Best Forgotten Realms books (any edition)

[wingsandsword]

Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue (2e) - The best equipment guide ever made for D&D, any setting, any edition. Even when I'm not running Realms, and no matter the edition (or even system, as long as it's a medieval fantasy game), that's the definitive "stuff" book to use.

Faiths and Avatars series (2e) - Faiths and Avatars, Powers and Pantheons and Demihuman Deities were the best treatise ever written about the Faerunian Pantheon. The sheer amount of lore in there is one of the things that really fleshed out and defined the setting in a colorful and interesting way.

Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (3e) - Best compilation of the Realms into a single volume ever done.

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

I'll always have a soft spot for the 2nd edition boxed set, simply because it was the home of the first game I ever DMed. That said, I've never seen the grey box, so I can't rightly compare the two, and if you're looking for the absolute best, my votes have to be:

1. 3e FRCS: Excellent gazetteer of the world, FILLED with plot hooks and great maps

2. 2e deities books. These are fantastic. No one played clerics in my first 2e game--every cleric encountered was a specialty priest, just because there was so much flavor and neat stuff that they were able to do.

3. City of Splendors: City in a box! Lots of ideas

4. The Ruins of Undermountain: If you run a game in Waterdeep and NEVER end up in UM, you're probably doing something wrong. Enormous dungeon maps with a few encounters pre-built and a TON of room to expand yourself, and license to change anything and everything, since Halaster is crazy. Bonus are the little cards with "dungeon dressing" and other bits of stuff to get the players paranoid.

 

[Divine2021]

Look, I’m totally bringing back from the dead this ancient post, but I do believe it deserves an update. What would folks now say are the best Forgotten Realms supplements? Playing through BG3 has made me really want to delve deep into Realms lore and love.

 

[Weiley31]

City of the Spider Queen - I think I was the only person who liked this adventure. You get to play drow if you like although you don't need to. The adventure is rather epic in scope and involves drow who worship an undead godess not Lolth. Great if you want to explore the Underdark.

Na, I like it too.

 

[schneeland]

Look, I’m totally bringing back from the dead this ancient post, but I do believe it deserves an update. What would folks now say are the best Forgotten Realms supplements? Playing through BG3 has made me really want to delve deep into Realms lore and love.

I would probably still start with the books mentioned in the two posts above yours.
I had personally hoped, we would get another FRCS for 5e, but sadly, this never materialized.

 

[Divine2021]

I want to point out that Google brought me to this thread, and there are some great suggestions here. But the last post previous to mine was from 13 years ago! Opinions may have changed, new books out, DM Guild original material etc etc. I’m genuinely curious what people think.

 

[Voadam]

1 3e Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. It is deep and fairly comprehensive on areas and lore, includes stuff to establish a setting base comprehensively from the original setting through Time of Troubles, and into the post 2e morality code era of dark powers are plentiful and powerful in the Realms so that powerful NPCs cannot be expected to handle everything. Also Red Wizard enclaves in other lands being evil magical arms dealers with diplomatic immunity and pre Zzass Tam turning everybody undead is a great time period.

2 Grand History of the Realms. Statless well done timeline of intense lore book. Great for learning about ancient histories and power moves throughout the realms and takes things up through the end of 3.5 comprehensively with teasers about the 100 years leading up to 4e. If you want to know about the realms pre 4e this is a fantastic resource.

3 Faiths & Avatars. 2e god book on the core pantheon and its major gods. Very lore heavy and includes details on the religious organizations and god stories that are fantastic. The 2e god books are some of my favorite D&D lore books period and this one establishes a lot of big FR important gods and religious information.

4 Powers & Pantheons. 2e god book on the demigods of the core realms and the pantheons of Mulhorand (Egypt) and Unther (Mesopotamian). Includes stuff on the FR specific aspects such as Bast/Sharess crossover, but also a bunch that could be used in other settings using a fantasy Egypt pantheon (Paizo's Golarion, Frog God's Lost World, whatever).

5 Demihuman Deities. 2e god book focusing on the nonhuman PC race pantheons. A bunch of stuff for the drow at a good point in the timeline, before any War of the Drow weirdness or 4e decimation of the pantheons and provides a good basis for understanding Lolth's kid deities, particularly the daughter who is important for surface drow in the Realms. For drow stuff this is a solid pantheon basis.

 

[Parmandur]

I want to point out that Google brought me to this thread, and there are some great suggestions here. But the last post previous to mine was from 13 years ago! Opinions may have changed, new books out, DM Guild original material etc etc. I’m genuinely curious what people think.

Since then, most FR releases have been Adventures. The Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide gets some flak in comparison to the 3E FRCS, but really does have a lot of good info.

Decent into Avernua is worth checking out if you are coming at this fresh from BG3, since it has a big Baldur's Gate Gazateer.

Storm King's Thunder has a lot of material around the Sword Coast, being a sort of map hopping Asventure.

Waterdeep: Dragon Heist has some structural mess as an Adventure, but as a gazateer for Waterdeep is pretty great.

 

[Alzrius]

I'm given to understand that Menzoberranzan: City of Intrigue (affiliate link) was a pretty impressive sourcebook (and despite the 4E trade dress, is actually an edition-agnostic product).

 

[Matrix Sorcica]

Neverwinter Campaign Setting.