if I wanted to imply an elvish blade was old – like, elves-just-stepped-on-to-Toril – what might it look like? It might be very thin/slender (nigh-triangular cross-section), and very long (4 feet+) but light, the blade "whippy" flexible, built around what's almost a wire so it won't readily snap. With a guard fashioned of stiffened wire to look like wild tree branches.#Realmslore
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) August 26, 2020
Thinking about writing Salvage Missions, I had a lore question though. Are Warforged capable of coming back as standard ghosts? Under 3.5 rules, warforged couldn’t become ghosts because “ghost” was a template that didn’t apply to constructs. Under 5E rules there’s to such restrictions. I’d personally make it rare and unusual, but as Shawn says, do what makes a good story.
— Keith Baker (@HellcowKeith) June 7, 2020
In Cormyr, are there any holy days/festivals/events that take place every year in each hamlet/towns? If you please. 1)
Yes, there are, but they vary from place to place according to local lifestyles and which faiths are strongly represented (e.g. by a temple or shrine). There are also the very widespread, known-to-all annual seasonal festivals accompanying spring, harvest, …#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 26, 2020
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…etc. (see p77 of the 3e FORGOTTEN REALMS CAMPAIGN SETTING tome, or my original Calendar of Harptos article in DRAGON, or the same thing in the 2e Realms boxed set).#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 26, 2020
Leira (goddess of deception) intends NO difference, so as to steal power, but Lliirans linger on the L ("LullullullEARah") to make it different from "LEERah."#Realmslore
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) June 26, 2020
How does the whole process of taking care of a dead body work in Waterdeep (say, someone killed on the streets)? Contact local temple? Depends. (If finder/perpetrator wants the death hidden or not.) If no one's trying to hide the body, the Watch is always called, and makes a report (cause, identity, precise location found, conjectures/witnesses). Then to temple for autopsy unless magic suspected (to Castle…
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 12, 2018
Depends on the time (Realmsdate) when the death occurs: the Plinth in most cases, if at a time when it is flourishing. Failing that, usually the closest temple, unless a priest present when the Watch is examining makes an offer (of their in-city temple) to the Watch.#Realmslore
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) August 5, 2020
@TheEdVerse Hi, I have been researching Valkur, and was curious of the origin of his name. Do you happen to know it's origin? The other sages, Eric Boyd & Jeff Grubb did not know. Valkur happens to be Hungarian for Valkyrie, and am now curious of any connection there. Thanks.
— PaydenKP (@KpPayden) July 4, 2020
2)
1)
Back in the 1970s, when playing D&D with September as my DM, I created Vulkur, a Breckenridge Elkins-like amiable meat-mountain barbarian, bewildered by civilized ways but a faithful sword-brother to his adventuring companions. After September died, we ended that campaign by imagining all of our PCs literally sailing off to new adventures (offstage). One fellow player joked that Vulkur likely drowned, when his ship sank in a fierce storm at sea.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) July 4, 2020
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I did NOT want that fate, so I imagined he sailed into the Realms, across the planes, and a deity there saw his ship safely to a far shore. That deity I named “Valkur” as an echo of Vulkur, and in memory of dear September. #Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) July 4, 2020
When writing (or editing) game rules, please write "If you do [thing], you can then do [this other thing] only in [this way]." not "If you do [cool thing], you can't do [this other thing], except [this thing that is literally that other thing]." The latter construction is…🙃
— Chris S. Sims -soon- Zine Quest 2 (@ChrisSSims) December 21, 2019
If you have the 5e Player's Handbook, see Casting Time and Bonus Action on page 202 for an example of 🙃construction. That whole graf is a doozy, since it's also got dross re bonus actions. If you want further examples, happy to oblige if asked.
— Chris S. Sims -soon- Zine Quest 2 (@ChrisSSims) December 22, 2019
Hey @TheEdVerse , if you had to pick your top 5 publications that had an abundance of knowledge/lore useful to newer DMs(trying to catch up) running games in the Forgotten Realms, what would those be? There's so much content sometimes its hard to know where to start.
— Michael Butler (@thembutler) June 6, 2020
1)
I get asked this a lot, and the answer depends on where (geographically) you are setting your games, and their nature (urban, wilderness, underground). The Sword Coast Adventurers Guide is your 5e baseline, but for more depth and wider geographical coverage, I’d.. 2)
…add the 3e core book, the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting hardcover; it's the largest and most comprehensive overview Realms fact-guide published. To it, I'd add EdGreenwoodPresentsElminster'sForgottenRealms for details of life in the Realms, and then the…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) June 6, 2020
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…2e Forgotten Realms Adventures hardback for a broad city overview.
Then decide where you want to adventure: the various 5e super-adventures provide the best up-to-date coverage of places (for example, Storm King’s Thunder covers the 5e Sword Coast North), and.. 4)
…if I did a 2e Volo's Guide to an area you want to use, grab it! Then decide the nature of interests: 2e Cloak & Dagger if you want shadowy organizations and intrigue, 3e Lost Empires of Faerun if you want old ruins to explore, and so on.
Then go to the FR wiki to look up…— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) June 6, 2020
5)
…specific things. All entries have their published sources at the bottom (the footnote citations lead there) and that will show you which specific books, adventures, and magazine articles covered the elements you want. Anything not covered? Ask me!#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) June 6, 2020
