Forgotten Realms

Forgotten Realms

Forgotten Realms is a Dungeons & Dragons Campaign Setting, and was generally considered the default D&D setting during the AD&D 2nd Edition era, and again during D&D 5th Edition. It's a high-magic medieval fantasy world, with ancient cultures capable of incredible magical feats, and gods who often incarnate as Avatars to meddle in the affairs of the world.

The Forgotten Realms takes place in the world of Toril, in the Prime Material plane. As a high-magic setting, the residents of Toril have familiarity with planars and portals, and can often be found in the planes.

“

No, that's it. Toril has all those realms, and... I can't seem to remember anything about them.

”

— Romas Tried, planar sage

Sub-Settings

Al-Qadim

Kara-Tur

Relevant History

3rd Edition

Planescape races "escape containment": Tieflings and eladrin are introduced to FR as PC races in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.

5th Edition

In 1358 DR (approximately 119 YFHR), a warlock coven enacted a ritual on Toril, cursing all tieflings in the world to have the "mark of Asmodeus" -- effectively rewriting all tieflings such that their ancestry could be traced to Asmodeus. This was a gambit to make him the "racial god" over the world's tieflings, allowing him to ascend to full godhood on Toril.

The plan came to fruition in 1385 DR after the Spellplague, making Asmodeus a god.

Accordingly, for decades afterward, Toril's tieflings all had a similar appearance, owing to their shared ancestry: primarily reddish skin, a tail, and horns. Obviously, the sudden transformation of the world's tieflings to have a pronounced demonic appearance caused an increase in mistrust towards and already distrusted race.

Tieflings of other ancestry (and appearance) continued to exist in other worlds and planes.

Titles

The following Forgotten Realms titles may be of interest to Planescape players:

• 1990
  • Kara-Tur: Monstrous Compendium: Kara-Tur Appendix , referenced in:
    • Planescape: Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix : flame spirit
    • Planescape: The Inner Planes : flame spirit

• 1991
  • Forgotten Realms: The Drow of the Underdark , referenced in:
    • Planescape: Dead Gods
  • Forgotten Realms: Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix (MC11) , referenced in:
    • Planescape: Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix : the fire tail, simpathetic, tshala

• 1992
  • Al-Qadim: Monstrous Compendium: Al-Qadim Appendix , referenced in:
    • Planescape: The Inner Planes : djinni, noble, dao, noble, efreeti, noble, gen, air, gen, fire, gen, sand, gen, water, marid, noble

• 1993
  • Forgotten Realms: Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd Edition , referenced in:
    • Planescape: Planes of Conflict
  • Al-Qadim: Secrets of the Lamp , referenced in:
    • Planescape: The Inner Planes

• 1996
  • Forgotten Realms: Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (Revised) , referenced in:
    • Planescape: On Hallowed Ground
  • Forgotten Realms: Faiths & Avatars , referenced in:
    • Planescape: On Hallowed Ground

• 1997
  • Forgotten Realms: The Lost Gods 1: Finder's Bane : New priest Joel travels to Sigil to thwart a plot to resurrect evil god Bane.
  • Forgotten Realms: The Lost Gods 3: Tymora's Luck : Joel and friends prevent the return of the Goddess of Luck Tyche by combining the goddesses Tymora and Beshaba.

• 1998
  • Forgotten Realms: For Duty & Deity , referenced in:
    • Planescape: Tales from the Infinite Staircase