| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Falcon |
Posted - 19 Feb 2026 : 14:17:08
Hi all!
A question, do you use other systems than D&D to play in Faerun?
I’m from Sweden and our standard fantasy rpg was and still are Dragonbane rpg, loosely based on Chaosiums brp but with a D20 instead… No levels and skill based.
I think Dragonbane would be a good fit for a 1 editions sword and sorcery inspired game with a more gritty flavour. In and around Silverymoon with source material from the savage frontier as a base. The game would be my version of the realms but also with the internal logic of another game system.
5 edition D&D are more a high fantasy game which is all good but not my cup of tea.
The feeling in a setting is a combination of lore, game system and players and I’m kind of curious what the change of game system would do for the feeling of the world.
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| 17 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Falcon |
Posted - 31 Mar 2026 : 16:50:35
quote:
Originally posted by Elianna Gray
If you’re using an alternative system like Dragonbane in Forgotten Realms, it can create a more gritty, low-magic feel, especially compared to high-fantasy systems like 5e. The key challenge is adapting the lore and mechanics, especially magic and character progression, to fit the new system. As long as you maintain core aspects of the setting (like Mystra’s influence or the tone of regions like Silverymoon), you can still preserve the essence of the Realms while using a different system.
Does that help?
Thank you for your input!
I was kind of aiming at a more gritty 1ed Forgotten realms based on the grey box and the first set of sourcebooks. I think the different rules but stay true to both setting and the general feeling of the realms.
Of course magic is different in Dragonbane rpg (a magic point system) but the feeling is to a large extent built upon the setting in itself, the wilderness in the north, city states, the different factions and npc:s and lore to mention a few examples. |
| Lord Karsus |
Posted - 21 Mar 2026 : 06:03:42
-Obviously Pathfinder. You could probably use the generic d20 rules, and it might be a little clunky but it'd work seamlessly enough. |
| Green Giant |
Posted - 19 Mar 2026 : 11:43:36
At this moment, I'm checking out the Legend in the Mist roleplaying engine by Son of Oak games to see how good it would work in the Forgotten Realms. I backed the Kickstarter and have the Core book pdf and other books. I'm waiting for the physical books before diving into it. I'm hoping the rules are good as the book looks.
PS I also backed Zamanora: Ballad of the Witch (an Eastern European-like 5e setting that will have Legend in the Mist conversions) as well as currently backing Beyond the Woods (an Irish/Celtic inspired setting for Legend in the Mist RPG). I backed the 5e version Beyond the Woods previously. I'm hoping to get inspiration from these 2 settings to help flesh out the Forgotten Realms with the LitM engine if I decide to go all in. |
| MaskedOne |
Posted - 17 Mar 2026 : 01:37:09
Magic in the Realms is based around D&D mechanics. There are variations but if you want to use the mages or clerics in the novels as inspiration, their magic is largely built around D&D systems which constrains you to either D&D or systems that replicate or can be made to replicate D&D spellcasting in some way.
With all of that said, the one benefit that FR's long standing precedent of "Magic changes with each Mystra" provides is that there are some convenient places to place a campaign if you want to use completely different magic.
1) The era of Netheril hasn't seen much use in decades. If you aren't attached to the old 2E rules or novels then the only lore requirements for an alternate magic system set prior to Karsus' Folly is that the magic be powerful and that the rule set be able to support both divine and arcane casting.
2) If you aren't overly attached to any of the storylines post Time of Troubles then you can use any rule system you like and say Midnight changed the system when she ascended.
3) You can use any system you want through the course of the Spellplague, just make it hazardous.
4) See above but tone down the hazard.
5) Post Mystra's return, again, pick a system.
Pretty much, pick any era where you aren't attached to how magic is portrayed in the fiction and you can justify that era's magic being different due to the Mystra of the time. |
| Hermit |
Posted - 09 Mar 2026 : 01:59:34
I am using Castles & Crusades for my FR campaigns. And have been for quite some time.
The game is basically "What if TSR made 3rd edition AD&D instead of selling it to WotC".
It has an old school feel (strict classes and simple rules) but mixed with more modern d20 aspects (ascending attack bonuses and armor class).
Gary Gygax himself supported it, using C&C to resurrect his home game.
It also helps that it is made and published right here in my home state. Three hours away from where I live actually, in the capital. Talk about supporting local! 
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| TBeholder |
Posted - 23 Feb 2026 : 13:54:59
I guess you want something that would easily support Realms related options in general and regional/origin tweaks for the characters in particular.
Well, you could convert AD&D2 and more sensible parts of d20 materials to "AD&D 2.5" Players Options. It was built around a point-based customization system. Though poorly differentiated as to what is kit customization and what is character customization.
But PO were overburdened with clunky and redundant elements, due to obligatory compatibility and poor editing.
You could home-rule it to something more streamlined, but why? This was already done.
If you get PO core streamlined, you will end up more or less with Warhammer d100 (FFG), except the setting-specific rules.
So it would be easier to start with that and adapt as needed.
Warhammer d100 already had support for package and lifepath based character build in all its variants. Which is far better than starting with AD&D2 regional kits. Never mind trying to translate them into Character Point format.
There are already great examples of what does and does not work well from all over WH Fantasy and WH 40k series. |
| Falcon |
Posted - 22 Feb 2026 : 16:39:58
quote:
Originally posted by Diffan
quote:
Originally posted by Falcon
Dragonbane uses a system which powers with willpower points (based on an attribute and increased with feats). Works great as an easy and fast system. Dragonbanes equivalent to feats also powers with the same willpower points which creates a limit to feat use.
Did you think the different rules you used affected the setting or changed it?
I'll have to check out Dragonbane, seems interesting!
As for the different rules, I don't know if I ever ran anything that was a serious detachment from lore/setting concepts and how those affected the rules?
For example, take D&D 4th Edition. I'd say that there was a change in the Rules which could've led some people to experience the Realms differently. But if you were to go back and read a lot of Realms novels, it's not like you would've had a significant change in tone when read through 4e lenses. Wizards still used spells, gained knowledge from ancient tomes and scrolls. Clerics still call out for divine aid and pray for their spells. Fighters still use weapons exceptionally well and so on. The only serious difference is when characters in a novel talk about say....memorizing certain spells multiple times (which is a stretch) to be cast or maybe a magic item that was never converted to 4E, something like that.
So when we play 13th Age or MicroLite20, there's not much in the rules that drastically alter the fabric of the setting, save maybe using Mana Points in MicroLite20. If there was a change, it'd probably be how "True" magic items in 13th Age work. There, the magic items have Quirks that tie into what the item does and you start to mimic or take on these quirks. For example, if you put on chainmail of heedlessness you'll occasionally be needlessly provocative because the armor is heedless. If you're wielding a reckless longsword then you also start to exhibit low impulse control, particularly movements like tumbling through a door, sliding down a hand rail, vaulting over tables... Now take BOTH of these two items at the same time and you might start to become a liability to the party (and hopefully have some dramatically fun role-play in the process!).
Well thanks for the feedback, I think you are right, rules affect details rather than big chunks of setting. 
The step between a level system and a skill based systems are bit larger but I think that a general connection can be made anyhow. Especially if you come from the books with tends to be less tied to game system.
If you want a quick introduction to Dragonbane there is a Quickstart without character generation but with an adventure, free!
https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/dragonbane/free-quickstart-pdf/ |
| Diffan |
Posted - 22 Feb 2026 : 16:21:50
quote:
Originally posted by Falcon
Dragonbane uses a system which powers with willpower points (based on an attribute and increased with feats). Works great as an easy and fast system. Dragonbanes equivalent to feats also powers with the same willpower points which creates a limit to feat use.
Did you think the different rules you used affected the setting or changed it?
I'll have to check out Dragonbane, seems interesting!
As for the different rules, I don't know if I ever ran anything that was a serious detachment from lore/setting concepts and how those affected the rules?
For example, take D&D 4th Edition. I'd say that there was a change in the Rules which could've led some people to experience the Realms differently. But if you were to go back and read a lot of Realms novels, it's not like you would've had a significant change in tone when read through 4e lenses. Wizards still used spells, gained knowledge from ancient tomes and scrolls. Clerics still call out for divine aid and pray for their spells. Fighters still use weapons exceptionally well and so on. The only serious difference is when characters in a novel talk about say....memorizing certain spells multiple times (which is a stretch) to be cast or maybe a magic item that was never converted to 4E, something like that.
So when we play 13th Age or MicroLite20, there's not much in the rules that drastically alter the fabric of the setting, save maybe using Mana Points in MicroLite20. If there was a change, it'd probably be how "True" magic items in 13th Age work. There, the magic items have Quirks that tie into what the item does and you start to mimic or take on these quirks. For example, if you put on chainmail of heedlessness you'll occasionally be needlessly provocative because the armor is heedless. If you're wielding a reckless longsword then you also start to exhibit low impulse control, particularly movements like tumbling through a door, sliding down a hand rail, vaulting over tables... Now take BOTH of these two items at the same time and you might start to become a liability to the party (and hopefully have some dramatically fun role-play in the process!).
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| Falcon |
Posted - 20 Feb 2026 : 17:28:06
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Perhaps this belongs in a different discussion, but I think the best fantasy RPG rules I've ever seen would be from an early edition of FASA's Earthdawn RPG. It has certain careful subtleties which only become apparent during play. And it seems to avoid (or hide) the flaws built into D&D- and D20-derived rule systems. (My favourite feature is that it doesn't turn a character sheet into six pages and it doesn't turn every potentially-significant thing into a half-page stat block. Yet it also doesn't turn the game into an oversimplified 8-bit OSRIC.)
(The Earthdawn setting packaged with those rules was just too weird and too uninteresting to capture the interest of myself or my players. But the rule system was still great.)
I have to check it out, Earthdawn kind of passed me by back in the day!
I think a good system kind of fades into the background because the mechanics becomes a part of the game. No need for checking the rulebook whenever something new happens. |
| Falcon |
Posted - 20 Feb 2026 : 17:21:46
quote:
Originally posted by Diffan
I've run other systems using the Forgotten Realms setting, namely 13th Age and MicroLite20. What I really enjoyed about Microlite is that the rules are quick and simple and you're not bogged down with a plethora of required elements like Feats or any of the sub-systems that 3e implemented. And because it is a streamline version of the d20 system, there's a lot of things you can add as you see fit for your game. For example, if you want Mages and other casters to use a Mana-Point system in lieu of Hit Points, you can and maybe add in a selected list of Feats for the "warrior" types.
Dragonbane uses a system which powers with willpower points (based on an attribute and increased with feats). Works great as an easy and fast system. Dragonbanes equivalent to feats also powers with the same willpower points which creates a limit to feat use.
Did you think the different rules you used affected the setting or changed it? |
| Delnyn |
Posted - 20 Feb 2026 : 12:54:16
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
D&D game edition and FR lore edition have always been married.
As in, game designers always create rules for the lore and authors always create lore with the rules.
...
RAS is a notorious exception for authors. |
| Diffan |
Posted - 20 Feb 2026 : 05:55:50
I've run other systems using the Forgotten Realms setting, namely 13th Age and MicroLite20. What I really enjoyed about Microlite is that the rules are quick and simple and you're not bogged down with a plethora of required elements like Feats or any of the sub-systems that 3e implemented. And because it is a streamline version of the d20 system, there's a lot of things you can add as you see fit for your game. For example, if you want Mages and other casters to use a Mana-Point system in lieu of Hit Points, you can and maybe add in a selected list of Feats for the "warrior" types. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 20 Feb 2026 : 00:07:36
Perhaps this belongs in a different discussion, but I think the best fantasy RPG rules I've ever seen would be from an early edition of FASA's Earthdawn RPG. It has certain careful subtleties which only become apparent during play. And it seems to avoid (or hide) the flaws built into D&D- and D20-derived rule systems. (My favourite feature is that it doesn't turn a character sheet into six pages and it doesn't turn every potentially-significant thing into a half-page stat block. Yet it also doesn't turn the game into an oversimplified 8-bit OSRIC.)
(The Earthdawn setting packaged with those rules was just too weird and too uninteresting to capture the interest of myself or my players. But the rule system was still great.) |
| Falcon |
Posted - 19 Feb 2026 : 16:55:48
quote:
Originally posted by Gary Dallison
If you dont like 5e, i doubt you will like any edition of D&D, they are all fairly similar in tone and feel, with only 4e really being a significant structural departure from previous editions.
I personally grew to dislike D&D more and more over time, the maths just doesnt work once you get past the sweet spot of level 3-8, especially if you have optimal and suboptimal characters in the same party.
Adapting other systems to a setting does come with significant challenges depending upon how the system works. In the end i made my own classless, levelless system where NPCs can be detailed with a single statistic to make it easy to adapt to any setting or genre.
If you dislike D&D, there really is no point sticking with the system, its problems (they are many and significant) because they will irk you more and more. Trial and error may be your only option, just remember that classes, alignment, levels, etc are just guidelines, you dont have to make like for like, you just have to keep to the tone of the setting (Elminster is a super powerful magic user, Azoun a powerful warrior, etc).
I do not really dislike D&D 5 edition, it is just a bit too fiddly for my taste, especially when you get to higher levels. Perhaps a bit too much power creep also.
I feel the first edition Forgotten realms does not gel with the more high fantasy D&D of later iterations, if I played a level based system I would probably pick Shadowdark rpg, 1 to 10 level, unified mechanics fast, simple and old school flavor.
I like to convert things, I fear that I don't have the patience to develop a completely new game like you, impressive!! |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 19 Feb 2026 : 16:21:45
If you dont like 5e, i doubt you will like any edition of D&D, they are all fairly similar in tone and feel, with only 4e really being a significant structural departure from previous editions.
I personally grew to dislike D&D more and more over time, the maths just doesnt work once you get past the sweet spot of level 3-8, especially if you have optimal and suboptimal characters in the same party.
Adapting other systems to a setting does come with significant challenges depending upon how the system works. In the end i made my own classless, levelless system where NPCs can be detailed with a single statistic to make it easy to adapt to any setting or genre.
If you dislike D&D, there really is no point sticking with the system, its problems (they are many and significant) because they will irk you more and more. Trial and error may be your only option, just remember that classes, alignment, levels, etc are just guidelines, you dont have to make like for like, you just have to keep to the tone of the setting (Elminster is a super powerful magic user, Azoun a powerful warrior, etc). |
| Falcon |
Posted - 19 Feb 2026 : 15:39:54
Good points Ayrik!!
Well, my thought was to start with first edition forgotten realms. The grey box and the expansions and stop there. Everything after, lore -wise, would be purely optional. I would like to chart my own way after that. The Realms as a canvas and the players painting the direction of the realms after that. Im not knocking WOTC, but I l prefer the old more gritty realms in the year of 1358... :)
I do agree that conversion work never ends once you go down that path.
I think it is important to make a setting, your own, if that makes sense. Forgotten realms lore exists partly on its own, outside of just the hard game rules and WOTC because of the many sources of (rpg, board games, books, movies, computer games, TSR and most importantly Ed himself). |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 19 Feb 2026 : 14:30:16
D&D game edition and FR lore edition have always been married.
As in, game designers always create rules for the lore and authors always create lore with the rules.
If you keep buying what WotC keeps selling - if you think official canon is valuable (you dare not disagree with it) - then pairing the rules and the lore that were written for each other is important.
If you don't particularly care about buying more books - if you don't particularly care about adhering to canon - then pairing different rules and different lore is fine. After all, you're already ignoring the rules so why worry about breaking any rules which say you can't break any rules?
Many scribes in the keep combine their preferred game/rules edition with their preferred setting/lore edition. Even when the game/rules or the setting/lore come from entirely different systems and sources. This DIY approach is the best of both worlds.
This DIY approach is also the worst of both worlds.
The more different the two things are, the more work is needed and the more this-or-that decisions are needed to make them work well together. Some people are happy to do that work. Many people learn the hard way that this workload is never finished, it keeps growing with each new addition to the rules and the lore that WotC publishes, they always offer some new crumbs which entice even when everything else they offer (as an all-or-nothing package) is sometimes rather disappointing and distasteful. It's difficult to completely divorce yourself from WotC's intended marriage because you can walk away from their ideas but sooner or later players are going to walk those ideas right back to you. If you love your game and your setting then endless "updates" to it do not feel like a chore - but they do take up your time. |
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