| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| The Sage |
Posted - 05 Jul 2003 : 10:04:02
I am starting this thread after an idea Bookwyrm gave me about the changes a DM makes to his own standard and home-run FR campaigns.
I know that many of you run things a little different in your campaigns than canon FR material, so here is your chance to tell us all about these changes. For myself, large portions of my FR campaign have been changed to suit my own personal tastes.
So let's here about these changes no matter how small or large they may be...
|
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Mace Hammerhand |
Posted - 16 Jul 2006 : 20:43:36
There are certain other changes I will make to my Realms...
I will give the characters the chance to stop Pharaun and gang in their quest to bring Lolth back. The concept of WotSQ was great but for me it was more or less a stand alone thingy that didn't include the rest of the world. If they stop them, off with Lolth... |
| Na-Gang |
Posted - 14 Jul 2006 : 13:49:35
I haven't had the need to change much material but I have made a number of minor changes to Faerun in my campaign. Since it's set in areas largely untouched by canon material (Lapaliiya and the Chultan peninsula so far) it's not been too difficult.
What I have changed is that as described in Serpent Kingdoms, and the FR Campaign Setting, Set has usurped the Yuan-Ti go Sseth's portfolio and is masquerading as Sseth to whatever end. This was initiated by the Okothian Sarrukh who fearing their Khaasta enemies and loss of divine power forged an alliance with Set to bind Sseth and allow Set to grant them power instead. So far, as canon, but in my campaign it was Gargauth who gave the idea to the Sarrukh and he who led them to Set, brokering power and thereby gaining powerful allies in the process. His involvement is unknown to all but The Sarrukh and Set, but he plans to reap greater rewards in the future when Set openly assumes the position of chief deity of the Yuan-Ti.
I've also given Moander a kind of portfolio that would make him something like the precursor to Jergal as god of the dead in ancient times, and he was overcome by his own divine corruptions and thus his portfolio changed to rot, decay etc. Sheirlantar in Lapaliiya is a tomb city and has a long tradition of being devoted to the deity of the dead. As such, Kelemvor's current temple is the reconsecrated (and redecorated) former temple of Myrkul, which was the expanded upon temple of Jergal in times past. But Jergal's temple was built on the ruins of Moander's temple, which still exists deep below the current Kelemvorite congregation.
Quite minor changes, I agree, but I foresee greater changes to come. As a DM, the campaign is mine, and I'm not scared of diverging from established canon material. |
| Varl |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 06:37:02
Changes. Let's see. It's been a while since I've been able to run my game, but let's see what I can remember:
-I adopted the detailed island nation of Prespur (due south of Sembia) created by an online acquaintence several years ago.
-The Godswar never happened. I never could get into the idea of losing so many deities from the pantheon in one event. It was simply too much of an RSE for me.
-Aglarond was losing its war with Thay, despite The Simbul only being able to win small victories by comparison.
|
| Corwyn the Errant |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 01:38:47
I love to see what other folks have done to make the Realms their own. as for me, I've added/changed quite a bit. Just a few from off the top of my head:
:Maztica has a "lost world" theme to it, not a meso-american flavor. Dinosaurs, lizardmen, lost ruins of a Giant civilization.
:the Shades return has been a much quieter affair. No attack on Tilverton or Evereska.The Shades are hunting for the phaerimm that escaped their imprisonment, while the phaerimm are looking for places to hide and gather their power. A war in the shadows, so to speak.
:Hellgate Keep still stands, ruled by an exiled fiend. They are currently battling the treants of the High Forest and eyeing the new born Silver Marches.
:the Silver Marches are in peril, both from within and without. Orcs and giants to the north, Hellgate to the south, the shades to the east. A noble lord, madly in love with Alustriel and burning with jealously over her hippy "free love" policies, has concocted a simple plan to win her for himself. He is going to engineer it so the Marches are brought to the brink of defeat, then ride in as the hero, save the day, win the lady's heart, etc. Or so he dreams...
Some npc changes, specifically the Seven Sisters:
:Sylune is still dead, but not as a spectral harpist. She is more an "echo" in the Weave, unable to affect anything and bound to Shadowdale. And like all echoes, she is starting to fade...
:Alustriel doesn't have twelve sons, she has three children: twin half elven boys who lead the Argent Legion and a well hidden daughter studying to be a mage. In my campaign, to explain why there aren't hordes of half-Chosen children running around, i've deemed that the energies flowing through a Chosens body tends to be...detrimental to the development of a fetus, shall we say.
:Qilue isn't the seventh sister. She exists as she is currently portrayed, just not a Chosen daughter of Mystra. The Seventh is the "dark disaster" as was mentioned in 1st edition. She is a bitter, angry woman who has rejected Mystra and longs for some way to humble the goddess of magic for the way she used her parents and siblings. She views her sisters as brain-washed fools in service to a manipulative diety. Shar has made overtures to her, but was rejected as violently as Mystra was. A perfect villan in the making...
|
| msatran |
Posted - 10 Jul 2006 : 19:23:29
By the way, regarding "The Mud Sorcerer's Tomb," this adventure will be available in a 3.5 format in next month's Dungeon magazine. So for those of you who can't find the old version, it will only cost you 6.99 to see a portion of the misery that was inflicted upon my players. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 10 Jul 2006 : 11:07:17
That's clever. I like that one.  |
| Darkhund |
Posted - 10 Jul 2006 : 07:21:09
Changes in my campaign?
The only major-ish Lore one, would be:
Leira never died. Oh, she SEEMED to be slain by Cyric and Mask, but she is goddess of illusions. She and Mask had a deal, and she remained low, until after the events of the trial of Cyric/Mystra/Kelemvor, at which point she did him in, Lies, Deception, and Illusion and Intrigue remaining firmly hers, while Mask recieved Murder for his part.
Only a handful of gods know that the Cyric currently running around is Leira, with a good number of her cults slowly usurping control of Cyric churches (whom are still granted spells by "him"). |
| Ergdusch |
Posted - 09 Jul 2006 : 15:08:19
I always discuss the choises of the multiclass/PrC development of my players to hear about their motives behind their choises. If it is just to boost the character through additional free feats ect. I advise them not to make such a choise and stick to the role playing aspect of their PCs. So far they have agreed with my reasoning. |
| Mazrim_Taim |
Posted - 09 Jul 2006 : 03:24:27
I do exactly the same thing on the last one Mace. A simple "because I gain the ability to hide in plain site!!11 omg" isn't good enough for me. Even if it's for crunchy reasons, I also want a good lore related explanation on why players pick specific PrC's or classes to multiclass into. |
| Mace Hammerhand |
Posted - 08 Jul 2006 : 20:43:25
Old thread...but oh well.
Is this just lore stuff or can we also mention rules changes?
No matter, lore hasn't pretty much changed for me, some of the new rules I didn't like were just ignored (how that will work out in the future time will tell...
Drow lose their inherent powers still, I didn't like this in my opinion major change in lore/crunch, so stuff will still crumble and if a drow stays too long away from the radiation he'll lose his bonus stuff etc, including the ECL. I liked the way 2nd edition handled it, and when switching to 3.5 there was no way in hell I could explain these things storywise.
I will ignore the entire Windwalker novel, mainly because it doesn't fit into my idea of the Realms and in my opinion there never should have been this novel, at least not in this way (which is another topic entirely).
In general D&D terms: I'll use the xp progression from UA but will probably retain the Level/CR from DMG, an issue I already discussed with my players, they don't want to be super heroes in a year or so.
Lore-/gamewise: a player should find a damn good reason/explanation why he/she wants all of the sudden to multiclass or pick a specific PrC. |
| msatran |
Posted - 08 Jul 2006 : 20:03:53
I did use Mud Sorcerer's Tomb. The problem was integrating these mages (The Iron Circle) into the Realms in a way which functioned. As their magic was weird and elemental, I chsoe Mulholrand and Unther as their original point of origin, and they built a creepy mud sorcerer city far from all civilizations deep in the north before anyone else had settled there. After navigating the tomb, PC's made some bad decisions, and as I had also run Sleepless, one of the elemental lords the Iron Circle worshipped had come into the possession of the soul of Draskilion. (See Sleepless for more information, this adventure is REALLY funny.) The elemental lord sent Draskilion after the PC's when the PC's survived the tomb. The PC's, using a mirror of mental prowess, spied on Draskilion, who did not make his saving throw, opened a gate, tossed a delayed blast fireball, a necklace of missiles, and a helm of brilliance through the gate, and shut it. Draskilion, needless to say, was annihilated. Unguliustuk, the evil elemental demigod, was not pleased. And so he used the majority of his power to raise the city of the Mud Sorcerers from the depths of the lake in Neverwinter Wood. An undead army descended upon Waterdeep. The PC's fought this army. Several died. Deciding on a last ditch attempt to attack the city themselves, (Thank god this was 2nd Edition), they entered the main throne room of the Mud Sorcerers and cast spacewarp on their sphere of annihilation. Thank god this spell doesn't exist anymore. If not for an entire ring of wishes used, most of the party would be dead and unrecoverable. It was interesting, however, the Mud Sorcerer City was summarily removed from existence. And not every mud sorcerer woke up, so there are still more tombs...:) |
| Mazrim_Taim |
Posted - 08 Jul 2006 : 07:40:43
I was wondering if the various DM's (sage in particular, i want to find out what happened with Thay in his game ), would care to update us on their campaigns? This is really interesting.
My campaigns are usually pretty small, because I have moved around a lot before now. So no realms shaking events have happened. In my most recent campaign though, Scyllua Darkhope did find out she was the rightful heir to Scardale, and the Zhents were on the verge of taking over that dale. But the campaign ended as the PC's were trying to stop such a thing from happening. |
| Snotlord |
Posted - 07 Jul 2006 : 19:18:36
Interesting topic...
A friend of mine is running a FR game with an alien pantheon trying to take over the realms, cutting off most clerics from their patrons. The first god to die was Mielikki. The characters, now about 18th level, actually had a chance to save Lathander, but they bothed the mission. The first deity to switch pantheon was interestingly enough Helm.
Personally I don't stray to far from the published realms, although I ignore some things that don't mix with the tone of the Old Grey Box (Raven's Bluff naming, Greyhawk and Dragonlance references). |
| The Sage |
Posted - 19 Jul 2003 : 17:18:38
The High-Mage of Shar...I hear another explanation coming. How exactly did this come about?
|
| Acaus Bellum |
Posted - 19 Jul 2003 : 10:08:02
As to Halaster he always has some plans going he is the High-Mage of Shar(fun tidbit) but lately we have been focusing on Thay. |
| Acaus Bellum |
Posted - 19 Jul 2003 : 10:05:09
They never became important NPCs because Chosen of Mystra never existed because Mystra was dead and Azuth is god of all magic. Side point he actually wasn't when Waterdeep was founded but has since become such. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 19 Jul 2003 : 08:23:23
By the way, where were Khelben and Laeral then?.
|
| The Sage |
Posted - 19 Jul 2003 : 08:20:58
Seems reasonable enough to have actually been possible. Has he any other schemes which have been planned but have yet to come to fruition?.
|
| Acaus Bellum |
Posted - 19 Jul 2003 : 08:01:19
Well, Halaster's control of Waterdeep didn't happen in game play but it made since to me to develop that as part of the history of Waterdeep since he was there before the city's founding and I figured that without Khelben and Laeral who would stop him if he wanted to take control. Since he doesn't age in the Undermountain he would have long periods to work his plots and undermine any who would oppose him. |
| Mournblade |
Posted - 18 Jul 2003 : 20:52:29
NICE!!! |
| The Sage |
Posted - 18 Jul 2003 : 08:11:01
'Waterdeep is under the control of Halaster'. How did that happen?.
|
| Acaus Bellum |
Posted - 18 Jul 2003 : 08:02:45
About the only area's controled by good deities and kingdoms is Mulhorand which stands against Thay because Lathander made a pact with Horus-Re to hold out against Shar's forces and Thay. This campaign is fun for us to play mainly because if you're good you're likely to have your parents try to kill you or to have to hide and pretend to go along. Alot of our characters are good rogues. |
| Acaus Bellum |
Posted - 18 Jul 2003 : 07:51:48
On Shar class-wise she is Rogue 20/Shadowdancer 20/Assassin 10/Wizard 20/ Sorceror 10/Shadow Adept 20. I had to power-up deities because of epic play. Like in salient divine ablities they get double for status of deity 2 demi-god, 4 lesser, 6 intermediate and 10 greater in addition to one per rank. I also incorporated epic feats and epic levels into their stats. It was the only way to keep the newer epic-level PCs from killing all the gods. As to evil having the upper hand the good guys are making a come back. About Simbul the bad news is in this particular campaign the Chosen of Mystra never existed because one of the characters cast Karsus's spell later on as a joke but several well placed True Dweomers saved from the destruction caused originally(2nd edition at the time. Thay controls most of eastern Faerun. Including the areas of Aglarond and Rashemen. Waterdeep is under the control of Halaster. |
| Mournblade |
Posted - 17 Jul 2003 : 20:32:47
WOW that is COOL!
It is like a Forgotten Realms where Evil did not get battered around. Sounds like the Good Guys got a beating
I like that timeline. it is pretty cool. What is Waterdeep's situation now. And who is the primary force for good?
What happened to the Simbul? Did Thay finally beat Aglarond?
|
| The Sage |
Posted - 17 Jul 2003 : 09:02:01
Shar at Divine Rank 20!...impressive . Did you change anything else about her stats?. Maybe her classes for example.
|
| Acaus Bellum |
Posted - 17 Jul 2003 : 08:52:54
Most of the Deities are ones I created the few exceptions are Fzoul and Szass Tam. They would replace Bane-Cyric and Velsharoon-Kelemvor respectively in present deities. Most of the gods were killed off by Shar when the PCs couldn't stop one of her plots. Shar is the main antagonist in this campaign. When I updated her godly stats she has a Divine Rank 20. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 16 Jul 2003 : 08:36:35
There are some very interesting changes there. Six timelines running...  .
Anyway, you mention some NPC's became deities. Are these official NPC's or ones you created yourself?.
Also, what happened to the other official gods in the third timeline you mentioned?.
|
| Acaus Bellum |
Posted - 16 Jul 2003 : 08:16:24
I have played almost exclusivly in FR for about 8 years and actually have about six timelines running. One is static so PC's can only effect minor changes. One of the more interesting lines we have played in started in the Netheril era which made conversion into third edition hard because Karsus never completed he's spell and magic is still whole. So only when Epic Handbook came out were we able to fully go back. In that particular line most of the gods don't exist anymore. The few that remain are Azuth, god of all magic, Moander didn't die, and Shar destroyed Selune and now battles Lathander most of the time. Old PCs or NPCs make up most the other gods. In ways of countries the biggest recent change was the destruction of Comyr. Most the Realms wouldn't even be recognizable to an outsider of our games. Evermeet never existed in the same way because Lloth managed to currupt wild elves. Most of Faerun is under the control of Thay or the Enclaves of Nethril. Mainly all the changes are accidental because we had bad luck playing in this timeline and thats one of the reasons I made a static game. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 16 Jul 2003 : 02:22:31
That's interesting. I have been thinking about some changes to incorporate into my campaigns surrounding Sembia. I know that I altered a little of the events portrayed in the Sembia series of novels to run alongside my plans to introduce a vast shadow-economic collective that secrets plans to run the Sembian economy from the shadows, slowly removing power from the merchants lords and Hulorn.
I will detail more of my plans for Sembia later.
|
| warduke |
Posted - 16 Jul 2003 : 00:37:44
Some changes to the FR I've made include a completely different pantheon of gods and goddesses. Though Some like Bane and Solonor are still present, most come from old mythology i.e. the Deities and Demigods book. I would have to say that Sembia is the most altered country as I have a king ruling the country. When I first started playing FR, the Dark Justice adventuring company came to the Realm from the world I had previously created. During the course of their adventures, they helped to liberate the country of Sembia from Lord Chaos aka "He who has no name" aka the "Dread Deciever". He was a godlike being of incredible power and an arch nemesis to the DJ party. His evil Horde had joined forces with Zhentil Keep and had taken over much of the Dale lands, Cormyr and Sembia. It was the leader of Dark Justice Stephen "Crazy" Krailin considered a hero by the people, who by popular demand stepped in and eventually was made King. In the final battle to defeat Chaos once and for all, Elminster joined the fight, but is believed lost in the horrific battle that took place. Whether he was killed, whether he accended as the many "worshipers of Elminster" believe or whether he is imprisioned to this day remains a topic of fireside debate some 20 years later. I'll have to post more later if anyone is interested. |
