* Neverwinter. Neverwinter is still where it was, in good form.
* Double-top-secret-Harpers: they've gone underground as a really secret, shadowy organisation. Though how they avoid Shar while playing in her domain I've got to work out. Nonetheless, they do what they can without betraying their existence, except in extremis. Ideally the players will never know they're there until there is very good reason for it. The publically known Harpers of Luruar have almost no connection to the real organisation which is very cellular.
* Waterdeep probably still has a guard, a watch, a navy and griffons, though I'll see what Stephen Schend does with it ...
* Luskan is a pirate hold, rough, but not as dissolute as described in the FRCG. The Hosttower of the Arcane I can do without though - they never worked for me.
* Wheloon. Prison city? No, no, no, no, on so many levels. A large part of the population was exiled to Sembia though, and there's a lot of resentful ex-Cormyrites over the border.
How about you?
Mezro
Cimbar
Hlondeth
Neverwinter
Halarahh
Starmantle
Llorkh
Myth Nantar was also much below and it wouldn't be half above the surface, that's a retcon
The job of the place is to fortify Cormyr's northern border against the depredations of the Empire of Nethril.
I'm also going to make sure the Goblin Marches are alive and well also.
did anyone else think the effects of those mysterious events sound a whole lot like a mythal? ... though I'm sure everyone would have noticed the singing...but still a mythal with the mind of halastar would be sweet
first I would restore the cities that are more interesting as they were than destroyed:
Mezro
Cimbar
Hlondeth
Neverwinter
Halarahh
Starmantle
Llorkh
Myth Nantar was also much below and it wouldn't be half above the surface, that's a retcon
Llorkh? What happened to Llorkh?
Bel
Metathesiophobia is bad.
Llorkh? What happened to Llorkh?
It's in ruins now.
Metathesiophobia is bad.
I changed or ignored stuff in 1e as well. Fear of change has nothing to do with it: this is tailoring.
For Mezro, I'm going with it having relocated and hidden itself again. I like the city in the dead volcano idea someone around here posted.
Once the existence of the Shadow Weave was revealed, Savras was able to pierce the veil of the future enough to see that one day Shar would ally with another god to destroy Mystra, and so he warned her. Mystra created a contingency spell designed to activate at the moment she received a mortal wound. It would cause the Weave to dissolve, taking the Shadow Weave with it, and it would revive her as soon as she was out of danger. However, it required the sacrifice of a god. Savras volunteered, with the understanding that Mystra would restore him as soon as she was able.
It was a nice plan. It almost worked. It only failed because Shar chose Cyric as her partner, and he was not deceived for long. He knew her far too well, and he would have known if he’d managed to permanently destroy her.
He returned to Dweomerheart as she was in the process of repairing the Weave. He tried to finish the job, but was delayed by Azuth and Velsharoon. They wouldn't have been able to stall him for long, and indeed they did not, but the timely intervention of Helm* evened the scales. Nobody knows why Helm came to appear when he did; Mystra was as shocked any anyone else. Perhaps his portfolio sense warned him, or perhaps Savras privately tipped him off. Some feel that he was heartsick over having to destroy the original Mystra, and consequently took it upon himself to watch over her successor as best he could.
However, even Helm's intervention was not enough. Cyric was still a Greater God. He slew Helm and defeated both Azuth and Velsharoon. He moved on Mystra just as she had repaired the Weave, which came at a terrible price: she had to drain the Silver Fire from one of her Chosen to use as a seed. She chose Elminster. Enraged at being forced to harm her most precious Chosen, Mystra lashed out at Cyric just as he let loose a killing blow-- but not one aimed at Mystra. Rather, Cyric struck at the ambient energy of the Weave surrounding Mystra, and disaster followed.
Some speculate that Cyric's strike forced the threads of Weave and Shadow Weave together, because it is known that mixing the two has dire consequences. Others say that Mystra had already united the two into one renewed Weave, and that Cyric's strike poisoned it. Whatever the reason, Dweomerheart exploded with brilliant blue energy that lit up the entire Crystal Sphere. The plane and its inhabitants were mostly unharmed (Mystra's tower being the major exception), but the planes themselves were irrevocably altered.
The Four Elemental Planes coalesced into one amorphous blob, one that swallowed Limbo and eventually covered the Abyss. The Divine Tree shattered, and its planes melted into the Astral, where they became islands. What once were planes are now more properly called Dominions. Faerie, once distant, once again became close to Abeir-Toril, and an echo of the world manifested in the ruins of the Plane of Shadow, now called the Shadowfell. This does not begin to cover what happened on Abeir-Toril itself as direct results of Cyric's act: the disappearance of the Mulhorandi pantheon and a vast majority of the Mulan people, the release of Dendar the Night Serpent, or the Frenzy of Fury, let alone the Spellplague. All of those are stories for another time.
When Azuth and Velsharoon got to the centre of the ruined tower, they found the two combatants just lying there. Mystra was unresponsive, and Cyric was unable to move-- although visibly recovering with every passing second. The two remaining gods of magic managed to bind him long enough to summon their fallen lady's allies to deal with him.
Tyr took Cyric into custody, and a trial was held. The initial assault on Mystra was ruled to not have been a crime to the balance (thereby getting Shar off the hook, to much general frustration) but Cyric knew enough to know that an attack on the Weave instead of its guardian constituted a grave threat to the Balance, even though committed by the God of Strife. He was only spared because of his stewardship over strife, because nobody could argue that his actions failed to serve that cause. Instead of execution, he was sentenced to an indefinite term of imprisonment in the Supreme Throne (to be served literally chained to the throne).
As for Mystra, she was comatose. The Weave was gone, and it was believed that her mind was destroyed with it. Despite Azuth's very passionate pleas, wherein he showed levels of emotion many gods believed he was incapable of feeling, AO did not see fit to restore Mystra. The Weave was almost completely gone. All that remained of it was in the hands of the Chosen, and they were stewards enough. However, he also proclaimed that she was still the Goddess of Magic, and would assume that role if she ever recovered.
With the fall of Mystra, Azuth's popularity soared. His church was pivotal in teaching spellcasters how to safely access arcane magic without the Weave as a safety net. He became a Greater God. Velsharoon also benefitted, because many in his church tapped both the unrestrained Arcane magic and the newly unrestrained power of Shadow. Azuth does not fully trust his underling, but he extends the benefit of the doubt in recognition of Velsharoon's actions against Cyric. Elminster himself came out changed. The loss of his Silver Fire transformed him. He remained one of the most powerful mages on Faerûn, but his extra powers were gone. However, one does not carry around divine power for so long without it leaving its mark: Elminster is now truly immortal. He may be killed, but he will never die. This knowledge is oh so beneficial to his mental state.
Gods, mortals, and everything else alike tried to readjust to their new circumstances, but their world wasn't yet finished being rocked. Gargauth eyed the comatose Mystra hungrily, seeing an opportunity the likes of which hadn't been seen in millennia. Lathander grew deeply troubled, and began to wonder if Faerûn needed goodness so much as order. The general destruction wrought by the Spellplague greatly empowered Talos, while also unhinging him even further, leading him to--
But those are stories for another time.
*-- the entire Helm/Tymora/Tyr plotline never happened.
In MY Realms... the Assassination of Mystra didn't go according to anybody's plan.
Nice. I still haven't decided whether she needs resurrecting or not.
Nice. I still haven't decided whether she needs resurrecting or not.
Thanks. I'm keeping Mystra's status open for that reason. She could recover, or she might not.
[Llorkh] in ruins now.
Where does it say this?
Mask helped her escape death and since Cyric was using Mask in sword disguise he was able to help her fake her death. This meant she would have to give up most of her power and go into hiding, but Mask promised her something for this plan: Her life and to be part of a plot that would get vengance on Cyric. Since Cyric and Shar were so busy plotting to kill Mystra, Helm and Tyr it was easy for these two sneaky gods to fool Cyric and take Intrigue for Mask and Illusion for Leira. Now Leira works for Mask.
Plus I would bring Shaundakul back since my one pc was on the road to being his Chosen or something to that nature. Plus Mystra might not be as dead as we thought due to Masks shenanigans. Perhaps I will use the reborn Mystyl idea from another thread. She won't represent magic but be a demigod who is mistress of Mysteries and Wonders.
This works for my Nesme game. One of my PCs found a Nethril dagger that was a key to a Planar Gate that led to the Plane of Shadows. It also was turning him into a shade (similar to Artemis.) Both sides (Mask and Shar) wanted the dagger and tried wooing the PC. Basically Mask one with a very large bribe (all this was done through agents). Anyway most of the pcs in my game would have been able to survive the 100 years just due to their mystical natures IMO. They also would be against the Nehterese due to events in the last campaign and the Shades constantly wanting the dagger.
So I would have them be part of the new Harper movement in the area perhaps.
Anyway that is all I would change for now.
Where does it say this?
in the Loudwater chapter
Nice. I still haven't decided whether she needs resurrecting or not.
Well, in my campaign, I'm in the same boat.
However, the BELIEF that she will return will be an important adventure driver, as both noble individuals and crazy cultists will be trying to bring her back. I'll be playing up the millenerian vibe among the common people.
1) According to the FRCG, quite a large chunk of the Reach, including the city of Laothkund, has sunk into the water. However, one of the major arcs of our first campaign in the Reach involved freeing Laothkund from its Thayan conquerors - and it's just *depressing* to see all the PCs' hard work ultimately coming to nothing. Of all the cities in the area (apart from their home town of Teth), Laothkund was the one that the PCs spent most time in. To just have it just wiped out would make them quite unhappy, I think.
2) For the same reasons, the idea that the Reach is dominated by the forces of ex-zulkirs is just unacceptable for my campaign. We have already been there and done that in our own timeline (which, incidentally, extended beyond 1385 long before we even heard about this Spellplague malarkey). The PCs fought hard and played at all kinds of tricks and intrigues in order to win and keep independence for their home and its neighbouring cities. It simply isn't *interesting* to force them through those motions again. Other challenges await.
I mean, in theory, I could use the FRCG changes in the Reach (guess what, guys - you're underwater or controlled by pseudo-Thayan armies!) to make the tone of my campaign all dark and gritty by showing that even the greatest achievements of heroes can be overturned and nothing lasts forever. But the reason my players like our game is its heroic feel. Things frequently get quite bad - but then, when the PCs dig deep down and give it their all, things get better again. From their point of view, it's just not fun having things bad all the time... and, speaking for myself, I don't see the point of running a game where the PCs can't make a difference. So, if I did adopt 4e FR lore, I would have to make some serious changes and adaptations there. But that just makes me wonder... if I'm going to do that, then why go with 4e FR lore at all?
Overall, I feel sad and confused. The big, gaping chunk that was bitten out of the Wizard's Reach feels like it was taken out of my heart. Perhaps my feelings are wrong - after all, FR is Ed's world, not mine. But, in another sense, anyone who runs a game in the Realms becomes a co-creator of it. In my case, since lore on the Reach was so sparse (I spent a *long* time looking), I ended up filling the blanks with a combination of others' homebrew lore and my own. Now, logically speaking, it's pointless to complain that the FRCG overwrites a lot of my stuff, because I can re-implement my changes just as easily as I first implemented them. I don't need any writer's permission to run my game the way I want to. However, in terms of my feelings, right now I don't feel warmly disposed towards a book that turned one of "my" cities into an underwater dungeon and caused terrible troubles for the others.
This gets me thinking... I'm also not sure what to do about the gods. The FRCG has gotten rid of two of my PCs' deities (Tyr and Eldath), subsumed another two (Lathander and Aerdrie Faenya), and turned another one into an exarch (Arvoreen). Only the Sunite sorceress still has her patron as she was before. Should I rescind these changes?
- I'd say that the Tyrran paladin could now worship Torm with no problems (though I note that Torm is now "the law" and not justice, so perhaps Bahamut would be more appropriate - even though this god has had absolutely *zero* presence in my game thus far).
- For one of the PCs, though, the choice of Lathander as a patron had been a pretty big character move (her previous pseudo-patron being, um, the Lich-Queen Vlaakith). Both she and the other character who worshipped Lathander were chaotic good and would have zero interest in Amaunator. On the other hand, the change could be an interesting roleplaying challenge for them. The githyanki will probably just jump to a more liberal god, valuing the ideals over the church. The cleric, whose parents were also priests of Lathander, might find things a bit trickier. I'll ask the players what they think.
- The ranger of Eldath has been having some anger problems lately and thus finding some conflicts with his goddess's code of pacifism. Whether we keep Eldath or not, I see a nice little character arc happening here.
- Happily, however, the character who worshipped Aerdrie did so because she was the patron of the Avariel, so if Akadi is the patron of all creature of the air then I suppose that could work. In addition, it looks like there won't be any problems with worshipping Arvoreen as an exarch, so the halfling mercenary commander is fine.
Ultimately, a lot of rambling later, I think I'll consult with my players about their feelings. I'm not going to spell out all the changes in every detail, because that would rob them of the element of surprise - but if I get a negative reaction to the majority of the general sketch, then I just won't go with the picture presented in the FRCG. If they seem reasonably keen, though, I can make a few campaign-appropriate changes to the Wizard's Reach and then just swing with it.
im also switching the list of deities.
selune and Sehanine moonbow are not the same.
agnaradh is none existant
the helm tyr thing did not happen.
Mask assassinated Cyric and tokk his stuff back.
Shar had a child from Bane
Tyr is still dead
Neverwinter was reduced in size
Eilistraee is still alive
more to follow
If I just change one thing, it'll probably be the situation in the Wizard's Reach region (where I run my games).
1) According to the FRCG, quite a large chunk of the Reach, including the city of Laothkund, has sunk into the water. However, one of the major arcs of our first campaign in the Reach involved freeing Laothkund from its Thayan conquerors - and it's just *depressing* to see all the PCs' hard work ultimately coming to nothing. Of all the cities in the area (apart from their home town of Teth), Laothkund was the one that the PCs spent most time in. To just have it just wiped out would make them quite unhappy, I think.
2) For the same reasons, the idea that the Reach is dominated by the forces of ex-zulkirs is just unacceptable for my campaign. We have already been there and done that in our own timeline (which, incidentally, extended beyond 1385 long before we even heard about this Spellplague malarkey). The PCs fought hard and played at all kinds of tricks and intrigues in order to win and keep independence for their home and its neighbouring cities. It simply isn't *interesting* to force them through those motions again. Other challenges await.
I mean, in theory, I could use the FRCG changes in the Reach (guess what, guys - you're underwater or controlled by pseudo-Thayan armies!) to make the tone of my campaign all dark and gritty by showing that even the greatest achievements of heroes can be overturned and nothing lasts forever. But the reason my players like our game is its heroic feel. Things frequently get quite bad - but then, when the PCs dig deep down and give it their all, things get better again. From their point of view, it's just not fun having things bad all the time... and, speaking for myself, I don't see the point of running a game where the PCs can't make a difference. So, if I did adopt 4e FR lore, I would have to make some serious changes and adaptations there. But that just makes me wonder... if I'm going to do that, then why go with 4e FR lore at all?
Overall, I feel sad and confused. The big, gaping chunk that was bitten out of the Wizard's Reach feels like it was taken out of my heart. Perhaps my feelings are wrong - after all, FR is Ed's world, not mine. But, in another sense, anyone who runs a game in the Realms becomes a co-creator of it. In my case, since lore on the Reach was so sparse (I spent a *long* time looking), I ended up filling the blanks with a combination of others' homebrew lore and my own. Now, logically speaking, it's pointless to complain that the FRCG overwrites a lot of my stuff, because I can re-implement my changes just as easily as I first implemented them. I don't need any writer's permission to run my game the way I want to. However, in terms of my feelings, right now I don't feel warmly disposed towards a book that turned one of "my" cities into an underwater dungeon and caused terrible troubles for the others.
This gets me thinking... I'm also not sure what to do about the gods. The FRCG has gotten rid of two of my PCs' deities (Tyr and Eldath), subsumed another two (Lathander and Aerdrie Faenya), and turned another one into an exarch (Arvoreen). Only the Sunite sorceress still has her patron as she was before. Should I rescind these changes?
- I'd say that the Tyrran paladin could now worship Torm with no problems (though I note that Torm is now "the law" and not justice, so perhaps Bahamut would be more appropriate - even though this god has had absolutely *zero* presence in my game thus far).
- For one of the PCs, though, the choice of Lathander as a patron had been a pretty big character move (her previous pseudo-patron being, um, the Lich-Queen Vlaakith). Both she and the other character who worshipped Lathander were chaotic good and would have zero interest in Amaunator. On the other hand, the change could be an interesting roleplaying challenge for them. The githyanki will probably just jump to a more liberal god, valuing the ideals over the church. The cleric, whose parents were also priests of Lathander, might find things a bit trickier. I'll ask the players what they think.
- The ranger of Eldath has been having some anger problems lately and thus finding some conflicts with his goddess's code of pacifism. Whether we keep Eldath or not, I see a nice little character arc happening here.
- Happily, however, the character who worshipped Aerdrie did so because she was the patron of the Avariel, so if Akadi is the patron of all creature of the air then I suppose that could work. In addition, it looks like there won't be any problems with worshipping Arvoreen as an exarch, so the halfling mercenary commander is fine.
Ultimately, a lot of rambling later, I think I'll consult with my players about their feelings. I'm not going to spell out all the changes in every detail, because that would rob them of the element of surprise - but if I get a negative reaction to the majority of the general sketch, then I just won't go with the picture presented in the FRCG. If they seem reasonably keen, though, I can make a few campaign-appropriate changes to the Wizard's Reach and then just swing with it.
FR might be/have been Ed Greenwood's but it's YOUR campaign at YOUR table. Ed and the rest can publish what they want; it's WotC's right, and it'll make many people happy. You have the right and freedom to play Wizard's Reach exactly as you have, to make yourself and your players happy. Sounds very interesting too.
I think your idea of approaching the players for their opinions on the changes with the gods and Wizard's Reach, as well as recognising the worth of your own, is the wise way to go. If you've all devoted that much energy into your campaign and are content with it, then let it stand as it is. If there's anything that intrigues you that you might consider for a future plot hook, great; if not, c'est la vie.
The FRCG can still apply to all the other areas around Wizard's Reach. There must surely be a lot of intriguing possibilities with the changes that have affected the former allies and enemies of Wizard's Reach (I'm not familiar with the area myself, and my husband is presently reading the FRCG, so excuse my ignorance).
I had already gotten rid of the Vampire Manshoon clone but I hadn't planned on the Fire Knives siezing so much power so I had already chosen a group to take over the assassination portion of guild activities. Westgate is about to go through a turbulent period of criminal warfare similar to Chicago during prohibition.
After getting some insight from Rich Baker, the political scene of Westgate will resemble cold war Europe. Cormyr and Sembia both vying to get agents into high places and get control of the city and it's ability to control trade.
One thing I might remove (or at least alter) is Xxiphu. I don't see it being able to exist for a long period of time without challenge (or retribution). If it were something that came and went (from the Far Realm) at random intervals I could understand it's purpose better.
The absence of Mask causes some wrinkles but Brandobaris is still around (even if he's a halfling god IIRC) to use as a patron until we get all the details about him.
I've not decided if I like the idea of a wide open entrances to the Underdark all over the place but it cetainly allows for some interesting racial choices for players (no more of that "well I wonder how your character made it to the surface" stuff).
Nothing.
Metathesiophobia is bad.
Slavish devotion to canon is "bad", so there.
Elminster himself came out changed. The loss of his Silver Fire transformed him. He remained one of the most powerful mages on Faerûn, but his extra powers were gone. However, one does not carry around divine power for so long without it leaving its mark: Elminster is now truly immortal. He may be killed, but he will never die. This knowledge is oh so beneficial to his mental state.
Wow, that sucks.
Nice take on that plotline.
Perhaps my feelings are wrong - after all, FR is Ed's world, not mine.
Well, it's really WotC's world. Ed does not have creative control over the FR.
2) Shining Sea/Chult Penninsula/Lake of Steam/Vilhon Reach - Undo all the geographic changes.
3) Chessenta - Dittoes. Probably dragon-ruled. 4E "Akanul" (the Dragonborn nation) perhaps replacing Chondath instead of western Chessenta.
4) Unther & Muhlorand - Unther probably "free" of Muhlorand. Muhlorand not demolished.
5) High Imaskar then moved, probably northwards to the Lake of Mists region, which it now governs, and is gaining influence over the Hordelands.
6) Luskan still inhabited. Dittoes Neverwinter (if it isn't in 4E - to me it's unclear).
7) No Elven Kingdon/Purge of Humans on Gwynneth.
8) Lurar back to city-states rather than a Kingdom. You want your "points of light" theme, then debilitate the "light" kingdoms, not the dark ones. Duh.
9) Not sure I'm keen on Returned Abeir across the sea (so far: Not), but won't impact the campaign one way or another for some time, so won't make a firm decision on it yet.
10) Wizard's Reach Cities - almost certainly won't be drowning them.
11) Halruaa, Dambrath, Lurien, Estagun, Var &tc - not sure I'm keen on the changes here, but like Returned Abeir Continent, prolly will leave that vague for the time being. "Rumors of Halruaa's Destruction were greatly exagerated" is a possibility - the Wizads perhaps having cloaked the region, a la 3.5E Samarach, in order to avoid the attentions of the Netherese of Shade.
12) Lantan, Nimbral - again, not sure I'm keen on those changes, but will likely leave their fates vague/undecided for the time being.
13) Zhentil Keep - more likely in my campaign it will be rebuilt rather than ruined (dittoes Citadel of the Raven), but maybe *not* under the sway of either the Zhentarim or Fzoul. Again, haven't decided. I just don't see the point of nuking it (again) - how does that make things more "point of light"/darker? Doesn't, IMO. (re-nuking Myth Dranor, or some of the superfluous Dales, otoh...Hmmmnn...nah, prolly won't even do that. Though I prolly will make the Elven Kingdoms less "goodie-goodie" seeming; especially the ones that obviously engaged in ethnic cleansing without, apparently, taking any rap for it. They're more likely to be ruled by sinister "dark" fey than benevolent/blameless ones who get the benefit without having to sully their hands with the deed that is implied simply because you can't argue with elves.)
________________________________
Some of the things they introduced I do like, without liking the extent to which they displaced other things (saying that doesn't make this a complaint post, does it?) So as with High Imaskar (move to Lake of Mists area) and Akanul (the nation, moved to Chondath area in the Vilhon Reach - not Vilhon Wilds), things might be moved around some.
I can see a lot of Dragonborn being in Unther now, for example, just based on what was set up in FR's late 3.5E publications; it might be governed by Dragonborn/have a Dragonborn elite, without destroying the population/cities/&tc of Unther. Or it might be shifted.
Thus I can keep some of the new things I like (or at least don't dislike) and which might be useful campaign hooks, *without* losing other aspects of the Realms either in whole or in part (like Cimbar, Suldopor, Calimport-as-it-has-been, Calimshan itself as it has been, &tc). I.E. it's possible to plunk down some Uber-Genies somewhere to rule over something, but likely in areas less integral to the Realms as they have been.
Haven't decided for sure, but might nuke some elven kingdoms, just to show that it's not *only* human/non-elven areas that can get the whammie....j/k
14) Bring back a bunch of the dieties, including Azuth (but not Mystra), because I like a big pantheon and it's not too much for my fragile little mind.
15) Probably not have Thay change so radically.
16) Tethyr's capital is moving...and their rulership probably darkens and even further loosens...(think Twisted Rune and/or Shoon VII influence over the throne)
Nothing.
Metathesiophobia is bad.
I thought Metathesiophobia was a drow city :P
I'd say anyone who moves to 4e certainly doesn't suffer from Metathesiophobia.
Although I certainly love the insults from both sides
I'd say anyone who moves to 4e certainly doesn't suffer from Metathesiophobia.
I wouldn't say that.
I wouldn't say that.
Metathesiophobia.
There're worse things to suffer from. Like, say, Anatidaephobia. Do you know what it's like to live with that day in and day out? I get a panic attack every time I walk past a pond.
I'm mostly changing one thing, and that is that Gruumsh and the residents of Nishrek are Unaligned as opposed to Chaotic Evil. The faith is also a little different, moving away from promoting preying on the weak towards simply having no respect for the weak for example. The Orcish gods have broadened their appeal a bit, making inroads in the less civilized parts of the world, particularly with barbarian humans.
Right. I dislike how they felt like they needed to keep the orcs from this area as a strictly CE group. I also just loathe alignments in general though. It was needed in the 70's maybe during this games infancy but by the 80's I think everyone pretty much understood how to roleplay their PCs.
Right. I dislike how they felt like they needed to keep the orcs from this area as a strictly CE group. I also just loathe alignments in general though. It was needed in the 70's maybe during this games infancy but by the 80's I think everyone pretty much understood how to roleplay their PCs.
Agree with you 100% on loathing alignments in general. As for the Orcs, they're still pretty much as a bad as advertised. I just like to think of them as evil like the Vikings or Huns were evil, coming down from the north raping and pillaging everything in their path. They aren't inherently evil in a cosmological sense. They just behave in a very antisocial manner as a race. The Unaligned tag and a few tweaks to the faith of Gruumsh fixes things nicely.
- Cyric and Shar's little plot backfires on them entirely when Ao intervenes. Their actions are declared to be a threat to the Balance: Cyric is stripped of his godhood, Shar is reduced in status to a lesser god, and Mystra is resurrected. Bane kills the now mortal Cyric in retaliation for having dared to assume his position over the last three decades and Cyric spends the rest of eternity in the Wall of the Faithless. The damage to the Weave in the momentary lapse of Mystra's presence is substantial (i.e. the Spellplague still occurs, the merging of Abeir still occurs, etc...), but the Shadow Weave is subsumed into the newly repaired Weave, further weakening Shar.
- The demotion of Shar greatly weakens the Shades of Netheril, allowing them to be defeated by the forces of the Alliance combined with the predation of the phaerimm. The surviving Shades are forced to go into hiding and work more as a secret society of mages rather than a dominant force.
- Because Mystra's assassination was botched, Azuth does not end up being consumed by Asmodeus - leaving Asmodeus as Lord of the Ninth, but not elevated to full deity status.
- Removing all the references to existing gods as actually being "aspects" of other gods. Unless specifically killed, they are there to stay in my campaign - though some may have shifted into the role of exarch. (I'm basically looking at the word "exarch" as a fancy word for "demigod", so servitor gods can easily be altered into "exarchs".)
- And of course...my namesake and her sisters are all alive and thriving (except Sylune of course, who hasn't technically been alive for years). :P Storm and Sylune will be settled in Shadowdale as they always have been, Dove lives in Myth Drannor (Florin of course having passed of old age), Alustriel is still ruler of Silverymoon with an unshattered mythal (and will be for at least a few more millennia as far as I'm concerned), Alasra has abdicated her throne so that she can take the fight directly to Szass Tam in the new-and-improved Thay without having to concern herself with matters of state, and Laeral is residing in Miryetar (though she maintains cordial relations with the current inhabitants of Blackstaff Tower in Waterdeep). I'm still trying to work something out of the whole Lolth/Ellistraee thing such that 1)neither ends up winning their little game and thus both continue on as deities and 2)Qilue survives.
As far as I'm concerned, the ONLY way I will accept the death of any of the Seven is in some ridiculously heroic event akin to Khelben's sacrifice. Perhaps a spell battle between Alasra and Shar in which Shar is permanently destroyed. Or Laeral singlehandedly taking on all of the Princes of Shade simultaneously and destroying them utterly in the process. Or Storm getting fed up with Bane, invading Banehold, and killing him on his home plane. In other words, nothing short of the permanent removal of one of the major forces of evil from the world is sufficient reason for one of the Seven to be killed off in my campaign.
- Some general changes to ensure that my Forgotten Realms could never be confused for a "points of light" campaign. In the century since the Spellplague wreaked havoc, trade routes have been reestablished and the forces of darkness are once more either 1)contained in specific regions (i.e. Thay, the Underdark, etc...) or 2)function more as "behind-the-scene" secret societies rather than fielding huge armies (i.e. Zhentarim, Cult of the Dragon, etc...). If anything my Forgotten Realms will be more of a "points of darkness" campaign.
im leaving thay alone all the destroyed cities except thay are still there with minor changes, the kingdom of many arrows
never existed the orcs were routed. lurar never confederated in fact they fought a short war none of the chosen are dead. every city village and town in halruaa are just disguised by a form of mythal that was created shortly after mystra lapsed into the coma. lantan was cloaked by illusion the moonshae isles are very much the way they were before. thats pretty much it for now.-(Depending on what looks like what after the FRPG comes out) Moon elves, sun elves et al. will be elves, and I'll use the 3.0 FR book to adjust this in 4e as I see fit.
-Neverwinter is not destroyed, I'll use whatever info came from the 3.0/3.5 books I have on hand to restore this.
-Thay will be split, actually, with "Thayan Old Guard" and "New Thay", so there are still sort of Thayan loyalists who aren't necro-magic oriented.
Glad to see it's "not just me" regarding this stuff.
Still not sure that I even want to bother running a 4e campaign at all as I do not like the game mechanics as much as I did 3/3.5e or even 2e, but in terms of storyline events that I'll be changing one way or the other: (...)
I'd play in that campaign, as I love all those changes.
Additionally, I'd have Halruaa survive unscathed (with minimal changes to their neighbors the Hin, as well).
Please keep this to specific changes you're going to make for your game, not general complaining about the 4e Realms.
I apologize in advance for going against your intent for this thread Colman; if you'll allow me however, I've just seen the Campaign Guide for the first time today and have to share my thoughts (i.e. get things off my chest ;)). This seems like a good place to do so. I promise to keep it short and to do my best not to rant.
.
2nd edition
When 2nd edition came along, the published Realms were shaken by the Time of Troubles. That never really happened in our homebrew games. There was some awareness that magic had gone wild, also some rumors (among the influential and powerful at least) of a greater Avatar Crisis; it all happened in the backround. Only later (much later) did we re-visit that Time and flesh it out a in-game (a kinda "super-heroes" game, set in a fantasy setting, with the PCs playing the Avatars).
Now there is a foil to the Netherese Empire, a small group of casters but with a small army of warriors that are very skilled at taking out and or protecting casters. These warriors can also be used as mercs considering Halruuas new attitude. Many people whose realms border Netheril would surely like to have one of these warriors as bodyguards.
What if some smart worshippers of Savras saw what was coming and planned ahead? Perhaps they were able to save a small fragment of the capital city and a large portion of the warrior anti-magic monks (I forget their name). For some mysterious reason they could not speak of the catastrophe but they were able to do something about it with an epic ritual, time jump, or some form of temporal magic that was only a one time shot.
Now, that is very very cool
Llorkh? What happened to Llorkh?
This hasn't been answered. Why do Llorkh and Zelbross lay in ruins? Do anyone know? (And why is River Delimbyir from Loudwater to the Sword Coast now called the Grayflow?) This was a very interesting area, and now it's changed with no good reason.
I am kinda liking parts of the Abeir idea actually but I would have made it appear on Toril as a new continent.
Even the stuff I kinda like is hampered by how ineptly the whole book was handled.