Current state of Forgotten Realms

[soulforge]

I have been a forgotten realms DM for many years.. and was really excited about it's rebirth with 3.0. I've gotten swept up in other campaigns recently, and other games as well. Namely Midnight, Cthulhu d20, and Conan.

Well, now I wanna come back. Tell me what products I should get that I don't have. I'm thinking of running the Shackled City campaign in FR when it is released in a week or so. Currently I have the core book, monster guide, dm screen (prob. replace w/ kingdoms of kalamar one though. ), Magic of Faerun, Races of Faerun, and unapproachable east.

I understand I'll probably want the Player's guide. Now, I also understand that w/ the player's guide there was a little bit of evolution for the setting. Are there any rules changes, and any things that are handled differently? Any basic house rules that need implemented because of anything being broken in the setting?

Thanks for your help.

 

[reveal]

I have been a forgotten realms DM for many years.. and was really excited about it's rebirth with 3.0. I've gotten swept up in other campaigns recently, and other games as well. Namely Midnight, Cthulhu d20, and Conan.

Well, now I wanna come back. Tell me what products I should get that I don't have. I'm thinking of running the Shackled City campaign in FR when it is released in a week or so. Currently I have the core book, monster guide, dm screen (prob. replace w/ kingdoms of kalamar one though. ), Magic of Faerun, Races of Faerun, and unapproachable east.

I understand I'll probably want the Player's guide. Now, I also understand that w/ the player's guide there was a little bit of evolution for the setting. Are there any rules changes, and any things that are handled differently? Any basic house rules that need implemented because of anything being broken in the setting?

Thanks for your help.

I'm not that up to date on FR but I do know that the Player's Guide to Faerun, which you refered to, updated FR to 3.5. It's a definite "must have."

 

[Faraer]

The Player's Guide to Faerûn is mostly a collection of 3.5E rules updates, with a section on the Realms' planes and a rather inadequate timeline update focusing on two big novel series. It isn't a Player's Guide, and it's either indispensable or very dispensable depending on how strictly you follow the rules.

The other sourcebooks all cover their particular area, most at least fairly well, there isn't any other book you can't do without. But Lost Empires of Faerûn is a very good survey, Silver Marches the most focused and evocative of the regional books, Serpent Kingdoms one to get if you like snakes, with particular coverage of the Western Heartlands and the very south of Faerûn...

 

[Desdichado]

Most of the other sourcebooks seem very modular and/or regional. I'd say you don't need any of them unless you want to base your campaign on that part of the setting.

 

[Staffan]

I understand I'll probably want the Player's guide. Now, I also understand that w/ the player's guide there was a little bit of evolution for the setting. Are there any rules changes, and any things that are handled differently? Any basic house rules that need implemented because of anything being broken in the setting?

The main thing that changed in Player's Guide to Faerûn, other than updating various stuff to use 3.5 notions rather than 3.0 notions (I think they reduced some save-DC increasing prestige classes, for example. the sure striking weapon ability was changed on account of the new DR rules, and some other abilities use a fixed gp cost instead of a bonus equivalent), was the way regional feats were handled. In 3.0, a regional feat basically meant you had to come from the place or have two ranks of the appropriate Knowledge skill. Player's Guide changes this, so you can only take one regional feat, and if you do you have to do it at first level. However, it also ramps up the power level of these feats. For example, IIRC 3.0 Militia gave you proficiency in two specific weapons, whereas the 3.5 version instead gives you proficiency with all martial weapons.

Another difference in the way regions are handled is that classes have nothing to do with regions anymore, but the bonus equipment will of course be more or less useful depending on your class - few wizards will have any use for the masterwork longsword, masterwork heavy mace, or masterwork banded mail you get for being from Cormyr, for example. They also removed the race regions, and instead made each region different based on race (a Waterdhavian elf can learn Cosmopolitan, Smooth Talk, or Twin Sword Style, and gets either a MW rapier/dagger, or a 20-charge wand of magic missile; a Waterdhavian human can learn Artist, Cosmopolitan, Education, Mercantile Background, Silver Palm, Smooth Talk, or Twin Sword Style and gets a MW longsword/rapier/shortsword or any two 2nd-level scrolls).

 

[werk]

Yeah, PGtF is the 3.5 update, so just bounce anything you use from magic or races or the campaign setting against it before use...if you want to play 3.5. I have a player in my campaign using the 3.0 spellcasting prodigy because I didn't catch the revamp and don't have the heart to nerf him.

If you are familiar with the setting (geography, gods, and some politics/organizations) that's the gist of the forgotten realms. Everything else is good old new D&D.

 

[soulforge]

I'm not that up to date on FR but I do know that the Player's Guide to Faerun, which you refered to, updated FR to 3.5. It's a definite "must have."

I'll probably grab that then, and go about finding a place I'll like for cauldron. (city from Shackled city) It'll be interesting running the realms again after such a long break. I may even pick up one of those regional books to flesh out a region if I put cauldron there, but for the most part my volo's guides do that the best.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Judging from what you have, I'd say that you already have the must-haves. In my opinion, that's the Core Campaign book and Magic of Faerun. If you're using the 3.5 rules, the Player's Guide would probably count as well, but since I never did the .5 upgrade, I ignored it.

As far as the books that further define the locations, the Unapproachable East is definitely my favorite. The Silver Marches is good, but not for the price.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Yes, the PGtF isn't bad.

As the others have said, it updates the FR to 3.5 (not just the FRCS, but most of the other material, too), changes some stuff (main improvement is the Regions and Regional Feat system), and incorporates other books from D&D into the realms (Psionics, Exalted, Vile, Planes). There's some Vile PrC's, for example.

Other than that, I can only recommend Lost Empires of Faerûn. That's one of the best Supplements I have seen for 3e, and that's not limited to the FR.

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

Focus on where the campeign is going, in terms of theme and setting. There are a number of books out and they are both good and expensive. Get the ones you need, ignore the rest.