In your opinion, for a Paladin of Tyr, is merely sensing an evil alignment justification enough to kill someone, or is actual evidence of death-worthy acts required? (Say, an evil customs agent or moneylender) Evil (and unlawful, to boot) acts (or at least witnessed-by-the-paladin attempts) are absolutely a requirement for dealing death, not mere alignment. We ALL have the potential for evil.#Realsmlore
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 10, 2019
1)
“Gods and cess! You consider that footman who killed himself falling down stairs while watering flowerpots less than an idiot? Or the guards who overbalanced the ladders during the North Tower repainting? Or2)
“Calm yourself, Elvar. I’m well aware of your opinion that you’re surrounded by a Castle staff almost entirely made up of galloping idiots.
A quite correct and justified opinion, to be sure.
I meant that the highest-ranking…#epicfantasy— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 18, 2019
3)
…courtiers have progressed in skills and discernment over the last reign, and this one. We now deliberately pick specific idiots, selecting for the incompetencies we require.”
“Oh. That’s all right, then. 4)
“We STRIVE to be of service, Sire.”#epicfantasy— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 18, 2019
In the Harptos Calender, every month has a common name. But Hammer and Flamerule already seem to be English. Would you translate them into another language (Italien, German, etc.) or keep the official names like that? In 1e/2e D&D, the Common Tongue in the game was design-considered to be English. Hammer and Flamerule were the Common names for "Hamaer" and "Flaenrûl," respectively, and had 'taken over' in Faerûnian daily usage.#Realmslore
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 17, 2019
So I'd either leave all the names as is, or translate if it works better for your purposes. Clarity and a medieval/Renaissance fantasy setting 'feel' are the goals; for your gamers, what works best has to be your call. :}
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 17, 2019
Chapter 4: Building Eberron Adventures
The lightning rail, the most exciting way to get around town!
Was a delight painting this piece.
Big shoutout to Kate Irwin for making this piece happen and to all the designers / writer peeps for making this book. <3#dungeonsanddragons pic.twitter.com/OT63inMciI— Titus 'All about Eberron' Lunter (@TitusLunter) November 19, 2019
Heh. "Toril" came from, I believe, Jeff Grubb.
Folk in the Realms don't think of themselves as living on a planet. They think they live in "Faerûn: ('home' in an old human tongue). Which is the continent name, so TSR added "Abeir-Toril" to have a planet name.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 27, 2019
The psion shouldn’t be anything but a psion. If I could anted to play a spellcaster then I’d go play a spellcaster. Reinvent the psion with its own unique system and stop defaulting back to spellcasting.
— Lawnikky (@Lawnikky) December 10, 2019
I've seen this fascinating feedback before. When did we make a psion that uses spellcasting?
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) December 10, 2019
That was a rhetorical question (in case that wasn't obvious). We haven't made a spellcasting-based psion in 5E. I'm not against the idea of making one; I just find it fascinating when we get feedback on something that doesn't exist.
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) December 11, 2019
Agree … none of the subclasses are psions but they are psionic-themed that mirrors the spellcasting system. Going down this line is enough information to show the direction psionics will go when (if) you do release a proper psion or psionic system? We’ve now done 4 subclasses that are explicitly psionic, and 2 of those 4 don’t rely on spellcasting for their key features.
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) December 11, 2019
Two unfounded notions have been in play: that we’ve determined the fate of the mystic/psion (we haven’t) and that 1 of the 4 recent psionic subclasses (the wizard) replaces the psion (it doesn’t). Plus, why that subclass and not the other 3?
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) December 11, 2019
@TheEdVerse I don't see much in the way of lore when it comes to Zotha. Can you impart any thing about its form or relationship with Asgorath? Ty
— Tiberius777 (@Tiberius7771) November 25, 2019
1)
Like most of what happened long, long ago, sentients alive today know little—and even less they can trust—of beings and events in the remote past. So take what I say here with a generous handful of salt. 2)
Except this: there is almost no Zotha lore, published in our real world or known in Toril today.
Right, here we go…some priesthoods, elder dragons, and sages believe that Zotha was a huge, flying being that in outward form…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 25, 2019
3)
…resembled a real-world manta ray (having a flat, roughly-diamond-shaped body of two ‘wings’ depending out from a central body with a maw at the front, and a long, long tail at the back). Zotha was sentient, strong-willed, and… 4)
…among the early deities of Toril was nicknamed ‘the Devourer’ because in their belief (passed on by Asgorath?) Zotha created life and non-living things from the raw dust and energies of the Void purely to play with and then… #Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 25, 2019
5)
…consume, whereupon it would create anew.
There were other Creator entities in existence in the vast Void, including Asgorath, who also created life and non-living things, and all of them tended to believe they held dominion… 6)
…over what they themselves had created.
But Zotha considered that all creations were for it to toy with, alter, and ultimately devour. Including Asgorath’s creation, Toril—but when Zotha sought to devour Toril, Asgorath…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 25, 2019
7)
…defended Toril, at first by shielding it, and then by destroying Zotha, rending Zotha into many small, raw fragments. Some of these Asgorath consumed, so Zotha could never be reborn, but others fell onto Toril and seared 8)
…their ways down into the deep places of Toril, where in time they became creatures that would in turn evolve into illithids and others (neogi? Beholders?).
I stress again that all of this is disputed and secondhand; no…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 25, 2019
9)
…mortals alive today can know the truth of what befell in times so ancient. But some gods told versions of this tale to their priests in centuries agone, so these stories were set down, and passed down, and we have them now.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 25, 2019
You’re my hero, sir. Thank you so much for expanding the draconic lore of the Realms ;] So, can I came to the conclusion that Zotha was some form of Far Realm thingy?
— Jon Gomez (@ZeromaruX) November 26, 2019
Quite possibly, likely even…but it was so long ago, with no reliable witnesses around, that we can't be sure. "Far away and long ago" is a chilling phrase for good reason.#Realmslore
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 27, 2019
Valkarth Tlakotani @Valkarth · Nov 18@TheEdVerse
considering the rather democratic nature of Turmish, are there nobles too? It’s my understanding the merchants are a form of noble?— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 22, 2019
1)
Yes, certain long-wealthy merchant families try to claim special privileges for themselves on the basis of being “great houses of Turmish,” and divide ‘great’ from ‘everyday’ folk on the basis of bloodline and ‘class’ (as in, 2)
…if you’re ‘one of us’ you’ve been raised with training and education that sets you above commoners of Turmish, more suited (“fit” is the usual term used) to wield authority, and you share our views of the world and our…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 22, 2019
3)
…rightful place in it, as well as what’s best for Turmish. Which is acting as nobles whether or not formal titles are used. And increasingly, in Turmish, this is accepted; the special status claimed is being granted.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) November 22, 2019
