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

 

[Charlaquin]

How is that meaningfully different from saying not everything in the PHB is necessarily canon?

Everything in the most up to date printing of the PHB is canon. What’s in the most up to date printing can be changed.

50th anniversary revised core books are looking more and more likely.

 

[Mistwell]

Because everything in the PH will be canon after the official update.

Until the next official update? Because that's the current update. That's in the most recent print, and they said everything in the most recent print is canon.

 

[Mistwell]

Everything in the most up to date printing of the PHB is canon. What’s in the most up to date printing can be changed.

50th anniversary revised core books are looking more and more likely.

So like I said, it's more restrictive than just, "It’s in the 5e PHB, so it’s canon."

 

[Yaarel]

Until the next official update? Because that's the current update. That's in the most recent print, and they said everything in the most recent print is canon.

Yeah. @Charlaquin phrased it more precisely. The recent edition is the canon.

My improper phrasing had in mind there are things (like Evil races) that we know the designers want to remove. So the future canon will differ from the current canon


Either way the design goal actually is:

PH+MM+DMG = canon

 

[Stormonu]

That's not my understanding of the past treatments of D&D setting lore. 1e greyhawk was not a separate continuity from 2e or 3e Greyhawk, the timeline advanced but the continuity was the same. Same thing for Forgotten Realms.

"Advancing the time-line" is just way to say "we're changing the Canon" with a smile on your face.

"Realm-shaking event" is the way to do it while plunging the dagger in fan's chests.

 

[Charlaquin]

So like I said, it's more restrictive than just, "It’s in the 5e PHB, so it’s canon."

I suppose if you want to quibble over “in the most up to date printing.”

 

[Bolares]

I suppose if you want to quibble over “in the most up to date printing.”

It's Enworld, of course we want to quibble!

 

[Mistwell]

I suppose if you want to quibble over “in the most up to date printing.”

I do feel like "Orcs are not inherently evil" is the current canon, despite the current PHB including that language. Do you disagree?

 

[Yaarel]

Perkins mentions as examples of 5e canon:

• Strahd
• Menzoberranzan
• Zariel

Do all of these appear somewhere in the core books?

 

[Charlaquin]

I do feel like "Orcs are not inherently evil" is the current canon, despite the current PHB including that language. Do you disagree?

I assume you meant to say you don’t feel like that’s the case. Yes, I disagree. It is, by the standard they’ve presented here, currently canon. I do expect it is likely to change in the near future, but for now it is still canon.