A question about Sword Coast [Archive] - Wizards Community

A question about Sword Coast [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Shan_TheBabau_Burke
04-02-07, 03:57 PM I am preparing to play in a Forgotten Realms game set in Sword Coast, it starts in Waterdeep.
I don't have the book for the setting and I was just wondering: How much of it is different than a Dungeons and Dragons setting?
I know they have different gods and subraces, is there more?
I am going now to do a search on Waterdeep for answers as well.
Thanks for any input you wanna share!
Diffan
04-02-07, 04:36 PM There are a lot of differences, like monsters, FR specific prestige classes, spells, etc..... If your starting your campaign in Waterdeep, I highly suggest you pick up or read through Waterdeep: City of Splendors source book. It will give you all the info you need, maps of the city, exciting places to visit, villians, NPC's and the like. But, in a pinch, all you really need is the DMG, MM, and PHB to run in the setting. Keep it pretty simple until you can pick up the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting and the Players guide to Faerun, and look online for the deities and they're portfolios/domains.
Shan_TheBabau_Burke
04-02-07, 06:50 PM Thanks! I have looked a bit, and I decided to make a character that would have a reason to seem out of place. The fella that's DMing has all the books, but he lives in New York, and I live way out west.
I had no idea there was a whole book about one city! I will try to pick that up too!
Your help is appreciated!

-Shan
ShadezofDis
04-02-07, 11:00 PM Shan,

I read your post and thought you were DMing and I was thinking "Wow, this guy shouldn't even bother" ;)

But as a player it's a who different story, it should be fun getting introduced to Waterdeep, it's one of the most detailed cities in Dungeons and Dragons. In fact, I wish I could be introduced again for the first time

Anyhow, if you just want to shoot some "generic" idea's out to us then I'm sure we could cook up a good story for why any sort of character would go to Waterdeep. Then you could shock your DM by saying something like;

"Well, I have a young gold (golden? would that be correct?) elven mage who was born in Cormanthor and grew up a woodsman's son. Early in life his family moved to Evermeet, following the elven retreat. As they travelled across Faerun he saw wonders he never believed possible, magestic mountains, vast grasslands, exotic beasts and birds. It was when he saw Waterdeep that his world changed forever, he'd never dreamed anything like that city was possible back in his home forests. Taking ship to Evermeet almost broke his heart. He lived on Evermeet, never quite liking the idea that he'd arrived at paradise and there was no where to go from here. After they Fey attack, when he found the retreat was over and he was of the age of majority (or whatever the term is), he was joyed to get a chance to see Waterdeep and explore the far reaches of the Realms."

Or some sorta nonsense :)

Heck, I love coming up with a reason for something to be somewhere ;D

(note: I am unsure about the timing of the end of the retreat and when the Fey's, or whatever they're called, attacked, but someone will know *g*)
Shan_TheBabau_Burke
04-03-07, 01:10 AM Wow! That would be great! Here's my basic info. Human (yeah I know kinda boring, but I like the extra feat and skill) early twenties, sold to slavers by his parents as a youngster. He's recently gotten free and is attempting to acquaint himself with the real world. (This total lack of character knowledge will help buffer the total lack of player knowledge...hopefully)
He is mistrustful of people in general and clerics in particular.
He will be a rogue, because he knows the fastest, cheapest way to get something is to steal it.
There's a lot of gaps here I'm sure, and any help you wish to offer would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks to you ShadezofDis.

-Shan
Faraer
04-03-07, 10:23 AM That sounds like a good background. The slavers are most likely either from Skullport, the sinister criminal town rumoured to lie beneath Waterdeep's streets; or Calishites, from a mysterious land that lies far south down the Sword Coast but whose agents rove far. (Or drow, or mind flayers, or men from the Western Heartlands trade cities . . .) What kind of place did your character spend the rest of his life?

(Humans aren't any more or less boring than any other race, most notable Faerūnian characters are human, and you'll have enough on your plate roleplaying another person in a new setting without having to think like an alien. Forget about the feat and skill. And there are at least six books about Waterdeep, but you don't have to read them all!)
ShadezofDis
04-03-07, 02:31 PM That sounds like a good background. The slavers are most likely either from Skullport, the sinister criminal town rumoured to lie beneath Waterdeep's streets; or Calishites, from a mysterious land that lies far south down the Sword Coast but whose agents rove far. (Or drow, or mind flayers, or men from the Western Heartlands trade cities . . .) What kind of place did your character spend the rest of his life?

Actually, I think this character is perfect for a native of Zhentil Keep.

Starts out as a son of a poor family, perhaps getting into stealing at an early age (ie. 8 years old and stealing bits of food for the family or whatever) and after getting caught (perhaps the mother knew of the thefts but kept quiet and eventually the father found out and sold the boy into slavery)

From Zhentil Keep to the mines (or whatever, some sort of harsh physical labor) where in some way, shape or form he was noticed as being quite skilled at . . . oh. . . filtching extra food, bluffing guards in order to get a bit more freedom or whatever, and is "rescued" by the Zhents theives guild and pushed into higher level crimes.

Eventually he manages to escape the theives guild and makes his way to Waterdeep, because that just might be far enough away to be save from the Zhents theives guild (or whomever, perhaps the Zhents themselves)

I'll hammer out some better thoughts but I really think Zhentil Keep is the place to start from. (Not that Faraer's thoughts are at all bad, he's/she's VERY knowledgable about the Realms and comes up with all sorts of excellent thoughts about characters, places, ect)
Shan_TheBabau_Burke
04-03-07, 05:19 PM Excellent! How lucky I am to have found people so willing to help! I have made good notes on all of it. Thank you again!

-Shan
ShadezofDis
04-03-07, 05:44 PM Excellent! How lucky I am to have found people so willing to help! I have made good notes on all of it. Thank you again!

-Shan

No problem, I enjoy making stories (I'm sure that comes as a shock! ;))
Burningspear
04-03-07, 06:56 PM No problem, I enjoy making stories (I'm sure that comes as a shock! ;))

Join the club :tie:, i do as well, but i did not read this post until now :plotting:
i need a game, so i can actually get my inspirations to work...

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Shan_TheBabau_Burke 04-02-07, 03:57 PM	I am preparing to play in a Forgotten Realms game set in Sword Coast, it starts in Waterdeep. I don't have the book for the setting and I was just wondering: How much of it is different than a Dungeons and Dragons setting? I know they have different gods and subraces, is there more? I am going now to do a search on Waterdeep for answers as well. Thanks for any input you wanna share!
Diffan 04-02-07, 04:36 PM	There are a lot of differences, like monsters, FR specific prestige classes, spells, etc..... If your starting your campaign in Waterdeep, I highly suggest you pick up or read through Waterdeep: City of Splendors source book. It will give you all the info you need, maps of the city, exciting places to visit, villians, NPC's and the like. But, in a pinch, all you really need is the DMG, MM, and PHB to run in the setting. Keep it pretty simple until you can pick up the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting and the Players guide to Faerun, and look online for the deities and they're portfolios/domains.
Shan_TheBabau_Burke 04-02-07, 06:50 PM	Thanks! I have looked a bit, and I decided to make a character that would have a reason to seem out of place. The fella that's DMing has all the books, but he lives in New York, and I live way out west. I had no idea there was a whole book about one city! I will try to pick that up too! Your help is appreciated! -Shan
ShadezofDis 04-02-07, 11:00 PM	Shan, I read your post and thought you were DMing and I was thinking "Wow, this guy shouldn't even bother" ;) But as a player it's a who different story, it should be fun getting introduced to Waterdeep, it's one of the most detailed cities in Dungeons and Dragons. In fact, I wish I could be introduced again for the first time Anyhow, if you just want to shoot some "generic" idea's out to us then I'm sure we could cook up a good story for why any sort of character would go to Waterdeep. Then you could shock your DM by saying something like; "Well, I have a young gold (golden? would that be correct?) elven mage who was born in Cormanthor and grew up a woodsman's son. Early in life his family moved to Evermeet, following the elven retreat. As they travelled across Faerun he saw wonders he never believed possible, magestic mountains, vast grasslands, exotic beasts and birds. It was when he saw Waterdeep that his world changed forever, he'd never dreamed anything like that city was possible back in his home forests. Taking ship to Evermeet almost broke his heart. He lived on Evermeet, never quite liking the idea that he'd arrived at paradise and there was no where to go from here. After they Fey attack, when he found the retreat was over and he was of the age of majority (or whatever the term is), he was joyed to get a chance to see Waterdeep and explore the far reaches of the Realms." Or some sorta nonsense :) Heck, I love coming up with a reason for something to be somewhere ;D (note: I am unsure about the timing of the end of the retreat and when the Fey's, or whatever they're called, attacked, but someone will know g)
Shan_TheBabau_Burke 04-03-07, 01:10 AM	Wow! That would be great! Here's my basic info. Human (yeah I know kinda boring, but I like the extra feat and skill) early twenties, sold to slavers by his parents as a youngster. He's recently gotten free and is attempting to acquaint himself with the real world. (This total lack of character knowledge will help buffer the total lack of player knowledge...hopefully) He is mistrustful of people in general and clerics in particular. He will be a rogue, because he knows the fastest, cheapest way to get something is to steal it. There's a lot of gaps here I'm sure, and any help you wish to offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to you ShadezofDis. -Shan
Faraer 04-03-07, 10:23 AM	That sounds like a good background. The slavers are most likely either from Skullport, the sinister criminal town rumoured to lie beneath Waterdeep's streets; or Calishites, from a mysterious land that lies far south down the Sword Coast but whose agents rove far. (Or drow, or mind flayers, or men from the Western Heartlands trade cities . . .) What kind of place did your character spend the rest of his life? (Humans aren't any more or less boring than any other race, most notable Faerūnian characters are human, and you'll have enough on your plate roleplaying another person in a new setting without having to think like an alien. Forget about the feat and skill. And there are at least six books about Waterdeep, but you don't have to read them all!)
ShadezofDis 04-03-07, 02:31 PM	That sounds like a good background. The slavers are most likely either from Skullport, the sinister criminal town rumoured to lie beneath Waterdeep's streets; or Calishites, from a mysterious land that lies far south down the Sword Coast but whose agents rove far. (Or drow, or mind flayers, or men from the Western Heartlands trade cities . . .) What kind of place did your character spend the rest of his life? Actually, I think this character is perfect for a native of Zhentil Keep. Starts out as a son of a poor family, perhaps getting into stealing at an early age (ie. 8 years old and stealing bits of food for the family or whatever) and after getting caught (perhaps the mother knew of the thefts but kept quiet and eventually the father found out and sold the boy into slavery) From Zhentil Keep to the mines (or whatever, some sort of harsh physical labor) where in some way, shape or form he was noticed as being quite skilled at . . . oh. . . filtching extra food, bluffing guards in order to get a bit more freedom or whatever, and is "rescued" by the Zhents theives guild and pushed into higher level crimes. Eventually he manages to escape the theives guild and makes his way to Waterdeep, because that just might be far enough away to be save from the Zhents theives guild (or whomever, perhaps the Zhents themselves) I'll hammer out some better thoughts but I really think Zhentil Keep is the place to start from. (Not that Faraer's thoughts are at all bad, he's/she's VERY knowledgable about the Realms and comes up with all sorts of excellent thoughts about characters, places, ect)
Shan_TheBabau_Burke 04-03-07, 05:19 PM	Excellent! How lucky I am to have found people so willing to help! I have made good notes on all of it. Thank you again! -Shan
ShadezofDis 04-03-07, 05:44 PM	Excellent! How lucky I am to have found people so willing to help! I have made good notes on all of it. Thank you again! -Shan No problem, I enjoy making stories (I'm sure that comes as a shock! ;))
Burningspear 04-03-07, 06:56 PM	No problem, I enjoy making stories (I'm sure that comes as a shock! ;)) Join the club :tie:, i do as well, but i did not read this post until now :plotting: i need a game, so i can actually get my inspirations to work...