The Forgotten Realms Mailing List Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Last Updated: 4/10/00
---------------------------------
Maintainers:    Tom Cullen (cullen@enteract.com)
                Jason Hatter (towonder@concentric.net)
Past Maintainers:
Andrew Hackard (ahackard@UVic.CA)
Craig Sefton (craig@tradepage.co.za)
Original maintainer:    Bobby Nichols (catdrag@vnet.net)

Thanks goes out to the entire FRML for keeping the Realms alive!

Special thanks to Bobby Nichols, who wrote the first iteration of this
FAQ, and to the following list members (in no particular order) for
their contributions: Ami-Ben Ezra, Toby Mekelburg, Craig Sefton, Jason
Hatter, Jeffrey David Bray, Nick Meredith, Bobby Nichols, Niels Handest,
Martin Brabander, Kain "CullA" Whitehouse, Ken Sexe, Simon Gibbs, xman,
Timothy Scott Maddalena, Jay Fisher, Stephen Campey u, Paul Hoyak, David
Cordy, Jenn "Kethry" Millington, "Cyric", Mike Mateer, Larry Hepker,
Thomas Costa, Thomas Cullen, Steve Allen, Eric Boyd, Steven Schend,
Tavis King, Andrew Phelps, Elaine Cunningham, Mark Oliva, DM Celtic .
Apologies are due to those whose contributions were included but who
were omitted from this listing.

Super-special thanks to Ami-Ben Ezra (drizztda@netmedia.net.il) and Mark
Oliva (SteigerwaldEDV@t-online.de) for hosting the FAQ on their web
sites.

Super-extra special thanks to Mark Oliva for a thorough and
conscientious review of this version.

This FAQ may be found on the following web pages:
  http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/7485/faq.html
  http://www.geocities.com/~frzone/faq.htm

All trademarks referenced in this document are the property of Wizards
of the Coast, Inc. and are used here without permission.

Table of Contents (* for new or updated topics)

 1.        Questions about the Realms

*1.1.      What *are* the Forgotten Realms, and why are they Forgotten?

 1.2.      Deities and Related Matters
*1.2.1.    I keep seeing a reference to "FRA".
           What is it, what's in it, and why can't I find it anywhere?
 1.2.2.    What deities are worshipped in the Realms? What are their
           powers? Do they have specialty priests?
*1.2.3.    I keep seeing references to "Chosen" of various deities.
           What do you mean by "Chosen"?
*1.2.4.    OK, who or what is the Magister? I'm hopelessly confused.
 1.2.5.    What spell levels do Realms priests get?
 1.2.6.    What's the deal with the different pantheons?
           Can my character in the dales worship a god from Chult?
 1.2.7.    Is Tiamat in the Realms the same as Takhisis in Dragonlance?
 1.2.8.    Whom is Ao talking to at the end of "Waterdeep"?
 1.2.9.    How fast do Realms specialty priests advance?
*1.2.10.   Where can I get more information about the Dawn Cataclysm?
 1.2.11.   What gods existed at the time of the Dawn Cataclysm?
*1.2.12.   On page 37 of F&A there is a mention of the
           '...Seven Lost Gods...' Does anyone know who they were/are?
*1.2.13.   Can humans worship demihuman gods? What about the reverse?
*1.2.14.   Do Realms clerics have major access to the sun sphere, and
           minor access to elemental fire and air, traveler,
           and war spheres?
*1.2.15.   Does AO also take power over all the other deities in
           FR besides the human ones in the normal pantheon?
*1.2.16.   During the ToT was it only human gods who were cast down,
           or were demihuman gods similarly affected?
*1.2.17.   What happens if an other-spheric priest comes over to the
           Realms, bringing his worship of god with him?

 1.3.      Geography of the Realms
*1.3.1.    What game settings comprise the Realms?
 1.3.2.    What and where is Anchorome?
 1.3.3.    I thought the Realms were on the same planet as Greyhawk;
           does that mean Maztica is really part of Greyhawk?
           (Also known as "I heard it on the net so it must be true.")
*1.3.4.    Where can I put [Insert generic module here] in the Realms?
*1.3.4.1.  How to place T1-4 in the Realms:
*1.3.4.2.  How to place A1-4 in the Realms:
*1.3.4.3.  How to place G1-3 in the Realms:
*1.3.4.4.  How to place U1-U3 in the Realms:
*1.3.4.5.  How to place "B1: In Search of the Unknown" in the Realms:
*1.3.4.6.  How to place "L1: Bone Hill" in the Realms:
*1.3.4.7.  How to place the "Keep on the Borderlands" and the return to
           same in the Realms:
*1.3.4.8.  How to place " The Shattered Circle" in the Realms:
*1.3.4.9.  How to place  "The Night Below" super-module in the Realms:
*1.3.5.    How large is Toril/Faerun/the Heartlands?
 1.3.6.    Where is Toril's equator?
 1.3.7.    What's Luruar? It's not on my map...
 1.3.8.    How long does it take to travel in the Underdark?
 1.3.9.    What was the origin of the High Moor?
*1.3.10.   What is the Forgotten Realms Interactive Atlas?
*1.3.11.   What/where are the "Burning Lands"?
*1.3.12.   Is there a list of all of the mythal cities?
*1.3.13.   What are exactly the functions or use of the Mythals?
           I always thought they were centers of magic energy or
           dweomers?
*1.3.14.   Is the Moonsea salt or fresh water?

 1.4.      People of the Realms
 1.4.1.    Who'd win: Elminster or Drizzt?
 1.4.2.    Don't you think Elminster is too powerful?
           No, he has to be to give the PCs a challenge!
           Yes, he's a munchkin! We killed him off five times! etc.
 1.4.3.    Aren't the Chosen overpowered? If they can do everything,
           what's left for the PCs?
 1.4.4.    So. What's the real scoop on Mystra's chosen?
           How can they stay sane for all those centuries?
           And why are they all goody-two-shoes?
 1.4.5.    What's up with the Zhents coming back from the dead?
 1.4.6.    Are Marco Volo and Volo from the Volo's Guides the same person?
*1.4.7.    What's the status of Evermeet's royal family?
           What happened to the children of Zaor and Amlaruil?
*1.4.8.    Who/what are the Malaugrym?
 1.4.9.    Shandril is a *babe*. Where can I find rules to give
           my PC spellfire?
 1.4.10.   My player wants to play a half-dragon.
           Where can I find rules for this?
*1.4.11.   It takes a 41st level mage to cast "Create Mythal".
           Elminster helped lay Myth Drannor's Mythal.
           That was long ago, and he's not even 41st level now.
           What's up? Did he lose levels?
*1.4.12.   Who are/were the Witch lords?
*1.4.13.   Who are/were the Twisted Rune?
*1.4.14.   Who are/were the D'Tarig? What races of dwarven halfbreeds
           exist in the Realms?
*1.4.15.   Who/what is/was Wulgreth?
*1.4.16.   Who/what is/was Larloch?
*1.4.17.   What ever happened to Lashan?
*1.4.18.   What elven subraces exist in the Realms?
*1.4.19.   What is the rank structure of the Purple Dragons?

 1.5.      Other common questions
*1.5.1.    Any chance of a Realms movie?
 1.5.2.    What are the names of the days in the Realms?
*1.5.3.    On what years does Shieldmeet fall?
 1.5.4.    Is there gunpowder in the Realms?
*1.5.5.    Was there really a Forgotten Realms Comic?
 1.5.6.    Have "official game" versions of the artifacts from the
           FR comic books (the hand of Vaprak, etc.) been published?
           I thought they might be included in "Volo's Guide to All
           Things Magical" but I don't think they were.
*1.5.7.    Is there a particular order in which the Realms novels
           (particularly the Harpers series) should be read?
*1.5.8.    What's up with the runes used on the top of the FR logo?
           Are they Dethek?
*1.5.9.    What were The Spawn Wars?
*1.5.10.   Is there a list of the official Roll of Years?

 2.        General questions about the list

 2.1.      Keyword Introduction
*2.1.1.    What are the keywords?
*2.1.2.    How do you use the keywords?

 2.2.      Netiquette
 2.2.1.    Why isn't this topic OK?
 2.2.2.    What's a flame and why is it bad?
           (Or, This isn't a flame, you moron!)
 2.2.3.    Why can't I post in persona?
 2.2.4.    How much can I quote?
 2.2.5.    What's wrong with my signature?
 2.2.6.    WHAT'S WRONG WITH WRITING IN CAPITAL LETTERS?
 2.2.7.    What's up with the "plain text only" rule?
 2.2.8.    Why does my text look so funky?

 2.3.      Generosity and the list
 2.3.1.    How should I offer a file? respond to an offer?
 2.3.2.    Why are attached files such bad things?
           I get/send them all the time, and I never have problems.

 2.4.      Copyright and the list.
 2.4.1.    What's a "me too"?
 2.4.2.    Why doesn't anyone ever comment on my posts?

 2.5.      Matters of terminology
*2.5.1.    What does this abbreviation mean?
 2.5.2.    What's wrong with saying "T$R"?
 2.5.3.    What's a munchkin?
 2.5.4.    How can I post a review to the list?

*2.6.      How many users are there, anyway?

 2.7.      Who are the Realms List moderator and monitors?

 2.8.      LISTSERV commands
 2.8.1.    How do I switch to/from digest mode?
 2.8.2.    The Digest is too big!  Is there anything else I can do?
 2.8.3.    What other LISTSERV commands are there?

 3.        Other resources

 3.1.      Official sites
*3.1.1.    TSR
 3.1.2.    MPGN
*3.1.3.    Where are the archives of Realms-L?

 3.2.      Other web sites of interest
*3.2.1.    Where's the "best of FR-L" web page?
*3.2.2.    What else is out there (WWW)?
*3.2.3.    What else is out there (mailing lists)?
*3.2.4.    What happened to the Realms-Projects list?
*3.2.5.    Where can I locate out of print products?
*3.2.6.    Where can I download the
           Espruar/Dethek/Thorass/Common Tongue fonts?

 4.        Why didn't you include...?

* = new or updated in this version