D&D 5E New Statblocks for D&D's Kobolds

The weekend's streaming events at WotC revealed two Kobold-related things! First, they get a new alignment-free stat block; and second, there's a fan-made stablock for Three Kobolds In A Trenchcoat illustration.

The stat block is an unofficial one from Reddit user TamLin123.

On the official front, the site Venturebeat heard from WotC about races other than orcs, and recent discussions about changes to orcs and other previously evil races, and got the following reply:

“Orcs are not prevalent in the adventure, but Rime of the Frostmaiden does feature other creatures that are currently defined in the game as humanoids. Some cleave to a particular alignment, while others defy expectation. We’re of a mind that humanoid creatures, going forward, shouldn’t have prescribed alignments; alignment belongs to each individual. To that end, there’s a new kobold stat block in Rime of the Frostmaiden that identifies the creature as a humanoid of any alignment, which is a departure from the kobolds in the Monster Manual”.

 

[Orcslayer78]

Even setting aside the parallels to horrible real world views of race, that’s just lazy writing. Whether it is early D&D copying Tolkien or it’s Star Trek with “Klingons are the warrior race, Vulcans are the logic race, and humans are the... uh... varied race” or the countless other times in Fantasy & SciFi where other races are defined as one trick ponies and humans are just “varied”, it is cliche, massively overdone, and honestly booooooring. (yawn) The races in Eberron and Wildemount, for example, are actually interesting without being either monolithic “all one thing” races or just “humans that look different.”

If someone wants to treat the races that way in their own games, fine, they can. There’s decade after decade of D&D lore to support it and nearly a century of fiction as well! But I’d expect professional writers 46 years into the game to be more creative than just reheating ideas Tolkien wrote back in 1937. Anyone could do that!

Thankfully, the current D&D writers at WotC as well as various freelance/independent writers in the industry are extremely talented. If I’m paying good money for a book, I expect them to know there are entire fascinating worlds of difference between fantasy races “focused on one thing and one thing only” vs “making everything the same.” My basement is filled with boxes of book after book of those same repurposed ideas, and I know in 2020 that writers can do so much better.

Yes please, let's set aside this new thread about fantasy creatures inspiring real world racism while it makes sense like flat Earth and 5G causing pandemics.

For me is exactly the contrary, if I'm paying good money I expect them to know at least the basics and the fundamentals of Fantasy, to know the difference between humans, orcs and elves and not making them all humans with different shapes.

Current D&D writers at WotC are nothing more than dwarfs on the shoulder of giants, who can't respect the work of people who came before them.
Your basemement is filled with that repurposed idea because that's what fantasy is about, instead modern D&D lore and settings are not fatansy at all, but sci-fi with magic instead than laser guns.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Even setting aside the parallels to horrible real world views of race, that’s just lazy writing. Whether it is early D&D copying Tolkien or it’s Star Trek with “Klingons are the warrior race, Vulcans are the logic race, and humans are the... uh... varied race” or the countless other times in Fantasy & SciFi where other races are defined as one trick ponies and humans are just “varied”, it is cliche, massively overdone, and honestly booooooring. (yawn) The races in Eberron and Wildemount, for example, are actually interesting without being either monolithic “all one thing” races or just “humans that look different.”

Much like how D&D is moving away from monolithic races, so is Star Trek. As recent Star Trek has shown a little more about Romulans and that there's some differences in their culture.

I think it's become too cliched monolithic races, it might serve a purpose in early world-building, but when a universe expands in details such as D&D or Star Trek, fleshing out the differences among their races is certainly the way to go. Even if it's something like "here's 2 extremes in how this race could be".

 

[Olrox17]

Soooo, all of this was meant to kill alignment? Huh. Didn’t see that coming.

 

[Xenonnonex]

Soooo, all of this was meant to kill alignment? Huh. Didn’t see that coming.

Alignment. Does not mean much anymore.

 

[Olrox17]

Alignment. Does not mean much anymore.

You know, of all D&D sacred cows, alignment might be my least favorite.
Still surprised, though. I thought the concept was overall extremely popular with the fans.

 

[Xenonnonex]

You know, of all D&D sacred cows, alignment might be my least favorite.
Still surprised, though. I thought the concept was overall extremely popular with the fans.

Taking a page from Eberron. Characters are more complex. Objective alignment is worrisome.

 

[Minigiant]

Alignment. Does not mean much anymore.

Alignment only matters for outsiders: celestial, fiends, aberrations, and fey. Beings that are more strictly tied to it mentally.

 

[plisnithus8]

I disagree with him on that. Granted, horror and comedy go together like chocolate and peanut butter. But sometimes you just want a big ol’ bar of 80% cocoa dark chocolate. There’s room for Happy Death Day and Hereditary.

But including the lighter things in the book, they are available tools to use or not. If not included, you can only have one type of horror.

 

[CleverNickName]

I find absolutely nothing wrong with the stat block, nor with the statement from WotC. This is good stuff.

And I just put Three Kobolds in a Trenchcoat on my random encounter table in Sharn. This is going to be amazing.

 

[CleverNickName]

Soooo, all of this was meant to kill alignment? Huh. Didn’t see that coming.

"Some creatures can be of any alignment" doesn't sound anything like "stop using alignment" to me. Maybe I'm missing something?