D&D 5E Forgotten Realms canon question

[R_J_K75]

No. Why would he write an adventure for WotC that did not take place in the Forgotten Realms?

I can only imagine Ed's unedited response to the tweet: "I'm being asked if a series of adventures that took place on a different world to Toril is somehow also considered to have taken place on Toril. Hmmm, that doesn't seem like it needs me to respond...."

Agree 100% and that was why I asked the question. Even if it was set in or had ramifications in the Realms, if he didn't write it my opinion is that his opinion wouldn't matter unless he can specifically give a yes or no answer.

 

[aco175]

It seems like some questions on RAW vs. RAI. On one hand all things FR are open to take for DMsGuild. This is a lot and they seem to have been rather easy on what people are posting, so you most likely could post this if it is somehow tied to the FR. On the other hand, if the whole multiverse is tied together, I could argue that everything D&D is now "part of FR" which feels wrong.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

So here's two sources that should answer your question;

Scales of War - 1d4chan

1d4chan.org

Vlaakith CLVII

Vlaakith CLVII, also known as the Lich Queen, was the ruler of the githyanki race. To slay in her name is our greatest service. To die in her name is our last act of reverence. Meldavh, githyanki knight. Vlaakith CLVII was primarily jealous and paranoid, willing to eat the souls of those who...

forgottenrealms.fandom.com

Scales of War is written as a sequel of sorts to another adventure, where Vlaakith CLVII is assassinated. I'm pretty sure the "canon" ending of that adventure is that the PCs fail and Vlaakith survives, so Scales of War is largely a non-canon adventure path.

If you're trying to determine what is canon and what is not, use the Forgotten Realms wiki. If the information is not there, it is likely non-canon. If the information is there, but seems doubtful to you, check the source.

Of course, the idea of "canon" in D&D is mostly rubbish anyway, as once you start your first session in Forgotten Realms, your world has become non-canon. So I wouldn't worry too much about what is canon and what is not; I'd be more concerned with what is fun and what is not.

And Scales of War can be very, very fun.

 

[Quickleaf]

So here's two sources that should answer your question;

Scales of War - 1d4chan

1d4chan.org

Vlaakith CLVII

Vlaakith CLVII, also known as the Lich Queen, was the ruler of the githyanki race. To slay in her name is our greatest service. To die in her name is our last act of reverence. Meldavh, githyanki knight. Vlaakith CLVII was primarily jealous and paranoid, willing to eat the souls of those who...

forgottenrealms.fandom.com

Scales of War is written as a sequel of sorts to another adventure, where Vlaakith CLVII is assassinated. I'm pretty sure the "canon" ending of that adventure is that the PCs fail and Vlaakith survives, so Scales of War is largely a non-canon adventure path.

If you're trying to determine what is canon and what is not, use the Forgotten Realms wiki. If the information is not there, it is likely non-canon. If the information is there, but seems doubtful to you, check the source.

Of course, the idea of "canon" in D&D is mostly rubbish anyway, as once you start your first session in Forgotten Realms, your world has become non-canon. So I wouldn't worry too much about what is canon and what is not; I'd be more concerned with what is fun and what is not.

And Scales of War can be very, very fun.

How did you come to the conclusion that the "canon" ending of The Lich-Queen's Beloved was that the PCs failed to kill Vlaakith CLVII?

While I think the FR Wiki is a great resources... it notations are often misleading. When doing adventure prep/research, I've tracked down several notations only for there to be no mention of the subject matter the notation is supposed to support. For instance, on Vlaakith's wiki page, the first line reads:

Vlaakith CLVII, also known as the Lich Queen, was the ruler of the githyanki race.[8][1]

[1]↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Christopher Perkins (July 2003). “The Lich-Queen's Beloved”. In Chris Thomasson ed. Dungeon #100 (Paizo Publishing), pp. 97–98.

[8]↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (May 29, 2018). Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. Edited by Kim Mohan, Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 4. ISBN 978-0786966240.

So the FR Wiki page is sighting The Lich-Queen's Beloved as a source. That's interesting. And in that adventure Vlaakith is referred to as CLVII.

However, nowhere in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes is any generational number used for Vlaakith. She's just "Vlaakith."

So the notation is a bit misleading. The generational number was accurate in 3e, but no longer appears to be accurate in 5e.

 

[Quickleaf]

No. Why would he write an adventure for WotC that did not take place in the Forgotten Realms?

I can only imagine Ed's unedited response to the tweet: "I'm being asked if a series of adventures that took place on a different world to Toril is somehow also considered to have taken place on Toril. Hmmm, that doesn't seem like it needs me to respond...."

Agree 100% and that was why I asked the question. Even if it was set in or had ramifications in the Realms, if he didn't write it my opinion is that his opinion wouldn't matter unless he can specifically give a yes or no answer.

If Ed Greenwood is the wrong person to contact with this question, then mea culpa.
Who would you instead suggest that I reach out to?

 

[R_J_K75]

If Ed Greenwood is the wrong person to contact with this question, then mea culpa.
Who would you instead suggest that I reach out to?

Ed might have an answer, but I would be surprised. Maybe try the author(s) if you can. Your question may be one they didnt consider when writing the adventure.

 

[Quickleaf]

Ed might have an answer, but I would be surprised. Maybe try the author(s) if you can. Your question may be one they didnt consider when writing the adventure.

Yep! I included Ed Greenwood and Robert Schwalb, author of Tyranny of Souls, in the same tweet.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

How did you come to the conclusion that the "canon" ending of The Lich-Queen's Beloved was that the PCs failed to kill Vlaakith CLVII?

While I think the FR Wiki is a great resources... it notations are often misleading. When doing adventure prep/research, I've tracked down several notations only for there to be no mention of the subject matter the notation is supposed to support. For instance, on Vlaakith's wiki page, the first line reads:

Vlaakith CLVII, also known as the Lich Queen, was the ruler of the githyanki race.[8][1]

[1]↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Christopher Perkins (July 2003). “The Lich-Queen's Beloved”. In Chris Thomasson ed. Dungeon #100 (Paizo Publishing), pp. 97–98.

[8]↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (May 29, 2018). Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. Edited by Kim Mohan, Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 4. ISBN 978-0786966240.

So the FR Wiki page is sighting The Lich-Queen's Beloved as a source. That's interesting. And in that adventure Vlaakith is referred to as CLVII.

However, nowhere in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes is any generational number used for Vlaakith. She's just "Vlaakith."

So the notation is a bit misleading. The generational number was accurate in 3e, but no longer appears to be accurate in 5e.

Well, I don't know that the PC's failing is canon. However, since canon sources published since then assume that Vlaakith is still alive, then this assumption makes sense.

As for Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, I think you can assume (like the wiki does) that the Vlaakith in control is the CLVII. Otherwise, you would be believing Scales of War is canon and that CLVII was assassinated, but that another Vlaakith takes control after Scales of War.

Considering none of that is mentioned in MtoF, it's probably just the CLVII.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Is all of this just to figure out whether someone is allowed to write a sequel to Scales of War for DMsGuild? That if it's a Realms adventure then you are allowed to, but if its an adventure from a different setting that has not yet been opened by WotC then you aren't?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Couldn't agree more.

Didn't think a disclaimer would be necessary, but here it is: I also do freelance writing and have published a little to DMs Guild as a side gig. That's why I'm inquiring about canonicity.

For example, one of my projects has been to compile a bunch of stuff I designed for our Tomb of Annihilation campaign – material that I've shared with other DMs running the adventure & reportedly was very helpful – and put that into a product. Because that project involves Chult which is part of the Forgotten Realms, understanding FR canon has been an important part of that (e.g. writing "the island of Chult" would be a misleading faux paus because Chult is an archipelago).

This is not just idle thinking. I've done it before; for example, The Beast of Graenseskov started as a home adventure and then I sculpted it into a published product. In that instance it required reading up on some Ravenloft lore that I'd forgotten and walking that fine line of staying within the confines of Barovia while hinting that there might be more out there in the mists.

It's not just a matter of taste though. It's a matter of fact. There is no one at WotC keeping track of some "canon" version of FR. They are quite happy to allow the publication of stories and adventures that make contradictory assumptions about earlier events, and they are all equally true/not true.