Faiths And Avatars 2nd Edition
Welcome to a Let's Read of a Forgotten Realms supplement on religion and deities for AD&D 2e. First, full disclosure of my background & biases: I've never actually played tabletop AD&D 2e, despite owning the AD&D 2e Monstrous Manual since childhood. I had quite a bit experience with other tabletop RPGs (starting with Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay) before playing any version of D&D. However, I played the Baldur's Gate series of computer games and they (particularly the first one) sold me on Forgotten Realms. I've been returning to the setting often, even though I abandoned D&D itself in favor of systems that hold more appeal to me (recently I'm running a FR game using Burning Wheel). I am for some reason particularly enamored with the gods that Ed Greenwood made up.
Theravada Buddhist and other Indian Influences on Greek Philosophy and early Christianity, and subsequent Hellenic and possible Christian influence on the Rise of.
Previously I've used 3rd edition Forgotten Realms sourcebook Faiths & Pantheons (of which I might make a follow up comparative Let's Read if this works out) whenever I've fancied putting some religiously motivated plots in my game. However, seeing Faiths and Avatars get a lot of praise here, I've gotten it and it quickly proved a very nice resource. However, I haven't read it cover to cover and I hope to rectify that with this endeavour. Since I am not qualified to say much about the mechanics or historic context (due to aforementioned lack of experience with taD&D), you, dear readers, will have to carry out an in-depth discussion of that yourself if you want it in this thread. I'll be talking about plot hooks and critiquing settingbuilding, I guess.
We'll see, but I'm sure I'll have strong opinions about the contents of the book. Onto the book itself. It was published in March 1996 and weighs in at 192 pages. 'The book was designed by Julia Martin with Eric L.
Boyd, and additional design by Ed Greenwood, L. Richard Baker III, and David Wise.' As Wikipedia puts it.
I usually fail to notice and/or remember who authored what, but Eric L. Boyd impressed me with some quality stuff he put on Candlekeep forum and I've noticed that many of my favourite sourcebooks also bear his name on the cover (mostly the 3rd edition run of FR supplements).
Julia Martin has less credits to her name, but co-authoring the Revised Campaign Setting (of which I've followed an excellent ) with Grubb and Greenwood and editing the excellent Volo's Guides suggest she brings some serious quality to her projects. I've acquired my copy as a PDF from. It's of excellent quality, albeit watermarked.
Let's review the cover: It's a priestess dispelling a skeleton in some underground temple, I guess. The artist was very determined to use all shades of brown/orange in the picture. It's a D&D cleric, all right, but it doesn't exactly stand out as a cover.
It could hide well amongst Warhammer FRP covers. The back cover doesn't add any new aesthetic experiences. It has the following blurb. This should be an interesting read and discussion. It's 2e, so I assume the controversial 'Wall of the Faithless' will be mentioned.I don't think the Wall is ever mentioned in 2e books, even the one's that actually focus on the afterlife, like On Hallowed Ground. In fact, I think it's implied to be destroyed in the novel where it's introduced ([I]Prince of Lies, 1993), and I don't think it's rebuilt in the sequel ( Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad, 1998), though Kelemvor does make the realm of the dead less pleasant again. So, for something that upsets a lot of people, it actually gets very little mention, and only really in 3e (unless I'm missing something big).
Last edited by Thane of Fife; at 08:26 PM. I don't think the Wall is ever mentioned in 2e books, even the one's that actually focus on the afterlife, like On Hallowed Ground. In fact, I think it's implied to be destroyed in the novel where it's introduced ([I]Prince of Lies, 1993), and I don't think it's rebuilt in the sequel ( Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad, 1998), though Kelemvor does make the realm of the dead less pleasant again.I remember reading about the Wall of the Faithless, and I never read either of those books. It's probably in Waterdeep (1989), when Midnight was traipsing around that city of the afterworld and met her dead halfling (kind of) friend.
Last edited by Sleeper; at 08:23 PM.
•: Ongoing post-Spellplague series starring a tiefling warlock and her companions, plus heavy involvement of Nine Hells politics. •: A generally well-regarded trilogy set in of Halruaa, one of the Realms' less-explored regions. •: A, well, following the early years of the priest Cadderly Bonaduce. Download Suno Aisha Mp3 Song on this page. Spun off from by the same author. •: An ongoing saga written by Greenwood himself, starring his Elminster of Shadowdale. Salvatore's flagship novel series chronicling the adventures of chaotic good drow ranger Drizzt Do'Urden.
•: Serves as a sort of prequel that focuses on Drizzt Do'Urden's past. •: First introduced Drizzt. •: Even more Drizzt.
•: Drizzt and friends with the crystal shard. Download W4 Wagba Kontrol there. •: Drizzt versus more orcs than in The Lord of the Rings films.
•: Drizzt gets to meet three different kings. •: Drizzt alone and on the road.
•: Drizzt and the Silver Marches against an alliance of enemies. • •: A spinoff from the Drizzt novels starring his rival Artemis Entreri and the drow mercenary lord Jarlaxle Baenre. •: A trilogy where a human berserker and a drow priestess must work together to obtain a powerful magical artifact. •: A trilogy chronicling the events of the titular year 1373 DR. •: A six-part saga set in the Faerun's Underdark, includes more drow. • •: The definitive AD&D Second Edition CRPG, revolving around the children of Bhaal, the god of murder.
This is the game that made famous. •, a hack-and-slash 'spinoff' of the Baldur's Gate. Same name, same city, different story. • • — since the 2012. • • Most, but not all, of the games. • •, the king of D&D Third Edition CRPGs.
Its engine was used in modified form in several later games including and. •, its 3.5E sequel.
•, a 4e-based MMO that vaguely follows up the above. Developed by using the same engine as.
• Seasons 6 and on (Previous seasons had been set in, but the characters crossed planes in the changeover from 4E to 5E.) • The setting features: •: • The Lords' Alliance on the western coast, a group of city-states including Waterdeep and Neverwinter that have banded together for mutual defense. • The Ten Towns of Icewind Dale as well, though until roughly the 1360s they fought among themselves for fishing rights as often as they fought their local enemies. The scrimshaw trade with points south eventually enriched them to the point where they stopped feuding for the most part. •: The Calendar of Harptos, Elven Rysars.
•: There are a few. • The Heralds are not as much 'secret' as 'low profile' organization dedicated to tracking bloodlines and register and police coats of arms. Harpers for a time were a branch of Heralds before split due to different agenda, but retained good relations. Other than that, Heralds are backed up by lots of strong magic, and obviously there are a lot of very powerful people interested in their work, and a few deities whose portfolio align with this so closely (especially Oghma and Siamorphe) their followers are always eager to help such an inherently blessed work. ' nobles or brigands have to be shrieking mad before they will even consider using someone else's badge or full coat of arms on their armor, '.
•: Most famously Netheril, but also Imaskar and Jhaamdath. As a subnote, some of the humans who survived the fall of Netheril fled to the nearby Elven city of Ascalhorn.where they proceeded to show they hadn't learned their lesson one bit by daring to consort with demons and devils. End result, creation of fey'ri, corruption of Ascalhorn into Hellgate Keep, and fall of Eaerlann. •: FR is the home of a construct known as 'helmed horror'., of course.
Unlike a golem, it needs to be possessed by a mortal, so methods of procuring the 'pilot' vary, e.g. War Wizards in Cormyr give some criminals an option to get some hands-on action (with the body in a high-security prison, some magical conditioning and removal of possible 'sensitive' memories), less law-abiding artificiers may kill and compel, and it's not like a badly crippled warrior can't occasionally volunteer for this. •: Most folk's opinions on firearms in the Realms. In large part this is due to intentional on the part of Gond the Wonderbringer. •: The higher levels frequently attributed to individuals in positions of authority. •: The reason why various evil entities haven't taken over the world, and why various good entities don't control the world. •: Most of the have shaved heads.
•: Uthgar Gardolfsson, who raised an army, destroyed a corrupt mageocracy, and united several towns and settlements under his rule. Eventually he was killed in battle against a giant, but he was such a badass that the god of battle, Tempus, raised Uthgar to godhood after his death. •: The Uthgardt and Icewind Dale barbarians are usually depicted this way (ref. The usual depiction of Wulfgar, son of Beornegar on the cover art of the ). •: An absurd amount of Cormyrean young nobles look, due to the of Azoun IV.
Some have joined coups, some are loyal to the official Obarskyr line's rule. The nobles of Cormyr — including the royal Obarskyrs — were notorious for having many bastard offspring.
Most of these turnshields, as they were called in polite company, were sent away [.] Some became skilled artisans loyal family retainers, or even '. But too many became coinless wastrels wandering distant realms as forgotten kin, hating their noble connections and without the means to reap revenge.
•: In the ancient times of the setting Jergal was a much more powerful deity than he is now. Then the Dead Three, a trio of evil epic-level adventurers consisting of Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul, challenged him. To their surprise, Jergal had actually grown tired of his role and divvied up his portfolio voluntarily: Bane got tyranny, Bhaal got murder and deceit, and Myrkul got death, while Jergal was content to remain as archivist of the dead.
•: • King Gareth Dragonsbane of Damara is an epic-level paladin and cleric of Ilmater. His magics are divinely given and tied to him remaining, and in the course of gaining the throne he helped drive out an occupying army from neighboring Vaasa's. • Also, three of the Seven Sisters, all of whom are and powerful sorceresses, ruled realms as these. Alustriel Silverhand () spent 134 years as the High Lady of Silverymoon before stepping down, then was chosen as ruler of the Confederation of the Silver Marches two years later, and in both cases her rule proved a boon to the whole region.
Meanwhile her sister Alassra is but ruled as the Witch-Queen of Aglarond for decades, fighting hard to keep the country from being conquered by neighboring Thay. Meanwhile Laeral Silverhand is the wife of Khelben 'Blackstaff' Arunsun of Waterdeep and though she doesn't actually rule the town (it has a council of lords rather than a single ruler), she is heavily involved in its running.
•: The Rage of the Dragons, The Time of Troubles, The Shadovar, et al. •:, the Realms actually runs on this, and it's merely intended to appear like a conventional fantasy world. Bara: More than once have I come upon some mess caused by adventurers only to have them tell me that they couldn’t prevent an incident's occurrence because their mage was 'under the control of an ancient and malevolent artifact of evil'. If you must come to the High Moor and you must hunt treasure there, be careful. Check things for curses before you pick them up and play with them. Being mind-controlled doesn’t give you free reign to come in and muck up the region I protect. •: Kara-Tur's Celestial Bureaucracy.
•: Phaerimms reproduce like some wasps. They paralyze the subject with a sting, then inject an egg; the larva consumes the victim from the inside out. •: The paladin orders. Large ones are also much more inclined to slip into routine than individual paladins. Danilo Thann once, though he's not too picky or easily scared, and admires paladins one by one. Several Lawful churches are rather militant themselves. Of course, in case of Tempus followers the warfare is, but they tend to participate in other people's wars rather than wage their own.
•: Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter. • As Chansrin (who accompanies the Watch when bored, hoping for a chance to hurl spells) put it, she remains in Scornubel because. : It has been said that most merchants die not of lawbreaking or lack of coin but of running afoul of a cabal—one they belong to, two or more they belong to that end up having conflicting aims or activities, or just one they happen to be in the way of. • There are groups such as Iron Throne or Knights of the Shield that outwardly (even for their own low-ranking members) look like 'yet another strong merchant group', but on the inside are more fiendish. Sometimes, literally. •: with the Spellplague.
It's just that can be used for good or evil. •: • Thay has Researcher and Imperialist parties. Imperialists prevailed and led conquests, constantly failing mainly because everyone knows this is what they're trying to do and are constantly on guard against them.
After several failed campaigns, the Imperialists' charismatic leader got disillusioned and switched sides, another affiliated zulkir was slain ( The Simbul's Gift), and Researchers with their notion that war's bad for business naturally won. Red Wizards of Thay started selling them magic items. Not only making scads of cash, but making the other nations dependent on them. • A few red dragons more greedy than agressive use their iconic to get long contracts as living furnaces. They constantly receive quality food, a trickle of gold into the hoards (which given dragons' life expectancy adds up to a decent pile) and at least some awe — and not only is it risk-free, but it comes with extra protection for the lair.
•: • The Realms have a lot of, including new ones. But since 'negative energy' (un-life force) is a primal force much like elements, as such aren't obliged to be. Has a reminder.