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."

 

[Oofta]

Yet for two decades WotC went around telling everyone; multiple settings = product line no,no.

But now: "It'll be ok because we're doing it..."

That being said; I absolutely agree that it remains to be seen is if the choice to support more settings pays off.

When have they said that? They haven't done much in wsy of settings one way or another.

 

[AK81]

So? They've decided that books like the MM are core across multiple campaign worlds and specific lore such as drow in FR is being relegated to an FR specific campaign book. Emphasizing the multiverse aspect that D&D has always had just reinforces that decision. Besides, they are looking for (hired?) someone to do worldbuilding so it makes sense that at some point they emphasize there are more worlds than FR.

Actually I think this is the best approach if they keep their different worlds unique.

This could be a way to keep everyone happy. Let older worlds keep their lore and feel intact so their fans can be happy, and build out new and exciting worlds for those who are looking for something new and fresh. I think it could be the best of all worlds with more choices for people to choose from.

Let the core books be like a Lego set. And use the pieces they want to build unique settings.

 

[Dire Bare]

When WotC purchased TSR, and D&D, they did something TSR never did . . . they took the time to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of how TSR managed the D&D brand (and their other games too).

According to Ryan Dancey, the guy in charge of this analysis, ONE (not the only) of the factors was too many competing product lines, most of them build around different settings. The problem wasn't that D&D had too many official settings, but that many of those settings had extensive product lines supporting them.

Dark Sun wasn't one or two books, it grew to over 20 products. Which all competed with equally large (or larger) lines for the Realms, Dragonlance, and other lines. And each subsequent release was subject to significant diminishing returns. The Dark Sun boxed set required that you had the PHB (and I think the Psionics Handbook also). Each subsequent release required BOTH the PHB and DS boxed set . . . and the deeper you got into the product line, the more you felt you had to have the whole thing. Why purchase Dark Sun module #10 if you didn't have #1-9?

And, I'm pretty sure the folks on the D&D team today realize a few things . . .

1. The TTRPG industry, going on 50 years, is still in its relative youth.
2. WotC's analysis of TSR was sound . . . but not necessarily 100% correct.
3. The industry back in the 90s was very different from the industry in the early 2000s, and the industry today. Times change, circumstances change.

So . . . WotC experiments with changing up how they release D&D, but slowly and intentionally (as possible). And they are also subject to the whims of the C-suite, who are prone to the kind of short-term corporate thinking that (in an extreme form) killed TSR.

WotC published settings for 3rd Edition, 4th Edition, and already 5th Edition. But they've never gone back to the model TSR used with entire product lines centered around these settings. They have not spent decades telling the fan community that too many settings kill games, rather they've given us reboots of classic settings and entirely new ones.

Now, WotC is getting ready to start a new "phase" of D&D, a new way to manage the game. They are going to lean into world-building. What exactly that means, beyond the FR books we already know about, remains to be seen. How's that going to go? Nobody really knows, we'll have to find out!

But as usual, the sky isn't falling Chicken Little! WotC isn't being deceitful, hypocritical, contradictory, or purposefully ignoring the wisdom of the 2000s era D&D team. They are adapting to the ever-changing industry in our ever-changing society to hopefully keep D&D going strong and create some really cool stuff.

Some of y'all need to relax!

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Anyone who associates the word “multiverse” with the MCU has no geek-cred.

 

[Parmandur]

Anyone who associates the word “multiverse” with the MCU has no geek-cred.

 

[Valetudo]

I have alot of 2nd edition dark sun, but I'm missing alot of darksun products. Maybe if they limit the product into a couple larger books.

 

[BB Shockwave]

Good move to add them back. You cannot just put a Priest stat block on a Drow and say that's a Priestess of Lolth. They have pretty specific powers and weapons, like tentacle rods and Yochlol summoning.
Hope this is done not just for Drow, but Duergars, Orcs and Derro too.

 

[Jaeger]

Good move to add them back. You cannot just put a Priest stat block on a Drow and say that's a Priestess of Lolth. They have pretty specific powers and weapons, …

Boo.

They should have stuck to their guns.

Hope this is done not just for Drow, but Duergars, Orcs and Derro too.

In backing down on the Drow, they now lack any compelling reason not to.

 

[Jaeger]

Some of y'all need to relax!

Who's getting excited?

It isn't multiple settings, it's multiple product lines.

WotC says they will do the following:
Setting books
Setting Products

Sounds like multiple books for different settings to me. I do not see that as a stretch.

But as usual, the sky isn't falling Chicken Little! WotC isn't being deceitful, hypocritical, ....

No one has made any such claims.

Just pointing out what seems to be a very clear change in direction from what was viewed in the past.

WotC's dabblings in setting support and reboots over three editions has met with varying degrees of success.

Clearly, they seem to think that they can make a proper go of it now though.

How's that going to go? Nobody really knows, we'll have to find out!

Complete agreement.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Boo.

They should have stuck to their guns.

They did

In backing down on the Drow, they now lack any compelling reason not to.

Okay, let's use the exact same method then. Name me a famous group of Derro in the Forgotten Realms, on the same level as Menzobarren and The Many-Arrows, which most of us know without having to look them up at all. Could be that they just slipped my mind.