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]

Or you'll do what? Cite page numbers at me?

I'll wait until you cast a complicated spell and ask the DM "are you sure their spell works that way?"

 

[Maxperson]

There is no default setting for the core books, multiple settings are mentioned in the core books as examples.

The Realms is the "default setting" according to WotC, but as you note, there's really nothing that actually makes that so. The core three mention things from multiple editions, not just the Realms.

 

[Maxperson]

The "canon" for my setting, is nonidentical with the canon of WotC.

The WotC canon is PH, MM, DMG.

Each "expression" of D&D can develop its own canon (for narrative consistency, story planning, etcetera).

But there is only one WotC canon. And it is minimalist: only the three core books.

Not according to the post by Perkins. He titles his section, "the canon BEGINS with the core three." which means that there is more after the core three that is canon. Then he says in the section after saying the core three are it, "If you want to know what ELSE is canon..." which also means that there is more to canon than the core three.

 

[PsyzhranV2]

Again a needlessly spiteful, nasty comment.

I'm getting second-hand embarassment from how seriously you're taking this. Go outside, touch some grass.

 

[Yaarel]

The Realms is the "default setting" according to WotC, but as you note, there's really nothing that actually makes that so. The core three mention things from multiple editions, not just the Realms.

The assumption of needing gods is part of the core books defaulting to Forgotten Realms, as are race descriptions, spell descriptions, the multiverse with a Wheel, monster descriptions, etcetera. Forgotten Realms bakes into everything.

 

[Bolares]

Not according to the post by Perkins. He titles his section, "the canon BEGINS with the core three." which means that there is more after the core three that is canon. Then he says in the section after saying the core three are it, "If you want to know what ELSE is canon..." which also means that there is more to canon than the core three.

yeah, the core three are just public-facing information. It's the "all you need to know" section. Doesn't mean the rest is useless, just that it's not what they consider critical to the D&D experience.

 

[Maxperson]

I'm getting second-hand embarassment from how seriously you're taking this. Go outside, touch some grass.

It's a bit unfair for you to call @Henadic Theologian out and not also call out @a.everett1287 who been out of control with his abuse of the laugh button and insulting posts.

 

[Hussar]

I do want to apologize for taking the low road. It's not nice and I should know better.

And, frankly, so should all of you. There's no need to make this personal and the mods will just lock up this thread. This is very much not cool.

Let's get back to arguing about the content, not the poster. If someone is posting something you find hyperbolic or insulting, ignore it and hit that report button. Again, I appologise for my own poor behavior here.

 

[Remathilis]

The Realms is the "default setting" according to WotC, but as you note, there's really nothing that actually makes that so. The core three mention things from multiple editions, not just the Realms.

"Default" here is doing a lot of heavy lifting. It's more like the sample setting than the default one; it's the setting that most closely resembles the core game so it gets used when they need examples or proper nouns. Outside of setting many of the modules there (excluding GoS, CoS, WbtWL, and large parts of BGiA) it's hasn't gotten much dedicated content added since SCAG. Xanathar, Tasha and Mordenkainen are more generic or multiverse based, even Volo is rather generic than Realmslore. AL isn't even FR exclusive as Eberron and Ravenloft now have campaigns there.

Multimedia wise, Faerun gets the lion share but in game they have done a great deal to keep everything from being all FR, all the time.

 

[Yaarel]

Not according to the post by Perkins. He titles his section, "the canon BEGINS with the core three." which means that there is more after the core three that is canon. Then he says in the section after saying the core three are it, "If you want to know what ELSE is canon..." which also means that there is more to canon than the core three.

There will be a D&D film. WotC requires it to at least conform to the WotC core-three canon. If it does, then WotC considers it an "expression" of official D&D.

The D&D film will develop content that forms its own "canon" that is only true for the film. This canon might conflict with other WotC products, and that is fine, as long as it stays true to the core-three canon.