D&D 5E D&D's Inclusivity Language Alterations In Core Rules

In recent months, WotC has altered some of the text found in the original 5th Edition core rulebooks to accommodate D&D's ongoing move towards inclusivity. Many of these changes are reflected on D&D Beyond already--mainly small terminology alterations in descriptive text, rather than rules changes.

Teos Abadia (also known as Alphastream) has compiled a list of these changes. I've posted a very abbreviated, paraphrased version below, but please do check out his site for the full list and context.

• Savage foes changed to brutal, merciless, or ruthless.
• Barbarian hordes changed to invading hordes.
• References to civilized people and places removed.
• Madness or insanity removed or changed to other words like chaos.
• Usage of orcs as evil foes changed to other words like raiders.
• Terms like dim-witted and other synonyms of low intelligence raced with words like incurious.
• Language alterations surrounding gender.
• Fat removed or changed to big.
• Use of terms referring to slavery reduced or altered.
• Use of dark when referring to evil changed to words like vile or dangerous.

This is by no means the full list, and much more context can be found on Alphastream's blog post.

 

[Reynard]

I did. I assure you that reading it again won't help. From my perspective that sentence didn't effect the ridiculousness of calling that white privilege.

So, to be clear, you don't think white people benefit from the kind of detailed ancestry records that are common in America and extend back to Europe, and that the descendants of slaves are not harmed by the lack of those sorts of records?

 

[Scribe]

If it's not a form of white privilege, then what do you think it is? Why do those of us of European ancestry place so much emphasis on where our ancestors came from?

This implies that all do.

Most Canadians I meet, are Canadians. Not Irish-Canadian, or Scottish-Canadian, or British-Canadian.

This whole X-American thing, seems very much another American cultural thing pushed on everyone else.

 

[Corinnguard]

I did mean the movement of air

I thought you might be referring to 'Passing Wind'.

 

[Charlaquin]

I thought you might be referring to 'Passing Wind'.

Well… that’s pronounced the same way, so

 

[Bedrockgames]

I once worked with a woman with strong Italian American roots and she HATED the popularity of The Sopranos at the time because it reinforced the stereotype of Italians being mobbed up.

One thing to keep in mind with this is that is a pretty small group of people in the Italian American community. There was an Italian American magazine my grandfather used to get that would complain about mafia related stuff. But most Italian Americans I know love it, because Mafia films and shows like the Sopranos are filled with elements of Italian American family life. There are certainly people who make dislike it (even the Sopranos had storylines about this). I would just say though they have to be less than 20 percent of Italian American people.

 

[Corinnguard]

Well… that’s pronounced the same way, so

Do you know what passing wind means?

 

[MGibster]

I remember reading an interesting article (or possibly listening to a podcast) that made the point clear that this sort of identification with ones origins is an often unrecognized form of white privilege. Those Americans who are descended from slaves don't know where they came from because it was erased for them.

If by white privilege they're including people of Asian descent, and Native Americans then I guess that makes sense.

 

[FrogReaver]

This implies that all do.

Most Canadians I meet, are Canadians. Not Irish-Canadian, or Scottish-Canadian, or British-Canadian.

This whole X-American thing, seems very much another American cultural thing pushed on everyone else.

For the most part it's the same here in America - or at least the parts of America I've been to.

 

[Lanefan]

What exact facts need to be known in a work of fiction or an instruction manual for a game?

The undeniable fact, in this instance, is that the written work exists in that form.

My point is that changing the content of said work later does not and cannot deny the existence of the prior version. And sometimes the prior version becomes more valuable - look no further than the two versions of the TSR module Palace of the Silver Princess for an example.

 

[Charlaquin]

Do you know what passing wind means?

Yes. But the “wind” part is pronounced the same whether it’s referring to an autumn breeze or flatulence.