| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Alaundo |
Posted - 26 Jan 2005 : 23:16:47
Well met
This being a collective scroll of any questions the Scribes and visitors of Candlekeep wish to put to a renowned game designer of the Realms, namely - Eric L Boyd. Eric has been a game designer for TSR\WotC for many years, with a vast array of products to his name, including Champions of Ruin, Champions of Valor, City of Splendors: Waterdeep, Faiths & Pantheons, Lost Empires of Faerūn, Serpent Kingdoms, Races of Faerūn and the upcoming Power of Faerūn, to name but a few.
Present your questions herein and check back to see what news may also come forth from the quill of this Realms master. |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| TomCosta |
Posted - 13 Aug 2025 : 14:47:51
Sleyvas, I sometimes tweaked domain spells to better match their 2E powers, so it was a more tailored approach, but that was just me. It wasn't usually necessary. Also, I would add that in Prestige in the Realms hosted here on Candlekeep, we added a few more faith specific PrCs. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 12 Aug 2025 : 12:58:41
quote:
Originally posted by TomCosta
Sleyvas, I think only the ones that warrant it because 2 domains doesn't adequately cover what they could do. At least that was always my take, and while I'm not 100% sure I can speak for Eric on this, I think he'd generally agree.
It occurs to me that one thing that would definitely be something that SHOULD be done if prestige classes by god were developed .... the specialty spells of a given priesthood should be given some kind of "label" such that only priests of THAT god can cast spells with that "label". In doing so, if future spells get developed for that priesthood specifically, the label could be applied to them. That's a better way to do it than to specifically list certain spells as available to them. This would be very similar to a special domain for each priesthood actually, and in doing so you could also list specific spells from other classes that really should be available to certain priesthoods specifically. However, it could easily lead to some imbalances if some domains have dozens of spells added and others only get two (i.e. for instance saying that priests of Leira can cast all wizard illusion spells as part of the "Leira Domain" or priests of Velsharoon can cast all wizard necromancy spells as part of the "Velsharoon domain" ..... but having them develop something akin to the anyspell or greater anyspell that ONLY works with certain schools of magic wouldn't be as bad necessarily). |
| Steven Schend |
Posted - 09 Aug 2025 : 17:07:08
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
quote:
Originally posted by astolfo
Hi Eric, I wondered if you had ever lined up exact dates for the birth and possible deaths for members of the Moonflower clan? You had mentioned at one point working on that.
Thanks!
Yes, yes we have.
George Krashos
The question that follows from that answer now is "Threat or promise re the Moonflowers' longevity or survival?"
Steven
just keeping things lively |
| George Krashos |
Posted - 07 Aug 2025 : 11:21:03
quote:
Originally posted by astolfo
Hi Eric, I wondered if you had ever lined up exact dates for the birth and possible deaths for members of the Moonflower clan? You had mentioned at one point working on that.
Thanks!
Yes, yes we have.
George Krashos |
| Galuf the Dwarf |
Posted - 29 Jul 2025 : 18:52:15
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Well, it would be more like converting 2e specialty priests to 3e prestige classes, or at least that's how I'd interpret the question being asked.
Precisely. 
quote:
That being said, I'm betting I know the answer to that... nope... that tis too much work.
Oh, boo hiss.  |
| TomCosta |
Posted - 28 Jul 2025 : 19:17:23
Sleyvas, I think only the ones that warrant it because 2 domains doesn't adequately cover what they could do. At least that was always my take, and while I'm not 100% sure I can speak for Eric on this, I think he'd generally agree. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 27 Jul 2025 : 21:18:43
quote:
Originally posted by TomCosta
Sorry, I misread your post. I was in stuck in 2E and thinking of the goblinoid, orc, and other gods. I don't know that Eric has had any interest in updating most of the 2E specialty priests to 3E. Most can be converted pretty easily with just the two domains, especially if you look at the range of 3E domains across products. As I noted, he and I have mostly updated all the gods to the full range of 3E domains.
Well, it would be more like converting 2e specialty priests to 3e prestige classes, or at least that's how I'd interpret the question being asked. That being said, I'm betting I know the answer to that... nope... that tis too much work. |
| astolfo |
Posted - 27 Jul 2025 : 19:46:50
Hi Eric, I wondered if you had ever lined up exact dates for the birth and possible deaths for members of the Moonflower clan? You had mentioned at one point working on that.
Thanks! |
| TomCosta |
Posted - 26 Jul 2025 : 16:44:01
Sorry, I misread your post. I was in stuck in 2E and thinking of the goblinoid, orc, and other gods. I don't know that Eric has had any interest in updating most of the 2E specialty priests to 3E. Most can be converted pretty easily with just the two domains, especially if you look at the range of 3E domains across products. As I noted, he and I have mostly updated all the gods to the full range of 3E domains. |
| Galuf the Dwarf |
Posted - 26 Jul 2025 : 13:47:21
quote:
Originally posted by TomCosta
So if you compare the specialty priests in Demihuman Deities to those in Faiths and Avatars, the demihuman priests generally get more spell choices for example, usually 2 or 3 instead of 1 or 2. That's probably the biggest thing, but I think there also tend to be slightly more levels where the priest gets a power too. Does it make the priests in DD that much more powerful, no, but does it make them generally a better choice from a minmax perspective compared to those in FA, yes. Part of the reason for that was also the combining of multiple sources of existing demihuman specialty priests in Dragon and elsewhere.
Okay, but I'm not quite sure what that has to do with Faiths & Pantheons. |
| TomCosta |
Posted - 25 Jul 2025 : 14:35:59
So if you compare the specialty priests in Demihuman Deities to those in Faiths and Avatars, the demihuman priests generally get more spell choices for example, usually 2 or 3 instead of 1 or 2. That's probably the biggest thing, but I think there also tend to be slightly more levels where the priest gets a power too. Does it make the priests in DD that much more powerful, no, but does it make them generally a better choice from a minmax perspective compared to those in FA, yes. Part of the reason for that was also the combining of multiple sources of existing demihuman specialty priests in Dragon and elsewhere. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 21 Jul 2025 : 01:34:30
Usually when people are talking about power creep, its that "Prestige claasses" / "kits" / "subclasses" etc (or other rulesets like feat choices, spells, magic items, etc...) start becoming more powerful than earlier designed similar things. Its naturally occurred in every edition of the game that comes out over time, as people start putting out rulesets much more fast and with little chance to playtest options. It is also a result of just getting punchy with trying to come up with an option for "god with a focus on death" that is different from "earlier god with a focus on death that's for race X" ... and replace "death" with any kind of portfolio (i.e. fire, war, some magic focus, moon, sun, nature, knowledge, etc...). |
| Galuf the Dwarf |
Posted - 21 Jul 2025 : 00:54:53
quote:
Originally posted by TomCosta
Having talked to him about it, he definitely would have, but I think he would acknowledge after a couple hundred entries, making them unique does start getting harder. Looking back, we had a slight power creep throughout the history of the three books.
In other news, we have almost finished updating all the 3.5E domains for all the humanoid gods and a few others.
1) What exactly do you mean by "power creep" in this case? In an app-based game I played from August of 2016 to June of 2019, it meant that older units in the game became weaker as newer, better units were introduced and more challenging fights were released.
2) I take it we're talking official domains, not the homebrew ones I've made over the years? |
| Delnyn |
Posted - 20 Jul 2025 : 14:00:23
quote:
Originally posted by Asharak
For 5e:
Timeless Body
Starting at 18th level, the primal magic that you wield causes you to age more slowly. For every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year.
Thanks Asharak,
I will update my mental notebook accordingly.
-Delnyn |
| Asharak |
Posted - 20 Jul 2025 : 10:27:54
For 5e:
Timeless Body
Starting at 18th level, the primal magic that you wield causes you to age more slowly. For every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year. |
| Delnyn |
Posted - 19 Jul 2025 : 19:56:03
Correct, Mr. Costa, druids had extended lifespans in 1e. Unearthed Arcana was the book. 3.x editions negated old age penalties for druids and monks but did not extend lifespan.
EDIT: I saw nothing about aging for 4e or 5e druids. |
| TomCosta |
Posted - 19 Jul 2025 : 18:57:47
Lore wise and mechanically, druids have a history of extended lifespans going back to the early editions of D&D (I think 1E, but at least 2E). This faded out by 5e mechanically. But, for example, in BG3, they reference the druid ritual that senior druids can participate in to extend their lives. |
| George Krashos |
Posted - 19 Jul 2025 : 08:45:08
While I hate bonding game mechanics with Realmslore, the general thrust is that Druids age slowly. I can think of some cool, lore explanations for that - like simply spending time in tree form for extended periods - but you can go with whatever works for you.
George Krashos |
| Kelnaar |
Posted - 19 Jul 2025 : 01:17:49
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
quote:
Originally posted by Kelnaar
Eric,
Greetings and hope all is well. I have another question for you when you have a moment. Some where on these forums it was mentioned that you and George had fleshed out the rulers of Uthtower/Yarlith and the members of the family through their demise after Uthtower fell (iirc). Is that something you could provide?
UTHTOWER
Myrmoran Dynasty
Uth I (b.110; d.168; reigned 146/168 - Founder of Uthtower; exiled noble of Tavaray; slain by old raiders)
Ornoth (b.141; d.191; r.168/191 - Son and sole heir of Uth I; dies of heart stop)
Uth II (b.179; d.272; r.191/272 - 1st son (twin) of Ornoth; dies of old age)
Uth III (b.236; d.309; r.272/309 - Grandson of Uth II; dies of winterchill fever)
Uth IV (b.268; d.349; r.309/349 - Son and sole heir of Uth III; dies of old age)
Uth V "the Slumbering King" (b.314; d.543; r.349/543 - 1st son of Uth IV; extends his life through longevity magic; dies of old age)
Uth VI (b.517; d.589; r.543/589 - Great-great grandson of Uth V; dies of heartstop)
Uth VII (b.551; d.615; r.589/615 - Son and sole heir of Uth VI; slain in the inundation of Iniarv)
YARLITH
Yarlith Dynasty
Yarlith (b.179; d.272; r.191/272 - 2nd son (twin) of King Ornoth of Uthtower; dies of old age)
Ornoth II (b.206; d.287; r.272/287 - 1st son of Yarlith; dies of old age)
Tarnoth "the Troubled" (b.239; d.292; r.287/292 - 1st son of Ornoth II; dies of a fit)
Belorth (b.264; d.306; r.292/306 - Sole son of Tarnoth; dies in battle against the Thousand Fangs orc horde)
Imrith I "the Leaf King" (b.288; d.392; r.306/392 - Sole son of Belorth; 1st Druid King; dies of old age)
Imrith II "The Treeheart" (b.369; d.487; r.392/487 - Grandson of Imrith I; 2nd Druid King; dies of old age)
Imrith III "the Branchblessed" (b.449; d.528; r.487/528 - Grandson of Imrith II; 3rd Druid King; slain in battle with the orcs of the Howltusk Horde)
Imrith IV "the Hewn" (b.497; d.611; r.528/611 - Grandson of Imrith III; 4th Druid King; dies in battle against the orcs of the Everhorde; last king of Yarlith)
-- George Krashos
Thank you for responding, George! Wow! The Imriths were pretty long lived. Is that on account of them being really accomplished Druids or do they have some fey blood in those veins? Or mayhaps they are just built of sterner stuff and/or have good genes?
|
| TomCosta |
Posted - 17 Jul 2025 : 16:56:04
Having talked to him about it, he definitely would have, but I think he would acknowledge after a couple hundred entries, making them unique does start getting harder. Looking back, we had a slight power creep throughout the history of the three books.
In other news, we have almost finished updating all the 3.5E domains for all the humanoid gods and a few others.
quote:
Originally posted by Galuf the Dwarf
Dear Mr. Boyd,
If you had all the time and space you needed in Faiths & Pantheons, would you have adapted EVERY specialty priest for 3rd/3.5 Edition D&D?
|
| TomCosta |
Posted - 17 Jul 2025 : 16:39:53
Having talked to him about it, he definitely would have, but I think he would acknowledge after a couple entries, making them unique does start getting harder. Looking back, we had a slight power creep throughout the history of the three books.
We have updated all the 3.5E domains for all the humanoid gods and a few others.
quote:
Originally posted by Galuf the Dwarf
Dear Mr. Boyd,
If you had all the time and space you needed in Faiths & Pantheons, would you have adapted EVERY specialty priest for 3rd/3.5 Edition D&D?
|
| George Krashos |
Posted - 17 Jul 2025 : 14:55:54
quote:
Originally posted by Kelnaar
Eric,
Greetings and hope all is well. I have another question for you when you have a moment. Some where on these forums it was mentioned that you and George had fleshed out the rulers of Uthtower/Yarlith and the members of the family through their demise after Uthtower fell (iirc). Is that something you could provide?
UTHTOWER
Myrmoran Dynasty
Uth I (b.110; d.168; reigned 146/168 - Founder of Uthtower; exiled noble of Tavaray; slain by old raiders)
Ornoth (b.141; d.191; r.168/191 - Son and sole heir of Uth I; dies of heart stop)
Uth II (b.179; d.272; r.191/272 - 1st son (twin) of Ornoth; dies of old age)
Uth III (b.236; d.309; r.272/309 - Grandson of Uth II; dies of winterchill fever)
Uth IV (b.268; d.349; r.309/349 - Son and sole heir of Uth III; dies of old age)
Uth V "the Slumbering King" (b.314; d.543; r.349/543 - 1st son of Uth IV; extends his life through longevity magic; dies of old age)
Uth VI (b.517; d.589; r.543/589 - Great-great grandson of Uth V; dies of heartstop)
Uth VII (b.551; d.615; r.589/615 - Son and sole heir of Uth VI; slain in the inundation of Iniarv)
YARLITH
Yarlith Dynasty
Yarlith (b.179; d.272; r.191/272 - 2nd son (twin) of King Ornoth of Uthtower; dies of old age)
Ornoth II (b.206; d.287; r.272/287 - 1st son of Yarlith; dies of old age)
Tarnoth "the Troubled" (b.239; d.292; r.287/292 - 1st son of Ornoth II; dies of a fit)
Belorth (b.264; d.306; r.292/306 - Sole son of Tarnoth; dies in battle against the Thousand Fangs orc horde)
Imrith I "the Leaf King" (b.288; d.392; r.306/392 - Sole son of Belorth; 1st Druid King; dies of old age)
Imrith II "The Treeheart" (b.369; d.487; r.392/487 - Grandson of Imrith I; 2nd Druid King; dies of old age)
Imrith III "the Branchblessed" (b.449; d.528; r.487/528 - Grandson of Imrith II; 3rd Druid King; slain in battle with the orcs of the Howltusk Horde)
Imrith IV "the Hewn" (b.497; d.611; r.528/611 - Grandson of Imrith III; 4th Druid King; dies in battle against the orcs of the Everhorde; last king of Yarlith)
-- George Krashos |
| Galuf the Dwarf |
Posted - 17 Jul 2025 : 00:56:23
Dear Mr. Boyd,
If you had all the time and space you needed in Faiths & Pantheons, would you have adapted EVERY specialty priest for 3rd/3.5 Edition D&D? |
| Kelnaar |
Posted - 17 Jul 2025 : 00:02:35
Eric,
Greetings and hope all is well. I have another question for you when you have a moment. Some where on these forums it was mentioned that you and George had fleshed out the rulers of Uthtower/Yarlith and the members of the family through their demise after Uthtower fell (iirc). Is that something you could provide? |
| Italian Archmage Karsus |
Posted - 16 Jul 2025 : 15:22:30
Loremaster Boyd, you said you've since acquired a copy of "Dungeon of the Hark", right? I know it's under NDA, so I won't ask for anything about it: my question is about the printing on the paper. Would you happen to know if DocuColor tracking dots are present? I need to know whether they're present in one, so I can better validate other, different copies. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 07 Jun 2025 : 17:20:53
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
BTW, I am just getting a look at the 2024 Monster Manual, and I'm glad to see they've adapted something I was about to say and didn't even realize. Rakshasa are no longer always a tiger or even cat person body.
That's been a thing for a long time -- it was just that they preferred tigers and the art always went there.
They've vascillated, but agreed. During the 3rd, 4th, and prior to 2024 5th edition era it was "tiger headed" or "feline headed". I remember that in 1st edition a dragon article had them looking gorilla-like though, and the 2nd edition MC mentioned both ape and tiger, but said it could be other. But since 3rd edition its been all cat. Granted, they had illusions to take another form. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 06 Jun 2025 : 21:49:31
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
BTW, I am just getting a look at the 2024 Monster Manual, and I'm glad to see they've adapted something I was about to say and didn't even realize. Rakshasa are no longer always a tiger or even cat person body.
That's been a thing for a long time -- it was just that they preferred tigers and the art always went there. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 06 Jun 2025 : 15:33:08
Eric,
Hey man, you had an article in Dragon 357 on "Savage Tidings: Gazing into the Abyss". In it was an entry for a vestige that you called Ansitif the Befouler, and in his backstory you noted he and 6 other "tanar'ri allies" joined up to ceombat a powerful Obyrith named The Malgoth. In said backstory, you named the 6 allies, and one was Felex'ja the Tiger King. Was that just a throwaway reference for possible use later OR is some extra lore I should hunt down before I decide to try and put a fun spin on it?
Also, just to give you an idea of the spin that I want to do with it .... thinking something somewhat similar to Gargauth. He was a powerful Rakshasa Raja serving in the nine hells, but he became disenchanted with the bindings of law. He slew a powerful tanar'ri Klurichir by assaulting it moments after it had slain another minor demon lord (a goristro with an intellect maybe with an eye towards advancement). He had in fact setup the encounter between the Klurichir and the minor demon lord through some acts of trickery. He took the fallen demon's and the Klurichir's four arms, and he grafted them to his body (four arms facing forward and four arms facing backward). He also set the four eyes of the fallen demons floating around his head, almost like ioun stones, so that he could see all around himself. He proclaimed himself master of the fallen demon lord's domain. It was this grafting that transformed him via "blood bond" into a tanar'ri and effectively broke the controls upon him by Asmodeus and allowed that if he were killed outside his abyssal home that he would reform here rather than the Nine Hells.
Then of course, per your history, for some reason he's drawn into conflict against the Malgoth with six allies... Then in an act reminiscent of how he drew himself to power, someone else betrays him when he's at a disadvantage and gets him cast into the wells of darkness.
BTW, I am just getting a look at the 2024 Monster Manual, and I'm glad to see they've adapted something I was about to say and didn't even realize. Rakshasa are no longer always a tiger or even cat person body. |
| ericlboyd |
Posted - 31 Mar 2025 : 14:05:22
quote:
Originally posted by Kelnaar
Eric,
Just purchased The Uthgardt on DMGuild. You knocked it out of the park again! Great job, my dude!
Which leads me to a quick question: in Illefarn Anew Delfen Ondabarl has an apprentice named Jaeldar Stagheart Stoneblade. Is he kinda of an Easter egg or is he related to either the Stoneblades of Scathril and/or the Blue Bear/Ghost Tree tribe? Seems awful coincidental
The implication is that he is descended from the Stoneblades of Scathril, or at least one of his ancestors claimed to be and kept the name. Either way, he might have pretensions, if the DM wishes him to do so.
Thanks,
--Eric |
| TBeholder |
Posted - 30 Mar 2025 : 00:59:48
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
Essentially, Player Characters will need to perform a rather substantial favor for Corellon's children before they are granted the privilege? Much appreciated.
quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd
Exactly. And "substantial" is probably on par with rescue a small kingdom of elves.
The question is who gets to decide, and what are their limits.
Elaith Craulnober designated Danilo "elf-friend" on his own.
Of course, he is the heir of a noble clan, in self-exile or not. And there may be limitation to the effect that he can only bestow this status on one human during his life, or something like that, at least on his own, without involving higher powers (royal/high priest special dispensation). |
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