D&D 5E WotC Explains 'Canon' In More Detail

Recently, WotC's Jeremy Crawford indicated that only the D&D 5th Edition books were canonical for the roleplaying game. In a new blog article, Chris Perkins goes into more detail about how that works, and why.

This boils down to a few points:

• Each edition of D&D has its own canon, as does each video game, novel series, or comic book line.
• The goal is to ensure players don't feel they have to do research of 50 years of canon in order to play.
• It's about remaining consistent.

If you’re not sure what else is canonical in fifth edition, let me give you a quick primer. Strahd von Zarovich canonically sleeps in a coffin (as vampires do), Menzoberranzan is canonically a subterranean drow city under Lolth’s sway (as it has always been), and Zariel is canonically the archduke of Avernus (at least for now). Conversely, anything that transpires during an Acquisitions Incorporated live game is not canonical in fifth edition because we treat it the same as any other home game (even when members of the D&D Studio are involved).

D&D Canon | D&D Studio Blog | Dungeons & Dragons

In this D&D Studio Blog, Chris Perkins describes the D&D Studio's position on canonicity.

dnd.wizards.com

D&D General - WotC: Novels & Non-5E Lore Are Officially Not Canon

At a media press briefing last week, WotC's Jeremey Crawford clarified what is and is not canon for D&D. "For many years, we in the Dungeons & Dragons RPG studio have considered things like D&D novels, D&D video games, D&D comic books, as wonderful expressions of D&D storytelling and D&D lore...

www.enworld.org

 

[Faolyn]

How do you define "supposed"?

The FR setting if full of evil and unjust things for the individual table to chose from what to feature in their campaign. Only a tiny fraction of all the evil in the world has gotten an official adventure to it's name.

Is there anything in FR that indicates that the PCs can talk with Ao and attempt to convince... him? It? whatever, that something that's a part of the Realms needs to be changed? Because then at least that gives the option of the PCs going against it. But from what I read, Ao doesn't communicate with any mortals and his "clerics" aren't even real clerics. All of that suggests that the game's writers never wanted the Wall to be touched or altered, assuming they even gave it that much thought

But since they made Kelemvor try to remove it and not be allowed to (or being forced to restore it, whatever) indicates that they did give it that much thought.

 

[Scribe]

Is there anything in FR that indicates that the PCs can talk with Ao and attempt to convince... him? It? whatever, that something that's a part of the Realms needs to be changed? Because then at least that gives the option of the PCs going against it. But from what I read, Ao doesn't communicate with any mortals and his "clerics" aren't even real clerics. All of that suggests that the game's writers never wanted the Wall to be touched or altered, assuming they even gave it that much thought

But since they made Kelemvor try to remove it and not be allowed to (or being forced to restore it, whatever) indicates that they did give it that much thought.

Because it makes sense.

Why would it need to be altered or removed, when based on a 'species' or whatever Gods are after they ascend, they depend on faith/followers to function.

I mean one would assume the gods of Good would even prefer people to worship gods of Evil, because those are potentially future converts, instead of people going off and saying 'forget you guys' which leads to their weakening, and death.

Right?

 

[Maxperson]

But Tasha's was a general change to the class, no need to change the lore at all.

The lore had to change. Before the lore of Bladesingers didn't involve them having the in-fiction ability to attack and cast a cantrip at the same time. After the changed the lore changed to allow that. When mechanics have an in-fiction impact, there is lore involved.

And if you can include a Witherbloom druid without including Witherbloom college... then just what lore would you be required to painstakingly go over if you decide to lock your settings lore? Just make a cut off and say " no new lore past this point" and you're done.

Neither the Witherbloom druid, nor the College would be a part of the realms.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Because it makes sense.

Why would it need to be altered or removed, when based on a 'species' or whatever Gods are after they ascend, they depend on faith/followers to function.

I mean one would assume the gods of Good would even prefer people to worship gods of Evil, because those are potentially future converts, instead of people going off and saying 'forget you guys' which leads to their weakening, and death.

Right?

This makes these 'good gods' evil! How can you not see that?

 

[Remathilis]

So does this mean the cleric is cancelled? I mean, the gods are #### and alignment is #### so...

 

[Maxperson]

And yet they have done so in plenty of adventures. Bloodstone features "Priests of Orcus" with clerical abilities. The Cult Fanatic statblock in 5e features Clerical abilities, as do the Black Earth Cultists who worship Ogremoch, an Elemental Prince.

So NPCs work by other means. They don't have classes and their powers are not proof of being clerics. I'm not sure about the "Priests of Orcus," but if they were from 1e and/or 2e, clerics gained level 1-2 spells through their own faith, not from demons or devils which could not grant them.

So, we have quite a bit of evidence of divine magic being granted by non-gods.

Nothing says those abilities come from the demons or devils. Their own warped faith could provide it. We do know that 1) clerical spells are granted by gods and 2) demons and devils not specifically gods are not gods, which prevents them from performing #1.

Then why ISCorellon (God of the Elves) a god? Garl Glittergold (God of the Gnomes)? Moradin (God of the Dwarves)? Grolantor (God of Hill Giants), Surtur (God of Fire Giants), Blibdoolpoolp (Goddess of Kua-Toa), Kurtulmak (God of Kobolds), Yondalla (Goddess of Halflings), Sekolah (God of Sauhagin), Semunaya (Goddess of Lizardfolk), Gruumsh (God of Orcs), Bahamut (God of Metallic Dragons), Tiamat (Goddess of Chromatic Dragons), Laduguer (God of Duergar), Syranita (Goddess of Aarcrockra), ect ect ect ect ect ect

You mean...

Corellon theg god of Art and Magic?
Garl Glittergold the fod of Trickery and Wiles?
Moradin the god of Creation?
Grolantor the god of War?
And so on.

They are gods followed by a race, but the race is not their portfolio. They are all gods of aspects of the world that are also of a race other than human. That's all. Gnoll, dwarf, elf, giant, etc. are not aspects of the world.

It seems to me that there are A LOT of gods of particular races.

And yet 0 gods that have races as their aspect.

You also ignored me mentioned Demon Lords in charges of Oozes (how is this different from beasts, which the God Malar has dominion over?) Undead (there are gods and goddesses of the Undead), Poison (same), again, ect ect ect ect

No demon lord is in charge of oozes. The oozes of the multiverse don't worship her as their god. She's just an oozy demon that has some power over her local oozes. Same with Orcus and undead. And so on. Malar is also not the god of beasts. He's the Beast Lord as his title, but he's the god of the hunt.

 

[Maxperson]

Lol no. I’m not going to avoid asking a company to change a toxic (not just “bad”) element of their game just because you like it.

Then I expect you to ask them to remove all bad stuff, since it's all "toxic."

 

[Mirtek]

Is there anything in FR that indicates that the PCs can talk with Ao and attempt to convince... him? It?

Is there anything that doesn't? Make it your campaign to storm the city of the dead, overthrow Kelemvor and tear down the wall and see what happens next.

By that point the PCs are likely demigods themselves at very least, one of them maybe even the new lord of death, and at that point in a position to talk to Ao.

 

[Scribe]

This makes these 'good gods' evil! How can you not see that?

Define Good and Evil within the context of the FR Cosmology.

 

[Mirtek]

The lore had to change. Before the lore of Bladesingers didn't involve them having the in-fiction ability to attack and cast a cantrip at the same time. After the changed the lore changed to allow that. When mechanics have an in-fiction impact, there is lore involved.

I disagree. For the most part the fiction just did not care about the current game rules. There's few novels inbetween when an author tried to make the events in his novel also fit the current game rules and none of those were better for it (on the contrary).

Sometimes the fiction worked some great changes to the overall narrative in that came from the game site, but then quickly went back to ignore the current game rules.