Forgotten Realms Reboot for My Campaign

[Demiurge]

In my upcoming FR C&C campaign I'm going to rewind the time line back to right after the Time of Troubles. This will allow me to present a reason why some magic is gone or works different than the D&D versions my players are used to.

The big difference will that the events did not unfold as they did in the novels and that the resultant pantheon shakeup results in fewer gods. I'm still not which ones I'm going to keep. Some will die or be banished, some will be "demoted" to demi-god or saint/hero status. 4e did something similar, so I'll mine that for ideas.

Planar travel will be severely limited. Wild magic areas, dead magic areas, (un)natural disasters, oh yeah! All good stuff.

I'm also going to remove a lot of the high level NPCs (Elminster, I'm looking at you!), which creates a power vacuum resulting in civil wars, national boundaries being redrawn, and general havok.

I'm hopeful that the new dark age will get the players more invested in the setting. We've never done a nation building story arch and this would be a perfect opportunity for it.

[concobar]

Sounds fun.

[Breakdaddy]

Yeah sounds pretty cool. Removing Elminster, Drizzt, et al is pretty much my first order of business when I launch an FR campaign.

[Treebore]

I have never felt a need to remove the high level guys from FR, but then again I have played such high level games and know first hand why they aren't doing more in the world around them. They are busy, usually on worlds most aren't even aware exists. They can also go to worlds where time progress' differently. Like one world we were on one year passed on FR for every day we were on the other world.

I used to play with the gods missing. I found I missed them because the gods not only fulfilled needed portfolios, but also added supporting role play elements to those who worshiped them. So in the long run even switching the portfolio to other gods didn't help because they didn't convey the same role play elements the original god did.

[Treebore]

Also, to be clear on my over all opinion, I am all for ignoring canon however much you need to in order to make it work for yourself and your group.

[Demiurge]

Also, to be clear on my over all opinion, I am all for ignoring canon however much you need to in order to make it work for yourself and your group.

Understood.

I just think there are a few too many gods in FR BtB. Especially when you factor in the regional gods in Chult and Maztica. And of course all the demi-human gods.

As for the high-level NPCs, its more of a "what if" exercise.

[Treebore]

Just remember there are thousands upon thousands of gods in our own real world. So I look at the variety in FR as being very realistic, and they too help make a different culture feel even more different.

To illustrate, think about the Egyptian gods and how they make you think and feel, then think of the Roman gods, and their forefathers, the Greek gods. Your saying to get rid of that.