machineelf
Explorer
Have you ever made a change to a published campaign setting that you felt made the setting markedly better, either in a small or big way? I know this is subjective, but I'm talking about changes that you think most other people would agree are improvements.
In my own example, I run the pre-Time of Troubles setting of the Forgotten Realms. In my world, Manshoon, of the Zhentarim is not a wizard; he is a rogue mastermind. I've created an 18th level rogue-mastermind NPC sheet for him. The evil priest Fzoul is second in command of the Zhentarim, under him. And the Zhentarim is all about money and power, even though Fzoul personally is focused on the spread of Bane-worship. Manshoon himself worships Bane, but is not as zealous as Fzoul.
In the canon of the FR, Manshoon is a wizard, and the Zhentarim's pursuit of wealth is just a means to and end to gain more magical power. At its core, the Zhentarim is more of a wizard's organization that hires and recruits other types.
But this didn't seem right to me. There are already plenty of other evil wizarding groups, from the Arcane Brotherhood to the Red Wizards of Thay to the Twisted Rune of Calimshan. It didn't seem like there needed to be another wizard-focused evil group. So, in my world the Zhentarim is a dangerous group bent on financial and political power (more recent 4th and 5th edition products seemed to have emphasized this as well), and Manshoon is no wizard; instead he is perhaps the most dangerous and cunning rogue mastermind who has ever walked the continent.
I am quite pleased with this change. What are your own changes to your worlds?
p.s., Rogue masterminds make amazing villains.
In my own example, I run the pre-Time of Troubles setting of the Forgotten Realms. In my world, Manshoon, of the Zhentarim is not a wizard; he is a rogue mastermind. I've created an 18th level rogue-mastermind NPC sheet for him. The evil priest Fzoul is second in command of the Zhentarim, under him. And the Zhentarim is all about money and power, even though Fzoul personally is focused on the spread of Bane-worship. Manshoon himself worships Bane, but is not as zealous as Fzoul.
In the canon of the FR, Manshoon is a wizard, and the Zhentarim's pursuit of wealth is just a means to and end to gain more magical power. At its core, the Zhentarim is more of a wizard's organization that hires and recruits other types.
But this didn't seem right to me. There are already plenty of other evil wizarding groups, from the Arcane Brotherhood to the Red Wizards of Thay to the Twisted Rune of Calimshan. It didn't seem like there needed to be another wizard-focused evil group. So, in my world the Zhentarim is a dangerous group bent on financial and political power (more recent 4th and 5th edition products seemed to have emphasized this as well), and Manshoon is no wizard; instead he is perhaps the most dangerous and cunning rogue mastermind who has ever walked the continent.
I am quite pleased with this change. What are your own changes to your worlds?
p.s., Rogue masterminds make amazing villains.
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