Jul 5, 2012 -- 10:21PM, Mr_Miscellany wrote:

For 4E there is Halls of Undermountain by Shawn Merwin and Matt Sernett.

I don't have the book myself, but I've leafed through it and pretty much wish I had the disposable income to buy it, just for all the map inserts. I haven't read it thoroughly so I can't speak to whether this book captures the flavor of Undermountain.

That said, Matt Sernett also authored (back in 2005 or so) an article on the WotC website titled Return to Undermountain: An Introduction. I think if you look at that article you'll get a good idea of what Undermountain is about.

Thanks Miscellany. I'm glad to see not all of the old FR stuff has been taken down. Does anoyne know how flavourful this book is?

Jul 5, 2012 -- 11:55PM, Imruphel wrote:

I would like to read more about how you're converting the Paizo adventures to make them more Realms-ian.

I've only ever played LFR so I don't know that I have the best idea as to what the flavour of the Forgotten Realms is. In my opinion these 3 modules are quite easily transplanted from Golarion into Forgotten Realms. Here's my ideas thus far.

The PCs start off in the small town of Kassen's Hold. Kassen was an adventurer back during the days directly following the Spellplague. He and his adventuring company went on many an adventure, including one that would lead them to the City of Golden Death.

The City of Golden Death was constructed on an island in the Sea of Fallen Stars. It had been constructed as a trap for Selune, but it never worked. Selune saw through the deceit and so Mystra placed the entire island underneath a ward of protection that would ensure it was never disturbed by anyone, neither god nor mortal. And so it lay for centuries.

With the eruption of the Spellplague, the ward that protected the island was disrupted and this became a particularly violent patch of Plaguelands. Kassen and his fellow adventurers, Iramine (an elf) and Asar (another human), didn't know most of this, of course. They set forth for the Isle after hearing sailors tell them of a dangerous island that ancient legend holds contains treasure beyond reckoning.

They reached the shores of the island and braved it's dangers. They mapped the area until they finally found the legendary city. The city known as the City of Golden Death. There they absconded with as many riches as they could carry. They broke the key into the city into three parts and bid farewell.

Asar went on to further adventures and spent his share of the treasure away on booze, women and gambling. Iramine, intrigued by this city that Shar had constructed, left to start investigating the religion of Shar, typically seen as an enemy to Selune and her people. Iramine had often been something of a heretic and rebel and so she eventually joined the church.

Meanwhile Kassen settled down in the Dalelands. Here he founded a small home for himself at the intersection of two major rivers to help ensure he had steady trade. For the next 10 years the town which came to be called Kassen's Hold flourished, until one day Asar returned. Having spent all his treasure, he wanted to return to the City of Golden Death and needed Kassen's piece of the key. Asar left, vowing vengeance. He returned with raiders and attacked the town for 2 months until finally Kassen trapped him in an ancient crypt.

Kassen lead his men into the tomb where a final standoff occurred between Kassen and Asar. The two died, both to mortal wounds. The townsfolk eventually ventures forth when Kassen didn't return and found all of his men and the bandits. Dead. They interred the fallen in the crypt, giving Kasar pride of place to commemorate the sacrifice he had made for the town which bore his name.

Having heard of the great deeds of this adventurer, Elminster made a rare visit to pay his respects. To honour the dead, he created a small green fire so that all who ventured forth would find light in even the darkest of places.

Over the years the townsfolk have viewed the Crypt as a memorial to those first difficult years and have given it pride of place in their history of the town. Each year, as a coming of age ceremony, the children of the town venture forth into the crypt to light a lantern and then bring the lantern back to town to remind them that even to their small town can come greatness.

This ceremony is intended to give the children a taste of adventure, so that they might follow in the steps of Kassen, if only briefly. The journey is quite safe and so over the years the townsfolk have started to establish more elaborate traps to give the journey more excitement. A few days before the ceremony a handful of townsfolk left to go into the crypt to reset the traps.

Alas what they found waiting for them were undead horrors. A couple of weeks earlier Iramine had led a group of mercenaries into the crypt. She had finally told her superiors of the island and so they sought to gain access to it to uncover the riches and secrets Shar had hidden within. In so doing they had disturbed the vengeful spirit of Asar who rose from his tomb. He started raising the other corpses as undead as he plotted what to do to the town of Kassen now that he was free to plot once more.

The adventure begins with the PCs about to go on this ceremony. Since it's founding a number of unusual races have come to settle. Other adventurers who have decided to settle down and retire. This allows the PCs to be a member of any playable race (including Dragonborn and teleporting High Elves). On the way there they face some illusion orcs and wolves. And the adventure continues much as described in the book.

At the end the spirit of Kassen rises and thanks the PCs for putting his old companion and once friend to rest. Upon returning to Kassen's Hold there are celebrations as the PCs are welcomed into society as adults. A stranger hears tell of the ordeals the PCs face and afterwards asks them for assistance.

He reveals that he is a member of the Harpers, a legendary organisation that was once closely aligned with Mystra. They fight evil wherever it may hide and fear that those who stole the two fragments of the key may have sinister desires. He asks the PCs if the mercenaries had any identifying marks. If the PCs reveal a symbol of Shar he grows quite concerned.

A few days later he says he has made contact with a fellow Harper in Searloon. He says that this Harper will be able to help the PCs track down the mercenaries as they suspect they originated from this city.

Upon arriving in Searloon the PCs find that the Church of Shar is untouchable in Sembia. However he has a plan for the PCs to infiltrate the Church. The church regularly goes on recruits and he knows of one such location coming up. If the PCs can be amongst those who are recruited this will give them access to the Church, which is located on a floating earthmote. It's location makes it impossible to actually breach or attack.

This adventure takes place pretty much as written. The "teachings of Razmir" can be re purposed and adapted to be more like the teachings of Shar. But I suspect it wouldn't take much conversion.

Afterwards the PCs learn that Iramine had already left before the PCs ever arrived. However she went on a slower boat. As long as the PCs can convince their friendly captain that brought them to Saerloon to accompany them once more, they should be able to narrow the gap.

The Isle of Terror won't have a connection to the Plane of Shadows (despite how fitting it is). It will instead be Plaguelands and have plague-wrought monsters. The crazy Pathfinder suddenly becomes a crazy Harper who can lead them to the city.

----
As I said these 3 adventures seem to fit the Forgotten Realms extremely well and so little adaptation is needed. I'm a bit unsure on having an elven worshiper of Shar. Does anyone know of a better long lived race to have instead?
 

Jul 5, 2012 -- 11:55PM, Imruphel wrote:

One small nitpick. Reginald? Please, go to Mr_M's wiki and choose a name that feels like FR. If your players are anything like mine (or like me), the appearance of an NPC named Reginald would soon degenerate into a session filled with mockery.

I'll see what I can do.

Jul 6, 2012 -- 5:37PM, sfdragon wrote:

I don't know if it is up still or not, but the map used for undermountain 4e, I swear looks like one of the old 3.e maps that was created during that time... the one for hte large dungeon.

I'm pretty sure I found that map. Thanks for that.

Jul 6, 2012 -- 5:37PM, sfdragon wrote:

anway to what Silversword was saying, is that Time Travel in the realms has a spell so that you can only go backwards and not forward.

I considered this, and it forces the narrative to follow a very different timeline then one that gradually reveals more and more story. So I'd prefer to go with the latter for the story.

The Shanatar Empire versus Clan Frostsilver

As for some more time periods to visit, I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. One of my players created a Dwarven Clan for LFR complete with background and ethos. During LFR several of us (at least 9 different players) had characters in the clan and one of the plots was finding "the long lost heir to the throne" of the dwarven clan. So I'm going to replace Shanatar with this Clan as there was a time when the dwarves were driven from their ancestral home after an attack by drow and Frost Giant allies. The cultists will slightly change this past history event by allying themselves with the drow rather than the giants allying with the drow. The players will have the opportunity to save the king, save the ancestral home and get the refugees to return to their ancestral home.

IMO this would be a much more significant resolution to a plotline that has literally been years in the making. As a consequence, over the years as the timeline moves forward players will have the opportunity to start playing their old Frostsilver characters, with any changes, radical or small, that they desire (due to the altered timeline).

Myth Drannor

The city was once a safe-haven for many races it has devolved into gang warfare as the people have all turned on each other. Powerful magic relics are held by various groups and the Cultists are attempting to manipulate them into attacking each other so as to give them the relic in particular that they want. The PCs find themselves caught in the midst and must choose sides.

This is based on the fall of Myth Drannor, but everything has accelerated dramatically due to influence by the cultists.

Barroch's Hold

Set in the timewhen the fabled citadel was inhabited by the first great bandit lord of the Inner Sea. He hasn't been seen in some years and so a band of adventurer's invite the PCs along to go plumb it for it's treasures. They have one relic from there, which is a symbol worn by the cultists of the Primordials.

Alas the place is overrun with strange creatures with the Bandit Lord held prisoner in his own citadel. Those strange creatures are spellscarred and Abeiran animals.

The Plague of Imaskar

A peculiar plague has swept through Imaskar and the PCs must find out the root cause behind. They track it down to find find portals as the cultists were trying to bring entire dragon flights through to this world. They must be stopped (Dragonborn guards) or otherwise Imaskar will simply be overwhelmed.

When they succeed they witness the Imaskar mages bringing forth an entire people to Faerun.

The Sundering and What it Means for Me

So the Tablets of Fate were now created when Ao split apart Abeir-Toril to become one world known as Abeir and one world known as Toril. When the PCs go back to fight in the Dawn War they will meet with Ao who will explain his plot to break the two worlds apart. He will ask if the PCs think this is a good idea.

If the PCs convince Ao not to do this then the Tablets of Fate are never created. As a direct consequence the Times of Trouble also never occur.

So my players will have several choices when they make this decision:

1. Don't split the worlds and as a result the Tablets of Fate aren't made and the Time of Troubles never occurs. Dragonborn don't exist in Faerun and as a consequence aren't a legal character race until they make their triumphant debut in 1373 DR.
2. Split the worlds but allow stable contact between the two worlds. The Time of Troubles still occur, but Dragonborn are a legal race and are acknowledged and permitted to move around in the cities.
3. Split the world but don't allow any contact which means unstable contact is made during areas that are Spellplagued. Dragonborn are allowed, but they are an exotic and unknown race and would be treated with suspicion and distrust.

I like that my players have this much choice over the Fate of Faerun as this campaign is all about making the Forgotten Realms our own. We can emphasise or gloss over various different details based on the tastes of the players and their actions