I'm sure I'm not the first person to ask this, or even try this, but I'd like to add Elminster to a theoretical FR game I'm planning. But unfortunately 5e doesn't have templates (so no Chosen of Mystra) and there's no way to add bonus spells. Has anyone found a way around this or is Elminster just destined for the bin for the foreseeable future?
You could take the base stats for Larael Silverhand from Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and adjust them for Elminster. She has an updated version of the spellfire ability for the Chosen, and you could make the tweaks you want from there.
I really do hope Wizards eventually add Elminster in an adventure. It seems so off that FR is the main campaign now and yet the narrator, creator’s stand in, has yet to be added at all, not even as a cameo.
Heck the Candlekeep book would have been the ideal place for a cameo.
Sadly I don’t expect to see elminster anytime in the near future. 5e is based on a max of L20 so a roughly L40 character is not something they want around. The last official deeds of his ( I think) were in the battle between Myth Drannor and Shade where he took out Tantathul but may have been taken out as well. At the very least his powers have been greatly reduced events during 4e and the transition to 5e. I f he does show up somewhere I wouldn’t be surprised to se him started as F1/T2/C3/Wiz20 or something similar.
Well Mordenkainen appeared in an adventure… that I won’t spoil, and he was under some “influence” that made him not as powerful as he could be.
I‘d be happy to have him pop up to give a quest or be directing the party while in disguise as a Harper quest.
Or heck epic level 20 adventure with him tied in somehow with some big bad.
If not that, just a Magic the gathering card, and a Mordenkainen Tome Of Foes type book with expanded content. With his comments throughout the book like he did in some old Forgotten Realms books.
It just feels like a disservice to have him scrubbed from 5E entirely.
Well Mordenkainen appeared in an adventure… that I won’t spoil, and he was under some “influence” that made him not as powerful as he could be.
I‘d be happy to have him pop up to give a quest or be directing the party while in disguise as a Harper quest.
Or heck epic level 20 adventure with him tied in somehow with some big bad.
If not that, just a Magic the gathering card, and a Mordenkainen Tome Of Foes type book with expanded content. With his comments throughout the book like he did in some old Forgotten Realms books.
It just feels like a disservice to have him scrubbed from 5E entirely.
That is the best your likely to get. I don’t think he is dead but they basically cut ties with Greenwood a while back after buying the rights to FR and most of those lore books were Greenwood and a bunch of editors so I’m not expecting anything like those again anytime soon.
You could take the base stats for Larael Silverhand from Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and adjust them for Elminster. She has an updated version of the spellfire ability for the Chosen, and you could make the tweaks you want from there.
and here she is if you don't want to go looking around.
I personally would bump him up to the low 20's and add a couple boons/blessings or something. He has several magic items embedded in his body. As far as what CR, i'd just look at the level CR 22+ monsters and ask 'uh, could he defeat this thing one-one?' - to determine his CR ---- super inaccurate method but good as any i suppose.
Sadly I don’t expect to see elminster anytime in the near future. 5e is based on a max of L20 so a roughly L40 character is not something they want around. The last official deeds of his ( I think) were in the battle between Myth Drannor and Shade where he took out Tantathul but may have been taken out as well. At the very least his powers have been greatly reduced events during 4e and the transition to 5e. I f he does show up somewhere I wouldn’t be surprised to se him started as F1/T2/C3/Wiz20 or something similar.
I don't think he's asking for a L40 character - he's asking for an NPC, which top out at CR 30 and CR <> Player Level.
The problem is he was always stated as a character before and as a truly epic character - one of the 3 highest level mages known plus some low level switch classes. I believe he was last stated as: F1/Rg2/C3/wizard(+Archwizard) 35 the only other mages I know of of roughly similar power (@ W35) are Larloch and ShoonVII.
Honestly, Elminster has always been more of a deus ex machina than a character. He doesn't really need stats since he shouldn't be hanging around with the party doing stuff for long stretches.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
... I wonder what happened to make such a rift between Ed and WOTC?...
probably the exact same problem most every creator has when it comes to large publishers who control the IP - they want to go left but big brother forces them to go right.
I remember a lot of noise at the start of 4e where he wasn’t real happy with the entire direction. Even then the word was his home campaign was actually being played in 2e not 3.5.I think that was actually when they bought the realms lock stock and barrel.
In the new Minsc and Boo's Journal of Villany (produced by WoTC, and Extra Life product), one of the faction options is the Harpers. One of the perks of the later-game Harper contact allows the players to summon an ally if they sacrifice a specific magic item. In the table, one of the options is an "Archmage", and it says they will be named either Elminster Aumar or Laeral Silverhand.
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I'm sure I'm not the first person to ask this, or even try this, but I'd like to add Elminster to a theoretical FR game I'm planning. But unfortunately 5e doesn't have templates (so no Chosen of Mystra) and there's no way to add bonus spells. Has anyone found a way around this or is Elminster just destined for the bin for the foreseeable future?
"The Epic Level Handbook wasn't that bad, guys.
Guys, pls."
You could take the base stats for Larael Silverhand from Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and adjust them for Elminster. She has an updated version of the spellfire ability for the Chosen, and you could make the tweaks you want from there.
I really do hope Wizards eventually add Elminster in an adventure. It seems so off that FR is the main campaign now and yet the narrator, creator’s stand in, has yet to be added at all, not even as a cameo.
Heck the Candlekeep book would have been the ideal place for a cameo.
Sadly I don’t expect to see elminster anytime in the near future. 5e is based on a max of L20 so a roughly L40 character is not something they want around. The last official deeds of his ( I think) were in the battle between Myth Drannor and Shade where he took out Tantathul but may have been taken out as well. At the very least his powers have been greatly reduced events during 4e and the transition to 5e. I f he does show up somewhere I wouldn’t be surprised to se him started as F1/T2/C3/Wiz20 or something similar.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Well Mordenkainen appeared in an adventure… that I won’t spoil, and he was under some “influence” that made him not as powerful as he could be.
I‘d be happy to have him pop up to give a quest or be directing the party while in disguise as a Harper quest.
Or heck epic level 20 adventure with him tied in somehow with some big bad.
If not that, just a Magic the gathering card, and a Mordenkainen Tome Of Foes type book with expanded content. With his comments throughout the book like he did in some old Forgotten Realms books.
It just feels like a disservice to have him scrubbed from 5E entirely.
That is the best your likely to get. I don’t think he is dead but they basically cut ties with Greenwood a while back after buying the rights to FR and most of those lore books were Greenwood and a bunch of editors so I’m not expecting anything like those again anytime soon.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
and here she is if you don't want to go looking around.
https://media.wizards.com/2020/dnd/dragon/30/DRA30_Silverhand.pdf
I personally would bump him up to the low 20's and add a couple boons/blessings or something. He has several magic items embedded in his body. As far as what CR, i'd just look at the level CR 22+ monsters and ask 'uh, could he defeat this thing one-one?' - to determine his CR ---- super inaccurate method but good as any i suppose.
Guide to the Five Factions (PWYW)
A rather comprehensive list of free WotC D&D resources
Deck of Decks
I don't think he's asking for a L40 character - he's asking for an NPC, which top out at CR 30 and CR <> Player Level.
Guide to the Five Factions (PWYW)
A rather comprehensive list of free WotC D&D resources
Deck of Decks
The problem is he was always stated as a character before and as a truly epic character - one of the 3 highest level mages known plus some low level switch classes. I believe he was last stated as: F1/Rg2/C3/wizard(+Archwizard) 35 the only other mages I know of of roughly similar power (@ W35) are Larloch and ShoonVII.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
I see!
Well I'm happy for Ed keeping the rights, but sad for us then. I wonder what happened to make such a rift between Ed and WOTC?
This and the odd stuff with the Dragon Lance creators not being allowed to make new novels, really saddens me for future of older content used in 5E.
One plus I guess is that Ed made some DM's guide content for expanding Candle Keep using Elminster.
https://www.dmsguild.com/product/311436/Elminsters-Candlekeep-Companion
To the comments below, thanks for the advice on stats, totally will use that in my future games for statting.
Honestly, Elminster has always been more of a deus ex machina than a character. He doesn't really need stats since he shouldn't be hanging around with the party doing stuff for long stretches.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
probably the exact same problem most every creator has when it comes to large publishers who control the IP - they want to go left but big brother forces them to go right.
Guide to the Five Factions (PWYW)
A rather comprehensive list of free WotC D&D resources
Deck of Decks
I remember a lot of noise at the start of 4e where he wasn’t real happy with the entire direction. Even then the word was his home campaign was actually being played in 2e not 3.5.I think that was actually when they bought the realms lock stock and barrel.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
In the new Minsc and Boo's Journal of Villany (produced by WoTC, and Extra Life product), one of the faction options is the Harpers. One of the perks of the later-game Harper contact allows the players to summon an ally if they sacrifice a specific magic item. In the table, one of the options is an "Archmage", and it says they will be named either Elminster Aumar or Laeral Silverhand.