D&D 5E New Unearthed Arcana: Heroes of Krynn Revisited

WotC's Jeremy Crawford has announced a new Unearthed Arcana article today with redesigns from the prior Heroes of Krynn UA based on feedback, and in the following video he discusses that feedback and what's in the article:

• New iteration of Kender based on feedback survey, due to mixed response. This time is a back to basics, aiming to capture 1E AD&D fearlessness, curiosity and taunting skills. Delve into their origins from Gnomes in deep history.
• Kender are no longer fey creatures who grab objects from the Feywild
• Tweaked Feats from prior article
• Tweaked Backgrounds from prior article
• Brand new rule giving a list of free Feats for ANY Background
• Free Feat rule for Level 4 for all characters that doesn't take the ASI away, based on a curated list
• Reveals that in the Adventure, healing magic is already back.

Heroes of Krynn Revisited | Unearthed Arcana | Dungeons & Dragons

Explore updated character options from the Dragonlance setting! This playtest document presents revised races, subclasses, backgrounds, and feats.

dnd.wizards.com

 

[Remathilis]

Do they know that? (either the Kender or the WotC folks?).

From the Latest UA
View attachment 156247

Or are the just ineffable?
View attachment 156248

I quoted the whole passage from CBG&H above, but to reiterate.

"The fabled Kender is a curious example of convergent evolution. Their native world of Krynn is one of the few with no true halflings of its own, yet this ”ecological niche” is filled by another race which, though unrelated, is similar in size, appearance, and culture: the Kender. Hairfeet, Stouts, and Tallfellows who have been to Krynn or have met Kender wanderers on other worlds have adopted them as honorary cousins, despite misgivings about the Kender’s complete lack of the prized halfling virtue of common sense."

They aren't biologically descended from halflings, but more adopted due to similarity. Mechanically, they were absolutely developed to fill the halflings role rather than the gnomes (hence the lack of illusionists but unlimited "thief" levels).

 

[Cadence]

I quoted the whole passage from CBG&H above, but to reiterate.

"The fabled Kender is a curious example of convergent evolution. Their native world of Krynn is one of the few with no true halflings of its own, yet this ”ecological niche” is filled by another race which, though unrelated, is similar in size, appearance, and culture: the Kender. Hairfeet, Stouts, and Tallfellows who have been to Krynn or have met Kender wanderers on other worlds have adopted them as honorary cousins, despite misgivings about the Kender’s complete lack of the prized halfling virtue of common sense."

They aren't biologically descended from halflings, but more adopted due to similarity. Mechanically, they were absolutely developed to fill the halflings role rather than the gnomes (hence the lack of illusionists but unlimited "thief" levels).

Are you sure the other halflings can't disown them now with this new cover fire from UA though?

 

[cbwjm]

Do they know that? (either the Kender or the WotC folks?).

From the Latest UA
View attachment 156247

Or are the just ineffable?
View attachment 156248

Whether they came from gnomes or elves, or something else, the niche is still the halfling niche, that's how it always felt to me since I started playing 2e.

I do know that they are a recent race in Krynn, which is apparently important when time travelling. The wizards of high sorcery, with their ability to travel through time, had a ban on any of the new races travelling through time as it could cause issues. I forget what those issues are, though I know Tasselhoff caused a few of them.

 

[Remathilis]

Are you sure the other halflings can't disown them now with this new cover fire from UA though?

Sorry man, they got invited, they're family now.

 

[Cadence]

Sorry man, they got invited, they're family now.

I was never a big fan of the "ignoring previous lore" thing... but it so makes me want to.

Do they keep getting to be family if they never bring food and always swipe the silverware?

 

[Remathilis]

I was never a big fan of the "ignoring previous lore" thing... but it so makes me want to.

Do they keep getting to be family if they never bring food and always swipe the silverware?

Still better than the Athasian Halflings. They always insist on Barbeque...

 

[Dire Bare]

Do they know that? (either the Kender or the WotC folks?).

From the Latest UA
View attachment 156247

Or are the just ineffable?
View attachment 156248

Does it matter? We're talking creation myths here, either or neither could be true.

 

[Dire Bare]

Whether they came from gnomes or elves, or something else, the niche is still the halfling niche, that's how it always felt to me since I started playing 2e.

I do know that they are a recent race in Krynn, which is apparently important when time travelling. The wizards of high sorcery, with their ability to travel through time, had a ban on any of the new races travelling through time as it could cause issues. I forget what those issues are, though I know Tasselhoff caused a few of them.

The idea that kender and halflings are completely different races is a bit silly, IMO. I've always looked at kender as simply being ethnically, or culturally, different from PHB halflings. That doesn't fully square with the changing official canon, but . . . it makes more sense (to me).

 

[Cadence]

Still better than the Athasian Halflings. They always insist on Barbeque...

Which is how ewoks should have been...

 

[Remathilis]

Which is how ewoks should have been...

They tried to cook Han Solo! And they had a dress that conveniently fit Leia, which could have been from a past victim.