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<blockquote data-quote="ruleslawyer" data-source="post: 6476567" data-attributes="member: 1757">I always ran FR a bit in the direction that you're suggesting but I don't think it requires an official sourcebook. I definitely wish Ed had been more restrained with the high-level NPCs in general, but I always found it easier to reduce than increase.In my FR, mystryl died during the fall of Netheril, giving birth to the current Weave. (This provides an in-game justification for why ancient magics may have been more potent or widespread.) Azuth (the eliminster of his day) ascended to godhood to fill the void and acts as a lesser power patron of arcane spellcasters. Little concentrated bits of mystra's essence still float around, thus accounting for spell fire, silver fire, the Magister, etc.As for NPCs: all the random high-level ones are heavily slashed, and levels in general are somewhat reduced across the board. Elminster, Khelben, Storm, Alustriel, Dove, and the Simbul are all around, but sylune is dead (consistent with the original setting), laeral is missing (consistent with the 1e Savage Frontier supplement), and the seventh sister is the &quot;dark disaster&quot; originally described in the lore (basically an arch villain in reserve). The Elves are in retreat, there's no resurgent Empire of Netheril or Imaskar, and the rest of the setting stays as is. That gives the PCs plenty to do. With Red Wizards and beholders and phaerimm and (Draco)liches and serpent folk and whatnot running around, the name &quot;good&quot; NPCs are plenty busy and largely relegated to support or acting as adventure hooks. If anything, having these guys around allows for a bit more of a sandbox game; places like Shadowdale etc can remain safe havens and PCs can engage in adventures in thay and the like without worrying about being instantly nuked by all the 20th+ level Zulkirs.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="ruleslawyer, post: 6476567, member: 1757"] I always ran FR a bit in the direction that you're suggesting but I don't think it requires an official sourcebook. I definitely wish Ed had been more restrained with the high-level NPCs in general, but I always found it easier to reduce than increase. In my FR, mystryl died during the fall of Netheril, giving birth to the current Weave. (This provides an in-game justification for why ancient magics may have been more potent or widespread.) Azuth (the eliminster of his day) ascended to godhood to fill the void and acts as a lesser power patron of arcane spellcasters. Little concentrated bits of mystra's essence still float around, thus accounting for spell fire, silver fire, the Magister, etc. As for NPCs: all the random high-level ones are heavily slashed, and levels in general are somewhat reduced across the board. Elminster, Khelben, Storm, Alustriel, Dove, and the Simbul are all around, but sylune is dead (consistent with the original setting), laeral is missing (consistent with the 1e Savage Frontier supplement), and the seventh sister is the "dark disaster" originally described in the lore (basically an arch villain in reserve). The Elves are in retreat, there's no resurgent Empire of Netheril or Imaskar, and the rest of the setting stays as is. That gives the PCs plenty to do. With Red Wizards and beholders and phaerimm and (Draco)liches and serpent folk and whatnot running around, the name "good" NPCs are plenty busy and largely relegated to support or acting as adventure hooks. If anything, having these guys around allows for a bit more of a sandbox game; places like Shadowdale etc can remain safe havens and PCs can engage in adventures in thay and the like without worrying about being instantly nuked by all the 20th+ level Zulkirs. [/QUOTE]

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