The Realms in 4th ed: retroactive, or post Blue Fire?

[hamishspence]

Retroactive seems like a lot of hard work, but I do think some things could be modified to give Realms the 4th ed new stuff.

Warlords: Obould Many Arrows is a good candidate.
Warlocks: Any dark, shadowy magic user could draw inspiration from this: the Shadowvar?

Dragonborn: Not sure about these: could be retroactively made the common people of the ancient Dragon Empires right after the Dragonfall. Or, could be Dragonborn from Races Of the Dragon, that became a true-breeding race after the Blue Fire.

Tieflings: The Feyri are like these: might be difficult to avoid crossover. Maybe have them, their empire of Bael Turath, and their enemies or Arkhosia as a period around the time of the first Dracorage, when Dragon Empires collapsed.

Other idea was using them as the Narfelli: devils actually fit the theme of corrupted empire better than 4th ed Demons do.

Characters: Famous NPC's: Actually I rather think it could bring some of them back to their 2nd ed selves: a 27th level Wizard Elminster, with Training feats instead of cleric/fighter/wizard levels to give him abilities not normal to a wizard. Epic Destiny: right hand man of Mystra, could give him immortality and cool powers.

I wonder what 4th ed Player's Guide to Faerun will hold for us?

 

[Voss]

They could easily do retroactive. Just insert things and pretend it always worked that way. Game mechanics don't really require fluff explanations. There is certainly plenty of accumulated 'stuff' in the realms to explain the races.

However, they are seem to advancing the timeline and blowing up large areas, people and gods. Might as well alienate long term fans and hope new people will come in.

 

[Cmarco]

Just going to have to wait and see, I guess.

 

[Sitara]

I hope Yuan-Ti become a pc race in FE campaign setting.

Speaking of them, I wonder how they are going to fit ito all this. I eman, everyone and their grannies now have a 'major empire that was destroyed in ancient wars yadda yadda'. That used to be the yuan-Ti's whole schtick.

Hmm, maybe they now become 'aliens' who ahve come down from the blackness between the starz or something.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

Speaking of them, I wonder how they are going to fit ito all this. I eman, everyone and their grannies now have a 'major empire that was destroyed in ancient wars yadda yadda'. That used to be the yuan-Ti's whole schtick.

Hmm, maybe they now become 'aliens' who ahve come down from the blackness between the starz or something.

That has always been the history of the Realms, almost every race in existence has had a major empire which fell at some point in the past. Just read the Grand History of the Realms. Plus, nearly every race is descended from or created by the Creator Races.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I hope Yuan-Ti become a pc race in FE campaign setting.

Speaking of them, I wonder how they are going to fit ito all this. I eman, everyone and their grannies now have a 'major empire that was destroyed in ancient wars yadda yadda'. That used to be the yuan-Ti's whole schtick.

Hmm, maybe they now become 'aliens' who ahve come down from the blackness between the starz or something.

I am not really familiar with the Realms (aside from playing Neverwinter Nights), but I got the impression that there was more than one Ancient Empire around that fell centuries, millenia or eons ago.

But then, I also wouldn't assume that the PHB flavour text of the races will apply to any other setting then the implied setting of the core rulebooks. So, Tieflings and Dragonborn might get a different background in the Forgotten Realms and other established campaign settings.

 

[Mirtek]

Tieflings: The Feyri are like these: might be difficult to avoid crossover. Maybe have them, their empire of Bael Turath, and their enemies or Arkhosia as a period around the time of the first Dracorage, when Dragon Empires collapsed.

Or just state that the Fey'ri are tieflings and completly ignore the attached Bael Turath and Arkhosia garbage

 

[The Little Raven]

Plus, nearly every race is descended from or created by the Creator Races.

There are plenty of references of races coming from other worlds.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

I kind of like the idea that the Dragonborn are simply an entirely new true breeding race.

They could be something a wizard, or cult of wizards, did, or simply some new weird evolution of the Dragons of Faerun.

Or, perhaps more oddly, a race from another continent that has 'discovered' faerun, become established in numerous small colonies, and began caravanning around exploring the place.