First time DM looking for some advice on integrating some of my own places/story beats into the "by the book" Faerun map and locations. As I got started, I quickly realized I had some ideas that didn't quite fit in with standard D&D content (e.g., gnomish mechanical/clockwork city, etc.). But I am also really inspired by the core and expanded material (e.g., Tales from the Yawning Portal, DMsguild, Neverwinter, Waterdeep, etc.) because there is so much cool stuff already created to use. As things progress, I'm finding the notion of building out my worldmap a bit daunting. And since I'm planning to continue using a blend of Wizards content and my own, I'm wondering if there are already locations, factions, etc. that I could squeeze my content ideas into by tweaking them a bit without breaking them entirely.
That way, I could still integrate more "by the book" content when I find something cool without having rearrange the landscape as we move ahead because I blew up a "by the book" location to make my own space. I hope that makes sense.
So, could anyone out there more familiar with the lore and locations, please let me know if there are locations, factions, etc. in Faerun (or other continents) that come close to the following archetypes? Thanks in advance.
"Jerusalem" i.e., some kind of holy city where multiple gods are worshipped and religion is a big big thing
"Magic City" (e.g., Daleran...if you played WoW) a city fully focused on and run by magic and various magical practicioners
High council of Wizards ruling group within the "magic city" i'm hoping to include
"Transylvania" I know about Barovia...I just didn't like the idea of it being a demiplane. Is there a location in the prime material that makes sense as the home of ghouls, zombies, etc?
"Crusaders"/Spanish Inquisition Faction Any kind of religious order/fighter faction that might be "holding back the darkness" in the previously mentioned "transylvania" area. The kind of group that borders on being just as bad as the monsters they fight, given the horrible things they do for "good".
Dwarven Stonghold/Training Ground/Parris Island The kind of place where dwarven fighters/clerics (e.g., Mauridin's Hammers) might be trained and then sent out to protect dwarven interests and kingdoms across the land. And kill orcs :-)
"Magic City" (e.g., Daleran...if you played WoW) a city fully focused on and run by magic and various magical practicioners
High council of Wizards ruling group within the "magic city" i'm hoping to include
I don't know a ton about the lore, but I'm enveloped in it right now. That being said, I do know of CandleKeep, which contains a huge library (which I'm sure I'm not doing it justice describing it that way) dedicated to research/knowledge. The only way to gain entry is to show up with an entrance-gift, which is "a donation of a work of writing not already in the possession of Candlekeep" (from SCAG p75; 74-77 is all about CandleKeep). I'd imagine this would be something similar to a Dalaran type town, though not magical itself per se.
I think Sword's Coast Adventurer's Guide (SCAG) will do you well in this info, as I was the same way (wanting to create many things that were already there). It is written from the perspective of a guide telling a newcomer of the Sword Coast. It goes briefly over factions, covers the common deities (what they stand for, their symbols, about their followers), it goes over all of the major cities, keeps, and citadels, as well as many smaller towns. It sounds like it's titled to be a players companion book, but really I think it's definitely more of a DM book -- it contains info on the setting. Not a ton of lore/history, but gives you a background of the major locations (Cities of the Lord's Alliance, Dwarfholds in the North, Island kingdoms, independent realms, and even a bit on the Underdark cities of Menzoberranzan and Blingdenstone.
As far as factions -- refer to the Wizards page here. Also refer to this PDF on the DM's Guild site (it's free). It's an adventure's league document, but that's because AL generally focuses on the factions more than any adventures or home games
Hey man, once you use an established setting in your campaign, it is yours , put anything, remove everything, you have complete control over the setting and where to place anything that seems cool to you, which I recommend you do. Because recycling is a very important thing that you should do often.
Not sure thats entirely helpful, but make it up if you want to is what I recommend, and if you do find the particular city just adapt it to your setting.
It's a helpful reminder. I know I control it. I think since it's my first run I'm being a bit overzealous about trying to keep consistency to make it a more immersive experience for my players. Likely just pressure I'm putting on myself that my players might not even notice since I'm not giving them a world map or anything like that.
Also looking to cut corners so I don't have to build all this from scratch :-P
First time DM looking for some advice on integrating some of my own places/story beats into the "by the book" Faerun map and locations. As I got started, I quickly realized I had some ideas that didn't quite fit in with standard D&D content (e.g., gnomish mechanical/clockwork city, etc.). But I am also really inspired by the core and expanded material (e.g., Tales from the Yawning Portal, DMsguild, Neverwinter, Waterdeep, etc.) because there is so much cool stuff already created to use. As things progress, I'm finding the notion of building out my worldmap a bit daunting. And since I'm planning to continue using a blend of Wizards content and my own, I'm wondering if there are already locations, factions, etc. that I could squeeze my content ideas into by tweaking them a bit without breaking them entirely.
That way, I could still integrate more "by the book" content when I find something cool without having rearrange the landscape as we move ahead because I blew up a "by the book" location to make my own space. I hope that makes sense.
So, could anyone out there more familiar with the lore and locations, please let me know if there are locations, factions, etc. in Faerun (or other continents) that come close to the following archetypes? Thanks in advance.
"Jerusalem"
i.e., some kind of holy city where multiple gods are worshipped and religion is a big big thing
"Magic City" (e.g., Daleran...if you played WoW)
a city fully focused on and run by magic and various magical practicioners
High council of Wizards
ruling group within the "magic city" i'm hoping to include
"Transylvania"
I know about Barovia...I just didn't like the idea of it being a demiplane. Is there a location in the prime material that makes sense as the home of ghouls, zombies, etc?
"Crusaders"/Spanish Inquisition Faction
Any kind of religious order/fighter faction that might be "holding back the darkness" in the previously mentioned "transylvania" area. The kind of group that borders on being just as bad as the monsters they fight, given the horrible things they do for "good".
Dwarven Stonghold/Training Ground/Parris Island
The kind of place where dwarven fighters/clerics (e.g., Mauridin's Hammers) might be trained and then sent out to protect dwarven interests and kingdoms across the land. And kill orcs :-)
Evil kung-fu monk temple / evil monks
Good kung-fu monk temple / good monks
How do you get a one-armed goblin out of a tree?
Wave!
Hey man, once you use an established setting in your campaign, it is yours , put anything, remove everything, you have complete control over the setting and where to place anything that seems cool to you, which I recommend you do. Because recycling is a very important thing that you should do often.
Not sure thats entirely helpful, but make it up if you want to is what I recommend, and if you do find the particular city just adapt it to your setting.
Malti u kburi
It's a helpful reminder. I know I control it. I think since it's my first run I'm being a bit overzealous about trying to keep consistency to make it a more immersive experience for my players. Likely just pressure I'm putting on myself that my players might not even notice since I'm not giving them a world map or anything like that.
Also looking to cut corners so I don't have to build all this from scratch :-P
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page. Start here for more information.
Then make it your own.
For example: Gond is a great place for tinkers; add in a district of gnomes or a new town near by.
Most of your ideas have been fleshed out for other settings. Find a spot in FR too drop it in.
Finally, follow Ed Greenwood on Twitter. He answers questions and loves when DMs make it their own.
--
DM -- Elanon -- Homebrew world
Gronn -- Tiefling Warlock -- Amarath
Slim -- Halfling Cleric -- CoS (future Lord of Waterdeep 😁)
Bran -- Human Wizard - RoT
Making D&D mistakes and having fun since 1977!