DnD Head Canons

[Beleriphon]

I do not know which version of the marut I like the most.

3e marut

I represent the inevitability of death. No, I am not the terminator-looking one with a sword. I am the bulky one with the bird helmet, and I punch liches.

5e marut

The monodrones said that you are mocking the steampunk big-eyeball little-wings look. Want to repeat that in front of me?

The 3E Marut looks like a bird, but its actually the crest on a Greek style hoplite helmet. If you look to the "mouth" area its actually got a face plate and nose protector.

[Millstone85]

The 3E Marut looks like a bird, but its actually the crest on a Greek style hoplite helmet. If you look to the "mouth" area its actually got a face plate and nose protector.

That didn't escape me. Still a bird helmet. Which is fine, as birds are sometimes associated with death.

Also, I would have described it as the "neck" area. It depends on whether you see an open or closed beak.

[Yora]

Spoiler: Marut in AD&D

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AD&D 2nd Ed. (1991)


Planescape (19994)

The original design looked bad, but the Planescape image is the best. (As it usually is with any planar creatures.) Sadly not seen in the image is that the cube modrons barely get past its knees.

[Millstone85]

The original design looked bad, but the Planescape image is the best. (As it usually is with any planar creatures.) Sadly not seen in the image is that the cube modrons barely get past its knees.

For the 5e design, I am the one who put the monodrone and the marut next to each other. I might have got their relative sizes completely wrong.

In fact, there is a concept art that suggests a much bigger difference, knowing that monodrones are size Medium like humans.


But I believe this marut would have been size Huge, while the published stat block only gives a size Large.

Edit: On second thought, three-times taller is probably still in the Large category. Modifying the picture now.

[Bohandas]

The 3E Marut looks like a bird, but its actually the crest on a Greek style hoplite helmet. If you look to the "mouth" area its actually got a face plate and nose protector.

Now I can't stop imagining it as being in a big mascot costume with the eye holes in the neck

[Excession]

Drow cities do not look like human cities built on the floor of a giant cavern. They are carved and shaped directly into stone, only sometimes around a natural cave system. Open spaces actually tend to frighten Drow, as beyond their dark-vision range could be full of Beholders or worse. Their cities are mazes that make no sense to outsiders, a natural defence against invasion. Dwarf cities, mines, and forts on the other hand are all built off the same "perfect" plans.

Dark-vision is useless underwater, meaning few underdark Drow ever learn to swim. If a body of water is large enough to swim in, it's large enough for other things to swim in.

Water sources, ventilation, and sewage are frequently targets for inter-house conflict in Drow societies, not to mention the never-ending creature infestations. Drow Warrior-Plumbers are the very best there is.

[Bohandas]

*There are two forms of the Infernal language. A highly exact, restricted, and deficient Newspeak like form for day to day use, and a flowery, highly metaphorical, easily misinterpreted version for contracts etc.

*Souls sent to Baator are literally assigned genders. And it's deliberately chosen to be the one that will cause them the most trouble

[Yora]

*There are two forms of the Infernal language. A highly exact, restricted, and deficient Newspeak like form for day to day use, and a flowery, highly metaphorical, easily misinterpreted version for contracts etc.

Sounds like German.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Drow Warrior-Plumbers are the very best there is.

Have they got a 27B-6?

Darnit, now I wanna play a character like this!

[Quarian Rex]

All major gnome cultures are the mutated remnants of a dwarf clan that experimented with arcane magic; in isolated and xenophobic dwarven communities (who never practice arcane magic) they are seen as abominations. In dwarf communities were arcane magic is practiced widely, it is quite possible that dwarf couples will reproduce gnome children. Vice versa, Gnomes who have very little contact to arcane magic might have dwarf children.

Thanks for this. I normally hate gnomes but this actually makes them palatable. That is an impressive feat.

Spoiler: Beholders regurgitate their preys as gibbering mouthers. Those later develop levitation and eye rays. Eventually, one voice silences the others, all but ten of the eyes merge together, and the oozing flesh begins to solidify. The creature spends a long time altering the details of its form, until it convinces itself that it achieved perfection. Unimpaired, this process results in a new beholder. However, mature beholders typically maim and poison developing ones so they become lesser beholder-kin.

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4e Monster Manual page 126: gibbering mouther, gibbering abomination and gibbering orb.
5e Monster Manual page 28: beholder.

This is surprisingly good as well. Thanks.

[Bohandas]

XP and HD represents spiritual fortitude, specifically in the context of overcoming whatever force makes it impossible for normal people to have more than four ranks of skill in any field or to learn spells above first level.

[Excession]

Have they got a 27B-6?

Darnit, now I wanna play a character like this!

They don't. One of the perks of a chaotic evil society is never needing to fill out paperwork. But for a Drow that somehow ended up working in another city, that's spot on

[a_flemish_guy]

- all bullete encounters in the history of d&d have been based on the movies tremors or jaws or some combination of both

- gnome society values entertainment more then riches, that's why gnomes mostly go for eccentric and new plans rather then the old and true, would you ever go with a plan that involves blowing up all the loot?

- owlbears can turn their head 180°

- dwarves consider the phrase "good luck" as an insult because it implies that they need random chance to succeed rather then hard work and skill

- elves have no domesticated animals

- colourblind people make terrible dragonslayers

- fire resistant gear is made out of asbestos

- orks have an actuall well developed bard culture based on drums and story-yelling

[LibraryOgre]

- dwarves consider the phrase "good luck" as an insult because it implies that they need random chance to succeed rather then hard work and skill

I had dwarves use "We do what we must because we can" as a maxim. Immediately post-portal, it was considered unnerving.

[Luccan]

- orks have an actuall well developed bard culture based on drums and story-yelling

Thurg the Scourge: Your bards are terrible. How do they expect to honor those the songs are about if they speak of them so quietly?

[Bohandas]

I agree, in this case the typo (if it was a typo and not intentional) "story yelling" actually fits better than the presumably intended "story telling"

[a_flemish_guy]

I agree, in this case the typo (if it was a typo and not intentional) "story yelling" actually fits better than the presumably intended "story telling"

it wasn't a typo but I also didn't intend for it to be a pun

[Excession]

- owlbears can turn their head 180°

My head-canon is that owlbears are closely related to triceratops. Feathers, quadrupedal, beak, large, and probably ill-tempered? Sounds like a ceratopsian just without the horns.

New head-canon: some owlbears have horns.

[Kane0]

- dwarves consider the phrase "good luck" as an insult because it implies that they need random chance to succeed rather then hard work and skill

Conversely, blaming something on bad luck is considered a sign of disrespect or poor character to Halflings.

[LibraryOgre]

My head-canon is that owlbears are closely related to triceratops. Feathers, quadrupedal, beak, large, and probably ill-tempered? Sounds like a ceratopsian just without the horns.

New head-canon: some owlbears have horns.

Oh, you mean the Great Horned Owlbeast of Tellene?

[RedMage125]

My head-canon is that owlbears are closely related to triceratops. Feathers, quadrupedal, beak, large, and probably ill-tempered? Sounds like a ceratopsian just without the horns.

New head-canon: some owlbears have horns.

Why would a ceratopsian have feathers?

It was exclusively therapods that are theorized to have evolved into birds.

[hamishspence]

Why would a ceratopsian have feathers?

It was exclusively therapods that are theorized to have evolved into birds.

True - but protofeathers may have existed in the earliest dinosaurs, later being lost in some lines.

It's quite plausible that they go right back to the dinosaur/pterosaur split - with pterosaur fuzz being basically the same stuff that dinosaurs ended up turning into feathers.

And some ceratopsians have been shown to have quills, at least.

[Excession]

Oh, you mean the Great Horned Owlbeast of Tellene?

That's about right, yes. The horns are a bit too cow-like in the picture, but I would blame that on second-hand stories. After all, people saw a giraffe (or something) and came up with stories of the Catoblepas and Qilin.

Why would a ceratopsian have feathers?

It was exclusively therapods that are theorized to have evolved into birds.

If you want to survive the ice age, you evolve feathers. Or things that look a bit like feathers to someone that is running for their life, anyway.

[a_flemish_guy]

Conversely, blaming something on bad luck is considered a sign of disrespect or poor character to Halflings.

ooh, that's a good one, it's because halflings are either created or patroned by the godess of luck isn't it?

now I imagine a halfling child being lectured because he complained about his dice throws during a game like if he'd just cursed

[Millstone85]

When a deity becomes two deities or more, as it happened to Io (Bahamut/Tiamat), Tyche (Beshaba/Tymora), and Realmspace's original goddess of the night (Selûne/Shar), these deities remain connected through a type of vestige, called a schismatic vestige.

Those who call upon the power of a schismatic vestige often seek to remerge the corresponding deities. Some faiths instead regard the original deity as being alive and well, but known through aspects, as is the case with the elven worship of Angharradh (Aerdrie/Hanali/Sehanine).

On some worlds, drow religion revolves around the broken goddess Araushnee (Eilistraee/Lolth/Vandria). In this view, the lawful Vandria is most similar to Araushnee when the goddess first called the elves to adopt permanent forms and build empires, except that she now grieves over the losses this project brought and focuses on keeping the drow safe in their exile. Meanwhile, Lolth embodies the wrath the goddess felt when Corellon condemned her efforts, and which eventually caused her to attack him and shatter. Finally, the gentle Eilistraee represents the hope of rekindling the friendship between Corellon and the drow.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

When a deity becomes two deities or more, as it happened to Io (Bahamut/Tiamat), Tyche (Beshaba/Tymora), and Realmspace's original goddess of the night (Selûne/Shar), these deities remain connected through a type of vestige, called a schismatic vestige.

Those who call upon the power of a schismatic vestige often seek to remerge the corresponding deities. Some faiths instead regard the original deity as being alive and well, but known through aspects, as is the case with the elven worship of Angharradh (Aerdrie/Hanali/Sehanine).

On some worlds, drow religion revolves around the broken goddess Araushnee (Eilistraee/Lolth/Vandria). In this view, the lawful Vandria is most similar to Araushnee when the goddess first called the elves to adopt permanent forms and build empires, except that she now grieves over the losses this project brought and focuses on keeping the drow safe in their exile. Meanwhile, Lolth embodies the wrath the goddess felt when Corellon condemned her efforts, and which eventually caused her to attack him and shatter. Finally, the gentle Eilistraee represents the hope of rekindling the friendship between Corellon and the drow.

I like this idea immensely, especially since gives some depth to Angharradh, as well as weaving Vandria into FR very nicely. May I steal it, please?

Headcanon of my own: Elves (of all varieties) can get buff or fat like other folks, and aren't universally willow-thin as a rule. They aren't really common, though, to the point where if you meet a beefy elf, odds are they've put effort into building that body shape.

[Bohandas]

Water sources, ventilation, and sewage are frequently targets for inter-house conflict in Drow societies, not to mention the never-ending creature infestations. Drow Warrior-Plumbers are the very best there is.

Related headcanon: The cult of Zuggtmoy (demon princess of fungi) also employs warrior plumbers

When a deity becomes two deities or more, as it happened to Io (Bahamut/Tiamat), Tyche (Beshaba/Tymora), and Realmspace's original goddess of the night (Selûne/Shar)....

And possibly also Heironeous and Hextor

[Dexam]

On a related note, celestial angles totally are a thing. They live in Arcadia and look like this:

Naturally, all their attacks deal radian damage...

[Kane0]

Naturally, all their attacks deal radian damage...

I actually did a spit-take at that

[Dexam]

I actually did a spit-take at that

Their function in the heavenly courts is to act as messengers for the good-aligned deities to the mortal realms, evidenced by the fact that many people pray for and have received a sine from the gods...