| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Dargoth |
Posted - 12 Mar 2005 : 00:31:36
What have you guys pinched from the "Setting that shall not be named" for your FR campaigns?
Off the top of my head Ive found 2 things that could be adapted into the realms.
Living spells: These could easily have appeared in the Realms during the time of Troubles when magic went wild. (From MM3 I can easily see Living Blasphemy spells existing where Bane, Bhaal and Mykrul died)
Warforged: Yes shock horror, thanks to LEOF I can now see a place in the realms where Warforged may be present. The Ruins of Raumathar an empire known for its constructs. |
| 27 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 21 Mar 2005 : 11:19:38
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Actually, I was going to suggest that, but I wasn't entirely sure whether you'd have the time or not  .
I've already started taking some notes from LEoF, as well as some particular references from the EBCS which will hopefully provide me with a strong enough basis to work with for this.
What should we do? An NPC... an adventure hook? What about both?
At the moment, I'm not thinking of any hooks for this idea... But that doesn't mean there won't be one in the future. 
I say we try to do both. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 21 Mar 2005 : 07:33:42
Actually, I was going to suggest that, but I wasn't entirely sure whether you'd have the time or not .
I've already started taking some notes from LEoF, as well as some particular references from the EBCS which will hopefully provide me with a strong enough basis to work with for this.
What should we do? An NPC... an adventure hook? What about both?
|
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 21 Mar 2005 : 06:01:56
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
It's a possibility...
However, I've already got three submissions on my plate for the Compendium, plus two for an DL online magazine and another one article for a Ravenloft magazine.
It'll have to wait until issue #3  .
I myself will also think on it until then. When it does come time for Volume 3, perhaps we can compare notes? |
| The Sage |
Posted - 21 Mar 2005 : 05:43:15
It's a possibility...
However, I've already got three submissions on my plate for the Compendium, plus two for an DL online magazine and another one article for a Ravenloft magazine.
It'll have to wait until issue #3 .
|
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 20 Mar 2005 : 17:11:27
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
I think I smell another hook for the next issue of the Compendium...  .
*grins* Or it could be an NPC write-up... Run with it, if you like.  |
| The Sage |
Posted - 20 Mar 2005 : 15:56:31
I think I smell another hook for the next issue of the Compendium... .
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| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 20 Mar 2005 : 15:35:23
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Let's twist that a little, and suggest that the Raumathari, in a desparate move to gain some advantage over the demon hordes instead choose to animate these metallic constructs with the fallen souls of those warriors who have already died. Their only focus after the reanimation is to bring about a swift and triumphant outcome for their masters.
You know, I like this idea... Can you imagine what it would be like for one of these warforged to awaken now? The war is over, everything he knew is gone... And physically, he'll never be the same as he was. Not only would he be disconnected from what was once his land, he'd be disconnected from every living creature. It could especially prove interesting if he encountered one of his own descendants. |
| Jindael |
Posted - 20 Mar 2005 : 07:02:31
I recently tossed my players against some critters that they are still trying to figure out.
What I did was use the Warforged, but make them more human looking and slapped on a coat of "magical" skin. More or less perfectly human looking.
Think Terminator meets Azure Bonds. Worked out well.
|
| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 14 Mar 2005 : 16:53:04
Well, to get to this library, my portal is through another library. So I don't have my whole collection at my fingertips; I just happened to have the ECS with me.
Sharn: City of Towers is mainly about Sharn itself. Most of it isn't adaptable to anywhere without taking the city itself (or shamelessly copying to the extent where one might as well take the city itself), much as it would be hard to take aspects of Waterdeep into Eberron.
There are some things that can go into it, certainly. For instance, Mumadar and I had discussed a possible reworking of the Cannith Wand Adept PrC as a possible route for the character I play in his game. Additionally, certain substances could transfer (such as some of the drugs -- I like the idea of major cities in the Realms having drug problems, and these aren't like the ones in the BoVD or anything).
I'll see what I can do in time for Volume II. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 14 Mar 2005 : 16:34:06
I don't see why not.
In fact, is there anything in the Sharn: City of Towers tome that you can add to this? I haven't looked through it in a while...
|
| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 14 Mar 2005 : 16:19:30
I thought about that afterwards. But then I couldn't have kept highlighting Eberron like that.
Still, I can republish it, right? And also do the same thing with other books. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 14 Mar 2005 : 03:56:55
This would have made a nice article for the 'Compendium'.
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 14 Mar 2005 : 03:25:32
Just because I find the famous Harry Potter phrase annoying, and its use here doubly so:
EBERRON
 Get used to it.
Now, adapting Eberron aspects to the Realms is very easy. Some parts are setting specific enough (for instance, kalashtar and warforged) that I don't think they'd go too well, but still, there's a lot in Eberron that doesn't have to be only for that campaign setting.
Races: Changelings and shifters fit pretty well. (And better than the Bloodlines from UA.) Just as occasionally a bloodline tied to good or evil or certain elements pops up an produces a planetouched, you should come across a changeling or shifter.
In fact, a shifter might even have an "obvious" source. For instance, a lycanthrope couple both devoted to Selune and not wishing to pass a curse to their offspring might very well produce a shifter instead of another lycanthrope or even a pure human (or whatever race). In this sense, it's best if the parents are human, though you could play around with stats to get, say, an elf-decended shifter feel -- especially if you are willing to up the race to an ECL +1, in which case you can add the shifter stats as a template.
The Artificer: This class just screams "Lantanese gnome," doesn't it? Especially with that image in the Eberron Campaign Setting (page 15). And, of course, multiclassing between cleric of Gond and the artificer seems to be a good flavor. Perhaps an alternate Initiate of Gond feat could allow artificer to be a favored class (rather than gaining the new cleric class skills).
Better make this class “new” to the Realms, though, because otherwise you have to answer questions about why you don’t have more magitech like Eberron.
All of the above goes the same for the magewright NPC class.
Action Points: This isn't new. This is just the first time it's something other than a variant. Obviously, if you use action points, you should include the feats introduced with Eberron (all six of them -- you'd think there should be more) that are used with the AP system.
Dragonmarks: Not too fond of the Initiate feats? Try Marks of Favor, an adaptation of Eberron's Dragonmarks proposed a while back at WoD&D. These are granted to devout followers of certain gods, and do not depend on divine caster levels as a prerequisite -- a fighter who follows Helm could very well manifest the Mark of Sentinel as a result of his zeal to defend others.
And, of course, you aren't limited by a measly twelve Marks to choose from. Some might overlap, some gods might grant the same powers, but many more will grant something specific. After all, you'd have to create a Mark of Fire for Kossuth, a Mark of the Cat for Sharess/Bast, and a Mark of Song for Finder. More powerful deities would have greater choices for their followers, while lesser gods might not only have a single power to choose from, they might only be able to grant the Least version of the Mark.
And don't forget: you don't have to really retcon the whole Realms setting to insert this idea. Rather, post-ToT, the gods have been making efforts to actually evangalize, and these Marks could be evidence of that. For instance, after a few years, one god(dess) might get impatient and start actually granting more power to mortals in hope that the example would inspire other mortals. Then other gods would follow suit, each trying to outdo the other. As such, that first god(dess) would eventually find him/herself right back at the start -- except for the claim that (s)he started the whole Mark idea and the others were just copycats.
Continuing in this vein, the Dragonmark Heir PrC could easily replace the Chosen-wannabes for the individual gods. This one should have the added prerequisite of cleric levels, though. However, leave the Favored in House idea in, and change it to Favored in Church or something like that. To increase the idea, you could have two versions, or continue the class from a five-level to something where you don't complete it until you're past 20th level. Then you can scale it so that it answers the call for other Chosen, as I said, without steping on the toes of the real Chosen (and, by extension, experienced fans of the setting).
Religions: The Realms are lousy with gods, but consider the "godless" faiths of Eberron. These gods don't really interact with mortals at all. In fact, some don't even have a personification, like the Path of Light and the Blood of Vol. With Myrkul's spirit out there in Faerun (at least in 2e), one can easily imagine starting a following where you have, technically, a bunch of clerics using the patronless option setting themselves up along the lines of the Blood of Vol. Myrkul technically wouldn't have to answer to Ao for that. Or, one could find something like the Path of Light at an isolated monastary.
Either by transplanting these two (as the Undying Court would be hard to do that with) or using them as guides, you could easily insert a feeling into a campaign where some people are disatisfied with how mortal-ish the gods can seem and start up a new idea that grows into a religion. You could easily have a Socrates-analogue for something like the Path of Light, who is then put to death in the same way. He'd then be a martyr for the new idea (exactly as Socrates' death was used as the example of a lack of rational thinking) and inspire some people to give up on the whole idea of mortal-like gods and focus on things like truth and reason.
"Faithless? We aren't the Faithless. We just don't misplace our faith like you do."
Optional Material Components: I don't really see myself using these much, but plenty of people like to trust in the roll of the dice. Certainly it's such a good idea that I think it should be included as a standard D&D option.
Possession: Hey, it means more planar interaction, in the end. I'm all for it. Plus it gives a good opening for those exorcists. Especially if you use it in conjunction with the godless religions, as the latter probably wouldn't be able to handle possession. If you have a campaign dealing with this sort of interation, it's a nice variable to throw in.
Similarly, channeling (what a good outsider does rather than possession) can add an interesting element, though you have to be careful that it doesn't develop into deus ex machina.
Domains: There are several good domains here, though I haven’t really thought about which gods to assign them to. I believe “look through domain lists and find more for Realms gods” was on a to-do list of mine someplace.
ID papers: A paranoid (or overly-regulated) city might issue these. Most of the major countries of the Real World use these; it’s not much of a stretch to add it to a highly civilized (that is, citified) area of Faerun. And then, of course, use it as a butt of jokes. How’s that for the result of a player’s Gather Information check sometime? “Didya hear about those crazy people in [insert name]? . . .”
Or, of course, you can limit it to certain levels of society: that is, membership cards, rather than citizenship/tourist papers.
Special Materials: The metals are too difficult to work in (except perhaps flametouched iron, see below), and the crysteel is inferior to deep crystal except, maybe, at low levels (and even then, I’d say it’s still better). The wood, on the other hand, might be the result of certain advances in nature-magic, or the result of alchemical treatments (I actually like the latter better). Flametouched iron could be the same way: a combination of alchemical treatments and special blessings during the item’s forging.
Morgrave University: Surprised that I put this one here? Don’t be. Imagine that someone thinks that Candlekeep should be duplicated, but goes about it in a more “tomb raider” sort of way, more interested in items or knowledge “of value” rather than “what some old king had for breakfast one day.” They would be like the early “archeologists” of our own world, whose diaries make the true archeologists of today cringe with how they relate the destruction done to locate “the big find.” (For example, there’s an old treasure hunter who kept poking at Egyptian mummies to see them crumble to dust. I forget his name, but he’s something like the uncrowned Official Idiot of Egyptology.)
This new organization could be set up much like Eberron’s version, complete with the idea of teaching. However, the monks of Candlekeep would consider this careless practice to be detrimental to knowledge and the preservation thereof, and so might ask the party to go find certain things before the treasure hunters, escorting a group of monks to properly catalogue the findings as they go. (Want to frustrate that munchkin? Send him on a dungeon crawl where they can’t just go barging ahead looking for something to kill!
Chapter Nine: An Eberron Campaign: This was one of the first chapters I read in this book, and it’s an interesting resource for any DM. I could go through it, but I’d mainly be repeating the chapter itself. Suffice to say, there’s a lot in there that can go into any campaign, even (and perhaps especially) a Forgotten Realms game.
Quori embedded shards: Got psionics? Then you’ll want a look at these items. While in Eberron they only work for kalashtar or Inspired characters, this can simply be changed to only working for psionic characters with at least 1 power point remaining (or, if you still want it tighter, only while psionicly focused).
Circle of Sound: There are several items and item abilities in this that are good, but this one sticks out as an "inovation" in a world like the Realms. It’s a ring that acts like a short-range radio with up to five other rings that it’s permanently connected to. Care for some more coordination in your party?
It might be a bit too magitech for some people, but I rather like it. Communication changes a lot in battle, and the ability to coordinate over even just a short distance can be invaluable.
Dedicated wright: This is a construct that does the menial work of item creation for a spellcaster. That is, it can act as a stand-in for the spellcaster when considering time-costs (no other costs).
I don’t recommend this for widespread use in the Realms, though it can easily be part of an innovation connected with the artificer. Just be careful about “mass production” of items. Conceivably, a spellcaster could use one or more of these to work on more than one item at once. You might not want that for a PC.
Horrid Animal: Ah, corruptions of nature. Either deliberate or the result of catastrophe, they can be a focus for druids and rangers, especially those not powerful enough to go hunting aberrations just yet. Or you could let evil ones take them as companions (effective druid level -1, perhaps). And they could be considered improved familiars, but at any level. (Though I think the Improved Familiar feat needs revamping.)
Living Spell: Let’s give those spell mishaps some oomph, shall we?
“That, my young apprentice, is why we don’t try casting spells we can’t handle . . . .”
Magebred Animal: Oh, this is too good to give up, trust me. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be called magebred -- it’s not necessarily just from arcane magics. In fact, nothing in it really requires magic to produce one, except if you want to introduce it as a “new” thing for the Realms. In that case, magic would be needed.
Like the horrid animal, it could be a focus for druids and rangers to campaign against as tampering with nature. Or you can include them in it and let them take such animals as companions (again, effective druid level -1). Same deal with them as familiars as I detailed under horrid animals.
Simbiont: Perhaps give these to fey’ri and tieflings. It’s a nice way to show off the “evil” idea. Especially chaotic evil.
And that’s all I’ve got. But as you can see, there’s a lot you can pull out of Eberron for just about any campaign world, and I think especially so for the Realms. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Mar 2005 : 15:10:16
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
Id say the Warforged are all inactive and have been so since the empires destruction.
True.
But it would be fun to have a current dungeon delve where a party of adventurers inadvertedly re-activate a dormant FR warforged, and in a blind rampage the construct goes in search of demon to slay...
quote:
We're running practically the same game again, Sage...
I'd accuse you of peering into my notes, but I've hardly committed any of these changes to paper. So, unless you have a few levels in a psionic class...   .
Let me ask though, did you leave the Lords of Dust the same as they are in Eberron, or did you try for something different?
|
| Arivia |
Posted - 12 Mar 2005 : 13:33:14
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
Warforged: Yes shock horror, thanks to LEOF I can now see a place in the realms where Warforged may be present. The Ruins of Raumathar an empire known for its constructs.
I had the same thought, although I haven't come up with a reasonable creation myth yet to justify the presence of warforged in ancient Raumathar.
Additionally, in my upcoming 'Plains of Purple Dust' campaign that I've mentioned elsewhere, I'm thinking about tieing in some aspects of the Lords of Dust... perhaps having them serve the Imaskari masters who still hold sway over this land (since the campaign will take place in the past). In my interpretation, these 'Lords of Purple Dust' will be the beings responsible for overseeing the construction of the arcane towers that dot the badlands and are also the source of the numerous types of undead that ravage the inner reaches of the Plains.
Now, whether these 'Lords of Purple Dust' are the same rakshasas or demon lords of Eberron's Lords of Dust... or even something else entirely... is another matter still to be considered.
We're running practically the same game again, Sage...
As for other things, not too much. I've stolen the effects of the "skill expansion" feats-Investigate, Research, and such, and rolled them into the normal skill uses as appropriate. I've toyed with the concept of using wondrous locations, but haven't gotten around to doing so yet. I've been using action points on occasion, but I've been using those from Unearthed Arcana forward, not the other way around. I stole the cold elemental language, a few things from the Equipment section, and some of the cleric domains. And finally, I've used a few of the monsters...out of my copy of the MMIII. |
| Dargoth |
Posted - 12 Mar 2005 : 13:09:34
Id say the Warforged are all inactive and have been so since the empires destruction. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Mar 2005 : 12:51:46
Let's twist that a little, and suggest that the Raumathari, in a desparate move to gain some advantage over the demon hordes instead choose to animate these metallic constructs with the fallen souls of those warriors who have already died. Their only focus after the reanimation is to bring about a swift and triumphant outcome for their masters.
|
| Dargoth |
Posted - 12 Mar 2005 : 11:05:48
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
The Gond-Forged armor?
Interesting choice. But how do we handle the issue of them becoming "living" constructs that have achieved sentience?
Perhaps there not literally living.
Maybe part of the Warforged creation process is to imbue the metal body with the soul of a living creature in the same way a Wizard or Cleric creates an inteligent magic item.
The Raumathari may have concluded that their flesh and blood troops couldnt win against Narfells demons and maybe Warforged where the solution, the Raumathari may have tried regular constructs like Golems to be begin with but found them to be to limiting and lacking the flexiablity that are needed for combat troops which led to the Raumathari creating the Warforged. The FR warforged have a Gem embedded inside the warforges body which contains the soul of a Raumathari soldier (much like a Liches Phylactery) |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Mar 2005 : 10:23:12
The Gond-Forged armor?
Interesting choice. But how do we handle the issue of them becoming "living" constructs that have achieved sentience?
|
| Dargoth |
Posted - 12 Mar 2005 : 08:09:03
There is of cause another potential source of Warforged in the FR, the Inquisitors Gond made for Cyric are similar to the Warforged |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Mar 2005 : 06:27:55
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I, too, think the warforged are a truly nifty idea... I was tinkering with making one or two of them for the Realms. They'd be essentially the same thing, but have a different creation method and be called something else.
Well, with three of us working on a possible creation myth, we should be able to come up with something worthwhile, I would think...
|
| SirUrza |
Posted - 12 Mar 2005 : 04:46:24
The only stuff we've decorated the uncharted parts of Toril with parts of Kalamar and Scarred Lands. I don't see us using Eberron directly because the setting is too different. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 12 Mar 2005 : 03:32:12
I, too, think the warforged are a truly nifty idea... I was tinkering with making one or two of them for the Realms. They'd be essentially the same thing, but have a different creation method and be called something else. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Mar 2005 : 03:05:51
Indeed. That's why I mentioned my temporary inability to come up with a suitable creation myth that's entirely FR-based.
Maybe we could share some ideas on this...
|
| Dargoth |
Posted - 12 Mar 2005 : 02:45:12
I intend dumping the "Setting that shall not be named" References to Warforged if I ever use them, the Warforged in the realms will have been created by the Raumathari |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Mar 2005 : 02:31:00
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
Warforged: Yes shock horror, thanks to LEOF I can now see a place in the realms where Warforged may be present. The Ruins of Raumathar an empire known for its constructs.
I had the same thought, although I haven't come up with a reasonable creation myth yet to justify the presence of warforged in ancient Raumathar.
Additionally, in my upcoming 'Plains of Purple Dust' campaign that I've mentioned elsewhere, I'm thinking about tieing in some aspects of the Lords of Dust... perhaps having them serve the Imaskari masters who still hold sway over this land (since the campaign will take place in the past). In my interpretation, these 'Lords of Purple Dust' will be the beings responsible for overseeing the construction of the arcane towers that dot the badlands and are also the source of the numerous types of undead that ravage the inner reaches of the Plains.
Now, whether these 'Lords of Purple Dust' are the same rakshasas or demon lords of Eberron's Lords of Dust... or even something else entirely... is another matter still to be considered.
|
| Melfius |
Posted - 12 Mar 2005 : 02:04:42
I haven't really gone over 'that which shall not be named'. But I would not be opposed to allowing some feats and spells. If they are useful, I say, "Why not?" |
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