I have purchased the following
All core books
DMG
PHB
Monster manual 1 & 2
For FR I have:
Underdark
Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide
Forgotten Realms Player's Guide
Ok so I know I have a lot of reading to do! J The only question I have is how “Underdark” fits in with the FR books. I’m confused a little as the FR campaign guide has an entry for “The Underdark” starting on page 218, making me believe the “Underdark” is part of the Forgotten Realms? However when I start reading the “Underdark – Roleplaying game supplement” book it make no mention of Forgotten Realms at all? I’m just a little confused… While reading the FR campaign guide the Underdark sounded really interesting to me, so I went ahead and purchased the game supplement book to expand, are they the same?
Thank a bunch !!!
when wotc made 4e, they made it so that it was all core/canon.
the underdark book of 4e, is set for the core world and thus the cities/deities in the 4e book are not realms.
the other parts of that book can be easily adapted to the Realms's underdark.
I am going to suggest that you take a look at the Neverwinter Guide that is out/coming soon. It's geared to the Heroic tier of play.
The 4E Underdark book is geared to the PoL(Points of Light) setting. Yet there is alot you can port over if you wish. I have also found the Manual of the Planes books to be quite interesting.
Good gaming.
The Forgotten Realms most definitely has its own “Underdark;” it’s been a part of the Realms since the start and has been featured in several Forgotten Realms novels, as well as sourcebooks written for prior editions of the Dungeons & Dragons game.
In fact, this is where WotC got the name for their generic, 4th Edition Sourcebook called Underdark. (I don’t like that WotC does this, because it causes exactly the sort of confusion that prompted you to visit the forums, but that’s just me.)
When you’re reading the 4th Edition Underdark sourcebook, you’re reading something that borrows liberally from the Forgotten Realms, as well as other sources, for the book’s content, but you’re not reading something tailored specifically to the Forgotten Realms.
However, like any good sourcebook, you’re going to find a lot of useful encounters and information in Underdark that you can introduce into your Forgotten Realms campaign without any problems, which is what, I am sure, the book’s authors are hoping Realms DMs like yourself will do.
Best of luck with your campaign!
AFAIK, the reason the 4e Underdark book details the CORE Underdark world is to avoid it getting too wrapped up in FR's Underdark so that people will pick it up, say "I don't play a FR game," and not buy it. Instead, they made it more generic so that anyone could use it in any setting.
Also, the FR Underdark is heavily detailed in the 3e FR sourcebook of the same name ("Underdark"), which is a great resource if you're going to run a FR Underdark game.
This does NOT mean that your Underdark book is useless--far from it! You should take anything you want from that book to use in your game. Also, since a lot of the stuff about the drow city, etc., is very flavor/fluff, you can just substitute FR stuff from the 3e book and go with the mechanics presented in the 4e book.
Cheers
I'm so excited, took your advice and I
purchased Neverwinter Nights Campaign Setting... looking forward reading it!!!
come to think of it, not sure thats accurate on my part
the pol setting is the quassi setting t thats includes the nentir vale, and is more or less supposed to be atleast how I take it safe harbor in a strom.
come to think of it, not sure thats accurate on my part
Not sure I understand sfdragon?
come to think of it, not sure thats accurate on my part
Near enough. My group has been playing through the area (Nentir Vale) on and off for a while now (the modules Keep on the Shadowfell and Thunderspire Labyrinth being set in the area, and having formed the background to our adventures for a couple of years now, on and off).
Although people refer to Points of Light as a setting, it really functions better as a description. My group just think of it as the 4E Core Setting. But yes, Sarah, your guess is about right. PoL is all about safe (or semi-safe) bastions of civilisations (various) surrounded by a whole lot of wilderness filled with wild creatures and, occasionally, dark forces. Or at least that has been my experience of it.
Oh, and Misc, you aren't the only one who doesn't have Neverwinter yet.
wants asigned copy from Erik
or else
{or else what?
or else I have to go by one)
Wait a minute, so Neverwinter nights is not a suitable campaign setting for 1st level players?
Yes the Neverwinter Campaign Guide is suited for 1st level character, it's even best since it is an Heroic Tier product (Level 1-10).
Underdark is a great place to adventure in, hope you and your players will enjoy.
Good luck with your campaign and give us some feedback !
The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea
Dungeon Master's Guide 2
Manual of the Planes
Do you guys recommend these books?
The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea
Dungeon Master's Guide 2
Manual of the Planes
Having not looked through the first, I can't say, but I can give my two cents on the other two. The DMGII is an ideal follow-up to the DMGI; it expands the concept of creating skill challenges, offers more options when designing an encounter (specifically, how to better implement traps and terrain), and discusses storytelling and ways to spice up the flavor in a plotline. It also shines more light on how to make an effective transition from the heroic level to the paragon level. I wouldn't say it's absolutely necessary, but it's certainly good to have.
As for Manual of the Planes, I enjoyed the material, as it does a nice job of describing the diverse locations beyond the material world, but it doesn't go overboard with details; it sets up a foundation for the planes and expects the DM to build from those basic facts. It offers new monters to throw at the players, and describes the methods of planar transportation. Its usefulness varies depending on where you see your game going. Honestly, in the heroic tier (levels 1-10), it's not expected that the party will be heading off to another plane of existence, so I can't honestly say it's a big item. It offers very little (essentially nothing) in terms of what can/will be immediately accessible to a group of greenhorn warriors. Also, the information in the book is intended for the generic Points of Light setting; it doesn't address anything Forgotten Realms-specific, just places that either exist in both FR and PoL or PoL elements that could be implemented in a FR game if the DM wishes. I'd recommend putting it aside at the moment, and returning to it later when your characters have worked their way up the ladder XP-wise.
Do you guys recommend these books?
The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea
Dungeon Master's Guide 2
Manual of the Planes
Having not looked through the first, I can't say, but I can give my two cents on the other two. The DMGII is an ideal follow-up to the DMGI; it expands the concept of creating skill challenges, offers more options when designing an encounter (specifically, how to better implement traps and terrain), and discusses storytelling and ways to spice up the flavor in a plotline. It also shines more light on how to make an effective transition from the heroic level to the paragon level. I wouldn't say it's absolutely necessary, but it's certainly good to have.
As for Manual of the Planes, I enjoyed the material, as it does a nice job of describing the diverse locations beyond the material world, but it doesn't go overboard with details; it sets up a foundation for the planes and expects the DM to build from those basic facts. It offers new monters to throw at the players, and describes the methods of planar transportation. Its usefulness varies depending on where you see your game going. Honestly, in the heroic tier (levels 1-10), it's not expected that the party will be heading off to another plane of existence, so I can't honestly say it's a big item. It offers very little (essentially nothing) in terms of what can/will be immediately accessible to a group of greenhorn warriors. Also, the information in the book is intended for the generic Points of Light setting; it doesn't address anything Forgotten Realms-specific, just places that either exist in both FR and PoL or PoL elements that could be implemented in a FR game if the DM wishes. I'd recommend putting it aside at the moment, and returning to it later when your characters have worked their way up the ladder XP-wise.
Thank you LordManshoon...
Cheers
As I said before I want to start a campaign in Neverwinter Nights.
First I wanna use adventures that were provided and some that I bought, this will allow me to make sense of my purchases and not let it go to waste. As far as I can tell the adventures I have listed below gives me everything I need such as: dialog, monsters, maps, settings, treasure... etc... etc... etc... As I said before, I’m a new DM so these adventures will make it easy for me to start playing right away and perhaps buy me some time to "create" a proper campaign of my own set in Neverwinter Nights without additional products. Like I said I have FRCG and Neverwinter Nights Campaign Setting, I just don’t know how to take that info and make a campaign. That will take some time and seems like a lot of work.
The adventures I have are:
-I have Loudwater provided in the FRCG
-I have purchased The Slaying Stone
-I have purchased Orcs of Stonefang Pass
My problems are:
The FRCG has Loudwater somewhat near Neverwinter nights where I eventually want the characters to go after completing Loudwater. How do I steer them in that direction? And along the way I want to include the “The Slaying Stone” and the follow up “Orcs of Stonefang Pass”…
The Slaying Stone setting is set in a town called “Kiris Dahn” do I just plop that town on the path from Loudwater to Neverwinter Nights?
The Orcs of Stonefang Pass says it’s set in the mighty Ironwall Mountains west of the Nentir Vale? Where is that? And how can I tie it to FR or even Neverwinter Nights… I think will be harder to include The Orcs of Stonefang Pass as I do not see any mountains from Loudwater and to Neverwinter Nights in the FRCG map.
Thanks for your help!
~Sarah~
Some notes on terminology: "Neverwinter Nights" is a computer game set in the city of Neverwinter. Your PCs wouldn't be going to "Neverwinter nights"--they'd be going to NEVERWINTER. (Though of course you can call your campaign "Neverwinter Nights" if you want.)
Getting the PCs from Loudwater to Neverwinter shouldn't be too difficult. Have one of the NPCs (maybe one of the Lady of Shadows' goons) steal something from them and flee to Neverwinter. Send out a call for adventurers to help pacify Neverwinter (i.e. guardposts on the wall, help cleaning out the sewers, a patient uprising in Helm's Hold); these notices reach the PCs in Loudwater. If there's a dwarf in the party, have the character start having dreams of Gauntlgrym (see the Heir of Delzoun theme; you can do this whether or not the character has that theme).
You might also consider using the Scepter Tower of Spellgard adventure. It's in the area, more or less, and makes a natural transition from the Loudwater stuff.
I don't know much about the Slaying Stone or Stonefang Pass, but you should be able to alter the specifics there to fit your campaign world. The Nentir Vale isn't part of the Forgotten Realms (though you can certainly put it there, if you want to), so you might consider basing this adventure significantly north of Neverwinter, up in the Savage Frontier. This gives you the chance to have some cool overland adventures as well.
Cheers
The Nentir Vale isn't part of the Forgotten Realms (though you can certainly put it there, if you want to), so you might consider basing this adventure significantly north of Neverwinter, up in the Savage Frontier. This gives you the chance to have some cool overland adventures as well.
Also, this would allow you to use the Spine of the World (the continuous, east-west running mountain chain of the savage north) in place of the Ironwall Mountains.
And believe you me, there are plenty or orcs along the Spine of the World, so placing Stonefang Pass there ought to be no problem at all.
The Nentir Vale isn't part of the Forgotten Realms (though you can certainly put it there, if you want to), so you might consider basing this adventure significantly north of Neverwinter, up in the Savage Frontier. This gives you the chance to have some cool overland adventures as well.
Also, this would allow you to use the Spine of the World (the continuous, east-west running mountain chain of the savage north) in place of the Ironwall Mountains.
And believe you me, there are plenty or orcs along the Spine of the World, so placing Stonefang Pass there ought to be no problem at all.
Spine of the world in Icewind Dale! Thanks,
this is cool; I can fit the products in and use a good portion of the map from
Loudwater to Icewind Dale and everything in between to eventually Neverwinter.
Hahaha, I feel dumb for calling it Neverwinter Nights, the name stuck in my
head seeing a lot of promotion for the video game.
If you're interested in steeping your campaign in more lore (which I recommend introducing gradually, if at all), check out the 3e Silver Marches sourcebook, the 2e sourcebook The North. Also, if you're not playing in the D&D Encounters season ("The Lost Crown of Neverwinter"), you should really consider it.
Cheers
Here I go with another question…
I just finished the PHB, now I going to tackle the DMG… I was wondering since all the rules are in PHB, do I need to read DMG? If so, what sections? I will return to this book when it’s time to create my own adventures; however it looks as though it’s tailored towards giving you guidance for creating your own stuff.
Don’t wanna short cuts this book if needed, so I was wondering what is a must read?
Thanks again
Just a note, I tried getting into 2e, didn’t like it, tried again at 3.5e, still didn’t like it, but wow 4e, well it’s just awesome!!! So many things just clicked for me, love the combat system and how everything is unified. Kudos!
I did run HS1 Slaying Stone and HS2 Orcs of Stonefang Pass using the Forgotten Realms and i used the Grey Vale for it (in place of the Nentir Vale) and had them start in Loudwater.
In between the two adventures i used Dungeon 181 adventure Slaver's Stone to have them gain XP in between, along with some Random Encounters.
If it can help you i used those locals:
Nentir Vale = Grey Vale
Llorkh = Kiris Dahn
Cled = Zelbross
Slaver's Stone and environ = The Highmoors
Stonefang Mountains = Greypeak Mountains
Stonefang Pass = Greypeak Mts Pass.
I was partial to 2e's Volo's Guide to the North over The North boxed set myself... Though I seem to recall both being available somewhere on the WotC site as PDFs, though I've no idea where these days, or if they're still there at all.
forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=...
Here you go stigger.
Sarah, remember this… it’s your FR world. You can add or change anything you like. Some people like to play strict canon (canon refers to what has been written from lore books and FR goes back a long ways so it has a lot of lore). Some like me pick and choose.
As an example: I’ve been playing FR for a long time now (since the first publishing of what refer to as "the grey box"). However since 4E and all the changes to the Realms that were made, there are things I like about the 4e Realms and things I don’t. I like the Nentir Vale and added it to my FR campaign world as an example. I even went so far as editing my whole 4E FR map (my post of the maps are here):
community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/758...
If you look at the original 4E version vs my 4E realms version you can tell I added a lot. My point is this… if you buy an adventure and it has a different set of mountain ranges or names… use what you like. It’s a game that can be edited to the way you envision it. If you want to play strict canon… then you may have to edit an adventure or your “underdark” book to the Realms. If you have an imagination and want to change something, knock yourself out and run wild with it. In the end, it’s a game and it’s meant to be fun.
Note: you may have to scroll up on the link to the top post for the links to the maps.
Also, an FYI... if you enjoy the Realms... there is a 3E book called the "Grand history of the Realms" ... it covers the histroy of the Realms. It's a great read and you may enjoy it. It will add a massive amount of lore/History too, that will help you make your FR world that much more enjoyable.
forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
Sarah, remember this… it’s your FR world. You can add or change anything you like. Some people like to play strict canon (canon refers to what has been written from lore books and FR goes back a long ways so it has a lot of lore). Some like me pick and choose.
As an example: I’ve been playing FR for a long time now (since the first publishing of what refer to as "the grey box"). However since 4E and all the changes to the Realms that were made, there are things I like about the 4e Realms and things I don’t. I like the Nentir Vale and added it to my FR campaign world as an example. I even went so far as editing my whole 4E FR map (my post of the maps are here):
community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/758...
If you look at the original 4E version vs my 4E realms version you can tell I added a lot. My point is this… if you buy an adventure and it has a different set of mountain ranges or names… use what you like. It’s a game that can be edited to the way you envision it. If you want to play strict canon… then you may have to edit an adventure or your “underdark” book to the Realms. If you have an imagination and want to change something, knock yourself out and run wild with it. In the end, it’s a game and it’s meant to be fun.
Note: you may have to scroll up on the link to the top post for the links to the maps.
Also, an FYI... if you enjoy the Realms... there is a 3E book called the "Grand history of the Realms" ... it covers the histroy of the Realms. It's a great read and you may enjoy it. It will add a massive amount of lore/History too, that will help you make your FR world that much more enjoyable.
Thank you for your help!
I’m in a good position to not be “canon”? As we are a novice group and player knowledge of the FRCG is very limited, this puts me in a position to alter the realm to whatever I want.
I’m trying to be as accurate as possible, however like I said before; I would like to insert adventure modules in the realm to maximize my purchases.
It would be great and easy for me to have one thread for all advice I can reference as I learn here in this thread or is that against forum rules? For instance if I have a question concerning PHB, do I need to post it somewhere else?
Essentially, my ultimate goal is to be in a position that I’m actually in Neverwinter setting and to get there I will follow this path, Learn PHB (Check! However I have a lot of questions), then DMG, then, FRCG, and ultimately Neverwinter Campaign Setting.
A few stops along the way will include, Loudwater, and the 2 adventure modules I’ve purchased.I’m also planning on purchasing Madness at Gardmore Abbey when it’s out and will need to fit that in the campaign setting as well.
Well, just an update, I’m up to 6 players for weekly session on Sunday nights, 3 females in the group!!! Yay!
Here I go with another question…
I just finished the PHB, now I going to tackle the DMG… I was wondering since all the rules are in PHB, do I need to read DMG? If so, what sections? I will return to this book when it’s time to create my own adventures; however it looks as though it’s tailored towards giving you guidance for creating your own stuff.
Don’t wanna short cuts this book if needed, so I was wondering what is a must read?
Thanks again
There is certainlly some must read material in the DMG including material that helps you put mechanics to player character actions that go beyond just the use of their powers and standard moves...(see page 42+)
Your very welcome Sarah... and I know exactly what you mean buy easily spending so much money. My players are more than happy to kick in... they honestly reap the benefits when it's game time. I also agree with you about 4E being so much easier. That is why I can't stress enough to try DDI... if you like it, get it for a year (cheaper that way). Gaming wise... (if you have a laptop) you won't need any book other than your adventure books. There's a compendium too... you can do a quick search of anything (of rules, monsters, classes, est.) that you don't own yet. Even if you own the books, it makes a quick search a 100 times faster.
Happy gaming and if you ever need to, you can always PM me if you have a specific question.
I wanted to weigh in about the DMG question. If you've never DMed before, this will probably be invaluable to you. If you *have* DMed before, you'll probably find that the DMG is mostly review of how to run a good game. It's very useful in managing your sessions.
Also about the novels, some of them might prove very useful to creating a very Realmsian atmosphere in your games. You might particularly check out the 4e FR books, such as the Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep series, R.A. Salvatore's Neverwinter series (particularly if you're going to run a Neverwinter game), Erin Evans's forthcoming novel Brimstone Angels, and (I guess) some of mine. Not that I'm biased.
Cheers
Hi Sarah,
I wanted to weigh in about the DMG question. If you've never DMed before, this will probably be invaluable to you. If you *have* DMed before, you'll probably find that the DMG is mostly review of how to run a good game. It's very useful in managing your sessions.
Also about the novels, some of them might prove very useful to creating a very Realmsian atmosphere in your games. You might particularly check out the 4e FR books, such as the Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep series, R.A. Salvatore's Neverwinter series (particularly if you're going to run a Neverwinter game), Erin Evans's forthcoming novel Brimstone Angels, and (I guess) some of mine. Not that I'm biased.
Cheers
The only DM role I have done so far is help role a character and help filling out a character sheet...lol - So yeah, I agree, I will read cover to cover the DMG... besides it was a real fun reading the PHB so I'm expecting a good read, I just find learning rules not as fun lol… I'm just so anxious to start reading the good stuff such as FRCG and NWCS... Once I get the group going I will start checking out novels, your too!
Please don’t laugh at me, but I’m confused about Wizards in PHB.
At 30th level a Wizard knows:
2 At will spells
4 Encounter spells
4 Daily spells
7 Utility spells
And with all other characters they have the same amount of “powers” as Wizards? What is the advantage being a Wizard?
Try DDI.... trust me on this... the learning curve his halfed.
Yes, it’s obvious to a new person to the game (D&D/FR) and visiting these boards that 4e Realm is controversial to say the least. However, I have not yet read the FR Campaign guide, however I have a feeling that it will not matter to me how they changed the Realm from 3.5e to 4e? Why would I even care? I never read a FR novel nor have I ever played in the previous Realm? So, unless the book is completely void of anything useful then the changes does not apply to me. What I read so far on these boards concerning the 3e vs. 4e is that there were dramatic changes to the Realm, as far as I can see, this will not affect me or my players… I’m just hoping 4e Realms gives me enough to flavor our sessions with a map, a sense of place, some history, and an opportunity for my players to read more if they like the setting (that’s where the FRPG comes in) however most importantly, I’m hoping to tie in existing products I own such has Orcs of Stonefang Pass into the Realm…and according to the advice so far, it seems to be a non-issue and quite easy to do! The more I think about it, the more I realize that the campaign will be set in Neverwinter and I have that book, consensus so far seems that it’s a well-received book. So I’m not too worried about the setting in Realm’s 4e.
Hence my recommendation for the Volo's Guides, over anything else. They're 90-95% flavor for the most part, with lots of details on people and places that could be easily lifted and transported to the 4e Realms. Its not as if anyone would really know the difference, and it can at least be mined for inspiration and ideas on a huge variety of stuff.
As to the edition war crap, you're better off avoiding it entirely, it serves no purpose that I can see.
But they are a wealth of ressource for any DM and i second this reccomandation !
Please don’t laugh at me, but I’m confused about Wizards in PHB.
At 30th level a Wizard knows:
2 At will spells
4 Encounter spells
4 Daily spells
7 Utility spellsAnd with all other characters they have the same amount of “powers” as Wizards? What is the advantage being a Wizard?
The nature of what a Wizard can accomplish is greatly distinct they have the largest area of effects maintainable zones, summonable creatures and techniques for getting out of dodge when attacked and so on ... And other heros get the same numbers of special moves because different classes are supposed to be different not advantaged
The other thing is a wizard gets rituals which people do indeed under-estimate - Its a lot of out of out of combat plot power.
Wizards spell book lets them have increased versatility in combat but not so far that they will impinge on other characters roles.
One way of seeing it is most of the world is composed of well everyday folk who would be built in 4th edition as minions ... and they do not have a wide variety of interesting moves/maneuvers/exploits or powers and they tend to go down and out of the fight with a single good shot
Compared to that ...all the heros are very advantaged and each one is quite unique.
Weird always thought this was a boys club?
My group is getting healthy in size. Don’t know why I'm so lucky finding players, however my group is now 5 strong and we are starting the campaign in roughly in a month!
The group thus far has 3 females, and 2 males...who would of thought?
I play in a group of 9 (myself included): 4 ladies, 4 other gents, all of whom have been my close friends for a large part of my life. Disproving the skewed perceptions is always fun. Suffice it to say that, back in high school, when my friends and I first started playing, the first campaign or two were far from smooth; combat, though not boring, took ages. Over time, we got the hang of things, though. It's a miracle we managed to stay so close (not just in terms of the strength of friendship, but in terms of literal proximity to one another) over the years, b/c we still game together.
Best of luck with the campaign! Let us know how it goes.
Ok guys, willing to help me a little more?
Our first session is on the 18th. We are spending that session creating characters. It’s going to be so much fun!
Are you willing to help me create a character step by step using this thread? This will be my attempt at understanding character creation from scratch.
I would of liked DDI however I spent too much money on books thus far (Well over 400$) Expensive hobby eh?
Anyways, I was thinking you guys can help me creating the most complex character type possible, as if I understand that, then proceeding character creation should be easy.
Here are the materials I own:
PHB
DMG
FRPG
FRCG
Underdark
NWCS
MM1
MM2
Once we make it through a character creation, I may have questions concerning MM.
P.S. I know this might not be the right place, however if you permit me, I would like my questions and answers to them combined in this thread for easy reference, is that ok? Thank you so much!
Alright, what character should I roll?
-Sarah
Hi guys!
Ok I can only buy one of these books, which one should I get? Which would be most useful or more exciting for the players?
Manual of the Planes
Dungeon Master's Guide 2
The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea
The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos
Hi guys!
Ok I can only buy one of these books, which one should I get? Which would be most useful or more exciting for the players?
Manual of the Planes
Dungeon Master's Guide 2
The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea
The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos
Well DMG 2 focuses mainly on the Paragon Tier, so it'll probably be a little while before you really need it, So I would go with the Manual of the Planes, nice overview of the Planes, PLane Above, and Below get a little more focused, so yeah, Id say Manual of the Planes.
Ok guys, willing to help me a little more?
Our first session is on the 18th. We are spending that session creating characters. It’s going to be so much fun!
Are you willing to help me create a character step by step using this thread? This will be my attempt at understanding character creation from scratch.
I would of liked DDI however I spent too much money on books thus far (Well over 400$) Expensive hobby eh?Anyways, I was thinking you guys can help me creating the most complex character type possible, as if I understand that, then proceeding character creation should be easy.
Here are the materials I own:
PHB
DMG
FRPG
FRCG
Underdark
NWCS
MM1
MM2Once we make it through a character creation, I may have questions concerning MM.
P.S. I know this might not be the right place, however if you permit me, I would like my questions and answers to them combined in this thread for easy reference, is that ok? Thank you so much!
Alright, what character should I roll?
-Sarah
Id say step one is selecting Race and Class. Im not sure which would be the most complex, theyre all pretty balanced, if you can roll up a fighter, you should be able to roll up anything else as well. I guess, in my opinion, one of the more complex classes to roll up would be the Psychic ones, only because they change up the standard At-Will, Encounter, Daily thing, having only At-Will powers and Power Points to spend to make those powers effectively Encounter or Daily powers, but you dont have the PHB 3 do you? Thats one to get, specially if you want to use the Psychic power source. PHB 2 would be another good one to get, Its got Gnomes in it!!
Eladrin
Wizard
Hi guys!
Ok I can only buy one of these books, which one should I get? Which would be most useful or more exciting for the players?
Manual of the Planes
Dungeon Master's Guide 2
The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea
The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos
Well DMG 2 focuses mainly on the Paragon Tier, so it'll probably be a little while before you really need it, So I would go with the Manual of the Planes, nice overview of the Planes, PLane Above, and Below get a little more focused, so yeah, Id say Manual of the Planes.
I picked up the Manual of the planes, as other sources peaked my interest. I also picked up Rules Compendium after reading rave reviews, thought it would be an excellent tool for beginners finding rules. Quickly and up-to-date.
I don't play with the 4E rules (currently) so I'm not much help on character creation or deciding which rulebooks to get.
However, I am sending positive thoughts your way.
Best of luck with your game and don't let all those rulebooks get in the way of adventure creation.
I’m having a new player ask me this:
(Derrick asked) is Fighter/Barbarian Half-Orc be okay?
My current group is this:
Alison will play a Eladrin Wizard (Controller)
Robert will play a Eladrin Sword Mage (Defender)
Darrell will play (don’t know race yet) Cleric (Leader)
Chantel will play an Elf Rogue (Striker)
Derrick will play ???
I don’t have any source material for Fighter/Barbarian Half-Orc, so I don’t know what to say? 
I’m only allowing good/lawful good/neural alignments.
lets see
the half orc was in the PHB2
the fighter was in the phb1
the barbarian was in the phb2.
mutli class feats exist
A DDI sub would be a good invest, you get access to all the classes and feats and powers and all that, also has a handy character builer and you get some interesting stuff in DUngeon and Dragon magazine, not too shabby.
To further complicate matters though, there have been numerous changes and errata, for instance Magic Missle is auto-hit now (again), and then theres that Essentials stuff, which really changes the way the classes are laid out, kinda simplifies it in a way I guess, and you get different class abilities as you level up, sort of a throwback to earlier editions i guess.
So I take you want to roll up a standard Orginal 4e character?
I see nothing wrong with letting him be a half-orc barbarian, as long as one of you have the source material. Of course if you think that might clash with what you got planned, youre the DM you can tell him no, haha.
A DDI sub would be a good invest, you get access to all the classes and feats and powers and all that, also has a handy character builer and you get some interesting stuff in DUngeon and Dragon magazine, not too shabby.
To further complicate matters though, there have been numerous changes and errata, for instance Magic Missle is auto-hit now (again), and then theres that Essentials stuff, which really changes the way the classes are laid out, kinda simplifies it in a way I guess, and you get different class abilities as you level up, sort of a throwback to earlier editions i guess.
So I take you want to roll up a standard Orginal 4e character?
Thank you,
I agree after doing some reading/research I now have no issues now with letting him play this hybrid character, he provided the source material PHB2, PHB3 and found all I need from those books.
I picked up 2 copies of the Rule Compendium for me and the players to share during our sessions. I believe that these are the most up-to-date rules, right?
I decided that I will indeed get the DDI subscription, one of my players submitted his character to me last night, and he used the character builder, a must say, that’s pretty awesome, I could not believe that it even generated the characters power cards as part of its output!!! I will set up a laptop at the gaming table and use the D&D compendium, and I decided all players on our first session will create their characters using this tool.
So I no longer need help with character creation process.
One of my players has sent me this note:
Also one tip I forgot to give you, is you should try to use monsters from MM3. Dark Sun Monster Manual, and Monster Vault series, the monsters found in other books have incorrect math concerning HP and defenses making fights into long dice rolling competitions for everyone. Though one thing you never take from the older monster books (MM1-2, Draconomicons, and couple others) are Solo monsters, they have ton HPs, way to high defenses, not immune to fight ending status effects (stun, daze, immobilized, etc.) , limited in actions and so on. Basically they are really bad.
Is this true? This is concerning as I have already purchased MM1 and MM2!!! I'm having a hard time believing those books are useless, please advise!
So no I wouldn't say they are useless. Not quite optimal, but definitely not obsolete. Your encounters with MM1 and MM2 monsters may just take a little bit longer.
I would suggest getting Monster Vault. MM3 and MV:TNV probably aren't necessary though.
the DS monster book, the mv:tnv are not useless either, but they are not neccessary.
I agree with getting the MV though....
The Neverwinter Campaign Setting includes suggested encounters in its factions and foes section and many of them contain monsters from both MM1 and MM2
So no I wouldn't say they are useless. Not quite optimal, but definitely not obsolete. Your encounters with MM1 and MM2 monsters may just take a little bit longer.
I would suggest getting Monster Vault. MM3 and MV:TNV probably aren't necessary though.
Can you explain to me why?
Why would it take longer, what is my player talking about, were the monster printed with too many hit points? I’m trying to make sense of this and salvage my purchases before rushing and buying another product.
Hey what do you guys think of this group?
-Alison will play a Eladrin Wizard (Controller)
-Robert will play a Eladrin Sword Mage (Defender) – Immial is from Waterdeep, the city of spenders.
-Darrell will play an Half Elf Warlord (Leader)
-Chantel will play an Elf Rogue (Striker)
-Derrick will play a Half-Orc Fighter/Barbarian (Defender/Striker)
A special thanks to everyone who has helped me. You have made this process easier for me and clarified many things that were confusing me. Thanks again!
-I thought it might be important to know what game adventures we will be going through until we reach Neverwinter. (So far my Campaign only covers the heroic tier play)
We are starting with the very generic setting of Loudwater, this setting/adventure is provided in the Forgotten Realms Campaign guide. The reason why actually is to buy me some time to shape my own campaign to the player’s needs. This setting is a launching pad only, you may or may not stay here and of course that depends on you. One thing I want to make clear is that (All the character ARE NOT FROM Loudwater. Your hometown will be determined by you individually. Faerun is yours to shape however you like! All I ask (As stated previously, is that in session one, we will role-play as a group your first meet together and specify in your bio why all of you are at the “Tankard”… Your bio will include why you all know each other…! Once you decided to leave Loudwater, and we’re on our way to Icewind dale, you will encounter these two modules, “The slaying Stone”, and the “Orcs of Stonefang Pass”. I have not yet set “The Slaying Stone” in any particular area on the map, I will string this one when I see fit. However “Orcs of Stonefang Pass” is roughly found in “Spine of the World Mts.” In Icewind Dale. We may then head over to Neverwinter, however I will not reveal anything to you just yet and perhaps why/what you will be doing there. All I ask is that no one is to choose Neverwinter as their hometown, it’s in complete ruins. During the heroic tier play you will also encounter the following module “Madness at Gardmore Abbey” this module will be played in tandem during your visit in Neverwinter. I would like to eventually head to Waterdeep, Immial’s (Robert) hometown… Once there I will incorporate a future module release of Undermountain, however this will only begin in you paragon tier play. I also plan to flavor the campaign with the Underdark as well introduce the characters to the planes in later play (paragon/epic tiers)
Is there a problem with me stringing modules together like this? I can modify them to fit the world right?
I’m getting a little annoyed with one player in my group.
I said we are using PHB1, so he chooses a race/class from PHB2 and PHB3, to accommodate him, I allowed it.
I told him I will be using MM1 and MM2; he said to not use them as the math is wrong.
I told him my campaign thoughts, see above, and he said some adventures are “ok” and some are just D&D blasphemy.
This guy has challenged everything I set out to do. Even after I email the group the following:
1. I wanna emphasize that I’m hoping for a sociable night where we can all enjoy the game and each other with this common interest, D&D! I do not want this to be too serious and bogged down with canon, we will not spend all our time making sure everything is perfect; however it’s important to me to flavor our campaign and capture the Realms as much as possible.
2. I will be playing with the assumption that you own the PHB1 or the Rules Compendium (I will provide a copy of the RC to the group) If you require to add rules beyond this, it is your burden to provide the material to ME so I can study it and make a judgment to allow or disallow it.
Thank again guys! ☺
-Sarah
I personally dont do much planning when DMing, I used to, Id spend a whole week coming up with the plot, NPCs, encounters, all that, only to have the players say oh you know what, we dont want to rescue that stupid princess, she shoulda known better than to trust a dragon anyway, we want to go to Undermountain instead!! So all my plans for naught!! I guess I could say no! youre rescuing the damn princess and force them along the path that I wanted, but thats not very much fun. So basically what I do now is come up with a basic adventure idea, have some generic NPCs ready if I need them, and maybe a few encounters planned out, and then just leave it up to them where they want to go and what they want to do, basically I just wing it, and we all have fun so it works out.
ANd on the subject of the math being off in the MM, Ive heard that too, and I think theyve been updated in the Compendium, but Ive use Monsters from the MM many times, and never had any problems, sometimes I might tweak a few to make them tougher, or maybe a little weaker if I dont think the party could handle it as written, its really all up to the DM.
And dont let that one guy start any problems, remember your the DM, your the boss! Its YOUR Realms!!
I personally think you got too much info in there, you dont need to expalin to everyone what adventures you plan on running and things like that, part of the fun should be that the players arent sure whats going on or where their next adventure will take them.
I personally dont do much planning when DMing, I used to, Id spend a whole week coming up with the plot, NPCs, encounters, all that, only to have the players say oh you know what, we dont want to rescue that stupid princess, she shoulda known better than to trust a dragon anyway, we want to go to Undermountain instead!! So all my plans for naught!! I guess I could say no! youre rescuing the damn princess and force them along the path that I wanted, but thats not very much fun. So basically what I do now is come up with a basic adventure idea, have some generic NPCs ready if I need them, and maybe a few encounters planned out, and then just leave it up to them where they want to go and what they want to do, basically I just wing it, and we all have fun so it works out.
ANd on the subject of the math being off in the MM, Ive heard that too, and I think theyve been updated in the Compendium, but Ive use Monsters from the MM many times, and never had any problems, sometimes I might tweak a few to make them tougher, or maybe a little weaker if I dont think the party could handle it as written, its really all up to the DM.
And dont let that one guy start any problems, remember your the DM, your the boss! Its YOUR Realms!!
Thank you for the great advice.
I specified areas and adventures that they are going to play to help them understand the type of game I plan on running! I felt it was fair to them to let them know in advance what they are getting into before committing to this campaign. I did not want to waste anyone’s time. I feel however that unless they go out and purchase those adventures, then they really don’t know what happens in them? I made it clear to that player that I do not plan on playing those modules verbatim. I will tweak those modules to the point that it will intricately fit into the area (sword Coast) and the meat of the adventures will be modified to a certain degree! Also I plan to incorporate their character’s bios/purpose to the purchased modules as well.
I just like the fact that a lot of the work is done for me, also being a new DM I can learn in practice how a professional written adventure is ran… As I gain experience, I will slowly incorporate more and more of my own ideas into the campaign eventually turn to a system of less dungeon crawls and more role-playing.
Like you said, I have no clue what the players will do? They may never leave Loudwater, they may go south instead of north? I just hope to god they make it to Neverwinter. Lol. Who knows? The way I see it is that the purchased modules won’t be used and not much of wasted time…. Just money! I don’t have weeks detailing a whole adventure for a campaign and have them not press on with it.
cheapest way for adventurers to go anywhere is caravan guards( earns gold ) and have the caravan driver tell them where he is going and where after that when they reach where the merchant is going.
the caravan might have down time in Neverwinter, before heading to waterdeep.
never know.
well you can always see where they choose to go.
cheapest way for adventurers to go anywhere is caravan guards( earns gold ) and have the caravan driver tell them where he is going and where after that when they reach where the merchant is going.
the caravan might have down time in Neverwinter, before heading to waterdeep.
never know.
That's awesome sfdragon! Thank you!
depending on where your plays choose to go, looking at whats available may also be a good choice.
Just curious. How did it go last weekend? Inquiring minds want to know!
Pedro