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T O P I C    R E V I E W
scererar Posted - 19 Jun 2006 : 05:15:25
well met my fellow scribes and sages of the realms.

In looking at a number of newer scribes to this site and a lot of questions asked about material. I thought I would try my hand at a poll.

If you had to choose just one sourcebook to go along with the FRCS, which in your opinion, would be the most useful REALMS sourcebook, that you have encountered to date and why. (I will keep this to the current edition). I ran out of room to list all of the current sourcebooks, so if one is not on the list please include why you think it is the best.

I chose Races of Faerun as the one companion to the FRCS that I just could not do without.
30   L A T E S T    R E P L I E S    (Newest First)
Jakk Posted - 01 Feb 2012 : 04:50:18
I voted LEoF, but Magic of Faerun and Power of Faerun are close second and third. Serpent Kingdoms and City of Splendors are excellent as well. I'm really hoping we see a much higher ratio of lore to crunch in 5e; the new title coming up at the end of this year looks very good indeed.
Kiaransalyn Posted - 22 Jan 2012 : 12:03:52
It's hard to say which one is my favourite, but currently I'm enjoying 'The Power of Faerun' at the moment.
Knightfall Posted - 22 Jan 2012 : 05:24:51
quote:
Originally posted by warlockco

Player's Guide to Faerun, updates many feats, spells, and PrCs.


I voted for Races of Faerun, but I have to agree with you -- the player's guide is just as useful.
Marc Posted - 17 Oct 2011 : 10:38:30
quote:
Originally posted by idilippy

Yeah, lately I've also been using Power of Faerun along with the Border Kingdom's web articles to work on expanding the diplomatic opportunities of my campaigns based around a modified Kingmaker AP.



good idea

I'm planning eventually to expand the conflict with Pitax and involve all the kingdoms.
Wooly Rupert Posted - 15 Oct 2011 : 23:29:25
quote:
Originally posted by crazedventurers

Excluding the OGBS, it has to be Cloak and Dagger, simply because you can run a lifetimes worth of gaming from that one source book.

I don't see it as edition specific so it counts! :)

Cheers

Damian




Another personal fave. I still mourn the fact that the Harper Schism was brushed aside and the Manshoon Wars ended when 3E came out.
idilippy Posted - 15 Oct 2011 : 19:00:03
Yeah, lately I've also been using Power of Faerun along with the Border Kingdom's web articles to work on expanding the diplomatic opportunities of my campaigns based around a modified Kingmaker AP.
Marc Posted - 15 Oct 2011 : 16:39:29
At the moment it is Power of Faerun. I have the Border Kingdoms along with the River Kingdoms.
mensch Posted - 13 Oct 2011 : 17:04:39
I use "Faiths and Pantheons" quite often. Curiously I almost never use the Campaign Setting (3e), possibly because my campaign is set in the Unapproachable East (Thesk and environs) and an excellent book has been written on that subject.

The most useful resource has got to be "Lost Empires of Faerūn" as it contains histories from key areas in Faerūn and a vast amount of plothooks, both explicitly described (like the nice lore on Eltab) and buried in lots of nice historical data. Another contender would be "The Grand History of the Realms", I use the ancient maps in that book quite often, but the overall, canonical timeline is something I can't do without, especially when I'm trying to keep the narrative of my campaign in focus with the existent lore.
crazedventurers Posted - 12 Oct 2011 : 18:07:49
Excluding the OGBS, it has to be Cloak and Dagger, simply because you can run a lifetimes worth of gaming from that one source book.

I don't see it as edition specific so it counts! :)

Cheers

Damian
Wooly Rupert Posted - 08 Oct 2011 : 13:27:43
quote:
Originally posted by Mantis

had to go with Faiths and Pantheons. The gods are such a huge part of Faerun and this book goes into SO much detail that you cant help but want to fall to your knees and pray lol



If you like the detail in that one, track down the 2E deity books -- Faiths & Avatars, Powers & Pantheons, and Demihuman Deities. Faiths & Pantheons is good, but the three books I named are the go-to source for Realms deities.
Mantis Posted - 08 Oct 2011 : 09:07:02
had to go with Faiths and Pantheons. The gods are such a huge part of Faerun and this book goes into SO much detail that you cant help but want to fall to your knees and pray lol
Nilus Reynard Posted - 06 Oct 2011 : 05:32:20
I had to go with Faiths & Pantheons. I have bought two copies of that book so far. The first one I used so many times that the pages started to come out of it, so I bought a second so I had one in good condition.
Ayrik Posted - 28 Aug 2011 : 02:43:06
FRA is the most worn out and oft-used setting book at my tables, every player has one (or more) copies, it is consulted more frequently than the legendary FR0 Grey Box or any of the 3E Realmslore, it is perhaps used as often as the PHB and DMG. Even when the campaign moves across different planes and worlds. Absolutely indispensable.

Of course our gaming is primarily 2E based. FRA might be less accurate and useful in later-edition Realms settings.
The Sage Posted - 28 Aug 2011 : 02:24:23
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

quote:
Originally posted by entreri3478

I always loved the Forgetten Realms Adventures...great info on cities and deities



It was one of my first Realms resources, and remains a fave -- there's just so much good lore in there!

Indeed. I've a spare copy in my "secondary-library."
Wooly Rupert Posted - 27 Aug 2011 : 17:53:56
quote:
Originally posted by entreri3478

I always loved the Forgetten Realms Adventures...great info on cities and deities



It was one of my first Realms resources, and remains a fave -- there's just so much good lore in there!
Artemas Entreri Posted - 26 Aug 2011 : 19:23:12
I always loved the Forgetten Realms Adventures...great info on cities and deities
The Sage Posted - 31 Jan 2011 : 01:09:04
quote:
Originally posted by Quale

Another error was the wood elves who were formed from the mix of other elven subraces, that is not possible in 1e/2e lore cause elves inherit their subrace from just one parent.

It seems that the issue many have with the origins of the wood elves and wild elves in 3e is based on previous lore -- the fact that most of the 1e/2e FR sourcebooks make the connection between wild and wood elves and how they were essentially the same race. Elaine Cunningham's novels during 2e that feature wood/wild elven characters also portray this and she has made comments about it here at Candlekeep.

Then in 3e, we have Races of Faerūn telling us that in the aftermath of the savage Crown Wars, it was then that the green elves went in one of two racial directions -- leading to the split in 1e/2e Green/Wood/Wild Elves that we now see in 3e. Some stayed kind of wild and remained greens, or civilised a touch and became wood [copper] elves.
Quale Posted - 30 Jan 2011 : 21:24:20
Another error was the wood elves who were formed from the mix of other elven subraces, that is not possible in 1e/2e lore cause elves inherit their subrace from just one parent.
Asharak Posted - 29 Jan 2011 : 16:31:19
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Sorry, Asharak. I didn't see this earlier. I'll dig out my notes on the subject.



Lost in the Ethereal?
The Sage Posted - 23 Jan 2011 : 01:17:51
quote:
Originally posted by Asharak

quote:
Originally posted by Asharak

quote:
Originally posted by The Sage

quote:
Originally posted by Quale

the nonhuman parts of Races of Faerun are not useful

Granted, it does have errors, but I think coupling this section with past edition resources, like Demihumans of the Realms, makes RoF a considerable source of Realmslore.



Well, I love Races of Faerūn but it's not the first time I read it have errors.

Can you be more explicit?



Does anyone known this errors or where / which are better source of information about races?

Sorry, Asharak. I didn't see this earlier. I'll dig out my notes on the subject.
Quale Posted - 22 Jan 2011 : 21:35:39
I don't know about the nonhumans, but the human cultures were simplified and different than in Dragon Annual 4
Asharak Posted - 22 Jan 2011 : 19:42:50
quote:
Originally posted by Asharak

quote:
Originally posted by The Sage

quote:
Originally posted by Quale

the nonhuman parts of Races of Faerun are not useful

Granted, it does have errors, but I think coupling this section with past edition resources, like Demihumans of the Realms, makes RoF a considerable source of Realmslore.



Well, I love Races of Faerūn but it's not the first time I read it have errors.

Can you be more explicit?



Does anyone known this errors or where / which are better source of information about races?
idilippy Posted - 22 Jan 2011 : 02:55:28
I liked the Fey'ri section as well, since I thought they would make great enemies for a campaign. As for the most useful 3.5e book, it depends heavily on the campaign but currently I think Lost Empires of Faerun is helping me out the most with a campaign I'm running at the moment. Even when it isn't directly aiding a campaign it's an interesting book full of great lore in my opinion.
Alystra Illianniis Posted - 22 Jan 2011 : 02:07:03
I particularly enjoyed the section on half-elves and half-drow in that book, as well as the fey-ri and lycanthropes.
Asharak Posted - 21 Jan 2011 : 12:11:40
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage

quote:
Originally posted by Quale

the nonhuman parts of Races of Faerun are not useful

Granted, it does have errors, but I think coupling this section with past edition resources, like Demihumans of the Realms, makes RoF a considerable source of Realmslore.



Well, I love Races of Faerūn but it's not the first time I read it have errors.

Can you be more explicit?
Quale Posted - 21 Jan 2011 : 09:48:53
It's the way I play these races, elves are like in mythology, not everywhere, there's a sense of awe when you see them, dwarves as well. Gnomes, only one type are interesting, the inventors. Orcs are obvious, why waste pages on them, halflings are hobbits. The planetouched are solitary creatures and adapt to the culture they are raised in. Fey'ri are in Cloak and Dagger.

Tough the races from UE, Undardark and Champions of Ruin are far more useless.
The Sage Posted - 21 Jan 2011 : 01:04:38
quote:
Originally posted by Quale

the nonhuman parts of Races of Faerun are not useful

Granted, it does have errors, but I think coupling this section with past edition resources, like Demihumans of the Realms, makes RoF a considerable source of Realmslore.
Wooly Rupert Posted - 20 Jan 2011 : 22:03:50
quote:
Originally posted by Quale


the nonhuman parts of Races of Faerun are not useful



I dunno about that... The genasi section gave me an idea when I really needed one, and I like the fey'ri section, as well.
Quale Posted - 20 Jan 2011 : 19:37:06
for me it's Power of Faerun (except Inferno is useless)

I'd vote for Lords of Darkness but there's Cloak and Dagger

the nonhuman parts of Races of Faerun are not useful
Zireael Posted - 18 Jan 2011 : 08:33:13
Underdark, since I game almost exclusively there. Player's Guide to Faerun would be second (the lists of regional feats to which I often refer).

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