D&D 5E Any fluff from various editions you want to see carried forward in 5e?

[Shemeska]

The Great Wheel and its three editions worth of development on the history and origins of the various D&D outsider races and their respective planes. A vast amount of that was gutted or radically transformed by the PoL cosmology in 4e, and while there are select things from the 4e planes that could be poached for 5e, I truly don't want to see the PoL planes imposed for a second edition in a row.

 

[Raith5]

The Great Wheel and its three editions worth of development on the history and origins of the various D&D outsider races and their respective planes. A vast amount of that was gutted or radically transformed by the PoL cosmology in 4e, and while there are select things from the 4e planes that could be poached for 5e, I truly don't want to see the PoL planes imposed for a second edition in a row.

I dont understand how the 4th ed cosmology is related to POL? I think the 4th ed cosmology is more related to 4th ed not recognizing the 9 part alignment system.

I quite liked the 4th cosmology and I dont think it is massively different from the great wheel, different names and organisation for sure but similar themes and places. The thing I liked about 4th cosmology is that the planes were (or seemed to me to be) more useable as a location for play.

 

[Gilladian]

The only fluff I liked from 4e was the feywild/shadowfell cosmology.

Well, I guess PoL wasn't awful, but since my campaign sort of already was PoL in effect, it really didn't do much for or against me.

I'd like to see Al-Quadim get a revamping for 5e. I never really go to play it, and I'd like to.

 

[Consonant Dude]

I really liked when 3rd edition introduced Iconic Characters. I think it would be awesome to get some of these guys back, plus new ones! Does anyone remember the original B2 Keep on the Borderlands?

In my ideal DnD, the core rulebook features iconic characters in lively situations colorfully illustrating how the game works. And in B2 Keep on the Borderlands, all these iconics populate the keep or are available as pre-generated characters. Using Iconics in "newbie-DM adventures" is excellent as a teaching tool to set the tone you want for the game.

 

[Ratskinner]

This is a good question

Very thought-provoking. I liked the 4e cosmology slightly better than the Wheel, which seemed kinda contrived. I guess I'm not so attached to any particular bit of fluff. There's bits I like, but (I hope) they'll be easy enough to work back in. I'd be more interested in some good GM creativity chapters and guidelines in the DMG (or equivalent) for putting in your own fluff (how do you build a reasonable specialty cleric/god, and things like that). I generally prefer the rules to be as unfluffy as possible, although I recognize the need for some fluff to help out the newer/younger DMs.

Honestly, as far as fluff goes, my only request is to dial back on the Wordcombiner Doublenames and the Wordpair Togethermushers. I don't hate them with the fury of others who've voiced their opinions on the subject, and I realize that sometimes its hard to generate copyrightable/ trademarkable names en masse. However, I don't like flipping through a MM with great art, great mechanics, and then seeing names that make me think "Kinda phoned that one in, didn't we guys?"

I mean I've worked up a spreadsheet to help generate names for my games, I can adjust the flavor and characteristics of the invented languages they come from, too. Surely someone at Wizards must have the not-so-esoteric lore necessary for doing something like this. Of course, maybe I'm weird and most people like these. ::shrug:: Not a big deal either way.

P.S. I do realize the irony of this coming from a guy whose username is Ratskinner, but that name is from a character of mine from before 4e.

 

[Stormonu]

I like the Astral as a sea with the planes being "distant shores" and having a Realm of the Fey (but not named Feywild).

Of course, there are the 2E campaign worlds I'd like to see come back too - pre-Conjuction Ravenloft, Dark Sun Tyr Region, Birthright, Dragonlance, Jakandor, FR, Greyhawk, Spelljammer, Mystara, Savage Baronies, Planescape (with aforementioned Astral Sea), Al-Qadim, Mahasarpa and maybe even the Council of Wyrms (if they can make it work...).

 

[Hassassin]

1. Lots and lots of monster fluff.

2. Detail pantheons and planes in campaign settings. Very basic info in core.

Can't think of anything else right now.

 

[steeldragons]

This isn't exactly something that was "lost" but more something I'd like to see preserved...

Racial Fluff.
I want stone-crafting, gold-mining, mountain (or hill!)-living, ale-swigging dwarves.

I want forest-dwelling, magic-making, bow-wielding, wine-swigging elves.

I want hill-farming, pipe-smoking, sling-...um...slinging, mead-swigging (hm. Am I seeing a "swigging" pattern here?) halflings...WITH HAIRY FEET! (call the skinny boot-wearers whatever you must and be done with it. But for the love of the gods burn the "flat-headed, corn-rowed, river-gypsies"!)

Yes, yes. I know. We are all soooo "over" that. That was 40 years ago and we're infinitely more creative now. I know. We are! But you have to start somewhere. And for the core/basic books there needs to be a baseline.

You can have all of the sea-faring gnomes and planet-jumping elves, swamp dwarves and arctic winged halflings you like. Stat out 20 "sub-races" for each if you want. But they don't need to be in the core/main books.

The basic/core books can't (and don't need to) give you stats and abilities for every possible permutation.

There's a very real limit/ratio to page count and printing/product price...not to mention the risk (or inevitability) of "bloat".

The initial releases shouldn't say 'Well, dwarves are 4 feet tall, have beards, and can't get knocked down. The rest is up to you."

But nor should they say "Here's six pages of various dwarf cultures, 10 pages of elves, 4 pages of gnomes and, oh yeah, there's halflings too (but we won't make a big deal outta them so as not to ruffle the Tolkien estate)."

Stick to the classics...flesh them out to make them feel like "real" peoples and cultures. Leave the rest to individual groups/DMs imaginations and tools for building whatever they like of their own devising.

<breathe. huff. breathe. exhale> Ok. I'm back now. Fin rant.

So yeah, fluff the races...please.
--SD

 

[Walker N. Waistz]

Ravenloft's relationship to the other planes.

 

[Li Shenron]

Yes to racial fluff and monsters fluff.

No to class fluff, setting-specific deities, and default cosmologies.