D&D 5E D&D Lore Changes: Multiversal Focus & Fey Goblins of Prehistory

WotC's Jeremy Crawford revealed a couple of the lore changes in Monsters of the Multiverse.

• The big shift is toward the multiverse as the game's main perspective rather than a specific setting. The game is shifting towards a multiversal focus, with a variety of worlds and settings.
• Universe-spanning mythical story beats, such as deep lore on goblinoids going back to 1st Edition, and the gods they had before Maglubiyet. Prior to Magulbiyet unifying them, goblinoids were folk of the feywild in keeping with 'real-world' folklore.
• Changelings aren't just Eberron, but they've been everywhere -- you just don't necessarily know it. Their origin is also in the realm of the fey.

D&D 5E - A Compilation of all the Race Changes in Monsters of the Multiverse

Over on Reddit, user KingJackel went through the video leak which came out a few days ago and manually compiled a list of all the changes to races in the book. The changes are quite extensive, with only the fairy and harengon remaining unchanged. The book contains 33 races in total, compiled and...

www.enworld.org

 

[Gadget]

I've never been a big fan of the "multiverse" focus, but I understand it from a business and marketing perspective; besides, I was also never a big fan of "everything is Forgotten Realms" either. I had always viewed goblins as a sort of wicked fey, so that kind of matches up though.

 

[SkidAce]

My goblins are the result of twisted humans captured and developed as mass cannon fodder for war by the devils/fiends.

So its Feywild for me.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

I generally like the idea of the three main Goblinoid races coming from Feywild, and that they're three separate races.

Though I'm sure some have pondered Hobgoblins being half-Human half-Goblin, and maybe by extension Bugbears being half-Orc half-Goblin.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I read it differently than other posters.

If you have core books that are not forgotten realms, you are actually able to add races(classes, backgrounds) to the multiverse that don't necessarily have to exist in faerun (eberron, dragonlance...).

So the phb will present the biggest common denominator which makes a race unique. And from there settings can add anything they want.
Warforged in phb? No problem. Forgotten reals does not have them necessarily.

 

[Malmuria]

I hope that they reveal that the multiverse rests on the back of a space hamster

 

[Erdric Dragin]

The massive Feywild emphasis is both overrated and too overdone. When I think of D&D, I thought of a myriad of real-world fantasy myths from all corners of the globe being represented, from the Phillipines to ancient Aztec to the various countries of Africa, to the Middle East, etc.

Not half the game being based on Euro-styled Fey lore.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

5e designers love the Feywild. Please tell me this new goblin origin is not being shoehorned ala “dragon echoes” into settings where it clearly is nonsensical and contradicts earlier lore (Eberron, Krynn fir starters)

 

[Mirtek]

The massive Feywild emphasis is both overrated and too overdone.

At a time everythings was showfell this and shadowfell that. At another time everything was far realm this and far realm that.

Currently it's all Feywild. It will pass

 

[Kobold Avenger]

The massive Feywild emphasis is both overrated and too overdone. When I think of D&D, I thought of a myriad of real-world fantasy myths from all corners of the globe being represented, from the Phillipines to ancient Aztec to the various countries of Africa, to the Middle East, etc.

Not half the game being based on Euro-styled Fey lore.

Plenty of places have a concept of a Spirit World, and while 3e presented the Plane of Faerie and Spirit World as both optional planes. I think the originally 4e concept of Feywild is both the Plane of Faerie and the Spirit World.

At least in the 5e cosmology, I see no reason for there being a separate Spirit World because a lot of it's conceptual space is already taken by Feywild.

 

[Charlaquin]

I generally like the idea of the three main Goblinoid races coming from Feywild, and that they're three separate races.

I like them coming from the Faewild and obviously they are different enough from each other to merit different racial mechanics. But lorewise, I prefer them to be one “lineage” or whatever we want to call it, that just happen to be incredibly physically diverse. But, I like my goblins to be more like this

Than like this

 

[Reynard]

Ya, I don't read it as "wrong" at all.....I think people sometimes read stuff that isn't stated. But, I suppose I could be wrong. What is the effect on gameplay if it is one of the things you say?

Serious question: why does it have to affect gameplay for it to be unpalatable?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

This push for homogeneity in player options and setting lore works against their desire to support more settings IMO

Well it’s a good thing they’re pushing literally the direct opposite direction of that, then.

 

[Amrûnril]

I read it differently than other posters.

If you have core books that are not forgotten realms, you are actually able to add races(classes, backgrounds) to the multiverse that don't necessarily have to exist in faerun (eberron, dragonlance...).

So the phb will present the biggest common denominator which makes a race unique. And from there settings can add anything they want.
Warforged in phb? No problem. Forgotten reals does not have them necessarily.

Addding options that don't exist in the Forgotten Realms is great, but it doesn't require presenting things as a unified multiverse. It works just as well (better, I'd argue) with genuinely independent settings or with a setting-agnostic approach.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Interesting. So the project I've been working on the past year, Twilight Fables, was a fey/folklore book geared towards the original folklore, rather than how D&D has interpreted things over the past few decades.

And now Jeremy is announcing that's how they are doing things going forward. I hope the $25,000 I've spent so far isn't down the drain....

*edit I'm being a bit tongue in cheek here. I have the Multiverse book, and what they are doing isn't the same as what I've been doing; I've gone a LOT further into the actual lore of the Otherworld in TF.

 

[Reynard]

Addding options that don't exist in the Forgotten Realms is great, but it doesn't require presenting things as a unified multiverse. It works just as well (better, I'd argue) with genuinely independent settings or with a setting-agnostic approach.

I think campaign worlds should be as isolated and distinct as possible, with their own gods, races and even classes. The 2E way, essentially. Groups that want to cross pollinate, whether by stealing a class or having full on Sliders style adventures, are going to do so anyway. But when it comes to fantasy worlds, more unique is better IMO.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The tealeaves suggest that straight, gonzo Spelljammer is incoming.

Yeah…you prolly right, sadly. Oh well, just means that people with the same preferences for space opera fantasy as I have will be more likely to put out cool dnd space opera stuff I’ll want!

We can only hope. Oh my stars.

Stars? Are there even stats in spelljammer?

 

[Reynard]

Interesting. So the project I've been working on the past year, Twilight Fables, was a fey/folklore book geared towards the original folklore, rather than how D&D has interpreted things over the past few decades.

And now Jeremy is announcing that's how they are doing things going forward. I hope the $25,000 I've spent so far isn't down the drain....

Don't worry, I don't suspect WotC is going to get too "realistic" with their lore. They still have to keep it D&D.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

I wasn't complaining, but please Morrus, you are smarter than that. Two small paragraphs that are generic is not what that person, or what other people who want lore, are asking for. Adding it all up and saying there's a lot of text is a meaningless gesture and only serves to invalidate the desires of other people. This doesn't mean their desires are worth more, and isn't a commentary on the text in question, but what you replied with me was basically like trying to use a loophole to proven argument.

I think you are taking Morrus reply to seriously- relax a little

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

...or having full on Sliders style adventures...

Nah, Stargate-style adventures, except the Gates are powered by magic and some are big enough for a full-grown dragon to fly through or for large numbers of troops to pass through at one time, perhaps for an invasion.

 

[Parmandur]

Yeah…you prolly right, sadly. Oh well, just means that people with the same preferences for space opera fantasy as I have will be more likely to put out cool dnd space opera stuff I’ll want!

Well, to give you some hope for your tastes, while I think they are doing the goofy gonzo Spelljammer thing right now...long term, I think there is significance to WotC maintaining Star Frontiers, Gamma World, and Boot Hill in print and defending their copyrights. I think those may well see the light of day as future D&D Settings, though a bit more far out.

Stars? Are there even stats in spelljammer?

Not as we understand them, no, not really. Much more ancient kooky astronomy, but there are burning Suns in some Spheres?