D&D 5E [FR] Mount Hotenow, Thundertree, and Neverwinter

[Matrix Sorcica]

I thought "Krypt" just came from a fantasy spelling of "crypt".

I have the NWCS - got it just the other day after reading some of your blog I'm halfway through and loving it!

I seem to remember I have an old copy of Ruins of Adventure stowed away at my mother's attic... Can you tell me more about it before I set out to see if it's still there?

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

One the subject of Neverwinter, I am about to start posting actual play threads for my group. The first two are nearly done. Hopefully they will be worthwhile if you're looking at a Neverwinter campaign.

Ruins of Adventure was the adventure that was based on the CRPG of the same name (I think it was the same name but I could be wrong). Basically it involved the ruined city of Phlan with the adventurers reclaiming bits of the ruins at a time. While the adventure was notorious for really crappy maps and even crappier names, the basic idea of reclaiming ruins a patch at a time is perfect for a Neverwinter-based campaign.

If you're interested in a 4E version set in Phlan, I recommend the Tower of Zenopus blog and that DM's series of actual play posts based on his conversion of the adventure. My connection is pretty crappy right now otherwise I would post links.

 

[Matrix Sorcica]

One the subject of Neverwinter, I am about to start posting actual play threads for my group. The first two are nearly done. Hopefully they will be worthwhile if you're looking at a Neverwinter campaign.

Congrats on getting the Neverwinter campaign up and running again - again

Held together with your Neverwinter regional information post, if looks like you "only" have the Starmetal Hills and Wave Echo Cave to do, then your entire "table of contents" for Phandelver is done

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

So as long as Mr. Salvatore isn't hiding in my yard, threatening to unleash some creature of his imagination, I'll just use my own explenation for this local effect. Thanks!

Just keep in mind that the 4e Neverwinter Campaign Setting also gives the same explanation. In fact, it is the seed of almost every adventure happening in and around Neverwinter. The mountain contains a Primordial that has been locked away for a long time. The Host Tower of the Arcane is Luskan was built by the elves a long time ago to contain it so as to provide power to the Legendary Forges of Gauntlgrym, the greatest Dwarven city ever(which has been lost for thousands of years). The Host Tower was destroyed which is making the Primordial wake up.

But the actual eruption was caused by Athrogate, Jarlaxle's dwarven friend being tricked/charmed into pulling a lever in Gauntlegrym which freed the Primordial for a short period of time before it was re-enabled.

That information is contained(mostly) within the Neverwinter Campaign Guide, R.A. Salvatore's books as well as the Neverwinter video game.

 

[Jan van Leyden]

That information is contained(mostly) within the Neverwinter Campaign Guide, R.A. Salvatore's books as well as the Neverwinter video game.

So NCG is a usefull resource, then? I should put it on my "watch out for"-list.

After reading your answer it occurred to me that I tend to use a much more local scope. Frankly speaking, who pulled what lever being tricked by someone isn't likely to come up in my games.

If and when I'll run a 5e game in that area I'll probably be using some canned stuff like the Tyranny campaign. And as long as my modified explanation isn't completely at odds with the way these adventures work out, I'll stick to it.

It'd surely be nice to have players so invested in the game and its setting that I'd have to care, but no, I don't see this coming up.

Thanks for all the helpfull comments!

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

So NCG is a usefull resource, then? I should put it on my "watch out for"-list.

It is a useful guide if you are planning on running a game in or around Neverwinter at about the time of 4e(or 5e really since it isn't much later). There's a big discussion of the political and social situation in and around Neverwinter as well as all the power groups attempting to influence the area with some interesting plot hooks to weave their way into anything happening in the area.

After reading your answer it occurred to me that I tend to use a much more local scope. Frankly speaking, who pulled what lever being tricked by someone isn't likely to come up in my games.

It isn't in most games, I would assume. It's interesting to know and that's about it. The Neverwinter Campaign Guide says that there's a Primordial trapped in the mountain and it woke up briefly before going back to sleep. It says exactly why this happened is a mystery.

It's the novels that going into more detail about the exact hows and whys.

If and when I'll run a 5e game in that area I'll probably be using some canned stuff like the Tyranny campaign. And as long as my modified explanation isn't completely at odds with the way these adventures work out, I'll stick to it.

Which makes sense to me. I'm just saying that, given this is the official explanation, you'll likely see references to it in future products. If you want your game to agree with any future material, you may want to use it. If not, feel free to come up with any explanation you want. There could be a lot of fun ones.

 

[Thaumaturge]

What caused it? Yet another horrible R A Salvatore novel.

As an aside, during a seminar on storytelling in the Realms at GenCon, Salvatore mentioned he was writing the book, and WotC asked him to incorporate the Primordial and destroy Neverwinter.

The Tome Show podcast feed has both FR storytelling seminars, and they are different enough to listen to both, for those interested.

Thaumaturge.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

Congrats on getting the Neverwinter campaign up and running again - again

Held together with your Neverwinter regional information post, if looks like you "only" have the Starmetal Hills and Wave Echo Cave to do, then your entire "table of contents" for Phandelver is done

Thanks. I'm just catching up with the session reports which seem to take on a life of their own!

There are a few more. Actually, Starmetal Hills is already covered in my campaign notes - a devil-haunted ruined dwarven temple of Marthammor - and I think I also have to do Sword Mountains (roughly half done), Kryptgarden, Mount Hotenow (also covered by my existing notes), The Crags (ditto), and a few other places. I'm actually thinking of a series of posts based on Neverwinter-as-sandbox because I do have tonnes of notes which didn't actually get used in the campaign. And a couple of posts a week is a great stress reliever!

As an aside, during a seminar on storytelling in the Realms at GenCon, Salvatore mentioned he was writing the book, and WotC asked him to incorporate the Primordial and destroy Neverwinter.

The Tome Show podcast feed has both FR storytelling seminars, and they are different enough to listen to both, for those interested.

Thaumaturge.

Oh yeah, I am aware that a lot of the RSE-type crap in his books is mandated by WotC. But I really wish WotC would edit his dwarf and other names. He has a singular talent for creating the absolutely most suck-worthy names in fantasy fiction. Although they would be eminently suitable for use in a parodies....

 

[Thaumaturge]

Oh yeah, I am aware that a lot of the RSE-type crap in his books is mandated by WotC. But I really wish WotC would edit his dwarf and other names. He has a singular talent for creating the absolutely most suck-worthy names in fantasy fiction. Although they would be eminently suitable for use in a parodies....

His naming conventions came up too. He has a different perspective, obviously. But an early editor was fooled a couple of times, and now we're stuck with joke dwarf names.

Thaumaturge.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

His naming conventions came up too. He has a different perspective, obviously. But an early editor was fooled a couple of times, and now we're stuck with joke dwarf names.

Thaumaturge.

I wonder what his perspective is? Anyway, it's not just crappy names for dwarves: he generally sucks at names for places and characters as I was reminded of afresh last week when I started looking at what material had been published for Icewind Dale....

(And, yes, I realise the answer for me is simply to avoid his books. And I do. It's just every now and then I look up something on the Forgotten Realms Wikia and think "That doesn't sound like it belongs in the Realms" and, lo and behold, the footnote shows it's from one of RAS's books. But, hey, he's a bestselling author and I am not. I tip my hat in acknowledgement of his success.)