BUT...there do seem to be an awful lot of evil gods and their followers waltzing around this campaign, and i don't know what Pyramid will offer. So i was thinking about this: threading a plotline through the campaign where these evil demonic lords have grouped together in some sort of loose alliance to gain a stronger foothold in the Realms:
Yeenoghu, Orcus, Baphomet, Vecna, and maybe another one.
Would this clash too much with the well-defined Realms mythology? I don't think so, we're not hardcore Realms players anyway. Anybody have any suggestions?
EDIT: This is off topic, but i felt kind of lukewarm about the Thunderspire adventure. It seemed to lose plot focus and centered on a dungeon crawl with lots of traps and targets. I would rather it tie in much stronger with what happened in Shadowfell.
EDIT 2: When the official FR adventure comes out, i might even switch to that. It will be a long time before we complete Shadowfell anyway.
All you would do is lay down the rule from the beginning about the mythology so that the players and so the characters will not react.
Fundamentally its a world that you are creating for your players so as a DM you can specify limits to the mythology.
Are you thinking of combining other gods as well or just those in the rulebook are the forgotten realms gods?
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dufe/20080606a
They did a bit on reflavoring the campgaign for different worlds, including Forgotten Realms. (They also added a few extra encounters.) Cult of Shar, Selune instead of Bahamut, and so on.) I haven't picked up Thunderspire, yet, but I imagine a lot of the conversion stuff would be similar.
As long as you are sure that your players are not fanatics (strong word I admit) Forgotten Realms people then changing things should not be a problem.
No, we're definitely not fanatics. I quit reading the books right after Endless Night, i think. I don't even think the other players have ever read any Realms novels, so they could care less what isn't canon.
Are you thinking of combining other gods as well or just those in the rulebook are the forgotten realms gods?
Yes, i've already introduced Sister Linora as a priestess of Sune, and i'll hint at Lathander and other gods as well. It is also my intention to fully incorporate the Spell Plague once i know more about it from the campaign book. One player already incorporated it into his character: he was originally high level, but is now stripped back down to 1st, and lucky to be alive.
I thought it would work okay having these demonic gods as irregular forces vying for power in a plane where they don't normally have jurisdiction, and probably doing so without the consent or knowledge of the other Evil Powers, whoever they might be in the new setting.
Again, i don't have any problem with houseruling stuff away. Actually, does anyone know WHO the major evil deities are supposed to be in the updated FR Setting?
If you look over in the Dungeon article here:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dufe/20080606a
They did a bit on reflavoring the campgaign for different worlds, including Forgotten Realms. (They also added a few extra encounters.) Cult of Shar, Selune instead of Bahamut, and so on.) I haven't picked up Thunderspire, yet, but I imagine a lot of the conversion stuff would be similar.
Yes, I saw that and i'll probably steal a few ideas, but i want to keep Orcus. Bahamut can go the way of the dodo though, so i'll change that detail.
-wrecan, your friendly neighborhood forum lead[/highlight]
Perhaps that could help you.
Would this clash too much with the well-defined Realms mythology? I don't think so, we're not hardcore Realms players anyway. Anybody have any suggestions?
You know I don't think it would at all.
You can easily portray Yeenoghu, Orcus, Baphomet and Vecna as demonic of fiendish powers.
I don’t know who the major evil powers will be in the 4E Realms beyond Shar and Bane. Can’t wait for the FR Campaign Guide!
Yeenoghu caused the Wasting Plague in the war of avians and gnolls
Orcus has history in Bloodstone lands and Narfell
Yeenoghu and Baphomet alliance, I don't know how you pick those two, but in Core/PS cosmology they're archenemies, in constant conflict. Baphomet is loosely allied with Pale Night, Malcanthet, Ardat and Dwiergas. He hates Orcus too. His cults are influential in Thar, the Ice Spires and Northdark.
Vecna was all over the settings before, like in Ravenloft or PS, so why not, but you can also use Velsharoon or Myrkul.
Yeenoghu, Orcus, Baphomet had a presence in FR before
Yeenoghu caused the Wasting Plague in the war of avians and gnolls
Orcus has history in Bloodstone lands and Narfell
Yeenoghu and Baphomet alliance, I don't know how you pick those two, but in Core/PS cosmology they're archenemies, in constant conflict. Baphomet is loosely allied with Pale Night, Malcanthet, Ardat and Dwiergas. He hates Orcus too. His cults are influential in Thar, the Ice Spires and Northdark.
Vecna was all over the settings before, like in Ravenloft or PS, so why not, but you can also use Velsharoon or Myrkul.
You know, i completely forgot about Orcus and the Throne of Bloodstone. Damn, i even owned and read that adventure years and years ago. So yes, there is a strong precedent for all of this demonic gods in some fashion or another in the Realms.
I too am eagerly awaiting the new FR campaign book. I've been skimpy on details with the players thus far, i don't want to back afterward and tell them such-and-such isn't supposed to exist anymore.
You might swing by Wizards.com/dnd next Wednesday...
18DELTA :D
There's nothing to say that since his release from the realms of dread he hasn't become curious about the world those people were from, and is now trying to establish a presence there. ;)
In fact, at the end of 3e, Velsharoon went "realing into the Astral" - who's to say that Vecna didn't get a hold of him, and is now impersonating him in 4e as part of his plot to gain power in another sphere?
Yeenoghu, Orcus, Baphomet, Vecna, and maybe another one.
-With the exception of, all of these deities have direct presences in Realmspace already. Being a deity- and therefore, a highly convoluted ball of plots and such- if you wanted Vecna to have a presence, it can easily be done.
18DELTA :D
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dufe/20080730a
18DELTA :D
Can't access the article. Bleh, what else is new? I'll check later.
If this is because of the death-throes of Gleemax, I spit at thee Gleemax for your one final intrusion on our happy internet existence!
Bleh and meh, I say!
A fair number of people are having problems opening the .pdf files as presented ont he WOtC website.
When they open them in their web browser, they get text similar to this:
[indent]Accessing File.%PDF-1.4
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-She was made a Swordmage. :D
-I will use both in a game I will run Eventually. ;)
-Make them sisters.
-The Grey Maidens! :P
18DELTA :D
Duergar are easy. :P
And thanks for the download tip - it worked like a charm. :D
-LK gettin Bossy in this thread! :P
18DELTA
-LK gettin Bossy in this thread! :P
-LK is always bossy. Not in real life, but here, sure.
Show
Vecna - Cyric
Erathis - Torm
Torog - Ghaunadaur
Avandra - Chauntea
Trade Road - East Way
Harkenwold - Hullack Forest
Erathis - Torm
Torog - Ghaunadaur
Avandra - Chauntea
Trade Road - East Way
Harkenwold - Hullack Forest
Did anybody notice in the H2 conversion that the town of Wheloon is listed as a "prison city"?
Also, the conversion talks about King Azoun the VI. Little foo foo there, methinks.
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Warning! The following excerpts from H3 Pyramid of Shadows are intended for the eyes of your Dungeon Master. If you’ll be participating in this adventure as a player, we advise you to stop reading now.
In the depths of the Winterbole Forest, the Pyramid of Shadows waits. This extradimensional prison catches and holds creatures from all planes of existence. Within the pyramid, factions rise and fall, carving out territories and surviving without hope of escape . . . all except for one longtime prisoner, who needs the unwitting aid of some adventurers to free himself from the pyramid.
Pyramid of Shadows is an adventure for characters of 7th to 10th level. Following are select excerpts from H3’s adventure books, including the synopsis, a key artifact, and a sampling of encounters.
Adventure Synopsis and Hooks (137 Kbs PDF)
Artifact: the Head of Vyrellis (115 Kbs PDF)
P1: Entrance Pit (1.1 Mbs PDF)
G1: Guard Chamber (1.1 Mbs PDF)
G3: Inner Chambers (1.1 Mbs PDF)
In the depths of the Winterbole Forest, the Pyramid of Shadows waits. This extradimensional prison catches and holds creatures from all planes of existence. Within the pyramid, factions rise and fall, carving out territories and surviving without hope of escape . . . all except for one longtime prisoner, who needs the unwitting aid of some adventurers to free himself from the pyramid.
Pyramid of Shadows is an adventure for characters of 7th to 10th level. Following are select excerpts from H3’s adventure books, including the synopsis, a key artifact, and a sampling of encounters.
Adventure Synopsis and Hooks (137 Kbs PDF)
Artifact: the Head of Vyrellis (115 Kbs PDF)
P1: Entrance Pit (1.1 Mbs PDF)
G1: Guard Chamber (1.1 Mbs PDF)
G3: Inner Chambers (1.1 Mbs PDF)
The modules are being made so that they all exist "just outside of normal space" - if all the campaign worlds share a common cosmology, these modules drop right into all of them.
Clever, I must admit, but I saw it coming.
H3, yes, so it doesn't really need much of a realms conversion - except maybe dropping it's physical location into Chult, beside it's pyramidic buddies. :-)
Each setting has its own canon lore, but the Feywild and Shadowfel have their own canon lore that applies to all settings. Its just a nifty was to make modules setting-neutral, while also making it seem like they belong there.
Having others appear from 'extra-dimensional' origins, or the Far Realms, or even Hell or the Abyss are just a furthering of this idea. You won't be seeing adventures being based on setting lore anymore - all we will be seeing is this generic crap - much as how it was back in 1e.
I'm also not saying its neccessarily a bad thing - as long as the modules are high-quality, I hope it works for them. As for me, I always do my own scenarios anyway.
I said months ago that the Feywild and Shadowfel concepts were added into the cosmology so that all the adventures could be written in them, and easily ported from world to world.
Each setting has its own canon lore, but the Feywild and Shadowfel have their own canon lore that applies to all settings. Its just a nifty was to make modules setting-neutral, while also making it seem like they belong there.
Having others appear from 'extra-dimensional' origins, or the Far Realms, or even Hell or the Abyss are just a furthering of this idea. You won't be seeing adventures being based on setting lore anymore - all we will be seeing is this generic crap - much as how it was back in 1e.
I'm also not saying its neccessarily a bad thing - as long as the modules are high-quality, I hope it works for them. As for me, I always do my own scenarios anyway.
Its not d thought