D&D 5E Latest D&D Errata: Drow, Alignment, & More

Sage Advice is a series of articles in which Jeremy Crawford, one of the D&D Studio’s game design architects, talks about the design of the game’s rules and answers questions about them.

Book Updates | Sage Advice | Dungeons & Dragons

This Sage Advice provides updates and errata for a number of books, as well as answers to rules questions.

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D&D books occasionally receive corrections and other updates to their rules and story. This Sage Advice installment presents updates to several books. I then answer a handful of rules questions, focusing on queries related to Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons and Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos.

Official errata has been published for the following books:

• Curse of Strahd
• Dungeon Master’s Guide
• Player’s Handbook
• Storm King’s Thunder
• Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
• Tales from the Yawning Portal
• Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
• Tomb of Annihilation
• Volo’s Guide to Monsters

Here's some of the highlights.

• Alignment is removed from the Racial Traits section of races.
• Drow have undergone lore changes which reflect the different types of drow. The 'darkness of the drow' sidebar which portrays them as only evil has been removed.
• Storm King's Thunder alters references to 'Savage Frontier' and 'barbarians'; Curse of Strahd alters references to the Vistani.
• The controversial Silvery Barbs spell has been clarified.

As a drow, you are infused with the magic of the Underdark, an underground realm of wonders and horrors rarely seen on the surface above. You are at home in shadows and, thanks to your innate magic, learn to con- jure forth both light and darkness. Your kin tend to have stark white hair and grayish skin of many hues.

The cult of the god Lolth, Queen of Spiders, has cor- rupted some of the oldest drow cities, especially in the worlds of Oerth and Toril. Eberron, Krynn, and other realms have escaped the cult’s influence—for now. Wherever the cult lurks, drow heroes stand on the front lines in the war against it, seeking to sunder Lolth’s web.

 

[Lanefan]

The problem is probably less about sexuality and more with the idea that the people in the brothel aren't there of their own free will or are otherwise being treated badly. Sure, it's a fantasy world so you can say that sex worker is actually a well-paying job with benefits and no more exploitation than in any other job--but unfortunately there's far too many people who have been sexually exploited.

Also, if the brothel is supposed to be a place where the PCs can visit on their downtime, as opposed to a side plot where there's a wrong to right, then does it matter if it's listed in the book a brothel or a music hall? "Your player goes there, spends 5 gold, and has a great time." Do you really need to know if your PC had sex or not? (And if so, can I roll on the Random STD table?)

The most interesting use of brothels in various recent fantasy has been as places where information can be obtained and then bought-sold-shared. Two quick examples: Littlefinger's brothel in King's Landing (Game of Thrones) and the brothel in Nassau in Black Sails. I'm sure there's others.

In my own game a significant source of info (and adventure hooks!) for the PCs is a woman who runs what seems to be (and in all ways very much functions as) a mere brothel but is in fact also a Thieves' guild HQ.

 

[Umbran]

You just have to have a .... new conception ... of the Mind Flayer.

Mind Flayer: Well, when we were eating brains, you all kept coming down here and killing us, so, out of self preservation, we have come up with a substitute...
Mind Flayer lifts can labelled "Brain Substitute".
Zoom in on can label small print - From the "people" who brought you Soylent Green!

 

[HammerMan]

A. You are a terrible, terrible person for bringing up sexy Elminster.

B. You are also incorrect; on a scale of 1-10 of terribleness, sexy Elminster is a 17.

Elmunchkin and the Justice League Midnight need to be the next Errata...

 

[HammerMan]

You do get how it's weird how in this thread about discussing things like toning down all the problematic elements vs keeping tradition, one person keeps going 'hey guys, what about the brothels? Not having brothels is something that requires attention', right?

no, since I think taking them out is more problematic then leaving them in.

 

[Mirtek]

So the thread grew a lot while I was away. Are we still talking about brothels in D&D?

Can only add that in it's legal in most of Europe

 

[jmartkdr2]

Going for realism, now I'm wondering what the D&D equivalent of drones would be and what class would have training to fly them to take out the opponents?

Could you add a flying speed to a Battlesmith's robopuppy?

 

[Oofta]

how would one even make bunnies grimdark?

 

[Vaalingrade]

I want to know more about this but also I very much don't. Thankfully the Wikipedia article is like two sentences with no real description.

I did a lot of research into the weird inventions and cultural ideas of the late 1800's for WoE and actually made carbonated milk and also... essence of beef (urg) in a home soda machine.

The milk was worse.

Carbonation? Turns out it has a flavor.

Milk? Turns out turning the water in it into carbonic acid curdles it.

It is unaged, unseasoned cheese foam with a hint of vague mineral taste. People gave this to their sick and infirm.

I will take my sad meat soda any day.

 

[Umbran]

Nothing is offensive about pixie dust.

I mean, other than it being a common use name for certain recreational pharmaceuticals...

 

[Fallen star]

The game survived the satanic panic of the 80's. It will survive the woke panic of the oh-20's. Just keep playing your old books.