FR Update at WotC-Year of the Ageless One

[Mirtek]

When I saw that warforged picture I thought they might have found a history snippet of golems someone built. Which could be used later, and expanded on, for why warforged are in the Realms

AFAIK they did exactly that with the GHotR. The snippet they used was the storyline of the old Blood&Magic PC game. With a little bit of good will the golems forged from the Bloodforge can be used as the first "Warforged" of the Realms

 

[Raloc]

Nah, I just made fun of the whole 4th edition hype that many things in 3rd were "unfun" and they changed it. As the Realms get change big time they must have been unfun.
Just an ironic joke.

Ah right right gotcha.

On a side note, I don't seem to see the problem with the novels "stealing" plot threads, because of a few reasons. First, I find it pretty crazy to buy all those books. Second, it would take an inordinately huge amount of time to catalog all the changes in each book, and how each relates to others. Third, if something would limit my or my players' enjoyment of the game (having it changed in unfavorable ways from the RAW FR) I pretty much just ignore it.

Most people I know can't even read that many FR novels, anyway, and really don't care to incorporate everything into the game. I'm totally fine with that, because for me there is a definite mental divide between "FR game" and "FR novel". If things are introduced in supplements that appeared in novels, I incorporate them based on usefulness to the game.

Some might say my FR isn't the "real" FR, but it works fine for me, and the other DM in my old group did the same, and everyone likes our games. *Shrug*

Honestly I'm not too concerned about the changes, since I have two potential groups. One is new to the game in general and wouldn't miss anything, and another would probably rather stick with 3.5e or change FR to be 3.5e FR with 4e rules.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

It's not out of line for FR but it does seem kind of lazy. Another Mystra frag (I suppose it's becoming a tradition), another interdimensional import.

If Mystra didn't die, how would the inhabitants know that they were going through an edition change? It's like the captain coming on and telling you that you're flying over the equator.

 

[Fenes]

The Realms' problem were and probably are the novels, who seem to suffer from the "bigger, better, badder" syndrome - every second novel had to shake up the entire realm. I never had a problem with the "high level NPCs", those were easy to assume "busy", but left and right, novel characters had all the altering stuff.

So I made my own Realms.

 

[Aloïsius]

If Mystra didn't die, how would the inhabitants know that they were going through an edition change? It's like the captain coming on and telling you that you're flying over the equator.

By the way, who will replace her ? Shar ? I mean, if magic has been stabilzed, it means that there is a new god(ess) of magic ?

 

[DrSpunj]

If Mystra didn't die, how would the inhabitants know that they were going through an edition change? It's like the captain coming on and telling you that you're flying over the equator.

Ha! Alright, I've been into Iron Heroes and reading quite a bit of David Gemmell in what free time I've found, so I haven't been reading/following FR twists & turns too much in the last year or so.

In what storyline/novels did Mystra die this time? Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[humble minion]

In what storyline/novels did Mystra die this time? Thanks in advance for any info.

The bare bones are mentioned in GHotR. It remains to be seen whether the whole business will get a novel series to flesh it out.

 

[Mighty Veil]

By the way, who will replace her ? Shar ? I mean, if magic has been stabilzed, it means that there is a new god(ess) of magic ?

My guess: depends on the power sources out there and given to players by the gods who found a way to harness it, but they may not be in control on who gets to offer it.

So if a group of evil adventurers want to be psychic warrior, warlocks, cleric, etc.

Malar will want to offer nature, arcane, shadow pact, fey pact, psionic, and divine source to a group of adventurers who worship him or are evil. He offers it and if they knowingly or not knowingly accept it. He grows in power or at least, doesn't die in the Astral plane, er, ocean, er... sea. Astral sea. Davey Jones Astral Locker.

Nature is manifested by the land but the portfolio and responsibility of Silvanus. But Malar can still get Mask to steal a stream of it for his use. Lets him offer druid spells to an evil dragonborn druid. Azuth and Skull-guy managed to get out of the Astral Locker and figured out how to harness the raw arcane energies. So did Shar and Corellon (or maybe just Corellon and Shar did). Shar demands a (warlock) pact to use her arcane magic from mortals. Azuth and Lich-god had a hard enough time getting a new way to harness magic. Some they'll give it directly (sorcerors) but the majority in written form (wizards). Written form means anyone who studies it can use it, the gods have no control over who can or can't be a wizard. And so on.

Malar makes a deal with Shar to offer her shadow magic to his adventurer. The reborn psionic god is unaligned, so doesn't care. Showing you don't need a weave a lame goddess for magic.

 

[Voss]

I'm not too fond of that. It essentially makes all spellcasting classes alternate cleric builds. Warlock, wizard, sorcerer and druid magic shouldn't really come down from a divine source. Or psionics, for that matter.

 

[Filcher]

Sorry if I missed this:

Has it been stated if Elminster is alive in the 4E Realms?