The Forgotten Realms come to life in the Forgotten Realms anthology, becoming another piece of campaign resources branching from the Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. Both books have a fantastic blend of player material and Faerûn lore. Familiar characters from the Baldur’s Gate 3 video game make an appearance throughout the pages. However, they do not steal the spotlight from the material. Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn is regarded by the Wizards of the Coast team as the “Players’ facing supplement”. The book contains character backgrounds, subclasses, spells, magic, faction options, and feats. Everything players need to build a character within the lore of this Realm can be found within. While the Adventures in Faerûn expansion is the “Dungeon Master (DM) focused supplement.” The expansion contains DM tools, lore, DM tips, and guidance for their adventures in the Forgotten Realms.

“Welcome to Faerûn. The world of Faerûn is filled with countless heroes who have undertaken amazing adventures – Drizzt Do’Urden, his wife Cattie-brie, and their daughter, Briennelle; Alustriel Silverhand, and the rest of the Seven Sisters; Karlach Cliffgate, Astarion, and Shadowheart; and many more. Now, the world has new heroes; the ones you and your fellow players create.”

Like other D&D player books, Heroes of Faerûn has a wealth of character options. They contain new and revised subclasses, new backgrounds, and new feats. Character species include Aasimar, Dragonborn, Dwarves, Elves or tel’quessir, Gnomes, Goliaths, Halflings, Humans, Orcs, and Tieflings. However, within the Forgotten Realms, a couple of unique narratives can be spotted. Aasimars are the rarest of humanoid beings, tieflings are sporadically seen, and orcs coexist with a variety of communities. Aside from other rulebooks, Forgotten Realms expands on the lore of the Realm. Furthermore, it provides specific character option backgrounds. There is a heavy emphasis on magic, giving players a grander vision of the world they will step into. Some Subclasses have been used in “Unearthed Arcana” but have been revised for these books.

An Adventure Needs Heroes

The book also presents eight new subclasses:

• College of the Moon (Bard). These Bards highlight Bardic Inspiration, a permanently prepared Moonbeam spell at level 6, and Moon Inspiration.
• Knowledge Domain (Cleric). Abilities include proficiency with Artisan’s Tools, spells of the Divination school, mind magic, and telepathy. They also get advantage on Intelligence saving throws, and seeing into the future.
• Banneret (Fighter): A Fighter who leads others into battle. This subclass focuses on buffing allies, encouraging the playing party.
• Oath of the Noble Genies (Paladin). Abilities under this subclass involve elemental smite, genie spells, and genie spelndor. They also gain resistance to damage types within an Aura of Protection, elemental rebuke, and noble scion. 
• Winter Walker (Ranger): A Ranger of the North, wielding magic of cold and ice. Rangers under Winter Walker gain Resistance to Cold damage, deal Cold damage, and an array of ice-based spells. They also gain Fortifying Soul, Chilling Retribution, and Frozen Haunt. Frozen Haunt grants players immunity to Cold damage, as well as Grappled, Prone, or Restrained conditions.
• Scion of the Three (Rogue): Rogues with this subclass can expect to have Bloodthirst, resistance to damage based on the Dead Three players choose, Cunning Strike, an aura of malevolence, and benefits to rerolls and extra Bloodthirst.
• Spellfire Sorcery (Sorcerer): Born with the ability to manipulate spellfire. This subclass includes spellfire burst, an array of spells always prepared (Guiding Bolt, Dispel Magic, Wall of Fire, and Greater Restoration, to name a few), a permanent Counterspell prepared, and resilience on the battlefield through Crown of Spellfire.
• Bladesinger (Wizard): Bladesinger abilities include bladesong with a bonus to your AC, gained proficiency with all Melee Martial weapons excluding Two-Handed or Heavy weapons, an extra Attack action, a Reaction to reduce damage, and using additional attacks through Bonus Actions.

Tied to the Realms

Eighteen new backgrounds are detailed in this book to provide players with ideas on how to flesh out their characters. Ten of these backgrounds correspond to regions of the Forgotten Realms, seven are related to factions, and one unique background, Spellfire Initiate, represents characters born with the ability to manipulate spellfire. Backgrounds may also be tied to eight factions, each with its own goals, activities, leadership, organization, renown rewards, alliances, and special facilities. This intersection of backgrounds and factions provides a great starting point for player stories, party tension, and the overall narrative.

The Forgotten Realms is nothing short of Gods. Faerûn has many gods; cities house multiple temples to various gods, and small shrines can be found along the map of roads. Meeting a deity in disguise happens more often than one might think. “Gods of Faerûn” is a very detailed chapter in Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn, with over forty new, foreign, dead, and resurrected Gods for players to pick and choose from. Deities categorize themselves based on their Home Plane, typical worshipers, and their general background. Some deities D&D fans may be familiar with include Lolth, Bane, Asmodeus, Selûne, and Shadowheart’s deity, Shar.

Buying Guide

“My great-grandmother founded this business over a century ago, providing adventuring gear and tools of the trade to discerning clients across Faerûn. It is my privilege to carry on in her famous footsteps.” 

Aurora’s Whole Realms Catalog is a catalog of items within the Realms for purchase, containing equipment: gear for the adventuring party, mounts, tools, travel, and vehicles. There are four pages of illustrated items, with another four pages of items with specific prices. This addition of an adventure guide provides DMs and players with a clear idea of what to follow and how to incorporate it into the adventuring party’s journey.

Spells and Circle Magic

The list of spells details each spell in alphabetical order, organized by level, the class that can learn it, casting time, range, components, and duration. Additional information adds narrative flair, providing examples of failed saving throws, damage calculations, damage types, and scenarios for using spells in higher-level situations.

As highlighted in the name, Circle Magic requires more than one spellcaster to create a spell.

“When a group of spellcasters collectively channel their magic into a single spell, they can enhance and augment the spell’s magic in powerful ways. A spell cast in this way is known as a Circle spell.”

You can cast all spells that require an action or take at least 1 minute or longer to cast as Circle spells.

Adventures in Faerûn focuses more on Dungeon Masters and includes five additional chapters that expand on the five regions of the Forgotten Realms:

• The Dalelands: home to a classic fantasy adventure
• Icewind Dale: a frigid magic setting of genies and magical innovation
• The Moonshae Isles: filled with fairy stories and tales of adventure at sea
• Baldur’s Gate: an urban setting of morally ambiguous heroes and antiheroes

The Expansion also includes: 

• New magic items and monsters
• Many adventures set in the Realms, including a complete starting adventure to launch a new campaign
• Two digital products to continue the fun on DnDBeyond.com
• Astarion’s Book of Hungers is an expansion full of blood, danger, and intrigue. The 32-page digital supplement focuses on Astarion, the elf vampire from the Baldur’s Gate 3 video game. It includes 3 vampire-themed backgrounds, 16 vampiric feats, an updated Dhampir species, and 5 stat blocks.
• Netheril’s Fall is another 32-page digital expansion that provides insight into the ancient empire of Netheril and its magic. It includes five adventures, new magic items, monsters, and maps. The adventures are designed in a near-linear fashion, allowing players to complete them within one or two sessions.

Final Thoughts

Forgotten Realms is a beautiful, high fantasy setting for players, new and familiar with D&D. However, the setting is fairly standard. The undead are mostly evil, and combat typically consists primarily of swords, magic, or the occasional firearm. The Forgotten Realms will not require as much explanation as a run through Castle Ravenloft. 

Every piece in this anthology offers engaging moments for the DM and the adventuring party, complete with monsters and characters that blend seamlessly within the theme. The biggest highlight from the expansions is the substantial variety for character creation and world-building. Though the adventures are relatively brief, there are plenty of resources within the pages for a promising campaign. Both digital expansions are also excellent introductions to the history and fun of the Forgotten Realms that players will not want to miss. 

Check out our insightful conversation with designer Makenzie De Armas about the Stranger Things: Welcome to the Hellfire Club bundle during NYCC earlier this year!

Special thank you to Wizards of the Coast for providing these expansions for this review!