Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerun is an in depth player-facing e-book that brings the Forgotten Realms to life, serving as one-half of probably the most intensive marketing campaign setting supplies launched by Wizards of the Coast for Fifth Version. The brand new e-book serves as a robust template as to how Wizards of the Coast ought to current future marketing campaign setting supplies, offering not solely a veritable smorgasbord of participant materials, but in addition surprisingly deep dives into the lore of Faerun. Whereas these deep dives do not attain the depths of among the splatbooks launched throughout 2nd and third Version, this presents the Forgotten Realms as a vibrant and wealthy setting that is excess of generic fantasy.
Whereas a extra intensive overview shall be coming from EN World quickly, this is our first ideas on the brand new e-book after a readthrough:
D&D’s New Design Ethos On Show
One in every of my greatest criticisms of the 2024 Participant’s Handbook and Dungeon Grasp’s Information was that they over-stripped the lore from the sport. Though the intent was to supply as few obstacles for gamers to create their very own imaginative and prescient of characters and worlds, it was deflating to see elves, dwarves, and different core species watered right down to generic and uninspiring kinds.
Nevertheless, this method makes much more sense when introduced subsequent to Heroes of Faerun. As an alternative of leaning away from any defining traits, the e-book leans into the totally different cultures and ethoses of all of the core races. Within the Forgotten Realms, aasimar are a rarity, tieflings are persecuted in Elturel as a result of occasions of Descent Into Avernus, and Lolth-worshipping drow enslave floor dwellers. There’s nonetheless wiggle room in case a participant needs to make a personality that askews one in all these generalities, however there’s much more element in regards to the core species (each within the Character Species part and the Information to the Realms e-book) than I anticipated.
Past the character species, you possibly can see how the ethos has shifted from the earlier Fifth Version. The Participant’s Handbook and different core rulebooks are a “lean” core, with apparent gaps in lore meant to be crammed by these new marketing campaign setting books. It extends past lore as nicely – the setting particular backgrounds, spells, and even subclasses go a good distance in constructing out strong Forgotten Realms characters that Fifth Version typically lacked.
Underwhelming Subclasses However Robust Feats and Backgrounds
By way of the precise participant materials, I used to be disenchanted by the subclass materials however cherished the feats, backgrounds, and spells. The Banneret continues to be probably the most underwhelming martial subclasses obtainable. Whereas Wizards deserted the unique Purple Dragon Knight idea from the UA as a result of purple dragon knights not truly having or driving dragons (one thing, sarcastically that Heroes of Faerun depicts a number of occasions by way of art work), reverting again to the unique fifth Version design was extremely disappointing. A number of different subclasses merely did not transfer the needle with me, though I admit I am normally sitting behind the DM’s Display screen, so I could possibly be lacking among the enchantment. My favourite subclasses had been the Oath of the Noble Genies Paladin subclass and the Winter Walker Ranger, each of which appear very flavorful.
Whereas I discovered myself underwhelmed by the subclasses introduced within the e-book, I used to be pleasantly stunned by the quantity of different player-facing materials on this e-book. They actually made Heroes of Faerun really feel like a real player-facing e-book as an alternative of a e-book with a smattering of participant materials after which a bunch of setting lore. There are 16 backgrounds, 34 feats, 19 spells and the model new Circle Casting mechanic (which honestly does not really feel like one thing gamers will use fairly often.) I am unable to bear in mind one other marketing campaign setting e-book that had this a lot participant content material in it, even within the boxed units that contained books solely targeted on participant content material.
One small factor that I needed we’d have seen on this e-book is extra lineage choices associated to species. Heroes of Faerun tries to elucidate that solar elves and moon elves are “culturally distinct” however I really feel like there was most likely room to incorporate lineage choices that current various choices to those we see within the Participant’s Handbook. I do not see a lot of a problem saying the solar elves would have distinct magical talents from moon elves or extra generic excessive elves and I really feel like it might be one other method D&D may make these player-facing books really feel extra distinct and additive.
One of many Greatest Forgotten Realms Books In a Lengthy Time
As somebody who got here into D&D with Fifth Version, I’ve all the time discovered Wizards’ presentation of the Forgotten Realms to be underwhelming. This was the marquee world, the place the place all of Fifth Version’s adventures (till more moderen years) occurred. And but, regardless of the overwhelming variety of new members, we hardly ever obtained a e-book that truly showcased what the Forgotten Realms was. The Sword Coast Adventurer’s Information was a joke, and the marketing campaign books normally featured slivers of the world versus a full-fledged presentation of what this world was about. There was only a bizarre understanding that everybody knew what the Forgotten Realms was and that mentality (which prolonged far previous the period when Wizards was catering solely to pre-existing followers) made the Realms really feel like generic fantasy.
Heroes of Faerun corrects this with gusto. Regardless that that is the player-facing e-book, there’s a ton of latest data that I (a D&D veteran that owns each Fifth Version e-book) by no means knew about. If I had been a brand new participant, I might love having this e-book and would most likely insist on attempting out a Forgotten Realms marketing campaign. This e-book showcases how the Forgotten Realms is something however generic fantasy and truthfully, one thing like this e-book was lengthy overdue.
