D&D 5E Dragonborn and Tieflings, post-Sundering.

[GameDoc]

For those of us who haven't kept up the novels and associated Realmslore, what is the background for these races in the FR now?

As I understand it, the Sunderig was the re-separation of Aebir and Torril following there overlapping in the 4e era. But the Dragonborn came from Aebir, as did Tieflings as a proper race as opposed to the occasional fiend-mingled bloodline.

Are we to assume Dragonborn in 5e FR are displaced Aebirlings, as are at least some Tieflings? Has WoTC offered up any kind of primer on this? For players using these races for Phandelver and/or the Tiamat saga, it might be nice to know a bit more about their ancestry in the setting.

 

[bogmad]

For those of us who haven't kept up the novels and associated Realmslore, what is the background for these races in the FR now?

As I understand it, the Sunderig was the re-separation of Aebir and Torril following there overlapping in the 4e era. But the Dragonborn came from Aebir, as did Tieflings as a proper race as opposed to the occasional fiend-mingled bloodline.

Are we to assume Dragonborn in 5e FR are displaced Aebirlings, as are at least some Tieflings? Has WoTC offered up any kind of primer on this? For players using these races for Phandelver and/or the Tiamat saga, it might be nice to know a bit more about their ancestry in the setting.

4e Tieflings weren't ever inhabitants of Aebir, they just all were changed due to some interference from Asmodeus or somesuch, if I recall correctly.

And dragonborn may have come from Aebir, but there's nothing in the Sundering that said they ever had to go back.

Both races are just as available post-Sundering as pre. Though depending on who's doing the writing you may see less dragonborn than before. Though from the very little of the novels I've read they didn't really show up too much unless the author was already on board with them or told explicitly to use them.

 

[GameDoc]

I guess the main thing I was wondering is if Tymanther was pulled back into Aeiber or not. Is there still a dragonborn nation on Faerun or did it vanish leaving the remaining dragonborn with no homeland of their own.

 

[GX.Sigma]

Hoard of the Dragon Queen strongly implies that there are no Dragonborn in the Forgotten Realms.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Hoard of the Dragon Queen strongly implies that there are no Dragonborn in the Forgotten Realms.

That seems weird.

I really think they should have done something different with 5e Forgotten Realms. Ideally they could support multiple different eras.

I just don't like how they are basically removing the 4e events without retconning. It seems likely to offend both those who liked 4e Realms and those who didn't. (Granted, I understand that a lot of 4e fans weren't on board with the 4e Realms.) Although there are apparently a lot of people who didn't like 4e and/or the 4e Realms but are fine with WotC saying, "yeah, it happened, but it's over now and you can go back to business as normal, just 110 years later."

*shakes head*

 

[Zardnaar]

I guess the main thing I was wondering is if Tymanther was pulled back into Aeiber or not. Is there still a dragonborn nation on Faerun or did it vanish leaving the remaining dragonborn with no homeland of their own.

I want Maztica back, Dragonborn can exist but they can be homeless like other races (Gnomes) or they can take someone else's stuff I suppose.

 

[Tommy Brownell]

Hoard of the Dragon Queen strongly implies that there are no Dragonborn in the Forgotten Realms.

We have one Dragonborn in our Hoard game, but he was a Hermit exiled for a crime he didn't commit (framed by half-dragons) and is now viewed with extreme suspicion by folks (since half-dragons are walking openly with the Cult of the Dragon).

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

We don't really know the full details yet. Having read a number of the books (though not all of them yet), the implication is that some of the countries did in fact leave Toril and go back to Abeil. However, Dragonborn have had 110 years to spread out through Faerun. They exist and likely live all over the place. Even if Tyrmander vanished(which all signs point to "yes"), it won't really affect Dragonborn as a race in the Realms. They are in the PHB, so they are there to stay.

Edit: as a clarification...the novels don't tell you much about the Sundering. I've seen some quotations from people at WOTC and the authors of the books that basically say that they wanted to keep the books as having the Sundering as a BACKDROP without really explaining or going into detail about the Sundering. Which means none of them actually explain what happens during the Sundering except in passing. The implication being that the exact information on what changed would be saved for a Campaign Guide for the Realms. Though, every time the question is asked the answer is "We'd like to do a book like that. Not sure when."

 

[Ragmon]

Don't quote me on this one but as far as I know.

Thieflings - Are a kingdom of humans who struck a deal with some devil or demons and then all of em became thiefling doe to corruption or possessions or something of he like. This happened on Faerun...maybe.

Dragonborn - A whole city/kingdom full of dragonborn got ported into Toril from Abeir. Thats about it.

They are here to stay, unless WotC cops out and retcons everything that happened during the Spellplague with a Sundering plot device.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Also, mechanically-speaking you can include dragonborn in your game if you want (without using the dragonborn nation) by just saying they are in fact half-dragons. So even if you never wanted to use the Abeir and Toril merging... you still can make dragonborn characters available. They just wouldn't be known as "dragonborn" (the same way the PH says in DL that dragonborn are known as draconians.)

The MM includes half-dragons, and truth be told there seems very little difference between the two other than perhaps the size of the upper torso and head (dragonborn seem to have larger and bulkier tops than half-dragons.)