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combatmedic
Senior Scribe

USA
428 Posts

Posted - 18 Jan 2015 :  04:29:32  Show Profile Send combatmedic a Private Message  Reply with Quote  Delete Topic

Forgotten Realms-
DR 1357

Basis: the Old Gray Box, selected material from early run of Dragon articles, and some material taken from later sources

Some noteworthy changes:

• Alustriel= Dissolved.
The queen was having a “private party with friends” in her royal baths, when someone transmuted the bathwater into strong acid. The murder case remains unsolved.

• Elminster= Asphyxiated.
Elminster needed his honey rolls in the worst way.
But when he got to the local bakery and saw the sweet young thing behind the counter, he forgot all about pastries.
This one was playing hard to get, thrusting at him with a baguette. He did his best dragon impression, taking playful nips at the hard loaf.
He swallowed a little too much bread, started choking.
The girl, perhaps overwhelmed by his amorous advances, fainted.
Elminster realized he didn’t know any spells to expel bread chunks.
Urk.


• Evermeet= Bad case of a yeast infection.
The elves thought they had found a paradise where they could be safe and happy away from all the riff-raff infesting Faerun.

They were wrong.
Moander never forgets. Moander repays.

The Yellow Rot spread with astonishing swiftness, bursting from puffballs hidden in temples and shrines of the Seldarine. Many of Evermeet’s clerics died first, followed by thousands of other elves.
Survivors who fled the island spread the plague to the mainland.

• Harpers= disbanded
Many members killed or on the run, bounties for capture or proof of death offered in Zhentil Keep, Amn, and Calimshan.

• Khelbun “Blackstaff” Arunsun= Monster mash smashed.
Killed by a coordinated attack by the Zhentarim and the Cult of the Dragon, which involved beholders and dracoliches. The strike also slew a number of other Harpers.

• Knights of Myth Drannor= TPK during dungeon crawl
These adventurers perished in the dungeon known as Whisper’s Crypt, in 1355 DR.


• The Simbul= Annihilated
Never the picture of sanity, the queen of Aglarond lost all control when she learned of the assassination of her sister, Alustriel, coming as it did less than two years after the deaths of Dove and Storm. She grew more and more unstable and paranoid, attacking all those she thought might be responsible, neglecting affairs of the realm, and even turning against her allies in her quest for revenge.
One of her former apprentices used a sphere of annihilation to destroy her.

• Yellow Rot (new):
The Yellow Rot affects half-elves and drow as it does surface elves; fatality resulting in seven of ten cases. The disease leaves elves who survive it scarred, sometimes also insane.
Humans experience the Yellow Rot as a rash; unsightly and painful but not fatal. It spreads by close contact.
The disease hit Waterdeep with the arrival of refugees from Evermeet.
Now, pity and disgust color public reaction towards elves in the Sword Coast and the North.
Half-orcs appear to be completely immune to this pestilence.

YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :)

Edited by - combatmedic on 18 Jan 2015 04:32:40

combatmedic
Senior Scribe

USA
428 Posts

Posted - 18 Jan 2015 :  17:29:57  Show Profile Send combatmedic a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I've bumped off characters over 20th level.

Alustriel dies, too, at least in this current version of my notes. I'm not sure what level she has in The Savage Frontier (she is in that, right?. My disc with Paizo downloads doesn't seem readable anymore.

I've also killed off a famous adventuring party (in a, alternate campaign history way I'd never suggest the product editors do, but this is for a home game)

I think that Whisper, presented as deceased in the Gray Box, will survive in this variant of the campaign setting.



Khelbun's death opens up a spot for another Masked Lord in Waterdeep.

Alustriel's assassination shakes up Silverymoon. That bears some thought.

Elminster being dead changes surprisingly little, if we are going by only the early canon. It's a good signal post to indicate "not in Kansas anymore" to players familiar with the published setting. My notes as they stand give him an absurd death, but I could just as easily have him perish in a way more like Khelbun's demise.
Possibly connected.



I imagine that, with their most powerful common enemies defeated, the Zhentarim and Cult of the Dragon won't manage to keep a lasting alliance. Evil is not a club, as somebody once put it. Expect faction wars and backstabbing.


The only really big change to the setting is what happens to Evermeet, and the spread of the Yellow Rot.
I want the island to be a place adventurers can go, whether it be to loot elven treasures, seek out the origins of the Yellow Rot, rescue afflicted elves, or whatever else.

This turn of events throws a crimp in the Retreat, but doesn't necessarily stop it. Elves might have to seek a different place to go.
Any suggestions on that?

Another option I considered was placing the Yellow Rot in the old Elven Court Lands instead of Evermeet. Moander seems like a good fit there. It wouldn't strike down as many elves, but it could accelerate the Retreat. Attitudes about Elves would be affected mainly in Cormyr, the Dales, and Sembia, in that case.




YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :)
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore

Australia
6666 Posts

Posted - 18 Jan 2015 :  17:40:01  Show Profile Send George Krashos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Okay, why?

-- George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus
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Rymac
Learned Scribe

USA
315 Posts

Posted - 18 Jan 2015 :  17:58:49  Show Profile  Visit Rymac's Homepage Send Rymac a Private Message  Reply with Quote
At least he left Cormyr alone, for the time being...
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader

USA
2717 Posts

Posted - 18 Jan 2015 :  18:10:37  Show Profile Send Jeremy Grenemyer a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by combatmedic

Attitudes about Elves would be affected mainly in Cormyr, the Dales, and Sembia, in that case.
It would be interesting to develop this idea further.

As a DM would you limit access to elves as a playable race?

Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver).
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combatmedic
Senior Scribe

USA
428 Posts

Posted - 18 Jan 2015 :  18:36:22  Show Profile Send combatmedic a Private Message  Reply with Quote
RE Elf PCs

I'd still allow an elf PC, but I'd let the player know in advance about shifts in human attitudes. That's only fair.
As the Yellow Rot is pretty recent, then people's views may still be shifting. Some folks will panic over fear of contagion, but others may view the poor elves with greater compassion.



ADDENDUM


I'm given additional consideration to an option I mentioned above, setting the Yellow Rot in the old Elven Court Lands instead of Evermeet.

It may depend on where I chose to start a game.









YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :)

Edited by - combatmedic on 18 Jan 2015 19:25:03
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combatmedic
Senior Scribe

USA
428 Posts

Posted - 18 Jan 2015 :  18:37:29  Show Profile Send combatmedic a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos

Okay, why?

-- George Krashos



Why, what?

I'd love to answer, but I need a more specific question.

YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :)
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combatmedic
Senior Scribe

USA
428 Posts

Posted - 18 Jan 2015 :  18:59:04  Show Profile Send combatmedic a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Rymac

At least he left Cormyr alone, for the time being...




I don't own the AD&D2E books that detail Cormyr, so my version will probably turn out rather differently than canon.

But the all the core elements presented in the Gray Box remain pretty much the same:

"Forest Kingdom" (mostly second growth woods, with traces of earlier settlements, including prehuman sites, under the brush and tangled trees in some areas)

the ruling family

laws regarding weapons, wizards, and adventurers



I'm not sure if I buy Azoun as a 20th level fighter, considering that his land has been at peace most of his reign. But he may have done a lot of adventuring when he was young, and he's doubtless competed in many tourneys over the years.

I'll probably use core AD&D 2E to run this, so some very high level NPCs might be adjusted downward a bit to fit a 1-20 level scale.












YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :)
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Cards77
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USA
745 Posts

Posted - 18 Jan 2015 :  20:35:24  Show Profile Send Cards77 a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Feels sort of like Dark Sun to me.
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Ayrik
Great Reader

Canada
7989 Posts

Posted - 18 Jan 2015 :  20:48:48  Show Profile Send Ayrik a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
George Krashos
Okay, why?
Advocating the merits of this one:

It's obviously an attempt to shift away from constantly using the Realms as little more than a stage for half-immortal godlike world-shattering NPCs. Common struggles of common people (not to mention the uncommon heroes and villains) can emerge and define the landscape not unlike the million stars in the sky which are unseen in the blinding glare of the sun.

And it throws the players off balance. A firm statement that canon-be-damned and this-is-my-Realms right from the outset. Complacent players overstuffed with out-of-game knowledge beware.

[/Ayrik]
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Ayrik
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Canada
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Posted - 18 Jan 2015 :  20:54:37  Show Profile Send Ayrik a Private Message  Reply with Quote
To be fair, though, epic bad boys like Manshoon and Szass Tam need to be neutralized just as their epic Good-aligned counterparts were. Unless the intent is to create a tragic dark fantasy setting dominated by an endless theme of Good-vs-Evil, a setting where Evil generally prevails.

[/Ayrik]
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combatmedic
Senior Scribe

USA
428 Posts

Posted - 18 Jan 2015 :  21:35:36  Show Profile Send combatmedic a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik

To be fair, though, epic bad boys like Manshoon and Szass Tam need to be neutralized just as their epic Good-aligned counterparts were. Unless the intent is to create a tragic dark fantasy setting dominated by an endless theme of Good-vs-Evil, a setting where Evil generally prevails.



Szass Tam isn't mentioned in the Gray Box, is he?

EDIT, by way of explanation-
I need to figure out a way to read this disc with my Paizo downloads, if the darned things isn't corrupt/wrecked. I'd like to look in some of the early supplements again.



I might take out Manshoon. I've done so in previous games (also killing off Elminster and some other 'big names').
Then again, in Gray Box he's listed as a 16th level magic-user. Compare that with Elminster at 26th level or Khelbun at "26+th" (I'm not sure if that's a typo or it means he's 26th or somewhere higher).He looks like a major villain, but not one who is so powerful that he can just walk over all opposition. I wouldn't call him ""epic" in the way I'd refer to Elminster. There's a ten level gap, and that looks significant to me.
But you may be referring to Manshoon as presented in later books, perhaps? Did he gain levels and power?











YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :)

Edited by - combatmedic on 18 Jan 2015 22:44:49
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combatmedic
Senior Scribe

USA
428 Posts

Posted - 18 Jan 2015 :  21:36:23  Show Profile Send combatmedic a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by combatmedic

quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik

To be fair, though, epic bad boys like Manshoon and Szass Tam need to be neutralized just as their epic Good-aligned counterparts were. Unless the intent is to create a tragic dark fantasy setting dominated by an endless theme of Good-vs-Evil, a setting where Evil generally prevails.



Szass Tam isn't mentioned in the Gray Box, is he?
If I did decide to remove him, I could use the Simbul to do that, before she is killed.



I might take out Manshoon.
Then again, in Gray Box he's listed as a 16th level magic-user. Compare that with Elminster at 26th level or Khelbun at "26+th" (I'm not sure if that's a typo or it means he's 26th or somewhere higher).He looks like a major villain, but not one who is so powerful that he can just walk over all opposition. I wouldn't call him ""epic" in the way I'd refer to Elminster. There's a ten level gap, and that looks significant to me.
But you may be referring to Manshoon as presented in later books, perhaps? Did he gain levels and power?

Are you referring to something besides levels and personal power? Politics? Allies and connections?













YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :)

Edited by - combatmedic on 18 Jan 2015 21:37:44
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore

USA
1853 Posts

Posted - 18 Jan 2015 :  21:59:34  Show Profile  Visit xaeyruudh's Homepage Send xaeyruudh a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik

It's obviously an attempt to shift away from constantly using the Realms as little more than a stage for half-immortal godlike world-shattering NPCs. Common struggles of common people (not to mention the uncommon heroes and villains) can emerge and define the landscape not unlike the million stars in the sky which are unseen in the blinding glare of the sun.


Offhand, the only times I can recall the Realms being a stage for godlike NPCs breaking the setting were the TOT and the return of Shade. Perhaps the rise of the Abolethic Sovereignty. Offing Mystra.

If Elminster is breaking your world, you are without question or exception "doin it wrong." If Alustriel is a problem... *tosses hands up and shakes head.*


quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik

And it throws the players off balance. A firm statement that canon-be-damned and this-is-my-Realms right from the outset. Complacent players overstuffed with out-of-game knowledge beware.



This, I can support, but player knowledge of NPCs is irrelevant in-game anyway, because the DM is in control of who plays a role in the adventure. The only time NPCs are a problem (regardless of their level) is when you voluntarily make them a problem.
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Fellfire
Master of Realmslore

1965 Posts

Posted - 18 Jan 2015 :  22:04:30  Show Profile Send Fellfire a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I like it. It's FR, but..not. And of course I'm a big fan of Ol' Moldy Mouth. Is this a table-top game, combatmedic, or something you will be running virtually? Either way I look forward to updates as your story progresses.

Misanthorpe

Love is a lie. Only hate endures. Light is blinding. Only in darkness do we see clearly.

"Oh, you think darkness is your ally? You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but.. blinding. The shadows betray you because they belong to me." - Bane The Dark Knight Rises

Green Dragonscale Dice Bag by Crystalsidyll - check it out

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combatmedic
Senior Scribe

USA
428 Posts

Posted - 18 Jan 2015 :  22:16:17  Show Profile Send combatmedic a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik

quote:
George Krashos
Okay, why?
Advocating the merits of this one:

It's obviously an attempt to shift away from constantly using the Realms as little more than a stage for half-immortal godlike world-shattering NPCs. Common struggles of common people (not to mention the uncommon heroes and villains) can emerge and define the landscape not unlike the million stars in the sky which are unseen in the blinding glare of the sun.

And it throws the players off balance. A firm statement that canon-be-damned and this-is-my-Realms right from the outset. Complacent players overstuffed with out-of-game knowledge beware.



Yes, that all fits my intent.

I'd like to expand on the last part (with which I fully agree).

In addition to signaling the change from canon to FR fans, I think the NPC deaths and original elements (Yellow Rot) may make the setting more fun and attractive for several players I know who dislike FR. These players dislike the setting for two reasons:

Dislike most of the TSR metaplot

Dislike Elminster and other high profile, branded characters as developed through the game product line and novels


So I roll back to Gray Box era, 1357 DR or so, which nixes later TSR metaplot.
Then, I kill off a handful of extremely high level wizards.
Boom, old setting, made new.

Adding the Yellow Rot brings in Moander, one of my favorite evil gods. It pleases elf-hating players by taking those arrogant elves down a notch.
It may also please elf-loving players by raising the stakes for the elves.


















YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :)
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combatmedic
Senior Scribe

USA
428 Posts

Posted - 18 Jan 2015 :  22:22:53  Show Profile Send combatmedic a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Fellfire

I like it. It's FR, but..not. And of course I'm a big fan of Ol' Moldy Mouth. Is this a table-top game, combatmedic, or something you will be running virtually? Either way I look forward to updates as your story progresses.



I think it would more likely be online than tabletop, given the general preferences of my current group.

But it won't be anytime very soon. School and other RW demands, as well as some other gaming products.

I will update here as time allows if I get something going, or just as I develop notes.




-----------------------------

quote:
Originally posted by Cards77

Feels sort of like Dark Sun to me.




I'm not sure what about it seems like Dark Sun to you, but you've roused my curiosity.

I like Dark Sun pretty well. I recall a fun mini-campaign I ran that involved mercantile PCs.
We used the Dune Trader sourcebook for that one.











YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :)

Edited by - combatmedic on 18 Jan 2015 22:43:20
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore

Australia
6666 Posts

Posted - 19 Jan 2015 :  00:28:16  Show Profile Send George Krashos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by combatmedic

quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos

Okay, why?

-- George Krashos



Why, what?

I'd love to answer, but I need a more specific question.




Why have you got 'bad things' happening to all the 'goodies' in the Realms? What about the 'baddies'?

-- George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus
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hobbitfan
Learned Scribe

USA
164 Posts

Posted - 19 Jan 2015 :  00:35:44  Show Profile Send hobbitfan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I had a similar reaction to that of George. It seems like you are picking on the famous good guys.
Rather than say all this horrible stuff happened to them why not just say they aren't importnat in your campaign?
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combatmedic
Senior Scribe

USA
428 Posts

Posted - 19 Jan 2015 :  01:31:11  Show Profile Send combatmedic a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by hobbitfan

I had a similar reaction to that of George. It seems like you are picking on the famous good guys.
Rather than say all this horrible stuff happened to them why not just say they aren't importnat in your campaign?



I bumped off the Knights of Myth Drannor for a number of reasons:

I might use Shadowdale in a game, and I like the idea of a deceased party of famous local heroes as a recent historical element. They might inspire new local heroes.

It helps explain the Simbul's descent into madness, because she loses two of her sisters.

I like Whisper, as described in the Gray Box. I may keep him alive.

The political situation in the Dales changes somewhat with them out of the picture. That interests me.


---------

As for the rest, I simply killed off anybody listed at over 20th level. They all happen to be allied or connected, good aligned or neutral with good tendencies, and wizards. That's the way Greenwood and company wrote the Gray Box material.
None of the evil NPCs listed in the Gray Box are over 16th level, IIRC.

I don't know what level Alustriel was given in AD&D 1e. she's not listed in the Gray Box. She is mentioned, though.

Call hers a bonus death.

"Horrible stuff" can happen to anybody.






















YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :)

Edited by - combatmedic on 19 Jan 2015 01:33:23
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combatmedic
Senior Scribe

USA
428 Posts

Posted - 19 Jan 2015 :  01:37:35  Show Profile Send combatmedic a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos

quote:
Originally posted by combatmedic

quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos

Okay, why?

-- George Krashos



Why, what?

I'd love to answer, but I need a more specific question.




Why have you got 'bad things' happening to all the 'goodies' in the Realms? What about the 'baddies'?

-- George Krashos



Got any bad guys over 20th level?

:)







YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :)
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore

Australia
6666 Posts

Posted - 19 Jan 2015 :  01:40:09  Show Profile Send George Krashos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Compare your decisions with the balance presented in the "Current Events" section of the Ol' Grey Box with various competing interests, shades of grey, external forces like the Flight of Dragons impacting on everyone, etc. With your eliminations, there is nothing to stop the Zhents from steamrolling the Dales - unless of course that is exactly what you want to happen. Have a fun campaign.

-- George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus
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froglegg
Learned Scribe

317 Posts

Posted - 19 Jan 2015 :  02:23:56  Show Profile Send froglegg a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Alright combatmedic!

Now that's what Mr. Greenwood ment by making the Realms your own.




John

Long live Alias and Dragonbait! Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb the Realms need you more then ever!

On my word as a sage nothing within these pages is false, but not all of it may prove to be true. - Elminster of Shadowdale

The Old Grey Box gets better with age!
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combatmedic
Senior Scribe

USA
428 Posts

Posted - 19 Jan 2015 :  02:34:24  Show Profile Send combatmedic a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos

Compare your decisions with the balance presented in the "Current Events" section of the Ol' Grey Box with various competing interests, shades of grey, external forces like the Flight of Dragons impacting on everyone, etc. With your eliminations, there is nothing to stop the Zhents from steamrolling the Dales - unless of course that is exactly what you want to happen. Have a fun campaign.

-- George Krashos



Or unless, you know:

Several Dales unite to defeat the Zhents

Cormyr intervenes to keep them out

Sembia intervenes to keep them out

The PCs do the kind of heroic stuff that the fallen Knights of Myth Drannor once did, to keep them out

some combination of the above





---

I'm sure it will be a fun campaign, yes.






YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :)

Edited by - combatmedic on 19 Jan 2015 02:39:53
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combatmedic
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USA
428 Posts

Posted - 19 Jan 2015 :  02:56:27  Show Profile Send combatmedic a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by froglegg

Alright combatmedic!

Now that's what Mr. Greenwood ment by making the Realms your own.




John



It is, indeed! :)

The Gray Box maps are even designed to be customized.

YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :)
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
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Posted - 19 Jan 2015 :  05:18:52  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by combatmedic

Khelbun's death opens up a spot for another Masked Lord in Waterdeep.


Why is this necessary? Khelben himself gave up his Lordship, eventually, and even if he hadn't, we have never been given a complete roster of Lords -- some slots have always been left open for DMs to fill with their own Lords. This fact was part of the basis of my own Lords of Waterdeep project.

Additionally, despite his involvement with the Harpers, Khelben is neutrally-aligned. He generally acts for the betterment of all, but he's not above working with bad guys to achieve his ends -- like when he stole an artifact from the Harpers to give to Fzoul Chembryl.

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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
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Posted - 19 Jan 2015 :  05:26:10  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by combatmedic

Szass Tam isn't mentioned in the Gray Box, is he?


Not sure why it matters... But yes, he is mentioned in there.

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combatmedic
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USA
428 Posts

Posted - 19 Jan 2015 :  06:00:34  Show Profile Send combatmedic a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

quote:
Originally posted by combatmedic

Khelbun's death opens up a spot for another Masked Lord in Waterdeep.


Why is this necessary? Khelben himself gave up his Lordship, eventually, and even if he hadn't, we have never been given a complete roster of Lords -- some slots have always been left open for DMs to fill with their own Lords. This fact was part of the basis of my own Lords of Waterdeep project.

Additionally, despite his involvement with the Harpers, Khelben is neutrally-aligned. He generally acts for the betterment of all, but he's not above working with bad guys to achieve his ends -- like when he stole an artifact from the Harpers to give to Fzoul Chembryl.



Sounds cool-- for your campaign.


YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :)
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
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Posted - 19 Jan 2015 :  06:10:45  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by combatmedic

quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

quote:
Originally posted by combatmedic

Khelbun's death opens up a spot for another Masked Lord in Waterdeep.


Why is this necessary? Khelben himself gave up his Lordship, eventually, and even if he hadn't, we have never been given a complete roster of Lords -- some slots have always been left open for DMs to fill with their own Lords. This fact was part of the basis of my own Lords of Waterdeep project.

Additionally, despite his involvement with the Harpers, Khelben is neutrally-aligned. He generally acts for the betterment of all, but he's not above working with bad guys to achieve his ends -- like when he stole an artifact from the Harpers to give to Fzoul Chembryl.



Sounds cool-- for your campaign.





That's all canon material... But either way, my point remains: it's not necessary to remove Khelben to open up a Lordship, because there were already slots left open for DMs to fill.

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combatmedic
Senior Scribe

USA
428 Posts

Posted - 19 Jan 2015 :  06:11:41  Show Profile Send combatmedic a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

quote:
Originally posted by combatmedic

Szass Tam isn't mentioned in the Gray Box, is he?


Not sure why it matters... But yes, he is mentioned in there.



It matters because I've noted that Gray Box is my primary source, and I've noted that only selected pieces of later books will be used. If he's not listed in the OGB with a level or stats, then I don't have him in a book.

(Apart from most of the OGB, a couple of modules, and some 2E gods books, all my FR stuff is Paizo PDFs on disk. Those are, sadly, not accessible right now. But I'm deliberately not using everything published in later books, anyway.)


I do recall liking Dreams of Red Wizards, though, so if I can recover my PDF from this disc I might use some of it(problem seems to be the reader, actually, so I have hopes...).

YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :)

Edited by - combatmedic on 19 Jan 2015 07:11:09
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combatmedic
Senior Scribe

USA
428 Posts

Posted - 19 Jan 2015 :  06:18:55  Show Profile Send combatmedic a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

quote:
Originally posted by combatmedic

quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

quote:
Originally posted by combatmedic

Khelbun's death opens up a spot for another Masked Lord in Waterdeep.


Why is this necessary? Khelben himself gave up his Lordship, eventually, and even if he hadn't, we have never been given a complete roster of Lords -- some slots have always been left open for DMs to fill with their own Lords. This fact was part of the basis of my own Lords of Waterdeep project.

Additionally, despite his involvement with the Harpers, Khelben is neutrally-aligned. He generally acts for the betterment of all, but he's not above working with bad guys to achieve his ends -- like when he stole an artifact from the Harpers to give to Fzoul Chembryl.



Sounds cool-- for your campaign.





That's all canon material... But either way, my point remains: it's not necessary to remove Khelben to open up a Lordship, because there were already slots left open for DMs to fill.



It's not all canon in my game because it's not all laid out in the Gray Box. And, as you'll note, I've made some changes even to the OGB material.


EDIT- I think you might be a bit confused by one of my posts. That's no doubt my fault; I may not have provided enough context.
I wasn't writing that I killed Khelben in order to open a slot for a Masked Lord.
Nope.
That particular comment in my second post was a note about possible in-game ramifications of his demise.


I apologize if I was unclear about any of this earlier.

And thanks for the canon-lore checks.

I'm using a smaller subset of canon, and playing fast and loose with it in some way, but I still appreciate any input you have to give.

Thanks.






YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :)

Edited by - combatmedic on 19 Jan 2015 07:36:14
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