Forgotten Realms and 4th Edition

[Dark Knight Renee]

I know from lurking around this forum that the Forgotten Realms takes recieves yet another magical incident to make the transition from 3.5E to 4E. Where can I find the details of this, and how much information is actually available at present, seeing as 4E hasn't been released yet?


Edit: Oh yeah, and feel free to turn this isn't a discussion thread, if there isn't a FR-themed 4th Edition thread siting around that I missed.

[Kurald Galain]

"Incident" is quite the understatement. As I understand it, there's a huge cataclysm called the spellplague, which results in a substantial number of gods dying, and many of the high-level characters getting wiped out (except, of course, Elminster, Drizz'l and the other famous guys from the books).

[RTGoodman]

Yeah, as Kurald says, it's a pretty big deal - whole regions sink, gods die, magic goes wild, and all sorts of things like that.

For more info, though, check out The Grand History of the Realms. The whole last section is sort of the "update" that'll bring the Realms to 4E.

EDIT: I don't actually have the book (I just flipped through it at B&N one day), but someone that does might be able to give more info.

[Moff Chumley]

Yes, I'd like to know more too. I don't have a problem with the reset, I'd just like more details.

[Renegade Paladin]

What's happening is this: They're making up a whole new campaign setting and slapping the Forgotten Realms label on it for brand recognition. In the meantime, they're scrapping the Forgotten Realms setting.

[CASTLEMIKE]

Wizard's had two web articles. Here's a link to one:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drfe/20080227a

[EvilElitest]

The realms are gone. Really, the whole thing has been totally reshaped. Except for Elminister, why can't they get the one thing i want dead:smallmad:

Anyways, so FR is pretty much unrecognizable. I'm considering ebberon
from
EE

[infinite_ant]

I like what I've seen so far, I feel it's an interesting event.

Then again no-one I like was lost, so that could explain it :smallamused:.

[Zincorium]

It's not exactly the first time they've severely altered the realms and it's environs (i.e. the time of troubles), but I think the point here is as much giving something new to people who go out and buy the books as it is making it compatible with fourth edition.

Three point five already had a lot of fairly baseless changes made, such as the addition of sorcerers as a class rather than a kit and the implementation of monks. It wasn't really justified all that well, IMO, and what I believe that they're trying to do is make a compelling setting where it all makes sense, drawing on the previous editions of forgotten realms as a mythology rather than a guidebook.

As always, feel free to criticize and denigrate a positive viewpoint that attempts to mitigate your righteous anger. It's probably healthier than the alternative.