D&D 5E Do you care about setting "canon"?

[Hussar]

Heh it's funny orcs get mentioned.

You realize orcs have been radically changed through editions right? 1e and 2e orcs weren't any bigger than common humans and suffered penalties for being in bright light. 3e made the weakest orcs (3e monster listings are for the weakest specimens) stronger than the strongest baseline human (elite stat human still only gets a 15 strength) and the strongest of orcs rival ogres.

5e orcs aren't even nocturnal anymore. No light penalties whatsoever.

Are these not lore changes?

 

[Hussar]

And the first module that uses orcs as more than pie-guardians proves which of these are true.

Which is going to be a problem with any module: the story of the drow wasn't written in the MM (which was written as rumors and legend) but in D1-3 and Q1, when the PCs faced them and visited thier cities. No matter what you do then, the drow were linked to spiders, Lolth, and the underdark. It took Eberron to try something new and even that was cut/paste replacement of scorpions for spiders.

For the kind of D&D that doesn't tie anything down, you have to get rid of modules, supplements (beyond pure crunch) and novels. That makes for a very limiting publishing schedule for any game designer. Alternatively, you have to publish support for every option, and hope there is enough players using the "elves with masks" option to warrant the design and development of a module with them.

In short, unless the game never develops beyond the core rules, a Canon will develop.

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That's simply not true. I remember when the whole Blue dragons are from the desert thing came out. I actually had to go back and reread the monster manual because I actually never realized that was part of lore.

Yet we have all sorts of modules ignoring that lore. Dragonlance has a bucket of blue dragons yet AFAIR there isn't a desert in Ansalon. One of the first 3e modules was Return to Temple of Elemental Evil. First major encounter is a blue dragon. Yet no deserts around.

Modules routinely ignore canon.

 

[Imaro]

That's simply not true. I remember when the whole Blue dragons are from the desert thing came out. I actually had to go back and reread the monster manual because I actually never realized that was part of lore.

Yet we have all sorts of modules ignoring that lore. Dragonlance has a bucket of blue dragons yet AFAIR there isn't a desert in Ansalon. One of the first 3e modules was Return to Temple of Elemental Evil. First major encounter is a blue dragon. Yet no deserts around.

Modules routinely ignore canon.

You keep conflating generic D&D lore with setting specific lore.

 

[Maxperson]

Heh it's funny orcs get mentioned.

You realize orcs have been radically changed through editions right? 1e and 2e orcs weren't any bigger than common humans and suffered penalties for being in bright light. 3e made the weakest orcs (3e monster listings are for the weakest specimens) stronger than the strongest baseline human (elite stat human still only gets a 15 strength) and the strongest of orcs rival ogres.

5e orcs aren't even nocturnal anymore. No light penalties whatsoever.

Are these not lore changes?

The claim that 1e orcs were not bigger and stronger is not entirely backed up by the lore and mechanics. The 1e and 2e descriptions talk about orcs having the strongest lead, and the 1e PHB gives half-orcs(not even full orcs) a +1 to both strength and con. They average orcs have a full 1d8 hit points, where the average humans had just a few hit points.

 

[Maxperson]

That's simply not true. I remember when the whole Blue dragons are from the desert thing came out. I actually had to go back and reread the monster manual because I actually never realized that was part of lore.

Yet we have all sorts of modules ignoring that lore. Dragonlance has a bucket of blue dragons yet AFAIR there isn't a desert in Ansalon. One of the first 3e modules was Return to Temple of Elemental Evil. First major encounter is a blue dragon. Yet no deserts around.

Modules routinely ignore canon.

There are deserts.

http://ansalonmud.wikia.com/wiki/Maps?file=Ansalon2.jpg

 

[Shasarak]

There are deserts.

I think at this point it is pretty clear that Hussars Dragonlance is whatever he imagines his Dragonlance to be, which is not limited to nor restricted by any actual Dragonlance products.

 

[Remathilis]

That's simply not true. I remember when the whole Blue dragons are from the desert thing came out. I actually had to go back and reread the monster manual because I actually never realized that was part of lore.

What version of D&D were you playing?

It couldn't have been AD&D 1e.


Or 2e.


Or Basic.


Or OD&D.


I'll wait for you post proof or retract.

 

[pemerton]

I like the "rumours"/lore that [MENTION=6787650]Hemlock[/MENTION] has posted examples of. Trail of Cthulhu takes a similar approach to the Mythos.

And I agree with [MENTION=22779]Hussar[/MENTION] that, just as modules in the past have been pretty free-and-easy with canon, so could they be even if this sort of approach was adopted in the MM.

 

[Remathilis]

And I agree with [MENTION=22779]Hussar[/MENTION] that, just as modules in the past have been pretty free-and-easy with canon, so could they be even if this sort of approach was adopted in the MM.

Give examples of modules* that directly contradict the Monster Manual

* Cavaet: the setting itself can't change the lore: so posting an Eberron module with Xen'drik elves or anything Dark Sun is off limits.

 

[pemerton]

Give examples of modules* that directly contradict the Monster Manual

[MENTION=22779]Hussar[/MENTION] already gave RttToEE - which has a non-desert dwelling blue dragon.

Speaker in Dreams has a mind flayer living and working on the surface.

One of the adventures in the old GH City boxed set has tasloi running around the City of GH.

That's just a few in less than a minute's thinking about it. Oh, another one: the lich in D1 just hanging out on a hidden ledge in the troglodyte's warren.