Questions tagged [lore]
For questions about a setting's in-world details or background.
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What was reset in the canon between Cyberpunk 2020 and Cyberpunk Red?
Cyberpunk Red starts with a little text from the author of original Cyberpunk, and it contains in a nutshell, why Cyberpunk Red is not just a continuation of Cyberpunk 2020 and that there are a lot of ...
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Do "10th-level spells" show up anywhere in 5th Edition lore?
I saw a video a while back about some examples of so-called "10th-level spells" causing havoc, in possibly outdated lore.
I'm wondering if any of the examples of such spells have persisted ...
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How do I make an improptu fix to a lore discrepancy without it feeling forced?
For context, I'm running a Feywild campaign where I was told by one of my players (who I've noted metagames often) that pixies are evil. Turns out, they aren't, and I've already made it so my party is ...
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How are Ajaba Metis being "hermaphrodites"?
I have not played W:TA before (but have been playing other systems since ~2009, mostly DnD variants and DSA 5). I will not have access to source books before session 1, where the group will create ...
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Do Shadar-kai retain their memory after their death and how do they resurrect (are they born as an infant or as from a Resurrection spell)?
In the book Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, we are presented with the prehistory of the raven queen and the subrace of the Shadar-kai elves. The book says that the Shadar-kai are not afraid of death, ...
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What are known portals to the Abyss in Greyhawk?
In the 2nd Edition Module WGR6, The City of Skulls, the players are to infiltrate Doraaka, Iuz' capital, to rescue a prisoner. They however cannot teleport there because, as the Master Elementalist ...
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What are known portals to the Hells in the Forgotten Realms?
I know that there is (or at least, used to be) one portal in the dungeons under Dragonspear Castle that linked the castle to Avernus, the first level of the Nine Hells. Are there other such fixed ...
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Are there rules that treat Ceremorphosis as an illness or curable/resistable infliction?
The Forgotten Realms have vivid descriptions of Ceremorphosis since at least Fiend Folio (2003) for most species, but The Illithiad (1998) before that shows Ceremorphosis of a Roper into a Urophion ...
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Can a devil patron grant a warlock immortality? [closed]
Are devils limited with regards the powers they give to a warlock by a pact? I want to know if a devil can grant immortality by a pact. Normally they want the souls after death.
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How many gods are there in oWoD? [closed]
I'm looking for a comprehensive listL
I know there is THE God, who made Angels, kicked some of them out of heaven thus making Fallen and left, bored with the state of things.
There are Egyptian Gods, ...
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Are RIFTS Psi-Hounds fertile?
A few years back the magazine the Rifter published some material I submitted to Palladium- a small town in the Rifts setting, whose population partly consisted of Psi-Hound deserters and their ...
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Is there any in-game reason for Inflict xx Wound to be necromancy school?
I reviewed the spells and found this interesting fact:
Cure xxx wounds are channelling positive energy (likely via positive energy plane), so is conjuration; inflict xxx wounds are channelling ...
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Where do I learn more about Jonas Albrecht?
W20 starts with a glorious little comic, in which a white-haired guy called Albrecht with a huge Klaive rescues a cub. Then in the Character Generation example, we learn Jonas Albrecht's setup for ...
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Do gods in 5e still have a "portfolio"?
Having studied the sources available to me on the 5th edition, I did not find any mention of the portfolio. We only know that now all the gods except Ao and demigods are inferior gods and nothing is ...
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Are there any monsters in D&D lore that focus on devouring memories?
Are there any monsters in D&D that would feed on memories/emotions?
I know about illithid and intellect devourers, but I was hoping there might be another type of monster that is known for that ...
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In Lancer, where does the second "r" in "corpro-states" come from?
For some reason, in Lancer, "corporate states" are abbreviated as "corpro-states" instead of seemingly more natural "corpo-states".
Is the reason for that extra "r&...
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What are Astral Diamonds made of?
In any edition of Dungeons and Dragons, or in any related fiction in any campaign setting, is there official word for what Astral Diamonds actually are? Lacking that, any hints or clues in any ...
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What constitute as mechanics as opposed to lore information when it comes to races?
A bit of a while back, I asked a question about certain shadar-kai in printed material, which suggested to me that Mr. Witch and Mr. Light are not beholden to the Raven Queen as others of their race ...
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How did the frequent blood hunts further Queen Anne's ambitions before the Fall of London?
I'm somewhat conflicted about the frequent blood hunts (WOD: A World of Darkness Second Edition, p. 57) because the stricter grip on the city signals weakness (WOD: A World of Darkness Second Edition, ...
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Are there famous Storm Sorcerers (or similar) in the Forgotten Realms lore?
I'm writing a D&D companion book for Hoard of the Dragon Queen (1489 DR), and in the final chapter, an unexpected ally would help the party. This ally uses the power of thunder and lightning to ...
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Can a human who has had their body stolen by an intellect devourer undergo Ceremorphosis?
As the question asks: Can a human who has had their body stolen by an intellect devourer undergo Ceremorphosis?
More importantly - would they allow such a transformation? I have taken a read through ...
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Can two mundane parents give birth to an awakened child?
Is it possible for two mundane parents to give birth to an awakened child in Shadowrun SR5? I've not been able to find any information about this in the core rulebook. By awakened, I mean someone ...
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Why are all monasteries human?
In "Hero builders guidebook" a recurring theme is that all monasteries are in human lands only, with the book not even mentioning the idea of other races founding them. This makes it ...
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Is "Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms" a reliable source for Forgotten Realms lore for D&D 5e campaigns?
I am researching the Forgotten Realms universe to improve my GM skill in the 5th edition and came across a fact that upset me: there is not a single source in 5e that would fully describe the state of ...
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Is there any canon support for Sympathy and Contagion in Greyhawk?
I am going to be playing a GURPS Fantasy game set in Greyhawk using some of the rules from the Thaumotology book, which include Contagion:
two things that have been in close contact are magically ...
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What are Shadows, in Forgotten Realms lore?
Where do shadows and shadow magic belong to in the world of the Forgotten Realms? I mean, the first thing that comes to mind is the undead 1/4 CR creature called "Shadow".
I know that Shar ...
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Are quasi-gods really unable to hear the prayers of their followers?
On page 11 of the Dungeon Master's Guide we can read:
Quasi-deities have a divine origin, but they don't hear or answer prayers, grant spells to clerics, or control aspects of mortal life
This could ...
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Are there any published maps of Rhymanthiin and also 'The Path of Light' linking it to the Misty Forest?
I have found a fair amount of info and lore about Rhymanthiin, particularly its creation and even some descriptions of parts of it, including information about The Path of Light, but no maps or even ...
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Are there canonical Spell scrolls of unusual material in Rokugan?
In Rokugan, Samurai fight wars with swords on the battlefield and they fight wars with quill and paper. They live in houses of wood and paper, travel with travelling papers (~passports) and in general,...
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Is there any in game explanation from any edition of D&D for why Greyhawk Powers/Outsiders lost their psionics?
In the original edition of D&D (white box plus supplements version), Outsiders (meaning those who are not from the Prime Material plane, and more specifically Powers; I'm aware that this is ...
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What is the vampires' take on demons?
In medieval times as far as I remember demons were seen as enemies (earthbound mostly). In modern nights does that still hold true? Are they seen as enemies to be hunted on sight still or not?
And ...
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Is the living shadow based on any real life myth or story?
L5R is heavily based on Japanese and other Asian philosophy and stories, the story of the Kami, Ametarasu, lord moon etc.
Is the Living Shadow (first edition) or Lying Darkness as it is known later ...
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Is there an incarnation of Death in D&D?
Simply put, I was wondering if there was a lawful neutral god whose portfolio is transporting the souls of the dead from the Material Plane to judgement. Marvel has Lady Death, the Greeks have ...
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Can you safely assume that Beholder's rays are visible and audible? (based on rules / lore / novels / famous campaign streams, etc)
Some context:
We're running Dragon Heist and the party is facing Xanathar himself. This question actually was caused by this discussion about the tactics of a party trying to distract the Beholder and ...
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Do hunters "even the playing field" by crippling themselves?
One of the initial questions to the hunter is:
What terrible thing have you done to yourself to help even the playing field?
Is that something that hunters usually do? They cripple themselves if ...
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Are Githyanki under Nondetection all the time?
Githyanki (MM p. 160, and Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse, p. 140f) all have a Spellcasting (Psionics) ability of 3/day: nondetection (self only).
Nondetection has a duration of 8 hours. ...
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Is there a layer of hell associated with forging or constructs?
I have an idea for a campaign where a particular villain makes a deal with a an archduke of one of hell's layer and that archduke supplies/assists them with evil constructs or helps them build them/...
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How old is Lathander?
I know some gods are rather young, mortals from hundreds of years ago that ascended, but I assume Lathander is much older, does it ever state his origins?
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Do true dragons use echolocation?
I know true dragons have Blindsight, but in terms of lore, how does it work? Do they use echolocation? Something else? Or has it not been specified?
I am most interested in 5e lore, but I'm definitely ...
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What is the Legend Lore spell actually doing "under the hood"?
I've been wondering how the spell legend lore actually works, and the best way I can come up with to phrase the question is to use the phrase "under the hood". I know how the spell works in ...
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Is using an elemental for power for a ship ethical, or can it be?
In Eberron, airships can be powered by bound elementals. This seems like a form of slavery or torture for a potentially sentient creature. A creature that is intelligent enough to have a language ...
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What are the fictional differences between the original Iron Kingdoms and Requiem?
I played and really enjoyed the Iron Kingdoms campaign setting for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Now they’ve returned to Dungeons & Dragons with Iron Kingdoms: Requiem for the ...
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Besides Volo's Guide, do any of the other published sourcebooks have in-universe counterparts?
Volo's Guide to Monsters, published by Wizards of the Coast in 2016, is a monster book, expanding on the monsters available to DMs. The book's namesake, Volo, is a real character in the Forgotten ...
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Open/Masked Lords of Waterdeep: council voting, term limits, impeachment, election
I've been trying to get to the bottom of how the system of government in Waterdeep works and while there are many resources available I've struggled to find specific answers to these questions:
Are ...
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How large is the city of Elturel?
The question is how long is the perimeter of Elturel's city limits, defined by the city walls and the river Chiontar.
I currently have one player who got himself a mount with a 120' flight speed and I'...
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Is there a canonical corrupted, opposite, or otherwise chaotic Modron?
In any published edition of D&D or D&D fiction, is there lore for a modron that has somehow been corrupted by chaos? A "fallen" modron, akin to fallen angels? Or a creature similar ...
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Why can't any oath give powers similar to that of a Paladin?
According to PHB p.82 the Oath itself is a source of power for paladins (emphasis mine).
Whatever their origin and their mission, paladins are united by their
oaths to stand against the forces of ...
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Is any reason given for the Blackstaff magic item trapping the souls of its owners on death?
I have the Blackstaff. How can I be resurrected? asks how you might go about being resurrected if you're the Blackstaff (the title of the wielder of the Blackstaff magic item; yes it's confusing, I'll ...
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Is there any lore explanation in Forgotten Realms for the change from Infravision to Darkvision?
A long time ago, some races and monsters had the Infravision trait, which allowed them to see in the dark the heat traces of living creatures.
This had very interesting aspects. The drow's sign ...
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Under extreme/idyllic conditions, could Cult of the Dragon necrofy Tiamat?
I'm trying to assess the plausibility of whether the Cult of the Dragon could have grown strong enough to turn Tiamat into a Dracolich. Note I'm referring to the legacy cult under Sammaster, not the ...
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