D&D General Assumed Lore/Sacred Cows you've changed +

[Sacrosanct]

Lots of discussion this year so far about how WoTC has changed a lot of the assumed lore of D&D that's been there since the beginning, like removing default evil alignment from monstrous humanoids.

The purpose of this thread is to hear what things you've done in your games (maybe something new, maybe something you've always done) that has run counter to the established lore that D&D has always (or almost always) had.

Note: This is a + thread, so please don't come in complaining about how WoTC has ruined the game, or whether or not alignment should have a default--we've discussed this to death. I'm more interested in hearing what you've done for your table.

Note II: Sadly, I must apologize for not having a thread created with the witty humor of @Snarf Zagyg, but I'm just not that clever. On the positive side, the original post here won't be a wall of text (I kid, I kid! I actually do enjoy your humor)

 

[Sacrosanct]

So, for me.

• Gnolls. I never bought into the whole demon spawn/reproduced backstory of gnolls. For some? Sure. But I always ran them as any other intelligent humanoid species. Reproduced like any other species. I've always liked them the most of all the humanoids. In fact, recently I have a key recurring NPC by the name of Fleabag, that has a role similar to Volo in FR.
• I am on board with the elimination of default alignment for many reasons (go see those threads if you want to know why), and have been doing something similar in my games for years. Most are evil/bad, but many are not. Been doing that ever since I played UK1, The Sentinel back in the day, and felt bad for the "bad guy".
• Spell components. I have always ignored these, regardless of edition, unless it was something super rare or special. Yes, it makes MUs more powerful when you take away that mitigating factor, and it's a big one, but I just don't like the bookkeeping aspect of it. Let mages cast spells they prepared.

 

[Retreater]

Undeath is not necessarily evil. It's neutral. As long as an undead creature has its own personality, it's not inherently evil. Mindless undead are incapable of having alignments.
Concerning other intelligent creatures, none are blanket "evil" as default. I have plenty of goblins, orcs, kobolds who are neutral, some who could be seen as good. In general, intelligent creatures have their own motivations and desires. Sometimes those are evil, but most of the time they're just looking out for themselves and their kin. I've been running D&D this way since the 1990s.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Deathless: monster subtype, as undead but healed by positive energy and hurt by necrotic damage.

Troop: monster subtype, as swarms, but for soldier squads or animal packs.

Allegiance with Aligment, even when both are opposite (sheriff who breaks rules to defend law and order or zealot who does horrible things in the name of the highest good). Spells can hurt enemies with same aligment but different allegiance (for example orc shaman vs drow cleric).

Added two abilite scores: Acuity (astuteness + perception) and Spirit (Courage + karma/luck/fate/divine grace).

 

[aco175]

I always given out a cool item to each PC, mostly at lower levels. Not sure if this if the D&D cartoon spilling out into my games, but it just feels cool having something that lets you do something awesome 1/rest or 1/day. Then, I may even allow the player a choice on boosting them in a hidden temple or something. So the +1 longsword that could cast the shield spell 1/rest can not become +2 or add a lightning bolt 1/day, or a healing spell.

 

[Krachek]

We play mostly home brew setting, so sacred cow lore are often changed.
I remember a setting where we created a kingdom of lawful evil elitist eladrin where the rebels were good Drow fighting against the tyranny of the Eladrins. if I remember right we play different party helping both sides.

My main setting was a flat world, outer planes were accessible via flying boats.
Devils and Demons were playing totally different roles in there.

But honestly the term sacred cow is only for the official settings, the core rules don’t have much lore cow.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I tried tracking everything down to the number of eyelashes and balls of bat guano and sulphur back in 2e. It just wasn't worth it.

• Spell components. I have always ignored these, regardless of edition, unless it was something super rare or special. Yes, it makes MUs more powerful when you take away that mitigating factor, and it's a big one, but I just don't like the bookkeeping aspect of it. Let mages cast spells they prepared.

 

[Burnside]

Have pretty much ignored alignment since the late 80s.

 

[nevin]

All wish spells are granted by some power even Arcane ones. The power granting it, (and wizards usually don't know unless they are VERY careful) and its goals and how closely it is aligned to the purpose of the wish determine the amount of twisting that will be done if possible due to wording.

Funny my campaign world is flat but no flying boats yet, you just fall off the edge. My Gnolls, Orcs, Goblins are effectively Tieflings. Thier ancestors traded for power with dark forces and they aren't human anymore. Thus they tend towards Evil but they do have free choice not all are. All tribes of any creature will have at least some with classes and levels. No orc tribes where everyone is 1hd. All Bardic, witch, or shamanistic magic are from the spirit the biggest being the Earth, not the weave. So when a bard sings a spell they are literally singing to the world to change things. Witches and shamans are directly dealing with the spirit world.

Bringing someone back from death requires physically going and getting them or sending another soul in their place.

 

[Reynard]

Gnomes are extinct, eaten by gnolls.