Questions tagged [lore]
For questions about a setting's in-world details or background.
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What events in Forgotten Realms lore marked transitions from one edition to another?
I know that the Spellplague was the Forgotten Realms transition from D&D 3.5e to D&D 4e, and the Second Sundering was the transition from D&D 4e to D&D 5e, but I'm curious about other ...
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When did Warlocks make their first appearance in D&D and how do they differ between editions?
I'm gathering lore about Warlock class origins in D&D.
A quality answer would have more than just a release date, and would ideally cover what makes each edition's version different from other ...
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What are the "Dark Powers"?
What are the dark powers in Ravenloft?
I'm not asking for a list, but rather a description of these entities.
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Can a patron revoke a warlock's powers?
I would like to know whether a warlock can directly confront his patron without risking to lose his powers. And generally in which case the patron is allowed can take his "gift" back. I've tries ...
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Where do souls go upon death and when are they free to be raised?
Where do souls go when they die in 5e? Is it still an outer plane matching their alignment like in earlier editions? Are the souls of evil creatures going to the lower planes?
The spells that can ...
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What is a spell slot in-lore, and how does it justify the limits on casting spells?
Spell slots are something that we, as players, expend when we want our spellcasting PCs to cast a spell. It is a resource to limit how many powerful spells we can cast in a day. But for our characters ...
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Is there an iconic monster or creature for each alignment?
In my D&D 5e game, I have a custom cosmology, and I'm currently working on a concept for an afterlife plane where any sentient creature who enters is sorted by alignment and guided to the ...
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When did Artificers make their first appearance in D&D, and how do they differ between editions?
My curiosity arose after reading When did Warlocks make their first appearance in D&D and how do they differ between editions? by aaron9eee:
A quality answer would have more than just a release ...
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Why are the Faithless condemned to the Wall of the Faithless after death?
If you live in the Forgotten Realms and die without worshipping a deity, you are sentenced to the Wall of the Faithless by Kelemvor to serve as another proverbial brick in the Wall.
But why does this ...
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When does the soul leave the body after death?
In D&D (Forgotten Realms) lore, is there any kind of answer for how long it takes the soul to leave the body after death? If not, is there any answer implied by other rules or effects (such as ...
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What are the planes of D&D 4e? Where did they come from, and how are they connected?
I understand that in D&D 4e's default setting there are planes, and I know a bit about them: the material plane is where the people generally are, and there's a "feywild" where the Eladrin and ...
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What is the connection between the Shadowfell and Strahd/the plane of Barovia?
I'm preparing to run Curse of Strahd, and one of my players wants to play as a Shadar-kai who is loyal to the Raven Queen.
In the adventure's set up, it says (p. 9):
For obvious reasons, I'd like to ...
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Where do the Bête stand on LGBT issues?
In a recent Werewolf session, our GM had us meet an informant in a gay club, and it raised an issue we never really explored before in this game. Our group of players is composed of people close to ...
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What happens when a metallic dragon and a chromatic dragon mate?
Is it possible, and if so, what happens when a metallic and chromatic dragon mate? I'm most interested in blue and bronze dragons.
I'm interested in lore from all editions except the fourth edition. ...
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Where does an unaligned creature's soul go after death?
In the DMG section on "Bringing Back the Dead" (chapter 1, p. 24), it describes what happens when a creature dies:
When a creature dies, its soul departs its body, leaves the Material Plane, ...
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Is there an official reason the Forgotten Realms is stuck with “medieval” technology?
Why has technology in the Forgotten Realms not progressed further than it has at the point when most adventures take place?
Is it because races that live longer tend to be older and hold back
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Defining Realms, Worlds, Kingdoms, Planes, Dimensions and the Multiverse
I have always been confused when trying to think in terms of worlds, realms, and kingdoms. Additionally, I am confused at the difference between planes and dimension. So, what is the difference ...
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When did Karsus's Folly become a canon part of the FR lore?
In a recent discussion following the question about edition transitions in the Forgotten Realms, the exact point when Karsus's Fall became part of the canon of FR lore was debated. When the Arcane Age ...
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What is a creature's "animating spirit"?
The spell speak with dead says:
You grant the semblance of life and intelligence to a corpse of your choice within range, allowing it to answer the questions you pose. [...]
[...] The corpse knows ...
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Are the Material Planes comprising the various campaign settings surrounded by a shared set of outer planes?
I'm working on an extra-planar supplement for DM's Guild, and it got me wondering:
Is the 5e cosmological model that the material planes are comprised of all DnD settings, official and otherwise (...
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When in-universe does 5E D&D take place?
I'm reading up on the lore of Forgotten Realms and wondering when in-universe 5E takes place, since my character is from Mulhorand and I want to know if The Spellplague has taken place yet, for his ...
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What book can I read to familiarize myself with D&D 5e's world and lore? [closed]
I've never played any table top D&D before. I am going to start playing the 5e edition with a group I've never played with before.
After reading the basic rules I want to become more familiar ...
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Where can I find more lore about fey and eladrin?
I'm creating a character for a game set in the Forgotten Realms. My character is going to be a winter Eladrin.
I have been reading the Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes section about the elves and more ...
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Is there an official description of the appearance and culture of tribal orcs?
I play on a Neverwinter Nights persistent world module that uses the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 rules. The module is not using the Forgotten realms setting. I'm editing and updating the module's ...
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What differentiates "Gods" from other entities in the Forgotten Realm cosmology?
I am creating a campaign world that is supposed to be a “refuge from the gods”: no true deities can come here, no intervention in the affairs of mortals. People came here from the Forgotten Realms to ...
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I'm a quarter Draconian, a quarter Dragonborn and half Half-Dragon?
What are the differences between "Dragonborn", "Half-Dragon", and "Draconian" races in D&D?
In the Hoard of the Dragon Queen adventure, for example there is a Half-Dragon npc. I had assumed that ...
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How can I explain a race from Eberron showing up in Faerûn?
I know Eberron and Faerûn are different planes, but I have players who want to play warforged. What connections exist between the planes to facilitate a Eberron race ending up in Faerûn?
I am looking ...
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What exactly is a fey/fiend/celestial spirit?
A few spells mention using spirits, specifically fey, fiend or celestial spirits, usually regarding summoning them to take the form of another creature. A few examples are listed below:
Conjure ...
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Why did the designers make it so chromatic dragons can't shapechange? [closed]
In 5e, the Monster Manual states that each kind of Metallic Dragon gains the Change Shape ability by the time it is Ancient or Adult. However, no such ability is ever mentioned for Chromatic Dragons. ...
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Athas: A terrifying vision of the future?
Athas, the desolated world of deserts, obsidian and ecological ruin that is the focus of the Dark Sun campaign setting, is generally portrayed as a prime world nearing the end of its life expectancy.
...
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What is the difference between a god and a primordial?
Out-of-universe, I gather that the primordials were introduced to the FR in 4e, and the elemental lords - Akadi, Grumbar, Kossuth and Istishia - were retconned as primordials. Information on the ...
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When did Druids make their first appearance in D&D, and how do they differ between editions?
My curiosity continues after asking When did Artificers make their first appearance in D&D, and how do they differ between editions? based on the initial question regarding Warlocks by aaron9eee:
...
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Why does arcane magic work outside Toril?
I'm currently DMing a campaign in the Forgotten Realms, but I want to later on add some Planescape and Spelljammer stuff in the story, allowing the PCs to travel beyond the world of Toril to other ...
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Is there a common in-universe term to refer to civilized mortal humanoids in D&D?
Out-of-universe we would call them "playable races" or "character races".
Is there an in-universe term to refer to a member of a civilized humanoid race, for example humans, elves, ...
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Do Githyanki lay eggs in 5E?
The chapter "Citadel of Gith Reborn" from the 2nd edition adventure book Vortex of Madness says that Githyanki lay eggs despite being humanoid.
The 5e Monster Manual entry for Githyanki doesn't say ...
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How is the contradiction in this NPC's backstory in Curse of Strahd resolved?
This question includes NPC lore spoilers for Curse of Strahd, proceed at your own risk.
While running Curse of Strahd and prepping ahead, I have happened upon a rather glaring contradiction in the ...
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What official lore events have marked the changes between editions?
KRyan's answer to "How would a group get from Toril to Ravenloft and back?" mentions that:
Only two characters have ever managed to free themselves from Ravenloft, and the only one to actually ...
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Do Githzerai hatch from eggs?
We know that Githyanki hatch from eggs from this question.
Is there a specific source that says the Githzerai hatch from/lay eggs?
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Which is the common name of Mind Flayers?
Would the average person in the Forgotten Realms call Mind Flayers "Mind Flayers" or "Illithid?"
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What happened in Maztica to make Tabaxi emigrate?
I am currently playing a Tabaxi Druid, Circle of the Moon. I wanted to flesh out his backstory, so I read up on them in Volo's Guide to Monsters. In a box on page 113, it said:
In the Forgotten ...
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Who is the god Ao?
I have seen numerous mentions of "the Overgod" Ao but other then being obscenely powerful, I have not found any information on him.
So, who is Ao and what is his portfolio?
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Are there any examples of chests hidden by the Leomund's Secret Chest spell being found?
The description of the spell Leomund's secret chest says:
You hide a chest, and all its contents, on the Ethereal Plane. [...]
This question asks where the chest is hidden, with the single answer ...
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Which editions of D&D used these various cosmologies as their default?
There seem to be multiple ways to arrange the planes in D&D. There's the Great Wheel cosmology, the World Axis cosmology and the World Tree cosmology.
The D&D 5e PHB (Appendix C, p. 303 ...
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Why is Jester blue and Lillith white in Critical Role?
I do not watch Critical Role and know very little about it.
However, whilst looking into different skin colours for tieflings, I discovered the characters Jester Lavorre, who has blue skin, and ...
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Is Bahamut the same deity as Paladine?
The DMG confirms that Takhisis and Tiamat are the same. Under the description of the Orb of Dragonkind in the DMG (p. 225):
The dragon essence within the orb might want many things: the
annihilation ...
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Where are the heroes of Faerûn during Tyranny of Dragons according to other adventures?
I know that as the DM I can make up whatever I want and put the heroes of Faerûn wherever I choose in the story. What I am looking for is answers that are in other modules (published adventures) that ...
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In the Forgotten Realms, what happens to a human PC when they die?
In the Forgotten Realms, what happens to a human PC when they die?
Do they have a soul? Where does it go?
Do the resurrected remember their after-death experience?
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What was behind the creation of the gods/planes?
While reading about some of the gods and they all have their own mythology as to how they came to be. For example, I understand that Corellon created the elves and how the Drow got started and so ...
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In Forgotten Realms lore, can gods use spells above 9th level?
After Karsus’s folly, Mystra imposed a ban on use of magic above 9th level (I believe there are specific conditions for 10th level spells, but that’s not the main issue here). However, I believe the ...
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How have the Shadar-kai changed over the editions and is there any consistency to be found in the lore between editions?
In D&D 5e, the Shadar-kai are a sub-race of elves. However, it seems that in 4e, the Shadar-kai were humans. In both cases, they lived in the Shadowfell and served the Raven Queen, so it doesn't ...
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