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."

 

[Mercurius]

Didn't Michael Moorcock, if not invent, at least popularize "multiverse," at least in the context of fictional worlds?

Anyhow, I haven't followed the whole conversation, so forgive me if I re-tread stuff that has already been said. I think "plane" is a bit of a mash-up term that isn't all that precise. On one hand, early D&D draws from esoteric philosophy in which there are different planes of existence other than the physical. The traditional Western esoteric ones are: physical, etheric, astral, and then variations on mental and spiritual planes. Hindu-yogic philosophy has similar planes, or koshas (sheaths): six in total, which are sheaths that cover the true Self (Atman-Brahman) in layers, from gross to subtle. The similarities sort of end there, as D&D etheric and astral don't really mirror esoteric philosophy. It is a playable game, after all - and the planes are meant to offer realms to adventure in.

D&D worlds mostly tend to exist on the "Prime Material Plane," which is the fantasy equivalent of the physical universe - yet one with different laws than our own. I believe I've seen different usages, so that PMP can be plural or singular. But I think it sort of makes sense that there are is one PMP, but different "spheres" (ala Spelljammer) within it - whether you use Spelljammer or Planescape or some other base cosmology. Meaning, the worlds are all essentially "pockets" (or sub-planes) within one plane. They share physicality, but can vary in terms of each world or "pocket."

 

[Parmandur]

Tge whole "First World" device and multiverse is a metagame concept to give DMs permission to use and change anything WotC publishes and make it our own.

 

[SkidAce]

But aren't those alt timeliness just implementing a multiverse?

In a way, yes. However I look at alt timeline worlds as transient, things eventually flow back into the main timeline (from a cosmic perspective).

But its not "implementing a multiverse" in that I dont play/think of it that way. I plan the universe etc. Then if I need an alt world for one adventure or campaign, I think of it then.

Think of it as conservation of energy, the "multiverse" tends to minimize timelines. While their could be infinite alts, how many survive for how long? Like rivers merging flowing downstream, path of least resistance.

 

[Oofta]

In a way, yes. However I look at alt timeline worlds as transient, things eventually flow back into the main timeline (from a cosmic perspective).

But its not "implementing a multiverse" in that I dont play/think of it that way. I plan the universe etc. Then if I need an alt world for one adventure or campaign, I think of it then.

Think of it as conservation of energy, the "multiverse" tends to minimize timelines. While their could be infinite alts, how many survive for how long? Like rivers merging flowing downstream, path of least resistance.

Fair enough, kind of fits into my cosmology as well. I once had a story arc where the BBEG won and Loki helped the group "reset" things because the gods ultimately lost and he's a sore loser. If the world is going to burn, he want's to be the one who threw the torch.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Whether you call the different Settings "Planes" or "Universes" really doesn't seem to matter very much, when the core complaint basically boiled down to "WoTC is using a term Disney is using. And you hate Disney's work, therefore WoTC is bad for using that word"

Could you make an argument that Toril and Eberron are different planes of existence, exactly like the Feywild and Shadowfell? I guess. If you squinted and twisted you could make it work. You could also call them different Universes. And neither is grossly incorrect. However, since you are not meant to be able to Plane Shift or Banish between Settings, and the term "Plane of Existence" has a much narrower meaning... it would simply be causing confusion to shift the meaning to include settings, just to spit in the eye of Disney who could not care less.

I don't hate Disney's work, at all. No one benefits from assumptions. I just prefer it when what I see as blatant marketing choices are admitted to, or convincingly refuted.

 

[Micah Sweet]

It's kind of like saying D&D is hanging on coattails of the old (and likely obscure) Sliders TV series or Star Trek's mirror universes, or ... well any number of other depictions of a multiverse.

I love Sliders! May need to do a re-watch.

 

[Oofta]

I don't hate Disney's work, at all. No one benefits from assumptions. I just prefer it when what I see as blatant marketing choices are admitted to, or convincingly refuted.

How are they going to "convincingly refute" something when it was in a publication describing D&D 40 years ago? What is there to refute?

 

[Oofta]

I love Sliders! May need to do a re-watch.

If you have Apple TV+ (we get it because we have it as a benefit to our phone plan), Dark Matter has an interesting take on it as well.

 

[Remathilis]

Tge whole "First World" device and multiverse is a metagame concept to give DMs permission to use and change anything WotC publishes and make it our own.

I think WotC wants us to view ALL of D&D that a DM uses (be it an official setting, and edited/alternative version of an official setting, or a DMs homebrew) are all part of the D&D Multiverse. If you play D&D, you play in the D&D multiverse, regardless of what worlds you play in.

 

[Parmandur]

I think WotC wants us to view ALL of D&D that a DM uses (be it an official setting, and edited/alternative version of an official setting, or a DMs homebrew) are all part of the D&D Multiverse. If you play D&D, you play in the D&D multiverse, regardless of what worlds you play in.

They want us to view the entire menu as available for use, because the product line approach is a LEGO style building block deal.