Evil Drow Statblocks to Return in Forgotten Realms Rulebooks Later This Year

Drow-specific NPC statblocks will be included in the upcoming Forgotten Realms Adventurer's Guide set for release later this year. Over the past several weeks, much hullabaloo has been made over the Monster Manual, specifically that the D&D design team replaced specific drow and orc statblocks with generic NPC statblocks that can be used for any kind of humanoids. In a video released today, D&D lead designer Jeremy Crawford confirmed that more specific statblocks tied to specific humanoid sects or characters would return in future rulebooks, with evil drow given as an example.

"Also for anyone who's eager to see more species-tailored humanoid statblocks, people are going to see more of that in our setting books," Crawford said. "You're going to see that in our Forgotten Realms products, for example. The malevolent drow of Menzoberranzan are an important part of that setting and so they get their own statblocks. This is really true of all the creatures in the Monster Manual. This is your massive starting toy box of monsters that are usable anywhere in the multiverse. The bestiaries in our setting products, that's where we can provide you versions of things tailored to the cultures and histories of our different worlds."

 

[Nikosandros]

The 2014 DMG is actually a very good book as far as content goes. The organization is just really, really bad.

I'll have to take your word for it. It never occured to me that it wasn't a fancy piece of cardboard, but rather a book that I could read,

 

[Remathilis]

Is the Monster Manual supposed to reprisent the platonic Dungeons & Dragons bestiary that can be found in every world in the multiverse? Because a lot of it is incompatable with Eberron, the second most popular current setting after the Realms. I guess the upcoming Eberron book will have to go out of its way to explain how and why it differs so much from the Monster Manual's core assumptions.

I mean, that's both a bug and a feature I'm told. D&D is supposed to be all things at once. Some people want it to be a generic toolbox that is compatible with a dozen unique D&D settings AND their personal homebrew. Others want rich lore and history that is internally consistent.

Consider the Drow priest stat block. How many D&D settings use it? Well, Greyhawk and The Realms both have Lolth so those two. Krynn doesn't have Lolth OR Drow. Eberron had Drow but no Lolth. Exandria has both, but they aren't very common. (Most Drow worship a different faith and aren't evil). Athas has no Drow or gods or any stripe. Ravenloft technically could, but Arak hasn't been a prominent thing since the Grand Conjunction. Planescape and Spelljammer could be, but those are literally multiverse settings. No Lolth in the MTG settings. And who knows what we'll see in the future settings. So, two and a half settings and the "draw from everywhere" multiverse settings. That's what the Drow priestess statblocks service. You might as well put warforged and draconians in the MM.

 

[Remathilis]

You misunderstood me. I was referring to Multiverses in the general corporate sense of making everything content and core so I can be a target audience regardless of my feelings or preferences.

Ah yes. How dare D&D supplements support the core books I bought. Nothing better than buying a sourcebook that limits my options rather than expands them. So glad I paid money to have less choice.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Do they deserve different stats than drow? Also moar elf subraces are about the last thing we need.

One could at least argue that the non-classic Drow cultures could have been mentioned in the 5.5 PH, if they've existed in peripheral media and erased online lore for four years.

Unless they were, I don't have any 5.5 books, but it sounds like they weren't.

 

[Parmandur]

Menzoberranzan drow statblocks being in the Forgotten Realms book is fine, but to me it further illustrates how convoluted and messy this multiversal approach is. Antagonistic drow (and drow as a concept) originate in Greyhawk, which recently came out of retirement in the DMG. That makes two current settings with antagonistic drow. Does that not warrant a generic stat block in the Monster Manual? Or will Erelhei-Cinlu drow appear in some future Greyhawk setting bestiary?

I expect the FR book will have a sidebar saying "this will also work in Greyhawk, or your own homebrew!" or something like that.

 

[Bomberooski]

Haven't read all the posts but I don't mind this. I do feel like the MM has a TON packed into it. Plus, I'm excited for a Forgotten Realms Adventure's Guide. Sounds like a fun stand alone that I"m glad they didn't cram into the current books

 

[dave2008]

I guess those of us who weren't going to buy a FR book are just out of luck - especially since we can't buy things al la carte anymore...

While that is true, it has also always been the case. If you want setting or adventure specific stat blocks, you have to get that setting or adventure.

Fortunately all those 2014 statblocks still work, so if you have those you are good to go.

 

[dave2008]

Menzoberranzan drow statblocks being in the Forgotten Realms book is fine, but to me it further illustrates how convoluted and messy this multiversal approach is.

I think the concept is fine (generic = MM; specific = setting), but it would have been better, IMO, to include a generic species stat block (for all species) in the MM with perhaps fewer NPC stat blocks (if space is an issue) that can modify the generic stat block

 

[SkidAce]

I've been comparing the old species specific stat blocks to the new generic substitutes. There is a difference and it's meaningful to me. I think it's fair to point out that the new methodology for generic npcs sucks a lot, actually, if you want things to mean something and have distinctive flavor. I don't get why so many people are okay with a less flavorful, more generic approach here.

I think its because we can add salt and pepper to taste.

Some of the older stat blocks had abilties that I had to strike out.

So six in one hand and a half dozen in the other I guess.

 

[Teemu]

About one third of the 2014 DMG is devoted to treasure and rewards, so I have a really hard time believing that so many DMs never paid any attention to that book. If you've used magic items in your games, you've probably relied quite heavily on the largest and most relevant section of the 2014 DMG.