“Study the past if you would define the future.” ― Confucius

The Forgotten Realms campaign setting is the primary setting, but it is not the only setting. Characters may find themselves on any number of planes, various worlds such as Ravnica, or in any number of strange locations. Most of the time a session will start on Faerûn, somewhere within the region known as the Sword Coast or within The Wayfinder.

• • #world-events is written in Dalereckoning (DR).
  • Current year is 1495 DR.

There are 365 days in the year, split up into 12 months of 30 days each with 5 holidays that fall between some months. The names of the months are given in both the formal names and the common ones.

• • The seasons run like they do for the northern hemisphere; Hammer is like January and Flamerule is like July. Each week consists of 10 days, called a tenday. A workweek consists of 5 days.

The holidays are Midwinter, Greengrass, Midsummer, Highharvestide and The Feast of the Moon.

• • Midwinter falls between Hammer (Jan.) and Alturiak (Feb.).
  • Greengrass between Tarsakh (Apr.) and Mirtul (May).
  • Midsummer is between Flamerule (Jul.) and Eleasis (Aug.).
  • Highharvestide is between Eleint (Sep.) and Marpenoth (Oct.)
  • The Feast of the Moon is between Uktar (Nov.) and Nightal (Dec.)

Calendar of Harptos

​Years (usually described as the passing of winters or summers) are referred to by names (see table), each name is not consistent across the Realms. Each kingdom or city-state numbers of years differently, usually to measure the reign of a dynasty or the current monarch, or since the founding of the country. The result is a hodgepodge of overlapping numbers that serve to confuse the ordinary person and frustrate the sage. The widespread differing year dates include the following:

• • Dalereckoning (DR): Dalereckoning is taken from the Year of Sunrise, when the Standing Stone was raised by the elves of Cormanthor and the human Dalesfolk. Since this time, humans were permitted by the Elven Court to settle in the more open regions of the forests. In some texts, primarily those which do not have direct ties to Dale’s history, Dalereckoning is called Freeman’s Reckoning (FR). The calendar is widely used in Faerûn but has not spread beyond its shores. Dalereckoning is the most common year measurement and is used in all of the Forgotten Realm’s sourcebooks.
  • Cormyr Reckoning (CR): Cormyr Reckoning begins at the foundation of House Obarskyr, the dynasty that still rules that land. The 25-year gap between Cormyr Reckoning and Dalereckoning has caused much of the confusion regarding elder days. Timelines and calendars of the period often use DR designation, but place the founding of Cormyr at 1 DR instead of 26 DR. This is understandable, given that the two reckonings are from two nearby parties and spread by a third (the merchants of Sembia), but it causes learned sages to slam their heads violently against their desks trying to figure things out.
  • Northreckoning (NR): Used in the City of Waterdeep, Northreckoning dates from the year Ahghairon became the first Lord of Waterdeep. A more archaic system called Waterdeep Years (WY) dates from the supposed first use of Waterdeep as a trading post. This reckoning is now largely abandoned except in ancient texts.
  • Mulhorand Calendar (MC): One of the oldest calendars in use in the Realms, this ancient scheme of record-keeping dates from the founding of Skuld, the City of Shadows, reputedly by a Mulhorandi God.
  • Present Reckoning (PR): In an attempt to get a handle on the various number systems in use, a new type of reckoning has been implemented with the approval of such worthies as Khelben “Blackstaff” Arunsun of Waterdeep and Vangerdahast of Cormyr and carried abroad by the Harpers. All year-dates trace back to the Time of Troubles as Year 0.

Planeshift, the Magic the Gathering settings are part of our world. The universe is potentially infinite and vastly expansive to the very limits of your imagination and beyond it. Below you will find some information that will help players and dungeon masters align the current date of the Forgotten Realms with the other content available.

• • Cridhe: In Cridhe the years are given in relation to the Parting. The only other known date is that of the Mending of the Clan Tree, in 520.
  • Dominaria (AR): The dates on this timeline are in A.R.: Argivian Reckoning, with year 1 starting with the birth of Urza. Other known reckonings are Penregon Founded, beginning with the founding of the city Penregon in ~912 A.R., and the Reckoning of the Sages of Minorad, starting with the gathering of said sages in 3000 A.R..
    • A Dominarian year is 420 days long and divided into twelve 35-day months. Most pre-revisioned dates were given in the Minorad reckoning, but most of them can’t possibly be true in post-revisionist continuity. Minorad reckoning is only incorporated in the timeline and translated to A.R. if it can still be true in current continuity. Another dating system was established by New Sumifans in Almaaz.
    • Its Common Era (CE) starts around 3035 AR. (Date of 3000 BCE (Before Common Era) corresponds to times of Brothers, soon after Almaaz joined to Mishra’s forces.
  • Ravnica (ZC/AC): Ravnica works with Z.C. and A.C., which stand for “Zal Concordant” and “Al Concordant”, meaning “After the Agreement” and “Before the Agreement” in Old Ravi respectively. The agreement, in this case, is the signing of the Guildpact. The D&D Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica establishes the Ravnica year of the Guilds of Ravnica block as 10,076 Z.C., which equals ~4560 AR.
    • By this reckoning, the year 1 Z.C. began during the year -4198 A.R.