campagin due to the passage of time. Several years ago our campagin saw a war started in Cormyr due to a poorly worded wish, however the war did not displace any noted official NPCs. Hope this helps. AD
Mordrid Soud 10-07-06, 11:23 PM	No offence taken BC. My friend also DM's the realms and he sticks to cannon. It is interesting because while he doesn't deviate from cannon, he really enjoys playing in my campaign. You never know what is going to happen. Also, since he owns near every book for the Realms out there, it makes it hard to thread a plotline in the story that he hasn't already seen if I follow cannon. This way however, I can keep him on his toes. Also, I went ahead and got a copy of the races of ebberon to use for the head races of the dominion in my campaign. I also got the lost empires of faerun and am planning on tying the dominion into one of the fallen empires that was lost in the records. Figured it would be cool to link current events to the unknown past. By using the ebberon races it will allow me more freedom when it comes to using all the other races as slaves, and for other demeaning purposes. I can also bring back one of the gods who was thought to be dead. It will also be interesting to see what sort of odd and mis-shapen alliances develope once the war begins. I can't wait to see the look on the pc's faces when they see an army of warforged. It will also allow for a wider variety of character types as things such as espionaige, rebellions, and dissensions come into play. The master spy PrC will probably become more frequently used now than it has in the past. The way I look at, if it all goes cofluey I always have my lame "reset button". "You wake up to discoverit was all a dream... yet you have advanced 3 levels!!! The gods have surely blessed you!"
BrianCritchley 10-08-06, 01:34 AM	meh an army of warforged? no problem, *wragles up a coupla rust monsters!* :D
shandiris 10-08-06, 09:32 AM	I ussualy try to let the players do what they want, and then improvise an adventure along.
Karsus the Mad 10-08-06, 12:46 PM	When I played, I diverted whenever the story required it to. Cannon in my campaigns were just stories that didn't contradict with the game. If it did, it wasn't in the game.
Mordrid Soud 10-08-06, 01:38 PM	I was refering more to the psycological impact of seeing seeing and unknown race of golems/machines coming at you. And yeah, rust monsters make for a bad day when you are a warforged.
Xavier_of_Cormyr 10-08-06, 04:51 PM	on a side note I'd just like to say that I've noticed that most people on these boards who champion the notion of playing the realms in step with official storylines/info form rulebooks & novels, are usually the very same people who rewrite iconic NPCs to Uber power levels because they think the official stat block is nerfed, or because (and this is my favorite) "Ed said so in a blog 6 years ago... bla bla bla" Ed Greenwood is a excellent storyteller and has fleshed out such an elaborate world, but remember... he's a storyteller- stat blocks aren't his gig, fluff is. So the point of my mini-rant is this- take one or the other- fluff or hard numbers- and roll with it. trying to balance both will drive you crazy & stifle your creativity.
Wire 10-08-06, 04:52 PM	"Canon alteration" becomes much more of a big issue once your characters are in the upper levels of play (12th-20th - and then Epic LeveL). At those levels, the PC's will often be making changes to canon on a significant level unless the DM works some serious re-direction ploys and sticks to tactical (over strategic) events.
GothicDan 10-08-06, 09:55 PM	on a side note I'd just like to say that I've noticed that most people on these boards who champion the notion of playing the realms in step with official storylines/info form rulebooks & novels, are usually the very same people who rewrite iconic NPCs to Uber power levels because they think the official stat block is nerfed, Seems like the opposite, to me. I ignore the Time of Troubles altogether, the death/rebirth of Bane, the rising of Cyric, Kelemvor, and Mystra, the new cosmology, the Return of Shade, the retaking of Myth Drannor, the reworkings of Elven High Magic, Kara-Tur, Maztica, Zakhara, the one-step alignment rules for divine spellcasters, etc.
BrianCritchley 10-08-06, 10:57 PM	I'll agree with you wire, once your PCs are high level and have been adventureing in the realms a bit chances are they'll be effecting things a bit more. a first level character should never save all of faerun. a 20th level char should save a good chunk of it.
Sidslick 10-09-06, 10:28 AM	On the whole, my group and I tend not to deviate too far from Canon, and it still ties in with the overarching timeline. Wherever possible, we tend to pick a place that hasn't been too involved with the main timeline (such as Turmish or Damara) and adventure in and around those areas. Thus if something major unintentially does happen, it would be a foot note to the main plots. We tend to take a local focus on many adventures, working for and against local individuals and organisations. As the PCs get higher, their reputations command more attention from larger organisations and major NPCs, and they get roped into plots that in keeping with the overall timeline, yet are not really specified in the sourcebooks and expansions.
Yakostovian 10-09-06, 11:22 AM	My long-running campaign is run by a total of 4 main DM's, who take turns so eveyone can play a character. Usually the turn ends when the current main plot has been resolved to the satisfaction of the DM, or the DM gets bored with DMing and wants to get back to playing a character. 2 DM's deviate from Canon ALOT. 1 DM hates all deviations from canon. The FG are almost his holy land that should not be touched by infedels (The above DMs) Myself (the last DM) I usually don't rock the world alot, or kill important NPC's (occasionally just Drizzt :D ) but if something new comes out contradicting what my players just did, then the new source material is wrong. My players are the stars.
Renvale999 10-09-06, 12:24 PM	I usually deviate in a big way from Canon, then once the campaign ends, I reset everything. My players don't mind and it helps me to keep everything fresh since I don't play and only DM(gets old after a while so I have to find things to enjoy). My biggest problem though(a little off-topic) is that I tend to want to do everything...I'm a completist when it comes to video games and it carries over in my rpg games....stinks sometimes cause I get frustrated having to tone down the storyline and not make it as wide.
ChuutRiit 10-09-06, 12:38 PM	thats more or less the approuch I take, I'm going to try and find story room in FR without massivly changing it, I don't need some sort of massive empire from another continent invading Faerun as a source for my games (no offense intended to you personally MS, ;) ) as IMHO thats not what the realms is about. the realms at it's heart is a big massive world yes, but the real heart of it is the little people doing what they can to make their small corner of the world a better place I try to DM the same way, for now. Well, I try to, since I am neither experienced nor talented at DMing, but alas, as no one else in my group is up to the job or willing to do it..(even though my friend DMed beforehand. well, he wasn't experienced either and he utterly ignored ALL FR canon. Kinda weird, but he worked it as the DM, so...*shrugs* :) ).
BrennonGoldeye 10-09-06, 12:59 PM	Well, as some can attest my Realms differentiate quite alot in the spiritual realm but not so much in the physical. In the 80's our DM laid Greyhawk to rest after Tharizdun. He went to college and I inherited a bunch of PC's who had fled the eldest realm for the "new" one. 3/4 of my players read TSR novels religiously. Buying a book and presenting it to the DM for group use was a true coup. Following what was then nowhere called canon wasn't a choice. It was taste. The challenge was making novels, Dragon, and gamebooks become seamless. Anyway, The one way I put my "screw" on Faerun was the aftermath of the ToT. We had the "Paladin Wars". After the edict by Ao that the Dieties would be bound to their worshipers(and before PrC's) the surviving Dieties decided they would have an "Highlanderesque" combat over which God of each alignment would have the ability to grant paladin (or anti-paladin, or any of the myriad of classes given as Holy Warriors in Dragon around that time) abilities to thier followers and therefore give precedence to thier church. And each God tried to manuever Who would have stewardship of the other alignments. Seeing Eldath's paladin put not only Malar's but Talos' paladins to snooze was priceless. Then there was Kelemvor's return as Jergal's paladin(his return hadn't yet been written so none of us had any idea he would take the Bone Throne). These changes still exist now in our realms as there are 9 other classes(PrC's now) open to those who follow 8 other God's beside Torm...:) Sorry about the jumble and lack of edit, on a RL mission at the moment....:pumpkin:
75RD Drum Clip 10-09-06, 06:44 PM	I and the DM I shared duties with made a number of changes to the FR as a result of gameplay. The Zhentarim is a shadow of their former selves, due to years of gameplay by various PCs that over time broke the Zhents back, Manshoon and 2 of his clones have been slain (anymore left? :devil:), 85% of their forces have been slain or driven off through defeat. The only vestige of Zhent power left is in Zhentil Keep where new leadership has based itself in a bid to salvage what remains. The Shades have begun melting the High Ice in a bid to ressurect the Anauroch Desert. The Phaerimm are entirely released from their imprisonment and have gone into hiding, with a reports of them being sighted around Silverymoon. Waterdeep has befallen a horrible fate thanks to a PC lich named Talios who has moved in and taken over Skullport and slain Halaster. Talios has made a "deal" with Larloch for the plans on a Magic Energy Battery in exchange for half of the surviving captured population of Waterdeep. At present, Waterdeep has lost 90% of its people. Larloch is preparing to execute on his plans to take over Baldurs Gate and turn it into an Epic Necropolis. 2 PCs have Ascended to the Ranks of Godhood, one lives at the site of Tilverton and presides over his Divine City. The other has taken home in Sembia as a wandering swordmaster. These are some of the changes that have happened in the FR I am part of.
msatran 10-10-06, 02:17 PM	Well, I do my best to deviate from canon as little as possible. Unfortunately, there's a lot of high level PC's in my game. Most of them don't have big egoes, but a few of them do. I've always tried to run a game that's about human consequences and little epiphanies, but that's more out of personal preference. Unfortunately, more and more, as my players get older, they want to change the world, and usually, without thinking about what it is they're doing. So to answer your question, yes and no. The best stories are never about victory over evil without cost. The price should always be high, and sometimes, if not completely, too high.
BrianCritchley 10-10-06, 02:23 PM	Waterdeep has befallen a horrible fate thanks to a PC lich named Talios who has moved in and taken over Skullport and slain Halaster. Talios has made a "deal" with Larloch for the plans on a Magic Energy Battery in exchange for half of the surviving captured population of Waterdeep. At present, Waterdeep has lost 90% of its people. meh it's stuff like that which would invite the chosen to intervene, (and Laroch knows that)
BrennonGoldeye 10-10-06, 08:59 PM	I and the DM I shared duties with made a number of changes to the FR as a result of gameplay. The Zhentarim is a shadow of their former selves, due to years of gameplay by various PCs that over time broke the Zhents back, Manshoon and 2 of his clones have been slain (anymore left? :devil:), 85% of their forces have been slain or driven off through defeat. The only vestige of Zhent power left is in Zhentil Keep where new leadership has based itself in a bid to salvage what remains. The Shades have begun melting the High Ice in a bid to ressurect the Anauroch Desert. The Phaerimm are entirely released from their imprisonment and have gone into hiding, with a reports of them being sighted around Silverymoon. Waterdeep has befallen a horrible fate thanks to a PC lich named Talios who has moved in and taken over Skullport and slain Halaster. Talios has made a "deal" with Larloch for the plans on a Magic Energy Battery in exchange for half of the surviving captured population of Waterdeep. At present, Waterdeep has lost 90% of its people. Larloch is preparing to execute on his plans to take over Baldurs Gate and turn it into an Epic Necropolis. 2 PCs have Ascended to the Ranks of Godhood, one lives at the site of Tilverton and presides over his Divine City. The other has taken home in Sembia as a wandering swordmaster. These are some of the changes that have happened in the FR I am part of. Sounds incredibly interesting. I would like to introduce the true purpose of the Seven Sisters. Thier children....:mage:
MerrikCale 10-10-06, 09:28 PM	I and the DM I shared duties with made a number of changes to the FR as a result of gameplay. The Zhentarim is a shadow of their former selves, due to years of gameplay by various PCs that over time broke the Zhents back, Manshoon and 2 of his clones have been slain (anymore left? :devil:), 85% of their forces have been slain or driven off through defeat. The only vestige of Zhent power left is in Zhentil Keep where new leadership has based itself in a bid to salvage what remains. The Shades have begun melting the High Ice in a bid to ressurect the Anauroch Desert. The Phaerimm are entirely released from their imprisonment and have gone into hiding, with a reports of them being sighted around Silverymoon. Waterdeep has befallen a horrible fate thanks to a PC lich named Talios who has moved in and taken over Skullport and slain Halaster. Talios has made a "deal" with Larloch for the plans on a Magic Energy Battery in exchange for half of the surviving captured population of Waterdeep. At present, Waterdeep has lost 90% of its people. Larloch is preparing to execute on his plans to take over Baldurs Gate and turn it into an Epic Necropolis. 2 PCs have Ascended to the Ranks of Godhood, one lives at the site of Tilverton and presides over his Divine City. The other has taken home in Sembia as a wandering swordmaster. These are some of the changes that have happened in the FR I am part of. Thats change alright.
Kadasbrass 10-10-06, 11:57 PM	I play with a group of people that thinks they know FR. They may of read some of the books before I got into FR but they haven't advanced much more beyond that. When we do campaigns no one other then me bothers really to find a deity outside the players handbook (seen a few Pelor clerics in FR campaigns by FR fans). I personally have no problem going away from canon. I've considered using FR as the back drop of huge world changing campaigns, such as a Mind flayer / War of the Worlds type campaign (never started it) or a future FR where the Cult of the Dragon succeded (another one never started).
H4w00dJ48l0m3 10-12-06, 05:16 PM	I'm DMing an evil party who got sent back to 1370 by Bane so they can murder Fzoul prior to Bane's 1372 re-emergence. Manshoon was their contact for last 15-20 sessions then last week he told them about his murder and the Clone Wars. They'll be runnin the entire Black Network by the time Midwinter 1372 arrives. Other than that, it's by the book. PrCs from anywhere, subject to group review.
BrianCritchley 10-13-06, 12:05 AM	I'm DMing an evil party who got sent back to 1370 by Bane so they can murder Fzoul ....... error does not compute