Does anyone know what the sum total of races in the Realms were in the initial Forgotten Realms supplement, and which races were added later on? For example, I don't recall seeing Genasi in the Realms prior to 3rd edition. And I know Aasimar and Tieflings didn't exist til after the publication of Planescape.
So what're the "original" races of Faerun, and what got added in afterwards? And most importantly, HOW did those races get added in afterwards? Were they treated as always being there, or were they recent immigrants? And what kind of an impact did they leave on Faerun? Were they like the Saurials, who're located in only a small part of Faerun, or did they end up all over Faerun like the Dragonborn? Thanks.
After awhile, we got stats for sub-races, and we had the options available in Savage Species, but again, officially, FR only had the basic core races by the end of 2e.
That doesn't mean those races didn't exist; you just couldn't play 'em (like Loxo and Thr-Kreen).
In 2e, at leas at the start, FR had all the core races, and nothing else.
After awhile, we got stats for sub-races, and we had the options available in Savage Species, but again, officially, FR only had the basic core races by the end of 2e.
At the start of 2e, yes, there were only the core races to play. But--and I am 95% sure of this--as more supplements came out, they were allowing other sentient races/monsters to be played through a rules conversion they released that allowed you to adapt the stats in the MM to a degree.
I remember one of my group back in the day getting smack happy that he would finally be able to play a drow (early day Drizzt envy) and another weighing the options for playing a minotaur (due to his love of DragonLance)
Think I'm gonna come back tomorrow, though, with a list of races from 3E supplements and see if those books were their first appearance or if they existed in the Realms prior to 3E (Example: Dragonkin, Genasi, Sarrukh).
Damn those Drizzt clones. I knew somebody else who played a Drizzt clone in nearly every way, down to creating a name that sounded remarkably like Drizzt. And another also played a Minotaur. Hmm, come to think of it, I played a Minotaur, too (Minotaur Barbarian). Although that was just a one-off game.
Think I'm gonna come back tomorrow, though, with a list of races from 3E supplements and see if those books were their first appearance or if they existed in the Realms prior to 3E (Example: Dragonkin, Genasi, Sarrukh).
Well, you are the man with the the lists, so go do so.
That'll make a fine mess, I am sure.
Think I'm gonna come back tomorrow, though, with a list of races from 3E supplements and see if those books were their first appearance or if they existed in the Realms prior to 3E (Example: Dragonkin, Genasi, Sarrukh).
-Sarrukh, it's their first "appearance" by name and details and stats and such. Before that, they were just theoretical reptilian Creator Race creatures.
Does anyone know what the sum total of races in the Realms were in the initial Forgotten Realms supplement, and which races were added later on?
I highly recommend buying the former and reading it.
And I know Aasimar and Tieflings didn't exist til after the publication of Planescape.
But cambions, and the idea of mortals breeding with demons and devils, did.
That doesn't mean those races didn't exist; you just couldn't play 'em (like Loxo and Thr-Kreen).
You could play 'em, it just wasn't a formal crossed-and-dotted Official D&D® Game Option™. Much as in original (1974) D&D, where "There is no reason that players cannot be allowed to play as virtually anything, provided they begin relatively weak and work up to the top" (which would still have been so if there wasn't that one sentence reminding one of it).
And I already mentioned Savage Species, and there was an even earlier 2e book with that same idea - The Complete book of Humanoids. Yes, you could play them, but they were not considered 'standard FR races'.
I ran a totally pimped-out and tweaked Firbolg, so I know these things. :D
-Sarrukh, it's their first "appearance" by name and details and stats and such. Before that, they were just theoretical reptilian Creator Race creatures.
SAUROID... not reptilian.
The Sarrukh became 'Scaley Folk' when they got named Sarrukh.
SAUROID... not reptilian.
The Sarrukh became 'Scaley Folk' when they got named Sarrukh.
-Sauroids are reptilian, in description though not actual anatomy/physiology. Just like I'd say that dinosaurs were reptilian, even though we know that's not entirely, fully true, in the sense of the definition of reptilian being related to reptiles. I use the term to imply lizard-like features. And, that they had. Teeth, scales, the whole nine yards.
Actual examples in that book with particular realmsian flavor were saurials (bladebacks, finheads and hornheads??) and wemics.
Wemics have been part of the Aunaroch, the Shaar and Zakhara since their creation, so my guess is the Grey Box had info on them.
I highly recommend buying the former and reading it.
Always wanted that, I did. Promised the DM I wouldn't though.
And now, is there even a point to do so?
genasi are from the Planewalker's Handbook
Wemics have been part of the Aunaroch, the Shaar and Zakhara since their creation, so my guess is the Grey Box had info on them.
Yes, Wemics have been in FR since the beginning. I used to think they were Ed-created, but they appear in the Monster Manual II, 1st edition, by Gary Gygax and published in 1987.
Funny that... its the same year they bought the Realms.
Even though that tome is 'core', Wemics never appeared in GH, AFAIK. Me-thinks some effort was made to use the 'new monsters' from that book in the new 'flagship setting' they were planning.
Korreds are also in there... hmmm... hmmm... hmmm...
Now I'm curious - They couldn't have possibly been in Ed's original (which is what I always assumed) - Jeff Grubb must have shoe-horned them in along the way if it becoming TSR's Realms.
I'm going to have to ask Ed about this...
EDIT: Then again, they my have appeared earlier in a Dragon article, and one that may have actually been written by Ed, putting the falacy to my own assumptions.
I don't think that FR introduced any new races
genasi are from the Planewalker's Handbook
Were Teiflings core? Me forgets.
When I ran GH, we just called all those half-demons Cambions. Now that just means a half-succubus (which is technically still a Tiefling...)
What about half-badgers? Were they core?
They seem pretty hard core to me and stuff.
They are FR-specific, and I believe one of Ed's creations (there is a short story about them, but I forget who wrote it).
Since they are pretty-much controlled by the Zhentarrim, I doubt they'd make a very good player-race.
You mean the Groundlings?
They are FR-specific, and I believe one of Ed's creations (there as a short story abouyt them, but I forget who wrote it).
Since they are pretty-much controlled by the Zhentarrim, I doubt they'd make a very good player-race.
-3e stats for those guys appear in Monstrous Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn, if I am not mistaken.
Ok, then....