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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
 Posted - 17 Oct 2012 : 07:22:14
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Hi Ed and THO,
Received my copy of Elminster's Forgotten Realms today. The detail in this book is just great and will definitely help bring my own Realms campaign more to life. Thank you for that. I hope we get to see more tomes like this, especially a followup to those juicy details in the Afterword section! :)
I know for various legal reasons you can't tell us about future products until they are officially announced. But in your personal opinion, if you could pick (hypothetically), where you'd like to explore next in the Realms, where or what would that be? If that strays too close to NDA territory I understand.
Thanks again for your work. |
Edited by - Eilserus on 17 Oct 2012 07:37:50 |
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The Hidden Lord
Learned Scribe
148 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2012 : 18:31:04
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What was added to "Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms" by the editorial staff after you submitted it?
Do you believe that these additions added to the quality of your work? |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2012 : 18:38:21
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Hi again, all!
Sightless, re. these: "Is he pressure cooking, smoking, deep backing, or sun frying that meat madum?
And if you shall beg my parden, is the presence of the water meter in the lower room for supplementary purposes, or is it to replace one elsewhere that is no longer working?
Lastly, has Ed ever battled with that most nasty of issues, the basement fludding?"
I can reply to all of them.
Here we go...
Ed was slow-boiling both in "dutch oven" covered pots, with vegetables, in broth (in a stone bread oven/"rocket stove" over a small fire; it's rainy fall here in Ontario, so the reflector ovens are past their daily usefulness except on rare occasions). Different seasonings for each. The occasion was a family get-together for Ed's wife's 77th birthday. 
Ed lives in the Ontario countryside, and his water comes from a municipally-owned well. Up until now, no one has had metered water (everyone pays a flat monthly rate for water use, regardless of how much). However, the municipality recently (IMHO, foolishly) agreed to meter installation so the local utility company (was municipal, is now private) can meter everyone and make lots more money. So this is a mandatory firstwater meter for Ed, and for everyone else. 
Yes, Ed has had many floods (some of them a few feet deep, which is why all boxes of books and paprs live atop pallets to keep them well clear of the floor), and still gets efflorescence (the "fur" or "fuzz" of salts leaching out of his concrete floor and concrete block walls, due to damp). This is due to a high water table (dozens of springs rise on Ed's land, and he has streams on either side of his property), but since Ed expanded his house about ten years ago (eighty thousand-plus books take up a LOT of space), and put in his own drainage/weeping tile system and backup sump pumps, he hasn't had much flooding. However, at any time you'd like unfiltered ground water, just ask him to turn on his sump pump, and he can pump a huge aquifer into your lap.
Ontario, Canada, is one of the best-water regions in the world...
There. So saith me.
love,
THO
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2012 : 18:49:25
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| Happy birthday! |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2012 : 20:00:35
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@Damian - thanks for bringing that up - it will prove useful to something I've been working on. 
Sagespace - unlike Edspace, which is a cluttered demi-plane, Sagespace is a infinite plane with no end in sight, with scraps and bits of information spread haphazardly thousands - sometimes millions - of miles apart. Even the most insane demons and aberrations avoid the place, for fear of losing more of their minds. It looks something like THIS.
quote:
Originally posted by Sightless
Lastly, has Ed ever battled with that most nasty of issues, the basement fludding?
You just made me a nervous wreck... Ed's basement getting flooded... OMG. 
Ed, I think I asked this once before, but I don't think I got an answer, or got the names of individual peaks (I have to go back and check that old response). Anyhow, what is that small cluster of mountains called between The white Peaks (The Ride/Tortured Lands) and the Dragonspine Mountains? Its actually on the western edge of The Ride.
And happy B-day to the wife. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 17 Oct 2012 20:10:49 |
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Kajehase
Great Reader
Sweden
2104 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2012 : 20:30:00
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On the topic of Ed's basement, has he ever had any academic institution inquire about storing all or part of his notes?
I've seen/read/heard interviews with writers whose creations have had far less impact on the general culture of North America than the Realms where that kind of arrangement have bee made. |
There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.
Terry Pratchett |
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3563 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2012 : 20:37:42
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quote:
Originally posted by Kajehase
On the topic of Ed's basement, has he ever had any academic institution inquire about storing all or part of his notes?
I've seen/read/heard interviews with writers whose creations have had far less impact on the general culture of North America than the Realms where that kind of arrangement have bee made.
The uhhh..... University of The Red Walker State college humbly offers to host said notes and hand scribbled doodles.
If the Lovely Hooded Lady would forward this most generous offer, there could be a few future favors and or services rendered due to her, in it for her to facilitate. |
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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Edited by - The Red Walker on 17 Oct 2012 20:42:28 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 18 Oct 2012 : 02:57:50
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Sagespace - unlike Edspace, which is a cluttered demi-plane, Sagespace is a infinite plane with no end in sight, with scraps and bits of information spread haphazardly thousands - sometimes millions - of miles apart. Even the most insane demons and aberrations avoid the place, for fear of losing more of their minds. It looks something like THIS.
It's eerily frightening just how close-to-accurate this is...  |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Gelcur
Senior Scribe
502 Posts |
Posted - 18 Oct 2012 : 03:23:51
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THO please thank Ed for such a great job on "Elminster's Forgotten Realms". I just got my copy today and it is utterly amazing. The way he weaves details about the day to day realms such that a DM can make them come to life is impressive. I loved seeing many of the facts that have come up in these very forums included in a well organized tome.
Many thanks again to both of you. |
The party come to a town befallen by hysteria
Rogue: So what's in the general store?
DM: What are you looking for?
Rogue: Whatevers in the store.
DM: Like what?
Rogue: Everything.
DM: There is a lot of stuff.
Rogue: Is there a cart outside?
DM: (rolls) Yes.
Rogue: We'll take it all, we may need it for the greater good. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 18 Oct 2012 : 15:54:33
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Hi again, all!
Gelcur, Ed says:
Thank you. Given enough time to assemble all the farflung and deeply-buried lore, I could turn out scores of such lorebooks. If I get the opportunity, I ache to do so.
I can't reproduce my campaign in any book, because the players drive the action through all the layers of subplots I generate - - but I can give you more information on all of the various power groups, from small three-merchant local cabals up to factions and arms of governments, so you can see some of what this group and that group are "up to."
I also plan to index the book you have bought, and get that up on the Wizards website, so DMs can print it out for fast access to info on people, places, and things.
The moment I have the TIME!
So saith Ed. Who's deep in a future Eye On The Realms column right now . . .
love,
THO |
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Barastir
Master of Realmslore
Brazil
1600 Posts |
Posted - 18 Oct 2012 : 19:04:31
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Wonderful!
I'm here waiting my "Elminster's Realms", I'm sure it is a marvel! Happy b-day to Ed's wife! |
"Goodness is not a natural state, but must be
fought for to be attained and maintained.
Lead by example.
Let your deeds speak your intentions.
Goodness radiated from the heart."
The Paladin's Virtues, excerpt from the "Quentin's Monograph"
(by Ed Greenwood) |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 18 Oct 2012 : 20:22:22
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Hi Ed! Congrats on the release of Ed and El's Realms. It's certainly stirred up the conversation around here. And I must say it's nice to actually have a Realms book on store shelves again.
I have a question about the artwork. Most of the major pieces have fairly lengthy captions. I'm assuming you wrote them, and I curious what the order of drawing and writing was. Did you see the art and write a caption for it? Or did you write the captions while you writing everything else, and include a note like "Have a picture of nobles looking down at you" or "Conspirators in a dark alley"? As a former theater techie, I'm always curious about the behind the scenes, this-is-how-it-was-made stuff.
Thanks, as always. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 19 Oct 2012 : 00:11:31
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Hi again, all! Heeeeere's Ed, responding to Hoondatha:
Thank you! I had a lot of fun working on this book, though the project had the usual too short a time to generate too many words, then a hiccup where it was shortened to 160 pages . . . and then it expanded to 192 pages again.
All of which complicated the captions a little. :}
Here's the thing: part of writing a game book for Wizards is generating an art order. Usually with editorial direction as to how much art, "line style" preferences as to size of art, how many must be previously published (if any) versus brand-new, and so on.
Because of the shifting length of the book, and its gorgeous (but developing, after I'd made the art order deadline) layout and design, the number of pieces of art (and the length that would fit of their captions) kept changing.
So, yes, I wrote almost all of the captions, several times, and Kim Mohan (the veteran editor who first "hired" me as a Contributing Editor for DRAGON, all those years ago) had to prune and rewrite some of them, or work with me on doing so to some of them.
Some of the captions went with existing art ("pick up" this art piece from a DDI article or a previously-published D&D® sourcebook), but most of them went with new art (which if they were header pieces, lost their captions so the explanation for this or that scene had to be worked into the text of the section the header went with). It was all great fun, except for the keeping the captions short part. You see, I didn't want to write smart aleck captions as much as I wanted to shoehorn new lore into those captions - - but there just wasn't space. The first drafts of the captions usually had both, in a "long" version and a short version (that itself usually turned out to be too long). :}
Here's fervently hoping that I get to write a LOT of these. There's so much more of the Realms I want to show everyone.
And I'm sorry that what most gamers got told would be in the book wasn't what someone else had already approved as the contents. With that change in length happening in the middle of the writing. But . . . life happens.
Here's the next thing: there's no way I can ever "show you my campaign" in a sourcebook. The book would have to be about 7000 pages long, for one thing, and for another: my superb players choose where their characters will go and what their characters will do, and I just keep the subplots swirling around them (and some of those subplots stretch for literal decades, while others are petty little things that if put into a book would irk some gamers [["I paid for THIS?"]]).
What I can do is describe the aims and interests of various power groups, large and small, and some of the larger-scope unfolding subplots . . . and I hope I get the opportunity to do so, if not in another sourcebook, then in webcolumns. Believe me, I would LOVE to do more of these. Except for the "icky feel" cover, I am just delighted with how this turned out (although OF COURSE I would like it to have head more pages), and itch to write more, more, more of them.
However, that will only happen if enough gamers buy, buy, buy copies of the book, earning much revenue for Wizards. So (ahem), if you know anyone who likes to have a copy of a book for each room in their house . . .
So saith Ed. Who continues to be busier than ever, but admits he took ten minutes, when the Fed Ex guy delivered a package to the door, to sit down and enjoy the book. And has taken another ten minutes again since. And plans to do so again . . .
love,
THO
((edit: typo)) |
Edited by - The Hooded One on 19 Oct 2012 00:12:04 |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 19 Oct 2012 : 18:50:22
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Thanks Ed for that peek into how the book was put together. It's always fascinating to peel back the curtain a bit, at least for those of us who didn't have to survive it the first time.
I think a lot of the angst we're seeing from some of the scribes here (including me to a small extent, actually) comes from the fact that WotC has held true to their completely atrocious marketing history. The initial announcement of the product had the flack saying:
"Next we have Elminster's Forgotten Realms in Quarter 4. We basically went to Ed and said hey, why don't you take all your campaign notes, all the information you've been putting together for your FR campaign and lets compile it into a book. Show us the realms as you've developed it in your campaign setting and lets get that to everybody. It's our celebration of the Forgotten Realms and pulling back the curtain to show you what the designer of the campaign setting has done.''
Which gives everyone a different expectation of the book than what it actually is. If they'd been able to accurately describe what they were going to be selling, I think there'd be a lot more unadulterated enthusiasm today.
I'm not asking you to respond to any of the above. But since WotC reads these forums, I figure it needs to be out there. Especially with the upcoming 5e release and just general lack-of-trust issues WotC has well and truly earned over the past four or five years.
Now, to pull this back to more pleasant topics, can I just say that when I read you saying: "I didn't want to write smart aleck captions as much as I wanted to shoehorn new lore into those captions," I just had to smile and think, "That's our Ed." So nice to know you haven't changed over the years. :)
And the other thing I was wondering was if you had any more monster recipes you could share? Both of the ones in the book were fascinating (though the stirge one was pretty horrifying). THO, did the Knights ever have to dine on stirge? And if so, just how lost and hungry were you? |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 19 Oct 2012 : 20:43:07
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Heh. I know Ed has more, Hoondatha, the infamous Dragon Soup among them.
Ed and I both agree with your point about what was said would be in the book, and Ed would have loved to attempt a short-form (because of the pagecount) start at showing off the "home" Realms campaign.
However, he had about two months in which to write the first draft of the book, with that size shrinkage and then expansion again during it, and not knowing what and how much of his original notes (that WotC had in hand) they would want to put into the book. He also had an editor, now no longer with WotC, who wanted to know (and alter/approve) exactly what Ed intended to cover in the book (and how many pages would be allotted to each topic). Which meant presenting the home campaign just wasn't possible. Sigh.
So instead, Ed set out to give us all a book that would be useful to any DM using the Realms, and almost all DMs using medieval-ish roleplaying campaign settings...and I think he succeeded. For a DM who needs inspiration, or to grab recipes, poisons, sages and schools, or any of about a hundred other details "on the fly" during hasty preparation for play, the book is a treasure trove.
love,
THO |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 19 Oct 2012 : 22:47:22
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Oh, I agree. As I've said multiple times over the past week, I think the book's great. I'm a bit sad that it isn't the "here's a sample of Ed's Realms, like it was before it got turned over to TSR," kind of "Realms Tribute" that I thought we were getting. On the other hand, the book we got has a huge amount of new and useful stuff, and would hopefully be much easier to turn into an on-going series, and that would be wonderful. I would love to be able to buy Realms products again.
Can we start a list of things we'd like you to cover in the next book? Doing with the demihuman deities what you did with the human ones would be my request. Well, more demihumans in general. We never did get the elves, gnomes, or halfling's version of Dwarves Deep, and I know there's more to say about the dwarves as well. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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Euranna
Learned Scribe
USA
219 Posts |
Posted - 20 Oct 2012 : 00:47:23
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I would also like to say that the book is useful to players, even if you are not playing in the Realms itself. But it gives you a taste of something from your character's life that you might not have a reason to think about, but can give you a greater depth and understanding to your character. Of course, this is only for players that like to have that much of a background (my DM likes to remind us often that we were people before we were 1st level anything and to think appropriately). "You are from this city? Then you know that if your party tries to buy anything they have to have legal coin of the realm, etc"
:) I obviously love this kind of information. :D |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 20 Oct 2012 : 00:54:46
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Wizards should turn a good portion of DDI into Ed's Realmslore firehouse. Pagecount and book size doesn't matter much with digital PDFs. He could start blasting off as much lore as fast as possible with new Pages from the Mages, Magical Items, Ecologies, and everything in between, right down to what's in every chamberpot from Ravens Bluff to Waterdeep!. ;)
I'm with Hoondatha in that I'd love to see some demiuhuman deities love. It's been so long since we've seen kick-butt sourcebooks like our recent release I don't even know where to begin on what I'd like to see next. Myth Drannor maybe? A part of me worries it'll take too long for print to properly update us and so I tend to be in favor of turning Ed into digital jesus and blowing up DDI with mountains of reading. ;) |
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Infamous
Acolyte
42 Posts |
Posted - 20 Oct 2012 : 01:31:33
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I have this hope that Ed will eventually reach a point in his life when he can just write whatever he wants — and what he wants is probably massive, detailed, and wonderful. Because of the improvements in technology, the cost of printing will soon be out of the equation, and all that lore could be sold after little more than work from a few intelligent and diligent editors. The only obstacle to this would be WotC's rights, but maybe they will realize that the more people think about the Realms and read about them, the better it is for the business. Maybe they will jump in and be a facilitator.
I doubt Ed would mind that. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 20 Oct 2012 : 05:54:05
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It's time to once more add to my ever-growing queue of questions for Ed...
This is what will likely be the first round of several, inspired by Elminster's Forgotten Realms... 
Some have commented on the artwork of the tiefling on page 12. Aside from that particular discussion, I'm curious about planetouched in Ed's Realms. Does the home campaign include genasi, tieflings, and aasimar? If so, what can you tell us about them that may be different from the published versions? I'm assuming they'd be known under different names...
I'm also curious about The Book of Dragons. Not the truth of it, as it were... I'm interested in the contents and the dragons. Can you share the details of one or two of the tales in the book? Are all of the bound dragons good, or all evil, or is it a mix? And can you say anything about any of them, in particular?
This is all just idle curiosity, and not related to anything other than the fact that I'm reading the book now. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 20 Oct 2012 : 06:06:50
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| Oh, and a follow-up to the Book of Dragons: are the dragons released permanently when the story is read, or are they only released while someone is reading the story? The text is a bit unclear. If it's the latter, I could see a really hilarious bit of dragon blipping in and out every night about sundown. For added hilarity, have the reader get interrupted four or five times so the dragon appears and disappears at random intervals (preferably making funny faces each time). |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 20 Oct 2012 : 06:50:22
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I don't yet have my copy of Ed Greenwood Presents, but Wooly's queries below have sparked an interest of my own about such topics...
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Some have commented on the artwork of the tiefling on page 12. Aside from that particular discussion, I'm curious about planetouched in Ed's Realms. Does the home campaign include genasi, tieflings, and aasimar? If so, what can you tell us about them that may be different from the published versions? I'm assuming they'd be known under different names...
As an addendum to Wooly's queries, Ed, I'm also curious about how you've often portrayed the relationship between long-time planetouched who live in the Realms, and those who have only recently made the transition to the Prime Material Plane? |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Marco Volo
Learned Scribe
France
201 Posts |
Posted - 20 Oct 2012 : 07:13:09
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Maybe it sounds silly, but I have difficulty in evaluating the time spent by my players crossing a district of Waterdeep. I know that this time "depends" on the vehicle, weather, people in town...
But let's say a typical day in the North, on foot : how many times do a man or woman to cross Waterdeep from Dock Ward to the North Gate ?
From Waterdeep Castle to River Gate ? Or more information that kind you could share with us.
Maybe a scale of an official map can help me ?
Thanks Ed and THO
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Edited by - Marco Volo on 20 Oct 2012 07:18:37 |
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Cassie5squared
Acolyte
United Kingdom
33 Posts |
Posted - 20 Oct 2012 : 12:53:30
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quote:
Originally posted by Marco Volo
Maybe it sounds silly, but I have difficulty in evaluating the time spent by my players crossing a district of Waterdeep. I know that this time "depends" on the vehicle, weather, people in town...
But let's say a typical day in the North, on foot : how many times do a man or woman to cross Waterdeep from Dock Ward to the North Gate ?
From Waterdeep Castle to River Gate ? Or more information that kind you could share with us.
Maybe a scale of an official map can help me ?
Thanks Ed and THO
I think I can help here.
The Map Room in Alaundo's Library has some wonderful maps. My favourite is the PDF of Waterdeep. You can find it near the bottom of the page here:
http://www.candlekeep.com/library/maps.htm
It says "This is map of the city of Waterdeep in Adobe PDF format (Adobe Acrobat Reader required to view). It includes all structures, landscape, roads and the sewer system. Most buildings detailed in 2e and 3e Forgotten Realms products are present, with labels and short descriptions. The map is 1:3048 scale and viewable on a 0 to 6400% zoom level (small enough to show 5'x5' grid squares)."
It is a wonderful map; my friends and I have used it many, many times to look around Waterdeep and pick spots for our own locations, including a tavern/inn, a hideout for a minor crimelord, businesses for relatives of our players, and a house owned by a semi-retired Harper. it's pretty much the best you can ask of a pre-4e Waterdeep map. |
"Why do any of us get up in the morning? Why, for the joy and fun the day might bring us, if we're awake to see it! Up, then, and find ye fun!" - Elminster of Shadowdale
"And from the flames
As chance would have it
The Soulforged will come into light~" - Blind Guardian, "The Soulforged" |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 20 Oct 2012 : 17:12:30
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On art and captions:
First, would it be possible (at some point after the initial sales drop off perhaps) for you to provide us with the 'long version' of the captions for each piece of art? After all, at this point, if you tell us here or in a DDi article it isn't going to eat up page count.*
And as for any complaints about the art and/or the adjoining captions, need I remind everyone we could have gotten a "This is what Khelben would look like if he polymorphed into a troll" types of art and captions (because, ya' know... we've actually seen stuff like that...) I don't mind re-used artwork (since Ed mentions some of it was), but I do mind when it is poorly executed.
*This just reminded me of one of those contests where they show you a picture and say "write your own caption' - those could be pretty funny. I'd love for them to do that, or even allow us to show (old D&D) art to Ed and ask him for an FR caption for it. For instance, there is a piece of art that appeared in an FR product - the picture of an exploding volcano near a city, as seen from the sea (PotFS, pg.95), or the one of draconians (Dragonborn?) attacking a ship on pg.75 of that same book. Kinda like, "here's a picture Ed, please tell us what's going on". Almost like the 'spin a yarn', but smaller and based on a single illustration.
EDIT: I just recalled you saying something about an online index to the book - maybe the 'expanded captions' can be included in that article? |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 20 Oct 2012 17:15:25 |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 21 Oct 2012 : 20:41:41
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Hi Ed and THO,
I was reading through the old 2E Forgotten Realms Adventures book and under the section about the Red Wizards of Thay it states that prior to the Time of Troubles they wielded greater magical power than they do now and in part it was due to a magical artifact that extended power to those pledged to the Red Wizards. It goes on to say the artifact was deactivated, stolen, or destroyed and its benefits lost. The Red Wizards in the post-Avatar Realms are treated as normal mages with no special powers and the sudden reduction in power to mere human levels has rattled the rulership of Thay.
Is there anything you can tell us about this artifact? And an even more interesting question is what kind of special powers did Red Wizards have prior to the Time of Troubles? I've always played NPC Red Wizards as absolutely terrifying foes in combat and would love to know what kind of powers they used to sling around. I'm totally fine with any specific rules you use being in 2E format.
Thank you both. :) |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 21 Oct 2012 : 21:38:29
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I recall a long evening of discussion about that artifact, Eilserus, and as I recall (consulting notes I made, back then) it aided Red Wizards in at least three ways:
A Red Wizard could "blow" all the magic they had left, one spell or a dozen, to power a teleport of themselves (only; they could bring along non-living items they were wearing or holding or that were strapped to them, of a total less than their own body mass) back to the artifact. In other words, a "word of recall"-like escape.
A Red Wizard could call on the artifact to heal them; it would drain the Red Wizard's choice of his/her own memorized spells, instantly giving them hit points equal to twice spell level (so a fireball, 3rd level, gave a wounded Red Wizard back 6 hp). The involvement of the artifact made certain that healing was absolute (wounds and organs knit perfectly with no scars, severed digits that were held in place during healing would reattach, etc.).
A Red Wizard could when memorizing spells (in the usual 2nd edition manner) memorize an extra spell of each spell level they could use, from the roster of spells in their books, and "hang" this spell in the artifact, ready for them to cast later (by silent act of will, no V,S, or M components necessary but taking an entire round of concentration). So they could "go to war" confident they could use a full roster of memorized spells, plus one extra per level.
That's just what my notes have, along with this cryptic note: "powered by a Tharchioness who can channel its greater powers out through a remote Red Wizard but will burn that wizard internally doing so, fatally if too much channeled, or deny any Red Wizard access to the artifact, at will; zulkirs forbidden to go near" (that would be near the artifact). We'll have to wait for Ed to provide more, and it MIGHT still be NDA, being as it's part of the history of the Red Wizards (Ed's creation, along with Thay, the zulkirs, tharches and their rulers, and so on) that an author might try to resurrect and use.
love,
THO |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 21 Oct 2012 : 22:09:25
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| Very cool. Thank you Lady THO. Hopefully, we'll hear more from Ed, whether here or in some future crafted lore. :) |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6643 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 01:43:43
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I'd love to get some more lore on this. Thanks for the taster though, THO. And I'm intrigued as to just who or what could forbid the zulkirs from going near this artifact.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
Edited by - George Krashos on 22 Oct 2012 01:45:12 |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 12:52:33
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| And nice catch, Eilserus. I never noticed that part of the FRA. Can you give us a page number, so we can belatedly catch up on vital reading? |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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Questions for Ed Greenwood (2012)
Topic Locked
