The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game, created by Canadian author and game designer Ed Greenwood. A campaign setting is usually a Fictional world which serves as a setting for a Role-playing game or Wargame campaign Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a Fantasy Role-playing game (RPG originally designed by Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters. Ed Greenwood (born 1959 is a Canadian writer and editor who created the Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting Commonly referred to as simply The Realms, it became the most popular setting with D&D gamers in the 1990s, boosted by the success of novels by authors such as R. A. Salvatore and numerous computer role-playing games such as Pool of Radiance, Baldur's Gate, and Neverwinter Nights. Robert Anthony Salvatore (born January 20 1959, Leominster, Massachusetts) who writes under the name R A computer role-playing game ( CRPG) is a broad Video game genre originally developed for personal computers and other home computers Pool of Radiance, released in 1988, was the first of a long series of Tactical role-playing games that shared a common engine that came to be known as the Baldur's Gate is a popular series of Computer role-playing games that take place on Faerûn, the main continent from Dungeons & Dragons The primary focus of the setting is the continent of Faerûn, part of the world of Abeir-Toril, an Earth-like planet with many real world influences. A continent is one of several large Landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by Convention rather than any strict criteria with seven regions Faerûn is a Fictional Subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. Abeir-Toril (or commonly referred to as Toril is the name of the fictional Planet that makes up the Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001
According to the creators, It is the name of an imaginary fantasy world that exists somewhere beyond our own world. It is a world of strange lands, dangerous creatures, and mighty deities, where magic and seemingly supernatural phenomena are quite real. Unlike our world, the lands of the Forgotten Realms are not all ruled by the human race: the planet Abeir-Toril is shared by humans, dwarves, elves, goblins, orcs, and other, more or less strange peoples and creatures. Technologically, the world of the Forgotten Realms isn't nearly as advanced as ours; in this respect, it resembles the earth in the 13th or 14th century.
Ostensibly, once upon a time, our Earth and the world of Forgotten Realms were somehow more closely connected. As time passed, we, the inhabitants of planet Earth, have mostly forgotten about the existence of that other world -- hence the term "Forgotten Realms". In the original Forgotten Realms logo, the little runic letters in it read "Herein lie the lost lands". This is another allusion to this connection between the two worlds.
However, in spite of this connection, the world of the Forgotten Realms is in many ways nothing like our world. On the planet Abeir-Toril, the dead sometimes choose to walk among the living, gods meddle with mortal matters, a desert seems to have a mind of its own, dragons are always a very real threat, and no tale can be too strange to be true. Abeir-Toril (or commonly referred to as Toril is the name of the fictional Planet that makes up the Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons Many wondrous kingdoms and events of the past have been long forgotten, and with every passing year new mysteries arise. In the Forgotten Realms, survival itself can be an epic adventure. It is currently one of only two campaign settings, along with Eberron, for which official Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast is still creating new material. Eberron is a Campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game, set in a period after a vast destructive war on the continent of Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a Fantasy Role-playing game (RPG originally designed by Wizards of the Coast (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of Games primarily based on Fantasy and
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In 1967, an 8-year-old Canadian boy wrote the following lines: "Now in all the lands 'twixt bustling Waterdeep and the sparkling waves of The Sea of Fallen Stars, no men were more loved -- and feared -- than the stoic swordsman Durnan, the blustering old rogue Mirt, and the all-wise, ancient wizard Elminster. Elminster Aumar (born c 212 DR) is a Fictional character in the Dungeons & Dragons -based Forgotten Realms setting " [source: Dragon Magazine #218, p. 8]
These were the very first words written about the Forgotten Realms and that boy was Ed Greenwood, who originally designed it and began writing little stories of his own about heroes adventuring in an imaginary world and publishing a series of short articles detailing the setting in Dragon magazine. Dragon is one of the two official Magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game and associated products Although The Realms were yet to be an official campaign world, the first module based on the setting, H1 Bloodstone Pass, was released in 1985 by TSR. H1 Bloodstone Pass (Item Code 9122 is a module for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1st Edition TSR Inc was an American game publishing company most famous for publishing the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game. The first fully official Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (often referred to as 'the old grey box' or just 'grey box') was later released in 1987 as a boxed set of two source books and four large maps, designed by Greenwood in collaboration with author Jeff Grubb. Jeff Grubb (born August 27, 1957 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania) is an author and game designer
After the initial popularity of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Set, the first novel based on the setting, Darkwalker on Moonshae, the first of The Moonshae Trilogy, by author Douglas Niles was published in May 1987. Darkwalker on Moonshae is a fantasy novel by Douglas Niles, set in the Forgotten Realms Campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons Douglas Niles is a Fantasy author and Game designer. Niles was one of the creators of the Dragonlance world and the author of the first three Forgotten The following year saw the release of The Crystal Shard, the first novel to feature the highly successful character Drizzt Do'Urden, who has since appeared in more than seventeen subsequent novels, many of which have been featured on the New York Times Best Seller list. Drizzt Do'urden (dʒrɪszt doʊˈɝdɪn is a character in the Dungeons & Dragons -based Forgotten Realms setting The New York Times Best Seller List is widely considered to be the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. [1] In 1988 the first in a line of Forgotten Realms computer role-playing games, Pool of Radiance was released by Strategic Simulations, Inc. A computer role-playing game ( CRPG) is a broad Video game genre originally developed for personal computers and other home computers Pool of Radiance, released in 1988, was the first of a long series of Tactical role-playing games that shared a common engine that came to be known as the Strategic Simulations Inc (SSI was a Computer game developer and publisher with over 100 titles to its credit since its founding in 1979 The game was quite popular, winning the Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1988, and in 1992, the game was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System. The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES or simply Nintendo) is an 8-bit Video game console that was released by
In 1989, DC Comics began publishing a series of Forgotten Realms comics written by Jeff Grubb. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Forgotten Realms is a Fantasy based Comic book set in Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms campaign setting written by Jeff Grubb Jeff Grubb (born August 27, 1957 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania) is an author and game designer Each issue contained twenty-six pages illustrated primarily by Rags Morales and Dave Simons. Ralph "Rags" Morales is am American Comic book artist known for his work DC Comics ' Identity Crisis, Countdown Twenty-five issues were published in total, with the last being released in 1991. A fifty-six page annual Forgotten Realms Comic Annual #1: Waterdhavian Nights, illustrated by various artists was also released in 1990. An annual publication, more often called simply an annual, is a book or a Magazine, Comic book or Comic strip published yearly
The setting received a revision in 1993 to update it to the newer second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) rules system, with the release of Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, containing three books and various "monster supplements. " Additional material for the setting, as well as further novels by various authors, was released steadily throughout the 1990s.
1998 saw the release of Baldur's Gate, the first in a line of popular computer role-playing games developed by Bioware for the PC. Baldur's Gate is a popular series of Computer role-playing games that take place on Faerûn, the main continent from Dungeons & Dragons The game was followed up with a sequel, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn in 2000, Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor in 2001, as well as Icewind Dale, a separate game that utilized the same game engine as Baldur's Gate. Baldur's Gate is a popular series of Computer role-playing games that take place on Faerûn, the main continent from Dungeons & Dragons Pool of Radiance Ruins of Myth Drannor is a Forgotten Realms Dungeons and Dragons Computer role playing game released Icewind Dale is a Computer role-playing game (CRPG series developed by Black Isle Studios. A game engine is a software system designed for the creation and development of computer and video games Several popular Forgotten Realms characters such as Drizzt Do'Urden and Elminster made minor appearances in these games. Drizzt Do'urden (dʒrɪszt doʊˈɝdɪn is a character in the Dungeons & Dragons -based Forgotten Realms setting Elminster Aumar (born c 212 DR) is a Fictional character in the Dungeons & Dragons -based Forgotten Realms setting
In 2002, Bioware released Neverwinter Nights, set in the northern reaches of Faerun and operated on the revised 3. 0 rules for D&D. It was followed by two expansion packs (Shadows of Undrentide in 2003, Hordes of the Underdark in 2003), 6 Premium Downloadable Modules (Witch's Wake, Shadow Guard, Kingmaker, Pirates of the Sword Coast, Infinite Dungeons, and Wyvern Crown of Cormyr) and a sequel in 2006, developed by Obsidian Entertainment, which was followed by the expansion set Mask of the Betrayer. An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing Role-playing game, Tabletop game or Video game. Neverwinter Nights Shadows of Undrentide is an expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights developed by Floodgate Entertainment and BioWare Neverwinter Nights Hordes of the Underdark is an expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights produced by BioWare and published by Infogrames " Kingmaker " is a term originally applied to the activities of Richard Neville 16th Earl of Warwick during the Wars of the Roses in England. Neverwinter Nights 2 ( NWN2) is a Computer role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Atari Neverwinter Nights 2 Mask of the Betrayer (NWN2MotB is a Computer role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Atari
With the release of the revised Dungeons & Dragons rules system in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast, the Forgotten Realms campaign setting received its own revision, released in 2001, updating the official material and advancing the timeline of the game world. Wizards of the Coast (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of Games primarily based on Fantasy and In 2002, the latest revision of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting won the Origins Award for Best Role-Playing Game Supplement of 2001. The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry
With the announced release for D&D's 4th Edition, Forgotten Realms will remain as one of the primary campaign settings and be supported by a line of new source materials and their continuing book line, featuring a very changed realms and moving almost 100 years into the future. The 4th Edition of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting sourcebook is scheduled to be released in August, 2008.
The planet of Abeir-Toril consists of several large continents, including Faerûn, the focus of the setting, which was first detailed in the original Forgotten Realms Campaign Set, published in 1987 by TSR. Faerûn is a Fictional Subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. Abeir-Toril (or commonly referred to as Toril is the name of the fictional Planet that makes up the Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons A continent is one of several large Landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by Convention rather than any strict criteria with seven regions Faerûn is a Fictional Subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. TSR Inc was an American game publishing company most famous for publishing the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game. The other continents include Kara-Tur, Zakhara, Maztica, and other yet unspecified landmasses. The Forgotten Realms is a Campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D Fantasy Role-playing game, created by This article is about the Fictional Fantasy setting of Forgotten Realms. Kara-Tur, roughly corresponding to ancient East Asia, was later the focus of its own source book Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms, published in 1988. [2]
Various products detailing specific areas of Faerûn have been released, and as such much of the continent has been heavily detailed and documented to create a highly developed setting.
In early editions of the setting, The Realms shared a unified cosmology with various other campaign settings called the Great Wheel. Cosmology (from Greek grc κοσμολογία - grc κόσμος kosmos, "universe" and grc -λογία -logia) is study A campaign setting is usually a Fictional world which serves as a setting for a Role-playing game or Wargame campaign In this way each of the Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings were linked together to form one interwoven world connected by various planes of existence. In the standard cosmology of the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying game, the planes of existence are alternate dimensions. With the release of the 2001 Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, the setting was given its own distinct and separate cosmological arrangement, with unique planes not explicitly connected to those of the other settings. [3][4]
Religion plays a large part in the Forgotten Realms, with deities and their followers being an integral part of the world. They do not have a passive role, but in fact interact directly in mortal affairs, answer prayers, and have their own personal agendas. All deities must have worshippers to survive, and all mortals must worship a patron deity to secure a good afterlife. A huge number of diverse deities exist within several polytheistic pantheons; a large number of supplements have documented many of them, some in more detail than others. Polytheism is belief in or worship of multiple Gods (usually assembled in a pantheon) together with associated Mythology and Rituals [5][6]
Much of the history of The Realms detailed in novels and source books is concerned with the actions of various deities or The Chosen, mortal representatives with a portion of their deities' power, such as Elminster, Fzoul Chembryl, Midnight who later became the new embodiment of the goddess of magic, Mystra, and the Seven Sisters. Elminster Aumar (born c 212 DR) is a Fictional character in the Dungeons & Dragons -based Forgotten Realms setting Mystra is a Fictional Goddess in the Forgotten Realms Campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons The Seven Sisters — Fictional characters of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons Role Playing Game
Above all other deities is Ao the Overlord. Lord Ao (/'eɪoʊ/ or ay -oh is the Overgod of the fictitious magical world of Abeir-Toril in the Forgotten Realms setting of Dungeons Ao does not sanction worshipers and distances himself from mortals. He is single-handedly responsible for the Time of Troubles, or Godswar, as seen in The Avatar Trilogy. The Time of Troubles, also known as the Arrival, Godswar, and Avatar Crisis, was a cataclysmic time period in the chronology of the Forgotten The Avatar Series, originally The Avatar Trilogy, is a series of fantasy novels in the Forgotten Realms setting covering the
The setting is the home of several iconic characters popularized by authors, including Elminster the wizard, who has appeared in several series of novels created by Greenwood himself, and Drizzt Do'Urden the highly popular drow, or dark elf, ranger created by R. A. Salvatore. Elminster Aumar (born c 212 DR) is a Fictional character in the Dungeons & Dragons -based Forgotten Realms setting Drizzt Do'urden (dʒrɪszt doʊˈɝdɪn is a character in the Dungeons & Dragons -based Forgotten Realms setting This article refers to the fictional elven race from Dungeons & Dragons. Robert Anthony Salvatore (born January 20 1959, Leominster, Massachusetts) who writes under the name R
The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting has seen three complete revisions of the core setting over four editions of Dungeons & Dragons rules:
Various campaign accessories, including:
A revised version for 3rd edition was released in 2005. [11]
Over two hundred novels concerning the fictional events of the Forgotten Realms have been released by many authors, including:
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A large number of computer role-playing games have been released since the inception of the Forgotten Realms. This is a sortable list of computer games Console games Arcade games and Mobile games based on the Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy This is a sortable list of computer games Console games Arcade games and Mobile games based on the Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Notable titles include:
Finder Stone Trilogy The Curse of the Azurebond The Wyvern's Spur Song of the Saurials