Forgotten Realms Timeline

[manikus]

Can someone in the know give me an overview of the Forgotten Realms timeline - not in the sense of a year by year breakdown, but roughly what is handled by 1e, 2e, 3e/3.5e and 4e?

For example, 2e is -25,000 to 1370 DR.

Also, if you could provide any sources.

I'm also interested in Kara-Tur and Maztica timelines. For Kara-Tur, please indicate which is 1e and which is 2e.



Edited to add:
I've been doing some looking online and have come across several interesting links that I thought I might share.

A timeline showing important events in Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, Greyhawk, Dark Sun and Ravenloft.
http://www.geonomicon.com/chronology/chronology.htm

History of Kara-Tur (note: must be viewed in IE)
http://www.geonomicon.com/chronology...m/kara-tur.htm

[Uatu]

Er... There was a nice timeline on the Net somewhere (I think I used it as the base for my own: http://www.geocities.com/echaecha/ad...stimeline.html - ignore the colored parts (my own additions))

I think that 2e was 1368 DR onward; 1e was until 1358 DR or so (the Time of Troubles conveniently changed 1e rules to 2e rules); I think 3e was 1372 DR or so onward. (It's on the Net somewhere, anyway.)

In addition, 339 DR or so and previous used the Arcane Age rules (arcanists, etc.; spellcasters did not have to memorize spells to cast them), which were rather 2e-like, but after Netheril fell, rules (again, conveniently) reverted to 1e rules.

[manikus]

I've found really good timelines with sources. I was just hoping that there was something 'official' from WotC.

I did find something outlining what you said above -> 1e is up to 1358, 2e is up to 1368 and 3e is up to 1372. But, I've found examples that don't work with 2e and 3e. For example, the 2e supplement "For Duty and Deity" takes place in late 1370.

On a only slightly related note, why was Blackstaff dealing with Fzoul? Also, what's the deal with daemonfey/fey'ri? (Today is the first I heard of either one of these.)

[Uatu]

Hmm? Shouldn't it be:

AA: -3859-339
1e: 339-1358
2e: 1358-1372
3e: 1372-onwards

1368 was, I think, just the "standard" starting date for PCs starting play in the Forgotten Realms for 2e (not the beginning of when 2e rules were applied to the Forgotten Realms campaign world). So, it should make sense.

Er... I forget why Blackstaff was dealing with Fzoul. (Some kind of deal with Fzoul that was for the greater good, but Fzoul is bad, so bad Blackstaff, or something )

I also have never heard of daemonfey/fey'ri until just a moment ago Where did you see that? Maybe it is a 3e thing?

[manikus]

Originally Posted by Uatu I also have never heard of daemonfey/fey'ri until just a moment ago Where did you see that? Maybe it is a 3e thing?

In the timelines, they are all over the late 1360's and early '70's. They could very well be 3e, but they're in the 2e part of the timeline.


Okay, I think I understand the timelines now, reading a FR wiki article citing the books by Ed Greenwood, they set the 'Present Day' as follows-
1e - 1357
2e - 1367
3e - 1372
4e - 1479
All dates are Dale Reckoning.

[Uatu]

Hmm - maybe they were added retroactively? (Or maybe I just never heard of them )

But yeah, "Present Day" and "Rules Eras" seem to be a bit different. It is sort of funny how the eras change to allow the new rule changes that TSR or WoC just sort of threw onto the campaign world. (For example, all the assassins just sort of died suddenly when 1e went to 2e, along with Bhaal.) Perhaps they try a bit too hard, but...

[manikus]

I was reading an article by Ed Greenwood today where he suggested that DMs pick and choose what to use, that he doesn't expect that we'd use everything.

I like his idea. I'll be doing some of that for each of my FR designs (to lesser or greater extent). I don't plan on contradicting any of the canon events, but there are some things which just aren't important to my world and will be left out. There may be a couple of things that are different...

I may follow the "official" timeline up to a point, as in a specific year, and then ignore everything coming after that.

Regarding daemonfey and fey'ri, I think the term we're looking for is 'retcon' (retroactively converted).

Originally Posted by wikipedia The daemonfey are a fiendish race of planetouched descended from the interbreeding of demons and sun elves in the Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. They are the elven equivalent to tieflings. True daemonfey are the scions of House Dlardrageth. Their bloodlines include those of demon princes. The fey'ri are those of the Siluvanedan Houses who allied with the Dlardrageths. They also possess demonic blood but not that of demon lords. The fey'ri are sometimes also referred to as daemonfey. The daemonfey look like elves with demonic features, or particularly fey fiends. They are capable of magically altering their features somewhat, but in their natural form they have skin with fine scales, fiery red eyes, demonic pointed tails, and a pair of bat-like wings, in addition to their sun elven beauty.

[Uatu]

Ah - I was trying to remember that exact word ("retcon"), but it was stuck in my Japan-ified brain somewhere...

Argh - I think tieflings (and the rest of the "planetouched") are stupid, but they are (of course) quite popular, it seems.

The "daemonfey" seem rather contradictory - how is it that demons would breed with sun elves and sun elves would be fine with that ancestry (while still remaining prejudiced against drow)?

Also, seems weird that the descendants of "demons" would be called "daemonfey" - daemons are not demons.

(In all, sounds cheesy!)

[manikus]

It is very cheesy. The rest of the article answers some of your questions - the daemonfey are ostracized and eventually imprisoned, yet somehow descendants of the daemonfey look like sun elves and are accepted in their ranks.

Then it started in about hte loregems, or should I say, jedi holocrons.

This is the problem of letting authors write books in a setting and then accepting whatever they write as part of the canon. (Maybe there was an accessory first, but I think it came second.)

[Uatu]

They should at least scan for "fanboy-type" writers and kick them out before they root in...

I think the cheese factor of the Realms is sort of why I am liking Greyhawk more these days - plus the lack of that "sudden cosmic event that changed the rules" thing...

Strange how noone really cares about the angellic equivalents of tieflings and such I guess everyone wants to be bad!