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

 

[Parmandur]

Not just that - Crawford states in the video that Ability Score Adjustments at character creation is no longer a part of the choice of race - Ability Score Adjustments are now a part of assigning ability scores. That's a shift that I was expecting, but I didn't realize it was in this book (I figured it would be in whatever they're planning for the anniversary release).

It's effectively what's in Tasha's, but yeah, he tipped his hand on the new Core rules there.

 

[darjr]

Also the new race abilities? Are they new in this book?

 

[Nikosandros]

It's effectively what's in Tasha's, but yeah, he tipped his hand on the new Core rules there.

I don't think anyone was surprised by this. I'm fine with the floating bonuses; I wouldn't mind a suggested assignment, but they are clearly not interested in doing it.

 

[Parmandur]

I don't think anyone was surprised by this. I'm fine with the floating bonuses; I wouldn't mind a suggested assignment, but they are clearly non interested in doing it.

If anything, I'd reassign them to suggestions based on Background.

 

[Reynard]

I read it 180 degrees from you two. Saying this means that there are worlds where goblins are like X, some like Y and some like Z. That implies that they can be like 1987320 also.....before, there was "only one" type of goblin (not true, see Eberron)......

I mean, we have worlds from WotC with different cosmologies already, I really don't understand this post.

Right, but it appears they are eliminating those different cosmologies in favor of the idea if the First World that then had some sort of splintering event. So Eberron with its completely unique cosmogy is just another Prime world (possibly contained in a crystal sphere) and its cosmogy is either wrong or demiplanes or something else in the regular, WotC approved cosmology.

 

[Zaukrie]

Right, but it appears they are eliminating those different cosmologies in favor of the idea if the First World that then had some sort of splintering event. So Eberron with its completely unique cosmogy is just another Prime world (possibly contained in a crystal sphere) and its cosmogy is either wrong or demiplanes or something else in the regular, WotC approved cosmology.

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?

 

[Blue]

You know one of the things I despise about the Forgotten Realms? The file-off-the-serial numbers kitchen sink nature of it.

To give an example, in Eberron the Warforged have a rich (albeit short) history and strong connection to the state of the world. In FR, they are just living golems (or worse yet, mechanical men played like robots).

The idea of making the default that all of the settings are connected in a multiverse means more kitchen sink, and more "lowest common denominators" as opposed to making up settings that are unique and different. It's like bringing divinity to Dark Sun.

5e started this, even sneaking things about connecting to the non-Eberron planes into the 5e book. I dislike the concept of this direction, but I will wait to see the implementation.

 

[Dire Bare]

how very... MCU... I'm not sure I like this, at all.

"Multiversal" storytelling or franchise building is certainly more accepted these days, and it's not just the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sci-fi and fantasy fans are beginning to see different takes on the same or similar subjects as normal.

D&D, like its counterparts in comics, has long enjoyed a "multiverse", it's nothing new. Just a slight shift in focus. The difference is that there is no D&D "core" setting like Greyhawk, the Realms, or the Nentir Vale. Those setting all still exist, but none of them are the default setting anymore.

 

[Faolyn]

No Planescape options were tested, just Spelljammer (and Thri-Kreen). There is no particular reason to suspect Planescape is in the cards just yet, and way less for a hypothetical "Planesjammer."

The thri-kreen they listed were almost certainly supposed to be the xichil, a Spelljammer mantid race of extreme body-modders and transhumanists (transmantidists?). But people who haven't been exposed to Spelljammer would be confused at the inclusion of the xichil if they weren't called thri-kreen.

 

[Zaukrie]

A goblin campaign where goblins from a world where Maglubiyet didn't win, trying to free, and convince, a world of goblins where he did that they can be different and free.... That would be an original idea....

Replying to myself....It really should be a ship travelling from world to world, you know, like jamming somehow.....