The Spellplague - what do we know/speculate about it?

[Glyfair]

What FourthBear said. There's more than just the Spellplague going on though. The Orc King's teaser chapter suggests a lot more stuff that I think your friend will be interested. There are references to the rise/return of Netheril (under the Shades), the "merging of two worlds" (no idea what that means) and the coming of the Aboleths. You should make sure your friend reads that chapter.

Also, they have given tips that the last print issue of Dragon has some hints in the mysteries of D&D article. The quote everyone points to mentions that there is a reason that everyone refers to the world as Toril rather than Abier-Toril. The assumption is that the "other world" is Abier.

 

[FourthBear]

Probably. The thing with Thay is that the "8 Master specialist Wizards" thing they have going on is probably completely incompatible with the new wizard class. Even their signature prestige class is going to be Kaput using it's current theme. Thay is going to have to be heavily reworked just to fit the new rules.

True, although I have hopes that in 4e, specialists will actually be much better distinguished from their generalist cousins. I believe designers have already mentioned that there will be Necromancer and Illusionist classes, with spells and powers not to be found in the general wizard list. I think it will be too tempting for the Realms designers (and others) to recreate all eight specialist classes at some point. The only question will be when will they be available. Until then, they might make do with traditions for each of the eight, until they unveil each specialist.

 

[Green Knight]

I'm still not happy in the slightest with the idea of Cyric killing Mystra. Or with Tyr killing Helm in a duel over Tymora. Both of those ideas are mind numbingly dumb. I'm fine with Helm getting killed off, but the way he gets killed is mindblowingly stupid. As for Cyric killing Mystra, geeze, I just can't stand the thought of that little bastard actually killing Mystra. All things being equal, I'd rather see Mystra kill Cyric, and then have Cyric's portfolios divvied up between two or three new evil deities. I could also live with the thought of Mystra being killed if she were to be somehow resurrected. Sort of like how Mystryl came back to life moments later after getting killed by Karsus. But what I don't like is getting rid of Midnight/Mystra permanently, much less having Cyric be the one to do the deed.

And more then that, as I've said elsewhere, Mystra is the quintessential Forgotten Realms deity. When people think of the gods of the Forgotten Realms, more often then not, Mystra will be the first one to pop into mind. She's one of the most wellknown characteristics of the setting, and yet they're gonna kill her off in favor of that schmuck Cyric?!? What... a... sick... joke.

 

[mach1.9pants]

Yep it is certainly a dangerous job being the god of magic in FR, they get knocked off/transmogrified with a regularity that only matches,...errmm,.. well DnD editions!

 

[The Little Raven]

Or with Tyr killing Helm in a duel over Tymora.

Divine tragedy. I love it. Though, I would have prefered that Aesir ripoff had gotten killed instead.

Both of those ideas are mind numbingly dumb.

The fact that D&D deities have almost NEVER acted like deities in the real world has been mind numbingly dumb, and the fact that they are finally moving them to do so is a ray of light.

I'm fine with Helm getting killed off, but the way he gets killed is mindblowingly stupid.

All-knowing, all-powerful gods that never make mistakes are mindblowingly stupid. That's why most D&D pantheons are crappy, because they're always some unrealistic, idealized setup with interactions that seem to be written by children. In real world mythology, gods ed and killed eachother.

All things being equal, I'd rather see Mystra kill Cyric, and then have Cyric's portfolios divvied up between two or three new evil deities.

Ugh. The Dead Three was lame. They sat out doing nothing until they stole the Tablets of Fate, and that was it. Cyric has proven himself far more worthy of his divinity than they did, since he has sought to sow strife among ALL the gods since his elevation. He is truly the god of strife.

I could also live with the thought of Mystra being killed if she were to be somehow resurrected. Sort of like how Mystryl came back to life moments later after getting killed by Karsus. But what I don't like is getting rid of Midnight/Mystra permanently, much less having Cyric be the one to do the deed.

Because Mystra's constant meddling, ability to deny ANYONE AND ANYTHING arcane magic AT HER WHIM, and her stupid Chosen running around... they all need the ax. Mystryl died from a spell cast on the Material... Mystra died from an attack on the Material... Mystra/Midnight died from an attack in her OWN REALM. She ain't coming back.

And resurrecting her for a third time would just be stupid. It would be about as profound as the Death of Superman was (how sad, the man of steel is dead... oh wait, he's back a couple issues later, like nothing really happened).

And more then that, as I've said elsewhere, Mystra is the quintessential Forgotten Realms deity. When people think of the gods of the Forgotten Realms, more often then not, Mystra will be the first one to pop into mind. She's one of the most wellknown characteristics of the setting, and yet they're gonna kill her off in favor of that schmuck Cyric?!? What... a... sick... joke.

She's a Mary Sue. A plot point to explain why Elminster and his friends always win. She's a part of that whole "good always wins because evil is stupid," mentality that permeated D&D for decades.

I hope her death was drawn out and painful.

 

[see]

Given FR was first published in 1987, and the Dead Three were killed off in 1989, it wasn't like there was time for TSR to publish them doing a lot. Yet Bhaal still managed to go medieval on the Moonshaes before Bane and Myrkul started the Godswar.

 

[Aldarc]

Because Mystra's constant meddling, ability to deny ANYONE AND ANYTHING arcane magic AT HER WHIM, and her stupid Chosen running around... they all need the ax. Mystryl died from a spell cast on the Material... Mystra died from an attack on the Material... Mystra/Midnight died from an attack in her OWN REALM. She ain't coming back.

And resurrecting her for a third time would just be stupid. It would be about as profound as the Death of Superman was (how sad, the man of steel is dead... oh wait, he's back a couple issues later, like nothing really happened).

She's a Mary Sue. A plot point to explain why Elminster and his friends always win. She's a part of that whole "good always wins because evil is stupid," mentality that permeated D&D for decades.

I hope her death was drawn out and painful.

Someone on the Gleemax forums had the interesting idea of the essence of magic being reincorporated with Selune so she actually would be on more equal footing with Shar. I happen to like that idea as well.

 

[The Little Raven]

Given FR was first published in 1987, and the Dead Three were killed off in 1989, it wasn't like there was time for TSR to publish them doing a lot. Yet Bhaal still managed to go medieval on the Moonshaes before Bane and Myrkul started the Godswar.

Even if you look at what they did in the history of the setting, it seems like Cyric has done far more with his divinity than the three of them. However, a big part of it is probably because of how much I enjoyed Prince of Lies and Crucible.

Someone on the Gleemax forums had the interesting idea of the essence of magic being reincorporated with Selune so she actually would be on more equal footing with Shar. I happen to like that idea as well.

I like that, too.

 

[MisterWhodat]

I just started the Unclean book, and Thay is headed for all out civil war in it. I am only 50 pages in and its not looking good, and we are still 11 years from the Spellplauge in it.

Just my two cents

 

[see]

Even if you look at what they did in the history of the setting, it seems like Cyric has done far more with his divinity than the three of them.

Granted. But 95% of that history was written after they were already dead, and most products get set during the "current year". How much material exists for, oh, 1345 DR?

By analogy, imagine if everything you knew about real history came from a book about the United States under George Washington (Netheril), a book on 19th century France (Cormanthor), and an encyclopedia of the history of the United States from 1970 to the present. You're going to know a lot more about the activities of Jimmy Carter than you know about Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Johnson, but it doesn't follow that Jimmy Carter was more active than the three of them combined.

Now, granted, the difference is FR is fiction, so the problem is that nobody made things up for Bhaal, Bane, and Myrkul to have done in 1345 DR, not that what they actually did wasn't reported. But it's hard to determine if that really was because the three were boring (meaning: hard to write for), or just because nobody was interested in writing material for twelve years before the Old Gray Box was set.