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Kuje
Great Reader

USA
7915 Posts

Posted - 10 Apr 2006 :  17:02:40  Show Profile Send Kuje a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Purple Dragon Knight posted this on a different thread here on Candlekeep.

"To Eric or Ed (through THO):

I know this is a last minute question, as I would need the answer within the next 10 hours (i.e. I am DMing the next instalment of my campaign tonight, 7pm Eastern Time), so I will completely understand if this comes later, and will adapt my game accordingly.

Basically, I looked into the Law section of City of Splendors to find out what kind of sentences could result of the improper use of magic in the streets of Waterdeep. Basically, a chimera broke loose of a cage, which was part of a menagerie headed towards the Field of Triumph. Of course, the PCs stepped in front of the crowd to protect them. The wizard, not so much... and while staying behind the crowd, flung an ice storm at the chimera, aiming the best he could through the gaps offered by the moving crowd. Turns out that due to the poor visibility, he did not notice three circus folks surrounding the chimera from the other side, wielding long poking sticks. They froze to death when the maximized ice storm materialized on the chimera, them and the front part of a shop.

What would be the sentence for such an act, keeping in mind that dozens of witnesses gave statements to the City Watch, and keeping in mind that the menagerie owner did NOT press charge or complain against the PCs?"

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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Nynshari
Acolyte

17 Posts

Posted - 11 Apr 2006 :  22:52:42  Show Profile  Visit Nynshari's Homepage Send Nynshari a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Mr. Boyd:

I got really jammed up and haven't had the time to post until now. If you have the time, would you mind answering the following questions for me? There's no rush - anytime in the next 2 weeks or so would be fine. If you don't have the time, or can only answer some of them, that's okay, too.

Thank you in advance for any help that you can give me.

Alright, here they are:

Some questions about deities. I've been told that you did most of the work on the deity end. Some of the deities are intentional copies of earth deities, in that they came from earth to Faerun, while others appear to be copies but are not said to have come from earth but rather have their home cosmology as that of Toril (please excuse my terminology if it is wrong). Regarding the latter group, were they intentionally modeled or was their similarity accidental, in general, but especially regarding the following deities:
Mask/Vhaeraun/Lolth - Loki
Umberlee - Poseidon/Neptune
Eilistraee - Artemis
Erevan Ilesere - Hermes

For any of the above that were intentionally modeled, in terms of culture and hero myths separately, were they modeled due to:
the popularity of the deities with the public, or
because those deities were common knowledge, or
because those deities were obscure knowledge, or
any combination of the above?
If not any of the above, can you offer a different explanation?

Is there a significance to deities which were not chosen to be modeled, for example:
because they were not popular with the public, or
because they were too common knowledge, or
because they were too obscure knowledge, or
any combination of the above?
If not any of the above, can you offer a different explanation?

Thank you in advance for any help that you can give, and if you are unable to help, I understand and say thanks anyway!

Nynshari

Nynshari

Chaos is Life
Chaos is Creativity
Chaos is the Essence of Our Souls
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Kuje
Great Reader

USA
7915 Posts

Posted - 11 Apr 2006 :  23:33:01  Show Profile Send Kuje a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Well,

Lloth and Erevan were created in 1e or earlier for core D&D.

Elistraee and her brother were created by Ed, so you might want to ask him about them. However, he tries to not base material for FR on RL things. I'd say the same for Mask and Umberlee since he created them as well, as far as I know.

Furthermore, those deities are just based on archtypes and there's thousands of deities from Earth that are like them, which is why they are archtypes. :)

Edit: Er, I see you did ask Ed after all. :)

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

Edited by - Kuje on 11 Apr 2006 23:35:10
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer

USA
2067 Posts

Posted - 12 Apr 2006 :  03:28:40  Show Profile  Visit ericlboyd's Homepage Send ericlboyd a Private Message  Reply with Quote
So, the quick and easy answer is go read Ed's article from Dragon #54 entitled "Down to Earth Divinity" or something like that.

Most of your questions should be answered by that article. Note, there are some "in game explanations" that have been constructed after the fact, but they are not complete (yet).

--Eric


--
http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/
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Nynshari
Acolyte

17 Posts

Posted - 12 Apr 2006 :  18:56:53  Show Profile  Visit Nynshari's Homepage Send Nynshari a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Thanks to both Kuje and Mr. Boyd

Nynshari

Nynshari

Chaos is Life
Chaos is Creativity
Chaos is the Essence of Our Souls
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11830 Posts

Posted - 12 Apr 2006 :  21:14:11  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Ok, my question for you Eric is this. I know you're busy working, so how in the Barrens of Doom and Despair do you find the time to do such a good job on this stuff? P.S. good job on Powers of Faerun (what I've had a chance to look at).

Phillip aka Sleyvas

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer

USA
2067 Posts

Posted - 12 Apr 2006 :  22:44:38  Show Profile  Visit ericlboyd's Homepage Send ericlboyd a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas

Ok, my question for you Eric is this. I know you're busy working, so how in the Barrens of Doom and Despair do you find the time to do such a good job on this stuff? P.S. good job on Powers of Faerun (what I've had a chance to look at).

Phillip aka Sleyvas



I write for fun. I remember Realmslore for fun. I enjoy untangling Realmsore conundrums. Discontinuities in Realmslore really bug me. In other words, the way I relax is to write about the Realms. In other words, every second of every day not spent on family or "real work" is spent thinking about my current writing project. While I don't have too much time to do the actual writing, when I do get to sit down I've usually got several paragraphs planned out in my head.

--Eric

--
http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36805 Posts

Posted - 17 Apr 2006 :  03:50:09  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Eric, I've a question for you... In 2E, the spell glassee had various options for how the transparency of the object worked:

quote:
The wizard can opt to make the glassee work only for himself for the duration of the spell, or he can actually make a transparent area, a one-way window, in the material affected.


In the City of Splendors: Waterdeep sourcebook, the spell is attributed to Trobriand, and the description is shortened to say it simply makes something transparent. Does the caster still have the options he had in 2E, or does glassee make the object be two-way transparent for anyone who sees it? I ask because this spell works nicely for an idea I recently had, but not as well if it's not a one-way window.

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Xonzaer
Acolyte

Australia
1 Posts

Posted - 17 Apr 2006 :  11:23:48  Show Profile  Visit Xonzaer's Homepage Send Xonzaer a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Dear Eric
Long time fan.

I have some godly questions for you.
Firstly, under the entry of Ghaunadaur in Demihuman deities, it mentions Gormauth Souldrinker. Any further information of this entity?

What was Vhaerauns portfolio before the descent ?

The Faiths and Avatars mentions that Tyr had a predesessor. Who is this ?
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer

USA
2067 Posts

Posted - 21 Apr 2006 :  14:05:06  Show Profile  Visit ericlboyd's Homepage Send ericlboyd a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Xonzaer

Dear Eric
Long time fan.


Glad to be of service.
quote:

I have some godly questions for you.
Firstly, under the entry of Ghaunadaur in Demihuman deities, it mentions Gormauth Souldrinker. Any further information of this entity?


I'm blanking on where this alternate name first came from. Maybe George can remember the reference. It's possible it was just mentioned in the original write-up of Ghaunadaur in Drow of the Underdark.

In any event, I've always thought that far more humans worship Ghaunadaur in the guise of Gormauth Souldrinker than as Ghaunadaur directly. In other words, its a human racial alias suggesting that Gormauth Souldrinker might have been a human deity absorbed (drunk?) but Ghauandaur in ages past.

quote:
What was Vhaerauns portfolio before the descent ?


Doublecheck if I wrote anything in Demihuman Deities or if Elaine wrote anything in Evermeet: Empire of the Elves. If not, I'd suggest he was a god of shadows / thieves, perhaps overlapping with Erevan.

quote:
The Faiths and Avatars mentions that Tyr had a predesessor. Who is this ?



Anachtyr (sp?), an earlier Calishite incarnation.

--Eric

--
http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer

USA
2067 Posts

Posted - 21 Apr 2006 :  14:06:22  Show Profile  Visit ericlboyd's Homepage Send ericlboyd a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

Eric, I've a question for you... In 2E, the spell glassee had various options for how the transparency of the object worked:

quote:
The wizard can opt to make the glassee work only for himself for the duration of the spell, or he can actually make a transparent area, a one-way window, in the material affected.


In the City of Splendors: Waterdeep sourcebook, the spell is attributed to Trobriand, and the description is shortened to say it simply makes something transparent. Does the caster still have the options he had in 2E, or does glassee make the object be two-way transparent for anyone who sees it? I ask because this spell works nicely for an idea I recently had, but not as well if it's not a one-way window.



My reading would be two-way transparency in 3.5e. If this bothers you, assume Trobiand's version is two-way, but an unattributed one-way version exists as well.

--Eric

--
http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36805 Posts

Posted - 21 Apr 2006 :  17:34:34  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd

quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

Eric, I've a question for you... In 2E, the spell glassee had various options for how the transparency of the object worked:

quote:
The wizard can opt to make the glassee work only for himself for the duration of the spell, or he can actually make a transparent area, a one-way window, in the material affected.


In the City of Splendors: Waterdeep sourcebook, the spell is attributed to Trobriand, and the description is shortened to say it simply makes something transparent. Does the caster still have the options he had in 2E, or does glassee make the object be two-way transparent for anyone who sees it? I ask because this spell works nicely for an idea I recently had, but not as well if it's not a one-way window.



My reading would be two-way transparency in 3.5e. If this bothers you, assume Trobiand's version is two-way, but an unattributed one-way version exists as well.

--Eric



Alright. I'll say the spell is a variant of Trobriand's version. Thanks!

Candlekeep Forums Moderator

Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore

Australia
6666 Posts

Posted - 22 Apr 2006 :  01:04:18  Show Profile Send George Krashos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Eric is right, the reference to "Gormauth Souldrinker" is from "Drow of the Underdark".

-- George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader

USA
5402 Posts

Posted - 23 Apr 2006 :  04:18:20  Show Profile  Visit KnightErrantJR's Homepage Send KnightErrantJR a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Eric, a few questions if you would . . .



1. I wrote up a slightly altered setup for the Age of Worms using your conversion notes for Daggerford. I have a natural "gap" in the campaign, after the PCs go the the Whispering Cairn for the second time, that allows them to "set right" everything that was changed for the Age of Worms conversion before they move on to the high level section of the campaign.

http://www.candlekeep.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6653

What I was wondering is how the Lady Bronwyn would react to being tipped off by the Moonstars. I assumed that there wouldn't be a big problem, but I was wondering, if she was under the care of the Moonstars until the real culprits came forth, would she be swayed to join them? Would they even care to recruit her?


2. Because I like the idea of Greyhawk and Toril having cross polinated each other in ages past due to portals and the like, I am thinking of modifying slightly the Kyuss origin you presented. I am thinking of having another necromancer ascend to demigodhood, and Jergal begins his plan using this unfortunate new godling from Chult, but when Kyuss' worship is brought to the Realms, Kyuss destroys and subsumes this new deity, binding himself to the plan that Jergal has put in place. The problem is, I'm a little rocky on why he would do this if the demigod was already trapped.

Also, is there any reason Ao might not have allowed Kyuss to manifest from Greyhawk to do this deed that you can think of.



By the way, those conversion notes for the Age of Worms are awesome, and they keep giving me ideas even outside of the AP. Thanks!

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Uzzy
Senior Scribe

United Kingdom
618 Posts

Posted - 25 Apr 2006 :  02:31:04  Show Profile  Visit Uzzy's Homepage Send Uzzy a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Hello Eric. :)

Ive been looking for information about the Scarlet Mummers, the Lliiran Assassins, seeing as im playing a Lliiran right now who could suit them well, but information about them seems rather scarce.

As the only place they seem to get mentioned is Faiths and Pantheons, It was suggested that I ask you if you have any more information about them.

Thanks in advance. :)
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore

Canada
1796 Posts

Posted - 25 Apr 2006 :  20:14:02  Show Profile Send Purple Dragon Knight a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Hi Eric,

I am currently building a cohort for one of my players using the "Merchant Princess" PrC (yes, she is a gnomish she).

I was wondering if you would see, from a game balance point of view, a problem with swapping the skill and feat prereq. slightly, like so:

1. Replace "Profession(merchant): 8 ranks" and "SkillFocus(merchant)"; for

2. Appropriate primary skill (craft or profession, depending on the business, as per DMG2) of the character's business, i.e. "Profession/Craft(X): 8 ranks" and "SkillFocus(X)"

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
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TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer

USA
971 Posts

Posted - 25 Apr 2006 :  21:33:05  Show Profile Send TomCosta a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Hi folks. I'm back from a sunny trip to Afghanistan and checking in on posts from the last 3 weeks or so. If I missed one, please repost, but to answer the one below, see below. Best,
Tom Costa

****************
Hi Eric,

In some FR Gods Past & Present research I came across Tom Coasta's "Prestige in the Realms" rather fluff-filled prestige class pdf on your website.

The details I'd been looking for, on the Untheric pantheon, under his Untheric Gods-Ensi PrC, were a fascinating read - the first time any of the history of the Untheric pantheon had been clearly detailed. A really great read, I loved the descriptions of Zigguraxus, but one problem...

After confirming the deaths of the gods constantly reiterated in Realms products to be just that - dead from the Orcsgate War - the text in the divine realm section goes on to treat Girru, Ki, Nanna-Sin, Marduk, Utu, and even Ramman, as alive on their plane (Enlil and Ishtar make sense), and for no apparant other reason say that Nergal and Inanna are "lost" (along with the truly lost Untheric gods).

I was wondering:
1) Any explanation for this?
** Yes. The original mention of the Old Gods in Old Empires noted only the "good"-ish gods. Also the history of the realm, seemed to suggest to me that the people of the Realm would be looking for support from the good gods since the only thing they had to really choose from for years was Gilgeam or Tiamat. So I assumed that Inanna was completely lost to Ishtar who was herself eventually replaced by Isis and that Nergal was completely replaced by Jergal who has more or less been replaced a few times himself. Moreover, that if any vestiges of them were left, they were probably smote by the other gods. (In fact with the invention of vestiges in the Tome of Magic, the Old Gods would all make great vestiges).

2) Are they alive? Can they answer prayers?
** I would say they are truly dead, but they don't have to be.

3) If they're alive in some context (like Auppenser is "alive"?), why aren't they "dead" like Ra, who doesn't seem to reside in Heliopolis according the Player's Guide to Faerûn?
** See above. Also in 2E's Planescape we learned that dead gods float as lifeless soul husks in the Astral protected by none other than Anubis. I would imagine there is such a husk in the Astral for Re/Ra. See 2E's article on Dead Gods in Dragon or the Planescape book on the Astral Plane.

4)What's with the sarcofagi mentioned in Lost Empires of Faerûn, then? (I do realise this was written before that product).
** Refresh my memory. I placed the sarcophagi in Zigguraxus to denote the various dead and not-quite dead gods.

** Hope that helps.

** Best, Tom
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore

USA
1537 Posts

Posted - 25 Apr 2006 :  21:59:21  Show Profile  Visit Jamallo Kreen's Homepage Send Jamallo Kreen a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Well met, Eric!

I posted a question a few weeks ago on Ed's scroll for which you would certainly be an appropriate person to provide input: just what (besides uber-traps and clerical "ancient dead"), would PCs likely encounter in the actual tombs of some of the dead eastern gods? For instance, would there likely be artifacts in them, or would the priests have kept those? Would there likely be inscriptions with information about the good old days in Egypt and Mesopotamia on Old Earth?


(Seeing Tom Costa's post immediately above this, I would like to suggest a prestige class for Toril that would be up both your alleys: the archaeologist/explorer. Such people do exist in Faerun, hunting up lost libraries and sunken cities and such, but I haven't seen an effective PrC for them yet.)




I have a mouth, but I am in a library and must not scream.


Feed the poor and stroke your ego, too: http://www.freerice.com/index.php.


Edited by - Jamallo Kreen on 25 Apr 2006 22:17:12
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Dargoth
Great Reader

Australia
4607 Posts

Posted - 25 Apr 2006 :  23:08:54  Show Profile  Visit Dargoth's Homepage Send Dargoth a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Eric is there any reason why Lara Idogyr (Female Half Elf Cleric of Mystra) doesnt appear in the Church of Mystra write up in the 3.5 CoS? She appears in the Old 2ed version of CoS (Im looking to flesh out Church of Mystra in Waterdeep particularly those oppossed to Meleghost)

Also any thoughts on how Liam Sunmist (High Priest of Lathander's Temple in Daggerford) views Daelgoth's Risen Sun Heresy.

Just noticed in the Order of the Sun Soul write up in 3.5 CoS Hronkil Elgredsson is written up as a LN Paladin does this mean hes Fallen Paladin?

“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”

Emperor Sigismund

"Its good to be the King!"

Mel Brooks
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Firhyanda
Learned Scribe

USA
108 Posts

Posted - 04 May 2006 :  15:02:11  Show Profile  Visit Firhyanda's Homepage Send Firhyanda a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Eric Great web enhancement:

As a DM I enjoy the privilege of running between one and four games of D&D a week for various game groups and in various campaign settings. I just had the chance to read your second Waterdeep web enhancement Environs and was once agene astounded at the depth and breath of your knowledge and imagination as well as you’re skill as a writer. I truly enjoy my Waterdeep campaign every Friday night it’s a chance for me to get together with my friends once more and escape for a time to a different realm. We are all in our forties now and it’s hard to come up with the time and energy necessary to run a campaign. The writing is a vary time consuming labor of love for me, web enhancements like Environs really help me write a good game thanks so much. The difference between weather I can write a good game or a great game is attention to detail environs helps with that. Can you imagine a set of circumstances which would cause there to be a Halfling noble house in Waterdeep?
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer

USA
2067 Posts

Posted - 04 May 2006 :  17:46:28  Show Profile  Visit ericlboyd's Homepage Send ericlboyd a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Firhyanda

Eric Great web enhancement:

As a DM I enjoy the privilege of running between one and four games of D&D a week for various game groups and in various campaign settings. I just had the chance to read your second Waterdeep web enhancement Environs and was once agene astounded at the depth and breath of your knowledge and imagination as well as you’re skill as a writer. I truly enjoy my Waterdeep campaign every Friday night it’s a chance for me to get together with my friends once more and escape for a time to a different realm. We are all in our forties now and it’s hard to come up with the time and energy necessary to run a campaign. The writing is a vary time consuming labor of love for me, web enhancements like Environs really help me write a good game thanks so much. The difference between weather I can write a good game or a great game is attention to detail environs helps with that. Can you imagine a set of circumstances which would cause there to be a Halfling noble house in Waterdeep?




Glad you found it helpful. That's what makes it fun to write. ;-)

Waterdeep's nobility has a very firmly established bias towards humanity. We know from Elaine's writings and CoS [2e] that they don't even like families to acknowledge half-elf bastards. We know from an old Polyhedron article that natural lycanthropes are not allowed as well. I've worked in a few half-dragons and snake blooded houses in upcoming products and the last web enhancement, but such "pollution" is definitely on the side.

So, given the resistance to part-humans, I'd say a non-human noble house is impossible.

That said, I could easily see a noble halfling house living in Waterdeep. They would be acknowledged by the Lords of Waterdeep as a Waterdhavian noble clan, but they might be recognized 'foreign nobles', e.g. descendants from the halfling duke of Phalorm or the halfing royals of long-fallen Mieritin.

--Eric

--
http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer

USA
2067 Posts

Posted - 04 May 2006 :  17:49:14  Show Profile  Visit ericlboyd's Homepage Send ericlboyd a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth

Eric is there any reason why Lara Idogyr (Female Half Elf Cleric of Mystra) doesnt appear in the Church of Mystra write up in the 3.5 CoS? She appears in the Old 2ed version of CoS (Im looking to flesh out Church of Mystra in Waterdeep particularly those oppossed to Meleghost)


I think there may have been a reason, but I'm not sure it survived the final cut of the product I'm thinking of. Ask again in a few months.

quote:
Also any thoughts on how Liam Sunmist (High Priest of Lathander's Temple in Daggerford) views Daelgoth's Risen Sun Heresy.


My default answer would be any given cleric of Lathander believes is not a heretic. However, if it works for your campaign, then he certainly could be a heretic. In other words, we're unlikely to identify the philosophical allegiances of any given cleric unless the context clearly calls for it, so do what works best for you.

quote:
Just noticed in the Order of the Sun Soul write up in 3.5 CoS Hronkil Elgredsson is written up as a LN Paladin does this mean hes Fallen Paladin?


That doesn't sound right. I'll have to check when I get home (if I remember).

--Eric
[/quote]

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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer

USA
2067 Posts

Posted - 04 May 2006 :  17:53:41  Show Profile  Visit ericlboyd's Homepage Send ericlboyd a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Jamallo Kreen

Well met, Eric!

I posted a question a few weeks ago on Ed's scroll for which you would certainly be an appropriate person to provide input: just what (besides uber-traps and clerical "ancient dead"), would PCs likely encounter in the actual tombs of some of the dead eastern gods? For instance, would there likely be artifacts in them, or would the priests have kept those?


This is an interesting question.

The obvious answer is that they should be like Egyptian tombs. However, one might speculate that they are almost like "condos made-a stone-o" (sorry, old joke) in cases where an incarnation survives in some form or at least used to. In other words, there might be small temples, quarters for priests, galleries of art appropriate to the deity, etc. There might also be "embarrassing mistakes", such as artifacts or evidence that the god would not have wanted made public. Some of those mistakes are probably monstrosities or magic items.

quote:
Would there likely be inscriptions with information about the good old days in Egypt and Mesopotamia on Old Earth?



I doubt it, but it could certainly be possible if you wanted it to be so.

--Eric

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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer

USA
2067 Posts

Posted - 04 May 2006 :  17:54:50  Show Profile  Visit ericlboyd's Homepage Send ericlboyd a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight

Hi Eric,

I am currently building a cohort for one of my players using the "Merchant Princess" PrC (yes, she is a gnomish she).

I was wondering if you would see, from a game balance point of view, a problem with swapping the skill and feat prereq. slightly, like so:

1. Replace "Profession(merchant): 8 ranks" and "SkillFocus(merchant)"; for

2. Appropriate primary skill (craft or profession, depending on the business, as per DMG2) of the character's business, i.e. "Profession/Craft(X): 8 ranks" and "SkillFocus(X)"

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!



Sounds fine to me. Very balanced.

--Eric

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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer

USA
2067 Posts

Posted - 04 May 2006 :  17:56:03  Show Profile  Visit ericlboyd's Homepage Send ericlboyd a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Uzzy

Hello Eric. :)

Ive been looking for information about the Scarlet Mummers, the Lliiran Assassins, seeing as im playing a Lliiran right now who could suit them well, but information about them seems rather scarce.

As the only place they seem to get mentioned is Faiths and Pantheons, It was suggested that I ask you if you have any more information about them.

Thanks in advance. :)



Nope, sorry, that was Erik Mona.

--Eric

--
http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/
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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore

USA
1537 Posts

Posted - 05 May 2006 :  00:16:00  Show Profile  Visit Jamallo Kreen's Homepage Send Jamallo Kreen a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd

quote:
Originally posted by Jamallo Kreen

Well met, Eric!

... just what ... would PCs likely encounter in the actual tombs of some of the dead eastern gods? For instance, would there likely be artifacts in them, or would the priests have kept those?


This is an interesting question.

The obvious answer is that they should be like Egyptian tombs. However, one might speculate that they are almost like "condos made-a stone-o" (sorry, old joke) in cases where an incarnation survives in some form or at least used to. In other words, there might be small temples, quarters for priests, galleries of art appropriate to the deity, etc. There might also be "embarrassing mistakes", such as artifacts or evidence that the god would not have wanted made public. Some of those mistakes are probably monstrosities or magic items.

(snip)

--Eric



Thanks, Eric. "Embarrassing mistakes".... Oh, yes! My DM juices are flowing already! (And the person waiting to use the computer next is really made about that, for some reason.)


I have a mouth, but I am in a library and must not scream.


Feed the poor and stroke your ego, too: http://www.freerice.com/index.php.

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Foxhelm
Senior Scribe

Canada
592 Posts

Posted - 05 May 2006 :  21:39:04  Show Profile Send Foxhelm a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I am not sure if it's NDA, but will Dragons of Faerun help a person trying to create a half-dragon character in the realms? Like prefered gods, dragon themed character regions or charts that display where which type of half-dragons are more common than usual.

Thanks.

Ed Greenwood! The Solution... and Cause of all the Realms Problems!
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer

USA
2067 Posts

Posted - 06 May 2006 :  01:27:30  Show Profile  Visit ericlboyd's Homepage Send ericlboyd a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Foxhelm

I am not sure if it's NDA, but will Dragons of Faerun help a person trying to create a half-dragon character in the realms? Like prefered gods, dragon themed character regions or charts that display where which type of half-dragons are more common than usual.

Thanks.



Yes to the general question (does it support half-dragon characters at least to some extent), but not necessarily in the ways you list above or might expect.

--Eric

--
http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/
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Skeptic
Master of Realmslore

Canada
1273 Posts

Posted - 07 May 2006 :  17:14:49  Show Profile Send Skeptic a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Hi, a question about Serpent Kingdom..

I don't know if you wrote the "Serpent hills/Backland" part, but I always find a bit strange that creatures like Yuan-Ti/Obsidian/etc.. are living so much "north".

It seems to me that these creatures belong to the jungles not to rocky desert and forests. Like this city in a ravine of the Wyrm's Forest...

Edit : Sorry, I found all these ideas come from El's Ecologies App. 2 so I'll read it carefully and ask Ed.

Edited by - Skeptic on 07 May 2006 18:22:18
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer

USA
2067 Posts

Posted - 07 May 2006 :  18:50:19  Show Profile  Visit ericlboyd's Homepage Send ericlboyd a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Skeptic

Hi, a question about Serpent Kingdom..

I don't know if you wrote the "Serpent hills/Backland" part, but I always find a bit strange that creatures like Yuan-Ti/Obsidian/etc.. are living so much "north".

It seems to me that these creatures belong to the jungles not to rocky desert and forests. Like this city in a ravine of the Wyrm's Forest...

Edit : Sorry, I found all these ideas come from El's Ecologies App. 2 so I'll read it carefully and ask Ed.



Yes, the idea of the yuan-ti living in the Serpent Hills is longstanding Realmslore. In the old gray box, the Serpent Hills were "off limits" (although everyone remembers that promise about Sembia, no one does about the Serpent Hills).

I believe Elminster's Ecologies (I forget the author) placed the yuan-ti in the Serpent Hills, which I agree seems a littl far north. This was then built on VGttSC (Ed) and an early Perilous Portals article (James Wyatt). I took all that backstory and expanded it in Serpent Kingdoms.

--Eric

--
http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/
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