D&D 5E Kobolds are also from the Feywild now?

[Yaarel]

Once again, in actual play and prep it doesn't matter for me, since I don't implement the lore purge.

Wait. There is no "purge".

Each table can and should use the lore that is true at that table.

Now, novels, movies, videogames, and other media count as different gaming tables. This is what they are, exactly, anyway. Something that happens in a videogame may or may not have happened in ones own table.

Meanwhile, there are official rules that clarify what lore one can expect at any table, and these are the core rulebooks. Perhaps by extension, all the media that refer to an official setting can be expected to be found in the official setting guide for that setting, as a kind of setting core book.

Compare the Eberron setting. It is more Important to talk about "my Eberron", the lore that is true at "my table". But there are also considerable expansions of lore that the authorship of Eberron, including Baker, develops for their tables, that one may wish to adopt for "my table".

All of this handling of lore is the way it has always been. The official position is to make clear what lore the various tables are likely to share in common.

 

[Demetrios1453]

For all those who say "I would prefer them to remain dragon-adjacent", there's plenty of precident for creatures, like faerie dragons, that are both dragon- and fey-adjacent.

But, given the evidence, I'm leaning towards the opinion that this was just Crawford mis-speaking...

 

[Weiley31]

Shadar-Kai? They weren’t Fae at all in 4e

Whoops, that's the background I use for them in my 5E games.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

I prefer my kobolds as yappy canine types rather than dragons

Yeah, same. None of these newfangled retconned dragon-kobolds!

Spoiler: How they look in my setting

More of my art here.

I seriously don't care that much if they change the official lore. They have changed it before, and I will usually change it for my own games anyway. Granted, the Feywild is starting to get a tad crowded.

 

[CleverNickName]

Seems like the Feywild has gotten really fashionable these days. And not just from Wizards of the Coast, either: I've read a handful of blogs from other DMs out there, who have re-flavored several game elements to fit the Feywild. I've seen DMs reskinning things like dragons, elementals, undead, magic, even life itself, so that they all originate from the Feywild. I don't remember where I saw it, but there was even a blog post titled "Ravenloft except its in the Feywild."

I think it's all really interesting. When All Things Feywild eventually falls out of fashion, I'm fascinated to see what replaces it.

 

[Cadence]

In my heart, they'll always be Moldvayish lizard-like dog men to me instead of dog-like lizard/dragon men.

 

[Faolyn]

Yep. My PDF of the 3rd edition 1979 7th printing says:

GOBLINS (and Kobolds): Goblins and Kobolds see well in dimness or dark, but they do not like bright light. When fighting in full daylight or bright light they must subtract 1 from their Morale Rating, as well as 1 from any die rolled. Because of their reciprocal hatred, Hoblins (Kobolds) will automatically attack any Dwarves (Gnomes) within charging distance. Hobgoblins fight as Armored Foot and defend as Heavy Foot. Their Point Value is 2 1/2 .
Morale Rating — 5 Point Value — 1 1/2

Was that your typo, their typo, or a never-seen-again crossbreed race? Because knowing D&D, hoblins could be a legitimate monster.

 

[Faolyn]

Soon Giants will be descendants of Elementals.

Fire giants, stone giants, cloud giants, frost giants, hill giants, storm giants. I can see it.

 

[HaroldTheHobbit]

Wait. There is no "purge".

Yes there is, WotC has explicitly said that lore heritage doesn't matter and that 5e shall be viewed as a blank slate lorevise.

All of this handling of lore is the way it has always been. The official position is to make clear what lore the various tables are likely to share in common.

Exactly. And when the lore heritage doesn't exist, races are whatever skins without lore to lean on for background and story etc there are not a lot of connection between tables. Yet again, the changes doesn't impact my table, so it's not a biggie. But as a player and DM since the 80ies I am still sad when decades of lore and lore heritage are thrown in the waste basket and officially declared redundant.

 

[Minigiant]

Fire giants, stone giants, cloud giants, frost giants, hill giants, storm giants. I can see it.

It was a jest.

4e already made Giants and Titans elementals.