DnD Head Canons

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Fantasy Flight's Midnight setting did that! They even had hybrids called "dworgs." Unfortunately, being a dark fantasy setting where the Sauron analogue won, most dworgs have "really ugly backstory."

[Gemini Lupus]

I never truly got the "Orcs are corrupted elves/bad cloning experiments". It makes much much more sense for them to be dwarf clones. Both are hale and hearty, both have darkvision, dwell in caverns and they hate each other as much as only estranged siblings can. Yes I understand they are the antithesis of many elven traits, but that is what makes me doubt their common heritage. Now every other D&D setting has their own origination myth for orcs, but if you have dwarves, they are brothers.

Like many tropes in D&D, this comes from Tolkien - Orcs were created by Morgoth when he captured and tortured some elves, twisting and corrupting them until they became something no longer resembling elves.

[hamishspence]

And Tolkien himself wasn't exactly satisfied with that explanation for orcs, and dabbled in others, such as "twisted humans" rather than "twisted elves" - or even "uplifted animals".

[PhoenixPhyre]

And Tolkien himself wasn't exactly satisfied with that explanation for orcs, and dabbled in others, such as "twisted humans" rather than "twisted elves" - or even "uplifted animals".

My current setting uses "humans and orcs are both artificial offshoots of hobgoblins, created roughly at the same time by opposing forces of elves. As usual, it got out of hand."

[Bohandas]

Olidammara started out as a teickster armadillo god and hangs out with a whose posse of other trickster animal gods

[Asmotherion]

-Boccob created magic so that mortals wouldn't bother him with prayers etc. Basically the Deity version of "you can figure it out yourself".

-Lloth was jealous of Corellon and how everyone in the pantheon adored him, and that was the reason she betrayed him. I'm also kinda convinced there was kind of a Zeus-Hera dynamic in the relationship (as they are portraied in "Hercules, the legendary journey").

-The intention for the original Demons was that they would be somehow related to the Far Realm, and basically be the "Lovecraftian Horrors" based versions of the D&D multiverse; Aberations were originally meant to be "Alien-based" creatures.

-Dwarves are just small Giants, the same way Gnomes are small Elves and Halfings are small Humans. Also, Goblins with Hobgoblins, Orcs with Ogres and Kobolts with Dragonborn share a similar relation, as in "they are basically different races of the same species" or even "it all started when (insert lager race) has a multiple instances of dwarfism, who made their own settlements, and created the first (insert small race).

-Dragons, especially Metalic ones pass most of their time in Humanoid or Animal form, and blend into society and/or the wildlife. They leave a simulacrum that is way weaker in magic than themselves, and it appears to be sleeping because it's mostly meant to scare would-be thieves, but is much weaker than the original. That's why a lot of Dragons don't usually cast spells in combat; it's a finite resource, as they are Simulacrums.

-Liches deliberatelly circulate false rumors among the centuaries of what object their Phylactery is. They are smart enough to hide their true phylactery in a demiplane that is accessible only by them.

-On the subject of Liches; Since their soul basicaly hides inside the Phylactery, they are practically Ghosts who Remote Control an Undead that acts as their Avatar (kinda how we control a Character in a First Person Video Game). The undead body is made to believe that it is the one that makes the decisions, and is completelly unaware that it is a different entity than the Lich Soul controling it.

-Summoning a monster does not conjure it's real body; It just conjures a part of it's subconsious that replicates it's personality, and creates a magical temporary body for it. That is why summoned monsters don't really die. (I'm not sure if this is cannon or not, but that was always the way I interpreted it).

-Asmodeus doesn't really need to consume food, and rarelly does so. But when he does, either socially, or just for pleasure, he doesn't eat any meal... just deserts.

-Szass Tam and Larloch are drinking buddies. They meet at the end of each centuary, and discuss memories and evil ideas. And yes, their drink of choice is a Bottle of Black Lotus Extract bottled at the begining of each centuary.

That's the ones I remember right now. I'll add if I remember anything else.

[PhoenixPhyre]

As to giants and dwarves:

My setting canonically states that both giants and dwarves are related to goliaths.

Specifically, giants are formed from goliaths who undergo a runic ritual. The original intent of this was to make titans, but that path got broken long ago by some greedy titans. So now storm giants are as close as it gets.

Those same titans, as part of breaking things, drained the runic nature out of masses of their lesser kin, turning them into dwarves.

So dwarves and goliaths are descendants of the same ur-race, and giants are "promoted" goliaths. Giant kin (ogres, etc) are the offspring of failed promotion attempts or the direct result. Ironically, giants are sterile, but failed giants breed true.

[Hopeless]

*The power a deity gains through worshippers has a strongly diminishing return as number of followers increases beyond a certain point, hence why unpopular deities seem to be more active. The popular deities are over extended, as they reach a point where adding followers merely adds more duties

This is actually true in my campaign.

A Lantern Archon in service to Sehanine Moonbow has twice kicked down the Divine Gates to drag a specific god out to answer a request for aid.

In the first instance it was Pelor and amused the Stormlord so much that they dropped a permanent thunderstorm atop of the Dawnfather Cathedral in Gilieam thats been usurped by the Cult of the Strife Emperor.

In the second occasion Kestra mocked Melora into acting after her Temple in Wrenn was taken over by the Cloaked Serpent using Naga Spawn (think Gou'ald meet Slaad or Illithid) who responded by causing an Earthquake to collape the Cloaked Serpent Portals beneath the church they had usurped.

I'm running a Cleric in another campaign who is a member of this faith, I've yet to experience a scene where my cleric introduces herself as a Follower of Kestra and asked "Who?!", but I'm still hoping!

[KillianHawkeye]

-On the subject of Liches; Since their soul basicaly hides inside the Phylactery, they are practically Ghosts who Remote Control an Undead that acts as their Avatar (kinda how we control a Character in a First Person Video Game). The undead body is made to believe that it is the one that makes the decisions, and is completelly unaware that it is a different entity than the Lich Soul controling it.

TIL that liches invented magical VR through necromancy.

[Bohandas]

When a petitioner becomes one with their deity, they essentially become a free extra aspect or proxy

[Starlit Dragon]

The story of the drow is false, backwards even. The High Elves were once matriarchal slavers of "lesser races". Revolution came, and the elves that refused to change were driven away, where they would eventually settle in the Underdark. Demons took advantage of this and corrupted Lolth.

[Stattick]

Mortals are food for the gods.

When you die, you go to your god. But it isn't an eternal life. You can still die in the afterlife. When you do, your energy is absorbed by the god you serve, one of their servants, and/or absorbed by the realm of the plane you reside on. Either way, your death in the afterlife adds to your god's power. The whole thing about souls being devoured and used as currency in The Lower Planes is just a slightly more expedient form of the same thing. There's nothing mortals can do to change this. All you can do is make an informed decision as to who you want to feed in the afterlife. Or plan to scramble hard in the afterlife to get on top of the pile of corpses, so you're one of the eaters instead of one of the eaten.

[noob]

Mortals are food for the gods.

When you die, you go to your god. But it isn't an eternal life. You can still die in the afterlife. When you do, your energy is absorbed by the god you serve, one of their servants, and/or absorbed by the realm of the plane you reside on. Either way, your death in the afterlife adds to your god's power. The whole thing about souls being devoured and used as currency in The Lower Planes is just a slightly more expedient form of the same thing. There's nothing mortals can do to change this. All you can do is make an informed decision as to who you want to feed in the afterlife. Or plan to scramble hard in the afterlife to get on top of the pile of corpses, so you're one of the eaters instead of one of the eaten.

It is way too setting dependant (there is settings where when you die it is instantly over and nobody benefits except if they are close enough to cast a spell on the corpse) and works only for people worshipping something.
Specify the setting for which you made this headcannon.

[Stattick]

It is way too setting dependant (there is settings where when you die it is instantly over and nobody benefits except if they are close enough to cast a spell on the corpse) and works only for people worshipping something.
Specify the setting for which you made this headcannon.

Forgotten Realms

[Taevyr]

-Boccob created magic so that mortals wouldn't bother him with prayers etc. Basically the Deity version of "you can figure it out yourself".

"Give a man magical solutions and he, his pals, and all his descendants will bother you every day for more of it. Teach a man how to create magical solutions and you'll be left alone before you know it."

[hamishspence]

The "you will eventually die again in the afterlife" thing is very much true in 4e at least.

[noob]

Is there is an afterafterlife for people that die in the afterlife?

[Bohandas]

The "you will eventually die again in the afterlife" thing is very much true in 4e at least.

And in 2e and 3e.

(I'm not familiar with 1e or 5e and can't speak for them)

[noob]

And in 2e and 3e.

(I'm not familiar with 1e or 5e and can't speak for them)

In 3e and 2e there is also settings with no afterlife at all I believe.(while I am not sure 4e had those too)

[Bohandas]

*Elves are hipsters
**All forms of magical tattoos were invented by elves as part of being hipsters

[Spore]

*Elves are hipsters
**All forms of magical tattoos were invented by elves as part of being hipsters

***I want to cast magic, and we are incredibly bored in our millenium long life spans, and we cannot go above 9th circle spells, so OF ****ING COURSE I WANT TO CAST MAGIC WITH TATTOOS!

[Stattick]

***I want to cast magic, and we are incredibly bored in our millenium long life spans, and we cannot go above 9th circle spells, so OF ****ING COURSE I WANT TO CAST MAGIC WITH TATTOOS!

Just imagine being one of the people with an early prototype tattoo. "Good news, it works. Bad news, sometimes it wild surges."

[Batcathat]

Just imagine being one of the people with an early prototype tattoo. "Good news, it works. Bad news, sometimes it wild surges."

On the upside, those are the very hipsterest of elvish hipsters. "I got a magical tattoo before it was cool (or safe)!"

[Spore]

On the upside, those are the very hipsterest of elvish hipsters. "I got a magical tattoo before it was cool (or safe)!"

There is a new trend, magical brandings and piercings. Though these ones are more Dwarven than Elven. A few people tried it, you might recall the ruins of Myth Drannor. Yeah, burning magical markings and treefolk don't mix.

[Wizard_Lizard]

That if there is a material, someone has made a golem of it.
Cheese golems I am looking at you. Horace

[quinron]

Lizardfolk's relative primitiveness comes from the fact that they're recently liberated slaves of the yuan-ti/serpentfolk who are just now starting to build their own society. That's also why the yuan-ti/serpentfolk empires are in such sharp decline.

[noob]

That if there is a material, someone has made a golem of it.
Cheese golems I am looking at you. Horace

I believe golem golems and brains golems are things too.(why???)
As is golem made out of evil and golem made out of good(there is surprisingly no golem made out of law or golem made out of chaos among the dnd 3.5 golems)

[Cicciograna]

That if there is a material, someone has made a golem of it.
Cheese golems I am looking at you. Horace

I remember that in a supplement, published I think for April's Fool, WotC introduced us to the glory that is the Calzone Golem.

[quinron]

I believe golem golems and brains golems are things too.(why???)
As is golem made out of evil and golem made out of good(there is surprisingly no golem made out of law or golem made out of chaos among the dnd 3.5 golems)

As an aside - one of my favorite books, China Mieville's Iron Council, has a main character who's a golem crafter. In the climax of the book, he stops the bad guys from killing his friends by

Spoiler

Show

making a golem out of time.

[Bohandas]

As per the movie Labyrinth some goblins look like David Bowie