D&D General Forgotten Realms Books Tables of Contents

The Table of Contents for both Heroes of Faerun and Adventures in Faerun.

Picked the books up this morning and love what I’ve seen so far. I’ll answer whatever questions I can here.

 

[Yaarel]

I disagree. DMs CAN change things for specific cases, but I do not think it is the DM's obligation to change backgrounds to accommodate any player requests. The DM is a player too and is usually putting in way more effort to make the game happen; they are entitled to a say in what does and doesn't make sense in terms of backgrounds for characters.

As DM, working with a player to create a personal background, is a "lure" to encourage the player to care about the setting.

If a player wants to play X background but wants to change the ASI's and feat just to minmax, the DM is not obligated to allow that.

Now obviously, a good DM and Player relationship can find common ground when story and mechanics can't align, I just think saying they are supposed to acquiesce to all requests is a slippery slope we should not go down.

Even for something like swapping an ability score boost! The DM can ask the player how does this background experience develop this ability. Say the background and feat relate to being a burglar. How did being a burglar make the character tougher with a higher Constitution? How did this increased stamina and survivability happen? Did the character grow up living on the streets? How did the character eat? How did the character stay healthy? What kind of burglar was this character? Where did the burgling happen? Already the player is thinking about their own character life story − and how this character is a meaningful part of the setting. Who are the social contacts that character gained from being a burglar? How did one meet them? Are there victims of burglary who are out to get the character? Etcetera. To explain a +2 Constitution score.

Also, there may be players who want the old school ability boosts that come from the species. The way to resolve this today is to make sure there are a few backgrounds that relate thematically to the old school species descriptions. Even if not every Dwarf is a high-Constitution high-Strength miner, surely there is some group of miners somewhere that the Dwarf player character can be a member of.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

For those who have the book, is there literally anything to be said about Laerakond or Abeir?

 

[Professor Murder]

The shout out to Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue almost makes me need to buy this.

 

[Zeromaru X]

For those who have the book, is there literally anything to be said about Laerakond or Abeir?

Besides acknowledging Tymanther (now destroyed) came from there, nothing else.

 

[Yaarel]

Besides acknowledging Tymanther (now destroyed) came from there, nothing else.

I am less familiar about Dragonborn lore in the Forgotten Realms setting.

I assumed they hatched from the magically-altered eggs of actual dragons, like the setting lore elsewhere.

Was Abeir especially important for Dragonborn?

 

[Garmel]

With Tymanther destroyed who has taken over the area?

 

[Zeromaru X]

I am less familiar about Dragonborn lore in the Forgotten Realms setting.

I assumed they hatched from the magically-altered eggs of actual dragons, like the setting lore elsewhere.

Was Abeir especially important for Dragonborn?

There are native dragonborn in Toril too, but they are extremely rare. Abeir is world controlled by dragons, and so dragonborn outnumber humans in that planet. The dragonborn from Tymanther came specifically from there.

 

[Zeromaru X]

With Tymanther destroyed who has taken over the area?

Who do you imagine? The place is boring not-Mesopotamia again.,

 

[Yaarel]

There are native dragonborn in Toril too, but they are extremely rare. Abeir is world controlled by dragons, and so dragonborn outnumber humans in that planet. The dragonborn from Tymanther came specifically from there.

What happened with Abeir Dragonborn culture? Are they still in the area, or did they migrate elsewhere?

 

[Mercador]

Any official review soon?