D&D 5E Where in FR do you want the next big adventure book to go?

[doctorbadwolf]

Hi all!

So I think it's fairly obvious that WotC has a running pattern when it comes to their annual adventure books; they pick a region or city of the Forgotten Realms and go very deep into that area, fleshing it out so that an adventuring party could conceivably run an entire campaign in just that area.

In Tomb of Annihilation, we went to Chult. In Dragon Heist, we saw a pretty detailed Waterdeep. In Descent of Avernus, we begin in Baldur's Gate and get a gazetteer for the city. In Rime of the Frostmaiden, we visit the region of Icewind Dale.

I think it's pretty clear that the next book will likely be similar, either picking a specific region as a jumping-off point to something broader (looking at you, Spelljammer), or just a deep dive into a specific region we haven't seen much of in 5E.

What regions of the Forgotten Realms would y'all like to see revisited? Cormyr? Amn? Thay? The Moonshae Islands? Lantan?

I'm curious as to what regions you FR fans most long to see again, and what adventure you would want to have there!

Rashemen, or Calimshan.

Or Cormyr, the Dales, and Sembia, but honestly since I refuse to use the canon of Netheril’s fall in the Sundering books, I’d likely get little use from info on Sembia in particular...

 

[R_J_K75]

Rashemen, or Calimshan.

Id be interested in Calimshan too. Although it was pretty well detailed in Empires of the Sands, Empires of the Shining Sea, and Calimport it was one of the places I thought would be well served with a supporting adventure to start a campaign there. The society and culture is so different than the rest of Faerun I could never quite figure out where to start. I bet if they did an adventure there a good portion would be set on the Ruins of Shoonach.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Have they ever done a source book or adventure for Osse? I'm kind of curious about how fantasy could make Australia stranger. Fire-breathing kangaroos? Giant poison-spiked echidnas? Electric-platypuses?

Just make increase the size of the spiders, and that would probably be enough. Fantasy giant spiders would have nothing on giant Aussie versions.

Honestly, the real-life fauna of Australia is so dangerous and terrifying that they could just stat them all up wholesale, and potential adventurers would tremble in fear...

Then, just add dropbears!

 

[Demetrios1453]

For all those interested in Calimshan, there's a really good product on the DM's Guild, covering the country fully in 5e. It's not quite official, obviously, but it's probably as good as we'll get for the moment (and, as I said, that's pretty good).

Calimshan Adventurer's Guide - Dungeon Masters Guild | Dungeon Masters Guild

 

[Paul Farquhar]

FR is really not "generic" & that goes double when you compare it to most of the other settings where FR's plot armor is completely at odds with so much of the setting & just how many of FR's baseline assumptions are at odds with the baselines of other settings. FR is easy to transport to greyhawk because it is effectively a fork from greyhawk with the serial numbers filed off. FR is easy to transport to settings based on FR as well for obvious reasons.

We where specifically talking about the Sword Coast region, the most generic part of a generic fantasyland.

 

[bedir than]

Isn't that normal Australia?

Have they ever done a source book or adventure for Osse? I'm kind of curious about how fantasy could make Australia stranger. Fire-breathing kangaroos? Giant poison-spiked echidnas? Electric-platypuses?

 

[tetrasodium]

We where specifically talking about the Sword Coast region, the most generic part of a generic fantasyland.

"FR but far away from waterdeep icewind dale daggerfor & so on" doesn't make it "generic fantasy". There are too many megapowerful groups doing the same nothing there that they do in the rest of the world. The gods are freakishly involved to the point of making stargate's Ori look positively subtle. There is no structure of trade/commerce & none of the problems that come from that gap because someone does it & never thought to make a mechant's alliance like happened in our history... Alternately someone did but none of the civilization advancing benefits & capitalistic negatives ever came up because that alliance never grew to bigger & better things for its members... or maybe both.

Any time you say "this looks like a useful thing for the plotline bob just kinda spawned/expressed interest in delving with the group." the second you look into it you find out that it is an empty shell made of continuity porn, a do nothing ancient conspiracy that's probably not very ancient, & pointless gambit pileups. Just compare the tvtropes entry for forgotten realms to the ones for eberron, darksun, or even planescape. Forgotten realms is not "generic fantasy", it's more "lost & found loose unconnected plot threads from every book story movie or video game to ever inspire someone"

 

[R_J_K75]

There is no structure of trade/commerce & none of the problems that come from that gap because someone does it & never thought to make a mechant's alliance

There certainly are merchant costers in FR, they are outlined in the 2E campaign set, and there is mention of trade goods in the 3e campaign setting. And if Im not mistaken there are trade routes mentioned in various other supplements, for example, the 2E city of splendors. But that would be a cool 5E supplement, one that has never been done is a book on merchant costers, trade routes and goods in the Realms all in one book.

 

[Eltab]

There certainly are merchant costers in FR, they are outlined in the 2E campaign set, and there is mention of trade goods in the 3e campaign setting. And if Im not mistaken there are trade routes mentioned in various other supplements, for example, the 2E city of splendors. But that would be a cool 5E supplement, one that has never been done is a book on merchant costers, trade routes and goods in the Realms all in one book.

Power of Faerun has a chapter on merchants and businesses.

 

[Mercurius]

First and foremost, not the Sword Coast. Come on, WotC, change it up a bit.

Some good options:

Dalelands/Anauroch/Myth Drannor/Moonsea - the other "classic Faerun" region, different enough--and with iconic locations and enemies--to make it worthwhile.

Unapproachable East - an Aglarond freedom fighters against Thay encroachment?

Calimshan - While I'd prefer Zakhara, that seems forgotten about and "Arabian Nights" would be fun.

Halruaa/The Shining South - One of the most neglected regions in Faerun.

Mulhorand/Raurin - Desert of Desolation reboot?

Lantan - There's been rumors for awhile.