D&D 5E Jeremy Crawford Discusses Details on Custom Origins

[Warpiglet-7]

As a follow up: I don’t think I will include this stuff in my game as player or DM. I do not think it will have a good effect on the game. Is it a benefit to society? Not something I could say/know or something I am willing to wager entertainment dollars on.

I give to a lot of charities. D&D does not fall under that umbrella.

 

[Morrus]

no argument against that, right up until you tell me all ‘species’ are the same.

Literally nobody has said that.

 

[Weiley31]

Which is literally not happening here. If you want to argue rationally about something, the first stage is not just making stuff up. Then maybe people can engage with your position.

Goat: Your trying to force Horns on me man. I'm not going to confirm to your views of society.

Mother Nature: Bruh, not you too..

Cheetah: Hey guys?

DM: Rolls eyes.

 

[Cadence]

<erased by poster>

 

[Warpiglet-7]

Literally nobody has said that.

Well, at the core I suspect we are wanting similar things.

I want all people to enjoy and play ‘the game’ and moreover to feel comfortable in doing so.

burning tropes of ‘the game’ to get there is a bridge too far for me. Really, if elves being dexterous is offensive to a person, they probably have issues to work on before playing D&D with any adult I know.

 

[Alzrius]

Whatever Gygax claimed post-lawsuit, Tolkien was a massive influence (hobbits, ents, and balrogs were all in there pre-lawsuit).

Okay, let's do this one more time: the "Tolkien suit" of 1977 was neither a lawsuit, nor did it come from the Tolkien estate. Rather, it was a cease and desist letter sent by Elan Merchandising, who at the time held the non-literary rights to Tolkien's work (source: Playing at the World, Section 5.10).

For that matter, Gary had been quite clear about how modest Tolkien's influence was for years before that C&D letter was sent. And quite frankly, that's not hard to believe. Tolkien's demihuman races were some of the most player-facing options in D&D, but calling that, along with a couple of monsters, "massive" is an overstatement. He took Tolkien into account alongside a lot of authors whom he liked better, but that's about all that can be said.

 

[Warpiglet-7]

Okay, let's do this one more time: the "Tolkien suit" of 1977 was neither a lawsuit, nor did it come from the Tolkien estate. Rather, it was a cease and desist letter sent by Elan Merchandising, who at the time held the non-literary rights to Tolkien's work (source: Playing at the World, Section 5.10).

For that matter, Gary had been quite clear about how modest Tolkien's influence was for years before that C&D letter was sent. And quite frankly, that's not hard to believe. Tolkien's demihuman races were some of the most player-facing options in D&D, but calling that, along with a couple of monsters, "massive" is an overstatement.

So is saying Tolkien’s work was derived from sources a decade or two old.

he pulled from myth a millennia or more old. Why apologize for recapitulating myth from one’s culture?

ancient European folklore and myth is as valid (not more) than any other; you dip into others too much and it’s “appropriation.”

that Gygax pulled from that is...dunno....totally fine?

 

[Maxperson]

Okay, let's do this one more time: the "Tolkien suit" of 1977 was neither a lawsuit, nor did it come from the Tolkien estate. Rather, it was a cease and desist letter sent by Elan Merchandising, who at the time held the non-literary rights to Tolkien's work (source: Playing at the World, Section 5.10).

For that matter, Gary had been quite clear about how modest Tolkien's influence was for years before that C&D letter was sent. And quite frankly, that's not hard to believe. Tolkien's demihuman races were some of the most player-facing options in D&D, but calling that, along with a couple of monsters, "massive" is an overstatement. He took Tolkien into account alongside a lot of authors whom he liked better, but that's about all that can be said.

Two classes(Wizard, Ranger), 5 races(Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, 1/2 Elf and 1/2 orc), and at least 4 monsters(Dragons, Balor, Ent, Orc) is a pretty significant influence. That's not modest at all.

 

[Alzrius]

Two classes(Wizard, Ranger), 5 races(Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, 1/2 Elf and 1/2 orc), and at least 4 monsters(Dragons, Balor, Ent, Orc) is a pretty significant influence. That's not modest at all.

As a class, the magic-user didn't come from Tolkien; the spellcasting system being lifted from the works of Jack Vance gives the Dying Earth stories a much stronger claim on that particular archetype. Dragons have some Tolkien influence (i.e. sapience, chance to detect invisible creatures in their lair, etc.) but other aspects are clearly not from his works (i.e. you don't see Smaug casting spells, whereas D&D dragons gain spellcasting abilities as they get older).

With regards to the demihumans, they seem more notable than they are simply because they're up there as a PC choice; their overall contribution to the game is actually rather minor overall (hence why level limits, introduced in order to showcase demihumans' relative unimportance, stayed around for so long). Likewise, four or five monsters wasn't very many even when D&D first came out.

So yes, "modest" is the right word.

 

[Maxperson]

As a class, the magic-user didn't come from Tolkien; the spellcasting system being lifted from the works of Jack Vance gives the Dying Earth stories a much stronger claim on that particular archetype. Dragons have some Tolkien influence (i.e. sapience, chance to detect invisible creatures in their lair, etc.) but other aspects are clearly not from his works (i.e. you don't see Smaug casting spells, whereas D&D dragons gain spellcasting abilities as they get older).

It seems that perhaps you are confusing influence with copying. No one is saying he copied Tolkien, but his influence is very apparent and not at all minor.

With regards to the demihumans, they seem more notable than they are simply because they're up there as a PC choice; their overall contribution to the game is actually rather minor overall (hence why level limits, introduced in order to showcase their relative unimportance, stayed around for so long). Likewise, four or five monsters wasn't very many even when D&D first came out.

So yes, "modest" is the right word.

Almost all the PC races is not "modest."