D&D 5E Forgotten Realms in 5E

Elf Witch · Mar 1, 2015

I am getting ready to run Hoard of the Dragon Queen and I have a question about the Realms. Is the Realms in it the 4E Realms or did they go back to another version? Or have the moved the timeline up again?

I have no experience with the 4E realms and limited with anything after 2E. I know my players are going to ask details about the Realms for their characters like information on where they are from things like that. At this point I am not sure how to answer them without knowing exactly where we are in the Realms timeline.

I do have all the campaign books for the Realms starting back from the first box set so I can I choose what time period I want or will the effect the module history?

ppaladin123 · Mar 1, 2015

They moved the timeline up again (about 100 years i think) while undoing some of the stuff that happened in 4e (not retconning it...it still happened in the official timeline): some of the gods that died in the 4e era (e.g. Tyr) have come back, abeir and toril are separate again (they merged for while and that introduced dragonborn into the realms), the spellplague (explanation for why magic was so different in 4e) has ended, etc. They also brought back some of the gods that died in previous editions so Myrkul is back, for example as is Bhaal. All these changes are part of the realms-shattering event, "the sundering," that has been playing out in a series of books recently. But what exactly the sundering is and what the world looks like post-sundering is, I don't know....it might even still be ongoing.

Elf Witch · Mar 1, 2015

ppaladin123 said:
They moved the timeline up again (about 100 years i think) while undoing some of the stuff that happened in 4e (not retconning it...it still happened in the official timeline): some of the gods that died in the 4e era (e.g. Tyr) have come back, abeir and toril are separate again (they merged for while and that introduced dragonborn into the realms), the spellplague (explanation for why magic was so different in 4e) has ended, etc. They also brought back some of the gods that died in previous editions so Myrkul is back, for example as is Bhaal. All these changes are part of the realms-shattering event, "the sundering," that has been playing out in a series of books recently. But what exactly the sundering is and what the world looks like post-sundering is, I don't know....it might even still be ongoing.

Thank you this helps a lot.

Henry · Mar 1, 2015

Correction; about 10 years more, not another 100 (I think it takes place in DR1489, and 4e was in DR 1479, with the 3e realms in about 1372.) the rest of ppaladin123's answer is dead on, though.

Ilbranteloth · Mar 1, 2015

No, not 100 years. The 5th ed is a continuation of the 4th ed timeline.

1479 DR Year of the Ageless One - 4th ed Campaign Guide and Player's Guide

1481 DR Year of the Grinning Halfling - Early events in The Companions (part of the Sundering)

1484 DR Year of the Awakened Sleepers - The Companions and Godborn (Sundering)

1485 DR Year of the Iron Dwarf's Vengeance - Legacy of Icewind Dale (D&D Next)

1486 DR Year of the Nether Mountain Scrolls - The Sentinel, The Adversarym The Reaver (Sundering)

1487 DR Year of the Rune Lords Triumphant - The Herald and end of the Sundering

1489 DR Year of the Warrior Princess - Tyranny of Dragons (5th ed)

As for what happened, a lot has been revealed. Myth Drannor has fallen again, Shade having been crashed into the ancient city (so Shade is gone too), Returned Abeir is gone, The Sea of Fallen Stars has refilled to around the old banks, earthmotes have fallen, many old characters, Gods and factions have returned.

It's not exactly a retcon, but a lot of the 4th edition changes have been undone, and the 4th edition apparently lasted about 5 years.

Ilbranteloth

Queer Venger · Mar 1, 2015

Ilbranteloth said:
No, not 100 years. The 5th ed is a continuation of the 4th ed timeline.

1479 DR Year of the Ageless One - 4th ed Campaign Guide and Player's Guide

1481 DR Year of the Grinning Halfling - Early events in The Companions (part of the Sundering)

1484 DR Year of the Awakened Sleepers - The Companions and Godborn (Sundering)

1485 DR Year of the Iron Dwarf's Vengeance - Legacy of Icewind Dale (D&D Next)

1486 DR Year of the Nether Mountain Scrolls - The Sentinel, The Adversarym The Reaver (Sundering)

1487 DR Year of the Rune Lords Triumphant - The Herald and end of the Sundering

1489 DR Year of the Warrior Princess - Tyranny of Dragons (5th ed)

As for what happened, a lot has been revealed. Myth Drannor has fallen again, Shade having been crashed into the ancient city (so Shade is gone too), Returned Abeir is gone, The Sea of Fallen Stars has refilled to around the old banks, earthmotes have fallen, many old characters, Gods and factions have returned.

It's not exactly a retcon, but a lot of the 4th edition changes have been undone, and the 4th edition apparently lasted about 5 years.

Ilbranteloth

Or, this being your Realms, you can do what I did: I set my 5e campaigns to 1373, Year of the Rogue Dragons, and everything that happened after did not happen in your world. I chose this option because:
1. I did not like the changes made by 4e, (since they were not authored or directed by Ed Greenwood);
2. It allows me to use a large library of 3.5e FR products with minimal hisotrical updating and not needing to update major NPCs;
3. I dont need to align my campaigns to events from the FR novels.

Ahrimon · Mar 1, 2015

While I liked the 4e changes, if what you have are the 2e books then set it in those times. Go with what you know. It might even help some of the more studied players get back that sense of mystery about the realms since all of their 3e+ knowledge doesn't apply.

Ilbranteloth · Mar 1, 2015

Well, that's the case for every campaign.

I'm using the 5th ed timeline, because it works well with new products. It's just after the Tyranny of Dragons, and the Red Wizards still occupy Bloodgate Keep, and Firehammer Hold is a new trading center for duergar weapons and armor (Both locations/continuations from Scourge of the Sword Coast).

But there are a lot of things from the 2nd and 3rd editions that I'm basically using as is. Since my player never met the NPCs from those earlier times, there's no problem when they meet them now instead.

Other things that I didn't like have gone as well. This campaign started in Skullport, which obviously has not been destroyed. I haven't read the novels for years, and while I might work on getting caught up, none of my players are reading them so it doesn't really matter.

Ilbranteloth

DEFCON 1 · Mar 1, 2015

There's really not much in HotDQ I don't think that is really time-specific. Nothing in the plot that is directly related to anything from the Time of Troubles (3E) or Spellplague (4E) or Sundering (5E) that would require wholesale changes to the adventure path. So if you have older products from the 2E era... I suspect you could easily use those products and set Hoard then. The only real "new" thing from the module is the idea of a wing of the Cult of the Dragon deciding to forsake using dracolichs for power, and instead use living dragons to bring back Tiamat. But since that was a completely new plot anyway... you could add that new wing to any of your 2E stuff too.

Sure, there might be a town name or two that might need changing, and I don't know if all five factions are active in the 2E era (Harpers, Order of the Gauntlet, Lord's Alliance, Emerald Enclave, Zhentarim)... but those do not seem that difficult to edit into your products should you choose to stay 2E. Heck, I've moved HotDQ up to the 3E era Silver Marches and haven't had any issue just by using some creative adaptation.

Use whatever you'd feel most comfortable with is my suggestion.

Perun · Mar 1, 2015

Sorry to jump the thread, but is there information available which of the missing deities from previous editions returned to the FR?

I've read the Sundering novels, but I've managed to forget most of what I read

I know Mystra's back, and so is Mask as... [sblock=Spoiler]... Drasek Riven apparently took his place in one of the Sundering novels[/sblock]

I see Bhaal, Myrkul, Helm and Tyr mentioned as returned, but I can't find (or remember) where it was stated that they indeed came back. The PHB also lists Azuth, Leira and perhaps several other deities (don't have the book with me) that might be returned... on the other hand, they might just be there to give options to players gaming in pre-Spellplague and/or pre-ToT Realms.

Thanks in advance!

Regards.

D&D 5E Forgotten Realms in 5E

Elf Witch

First Post

ppaladin123

Adventurer

Elf Witch

First Post

Henry

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Ilbranteloth

Explorer

Queer Venger

Dungeon Master is my Daddy

Ahrimon

Bourbon and Dice

Ilbranteloth

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DEFCON 1

Legend

Perun

Mushroom

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