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What do I need to know in a FR game?
- Thread starter domino
- Start date
Ambrus
Explorer
One thing to remember about the realms is not to worry too much if someone mentions an NPCs, god or nation/city that you're unfamiliar with. There are probably close to a hundred active deities, regional demigods, demi-human pantheons, monster cults, and deceased gods in Forgotten Realms cannon. Über-powerful NPCs also seem to be a dime a dozen at first and distinct cities and nations can easily blur together if you try to keep them all straight in your head. Just don't worry about it; let the DM introduce you to the places, gods and NPCs that will matter in his campaign. No begining character could possibly know all this stuff anyways.
If another PC or an NPC tries to confuse or embarass you by tossing out a name you've never heard before just say "who?!?" For instance, someone might say "...during the time of troubles when Cyric was mortal and Elminster was fighting him..." just say "Whoa!!! Who?!?" If they then say "What? You've never heard of the mighty Elminster, sage of Shadowdale and chosen of Mystra?!?" just calmly answer "No. Have you ever heard of the mighty (random name) of (random name) the slayer of (random name)?" Make it sound plausible and chances are that you'll give them pause to doubt their own realms-savy and knock them down a peg or two at the same time.
If another PC or an NPC tries to confuse or embarass you by tossing out a name you've never heard before just say "who?!?" For instance, someone might say "...during the time of troubles when Cyric was mortal and Elminster was fighting him..." just say "Whoa!!! Who?!?" If they then say "What? You've never heard of the mighty Elminster, sage of Shadowdale and chosen of Mystra?!?" just calmly answer "No. Have you ever heard of the mighty (random name) of (random name) the slayer of (random name)?" Make it sound plausible and chances are that you'll give them pause to doubt their own realms-savy and knock them down a peg or two at the same time.
Oh, I don't expect issues like that, the people I game with are tolerant of not knowing what's going on. I'm just asking about things like "And magical beasts are revered, so killing a unicorn is a terrible horrible sin" or "And zombies are considered to be a remnant of the people they used to be." Things like that, that are different from the normal setting.
Elminster dies in any good FR game 
and Drizz't usually follows right behind. 
Seriously though, I love the FR setting. I'm currently playing in two games based in the FR, and each one is unique and entertaining. Lucky for me, both DM's are very good, though each one has their own unique style.
and Drizz't usually follows right behind. Seriously though, I love the FR setting. I'm currently playing in two games based in the FR, and each one is unique and entertaining. Lucky for me, both DM's are very good, though each one has their own unique style.
wingsandsword
Legend
One of the big differences between the Realms and Core D&D is the prevalence of deities. There are no generic clerics/paladins/druids or ones who worship an idea/concept. If you cast divine spells, you have to have a patron deity, it's just a hard requirement of the setting.
Almost everybody has a patron deity, even if they aren't devout, they have at least a little faith in a deity. If you die in the Realms without a patron deity, or having completely fraudulent worship of your patron, you only have a few days to get Raised or Ressurected, after that it takes a Wish/Miracle to bring you back (as the God of the Dead, Kelemvor, disposes of your soul since no other god will take it). When you die, your spirit goes to his realm for processing, where it is kept around for a several days as servants of deities arrive to take you on to your final reward (or punishment), and if nobody ever shows up, your spirit is disposed of by being turned into a brick and used as building materials for his realm, and at that point a Wish/Miracle is needed to get you back (to cajole a deity to send a represenative to fetch him).
This isn't as limiting as it sounds, because there as a lot of deities in the Realms (especially when you count in all the various demigods), of all alignments, with a wide variety of domains (including a list of new domains specific to the Realms), and some deities will take almost anybody as a worshipper, regardless of alignment.
Also, arcane magic is common. Not everyday-common like Eberron, but more common than Greyhawk. There are a lot of powerful wizards in the world, most kingdoms have at least one epic wizard (or sorcerer), sometimes more. The typical commoner is still pretty distant from magic in most places, but to adventuring folk you'll run into a lot of magic.
There are other little things, like Mage Sigils (each arcane spellcaster has a unique glyph that acts as a signature), the Goddess of Magic, Mystra, ensures that no two spellcasters use the exact same Sigil (through divine inspiration) and if anybody ever tries to forge anothers sign for fraudulent purposes (like forging a signature) they are likely to be struck down with a divine curse.
Magic is a fundamental weave that permeates the world, maintained at all times by the goddess of magic, and she balances out the huge demands and drains on it placed by users of magic. There are places where this weave is damaged (as a result of huge magical cataclysms), and these are Wild Magic zones (where magic can randomly misfire) or Dead Magic zones (permanent antimagic shells). She can deny any spellcaster the use of magic, but rarely uses it, and while theoretically possible for her to deny all divine casters their power, by divine agreement she does not interfere.
There is the Shadow Weave, another weave of magic created by Shar, goddess of shadows and darkness (and Mystras enemy), that gives special power to Illusion and Necromancy magic, and penalties to Evocation. Those who take up the Shadow Weave (which requires a feat) go a little insane (permanent Wisdom loss unless Shar is your patron deity), and forever cannot touch the normal weave. It is corrupting and twisting, and beyond Mystra's control (Shadow Weave magic cannot be normally dispelled or detected for example). It's a relatively rare thing, but very dangerous. A caster who does this is also placing themself under the jurisdiction of a dark and capricious deity.
But yeah, find an experienced DM, talk to him, learn by playing and you'll go a long way. No two DM's run the Realms the exact same way, but these are some of the differences in the Realms from Core D&D.
Almost everybody has a patron deity, even if they aren't devout, they have at least a little faith in a deity. If you die in the Realms without a patron deity, or having completely fraudulent worship of your patron, you only have a few days to get Raised or Ressurected, after that it takes a Wish/Miracle to bring you back (as the God of the Dead, Kelemvor, disposes of your soul since no other god will take it). When you die, your spirit goes to his realm for processing, where it is kept around for a several days as servants of deities arrive to take you on to your final reward (or punishment), and if nobody ever shows up, your spirit is disposed of by being turned into a brick and used as building materials for his realm, and at that point a Wish/Miracle is needed to get you back (to cajole a deity to send a represenative to fetch him).
This isn't as limiting as it sounds, because there as a lot of deities in the Realms (especially when you count in all the various demigods), of all alignments, with a wide variety of domains (including a list of new domains specific to the Realms), and some deities will take almost anybody as a worshipper, regardless of alignment.
Also, arcane magic is common. Not everyday-common like Eberron, but more common than Greyhawk. There are a lot of powerful wizards in the world, most kingdoms have at least one epic wizard (or sorcerer), sometimes more. The typical commoner is still pretty distant from magic in most places, but to adventuring folk you'll run into a lot of magic.
There are other little things, like Mage Sigils (each arcane spellcaster has a unique glyph that acts as a signature), the Goddess of Magic, Mystra, ensures that no two spellcasters use the exact same Sigil (through divine inspiration) and if anybody ever tries to forge anothers sign for fraudulent purposes (like forging a signature) they are likely to be struck down with a divine curse.
Magic is a fundamental weave that permeates the world, maintained at all times by the goddess of magic, and she balances out the huge demands and drains on it placed by users of magic. There are places where this weave is damaged (as a result of huge magical cataclysms), and these are Wild Magic zones (where magic can randomly misfire) or Dead Magic zones (permanent antimagic shells). She can deny any spellcaster the use of magic, but rarely uses it, and while theoretically possible for her to deny all divine casters their power, by divine agreement she does not interfere.
There is the Shadow Weave, another weave of magic created by Shar, goddess of shadows and darkness (and Mystras enemy), that gives special power to Illusion and Necromancy magic, and penalties to Evocation. Those who take up the Shadow Weave (which requires a feat) go a little insane (permanent Wisdom loss unless Shar is your patron deity), and forever cannot touch the normal weave. It is corrupting and twisting, and beyond Mystra's control (Shadow Weave magic cannot be normally dispelled or detected for example). It's a relatively rare thing, but very dangerous. A caster who does this is also placing themself under the jurisdiction of a dark and capricious deity.
But yeah, find an experienced DM, talk to him, learn by playing and you'll go a long way. No two DM's run the Realms the exact same way, but these are some of the differences in the Realms from Core D&D.
jdrakeh
Front Range Warlock
domino said:
There are no good answers for questions like that as those things tend to vary from FR campaign to FR campaign, dependent upon the Dm, time period, region, and edition of FR being explored in the game. For example, a lot of people on this thread have intimated that every single living being must believe in at least one god - but that's something that isn't emphasized in early FR supplements (the original 1e boxed set, for example) and, as a result, not something that I plan on focusing on in my Realms campaign.
StupidSmurf
First Post
Here are my hard and fast things about the Realms that spring to mind:
1. It works as "high fantasy"...it doesn't work as "edgy, grim and gritty" fantasy.
2. There sure are a lot of gods around...and they all are trying to win more followers!
3. The concept of actual countries is actually a bit fuzzy. There are some established nations, but not a huge amount.
4. The Realms has a lot of high-powered NPCs, real movers and shakers....and they should stay as far away from your players and events as is humanly possible. The last time a major Realms NPC drew breath in the same room as my group, was at a wedding reception for an important person. Elminster showed up, drank a lot, discussed The Art with a few of the party's wizards, smoked a pipe, then left.
1. It works as "high fantasy"...it doesn't work as "edgy, grim and gritty" fantasy.
2. There sure are a lot of gods around...and they all are trying to win more followers!
3. The concept of actual countries is actually a bit fuzzy. There are some established nations, but not a huge amount.
4. The Realms has a lot of high-powered NPCs, real movers and shakers....and they should stay as far away from your players and events as is humanly possible. The last time a major Realms NPC drew breath in the same room as my group, was at a wedding reception for an important person. Elminster showed up, drank a lot, discussed The Art with a few of the party's wizards, smoked a pipe, then left.
Henry
Autoexreginated
Domino, there are no major departures from generic High Fantasy - in truth, you're more likely to find a lot of "kitchen-sink" philosophy, depending on the DM (the occasional handgonne, every culture under the sun from Egyptian-esque to Roman-esque). Unicorns ARE sacred to a good goddess (Mieleikki), but the usual big uglies are there to kill (orcs, beholders, trolls, bugbears, etc.)
Don't know what else to say, other than to follow the DM's lead.
Don't know what else to say, other than to follow the DM's lead.
