NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ilbranteloth" data-source="post: 6787487" data-attributes="member: 6778044">I think this is exactly the point about there being no baseline. While I agree in principle that in a given debate or discussion it's good to know the baseline. But in a shared world like the Forgotten Realms, that baseline is nearly impossible to meet. Even in my own campaign.15 years ago I had every single supplement, novel, article, computer game, etc. published for the Forgotten Realms, and had compiled that information into a combination updated rulebook/index for our campaign. This included Kara-Tur, Zakhara, Maztica, Planescape, and Spelljammer. I knew them in great detail, and had compiled them into an updated group of rulebooks so the rules would be in a single place, and a timeline/index to locate important lore and campaign information that weren't 'rules.'Today, I'm running 5th edition campaigns using the 5th Ed published supplements, picking and choosing from the 4th ed stuff, and the vast majority of 1st - 3rd edition material that hasn't been superseded by the published 5th ed materials. In the 4th Edition, the Gods and the planes changed drastically, such as Bane, but then they didn't because there was an article about Bane that said it wasn't the same Bane as the one in the Realms, etc. Beyond that, the interpretation of the many (contradicting) sources is a huge part of determining what is 'canon' in the Realms.With the vast amount of material published for the Realms, along with Wizards officially indicating that everything previously published is considered 'official' - but your campaign may be based in the Arcane Age, or the Gray Box Age, or the Current Age, or 4th Edition Age. Short of everybody listing which supplements they own/use I'm not sure how you come up with a baseline.My preference is to discuss my interpretation, why it works for us, and learn about others interpretation to see what I can steal, or what helps me clarify my interpretation. I often learn about written material that I have long since forgotten. I share because my interpretation might help others. Even if they don't like my interpretation, it helps them figure out what works for them.To me, the input of everybody has value, as long as it's presented in goodwill. If you don't have the Planescape material, that doesn't invalidate your opinion because even for those that do, we can always learn something, and there are a great many who don't have it either. So learning how things work in your campaign without the Planescape material has benefit.I always approach published materials from the concept of 'this is what is reported or known' by those writing it as if they lived there. For example, there have been many maps published over the years, and they don't all agree or cover the same details. I have no problem with that, each was drawn by a different cartographer, with the information they had at the time. This would be the case with any map purchased in the Realms as well. Think of it as a different newscast or account of the same event by different people.There is no absolute 'fact' or 'truth' in the published material. Sure there's stuff that all of us pretty much agree with nearly 100%. But the only 'fact' or 'truth' in a Forgotten Realms campaign is that as set forth by the DM. It might be because they actively changed it, or maybe it's just by omission because they missed something or don't own that book.--I've always liked the Wall of the Faithless. If this is indeed a universe where a person's actions and faith have a direct impact on their place in the afterlife, and their soul must be claimed by the servants of a particular God. Then there will undoubtedly be those that go unclaimed. The pantheon consists of Gods of every alignment, that are forced into these arrangements and agreements one way or another. Just like we may dislike the human rights violations of a given country, we might still have to conduct trade with them. The faithless are under Kelemvor's domain. Regardless of what the good Gods might believe, he is the only one that can decide what to do with them. Becoming part of the Wall is a law of the 'natural order' constructed within the Realms and its universe and cosmology. Just as the Gods usually do not jump in to save an individual from the law of gravity if they choose to walk off a cliff, they likewise will not interfere with the soul of an individual who has denied their existence. The realms of the Gods, including the good Gods, are unique in that only a certain group of people based on their actions are qualified to reside there. Their concern for others that have already made the journey to the afterlife is moot. They can't be changed. But they can try to gain more souls on Toril. So their focus and attention would be on the ones they can 'save', not those they can't.Ilbranteloth</blockquote>

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