Advice for DMs
But before the adventure for 1st through 3rd level characters starts, it explains what makes Faerûn different than other settings. I don’t like that the answer is “it’s epic” because that sounds trite and disregards the larger than life aspects of D&D’s other settings. Still, the book makes a good point that even a royal heir in Ravenloft is just another prisoner and that gods tend not to dabble in Eberron, though it ignores that Ravenloft is epic horror/tragedy and Eberron is epic magic steampunk pulp adventure.FR:AiF does give DMs examples as to how to encourage players to kick their characters’ backstories up a notch while keeping them distinct and different. This ties into the Epic Destinies option presented here and how to work with players to craft both backstories and milestones as they play that will reflect how their character grows into their destiny and gain supernatural gifts, feats, magic items, etc. to represent the shifts. FR:AiF provides two examples of how to structure epic destinies (Heir to a Throne and Pupil of the Archmage).
On the flip side, it also explains how to bring an epic feel to low level adventures. Whether it’s through flashbacks, previewing a villain, or connecting to a larger conflict, concrete examples help DMs tailor adventure to their needs. How to set appropriately high stakes is also addressed.
I do like that it gives examples of where to get more Realms lore, like official 5E books on D&D Beyond and from prior editions on DMs Guild. It also highlights the Forgotten Realms wiki as a source of information and inspiration. And then I love that it continues with this quote:
It then gives examples of how to customize your own Forgotten Realms campaign as well as how to deal with players who may have a lot of Realms lore knowledge. It advises both making it clear to the players that you might not run things by the book and how to turn them into useful experts. It also explains how to plant Easter eggs for those players that already know the lore without hindering your customization.
The advice on how to keep adventure in Faerûn on the players’ shoulders and steering them away from trying to get legendary NPCs to solve their problems for them is good and important. It might not stop every player who says “Why can’t X handle it?” , but it’ll deal with a lot of it.
Onward to Adventure
The structure of FR:AiF is a bit odd. It has a complete adventure that takes characters from 1st to 3rd level—and it’s in Chapter 7. Chapter 1 is all of the DM advice I mentioned above. Chapters 2-6 are overviews of five areas—the Dalelands, Icewind Dale, Calimshan, the Moonshae Isles, and Baldur’s Gate—and provide more adventure for characters third level or greater. So why put the initial adventure in chapter 7? I don’t know.The adventures are centered around a deity or a faction or high magic or a regional adventure. A chart is available to make finding one of the right level easy. The adventures include a starting premise with a hook to entice characters, and key encounters. They either come with a map or suggest one from the 2024 DMG. Some are single-session adventures while a few may take multiple sessions.
The Lost Library
That starting adventure, The Lost Library of Lethchauntos, can technically be set in any of the five featured locations. That might be why it’s placed after chapters 2-6, but that’s silly. It could have just as easily been chapter 2 and had the locations follow. That makes more sense to me.The titular library belonged to a notorious wizard and is said to contain the Nathlum, a grimoire of poisons and spells. The players are hired by someone who wants to acquire the book for historical purposes for posterity. A rival wants to get it and sell it to the Zhentarim. It’s a good adventure, and the setting chosen for it will add specific flavor.
Exploring the Realms
Chapters 2-6 follow the same format. They start with an overview of the flavor of campaigns in that region (i.e., the type of adventure subgenre it features). For Icewind Dale, that’s supernatural horror and survival horror. The Moonshae Isles have a fairy tale tone due to their fey elements and seafaring adventure. The Dalelands are classic fantasy, like protecting one’s home in a frontier with marauding goblins and the like. It includes the legendary elven city of Myth Drannor. Baldur’s Gate is gritty urban fantasy with cut-throat power struggles. Calimshan is for desert adventures of powerful genies fighting for control and the ability to explore the city of Calimport, City of Wonders (not to be confused with Waterdeep, City of Splendor). It includes genie factions, and the dragonborn there have earned a place in Calimport after helping the current sultana overthrow evil machinations.That’s great, but why include Icewind Dale when it has had its own adventure book not long ago? The same could be said of Baldur’s Gate, but Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus focused more on the infernal realm, and I can’t fault Wizards for capitalizing on the popularity of and interest in the videogame Baldur’s Gate 3. I would have rather had another neglected region included.
The chapters then detail the people of the region, stories from the region, conflicts, a DM’s toolbox, and a gazetteer. Each one also gets region-specific material like Blood Night, The Temple of Transmutation, etc.
Monsters & Magic
FR:AiF has 39 stat blocks. Charts let you know which of members of the FRHoF bestiary can be found in any region: Baldur’s Gate, Calimshan, Dalelands, Icewind Dale, or the Moonshae Isles.Any bestiary with dragons is a good bestiary in my totally biased opinion. FR:AiF gets Spirit Dragons and Deep Dragons of various ages. Several of the stat blocks are for NPC types like cultists, Priestess of Lolth, etc.. Manshoon also gets an updated entry from the one in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist because he is a terrific recurring villain.
I really like the Polar Serpent, which is a heat-draining elemental of mist and cold. Pursuing prey through snowstorms and wrapping around them to steal their body heat is deliciously creepy.
I also like the build for the Swanmay, a fey shifter that can cast spells and fight with a bow and scimitar. I hated the art for it, though. Moody is fine. So dark that you can barely make anything out is not. Fortunately, that isn’t a problem for the rest of the artwork.
Rusted is a curse on the Moonshae Isles that coats the living with a thin layer of iron that rusts easily, transforming the character into a Rusted, a creature whose mind is gradually hollowed out and hates nature, attacking it whenever possible. The stats for a Rusted Behemoth, Rusted Berserker, and Rusted Wyrm provides a good overview of what can be done with Rusted creatures.
The magic items are fine. None blow me away or capture my imagination, which is odd since some of them involved histories. I do like the magical windskiff that transforms into a broach.
Should You Buy It?
Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn is a good companion book to go with Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn. That said, it reflected some odd design choices that I didn’t love. I would have also preferred that it focused on regions thus far neglected by 5E. The art is good except for the one piece I noted.Overall, Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn is quite good, but some small changes could have made it better. Obviously it’s great for anyone running Faerûn, but also useful for folks who reskin content for their homebrew campaigns. Overall I give it a solid B+.
