D&D General The Purple Dragon Knights are tied to an Amethyst Dragon (confirmed)

[Demetrios1453]

I assume you have never argued with a cannon purist who tried to correct you with "ackshually..." When your discussing your campaign. You're doing it right now. You're literally claiming my version of Drizzt is wrong.

That's why "official = correct" needs to die in a fire.

A cannon purist? Someone who is really into artillery?

 

[bedir than]

Wizards (and most IP owners sadly) love terrible retcons.

Is it a retcon to say "in the past 100 years this [thing] happened?"

Or is that moving a timeline forward. To no one's knowledge has WotC changed what occurred in previously covered timelines.

 

[Scribe]

Is it a retcon to say "in the past 100 years this [thing] happened?"

Or is that moving a timeline forward. To no one's knowledge has WotC changed what occurred in previously covered timelines.

No, a retcon would be 'we do not recognize anything prior to 5th as canon'.

Moving the timeline forward and shackling it to the 'multiverse' wouldnt be a retcon so much as...well lore of dubious value.

 

[bedir than]

No, a retcon would be 'we do not recognize anything prior to 5th as canon'.

That also doesn't equal the definition of retcon.
They have not change that lore in any way.

Retcon is another one of those entertainment words that seems to be flung out as a pejorative so frequently it is now meaningless.

It's used like "That's AI" for real art people don't like.
People are now using "retcon" for lore advancements they don't like

 

[Scribe]

People are now using "retcon" for lore advancements they don't like

Likely.

I would say 'that past stuff is no longer canon' is a retcon, aka a retroactive canon change, but I really dont care to debate it.

 

[TiQuinn]

That also doesn't equal the definition of retcon.
They have not change that lore in any way.

Retcon is another one of those entertainment words that seems to be flung out as a pejorative so frequently it is now meaningless.

It's used like "That's AI" for real art people don't like.
People are now using "retcon" for lore advancements they don't like

Yeah, I don't know that retcons even make sense when it comes to TTRPGs given that by their very nature, each table is going to diverge from whatever was originally set up by the campaign setting or adventure scenario.

Saying something like saurials were never really a thing, and Dragonbait was actually a Dragonborn all along - that would be a lore retcon. Even something like that, I can fairly well dismiss it or make it part of my setting if I like it. I just really don't understand the one true lore timeline thing.

 

[BB Shockwave]

Of course, the same lore body that establishes Drizzt is NOT a serial killer also establishes that the Purple Dragons already have a dragon in their history (a black so old it’s scales had turned purple, as extensively documented by Troy Denning in the Cormyr: a Novel/Death of the Dragon books in which Azoun died).

I assumed they had met a Deep Dragon once... those are purple, no?

 

[Henadic Theologian]

The default is just that: default. It itself means nothing because nothing remains the default once play has begun. TSR used to try to have one correct "cannon" version of events and it ruined gameplay because it shackles the DM and players into events playing out a certain way. Lord Neverember can never be replaced by a PC because the books says he's still Mayor. The players cannot kill Artemis because he's important to the next Drizzt novel. Silverymoon will not be destroyed no matter how badly the PCs fail. The world cannot change from the default.

I now reject that sort of entrenched Metaplot for that exact reason, it created plot lawyers who argued changing things was breaking cannon. I say break cannon. It's more of a suggestion than a law. If you want to shackle your game to whatever events the next novel or module will force on you, more power to you. But I refuse to be told MY version is lesser because I step beyond the default.

Heresy of the highest order!!! Send out my fleet!

 

[pukunui]

This was a headache that TSR jumped into with both feet. From the Dragonlance adventures that were literally a railroad retelling of the novels to the Waterdeep trilogy of adventures - they loved to make sure that PCs were never quite as powerful or important as the precious IP characters.

Let’s not forget the first Dark Sun adventure, “Freedom”, in which the brave PCs get to “help” the novel heroes with their rebellion against Kalak by running errands and other fun stuff.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Tiamat taking advantage of the final destruction of Sammaster to take over the Cult of the Dragon was a lore update that made complete sense. I wonder if they'll include the splinter sect that was in the comics that seeks to attain draconic power for themselves by transforming into true Dragons, that felt like it had massive potential.

Where did Cormyr get the resources to build the Purple Dragon Knights into a force capable of being a Faction? The last time they were mentioned their Queen had in fact pulled back Corymr's international efforts to focus on rebuilding because the kingdom had been devastated by numerous damaging events. They'd just fought Netheril and Sembia, who would view the Purple Dragon Knights expanding their operations as an obvious provocation.

Sembia isn’t exactly in a state to challenge their neighbors, and Netheril is gone. Why would Cormyr care if the self-declared nobles of a nation that is still rebuilding dislike that their order of heroic cavaliers expand operations?