D&D 5E Forgotten Realms: Rising from the Last Realms Shaking Event

[Parmandur]

Does the DMG specifically advocate that new DMs start their own settings?

Yes, there is a rather large chapter dedicated to the topic.

 

[Parmandur]

2016 Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master Survey Results

On 28 October 2016 I released a survey for 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters to help us all get a better understanding of how DMs prepare for and run their D&D games. This article analyze...

slyflourish.com

Sly flourish did a summary of setting survey results from back in 2016



55% homebrew settings. Sure, 2016, but the number can't have changed that much. Many of these homebrew settings probably match the themes and tone of the sword coast, but stuff like CR and MCDM have shown people how to make their own quasi-generic-european-medieval-fantasy settings. This survey data is also reflected in WotC's book priorities - Eberron is the first proper setting book, and that's because WGTE sold like hotcakes.

Yes, that's why the emphasis on Sword Coast Adventure books: easily ported to tables that homebrew but have similar generic assumptions to the Realms (which per Perkins is the majority of the Homebrew crowd, and those who don't new to those genre assumptions don't buy books). So by focusing on the Sword Coast, WotC gets their Forgotten Realms and Homebrew audience covered.

 

[Parmandur]

OK, though, if we were going to expect a FR Setting book beyond the Sword Coast Adventurers Guide and the Gazetteer material in the Adventures, what would that look like?

It would look like Guildmasters Guide to Ravnica and Eberron: Rising from the Last War, the new standards for Setting books. Six chapters, arranged as such:

• Chapter 1: Player options. Somewhat problematic due to the amount of FR specific material already used this edition, but doable
• Chapter 2: Big Picture Gazetteer going over the larger part of the Setting in low detail, but with enough material to build off of, particularly in Chapter 4...this would cover Faerun in general (let's assume Al'Qadim and Kara-Tur are worth their own genre booster set books)
• Chapter 3: Zoomed in Gazetteer of an important adventure region that really is a microcosm of the Setting as a whole. For the sake of argument, and to avoid crossing over with SCAG or the Adventures, let's go with the Dalelands.
• Chapter 4: Adventure building and generation material. So many tables, maps and such.
• Chapter 5: Treasure. More magic is more better,and FR has material to use here.
• Chapter 6: Monsters and NPCs, easily filled.

Sure, there is book to be had there. Might be a while.

 

[gyor]

So... Forgotten Realms has the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, obviously a guide to the Sword Coast. But it also has Out of the Abyss, which doubles as a guide to FR's Underdark, and Tomb of Annihilation, which doubles as a guide to Chult.

In addition to that, you've got Tyranny of Dragons, Princes of the Apocalypse, Storm King's Thunder, Dragon Heist, and Dungeon of the Mad Mage. And somehow this isn't enough?

I'm not saying that FR shouldn't get content from other areas of its world, but certainly other settings have been waiting longer for 5e content.

OotA's Underdark is the Swordcoasts Underdark. So that leaves just Tomb of Anniliation for Chult. So that is really just Swordcoast (including Underdark and Chult). And FR has more fans then all the other settings combined, by a large margin, 38% vs 5% with 55% Home Brewers cherry picking elements of FR and other setting to add to their own. Get a proper FR setting book out of the way, THEN move on.

 

[gyor]

OK, though, if we were going to expect a FR Setting book beyond the Sword Coast Adventurers Guide and the Gazetteer material in the Adventures, what would that look like?

It would look like Guildmasters Guide to Ravnica and Eberron: Rising from the Last War, the new standards for Setting books. Six chapters, arranged as such:

• Chapter 1: Player options. Somewhat problematic due to the amount of FR specific material already used this edition, but doable
• Chapter 2: Big Picture Gazetteer going over the larger part of the Setting in low detail, but with enough material to build off of, particularly in Chapter 4...this would cover Faerun in general (let's assume Al'Qadim and Kara-Tur are worth their own genre booster set books)
• Chapter 3: Zoomed in Gazetteer of an important adventure region that really is a microcosm of the Setting as a whole. For the sake of argument, and to avoid crossing over with SCAG or the Adventures, let's go with the Dalelands.
• Chapter 4: Adventure building and generation material. So many tables, maps and such.
• Chapter 5: Treasure. More magic is more better,and FR has material to use here.
• Chapter 6: Monsters and NPCs, easily filled.

Sure, there is book to be had there. Might be a while.

There are still FR races untouched and there is always the Swordmage, Mystic, or Spelldancer/Spellsinger if they feel they need an FR specific classes with unique mechanics. Spellsinger you might think oh just play a Bard, but mechanicly it was very different from Bards, originally it did not use spell slots to cast spells for example, and it's magic is more from dancing then singing.

And for races Wimics, Raptorans, Spirit Folk, Hengenkio, Void Genasi, Reverants, Gnolls, Killoren, Elan, Krinth, Gloamlings.

 

[Salthorae]

Spellsinger you might think oh just play a Bard, but mechanicly it was very different from Bards

This would end up being a Bardic College, but just like Bladesinger it would come with the Requirement: Elf or Half-elf. Danilo Thann is the only known human practitioner in Realms Lore, but even he has elven blood in his lineage.

I don't know what source you're using for Spellsinging, but the 2e version was just wizards who had to cast spells with music from Spells & Magic while the 3.x version from Races of Faerun, you just got to spontaneously convert slots to lower level enchantment spells. With 5e casting the way it is, you can always use a higher level slot to cast a lower level prepared or known spell... so the main mechanical unique feature of the 3.x version is gone already. The only other source I'm aware of for this is the novel Elf Song, but obviously there are no mechanics in there, just the in world narrative of Spellsong.

Swordmage is a wholly 4e creation, so I don't really see a need to bring it to 5e personally.

I would love to seem Wemic and Spirit Folk though! Loved those races

 

[Weiley31]

The Rise of The Drow Mega Adventure could also be used, in a way, for the Underdark as well. Third Party I believe though.

 

[Hussar]

The easiest thing isn't always the right thing for the long-term health of the game. You'd think the people who came up with MtG might realise that, but oh well. I do agree that this seems to be the prevailing attitude though. I can say that if I was a new FR DM in 5E I would probably be kind of frustrated with WotC at this point.

As a new FR DM, I really have to ask why?

I mean, good grief, I've got, what 4 complete campaigns, nope, 5 in print set in the Sword Coast. I have enough material for YEARS if I want to use it. As a new FR DM, I don't even know what a Turmish is. Never heard of it and don't care. I know what a Kara Tur is, because I've been around for a while, but, again, don't care. The Sword Coast is ENORMOUS. It's about the same size as Greyhawk, I think. Why would I care in the slightest about other parts of the setting?

 

[gyor]

This would end up being a Bardic College, but just like Bladesinger it would come with the Requirement: Elf or Half-elf. Danilo Thann is the only known human practitioner in Realms Lore, but even he has elven blood in his lineage.

I don't know what source you're using for Spellsinging, but the 2e version was just wizards who had to cast spells with music from Spells & Magic while the 3.x version from Races of Faerun, you just got to spontaneously convert slots to lower level enchantment spells. With 5e casting the way it is, you can always use a higher level slot to cast a lower level prepared or known spell... so the main mechanical unique feature of the 3.x version is gone already. The only other source I'm aware of for this is the novel Elf Song, but obviously there are no mechanics in there, just the in world narrative of Spellsong.

Swordmage is a wholly 4e creation, so I don't really see a need to bring it to 5e personally.

I would love to seem Wemic and Spirit Folk though! Loved those races

Abbalaya

Abbalaya is another Faerun race, from a hidden city in Calimshan, very strange, but cool.

And Illumians and Vryloka.

 

[Hussar]

There are still FR races untouched and there is always the Swordmage, Mystic, or Spelldancer/Spellsinger if they feel they need an FR specific classes with unique mechanics. Spellsinger you might think oh just play a Bard, but mechanicly it was very different from Bards, originally it did not use spell slots to cast spells for example, and it's magic is more from dancing then singing.

And for races Wimics, Raptorans, Spirit Folk, Hengenkio, Void Genasi, Reverants, Gnolls, Killoren, Elan, Krinth, Gloamlings.

Wow. Look at all those proper nouns. Of all of them, I know what a Wemic, and a gnoll is. The other stuff? Never heard of it before.

Again, you are looking at this from the perspective of a long time FR fan. I'm a new FR fan. Got into it in 5e. Other than a few bits and bobs I've picked up over the years, I have little background in the setting. Yet, I have now played in two very successful FR campaigns, ran a third one and am now in the middle of a fourth.

I can honestly say, as a newcomer to the setting, no thank you. Keep giving me what they have been giving me. I'm perfectly happy.