D&D 4E Forgotten Realms 4e Changes: Good/Bad?

[renau1g]

Yeah I would've thought they'd have all the offspring forming the "new x-men" type thing...that's one good thing at least.

 

[Felon]

All of his friends died of old age. It is 100 years after the Spellplague after all. Throw in the years leading up to the plague and there you have it.

Hey, Brunor Battlehammer ain't no short-lifer.

 

[Marshall]

Except he was "old" in even the early novels...

 

[Ahglock]

Surely you understand the difference, right?

You're just aiming for sarcasm?

-O

I don't have the 4e FR book so um what is the difference?

If in 3e elmisnter was running around all powerful level 30+ and in 4e he is strutting around at a level 30 epic doodad, what is different. Do the high level NPCs in 4e just sit around drinking tea and baking cookies, or are they dealing with high level threats just like they were in 3e. Is there an actual difference or do people just perceive a difference because the 4e FR book told you so?

Is it just the sheer numbers of high level muckedy mucks? I assume there are still quite a few of them with like armies and crap so there kingdoms don't get overrun bu kobolds every other year.

So for someone like me who has yet to pick up the book and see the differences, what is the difference with super high level NPCs in the FR in 3e and 4e?

 

[Peraion Graufalke]

So for someone like me who has yet to pick up the book and see the differences, what is the difference with super high level NPCs in the FR in 3e and 4e?

Disclaimer: Since I don't know about the 3e Realms, I'm going from my memory of the 2e Realms (post-Time of Troubles). Shouldn't be too much of a difference.

There aren't many left in 4e, with the vast majority of them being antagonists, e.g. Manshoon, Szass Tam, the Princes of Shade, the Sarrukh. Elminster has no stats, but his description tells you he's less powerful now,

Spoiler

and it looks like he's been traumatized and is being cared for by The Simbul, who's also stat-less; these two appear to be the only high-level "good guys" in the 4e Campaign Guide

.

 

[DracoSuave]

Elminster basically has retired from active duty and prefers to be left alone, no really.

That was my main problem with pre-4th Forgotten Realms, it was really good at reminding you that no matter what you did, you were doing it because Elminster couldn't be bothered.

Now, you're doing it because you're the heroes, not some Mary Sue with a pointy hat.

 

[Obryn]

So for someone like me who has yet to pick up the book and see the differences, what is the difference with super high level NPCs in the FR in 3e and 4e?

Well, for starters, most of the highest-level NPCs are gone, and those who are still around have been severely weakened. When you're no longer one of the five hundred Chosen of Mystra, (and when it's no longer simply an Epic Destiny like any other,) it takes a toll. It was never Elminster & Drizzt themselves who were the issue (IMO) - it was Elminster AND Drizzt AND ... everyone else.

Second, the Realms is a much less-civilized place. Organized action by the setting's still-extant Mary Sues is much less possible. There's literally no way the far-reduced number of high-level NPCs could handle all the threats.

Third, remember the difference between a high-level 2e/3e character and an epic level 4e character - particularly spellcasters. The earth-shaking spells just aren't an issue anymore. Nerfing high-level spellcasting alone probably would have been a good enough "fix", frankly.

-O

 

[holywhitetrash]

i have never played FR but these descriptions of new FR sound awesome
you are in a world that for some reason or another a few centuries ago got blasted back to the stone aged
its like post apocalyptic fantasy

 

[renau1g]

I think that's an over-exaggeration of what happened, rather they removed some high-level NPC's from play, threw in some dragonborn into the setting, crashed a few new lands onto the map, but civilization is still there, Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate are huge cities (the latter I'm sure in no small part to the video games success). Your description is likely better served by Dark Sun, now that's a post-apocolyptic setting

 

[Herschel]

I will grant that the way they did the changes makes sense as forgotten realm stories go but instead of "Poof, this is a short description of what happened.", I want to see a series of novels set during the changes. That way GMs and players both can get a grip on the new world. As is, we are only getting a name.

They've actually started this. In "The Pirate King" they started the utter downfall of Luskan and in "The Ghost King" it looks like the Spellplague is coming and the weave is coming apart.