Covers Preview for Elemental Evil Adventurer's Handbook and Princes of the Apocalypse!

So, it's official now. The Elder Elemental Eye has been somehow released from The World of Greyhawk to unleash havoc in the Realms. No fantasy world was described in more detail than the Forgotten Realms, and they still manage to produce not one, but two storylines in a row with themes and antagonists that have nothing to do with the Realms. Good job, Wizards.

 

[Parmandur]

Tiamat actually came from another world. When the Imaskari kidnapped people from another dimension and enslaved them, their gods followed. During 2nd edition, Tiamat took an interest in the Cult but was never successful in taking them over. You had a few of the younger members that were interested but nothing more. Her actual imprisonment had no lead up, she was declared imprisoned just for the sake of the module. Tiamat's existence was barely known outside of the Old Empires.



It's one of those situations where you have Lolth from Greyhawk and Lolth from FR.

OK, so I checked again, here's the official explanation from Rise of the Dragon Queen:

Spoiler

"Tiamat has long threatened Faerun, often appearing in lands such as Chesssenta and Unther to drive mortals to worship her awesome power. Although mortals don't know it, the end of the Sundering and the Age of Upheaval also put and to such direct meddling by the gods. Without powerful magic and mortal aid, Tiamat cannot travel from her home in Avernus into the world." pg. 10, followed by some Infernal politics

So, Tiamat is trapped by the Sundering, and they are following up on an old plot hook. Big deal.

 

[Parmandur]

It seems to me that people's reaction to the notion that WOTC might be using a Greyhawk baddie in the Realms are really about two (related things): artistic integrity and creativity. As in people are concerned that ripping off Greyhawk doesn't show a whole lot of either.



Given the wholesale destruction, etc. of 4E, I think some skepticism in regards to WOTC' stewardship is fair.

I'm not really interested in their products for "creativity" or "artistic integrity" personally; D&D settings aren't really about that, they are about fun. Playing a giant birdman inn a pact with a genie fighting the Elder Elemental god in a megadungeon? Fun, don't really care what the fantasy world serial number says.

 

[HobbitFan]

I'm not really interested in their products for "creativity" or "artistic integrity" personally; D&D settings aren't really about that, they are about fun. Playing a giant birdman inn a pact with a genie fighting the Elder Elemental god in a megadungeon? Fun, don't really care what the fantasy world serial number says.

I didn't say anything about D&D not being about fun. It's entertainment. Of course, it's about fun.
I was talking about quality of product not its reason for being.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I have a pretty good feeling the Elder Elemental Eye (Who while a Greyhawk thing has intorloped in the FR before) will NOT actually be fought. The end game opponents I am betting will be the Princes of Elemental Evil. Imix, Olhydra, Yan-C-Bin, and Orgemoch. These guys are setting neutral and have acully had a pretty good amount of buildup in the FR before 5e officially came out. During the playtest almost every adventure released then mentioned or had stuff related to them. Dragon and Dungeon before the hiatus had quite a few articles on elemental evil and the elemental princes towards the end as well.

This signifies to me that they wanted to do a Elemental Story line for a while now. They just wanted to start 5e with one of the standards of the game Dragons.

 

[Sailor Moon]

I'm not really interested in their products for "creativity" or "artistic integrity" personally; D&D settings aren't really about that, they are about fun. Playing a giant birdman inn a pact with a genie fighting the Elder Elemental god in a megadungeon? Fun, don't really care what the fantasy world serial number says.

I don't find any of that fun when it's on a regular basis.

Boring as hell actually.

 

[RichGreen]

I have a pretty good feeling the Elder Elemental Eye (Who while a Greyhawk thing has intorloped in the FR before) will actually be fought. The end game opponents I am betting will be the Princes of Elemental Evil. Imix, Olhydra, Yan-C-Bin, and Orgemoch. These guys are setting neutral and have acully had a pretty good amount of buildup in the FR before 5e officially came out. During the playtest almost every adventure released then mentioned or had stuff related to them. Dragon and Dungeon before the hiatus had quite a few articles on elemental evil and the elemental princes towards the end as well.

This signifies to me that they wanted to do a Elemental Story line for a while now. They just wanted to start 5e with one of the standards of the game Dragons.

Sound theory! I think you could well be right.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Sound theory! I think you could well be right.

Correction to my post. I forgot the not in the first line.

I think the Elder Elemental Eye will NOT actually be fought.

 

[RichGreen]

Correction to my post. I forgot the not in the first line.

I think the Elder Elemental Eye will NOT actually be fought.

Yes, thought that's what you meant anyway

 

[Parmandur]

I don't find any of that fun when it's on a regular basis.



Boring as hell actually.

Eh, well, Wizards has successfully gotten me excited to buy each announced product so far; guess time will tell how the general populace responds.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

I remember there being the fan theory that the demiplane of imprisonment that Tharizdun was banished to was Ravenloft. It was an interesting theory about the nature of the dark powers and the demiplane. But now things are changed such that the theory is less viable. And then there's the completely non-canon Gord the Rogue novels that Gygax wrote, where Tharizdun destroys Oerth. Somehow I've always got the impression he's like a Dark God beyond other Dark Gods (after all Warlocks can have a pact with him). While he feels more tied to GH than other settings, but as an apocalyptic entity that must be sealed away he could show up in other settings. I guess with the idea that the adventure path must start in a generic as possible world (I wouldn't be surprised there's some plane-hopping involved), so FR he ends up in, as I don't think they're going to bother with campaign setting books just yet.

They'll probably try to tie elemental evil with the Vaati, Queen of Chaos and the rod of seven parts too, since it's another part of D&D lore they want to tie up neatly with the rest of their IP.