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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader

USA
7106 Posts

Posted - 23 Nov 2007 :  00:04:04  Show Profile  Visit Rinonalyrna Fathomlin's Homepage Send Rinonalyrna Fathomlin a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Akeri Rualuavain

If it appens, I defently not going to play 4e edition... I was not really interested in the first matter and the more I learn about it the more uninterested I became to play it...



Welcome to the club.

"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time)

Edited by - Rinonalyrna Fathomlin on 23 Nov 2007 00:04:19
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36804 Posts

Posted - 23 Nov 2007 :  01:04:50  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Uzzy

Ok.. so, Mystra Dies, the Weave is destroyed and Shar puts the blame onto Cyric, who gets the punishment, leaving her free to do whatever with Selúne.

What part of this is a failure? I believe that the Lady of Loss wouldn't mind losing a part of her power in exchange for one of her enemies death.



Because if all of this leads to Shar being weakened, then she would have been better off if it had never happened. Further, her being weakened could lead to even more adverse effects for her. I think there's some significance to the fact that the Black Chronology only goes up to the year that she pulls all this stuff off -- implying that maybe Shar won't be around after that year.

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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore

Canada
1796 Posts

Posted - 23 Nov 2007 :  01:04:52  Show Profile Send Purple Dragon Knight a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Yep. A club that is growing day by day!

As I said on another thread: even though the loss of Mystra would bring me lots of pain, I could survive if they hand over all her portfolios to Selune... that way we get back the classic enmity between Shar and Selune, a-la-creation myth, light vs. dark, Weave vs. Shadow Weave (unless they also plan to completely do away with both the Weave and Shadow Weave, which I think I have heard about somewhere...)

Edit: I think the new 4E magic system will NOT rely on any Weave at all... I believe I saw that in the D&D Insider articles. Creatures will interact with raw magic directly, sans-the-Weave, akin to what elves have been semi-doing in Faerun (which is semi-hinted at here and there...) As I said in another thread though: Rich and his gang missed out a great opportunity to make the 4E appeal to non FR gamers here: instead of replacing Moon/Sun elves by eladrin, they should have created two "new" 4E elf races/subraces for them in the FRCS... along with all the other 3E FRCS races. Maybe it's just me, but I'm suspecting not many will enjoy having just "one standard kind of elf" for character creation, after all the years we have been spoiled with at least Moon/Sun/Wood elves...

Edited by - Purple Dragon Knight on 23 Nov 2007 01:11:20
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Uzzy
Senior Scribe

United Kingdom
618 Posts

Posted - 23 Nov 2007 :  10:45:22  Show Profile  Visit Uzzy's Homepage Send Uzzy a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I don't see the loss of the Shadow Weave as a big blow to Shar. For one, it's not a part of her, it's not one of her portfolio's. She might take a hit from those wizards etc who converted to Shar to use the Shadow Weave suddenly going nuts, but I can't see it being a large hit. Though, it could always be enough to count as this 'Coming Weakness of Shar'.

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Malkor the Mad
Acolyte

USA
11 Posts

Posted - 23 Nov 2007 :  19:08:20  Show Profile  Visit Malkor the Mad's Homepage Send Malkor the Mad a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by nb_nmare

I wonder if WotC will bother to address the subject of creatures which depend on the Weave for their very existence (of which the phaerimmm are probably the most prominent example)...



I believe they did. In GHotR it says that

"Without Mystra to govern the Weave, magic burts it's bonds all across Faerun and the surrounding planes and runs wild."

This is actually the part that is called the Spellplague. Not the end of the Weave itself.
During this time monsters are affected as magic reworks itself.
Recently WoTC did a preview of the Beholder and from what they showed alot of the Beholder abillities are changing.
Unfortunatly I can't remember off the top of my head how specifically it was changing.

Mystic Theurge of Velsharoon
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Malkor the Mad
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USA
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Posted - 23 Nov 2007 :  19:15:10  Show Profile  Visit Malkor the Mad's Homepage Send Malkor the Mad a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Also, what will appen to all her Chosen ? Will they all died ?



quote:
We know Elminster will still be around. As for the rest of the Chosen: we don't know. However, there was a lot of hubbub a couple of months ago when one of the designers (I think Chris Perkins) said that WotC didn't want "omnipotent forces for good" in the Realms (meaning the Chosen), and that fans of the Chosen could expect to be unhappy with their fates. :-/



That's something I find intriguing myself. It's already been stated by WoTC that gamers should drop their current characters/campaigns and start anew when 4E comes about becuase of the difficulty in updating to the new rules but if that is the case then how do they plan on updating the "icon" characters?

Mystic Theurge of Velsharoon

Edited by - Malkor the Mad on 23 Nov 2007 19:16:40
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khorne
Master of Realmslore

Finland
1073 Posts

Posted - 24 Nov 2007 :  13:52:16  Show Profile  Visit khorne's Homepage Send khorne a Private Message  Reply with Quote
No Weave anymore? I didn't realize the changes went that deep. Oh well, WOTC can kiss this customer's money goodbye. I don't want to pay for a "¤"#@ed version of Ed's Realms.

If I were a ranger, I would pick NDA for my favorite enemy
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
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USA
7106 Posts

Posted - 25 Nov 2007 :  02:12:24  Show Profile  Visit Rinonalyrna Fathomlin's Homepage Send Rinonalyrna Fathomlin a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Malkor the Mad


That's something I find intriguing myself. It's already been stated by WoTC that gamers should drop their current characters/campaigns and start anew when 4E comes about becuase of the difficulty in updating to the new rules but if that is the case then how do they plan on updating the "icon" characters?



Great question. Of course, updating "iconic" characters won't be a huge problem if many (if not most) of them are dead either from the Spellplague or simple passage of time (it isn't a given that the 4E FR setting will take place only 10 years in the future--it might be even farther in the future than that).

"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time)
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Malkor the Mad
Acolyte

USA
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Posted - 26 Nov 2007 :  22:58:40  Show Profile  Visit Malkor the Mad's Homepage Send Malkor the Mad a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Great question. Of course, updating "iconic" characters won't be a huge problem if many (if not most) of them are dead either from the Spellplague or simple passage of time (it isn't a given that the 4E FR setting will take place only 10 years in the future--it might be even farther in the future than that).


True, but I could swear I remember WoTC saying that Drizzt and Elminster would still be around at least. I'll have to see if I can find the where I saw that at.

Mystic Theurge of Velsharoon
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
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USA
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Posted - 27 Nov 2007 :  00:01:55  Show Profile  Visit Rinonalyrna Fathomlin's Homepage Send Rinonalyrna Fathomlin a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Malkor the Mad

quote:
Great question. Of course, updating "iconic" characters won't be a huge problem if many (if not most) of them are dead either from the Spellplague or simple passage of time (it isn't a given that the 4E FR setting will take place only 10 years in the future--it might be even farther in the future than that).


True, but I could swear I remember WoTC saying that Drizzt and Elminster would still be around at least. I'll have to see if I can find the where I saw that at.



No, you're right--Drizzt and Elminster will still be around...but beyond that, everyone else is up in the air right now, as it the date of the 4E Realms setting.

"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time)
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BlackMoria
Acolyte

Canada
36 Posts

Posted - 28 Nov 2007 :  19:58:13  Show Profile  Visit BlackMoria's Homepage Send BlackMoria a Private Message  Reply with Quote
The Weave being destroyed has a profound implication. The Weave (or access to the Weave) was the control aspect that Mystra put on everyone. Sort of the 'if you want to use magic, this is the rules under which you can' thingy.

We know from canon that prior to the safeguards put in place after the Karsus affair and the ToT affair, the magic had no real limits. Elven high magic, Mythals, 10th level spells and no level caps on existing spells (1E spell system) are examples.

It has been implied by Rich Baker that there will be NO goddess/god of magic to replace Mystra and that magic will be ungoverned and not controlled.

So, unless the fundamental nature of 'magic' has changed, the FR 4E design team is going to have a real problem trying to explain why it will not be possible to re-invent or restore Elven High Magic, Mythals, 10th level spells and removing level based spell caps on spells. After all, Mystra's safeguards are now gone.
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nbnmare
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United Kingdom
205 Posts

Posted - 28 Nov 2007 :  20:20:55  Show Profile  Visit nbnmare's Homepage Send nbnmare a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I'm not 100% sure on this, but I seem to recall that high magic at least does not make use of the Weave, instead accessing "raw magic". If so, presumably it won't be affected (at least, not as much as other forms of magic).

I'll also be intrigued to learn what becomes of mythals and mythallars; there are a considerable number of them still in existence, and if they all suddenly stop working it'll open up a large number of potential plot threads.

Edited by - nbnmare on 28 Nov 2007 20:23:12
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VEDSICA
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USA
466 Posts

Posted - 21 Dec 2007 :  23:23:47  Show Profile  Visit VEDSICA's Homepage Send VEDSICA a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Wow!!I have recently risen from a long long slumber,and what do I see?Another version of the realms on the way.Things do change fast.I read the article titled "Anatomy of an Apocalypse" (Author I forget,Sorry!).I must say what a fantastic story,but do I really want this to happen to the realms that I enjoy???I'm not real sure that I do.Mystra has always been a part of the realms,and just doing away with her is IMO rather extreme.I'm surprised that Ed would allow it to happen.If it does at all,or is this going to happen for sure?????

LIFE,BIRTH,BLOOD,DOOM---THE HOLE IN THE GROUND IS COMING ROUND SOON----BLS
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader

USA
7106 Posts

Posted - 22 Dec 2007 :  00:09:01  Show Profile  Visit Rinonalyrna Fathomlin's Homepage Send Rinonalyrna Fathomlin a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by VEDSICA
I'm surprised that Ed would allow it to happen.


It's not his choice. He doesn't own the setting and he's not even an employee of WotC.

quote:
If it does at all,or is this going to happen for sure?????



These changes will happen for sure.

"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time)
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VEDSICA
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Posted - 22 Dec 2007 :  19:31:34  Show Profile  Visit VEDSICA's Homepage Send VEDSICA a Private Message  Reply with Quote
RF I don't think I am going to like these changes.What about you???It seems as if there is going to be a wholesale change. Kind of like what happened with Dragonlance.Am I somewhat correct in this???

LIFE,BIRTH,BLOOD,DOOM---THE HOLE IN THE GROUND IS COMING ROUND SOON----BLS
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore

Canada
1796 Posts

Posted - 22 Dec 2007 :  23:46:58  Show Profile Send Purple Dragon Knight a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin

[quote]It's not his choice. He doesn't own the setting and he's not even an employee of WotC.
RF, I normally agree with you, but I believe it's a tad more complex than you allow it to be... AFAIK, Ed did agree to contribute to the new FRCS to the count of 50,000 words I believe. If he would have been completely against the whole 4E debacle, he would have refused to contribute further. After all, it's not that he isn't busy these days (THO constantly reminds us all of the myriad of projects and novels he has on the go).

Someone at WotC made a salespitch to him, and the pitch was good enough to get Ed onboard. Pure and simple. Whether he is WotC staff or not is completely irrelevant: they have secured his ongoing contribution with the Realms as THEY want it, whether you're comfortable with this or not. I just feel sorry for Ed for the amount of work he'll have to do to "explain" WotC's "kewl" new changes... (hence my previous comment this week "I hope Ed brought a spare paddle for that 4E river he's getting on!" )
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36804 Posts

Posted - 23 Dec 2007 :  00:00:56  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight

AFAIK, Ed did agree to contribute to the new FRCS to the count of 50,000 words I believe.


Indeed. And I should like to point out that 50000 words is roughly half of a novel. And Rich Baker's guesstimate of the word count of the FRCG was 180,000 -- so Ed's writing approximately 28% of the book.

But all this would be better discussed in the appropriate threads, thinks I.

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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
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USA
7106 Posts

Posted - 23 Dec 2007 :  20:01:33  Show Profile  Visit Rinonalyrna Fathomlin's Homepage Send Rinonalyrna Fathomlin a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by VEDSICA

RF I don't think I am going to like these changes.What about you???


Oh, I definitely don't care for what I've heard so far about the changes to the setting.

"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time)
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader

USA
7106 Posts

Posted - 23 Dec 2007 :  20:04:32  Show Profile  Visit Rinonalyrna Fathomlin's Homepage Send Rinonalyrna Fathomlin a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight

quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin

[quote]It's not his choice. He doesn't own the setting and he's not even an employee of WotC.
RF, I normally agree with you, but I believe it's a tad more complex than you allow it to be...


I was just answering the question at hand, though. The bottomline is Ed ultimately has no say in what direction WotC decides to take the setting in. It's not his place to "allow" these changes to happen or not, which was what the question was about.

If someone wants to read the whole story of Ed's involvement, there are other, better places to get it than from me (as Wooly sort of pointed out).

"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time)

Edited by - Rinonalyrna Fathomlin on 23 Dec 2007 20:07:37
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The Red Walker
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USA
3567 Posts

Posted - 23 Dec 2007 :  22:26:50  Show Profile Send The Red Walker a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight

AFAIK, Ed did agree to contribute to the new FRCS to the count of 50,000 words I believe.


Unfortunately for us, Ed is only contributing. He is not the editor, so who knows what gets in versus what Ed has in mind.

A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka

"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -

John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore

Canada
1796 Posts

Posted - 23 Dec 2007 :  23:42:10  Show Profile Send Purple Dragon Knight a Private Message  Reply with Quote
RF, I think we're both trying to "defend" Ed here, but from two different angles... (i.e. your angle: he doesn't call the shots, it's not his fault what's happening to the setting; my angle: he's a big boy who's been in the industry for a long time, and he knows what he's getting into, with full knowledge of what's to come for the Realms).

So yes, in addressing Vedsica's comment of "I wonder why Ed stands for this", you are quite right that he does not call the shots per se, but in my opinion, since he created the setting and has agreed to continue to contribute to it, one must accept, at the end of the day, that he has come to terms with these changes. To continue villifying WotC while keeping Ed at bay of all discussions on the Realms' direction under the pretense that "Ed is not in the know" would be an insult to Ed's intelligence and integrity, as well as a gross misinterpretation of reality. Remember folks: whether they are WotC employees or not, Ed, Rich and all the FR guys are regular guys who like gaming, and they all work together, so they can't publicly diss one another and expect things to go honky-dory Monday morning at the office.

Let us just conclude that some people were perhaps *required* to follow in someone else's *bad* decisions for the Realms. Now, to find the mastermind behind the disastrous 10 years at the end of the "Grand History of the Realms" is the million dollar question here. Find the mastermind, and you could in theory pin the whole debacle on one person, if you're into such things... personally, I just prefer getting off the bandwagon in personal protest.

Best regards to all,

PDK

Edited by - Purple Dragon Knight on 24 Dec 2007 01:26:39
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The Red Walker
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USA
3567 Posts

Posted - 24 Dec 2007 :  00:10:19  Show Profile Send The Red Walker a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight

RF, I think we're both trying to "defend" Ed here, but from two different angles... (i.e. your angle: he doesn't call the shots, it's not his fault what's happening to the setting; my angle: he's a big boy who's been in the industry for a long time, and he knows what he's getting into, with full knowledge of what's to come for the Realms).

So yes, in addressing Vedsica's comment of "I wonder why Ed stands for this", you are quite right that he does not call the shots per se, but in my opinion, since he created the setting and has agreed to continue to contribute to it, one must accept, at the end of the day, that he has come to terms with these changes. To continue villifying WotC while keeping Ed at bay of all discussions on the Realms' direction under the pretense that "Ed is not in the know" would be an insult to Ed's intelligence and integrity, as well as a gross misinterpretation of reality. Remember folks: whether they are WotC employees or not, Ed, Rich and all the FR guys are regular guys who like gaming, and they all work together, so they can't publicly diss one another and expect things to go honky-dory Monday morning at the office.

Let us just conclude that some people were perhaps *required* to follow in someone else's *bad* decisions for the Realms. Now, to find the mastermind behind the disastrous 10 years at the end of the "Grand History of the Realms" is the million dollar question here. Find the mastermind, and you could in theory pin the whole debacle on one person, if you're into such things... personally, I just prefer getting of the bandwagon in personal protest.

Best regards to all,

PDK



I would not say that Ed has "come to terms with these changes". He is a clear dissenter of these changes and is contributing as his way of "fightig the good fight", see his quote I will attach at end. I hold Ed blameless because I believe him when he says this is a mistake and he would not have done it. He is staying out of loyalty to the realms and us.

Ed's quote from the scroll Wise Words From Ed regarding 4e FR. Sums it all up ........

"Yet it’s happening regardless of my personal wants, and I choose to be onboard trying to paddle and steer, rather than left behind swimming in the water, calling out that perhaps we should have set a different course."

So yes Ed is " A Big Boy Who's been in the industry a long time...", but I do not believe that even if Ed knew what the changes were before they were decided on, he had the power to reverse them.

A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka

"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -

John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963

Edited by - The Red Walker on 24 Dec 2007 00:12:36
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore

Canada
1796 Posts

Posted - 24 Dec 2007 :  01:40:48  Show Profile Send Purple Dragon Knight a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker

So yes Ed is " A Big Boy Who's been in the industry a long time...", but I do not believe that even if Ed knew what the changes were before they were decided on, he had the power to reverse them.

I fully agree. I'm not arguing with you here. But as shown by Vedsica's comment, to the outsider eye, Ed is the Realms, and an outsider might have difficulty comprehend why Ed is still involved with the Realms at this stage.

Perhaps a more petty, emotional or prone to tantrums individual would have said "Screw you WotC! I'm not part of this anymore!" but Ed is very much in touch with the reality of things (ironically very much so for one involved in the *fantasy* business), and saw the tsunami roll by, so he went for survival instead of style and grabbed the inflatable water wings to ride the incoming tide...

I personally can't work with other that well, so I would have shown my cards too early, dissing all 4E ideas, and would not have received the 50,000 words invite as a result (I'm like a pretty good dwarf smith who can't accept change that well, let alone let anyone trample my own work! ) All I can say is Ed is a much, much greater man than I am.
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The Red Walker
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Posted - 24 Dec 2007 :  01:44:56  Show Profile Send The Red Walker a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight

quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker

So yes Ed is " A Big Boy Who's been in the industry a long time...", but I do not believe that even if Ed knew what the changes were before they were decided on, he had the power to reverse them.

I fully agree. I'm not arguing with you here. But as shown by Vedsica's comment, to the outsider eye, Ed is the Realms, and an outsider might have difficulty comprehend why Ed is still involved with the Realms at this stage.

Perhaps a more petty, emotional or prone to tantrums individual would have said "Screw you WotC! I'm not part of this anymore!" but Ed is very much in touch with the reality of things (ironically very much so for one involved in the *fantasy* business), and saw the tsunami roll by, so he went for survival instead of style and grabbed the inflatable water wings to ride the incoming tide...

I personally can't work with other that well, so I would have shown my cards too early, dissing all 4E ideas, and would not have received the 50,000 words invite as a result (I'm like a pretty good dwarf smith who can't accept change that well, let alone let anyone trample my own work! ) All I can say is Ed is a much, much greater man than I am.




Well said PDK, well said indeed!


I cringe when I think of the current changes without Ed being involved at all. I just keep thinking that one of the realm that isn't going to be forgotten any more would have been ebberon.

sp

A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka

"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -

John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963

Edited by - The Red Walker on 24 Dec 2007 02:08:08
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
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Posted - 24 Dec 2007 :  02:17:03  Show Profile  Visit Rinonalyrna Fathomlin's Homepage Send Rinonalyrna Fathomlin a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
To continue villifying WotC while keeping Ed at bay of all discussions on the Realms' direction under the pretense that "Ed is not in the know" would be an insult to Ed's intelligence and integrity, as well as a gross misinterpretation of reality. Remember folks: whether they are WotC employees or not, Ed, Rich and all the FR guys are regular guys who like gaming, and they all work together, so they can't publicly diss one another and expect things to go honky-dory Monday morning at the office.


Yes, definitely. Agreed.

quote:
Let us just conclude that some people were perhaps *required* to follow in someone else's *bad* decisions for the Realms. Now, to find the mastermind behind the disastrous 10 years at the end of the "Grand History of the Realms" is the million dollar question here. Find the mastermind, and you could in theory pin the whole debacle on one person, if you're into such things... personally, I just prefer getting off the bandwagon in personal protest.




Or, we could decide that perfectly nice people working on the Realms might come up with design ideas that we disagree with and/or think inappropriate for the setting. That's my personal take, anyway.

"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time)
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KnightErrantJR
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Posted - 24 Dec 2007 :  02:41:58  Show Profile  Visit KnightErrantJR's Homepage Send KnightErrantJR a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin

Or, we could decide that perfectly nice people working on the Realms might come up with design ideas that we disagree with and/or think inappropriate for the setting. That's my personal take, anyway.





That's the thing I've been keeping in mind a lot lately as well. I'm not happy with what I've heard about the Realms, and I'm pretty sure I'm not too interested in 4th edition. At the same time, I'm not going to disparage any of the guys working on it, because most of them have produced some really good products that I've enjoyed quite a bit, so its enough for me to say that I have a difference of opinion with them about especially the "story" aspects of 4th edition in general and the Realms specifically.
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Hawkins
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Posted - 24 Dec 2007 :  17:12:27  Show Profile  Visit Hawkins's Homepage Send Hawkins a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Maybe they will prove me wrong, but I still have the feeling that they (those at WotC who made the decisions of what to do with the setting) have collectively "missed the mark" on this one. In fact, I am hoping that they will prove me wrong. I think all (or at the very least most) of you are hoping the same.

Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass

"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane

* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
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My game design work:
* Heroes of the Jade Oath (PFRPG, conversion; Rite Publishing)
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Suzerain
Acolyte

11 Posts

Posted - 24 Dec 2007 :  19:08:14  Show Profile  Visit Suzerain's Homepage Send Suzerain a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin

I never thought Mystra was a "problem" character. But a lot of people (and again--I don't agree with these people) claim that Mystra and her Chosen are too powerful, too good, that they somehow "dominate" the setting and in doing so remove the spotlight from PCs.


I think the being "too good" aspect could drive a choice to remove Mystra as we know her to be now. Before the Time of Troubles, Mystra was Lawful Neutral, and afterward, Midnight Mystra was Neutral Good. I suppose a question to ask would be, why should a force of nature (as far as fantasy worlds go), and especially one as important as magic, favor good over evil? It should probably be more like war, neither favoring good or evil (or at least that's how I have it in my homebrew), though I would neither have it lawful nor chaotic. Magic is a tool, so it can be used for good or evil, to bring order or chaos, or to maintain a balance. Having the goddess of magic be good over the long-run could have one's magical world becoming too bright.

quote:
So, Mystra goes "bye-bye" and she isn't going to be replaced, either by yet another Mystra or a different character with the same role as the old Mystra.


Or, magic could just become a whole lot more rare, and whoever replaces Mystra could be neutrally aligned to solve the problem of magic favoring the good. Though, I suppose whether magic being made to serve the good is problematic is a debate that we could have. From a writer's perspective, it does appear overtly unbalancing.

Edited for clarity.

Edited by - Suzerain on 24 Dec 2007 21:57:32
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader

USA
5402 Posts

Posted - 24 Dec 2007 :  19:29:02  Show Profile  Visit KnightErrantJR's Homepage Send KnightErrantJR a Private Message  Reply with Quote
The problem is that most of Mystra's duties involved making sure the Weave was in good shape and functioning, as a great many things cause stress and damage to it, and without it magic is nearly inaccessible to most spellcasters (or at least this used to be the way things worked). Beyond that constant "repair work," her faith was largely involved with teaching other "the Art."

Mystra herself was resigned to performing the duties of her office, not trying to force every spellcaster to be good aligned. It seems to me that certain gods had "offices" whose duties were beyond the personal preferences of the actual god that held that portfolio.

Not to mention there was some evidence to show that the longer Mystra performed her duty, and the farther away she was from her mortal life, the more she would start to shift back to LN, which is essentially the "default" alignment of the Deity of Magic.

So I guess the short question I have is why wasn't it just enough to say Mystra had further retreated from he mortal origins and had become LN?
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Kuje
Great Reader

USA
7915 Posts

Posted - 24 Dec 2007 :  20:33:15  Show Profile Send Kuje a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I've said it before, the odd thing about Midnight is that she was LN in the four books that stated her and then all of a sudden she became NG once she became a deity. I still say it was a weird TSR error.

For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium
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