D&D 5E Faerun Visitors Bureau

[Riley37]

I took over as DM of a campaign set in Faerun. I have been learning the basics of the setting, have read a book or two so far, but there is SO much that I don't yet know, and that seems likely to remain true for several more weeks.

Meanwhile, specific questions arise. For example, one of my players is running a Ranger who wants to find out the origin of owlbears, because that affects his moral position: exterminate the un-natural monsters, or preserve them along with other equivalent predators, or something else. The MM gives a few ideas, but the exact origin is a setting-specific question. (Was it an insane wizard? Not if your setting doesn't include wizards! Were they made by the gods? Not if your setting doesn't include gods! Was it a wizard and a druid at a "furry" convention? Not if your setting doesn't include furries!)

So how can I quickly research specific questions? Are you, dear reader, available for answering specific questions now and then by direct message? Is there an appropriate forum, which would serve as the Visitors Bureau of Faerun, answering questions for a person like me who *intends* to read lots of Faerun books, but has *not done so yet*? Yes, I know there's a wiki; thank you; I have questions which the wiki does not quickly answer.

PS to Mods: OP intent is NOT a debate over whether Faerun is the best setting, the worst setting, or something else. Insofar as an OP request carries any weight, please discourage that sort of derail. Thanks!

 

[Fildrigar]

You mention that you know about the Forgotten Realms Wiki, but there is also Candlekeep Forums. ( http://forum.candlekeep.com/ ) There is a bit of traffic there, and some of those people really, really, really know their Realmslore. I've heard tales that older Forgotten Realms developers occasionally post there. Give that a try for any extreme esoterica. Do note that one of the basic conventions of the Forgotten Realms is that it's told from the point of view of an unreliable narrator. So, if you get something wrong, hey, it's all good. Someone wrote things down wrong.

 

[was]

...You could have them created by some ancient empire. I remember them being pretty old in FR, cited in both ancient Netheril and the Serpent Kingdoms.
...There's some mention of them being a product of a 'creator race'. In that case, their true origins might not be known.
...I think 4th ed. FR has them originating in the Feywild, so that's another option.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Up to you, basically! Here is what I would advise: don't worry about the lore too much.

I know FR is an extant setting, but your FR is being crafted as you play, and it's not going to be the same thing as published FR. So don't let the references trip you up or get in your way, and don't lose yourself down the rabbit-hole of research (unless that in and of itself is fun for you)

Instead, when you're at the table, think about what is most fun in the moment at play. And when in doubt, say yes.

Like, your ranger wants to know if owlbears are unnatural. You have no frickin' clue. So you go with the mantra above and say yes - they were invented by mad wizards.

Now your ranger and every owlbear he meets have an instant enmity that provokes them into action. RANGER SMASH ABOMINATIONS.

Or if the question is rather, are owlbears natural creatures, you have no frickin' clue, so you say yes - they're weird fantasy hybrid critters like griffons or something.

Now your ranger might try to befriend one!

The thing is, the answer isn't that important. It's more important that you come up with an answer than that you get the "right" answer. That's what "say yes" does - it lets you not think about what the right answer is, and just go with whatever your fellow-player just suggested. If you've got a better idea on the top of your head, go with that, but when in doubt, say yes, and let the game keep flowing.

That's my advice anyway.

FWIW, FR is an old enough setting that they probably have the original lore in place for owlbears: mad wizard creations. So unnatural.

But ultimately it doesn't matter.

 

[Riley37]

your FR is being crafted as you play, and it's not going to be the same thing as published FR.

True dat. I will absolutely not have Elmarysue or Drizzle show up and save the day, grabbing the spotlight away from the PCs, for sure.

On another hand: there is a ton of lore, and the stuff I *have* learned has improved the campaign, and let me deliver a richer setting for the enjoyment of the players. Sure, I could rule that Zhentil Keep, in this "instance" of Faerun, is a bustling metropolis and the major power center of the region. On another hand - the version in which Zhentil Keep is now a hunting ground for Shadowvar, and Phlan is independent because the Zhents are no longer in a position to give orders, is a *fine* story. It heightens the stakes for "Tales Trees Tell", because hey, look at what happened to Zhentil Keep when THEY fought shadovar and THEY didn't have allies in the Feywild. It could happen here! Unless you, the heroes, succeed! Your actions have meaning and consequence in a wider context!

We had fun with the owlbear topic, last session. The ranger asked Seranolla the Whisperer, and I decided that she had a few ideas but she referred him to Mantor's Library. This advanced one of my goals: establishing a few locations in Phlan, such as the Library, which the PCs get to know as "that place in the city, where named, known NPCs hang out, and which we sometimes visit". Rather than "that arbitrary place where we once went, to get a mission from some dude, because the plot said so, because there was a glowing question mark hovering in the air over the front door."

The ranger asked to talk with the Lord Sage. The Chief Librarian said that the Lord Sage was out, investigating a missing book. This is foreshadowing for "The Scroll Thief", which I might run later. The ranger got access to the "Bestiary and Monsters" bookshelf, and discovered books giving several different answers. Then I said, DM to player, that's what your PC can discover today... maybe, another session, I will have a more "canonical" answer for you.

And now the Library is a place which doesn't ONLY have one NPC, the Lord Sage; there is another *named NPC* there, the chief scribe, who has her own voice, with the potential to expand in future stories.

Meanwhile, the other players amused themselves some hilaristurbing speculations about the origin, mating and breeding of owlbears. The ranger's current working theory: owlbears are unnatural, but blameless; therefore, he will spay/neuter owlbears, as opportunity arises.

This might get interesting, as the PCs are now halfway through "Iron Route". The ranger might end up capturing an owlbear, neutering it, and then delivering the neutered owlbear to its previous owner.

So... yeah, I appreciate the encouragement to define my own "instance" of Faerun. I still want access to "canon" Faerun. I can deliver a better story to my table, if that story happens in a rich setting, a setting with more details and more history than I could generate single-handedly.

 

[I'm A Banana]

So... yeah, I appreciate the encouragement to define my own "instance" of Faerun. I still want access to "canon" Faerun. I can deliver a better story to my table, if that story happens in a rich setting, a setting with more details and more history than I could generate single-handedly.

Nothin' wrong with lore, definitely, just don't let a need for lore throw a wrench in the flow of a game. Sounds like you're handlin' it just fine.

 

[pukunui]

You mention that you know about the Forgotten Realms Wiki, but there is also Candlekeep Forums. ( http://forum.candlekeep.com/ ) There is a bit of traffic there, and some of those people really, really, really know their Realmslore. I've heard tales that older Forgotten Realms developers occasionally post there. Give that a try for any extreme esoterica. Do note that one of the basic conventions of the Forgotten Realms is that it's told from the point of view of an unreliable narrator. So, if you get something wrong, hey, it's all good. Someone wrote things down wrong.

I'll second Candlekeep. Some of those guys know Ed Greenwood and Bob Salvatore and the like and have been able to pick their brains for all sorts of little bits of trivia about the Realms. They've been able to help me immensely with some prickly questions, and I'd consider myself fairly up on Realms lore for the most part.

True dat. I will absolutely not have Elmarysue or Drizzle show up and save the day, grabbing the spotlight away from the PCs, for sure.

These days, Drizzt is too busy picking lint out of his belly button, while Elminster is hard at work cleaning up the mess the Netherese made in the Dales.

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

There's an idea for an adventure seed: in downtime between adventures, the Faerun equivalent of Twoflower can hire the party to take them on a walking tour from Waterdeep to Silverymoon.
"Grimaxe Tours! Come Kill With Me" read the scrolls pinned around town. "Looking for a good time? For the full Adventurer Experience, Grimaxe Tours offers the discerning traveller a taste of the wilds. Safe treks only (provide your own sheath). For the ultimate wilderness encounter, why not ask for the four-handed Twin Experience featuring Grimaxe and Axegrim? Enquire at the Murderhobo-a-Go-Go Club. No electrum pieces"

 

[77IM]

Don't worry about Forgotten Realms canon because LucasArts is just going to reboot it.

 

[famousringo]

Forgotten Realms is so huge, pretty much every fantasy trope is represented somewhere in that game world, with a weekend special of dead gods and ancient civilizations. I think I recall reading somewhere that Faerun had three times as much geography as Earth, but I think they cut through a lot of the vast, barren wilderness for 3rd ed.

So on the question of owlbears, you can probably decide that they're a sorcerous abomination or a product of divine meddling and both statements will be true somewhere in Faerun.