DnD Head Canons

[Silly Name]

Goblins were created by hobgoblins by starting with kobolds and using magic and breeding programs to make them what they wanted, meaning the goblin race has a distant draconic ancestry.

in 4e lore, He Who Was (god of good and peace and rumored creator of humanity, slain by Asmodeus) is Rao from Greyhawk. This is actually true in a setting of mine whose mythology is mish-mash of 4e, Greyhawk lore and some of my players' input.

[KorvinStarmast]

Like mules, half-elves and half-orcs are sterile and cannot reproduce (without the aid of fertility magic).

That's canon in my world.

I run kobolds as the old-school vaguely canine humanoids, not this new-fangled mini-draconian nonsense, so the notion that they're dragon-kin is absurd on the face of it.

Likewise.

Hags are female ogres.

Both are grotesque versions of humans that capture and eat people. Males display strength and physical violence, and females use lies and deception.

*clap* Keeping this.

Humans tend to win races. Because of their bonus feet.

must not *groan*

Troglodytes are corrupted lizardfolk. They come from eggs stolen by sahuagin, and the most dangerous and organized troglodytes are the sharkfolk's main weapon in hilly terrain.

Hmm, might steal this.

So, more of a circle surrounding True Neutral, rather than the traditional grid

Yep.

In fact, didn't OD&D only have 5 alignments?

Nope. Law, Neutrality, Chaos.

"Halfling pipe-weed" is marijuana. The reason halflings eat so much despite being Small and typically sedentary is that they all have the munchies all the time.

(Also halflings are hobbits, not kender.)

Now canon in my worlds (the munchies bit; kender are dead to me, and the pipe weed reference goes back to Bored With The Rings.

Elves behave like over the top stereotypes of west coast americans who flit between different melodramatic causes, questionable fad diets, and bizarre art trends on a bi-weekly basis

While funny, the elves in my worlds are a bit more taciturn, aloof, and serious than that. For a more beer and pretzels game, that's a great framework.

Half-dwarves don't exist since dwarves did not take part in this disgusting interracial breeding program.

We had a succubus recently in the game world where I DM who conned two NPC acolytes of life deity into trying to create a half dwarf/half human breed. Incubus/succubus showed up (disguised) in the form of a dwarf who was quite randy and who impregnated them with ... demon-seed. (Interesting to see how the party sorted that out ...)

Halfling burgers are a thing.

Most bulettes agree with this.

Demons are responsible for the worst crimes of the multiverse. The Abyss is their divine prison, and the devils are their jailers. The Blood War is simply quelling a jailbreak. Yugoloths play both sides as the god that made them was infamously one who double crossed people and played both sides in the divine conflict.

Keeping this, thanks.

Ioun, patron goddess of librarians (and of magic if you’re like me and use the Dawn War pantheon as your go-to), is an ascended mortal;

Ioun stones, from Vance's Dying earth stories, are forever (for me) tied to Vance's story. Yours is an interesting take, thank you for that.

An elf over a century old starts adventuring at 1st level because they haven't learned much that's useful for an adventurer. They spent decades making shoes, singing songs, and enjoying leisurely three-hour liquid lunches with their friends. Adventuring is their retirement hobby.

Bravo, well done. I've played with a few people who take that approach for their elves.

Exactly. D&D as post-apocalyptic fiction has always made the most sense to me.

The original game had a heavy post apocalyptic, post 'fallen empire' feel to it. Also, Chaos was relentless (entropy, decay, degradation) and Law had to fight just to keep the status quo.

Honestly, D&Dland probably isn't so much in Medieval Status as locked into a cycle of repeating apocalypses.

Yes, rise and fall of kingdom/empire/civilization you name it.

That's literally what happened in the real world. Chinese alchemists tried to make a potion of longevity and ended up making gunpowder by accident instead. They used it to make rockets and guns.

Viagra, the original version.

That's because you're taking a very narrow view of alignment. It's ALWAYS been true that alignment is not an absolute barometer of action nor affiliation.

Rust never sleeps (chaos) and it's easier to tear things down than to build them (Law). Fundamental tension in the Law/N/Chaos system. "good and evil" is just name calling.

OD&D - Early Dark Ages

Correct that to "early dark ages through crusading era" and I think you nailed it. I agree with the rest of your theme, I think it fits really well. Nicely done.

It just occurred to me that the reason why low level adventures haven't already been solved by higher level heroes is because high level heroes teleport everywhere and are never in the small out of the way villages that low level adventures happen in

And they charge higher fees that villages and small manors can't afford.

The DM I play with on Skype is like that: he pronounces "drow" like "crow."

That's how we pronounced it when we first encountered one in a Giants module ... a long time ago. Those who pronounce it to rhyme with 'how" confuse me.

Bouncing off the idea the magic (‘the weave’) is generated by the friction between planes:

Each plane is ‘infinite’ in some way by necessity, acting as a sink to combat overflow.

Mortals like to blame gods for cataclysmic events but in many instances they are as much victims as the mortals are. Planar ‘earthquakes’ cause all sorts of chaos and more often than not the highly magically inclined are more severely affected by any disruptions. Which reminds me I should probably come up with some magic counterpart to tectonic verbiage.

So stealing this.

I always went with bew-let, like Ferris Bueller.

When the original MM came out in 1977, we arrived at "boo-lette" with accent on the second syllable. Not sure why we did that. I can see how other pronunciations were grown. Also, Landshark was an SNL skit. (Chevy Chase era, as I recall).

As to giants and dwarves:

And it works, lore wise, as well as any lore I've ever run across regarding giants. Like it.

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

Premature evoculation?

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

Wallace and Gromit have probably beaten us to the punch on that one.

The word halfling is comes from a mistranslation that attempted to describe them as pastoral farmers.
The intended message was, "We are people of the pitchfork."
It came out as, "Our people are 'hay-flings'."

Groan in progress, and consider that stolen.

My head canon as regards magic, wizards, artificers, dragons and deities.

a. Dragons are the originators of magic in The World.
b. The original language of magic is Draconic (the elder version, like Linear B's relationship to Ancient Greek if you like)
c. Wizards (particularly human wizards) are upstarts, who often meddle with forces they barely understand, which predictably causes cataclysms. (The Greyhawk Rain of Colorless Fire that caused the Sea of Dust as but one example = various other game worlds have their examples ... Athas, Faerun, Krynn, and so on)
Dragons have, over the years, engaged in efforts to stamp that out. Periodically, various dragon clans ally with the intent of tracking down and eliminating wizards. They often use human/humanoid/demi human agents to effect this policy. With that being a fact, the study and predominance of magic in the world ebbs and flows but it is almost always underground.

d. Artificers are an ofshoot of Magic Users/Wizards. The greatest artificer in the history of the world, Dav Inji, created the Rod of Seven Parts. (Artifact of immense power). That rod, whose initial purpose is lost in the mists of time, led to a variety of conflicts for possession of it. Kingdoms rose and fell as a result, and war seemed to be always looming or in progress. Eventually artificers were viewed as the root cause of conflict.

e. In a witch hunt to end all witch hunts, artificers were hunted down and systematically executed over most of the world.
They discovered that you can run but you can't hide. Result? No artificers in the world. (Or darned few, and they have to keep their true craft hidden lest they become one of the hunted. Eberron is the one refuge in the multiverse where artificers can live without the ever present fear of yet another witch hunt). Now and again, various clerics of the 'crafty' deities tried their hands at making similar holy, or unholy, items, with mixed results. This was, and remains, an effort generally done behind closed doors to avoid attracting attention from those not within the circle of trust for that group ...

f. Demons, devils, celestials: manifestations of the stuff of their planes. Embodiments of spirit, just as elementals are embodiments of the elemental planes. A solar might be an embodiment of Truth, of Light, and so on.

g. There are no deities, per se, but there are forces and philosophies. The worship and reverence that life, light, water, honor, death, nature, harvest, etcetera attract often results in that aspect of existence attracting a name. (For example The Storm might be called Umberlee, or Thor, or what have you) and thus pantheons grow. From these forces and philosophies clerics and druids are occasionally blessed with divine powers ... but that doesn't always make them welcome nor popular.

h. Why and how do magical items still exist? Over the centuries and millenia, wizards and artificers alike (and to a lesser extent, clerics and druids) were busy little beavers who turned out all kinds of stuff. Elves, dwarves and gnomes did likewise but their stuff is rarely available outside of their 'circles of relationship' and clan or kin. Some of the things made over the years that have not been found and destroyed are still around, but finding them is both hard and dangerous - but their value is considerable, and that is why some folk (adventurers) now and again head off to find them.
Many die in the attempt.

Adventuring: some call it archeology, others call it grave robbing, some call it treasure hunting, others call it theft.

The adventurers frequently meet in a tavern ...

[Bohandas]

That's how we pronounced it when we first encountered one in a Giants module ... a long time ago. Those who pronounce it to rhyme with 'how" confuse me.

What if it was pronounced "Drew" :D

(and what if the Krynnish god Paladine was pronounced "Paula Deen")

[KorvinStarmast]

What if it was pronounced "Drew" :D

We'd break out with a chorus of Cleveland Rocks whenever we arrived in Menzobaranzin ... (I never could spell that city's name without looking it up)

Spoiler: ref

Show

Reference? Drew Carey show

[Bohandas]

Rust never sleeps (chaos) and it's easier to tear things down than to build them (Law). Fundamental tension in the Law/N/Chaos system. "good and evil" is just name calling.

On a related note, tying this into the tech discussion, Things can't be built up until the old things are torn down. Imagine how much of a mess we'd be in if anybody cared for the livelihood of the handloom weaver, the manual rail spiker, the whaler, or the guy who makes weapons and tools out of bronze.

I think the reason why D&D tends toward late medievak technology, and why multiple levels of technology often coexist wigin a single society, is because the D&D multiverse has an excess of order and stability.

[RedMage125]

Just came up with this in another message group online...

Humans are a hybrid species. Thousands of years ago, a civilization of elves and orcs co-existed.* Their hybrid children had much of the grace and creativity of elves, but had the tenacity, strength, and, most importantly, ability to breed insanely quickly of orcs. That is, of course, humans. The hybrid children adapted better and eventually, no true orcs or elves remained in that kingdom. Eventually, everyone forgot that they even WERE a hybrid species.**

Over thousands of years of evolution (or hey, it's fantasy, maybe the gods made the change), elves and orcs are no longer genetically compatible. But humans share genes with both of them, which is why half orc and half elf hybrids are still possible.

*as a bonus rider idea, perhaps the fall of this kingdom and the rise of humans as a species that supplanted both parent species is the real reason elves and orcs hate each other, but no one remembers anymore.

**also explains why there is no "creator deity" for humans. Orcs know Gruumsh made them. Elves have Corellon, Dwarves have Moradin. Humans do not have a deity who molded them. They rose to prominence through achievement. They were a product of the world itself, and carry the favor of Natural Selection. This is also why humans prefer deities that correlate to what they DO (a warrior prefers a war God, a scholar prefers a God of knowledge, a healer a God of medicine, etc). Humans value merit and achievement over some kind of "x deity made us and said we're perfect" mentality.

[NovenFromTheSun]

Because of Strahd being called the first vampire, I think that the world Barovia came from is older than most other prime material worlds, perhaps one of the first inhabited (by humans at least).

[RedMage125]

I just saw someone's head Canon online in a FB group, and wanted to share. DISCLAIMER: this is not my original idea.

Mimics reproduce by sometimes pretending to be a chest full of coins, and then let people take those coins...which are baby mimics.

[Stattick]

Humans are the default, in a mystical and alchemical sense. That's why humans have no creator. That's why humans can breed with more races than anything else. That's why something can be half human, but not half this and half that if one of those half isn't human.

You let orcs and elves mate - they produce humans. Elves and dwarves - more humans. Halflings and gnomes - humans. Tabaxi and dragonborn - humans. Centaurs and satyrs... well, not much chance of a pregnancy there, but if it it happens, then it'll produce humans. It's like when your computer's operating system fails to load, so you run DOS.

[Luccan]

Humans are the default, in a mystical and alchemical sense. That's why humans have no creator. That's why humans can breed with more races than anything else. That's why something can be half human, but not half this and half that if one of those half isn't human.

You let orcs and elves mate - they produce humans. Elves and dwarves - more humans. Halflings and gnomes - humans. Tabaxi and dragonborn - humans. Centaurs and satyrs... well, not much chance of a pregnancy there, but if it it happens, then it'll produce humans. It's like when your computer's operating system fails to load, so you run DOS.

Half-Dragons?

[KillianHawkeye]

Humans are the default, in a mystical and alchemical sense. That's why humans have no creator. That's why humans can breed with more races than anything else. That's why something can be half human, but not half this and half that if one of those half isn't human.

You let orcs and elves mate - they produce humans. Elves and dwarves - more humans. Halflings and gnomes - humans. Tabaxi and dragonborn - humans. Centaurs and satyrs... well, not much chance of a pregnancy there, but if it it happens, then it'll produce humans. It's like when your computer's operating system fails to load, so you run DOS.

Half-Dragons?

Clearly, dragons must be hyper-evolved humans from the future.

[KorvinStarmast]

Clearly, dragons must be hyper-evolved humans from the future.

Humans originally got their reptilian brain from dragons, right?

[Stattick]

Half-Dragons?

Honestly, I didn't even consider them. It's one of those things I tend to forget. I played 2nd edition, a little 4th (it wasn't my bag, so I didn't dig into the system at all), and now 5th.

[Spore]

So is human default "black" aka the absence of all essence, or is it "white" a combination of every available essence?

[KorvinStarmast]

So is human default "black" aka the absence of all essence, or is it "white" a combination of every available essence?

Human default essence is green

Spoiler: what kind of green?

Show

... soylent green.

[thorr-kan]

Human default essence is green

Spoiler: what kind of green?

Show

... soylent green.

Nononono!

Humans should be Forest Service Green https://encycolorpedia.com/639e7e, i.e. the "Green Not Found In Nature!"

[Luccan]

This isn't so much a head canon as an interesting quirk. IIRC the 3e DMG mentions Gnomes as the most likely race to form a republic. Remember this for your Rome-expy next time you're world-building.

If I were to head-canon this quirk, I would shuffle it less under their drive for experimentation (forming a republic just to see if it worked or because nobody else was doing it) and instead place it more in the realm of their love of tricks. The keenest political manipulators are often Gnomes and a republic allows them to put this form of trickery to work the most.

[stack]

This isn't so much a head canon as an interesting quirk. IIRC the 3e DMG mentions Gnomes as the most likely race to form a republic. Remember this for your Rome-expy next time you're world-building.

If I were to head-canon this quirk, I would shuffle it less under their drive for experimentation (forming a republic just to see if it worked or because nobody else was doing it) and instead place it more in the realm of their love of tricks. The keenest political manipulators are often Gnomes and a republic allows them to put this form of trickery to work the most.

The gnoman republic, leading to the mighty gnoman empire?

[Archpaladin Zousha]

I mean, it worked for Kingdoms of Amalur!

[Kane0]

The gnoman republic, leading to the mighty gnoman empire?

Did they famously defeat a rival state's defences by smuggling a bunch of legionnaires inside a gift wood golem?

[Sharur]

Did they famously defeat a rival state's defences by smuggling a bunch of legionnaires inside a gift wood golem?

If they are the Gnomian Republic/Empire, then they wouldn't have been the defeaters, but the defeated.

They learned the power of trickery first hand.

[Bohandas]

The reason werebears are LG is because rather than a generic bear they turn specifically into Winnie the Pooh :D

[Batcathat]

The reason werebears are LG is because rather than a generic bear they turn specifically into Winnie the Pooh :D

Winnie being a werebear would explain him wearing a shirt but no pants, I guess...

[hewhosaysfish]

Winnie being a werebear would explain him wearing a shirt but no pants, I guess...

In his human form he can wear a very baggy sweater and when the full moon comes out he expands to fit it.
But his pants can only be so baggy without falling down, so when he transforms he always bursts out of them. "Oh, bother."

[Batcathat]

In his human form he can wear a very baggy sweater and when the full moon comes out he expands to fit it.
But his pants can only be so baggy without falling down, so when he transforms he always bursts out of them. "Oh, bother."

Or maybe he and the Hulk had to share one set of shapeshifting clothes, explaining why the Hulk's pants stay on (in addition to keeping every man on the planet from feeling inadequate by comparison).

[KorvinStarmast]

Winnie the Hulk is what a Wear Bear is, yes?

[Luccan]

Dwarves start to go gray fairly early for their long lifespans. Tradition dictates that a dwarf is still a young adult* until they start to get gray hairs in their beard. "Graybeard" is both a teasing jab for a dwarf past their prime and a term of respect for a dwarf's experience. "A head full of [color] hairs" is a term implying immaturity, inexperience, and/or ignorance.

*Equivalent 18-30, in this case.

Edit: On werebears, the reason they don't willfully spread their disease to everyone is because much like other lycanthropes are compelled to do evil things, a werebear is compelled to do good. If any area is relatively peaceful, a werebear is compelled to leave behind everything to go find somewhere that needs their help. They don't like making people abandon a stable life, friends, and family if the person does not fully understand what may happen

[vasilidor]

Dwarves start to go gray fairly early for their long lifespans. Tradition dictates that a dwarf is still a young adult* until they start to get gray hairs in their beard. "Graybeard" is both a teasing jab for a dwarf past their prime and a term of respect for a dwarf's experience. "A head full of [color] hairs" is a term implying immaturity, inexperience, and/or ignorance.

*Equivalent 18-30, in this case.

Edit: On werebears, the reason they don't willfully spread their disease to everyone is because much like other lycanthropes are compelled to do evil things, a werebear is compelled to do good. If any area is relatively peaceful, a werebear is compelled to leave behind everything to go find somewhere that needs their help. They don't like making people abandon a stable life, friends, and family if the person does not fully understand what may happen

By that same note, in an area overrun with evil they may feel compelled to turn others to fight against said evil. I am now imagining a roving band of werebear warriors that actively hunt evil and recruit as needed.

[ideasmith]

Any school of magic can be used to mimic any other school of magic, but mostly at such a low efficiency that it is only used to enhance the school's appropriate effects. That is why such spells as incendiary cloud can exist.


Incendiary-less Cloud
Conjuration (Creation) [Fire]
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 8 (maybe a bit lower)
Components: V, S
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Effect: Cloud spreads in 20-ft. radius, 20 ft. high
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

An incendiary-less cloud spell creates a cloud of roiling smoke. The smoke obscures all sight as a fog cloud does.

As with a cloudkill spell, the smoke moves away from you at 10 feet per round. Figure out the smoke’s new spread each round based on its new point of origin, which is 10 feet farther away from where you were when you cast the spell. By concentrating, you can make the cloud (actually its point of origin) move as much as 60 feet each round. Any portion of the cloud that would extend beyond your maximum range dissipates harmlessly, reducing the remainder’s spread thereafter.

As with fog cloud, wind disperses the smoke, and the spell can’t be cast underwater.

[Spore]

By that same note, in an area overrun with evil they may feel compelled to turn others to fight against said evil. I am now imagining a roving band of werebear warriors that actively hunt evil and recruit as needed.

Werebears are actually crafted after British were creature stories, where werewolves help out families in need, and werebears guide lost wanderers back to civilization. Werecreatures having a bad name comes from the German(ic) culture.

So I am imagining a fantasy smear campaign against werecreatures. Organizations like Eberron's Silver Flame send out hunters of the werecreatures, who largely are innocent. Of course a few enraged outliers exist, as do warring packs of were beasts that resist the human tyranny. But each "flavor" of werecreature deals with this fervor on their own.

Werewolves hunt humans. Werebears hide in caves, unless provoked. Wererats hide in sewers, often organized with crime rings for protecting each other. Wereraptors (anything flying) just build their nests in very high mountain peaks. As thus, I have the head-canon that werecreature "typical" alignment is less a personality trait or a trait of their curse, and more something written by an overeager monster hunter primer author.