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

 

[Bolares]

Basically, the Eberron setting was thrown into a dumpster fire, simply by making Forgotten Realms factually exist.

That's a big statement....

 

[Parmandur]

For example, the Forgotten Realms gods like Corellon, Lolth, Gruumsh, Archdevils like Asmodeus, are called out as factually existing in the Eberron setting.

Sometimes the connection is bizarre, like the elves of Eberron came into existence from the blood of the Forgotten Realms god Corellon, but the primordial dragons of Eberron cloned these elves so they could develop in Eberron without the influence of Corellon.

Basically, the Eberron setting was thrown into a dumpster fire, simply by making Forgotten Realms factually exist.

So say the Forgotten Realma doesn't exist in your Eberron. Doesn't matter.

 

[Bolares]

So say the Forgotten Realma doesn't exist in your Eberron. Doesn't matter.

yeah, that part of Rising gives options, hooks and ideas, and is being treated not only as facts, but the nail on the coffin of eberron's lore. That's an overreaction if I ever saw one

 

[Maxperson]

But isn't that the goal of this stated policy, to remove the perceived burden?

If that's the goal, they've bungled it. I had no burden before. I didn't have to include the lore of prior editions. I could have easily just picked up the Sword Coast book and used that alone as canon.

However, now that nothing is canon, it will be very easily for them to just switch things up if a designer thinks it's cool, which will cause waves in what I have determined to be canon. The players won't know if the new stuff is going to be used in my game. It might be or it might not, depending on what it is. And I'm going to have to make the decision individually on every piece that is changed. My burden is increased, not decreased.

 

[Maxperson]

yeah, but the subclass is so much better even the most die hard FR lore fan should complain

Well, yes. I did in fact as a player convince the DM to let me use it.

Not the point, though!

 

[Yaarel]

So say the Forgotten Realma doesn't exist in your Eberron. Doesn't matter.

WotC pushes the Forgotten Realms gods into everything, especially anything canonical, to a disruptive and distracting degree.

 

[Bolares]

Well, yes. I did in fact as a player convince the DM to let me use it.

Not the point, though!

Nope, it's in the rules, if you used it you can't complain!

 

[Yaarel]

No. No those gods are not in Eberron, nor do they have anything do with Eberron. The setting of Eberron knows nothing of those gods and vice versa.

That Eberron conceit is no longer true in 5e Eberron. Unfortunately.

 

[Faolyn]

Yes. A default with a table that provides options which demonstrate that one doesn't need to use the default.

That's the compromise.

I get what I want.
You get an official view that demonstrates that it could be something else.

Or you could drop it completely.

That's not a compromise at all. Because we already could make monsters any alignment we wanted.

So why is it that you don't consider a statblock without an alignment but an official view of what the monster's alignments could be a compromise?

 

[Yaarel]

That's a big statement....

Heh. For as much as I dont really care about canon, I can see and feel how later alterations of a canon can get seriously disconnected from its original intent.