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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2066 Posts |
 Posted - 10 May 2006 : 00:54:21
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quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
Will Dragons of Faerun provide Draconomicon style infomation on the Faerun specfic Dragons? (Such as Fang, Brown etc) also any chance we theres a suggested names side bar for the different breeds of Dragons? (ie like the suggested names in the FRC for Illuskans, Chondanthans, Moon Elves etc)
There are plenty of name suggestions, although perhaps not in the form you are expecting.
Dragons of Faerun is NOT "Draconimocon in the Realms". The focus is on dragons and their interactions with the rest of the Realms.
No more hints until we get closer. 
--Eric |
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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2006 : 02:05:53
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| Well, as long as it deals with A)Dragons that are B)in Faerun, I've got enough of a motivation to pick up the book. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2006 : 03:08:44
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quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd
No more hints until we get closer.
--Eric
We've gotten just a little closer since you said that...    |
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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EytanBernstein
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
704 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2006 : 05:02:36
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quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
Well, as long as it deals with A)Dragons that are B)in Faerun, I've got enough of a motivation to pick up the book.
If there is one thing we can guarantee, it is that it does indeed deal with Dragons and that these dragons are in Faerun. Anything more and well, we wouldn't want to get eaten by the NDA Dragon. |
http://eytanbernstein.com - the official website of Eytan Bernstein |
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Paj
Seeker
United Kingdom
56 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2006 : 12:50:28
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Wonder what the CR is for an NDA Dragon....
I have a party of Dragon-slayers just looking for an excuse to kill something |
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EytanBernstein
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
704 Posts |
Posted - 11 May 2006 : 00:29:12
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quote:
Originally posted by Paj
Wonder what the CR is for an NDA Dragon....
I have a party of Dragon-slayers just looking for an excuse to kill something
As Gandalf says, "This foe is beyond any of you. Run!" |
http://eytanbernstein.com - the official website of Eytan Bernstein |
Edited by - EytanBernstein on 11 May 2006 06:38:52 |
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Inquisitor
Acolyte
Germany
42 Posts |
Posted - 13 May 2006 : 10:44:41
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quote:
Originally posted by msatran
Well, I can tell you guys one thing I want to see in the book, as absurd as it sounds and as niche-cheesy as it is.
I'd like to see a really powerful Avariel Only prestige class that helps the race battle dragons. On top of the evil and unjustifiable +3 level adjustment for the race, especially when compared to the Fey'ri, somehow this race beat back thousands of dragons over the centuries in Sossal. Now, no offense, but with Elf CON and a +3 level adjustment, they ought to have developed some really buff dragonbattling techniques that are unique to their race.
Thank you for listening.
Do you really expect that the crunch will make sense compared to the fluff? Don't bet on it. There are so many things in FR history which make no sense or would have been impossible to do with the current game rules. There is no use to try to fix it now. |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 20 May 2006 : 00:19:32
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| I imgaine we'll get our first look at Dragons of Faerun on 2nd of June when June and Beyond goes up on Wizards website |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Reefy
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
892 Posts |
Posted - 20 May 2006 : 01:19:30
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quote:
Originally posted by Inquisitor
Do you really expect that the crunch will make sense compared to the fluff? Don't bet on it. There are so many things in FR history which make no sense or would have been impossible to do with the current game rules. There is no use to try to fix it now.
There are people, like Eric, and Tom Costa and George Krashos are others who spring to mind, who really do try and keep things consistent, whether it's issues of lore or of game mechanics. So yes, I do think it is worth trying to fix it. |
Life is either daring adventure or nothing. |
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EytanBernstein
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
704 Posts |
Posted - 20 May 2006 : 01:29:42
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quote:
Originally posted by Reefy
quote:
Originally posted by Inquisitor
Do you really expect that the crunch will make sense compared to the fluff? Don't bet on it. There are so many things in FR history which make no sense or would have been impossible to do with the current game rules. There is no use to try to fix it now.
There are people, like Eric, and Tom Costa and George Krashos are others who spring to mind, who really do try and keep things consistent, whether it's issues of lore or of game mechanics. So yes, I do think it is worth trying to fix it.
While I can't speak about specific crunch, I can say that we definitely tried to be as consistent as possible when writing both crunchy material and fluff/lore. I can't imagine that any designer (or author) goes in to their work purposefully hoping to disrupt (or disregard) continuity and flow. Sometimes, with all of the people working on projects at different times - writers, designers, editors, etc.. - continuity errors do crop up. I'll always try to help smooth them along when I see them and I'm sure Eric, Ed, and everyone else does the same. |
http://eytanbernstein.com - the official website of Eytan Bernstein |
Edited by - EytanBernstein on 20 May 2006 09:48:40 |
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Sanishiver
Senior Scribe
USA
476 Posts |
Posted - 20 May 2006 : 07:03:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Inquisitor
Do you really expect that the crunch will make sense compared to the fluff? Don't bet on it. There are so many things in FR history which make no sense or would have been impossible to do with the current game rules. There is no use to try to fix it now.
I'll have to respectfully disagree with this, completely.
There's little or nothing the current game rules can't model.
If the designers take their time about it and the editors do their job, then yes I think we could see all kinds of Realms-Specific effects in game terms.
J. Grenemyer |
09/20/2008: Tiger Army at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. You wouldn’t believe how many females rode it out in the pit. Santa Cruz women are all of them beautiful. Now I know to add tough to that description.
6/27/2008: WALL-E is about the best damn movie Pixar has ever made. It had my heart racing and had me rooting for the good guy.
9/9/2006: Dave Mathews Band was off the hook at the Shoreline Amphitheater.
Never, ever read the game books too literally, or make such assumptions that what is omitted cannot be. Bad DM form, that.
And no matter how compelling a picture string theory paints, if it does not accurately describe our universe, it will be no more relevant than an elaborate game of Dungeons and Dragons. --paragraph 1, chapter 9, The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene |
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Monsoon28
Acolyte
Canada
16 Posts |
Posted - 22 May 2006 : 03:13:51
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Heya Eric any chance we can see the cover image for this book yet?
Will Gem Dragon interaction with the Realms be covered?
Thanks in advance! :D
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'The only thing I know is that I know nothing' -Socrates |
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore
USA
1291 Posts |
Posted - 22 May 2006 : 08:16:56
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Heck, yeah. I also hope to see gem dragons get some love. They are much ignored most everywhere else. Although, Ed's Dragons of the North articles did feature several gem dragons, so the gem dragons do seem to have a long-standing and respected place in the Realms.
I would love it though if a mention of Sardior got snuck into Dragons of Faerűn somewhere. I have always wanted to see more of him since I first read that article way back in Dragon #37, and in all this time they have never really fleshed him out any further. (I did though really like what they did not to long ago on the WotC website with Sardior).
This is a book I eagerly await because I now have 3 different recurring dragon villains in my campaign, and a couple of long-term dragon-themed plots brewing in the background that I hope to bring up to boil around the time that DoF comes out. This book cannot come out fast enough for me!  |
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Inquisitor
Acolyte
Germany
42 Posts |
Posted - 22 May 2006 : 21:22:25
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If you really want that the history makes sense then nearly every race needs to have powerfull anti dragon PRCs because the dragons now are much more powerfull then in 1st edition and the whole history of elves defeating dragons makes absolutly no sense considering that dragons are much stronger then elves and reproduce 5-10 times faster even with the accelerated elven life cycle in the races of the wild.
Of course if you do that then game balance goes out of the window. |
Edited by - Inquisitor on 22 May 2006 21:33:05 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 22 May 2006 : 23:44:50
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quote:
Originally posted by Inquisitor
If you really want that the history makes sense then nearly every race needs to have powerfull anti dragon PRCs because the dragons now are much more powerfull then in 1st edition and the whole history of elves defeating dragons makes absolutly no sense considering that dragons are much stronger then elves and reproduce 5-10 times faster even with the accelerated elven life cycle in the races of the wild.
Of course if you do that then game balance goes out of the window.
It does make sense... Dragons may reproduce faster, but there has always been a greater number of elves. Any given parcel of land will support far more elves than it will dragons...
Plus, elves are more social, and thus more apt to reproduce. It doesn't matter how many eggs you can lay in a clutch if you never take a mate...
Lastly, while dragons are certainly more powerful physically, elves (and other races) are capable of wielding greater magic that most dragons. As far as magic goes, most dragons are dabblers. Pick up a spell here, learn a spell there... Only a dragon that specifically chose to become a wizard would be able to go toe-to-claw with a powerful human or demihuman spellslinger. Magic may flow in the blood of dragonkind, but few of them actually nurture it. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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EytanBernstein
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
704 Posts |
Posted - 23 May 2006 : 05:00:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Monsoon28
Heya Eric any chance we can see the cover image for this book yet?
Will Gem Dragon interaction with the Realms be covered?
Thanks in advance! :D
I wish it was available. We'll try to get it here as soon as it is. |
http://eytanbernstein.com - the official website of Eytan Bernstein |
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Inquisitor
Acolyte
Germany
42 Posts |
Posted - 23 May 2006 : 06:15:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Inquisitor
If you really want that the history makes sense then nearly every race needs to have powerfull anti dragon PRCs because the dragons now are much more powerfull then in 1st edition and the whole history of elves defeating dragons makes absolutly no sense considering that dragons are much stronger then elves and reproduce 5-10 times faster even with the accelerated elven life cycle in the races of the wild.
Of course if you do that then game balance goes out of the window.
It does make sense... Dragons may reproduce faster, but there has always been a greater number of elves. Any given parcel of land will support far more elves than it will dragons...
Plus, elves are more social, and thus more apt to reproduce. It doesn't matter how many eggs you can lay in a clutch if you never take a mate...
Lastly, while dragons are certainly more powerful physically, elves (and other races) are capable of wielding greater magic that most dragons. As far as magic goes, most dragons are dabblers. Pick up a spell here, learn a spell there... Only a dragon that specifically chose to become a wizard would be able to go toe-to-claw with a powerful human or demihuman spellslinger. Magic may flow in the blood of dragonkind, but few of them actually nurture it.
That there are more elves is an arbitrary decision of the designers without any logical support. According to the psychology of dragons mating is a high priority at least at young age. Also as dragons don't need real food but can consume inorganic material food is not an issue.
Also don't forget that dragons lay more eggs in once clutch then the number of children normal elves have in a lifetime. Even if dragons mate rarely they still outreproduce elves.
And you are joking about the magic part right? Yes, most dragons don't activly purse magic so they only become as powerfull as archmages at very old age. Most elves on the other hand can't cast spells at all.
So, who has the advantage here? The race with a few very powerfull mages and the rest can't cast spells at all or the race with a few very powerfull mages and the rest are only normal powerfull mages?
The only real advantages D&D elves have are that they are a PHB race and thus have to be profilic so that players can play them and a unusual level of game designer love. But try to explain that in game.
Those dragons who activly purse magic are more then a match for the elven spellcasters, except in novels where those spellcasters are not allowed to die and always win. |
Edited by - Inquisitor on 23 May 2006 06:22:46 |
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore
USA
1291 Posts |
Posted - 23 May 2006 : 06:17:01
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Okay, maybe elves and humans are a threat to dragons, and maybe they should all have their own specialized dragon slayer traditions, but I have noticed that in the Realms, the greatest threat to dragons (other than adventurers looking for loot) is other dragons.
If you read Ed's Dragons of the North articles, a surprising number of dragons get killed by rival wyrms. Klauth in particular seems responsible for helping to keep the dragon population down.
It only makes sense that predators need a certain amount of territory in which to forage and dragons being at the top of the food chain need proportionately vast territories in which to hunt.
Plus, when dragons have underlings, like kobold tribes or other minions, the territory has to provide for them too.
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Arivia
Great Reader
Canada
2965 Posts |
Posted - 23 May 2006 : 06:18:09
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| Okay, guys, let's not get into a lore/theory fight in a product scroll. Please take it somewhere else. |
Edited by - Arivia on 23 May 2006 06:18:21 |
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Monsoon28
Acolyte
Canada
16 Posts |
Posted - 23 May 2006 : 13:36:19
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quote:
Originally posted by EytanBernstein
quote:
Originally posted by Monsoon28
Heya Eric any chance we can see the cover image for this book yet?
Will Gem Dragon interaction with the Realms be covered?
Thanks in advance! :D
I wish it was available. We'll try to get it here as soon as it is.
Cool, I can't wait thanks! |
'The only thing I know is that I know nothing' -Socrates |
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Lord Nemes
Seeker
Canada
58 Posts |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
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Kajehase
Great Reader
Sweden
2104 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jun 2006 : 05:15:42
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Well, if they display the book with the front out it'll at least stand out |
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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EytanBernstein
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
704 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jun 2006 : 05:34:49
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| I'm glad to finally see it. I quite like the cover. What better image is there than an enormous red dragon (this image being an homage to classic D&D art) than an enormous red dragon immolating people. |
http://eytanbernstein.com - the official website of Eytan Bernstein |
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Monsoon28
Acolyte
Canada
16 Posts |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jun 2006 : 11:03:22
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| If they wanted to do 80's cover art, they should have called Larry Elmore. No one does dragons as well as he does. |
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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Reefy
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
892 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jun 2006 : 00:57:52
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| It's not the best I've seen, but it's not too bad. |
Life is either daring adventure or nothing. |
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Swordsage
Learned Scribe
149 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jun 2006 : 04:48:01
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Who cares about the picture. It's the contents that count.
The Swordsage
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Chyron
Learned Scribe
Hong Kong
279 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jun 2006 : 06:46:40
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I respect your opinion Swordsage, but have to really disagree with your point. That is like saying that in a movie only the image matters and sound quality does not. Artwork has long served as a hook for novels and gaming products. In younger days of D&D art quality was not huge concern...core books (1e) were nearly 70% cheaper then too. So while you are correct in your statement that "It's the contents that count", artwork (both exterior and interior) is as much a 'part' of that content as the paper it is printed on, the font used, and the actual words themselves. Some might be willing to pay $20-$40 US for a manuscript that has no cover art, no interior art, and is simply a printed bound manuscript? But I don't think they are in the majority.
As for the new look of recent texts in 3E, i cannot say that anything has 'knocked my socks off' like in the old days....and I honestly think there has been a higher standard of 'artwork' quality for the Eberron products of late.(*raises shield to block incoming stones) I just wish that the same level of detail was being given to our beloved realms. |
Just My Thoughts
Chyron :)
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Edited by - Chyron on 02 Jun 2006 07:47:27 |
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Dragons of Faerun
