D&D 5E WotC Explains 'Canon' In More Detail

Recently, WotC's Jeremy Crawford indicated that only the D&D 5th Edition books were canonical for the roleplaying game. In a new blog article, Chris Perkins goes into more detail about how that works, and why.

This boils down to a few points:

• Each edition of D&D has its own canon, as does each video game, novel series, or comic book line.
• The goal is to ensure players don't feel they have to do research of 50 years of canon in order to play.
• It's about remaining consistent.

If you’re not sure what else is canonical in fifth edition, let me give you a quick primer. Strahd von Zarovich canonically sleeps in a coffin (as vampires do), Menzoberranzan is canonically a subterranean drow city under Lolth’s sway (as it has always been), and Zariel is canonically the archduke of Avernus (at least for now). Conversely, anything that transpires during an Acquisitions Incorporated live game is not canonical in fifth edition because we treat it the same as any other home game (even when members of the D&D Studio are involved).

D&D Canon | D&D Studio Blog | Dungeons & Dragons

In this D&D Studio Blog, Chris Perkins describes the D&D Studio's position on canonicity.

dnd.wizards.com

D&D General - WotC: Novels & Non-5E Lore Are Officially Not Canon

At a media press briefing last week, WotC's Jeremey Crawford clarified what is and is not canon for D&D. "For many years, we in the Dungeons & Dragons RPG studio have considered things like D&D novels, D&D video games, D&D comic books, as wonderful expressions of D&D storytelling and D&D lore...

www.enworld.org

 

[Maxperson]

You certainly seem to be uncertain without an official declaration of what is canon.

But you also miss my point. I'm talking about the concept of multiple canons. Something that people seem to truly have a hard time imaging.

Is Eberron Canon to Theros? No. What is canon to Eberron? "If you aren't sure what else is canon..." is a reference to that. If you are uncertain of what all applies, the baseline is the Core Books. If you really need an official stamp of approval from someone else to give you "the truth" then you could assume the setting book for the setting is canon. But, if you decide it isn't canon for your game? Then that's fine too.

Oh, I understood what you were saying. It just didn't have anything to do with Perkin's examples of "If you’re not sure what else is canonical in fifth edition, let me give you a quick primer." He wasn't saying the equivalent of Eberron isn't canon to Theros.

 

[Sunsword]

I think this is for the best. Interested in hearing what others think.

I think if 5E wasn't huge and we didn't have millions of new players continuing to come into the game it wouldn't need to be covered but new players don't have that veteran understanding that my game can be anything. I didn't understand that as a new player either and sadly, some people use canon as a weapon.

I think this is a great answer to the question of canon.

 

[Echohawk]

Certainly they shouldn't adhere to FR Lore if they are taking place in Ravnica, right?

Of course Ravnica is part of the Forgotten Realms! Otherwise why would the line of miniatures for that setting be called Icons of the Realms: Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica?

 

[Bolares]

Yes, 5e did. Quite upsetting.

My making Eberron "isolated" from factually existing Forgotten Realms gods, they killed the tone of the Eberron.

Originally, Eberron was a setting with an agnostic mystique, where the divine power source is real but subjective, and the factual existence of a divine being (whether monotheist, polytheist, monist, or whatever) couldnt be demonstrated one way or an other.

But after 5e connected Eberron to the factually existing gods of the Forgotten Realms, the citizens of Eberron are simply ignorant idiots who dont know the Truth.

Quite disappointing.

Ah this discussion, yeah we already talked about this in another thread. I don't see it this way at all, so I think we can only agree to disagree on it

 

[Maxperson]

And where in Tasha's does it say that Bladedancers can only possibly exist in the Forgotten Realms and must therefore adhere to Forgotten Realms lore?

Certainly they shouldn't adhere to FR Lore if they are taking place in Ravnica, right?

It doesn't and its appearance in Tasha's isn't the point. The point is that the class in Tasha's retcons Bladesinger abilities, which is a change to the Sword Coast "canon."

 

[Faolyn]

Yes, 5e did. Quite upsetting.

My making Eberron "isolated" from factually existing Forgotten Realms gods, they killed the tone of the Eberron.

Originally, Eberron was a setting with an agnostic mystique, where the divine power source is real but subjective, and the factual existence of a divine being (whether monotheist, polytheist, monist, or whatever) couldnt be demonstrated one way or an other.

But after 5e connected Eberron to the factually existing gods of the Forgotten Realms, the citizens of Eberron are simply ignorant idiots who dont know the Truth.

Quite disappointing.

The gods of the Realms have no bearing on Eberron, whether or not the Eberron gods exist or not. When someone on Eberron dies, they aren't taken by Kelemvor. Instead, they go to whatever the name of the Eberron afterlife plane is; I forgot. And if a person from Eberron decides to planeshift, they're going to end up on one of the 12 Eberron planes, not the Great Wheel (or World Tree or World Axis or anything else).

There's no crossover unless you want there to be--and if you wanted there to be crossover, you could have it even if the books said it was actually impossible. After all, it was impossible for Dark Sun to cross over to any other setting--but there used to be a whole Dark Sun domain in Ravenloft.

 

[Maxperson]

How? SCAG is the Realms; Tasha's is generic. I don't recall anything in Tasha's saying that the way Bladesingers work in the Realms is any different.

It's a rules change to the subclass.

Really? Tell that to all the DMs whose players never bother to do so.

Why? What do they have to do with my players? You specifically were talking about my players. Nice try at moving the goal posts.

Then what is or isn't canon doesn't matter.


Then again, what is or isn't canon doesn't matter.

Eh, no. That's completely wrong. If you're having trouble understanding, go back and re-read my posts on it.

Didn't see your answer. Want to copypaste it?

Not really. It never seems to help in our conversations.

 

[Bolares]

Instead, they go to whatever the name of the Eberron afterlife plane is; I forgot.

Dolurrh

 

[Parmandur]

No it isn't

Backlash, Stories without consistancy, and confusion.

At this point the thing I'm most likely to treat as none canon is Chris Perkins blog post on canon, because eventually someone will realize it was a mistake, perhaps when D&D is no longer trendy and they realized that alienated folks needlessly, and fix things.

There really doesn't seem to be much confusion.

 

[the Jester]

And don't get me started on the consistency of plurals of monster names between or within editions.

All these years, I thought I was the only one bothered by this. I feel like I have found a long-lost brother or sister.