FR: Players Guide to Faerun is out what do you think?

[Alzrius]

Second, with regard to Orcus, I think this is a throwback to the 1st Edition approach. In 1st Edition, the Arch-Devils and Demon Princes were not deities, but they were "equivalent to" Lesser Deities, and could grant spells as such. This sounds like where the Celestial Paragons and Fiendish Patrons are positioned now: not true deities, but close enough that they can grant spells to followers.

This would be much easier to accept if they hadn't gone all across the board on this issue back in the BoVD. It stated that archfiends were not able to grant spells, then it'd give them domains anyway, and then said you could justify it by possibly giving them divine rank 0, which completely ignored that D&Dg said that divine rank 0 creatures can't grant spells!

The only idea pitched (also in the BoVD) that I liked was that clerics of archfiends aren't worshipping the fiends per se, but rather, worshipping Evil, as interpreted by such-and-so archfiend. That was a cool way of doing it - too bad that doesn't fly in the Realms, where you must actually worship a god to get divine spells.

 

[reiella]

The only idea pitched (also in the BoVD) that I liked was that clerics of archfiends aren't worshipping the fiends per se, but rather, worshipping Evil, as interpreted by such-and-so archfiend. That was a cool way of doing it - too bad that doesn't fly in the Realms, where you must actually worship a god to get divine spells.

Best answer to this problem I got was the one given in Defenders of the Faith.

That other gods grant those spells and powers on behalf of the Arch-fiend.

Although the 'Abstract Evil represented by the Archfiend' works nicely too.

And yea, it's frustrating period. Given that they want to maintain the old legacy of the Archs being killable, they didn't want to have them be DR ranked by default (given that Divine Rank changes CR indeterminantly).

 

[Alzrius]

Best answer to this problem I got was the one given in Defenders of the Faith.

That other gods grant those spells and powers on behalf of the Arch-fiend.

Yeah, I remember seeing this paradigm pitched in some 2E material. It did seem like a good idea, but I didn't see this one flying for this scenario, because just granting spells alone shouldn't seem to make an archfiend a god (maybe from a mortal perspective).

 

[Kesh]

None of them.

You will need the FRCS to use the FRPG.

Argh. Are you saying there's just not enough rules updated in FRPG to effectively run a game using it (combined with F&P & SM)? I'd only be running in the Marches themselves, as the other regions aren't that interesting to me.

 

[reiella]

Argh. Are you saying there's just not enough rules updated in FRPG to effectively run a game using it (combined with F&P & SM)? I'd only be running in the Marches themselves, as the other regions aren't that interesting to me.

There are enough rules in just SM to run a game their I believe.

Trouble is, you're going to find alot of PrCs missing and alot of spells/feats missing.

It only reprints the stuff that changed with 3.5, while it references the stuff that did not.

I really can't recommend it myself, but I think a quick skim over at The Store may help you decide/determine.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

We can go on and on about the power level of the FR, but I'd really like to know more about the content of the book, if you guys don't mind.

Eh.

The Initiate feats look cool. The updated PrCs are a bit less crazy, like Divine Disciple (that bonus domain comes in at 4th level, not 1st). It has two potentially generally useful Exalted feats, useful for those VoP characters who desperately need them.

I rather like the Black Blood Hunter PrC, which is a vile were-baddy class (and, with suitable mods, a nice were-PC class). Martyred Champion of Ilmater is fairly cool, in that it either gives alternating spellcasting or bonus feats, your pick at the start. However, please, for the love of any deity that holds you dear and to whom you feel likewise, RUN, don't walk, away from the Celebrant of Sharess. If nothing else, consider that this combines exalted feat requirements, poor BAB, d6 hp, a pounce ability...and rage.

The spells are okay, and seem to be toned down a bit in general; the Nybor's series, for example, no longer affects the target's Str. Magic items are a mixed bag; they waste an entry on a plain +3 heavy shield (rumored to have weaponbreaking properties that relate mostly to its being steel and the breaking weapons having been made out of bronze), but there's the Cloak of Weaponry, which we've nicknamed the Highlander Trenchcoat (as it can hold up a single one-handed weapon of 25 pounds or less).

It's nice to have the cosmology section, if for no other reason than the FRCS was rather sparse on that (not sure if F&P had it). They have a section on psionics, which effectively says that psionics are there, but most people just think you're a mage and treat you accordingly. Amusingly, they're using the Revised psionics in their descriptions, though that's hardly surprising.

I'm not...quite...regretting my purchase. But get it with a discount if possible, and only if necessary.

Brad

 

[Moulin Rogue]

Are all the spells updated from Magic of Faerun there or are there some new ones? I never did pick up Magic of Faerun, has it been rendered obsolete by 3.5 and this new book particularly?

 

[reiella]

Are all the spells updated from Magic of Faerun there or are there some new ones? I never did pick up Magic of Faerun, has it been rendered obsolete by 3.5 and this new book particularly?

Negative.

It has spells from MagF, FRCS, and a handful of other FR sources.

I'm not sure if there are any unique spells in it (as I don't have Underdark or Races of Faerun to compare against).

The spell list, however, is NOT all inclusive of the spells from Magic of Faerun, the FRCS, Underdark, and Races of Faerun. The revised spell list references spells from those sources as well (even in the General Class Spell List).

 

[Celtavian]

re

So only clerics of a particular deity can get their deity spells, similar to how it was in 2nd ed with spheres and such?

My old DM had a big gripe with that, but I personally didn't mind.

Yes, alot like 2nd edition. I really happy with this change personally. It gives more flavor to clerics.

 

[Snapdragyn]

It's late & I'm not through reading the Domains, but...

... why does every player race EXCEPT human get a racial domain? Drow (ok, at least 1 non-player race), Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Halfling (this is where my eyes gave out *yawn*)... I looked for Human, but it isn't there. Grr.

So, what would a Human domain look like, anyway?