D&D 5E Iggwilv/Tasha To Join Volo, Xanathar, and Mordenkainen? [UPDATED!]

Is WotC teasing a new announcement? There have been a few D&D books named after famous personalities from the game's extensive lore - Vole's Guide to Monsters, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. It looks possible that the next such personality might be Tasha of Tasha's Hideous Laughter fame -- which was an adventuring alias of the Greyhawk villain Iggwilv.

UPDATE -- A page has appeared on Amazon entitled Dungeons & Dragons November Title (Announced August 24). It's a hardcover, $49.95, November 17th release date.

On their Discord channel, WotC posted a short audio clip; it features some female-sounding voices laughing, and it is titled "Feather and Tart". It also has a metadata info which says August 24th, 2020, which is Monday. But in addition to that, a WoTC staff member on Reddit's avatar was changed to an image of Iggwilv.

Iggwilv was an evil magic-user, a villain created by Gary Gygax. When adventuring with the Company of Seven, she used the alias Tasha. The lore has it that the witch Baba Yaga adopted her as a child and named her Natasha, and she soon became Natasha the Dark (Baba Yaga also adopted Elena the Fair).

Iggwilv has two forms, one old and one young. You can read more about the character on Wikipedia.


What does seem clear is that WotC is teasing an impending announcement! I assume that the announcement they are teasing will be the announcement of an upcoming announcement, or I'll be disappointed.

 

[dave2008]

But (not necessarily true in this case) what's canon in one edition isn't necessarily canon in another. (Asmodeus-Ahriman theory). Sometimes lore changes are deliberately made by the company for some reason or another.

Yes, I made the same statement earlier in my discussion with Mistwell

 

[Todd Roybark]

So in Fourth Edition D&D, Dragon the Online Webpage, for arguably the least popular version of the game decided to equate the creator of Tasha's Hideous Laughter spell will Iggwiliv?

That seems to fit the definition of D&D apocrypha, rather then D&D canon.

Dragon Magazine, historically has always been a fringe product. Something appearing in Dragon, in no way guaranteed that you could play it, or that what was used even worked.

"Tasha, I knew Iggwiliv. Iggwiliv was a friend of mine. You, Tasha, are no Iggwiliv".
#Mic drop1988

 

[QuentinGeorge]

It really was not. Dragon Mag isn't official. And that article was just acknowledging a prior article called her that. Which isn't lore man, it's just acknowledging someone called her that in a prior Dragon magazine.

Let me know when it ends up in a setting book. Or even an official adventure. Until it does, it's just dragon magazine extra content which just plain isn't official stuff. Often, it's just like UA stuff is now - testing ideas out.

What are you on about? I already said it was in Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk in 3.5. It is the name she joined the Company of Seven under. It was repeated in the last print Dragon magazine in the mysteries of D&D article. It has nothing to do with 4E or online mags.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

So in Fourth Edition D&D, Dragon the Online Webpage, for arguably the least popular version of the game decided to equate the creator of Tasha's Hideous Laughter spell will Iggwiliv?

That seems to fit the definition of D&D apocrypha, rather then D&D canon.

Dragon Magazine, historically has always been a fringe product. Something appearing in Dragon, in no way guaranteed that you could play it, or that what was used even worked.

"Tasha, I knew Iggwiliv. Iggwiliv was a friend of mine. You, Tasha, are no Iggwiliv".
#Mic drop1988

its nothing to do with 4E. Read what is being posted.

 

[Todd Roybark]

I already said it was in Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk in 3.5.

That still falls under the category of apocrypha. So in the last gasps of 3.5 D&D, a Paizo team working for WotC makes some changes, that have played no consequential role in the game ever since.

Now if in 200 years this change from the Final Days of 3.5 is commonly accepted, then fine...like the snake in the Book of Genesis being equated with Satan....I will accept it as the commonly held position.

I will set a reminder on my Google Calendar. ...see you in two centuries.

 

[humble minion]

That still falls under the category of apocrypha. So in the last gasps of 3.5 D&D, a Paizo team working for WotC makes some changes, that have played no consequential role in the game ever since.

Now if in 200 years this change from the Final Days of 3.5 is commonly accepted, then fine...like the snake in the Book of Genesis being equated with Satan....I will accept it as the commonly held position.

If it's been published multiple times under the auspices of WotC, who were the owners of D&D at the time, then that makes it pretty much Official Canon (for whatever THAT is worth...) by any meaningful definition, surely.

Official Canon is full of stuff that's dumb, inconsistent, contradictory, or else was a bad idea in the first place and is now much regretted, retconned, or ignored. The Sundering. The Avatar Crisis, and the day every assassin in Faerun abruptly fell down dead. Athasian biotech halflings. Soth entering Ravenloft, and/or then getting let out again. Gnolls abruptly transforming from sentient humanoids to mindless demonspawn. 4e angels (remember them? Yeeesh). And so on and so on. If you prefer Iggwilv and Tasha to be completely unconnected in your game, go for your life. But deciding what constitutes 'Official Canon' in that department by drawing arbitrary lines to exclude stuff that doesn't fit your interpretation doesn't seem like it's real logically defensible.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

That still falls under the category of apocrypha. So in the last gasps of 3.5 D&D, a Paizo team working for WotC makes some changes, that have played no consequential role in the game ever since.

Now if in 200 years this change from the Final Days of 3.5 is commonly accepted, then fine...like the snake in the Book of Genesis being equated with Satan....I will accept it as the commonly held position.

I will set a reminder on my Google Calendar. ...see you in two centuries.

An officially released publication by the owners of the IP is apocryphal. Yep. Sure. Ahhh.

 

[UnknownDyson]

So in Fourth Edition D&D, Dragon the Online Webpage, for arguably the least popular version of the game decided to equate the creator of Tasha's Hideous Laughter spell will Iggwiliv?

That seems to fit the definition of D&D apocrypha, rather then D&D canon.

Dragon Magazine, historically has always been a fringe product. Something appearing in Dragon, in no way guaranteed that you could play it, or that what was used even worked.

"Tasha, I knew Iggwiliv. Iggwiliv was a friend of mine. You, Tasha, are no Iggwiliv".
#Mic drop1988

What is with the weirdness of Greyhawk fans coming in the thread to show us how long they can do mental gymnastics about lore that has 2 editions worth of history and consistency?

Tasha aka Natasha the Dark aka Iggwilv are the same person, and it has been that way for multiple decades. Why is this such an issue? I for one hope that it is an Iggwilv book, she is my favorite D&D character along with Graz'zt.

 

[R_Chance]

What is with the weirdness of Greyhawk fans coming in the thread to show us how long they can do mental gymnastics about lore that has 2 editions worth of history and consistency?

Hey! Greyhawk fans may or may not except this as "cannon". I'm sure some do and some don't. I predate everything except the original game from 1974 myself, making me officially "old". The Greyhawk supplement was great. I have the original Greyhawk folio setting from 1E (I never ran it, but I was curious). So, not a "true" fan of Greyhawk I guess. I loved James Jacobs articles on the Demonomican of Iggwilv (the 3.5E ones, never read the 4E digital ones by other people). And... I don't care

Lighten up people. It's a minor bit of cannon lore which anyone can feel free to ignore. Or not. Quit sharpening the knives, don't contact the Assassins Guild... we won't take that contract. Just relax. D@mmit, now there's a Frankie Goes to Hollywood song winding through my head... sigh

 

[QuentinGeorge]

It's only a weird subset of greyhawk fans who are mad at Mona for invalidating deeply held Canon (note disparaging reference to Paizo team above. Might as well call Gygax "that New Infinities guy")