dnd-lore

[unique bough]

ah, i assume culture approcation?

[unkempt merlin]

They have always been humanoid. They still have fey origins like they used to, it's just that "origin" isn't as much a thing in 5e in mechanics. They are still linked to the feywild and the like, same as always

[shrewd bobcat]

I know they’re humanoid but they were also Fey in 4e

But that got removed in 5e

[unkempt merlin]

Their origin was fey in 4e, but their creature type was still humanoid

That's what I was referring to in my comment

[white ravine]

Bass boosted telepathy. Though it varies on the evil itself

[iron saffron]

They were monsters in 4E (go look up the Youtube video promotion of 4E for the reference)

[magic jackal]

They still are monsters, ruining my gardens and causing general mischief? There's no crime so low as that.

[iron saffron]

Characters from Shou and other parts of Kara-Tur have show up in 5E adventures.

[magic jackal]

And they made that god-awful Romeo and Juliet adaptation too, unforgivable.

[heavy fulcrum]

I’ve read the wiki yeah. It mostly spoke about mystra and Selune as the major enemies of her and then mentioned a deity who’s name I forgot as an infrequent ally.

But taking it as a case by case basis works. Doesn’t seem like someone who worships Shar would care beyond achieving a goal and then leaving whoever they used to get it high and dry.

[quartz cradle]

sure, very "ends justifies the means"

The depths of Shar's evil were too extreme to be described by words. She was deeply twisted and perverse, a being of ceaseless, petty hate and envy.

the evil of Shar is that she'll try to pull you down into that darkness, to make you stay.

The Lady of Loss did not truly believe in healing grief, not even her own, but in harnessing it, in nurturing spite, nursing indignity, and reinforcing regret until minor slights, at least in her mind, become transgressions worthy of bitter vengeance.

kinda sounds like a cleric of hers would be bitter, numb, distrustful, and hold a lot of grudges?

[errant owl]

The Living Gate was something before 4E, from what I rememember.... I used to be a extremely tiny hole in the Fey Dark, beneath the ruined city of Cendriane.

The Living Gate was a tiny portal, so small that its diameter was measured in eyelashes. It was made of a fleshy substance, and seeped an oozing substance that transformed the surrounding world into a nightmare.
.... no wait. That was 4E as well.

They contradicted themselves. One Living Gate was in the Atral Plane, another in the Fey Dark?

---

anyways...

Is there anything written in detail on the Far Realms in 5e.
I know the PHB has Warlock: The Great Old One
Tasha's had Aberrant Mind Sorcerer

Any lore written anyplace about how people get to the far realm or how the mind flayers got here from the Far Realm?

[frank quail]

So are there any dnd gods in any of the settings that have more of an emphasis on vigilante justice rather than, say, law and order justice?

[modest badger]

Kurell in greyhawk is a bit 'full on vengence'.
Copying from the wikia:

Many believe that retribution for wrongs is more likely to be done correctly if they do it themselves.

[hidden current]

i have been playing baldur gate 3 and it made me wonder, lore wise is it actually possible to cure ceremorphosis?

[magic jackal]

technically anything's possible, but likely? or plausible? nope.

I don't recall there being any specific cases of it being cured.

[spark haven]

Wish exists

[magic jackal]

Though Gnomes do occasionally retain their personality and memories post-Ceromorphosis

[spark haven]

That sets the "is it possible to X" ceiling relatively high

[magic jackal]

Yes, that's why I said possible

but not likely

There aren't that many people who can cast Wish, and those who can invariably aren't going to potentially lose it to save one guy, heartless as that may seem. Even the good ones tend to be of the opinion that they have higher responsibilities, and sad as it may be they can't lose wish to save one life when retaining its use could allow them to save many.

There are exceptionally rare magic items which one could find that might grant them the ability (very limited) to cast wish, in some capacity.

Such as Efreeti Bottles, or Rings of Wishes.

However they're no doubt incredibly hard to obtain, and may have stipulations attached, or be unreliable.

The possibility meter is not rising.

It may also be possible for Divine Intervention/A Literal Miracle, but that also does not raise the likelihood of it happening.

This is of course assuming full Ceromorphosis has already occurred. If the transformation is interrupted it may be possible to save the host with magic.

[hidden current]

well after act two you have an option of becoming half-illithid, would that mean you would not transform any futhur or is that not how it works?

[magic jackal]

act two? what?

[spark haven]

baldur's gate 3 is a video game, it has its own rules

a lot of the rules and story overlap with the tabletop version, but they are distinct

[magic jackal]

spoilers should be reserved for the #baldurs-gate-3-spoilers channel

please keep them there, because many people, myself included have not played the game

and deezy is right, think of the general lore and the video game lore as separate

[hidden current]

oh ok my bad, i wasnt sure whether or not the entire game was lore based

[spark haven]

Video games are gonna generally let you do way more impressive stuff way more frequently because the format intrinsically gives the authors of the story more control over just how far you can actually go

So the lore is valid, but it works for different reasons in different places

[frank quail]

Huh. Seems like all the dieties that are focused on fighting evil above all else are war domain. Which I can understand, but that seems to be the only domain they have, with the exception of order on occassion. Not even ones like Light or Twilight.

[white ravine]

Depends. Gods like Lathander have light for example.

[frank quail]

-nods- I guess I'm trying to create a CG God of Justice and Protection. The reason why CG is that they're somewhat distrustful of political power, since many evil individuals use it to protect themselves from having their misdeeds punished, or even discovered.

[white ravine]

Head on over to #dm-world-building they can help better there

[eager bay]

Are there any good alligned dragon colors?

Cause it feels like all of them want all the smoke

No pun intended

[unkempt merlin]

Depending on setting yes; however in settings like the forgotten realms, Metallic dragons are generally a shade of good, chromatic dragons a shade of evil, and gem dragons a shade of neutral

In some settings, any dragons is just as likely to be any alignment as any other

[sonic violet]

Okay so where exactly do dragonborne come from

Not like reproduction but the origins of the race

[iron saffron]

Which setting?

[sonic violet]

What are the options

The most vanilla one

[iron saffron]

In the Forgotten Realms setting the dragonborn came from the planet Abeir, the twin of the planet Toril (where the continent of Faerun is located).

[sonic violet]

Since when did the forgotten realms include aliens

[iron saffron]

Define "aliens"

[sonic violet]

Extra terrestrial

Assuming faerun is terrestrial

[iron saffron]

Toril and Abier were connected in the beginning, then separated, then connected and then separated again.

[sonic violet]

Like a phone charger

[iron saffron]

There are many species that are on Toril that are also on Abeir, such as dragons.

[sonic violet]

So I should think of them as separate landmasses in functionality

Like Eurasia and America 1 and 2

[iron saffron]

No, they're planets.

[sonic violet]

How many continents does each have

[iron saffron]

If you go back billions of years the Earth and the Moon was one planetoid.

[iron saffron]

Have what?

[sonic violet]

Each planet

[iron saffron]

Do you know what a continent is?

[sonic violet]

Yes

[iron saffron]

Planet > continent

[sonic violet]

But how many continents does each planet have

[iron saffron]

Which planet?

[sonic violet]

The cooler one

[sharp owl]

That doesn't clarify things

There are several worlds in D&D lore; Toril, Athas, Krynn, Eberron, Exandria....

[lament jetty]

I mean, even of the 4 creator races, even the Fae, or Elves for that matter, are/were Indigenous to Torril, but the "Fae-elves," as the Ilythiri called them were newcomers compared to the Ilythiri and Dragons. That was one of the points of contention between the two sub-races. People seem to think that what "created" and seperated the "Drow" from other elves was their "Fall," but it goes back earlier.

"Alien" is an interesting destinction in D&D lore, not only dependent on the setting, crystal shard in older editions, but the exact timeframe you are talking.

GNOLLS

• How do you run them in your games?
• Do you connect them to demons, such as Yeenogu?
• Lastly, are there any bits of printed Lore from different settings that you find particularly interesting?

I find gnolls as having a lot of potential but I honestly like info about hyenas more interesting than the bipedal "beast-men." Thier reproductive cycle in FR is interesting and it would make sense that there aren't many of them if they are only born of hyenas feasting on Yeenogu's kills. This also makes me feel like many of them come directly from the Abyss, since Yeenogu chills down there the most. Wouldn't that make them outsiders?
Anyways, I find that the WoD Ajaba a better source of general Gnoll inspiration, and probably would find some sort of middle ground for a personal setting.

PS: attempt two - let's see if I get auto-muted again...

[white ravine]

DND has always had a vague backdrop of odd sci fi stuff

[white ravine]

Gnolls are vicious hunters that travel in disorganized super-warbands that effectively throw themselves at the enemy like Orks from warhammer. They murder innocents and bystanders first, and refuse to let stragglers run off. If a player goes down, every gnoll in walking range immediately drops weapons and dogpiles the corpse with teeth.

Yup. Its a major part of them, as Yeenoghu is why they exist.

Theyre not considered outsiders since the main classification for that is being native to another plane, and gnolls technically are native to the material plane as mutant hyenas.

[grim siren]

Toril has the following continents

Super continent
Bahyar

Which includes the continents of
Faerûn
Zakhara
Kara-Tur

Other continents include

Anchorome
Maztica
Katashaka
Osse
Anadron

And on Abeir

We know only the name of the Faerûnian style continent:
Shyr

There is another continent called Laerakond

Depending on edition and who you ask it could be on either Toril or Abeir.

[iron saffron]

Where's Shyr?

[quartz cradle]

does a Fiend Pact warlock always go to the nine hells when they die, the same way making a contract with a devil would send you there? or can they still pass on somewhere else if they were good in life despite their patron?

[iron saffron]

Ask your DM or #dm-discussion. Not really a lore question since it involves game mechanics of a sub-class.

[quartz cradle]

oh okay, I was just wondering if there was an "official" lore answer to it.

[iron saffron]

Taps on channel's sign:

For discussion of the lore of the various official D&D settings. Wherever possible, please indicate which setting you're talking about, eg [Forgotten Realms]/[FR], [Eberron], [Dragonlance], etc

There's not really lore on playable classes. That's game mechanics.

[lament jetty]

If you are asking about this in the Realms, I'd say it has to do with the pact made, likely signed if with a Devil of Baator (9 Hells). Fiend is inclusive of most Evil Outsiders: most commonly referring to any Devils, Yugaloth, and Demons, though there are others, like the older Baatorians and non-Tenari Demons.
Warlocks aren't the only ones to sign Pacts, but they are canon lore in the Realms. The strengthen the entities that sign the pact too, believe it or not. This is often one of the only ways that non-God Fiends or Elder Elemental Evils get their power.
If the pact signee dies, the Power likely has some say on the soul's journey, potentially pushing them into their service as soul-fuel, as a Lemure, or even higher up as an Imp or Dretch. I recommend AJ Pickett's D&D Lore series for more details.

PS.
If you ask a question that could be about mechanics in a lore channel, I imagine you are looking for a lore answer, rather than a mechanical/game balance one, yeah?

[deft ravine]

Hey I’m brand new when it comes to D&D so can you help me understand the lore better please

[quartz cradle]

thanks! yes, I'm definitely looking for the lore answer, not the mechanics answer.
the reason I ask is that one of the PCs in my party wrote a backstory where his wife was a warlock whose patron was Glasya, but the wife always remained good. this wife has since died, and I'm thinking of ways to incorporate the PC's backstory in--and I wasn't sure whether his wife's soul would have gone to the Nine Hells or been permitted to pass on elsewhere, which would affect what I write for him. (eg. if she went to the Nine Hells, I could have my devil antagonist taunt him about having his wife's soul there.)
if the answer is "there is no answer, DM decides" then I would probably write that her soul went elsewhere, but if the answer is "Glasya would have definitely unquestionably claimed her soul" then I'd go with that.

[iron saffron]

Which setting?

[deft ravine]

Wdym by that?

[iron saffron]

There are many official campaign settings.

It's like asking, "Tell me about cars."

You need to be more specific in your questioning because it's too vague.

[iron saffron]

How Glasya would react as a warlock patron is a DM's fiat. Lore is essentially history so we can only tell you what she has done in the past (editions).

[quartz cradle]

that's fine, just wanted to know if there was an ironclad "yes/no" answer. thanks 👍

[iron saffron]

Again, DM's fiat if it involves a PC.

[deft ravine]

Like the basics of it

[crude blaze]

Generally speaking, how an NPC (including specific Big named ones) act/react is going to be DM’s fiat.

[iron saffron]

That is still very vague.

"Tell me about stuff."

[crude blaze]

There is no “basic lore”, because there are multiple settings. Try looking up some of the official settings, finding the one that most suits your interest, and then at least we have a setting whose lore we can start talking about.

[deft ravine]

Like I’m trying the ATLA TTRPG because I love ATLA but don’t know anything about ttrpg

[iron saffron]

Again, which setting?
There are many official D&D settings — the Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Dark Sun, Spelljammer, Planescape, Dragonlance, Ravenloft, Mystara, etc.

[iron saffron]

D&D is a TTRPG.
Not all TTRPGs are D&D.

I would recommend you to go to #dnd-newcomers if you're new to D&D.

If you're into Airbender then D&D may not be for you because translating an "anime" show to D&D won't be a 1:1 process (you might as well play the Airbender TTRPG)

[quasi oracle]

Has there ever been any instance of a demon/demon lord and a devil/archdevil working together?

[iron saffron]

Yes. Malcanthet, the demon lord and self declared "queen of the succubi" works for Asmodeus. This would be fitting as now the 5E succubus/incubus are no longer devils nor demons but play both sides. The succubi/incubi were demons until 4E when they were devils but are now generic fiends in 5E.

[quasi oracle]

Is it an example I can look up or is it more obscure

Wanna figure out how that might look, as my demon lord BBG could use a partner and trying to figure out if a devil or maybe an Elder Evil would work best

[iron saffron]

Otherwise, demons and devils hate each other (see the Blood War).

[quasi oracle]

Right, wasn't sure how rigid that hatred is

[iron saffron]

Descent into Avernus deals with the Blood War.

[quasi oracle]

Cool. Yeah I have a demon lord like Graz'zt but instead of excess it's ego, and I think a partner in his plan to conquer the world would be a good fit to be doing a lot of the work behind the scenes while he takes credit for it

[iron saffron]

#dm-discussion or #dm-world-building would be a good place to air out your ideas.

[quasi oracle]

Thank you! Missed the world-building one

[white ravine]

First question is the nature of the bargain. What did she give up for her power?

[fringe rivet]

Idk where to put this but

Do liches gain any benefit for becoming one ( i want to be one and my dm said sure

[white ravine]

Yup, quite a few.

1: You're immortal. No aging, your perfectly intact forever.
2: You're unkillable. Anytime you die, you respawn next to the little box you jammed your soul into.
3: You're a peak necromancer. On top of any normal necrotic magic you carry, you also get some truly nasty powers.

Those are the big three

[fringe rivet]

Im doing chronourgy so what do u mean about the 3rd option

Because the dm needs to know the benefits

I can actually receive

[white ravine]

Well for some example their touch paralyzes people, their gaze can make people turn tail and run, and they can rip the souls out of people. Also, they can see invisible/ethereal creatures, are immune to any basic weaponry, and are generally terrifying.

[quartz cradle]

warlocks don't always have to give something up to get their power, right? I thought sometimes (especially with fiend patrons) warlocks get tricked into their pact, and then their patron will just demand certain jobs/tasks of them. pretty sure that was the case here.

[fringe rivet]

@white ravine okay now what about baelnorn since thats actually what im doing and unsure if that changes anything

[white ravine]

They can, but those are exceptions more than the rule. Also, a deal of servitude is still a deal.

[iron saffron]

This is straying into "Ask your DM" rather than a lore issue. Since DMs have the final say on allowing PCs to enter lichdom.

[fringe rivet]

No? Because dont they have diffrent or the same abilites?

[fringe rivet]

They already said yes

[white ravine]

The big thing about a warlock is that you generally can't 'accidently' your way into a warlock pact.

[iron saffron]

Baelnorn are different types of lich.

[fringe rivet]

Soo does that mean they have different upsides?

[white ravine]

You get most of the way there on your own merit, but when the patron actually turns their gaze to you then things can change.

[quartz cradle]

I don't think I agree with that 🤨

this also isn't official lore anymore

[fringe rivet]

@iron saffron

[iron saffron]

Dude, you keep asking this question about becoming a lich in this channel.
#dnd-lore message

Talk to your DM.

[white ravine]

'Warlocks are driven by an insatiable need for knowledge and power, which compels them into their pacts and shapes their lives. This thirst drives warlocks into their pacts and shapes their later careers as well.'

~PHB

[quartz cradle]

That's general flavor text, not a hard and fast rule. you can flavor your PCs however you want. not all paladins are lawful good, not all warlocks are insatiably power-hungry.

[fringe rivet]

No im asking if in lore they had any different abilities from normal litches

[white ravine]

You can't come into a lore channel asking for lore then say "That's general flavor text" when someone gives ya lore!

[iron saffron]

We've answered your questions about lichdom earlier.

[white ravine]

Plus, I said earlier there are exceptions, not always the rule.

Of course not every paladin is LG or warlock are power hungry

[quartz cradle]

that isn't lore though?? that's a broad summary of what the class can be like. I asked the question a while ago, it was answered. I appreciate you trying to help, but it kinda feels like you're continuing to argue with me about something being an absolute when it isn't.

[white ravine]

Im distinctly saying its not an absolute

[quartz cradle]

sure you put the word "generally" in here but you were basically saying that I was wrong.

[white ravine]

But as for what you asked earlier in reference to being bound to an archdevil, the context of how that came to be matters

[quartz cradle]

I no longer need an answer to that question, thank you

we can leave it at that

[tardy wasp]

Are there any deities in the Forgotten Realms besides those of the First Circle (Silvanus, Eldath, Mielekki, Chauntea, Talos, Malar, Auril, Umberlee, and Beshaba) that a human Druid might have a primal connection to?

I feel like Selune, Amaunator, Talona, and the 4 elemental gods could make sense depending on the circle, but I haven't found any explicit confirmation of that in the FR books I have access to.

[lament jetty]

Moander was known to have many druid followers.

[oblique drum]

I recently learned the unflattering name for umberlee 🤣🤣

[white ravine]

Don't make fun of her, before she drowns you in a flood

[supple nymph]

Just a reiterate the question here: isn't one of the biggest pieces of lore that explains why epic level spells no longer exist Is that a mortal person used their magic and inadvertently killed the goddess of magic and almost completely messed up magic for everyone altogether? I know a bunch of floating cities fell

[white ravine]

@supple nymph That was back when magic was allowed to touch the gods.

The gods quickly said "That was a bad idea." and nerfed it afterwards

[supple nymph]

Is that earlier in the lore than I'm thinking? I could have sworn that was sometime after 3.5.

Admittedly when it comes to most of the lore before 5th edition I've read bits and pieces but I haven't sat down and read it chronologically so I might be knowing things in the wrong place, timewise

[unkempt merlin]

Karsus killing Mystral is what you are thinking of

[supple nymph]

Right Karsus

And the whole Folly of Karsus thing.

[unkempt merlin]

Yep

[supple nymph]

Is that earlier in the timeline than where I was placing it in my head?

For some reason in my head I always placed it as after 3.5, explaining some of the de-powering of magic since then

[grim siren]

Sorry for not seeing this but Shyr is the Aberian equivalent to Faerûn

[serene crater]

quick question but what would happen if Asmodeus (or more one of his lackeys) managed to gain control of Sigil (or Primus at the very least)

[white ravine]

Frankly, if Asmodeus gets his grubby fingers out of the lower planes at all that would be an instant apocalypse level scenario.

Asmodeus is preoccupied with the blood war, which is the main reason he's kept at bay from taking over the rest of the universe.

[iron saffron]

The Lady of Pain has total dominance of Sigil (and probably the Outlands) in that no divine power can enter the city (the one exception was Vecna).

[serene crater]

ah, alrighty. just trying to do some planning for my campaign as I've got him as the bbeg, taking advantage of a hiatus in the blood war with the demons now on the material plane and causing infighting on the material plane for anyone to figure him out. thanks to a PC he might get his hands on Sigil, though I wasn't sure if it'd have ramifications on him or the pact primeval due to his history with the plane

[white ravine]

There's also the point that Asmodeus wouldn't immediately make that grab unless he knew his foothold was secured. Smartest being in the universe and all that.

By the time the universe realizes that Asmodeus has taken over another plane in its entirety, the damage would be irreperable. He works in the worst ways, the unpunchable ones.

[raw frigate]

"Selune guides us through the night. She is the moon, the stars her tears. Her sister tries to douse her light, but she protects us from our fears.

Shar will take your sorrow from you but beware: her night is dark. She'll hide your pain, and secrets, too. And all your joy, and all your spark.

Silvanus, God of all that's wild. Of nature's danger and its charm. His glory's not to be defiled, or you yourself will come to harm."

[serene crater]

hmm. Would he be willing to let another god control the plane as long as he's technically on top (more just have the god rule in his stead as long as they don't plan against him) or would he see them as potential opposition?

[iron saffron]

Planes are essential their own universe. Asmodeus already has total dominance over Hell so I don't see why he would go after another plane when his devils are already busy with the Blood War against demons. There are reasons he personally doesn't leave it (older lore suggest that his true manifestation is at the bottom of Hell as a "great serpent" and his humanoid form is just an aspect)

[serene crater]

I remembered hearing that being one of the creation myths

[supple nymph]

My DM in my current long-running campaign used that bit of older lore to tie him into my Norse-inspired character (Rune Knight)'s backstory. I'm sure you can guess the connection there

[hardy wave]

are Lycanthropy-curses only for mammals only or is there lore that shows other animals (birds, reptiles, fish) having the Lycanthropy curse (but maybe called something else?)

[white ravine]

Lycanthropy can go into almost anyone, from dragonborn to aarakocra to yuan ti to humans

[supple nymph]

Are you asking who it can affect, or are you asking about something being possible ike a "werebird, werereptile, werefish"?

[hardy wave]

Oh, I guess I'm asking if there can be a werebird/werefish/werelizard type of creatures, not can a werewolf bite a dragonborn and turn them

[iron saffron]

Lore-wise the curse of lycanthropy only affects humanoids.

[supple nymph]

That's still not what they're asking

[mint wave]

Could a non-myconoid be a cleric of Psilofyr?

[supple nymph]

I don't know of any official stuff that isn't like a wolf, bear, or boar, but I can't imagine it's outside the realm of possibility

[iron saffron]

They were asking if it affected non-mammals.

[supple nymph]

No, they were asking if it could be based in non-mammals

[iron saffron]

There are weresharks.

[supple nymph]

Like being a werelizard instead of a werewolf

[supple nymph]

Oooh, where's that found?

[iron saffron]

Their question was phrased poorly then.

[supple nymph]

It was, but that's why I got this clarification

But yeah, where are weresharks? I didn't know about that

[iron saffron]

Weresharks were introduced back in 1E and appeared in 2E and 3E.
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Wereshark

[supple nymph]

Ooh, so nothing 5e, but not too hard to convert I would think

cool

[iron saffron]

There were also weredragons in 2E
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Weredragon

[hardy wave]

Yeah I guess I was in a hurry. I'm simply asking is there weresharks, wereeagles, wereturtles, and the like. Creatures that shift between humanoid, creature, hybrid forms and that creature/hybrid is a bird/reptile/fish.

[iron saffron]

5E is very lacking in many things, especially lore and monsters.

[hidden current]

question about alhoons, i know if a lich dies it resurrects at the phylactery containing it's soul, do alhoons do something similar, i ask because i remember reading that alhoons dont have all a liches power and some believe illithids dont have souls

[drowsy wraith]

Are dragonborn and lizardfolk of the forgotten realms enemies or rivals?

[modest badger]

There's no lore for that AFAIK, and not sure why there would have to be any relation between them

[spark haven]

yeah, they're sentient creatures. they'll experience a diverse range of emotions and relatinships.

[frank quail]

Ah, question. I've noticed all the lawful good 'fight for justice' dieties tend towards only having the war domain.

Would there be any others, aside from Bahamut's life domain, that they would have?

I'm trying to make a CG justice diety who's alignment is because they've seen how humans will use political power and institution to protect themselves from justice.

[unkempt merlin]

Life, Order, Light are other common domains associated with gods of justice

[jovial iris]

Is there a single site anywhere that attempts to collect all the DnD lore? Just thinking it would be an incredible resource across to have something like that across all the editions, campaign settings, etc.

[iron saffron]

The FR wiki does a good job for FR related lore.
There are similar wikis for Greyhawk, Spelljammer, Ravenloft, etc.

[jovial iris]

Thank you. These are the ones on fandom?

[iron saffron]

Probably.

[jovial iris]

Thanks. Looks like there is a DnD Lore Wiki that is pretty comprehensive as well.

[iron saffron]

Remember there really isn't just "one" D&D lore. There are some generic stuff that tends to be shared between settings, particularly the outer planes lore, but lore tends to be campaign setting specific.

[jovial iris]

Thank you. Yes, that makes total sense. I have this idea for a multiversal campaign or story and was trying to think about how the worlds might be connected (i.e. via Sigil / Planescape setting or via Spelljammer ships).

[iron saffron]

I would definitely look back at the 2E Spelljammer and Planescape books for lore because 2E was drowning in splat books and 5E is very lacking in anything substantial.

[jovial iris]

That's a good idea. I have the Spelljammer Krynnspace (SJR7) by Jean Rabe book and the 5E Spelljammer Adventures in Space. I also have several of the older edition campaign/setting books for Dragonlance.

There's quite a lot of lore in the older editions even if the rules haven't been updated for 5E yet.

The new Planescape book will be out in October I think so that will be great.

[iron saffron]

I still refer back to my older edition books for lore, particularly my 3E FR Campagin book (it's thicc compared to the thin SCAG)

I'm meh about the 5E Planescape after the criminally bad and thin 5E Spelljammer.

5E Dragonlance was wasted as a standalone adventure rather than a campaign setting book with an adventure.

[jovial iris]

Hopefully they'll continue to build out the setting under One DnD. At least we can hope.

[iron saffron]

Meh. WotC's design philosophy has been moving away from establishing lore. It's been "DMs, you make it up!"

Just look at the new playable races, like owlins. No lore or even height/weight, just that they're Small or Medium sized humanoid owlfolk. Wow, and people paid money for that?

Give us a foundation to work from before asking us to make stuff up.

[jovial iris]

I hear you. I'm coming back to the game after many years away. I haven't played since high school and I'm in my late 40s now. Flexibility is nice but having a solid foundation is definitely helpful.

[iron saffron]

Yup, I loved the 2E and 3E lore (4E sucked because it threw out a lot of stuff and changed it only to have 5E retcon most of it (at least for FR)).

Youtuber AJ Pickett did a great job on covering D&D lore (at least until the OGL fiasco where he swore off concentrating on D&D-centric stuff).

[jovial iris]

I'll have to check those out. I'll have to check out the 2E and 3E stuff when I get a chance. Thanks.

[iron saffron]

There are a lot of lore nerds here who can answer your lore questions. You just need to be specific in your questions.

[jovial iris]

No problem. Thank you.

[thorny phoenix]

Are hags powerful enough to make a bargain with a person who fears death that they save the person from dying for a return service?

[spark haven]

pretty sure that's exactly the sort of thing hags do

a hag could just cast "Control Weather" and knock your house over with a hurricane. But a hag would much rather sell you a bottomless barrel of magical mead that's secretly cursed to compel you to burn your own house down

[magic jackal]

Which hag?

[thorny phoenix]

Any. I was just not sure if any hag could wield the power to reverse death.

[magic jackal]

The question was directed at Deezy

[thorny phoenix]

Oh, okay. So you think they are not?

[magic jackal]

That isn't what I said.

I was asking the question of Deezy

[spark haven]

I don't know any by name, I'm just vaguely familiar with their ouvre

[white ravine]

Nah, just dudes bein dudes.

[white ravine]

The thing about hag magic in DND is that it's never explained because explaining it would ruin the magic. It's the type of magic that's complete plot contrivance, because hags know things that would make mortal wizards froth at the mouth.

They reproduce by eating babies and then rebirthing them to place a curse so when they hit a specific age they instantly morph into a new hag, like what?

A hag could absolutely save you from dying, if the price is right.

[iron saffron]

Remember that the D&D hags are based/inspired by the hags of European folklore.

[thorny phoenix]

Thank you all so much for your insight

[tardy wasp]

FR Lore

Is a Cleric of Selune expected to be a good navigator? Like, knowing how to read complex maps, maritime equipment or even constellations? Or can they be more metaphorical navigators, like helping one navigate the paths of life, or guide someone on a spiritual journey?

[magic jackal]

Depends on the capacity in which they're devoted to Selune. She is not only a God of those things

[iron saffron]

You would dedicate yourself to one of the sea gods rather than the moon god for navigating the seas.

[magic jackal]

She's a God of Navigators, Navigation, Wanderers and Seekers as well

And Stars for that matter

Sailors used Stars for Navigation and her domain includes both Stars and Navigation. I think that makes her a decent Deity for what Darkmoon is talking about.

[mighty ore]

Tieflings are born to normal people right? How do you suggest writing a backstory for that?

[iron saffron]

They can skip generations. Think of them like the redhead gene.

[mighty ore]

Ahhhh, so it is kinda genetic

[iron saffron]

https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/races#InfernalBloodline

Tieflings are derived from human bloodlines, and in the broadest possible sense, they still look human. However, their infernal heritage has left a clear imprint on their appearance.

[mighty ore]

Thx that helps

[tough dock]

Does dnd have Greek mythology?

[drowsy wraith]

Minotaurs, cyclops, centaurs, etc.

[sharp owl]

There are creatures, locales, and themes inspired by Greek and Roman mythology found in many settings, if that's what you're asking

[coral cobalt]

and this is why hags are my main plot device for at least the first half of my campaign

[teal rock]

Are pocket planes a thing in DnD? Specifically the Forgotten Realms.

[sharp owl]

What do you mean by a pocket plane?

There are bags of holding, portable holes, and the demiplane spell

[teal rock]

Like a much smaller plane of existence.

[iron saffron]

Demi-planes and pocket dimensions (some spells like Rope Trick) are a thing in D&D.

[teal rock]

Could you tell me more about it?

[sharp owl]

They're just small, often temporary planes

Like a bag of holding opens to an extradimensional space that is bigger than the size of the bag it connects to

[teal rock]

I was thinking of having a NPC basically live in a piece of Feywild that is essentially separated from the Feywild. Would that be possible? Or do planes not work like that?

[white ravine]

Thats definitely possible, or at least if not directly possible it can be recreated to be as such

Demiplanes are very malleable

[teal rock]

I have made my own universe for my game. But I still wish to keep the same laws of magic from the Forgotten Realms. That's why I am asking.

[white ravine]

Aye np

[teal rock]

I assume the only way to travel to such a plane is with a plane shift spell? Same as travelling to the Feywild or Shadowfell?

[white ravine]

Well theres the demiplane spell which is the main way if you made the place

Plane shift afaik doesnt work for demiplanes. They dont have a specific frequency to tune into.

[obsidian gate]

demiplanes exist. Just look at the domains of dread and domains of delight

[white ravine]

Only way to get there without specific portals is to go into the ethereal plane and find it.

[teal rock]

Ok, so I just read the description of the demiplane spell. It's not big enough for someone to put something like a house or a tower, right?

[spark haven]

When opened, the door leads to a demiplane that appears to be an empty room 30 feet in each dimension

could put a small house in there

it's a 30ft cube

not huge but that's building-sized already

but here's the thing

[teal rock]

I was more thinking of a mini Feywild. Kind of like Crit Role Campaign 2's fun ball rooms.

[spark haven]

the spells you see in the PHB? Those are basically just a "Traveller's Encyclopedia's Top 10" list of spells you're likely to encounter. It is not an exhaustive list of all possible magics

[white ravine]

Could always as a DM say 'screw it' and make it bigger. Infinite demiplanes do exist.

[spark haven]

an adequately motivated caster can use/modify the Demiplane spell as they see fit. it's teleological, if the story calls for an event happening, the event is necessarily possible to bring about

[teal rock]

I basically just wanted to know if a NPC could have a "plane" for himself. But I didn't want to stray away too much from the laws of magic from the Forgotten Realms.

[white ravine]

100% possible

[spark haven]

the forgotten realms is lousy with demiplanes

[white ravine]

Ehhhhh

Gotta remember that the demiplane spell is the 5e game-balance approved version of a demiplane

Demiplanes exist that can be mistaken for entire planets (the setting of Eberron is one of these)

And beyond

Go for whatever size you need

[teal rock]

[foggy flame]

Do dnd vampires age/grow in size once they’re a vampire?

[iron saffron]

They're undead so they don't age/grow.

[foggy flame]

Tyvm. I’m designing a vampire dragon and trying to take that into account for his history

[magic jackal]

https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Vampiric_dragon

Vampiric Dragons are established as of 3e (although they've not been published since, which I think is a shame)

[heavy fulcrum]

Regarding the Underdark, I know there's a bunch of Mindflayers and stuff down there. Do the more eldritch horror entities down there have any potential for RP related to a GOO Warlock?

[spark haven]

sure, roleplay is just having feelings and opinions about stuff

a warlock linked to an eldritch entity is likely to have many opinions about stuff in the underdark, particularly other eldritch entities

[white ravine]

Aboleths hang around in the deeper regions

[hidden current]

i thought that yuan-ti were mainly native to the serpent hills and chultan pensula so why was one in the prison in the thieves movie?

[spark haven]

wdym? humans are mainly native to the ground but we get all over the place

sentient creatures can walk, take ferries, ride horses

[white ravine]

Yuan ti infiltrate cities and governments, if one gets found out theres no yuan ti specific prison to send them to

[hidden current]

true but given that they are cold blooded it is odd to send one to that prison surounded by ice, also it is mainly purebloods that infiltrate cities and governments not so much abominations like the one shown

[white ravine]

Disguise spells

[hidden current]

true enough i suppose

[hidden current]

the map i ordered of the sword coast from mike schley came in, now i just need to get a frame for it

other than becoming a lich, vampire or god what other methods of immortality are there?

[magic jackal]

demigod

clone

different variations on lich, i.e. baelnorn, archlich etc.

probably any number of pacts with powerful entities

wishes, miracles/divine intervention

living in a plane where biological clocks don't tick

(astral)

[magic jackal]

being a chosen of a deity also works

there's a million ways that magic might inflict such a condition on someone

there's magic items that grant it while worn

for example the ring of winter in the possession of artus cimber

[hidden current]

ok just story for my yuan-ti character is searching for immortality and power so wondered which route of immortality to realistically pursue lore-wise

[iron saffron]

Talk with your DM.

[magic jackal]

oh you should've mentioned yuan-ti from the beginning

yuan-ti abominations can undergo a ritual to become a yuan-ti anathema

I assume you're a pureblood though?

[hidden current]

yeah

[hidden current]

are anathenma immortal though?

[magic jackal]

yes

problem is, in established official lore, the prevailing belief among yuan-ti is that their forms were made as needed by the greater brood by their god, and altering it artificially is tantamount to blasphemy

and anathemas are results of rituals performed on abominations, not purebloods

[hidden current]

so my pureblood character will have to look for another means of immortality then any suggestions?

[magic jackal]

I made many lmao

OldMan is correct, check with your DM.

[iron saffron]

You may try to seek out immortality but it doesn't mean your DM will grant it.

[magic jackal]

There is an epic boon that does grant immortality

[iron saffron]

Which is DM's fiat to grant it...

[hidden current]

i know but i mean for the backstory of my character to pursue

[iron saffron]

This is #dm-discussion territory now and not about official lore.

[hidden current]

oh ok

i know the ritual is for abominations but is there anything saying it wont work on a pureblood?

[hidden current]

does a druids timeless body count as immortality or is it just an extension?

[magic jackal]

the part that says it's for abominations

[magic jackal]

what does the feature say?

[hidden current]

Starting at 18th level, the primal magic that you wield causes you to age more slowly. For every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year.
so not immortality just extension

i will look elsewhere

i think ring of winter looks good but am not sure if it is appropriate for yuan-ti

or epic boon either way thanks

[iron saffron]

Again, all that is up to your DM to grant you them or not.

[hidden current]

items spells boons either way i got more ideas for my character

[static nebula]

Can illithids sense if a ulithard is around? Like how does the hivemind work for mind flayers really at all

[serene crater]

I believe they can as an ultharid is a lesser elder brain, even splintering off with a portion of an elder brains colony

[white ravine]

Think of the elder brain of a colony as a giant computer, and each mind flayer is constantly connected to the internet. If the elder brain sends out a notice that the mind flayers need to do X, all mind flayers get that oppressing but dominating message.

A mind flayer can't really break off from the elder brain's control once its established, unless other forces permit it to be so. While connected, they can effectively radio telepathic commands to one another like messages.

If one mind flayer spots a group of adventurers entering from the southern doorway to the colony, they can send out one message and turn the entire colony on red alert.

[half scroll]

so ive been watching some fun dnd things and interested how just someone casually said tiamat had a sister who was not named and it had the heads of yellow purple and orange dragons. im curious if thats true at all

[runic totem]

Can devils disobey? What happens if they do?

[white ravine]

Nah. Tiamat can however replace her normal five heads with any other chromatic colors, provided there are no duplicates or more than five heads at any given time.

She can go from white red black green blue to purple brown orange yellow red

[white ravine]

Also yes, but the fear of demotion usually keeps that in check.

[crude blaze]

They theoretically can, but many choose not to in fear of being punished if they don’t succeed.

[half scroll]

Pink lol

[white ravine]

I forgot pink existed ngl

So yeah orange yellow purple pink brown tiamat

Or any mix thereof

[half scroll]

Alot of people do lol

I like the weird monsters no one talks about

[modest badger]

I think pink only existed in like one old Dragon Magazine? Purple, grey, brown, orange and yellow least got a few repeats, even if there are multiple versions of yellow. Orange also wasn't delved into much.

Pink I think was more a aprils fools joke one that was never taken seriously.

[modest badger]

Yellow Appears in:

Dragon 65 - cross of blue and green dragon, seaside, breathes salt that can blind and suffocate
Dragon 248- Brings back the #65 'Salt dragon' as a wingless semi-aquatic burrowers

Officially appears in the 2e MM and Draconomicon, that breathes sand
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Yellow_dragon

**Orange **appears in:

Dragon 65- cross of yellow and red dragon, swamp, breaths sodium that becomes 'na palm like flame'
Dragon 248- Brings back the #65 'sodium dragon', big orange alligator with wings

Purple appears in

Dragon 65- Cross of red and blue, underground, breathes a 'high energy lance'
Dragon 248- Brings back the #65 'Energy breath' dragon, super evil, can focus their breath into 'blades', 'cones', or 'clouds'.
**Officially ** purple dragons are Deep dragons although they were never called 'purple' until 4e and were two seperate dragons previously. https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Deep_dragon

**Brown **dragons appear in

Officially: 1990, 'FR10: Old Empire', as wingless great desert dragons that breaths acid then again 3.5 Monsters of Faerun. 4e gives them wings to glide through sand. Also called 'sand dragons', but sand dragons were also a seperate dragon that appeared in Dragon 134. https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Brown_dragon

Grey Dragons appear in:

Dragon 134: Introduces the fang dragon who just have a lot of teeth
Dragon 146: introduces the grey dragon as a krynn dragon and is like a greater white dragon, that breathes paralysing cold air.
Officially, Fang dragons existed since 2e, and then later 4e blends fang and grey dragons together, and implies that Gray dragons are Fang dragons gifted with acid breath by Tiamat. https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Fang_dragon

Pink dragon

Dragon 156- A joke article includes pink dragons (along with death sheep and jello monsters). They breath lye soap bubbles and eat people who don't like their jokes.

Didn't include all official sources, just the main ones. The wiki links have more info for the official ones.

[white ravine]

God gives his goofiest goobers the silliest battles, it seems

[modest badger]

Pink dragons also lack fear auras because they look 'goofy'. Thing is, their picture is pretty normal dragon. They're just described as pink. So, while I know it's intended as a joke, it feels a little odd that the dragon doesn't instill primal fear just because it's pink.
(Prismatic dragons would like a word)

[hidden current]

is it true becoming illithid means losing your soul?

[modest badger]

In 5e, souls seem to have less of an importance. Even constructs can be raised from the dead and ressurected.

In earlier editions like 3.5 where that mattered, Aberrations like mindflayers could also be raised, which required a soul:

You restore life to a deceased creature. You can raise a creature that has been dead for no longer than one day per caster level. In addition, the subject’s soul must be free and willing to return. If the subject’s soul is not willing to return, the spell does not work; therefore, a subject that wants to return receives no saving throw.

Mindflayers can also become liches (limited liches in the form of Alhoon, and full liches in the form of illithiliches), but Alhoons sacrifice other souls to their periapt of mind trapping rather than a phylactery. But Illithiliches (a variant of Alhoons in Volo's Guide to Monsters) can become true liches:

The path to true lichdom is something only the most powerful mind flayer mages can pursue, since it requires the ability to craft a phylactery and cast the imprisonment spell.

• Volo's Guide to Monsters p 171-172

And according to the MM Lich description, that requires having a soul:

A lich is created by an arcane ritual that traps the wizard's soul within a phylactery. Doing so binds the soul to the mortal world, preventing it from traveling to the Outer Planes after death.

[modest badger]

So. They have souls. But it's probably the illithid (tadpole) who's soul it is, where as the original creature is dead. but That's conjecture on my part, I need to find sources to back that up.

And AD&D source 'The Illithiad' p.12 has this:

Generally speaking, the point after implantation. Any time after this, it is impossible to restore the victim; his or her spirit seeks its fate in the Outer Planes
Implying that the victims soul/spirit (there was a slight distinction in AD&D, but it gets muddled and then dropped by 3.5) is gone, and so it will be the Illithid's spirit that remains.

[hidden current]

ok got it

[modest badger]

This bit from the same AD&D source is also interesting:

Illithids do not seek an afterlife in the Outer Planes after death; instead, they endeavor to join—mind and spirit—with the elder brain of their community. The promise of life after death that so many deities hold over their worshipers does not offer the same appeal to many illithids. Thus, illithid deities suffer a lack of after-life spirits (petitioners) from the very race that believes in them. (p.40)
Illithids do have spirits, but often merge them with the elder brain, rather than enter the outer planes.

Although this is pretty old lore and 5e hasn't been clear on how souls interact with outer planes as much now.

[iron saffron]

Perhaps we'll find out in 5E Planescape.

¯_(ツ)_/¯

[hidden current]

i prefer official content and lore to "make up stuff"

[hazy fox]

More so since they are trying to avoid alignment these days.
Even many of playerbase seems to have issues with the system, especially when “monsters” get that alignment code.
And Planescape operate on that alignment system.

(Though part of me feel that TSR should have stuck with Law vs Chaos and maybe make it nuanced than having formed align with good and latter with evil.)

[hidden current]

remind me why is it everyone tells me "we dont talk about 4E"?

[magic jackal]

Are you asking about 4e lore?

[iron saffron]

Go to #dnd-elder-editions if you want to talk about 4E.

[hidden current]

i know if an illthid becomes a lich you get an alhoon, what happens if you try to impose ceremorphosis on one who is already a lich?

[white ravine]

Doesn't take, I'd assume. Your trying to ceromorphise not only a dead body but also a decomposing one.

[hidden current]

ok thought so

[magic jackal]

Also an Alhoon isn't precisely an Illithid Lich

Put simply, Mind Flayers tend to have difficulty reaching the level of arcane power and expertise required to be a true Lich in its full capacity, so an Alhoon is a weaker version tailored for Mind Flayers that have dabbled but not mastered the arcane arts.

Similar but not the same as a Lich.

A Mind Flayer that becomes a True Lich is called an Illithilich

[drowsy wraith]

Why are the forgotten realms called that

[sharp owl]

It's just a dramatic sounding name the creator of the setting (Ed Greenwood) came up with

It's not a term used in-world

[magic jackal]

Allegedly it's called that because it used to be that our world and the Forgotten Realms world were closer, when they drifted apart people in our world forgot about its sister world, hence it's the Forgotten Realms.

[sharp owl]

Oh really?

Wow
I hate that

TIL

[hidden current]

i usually just say faerun instead of forgotten realm

[modest badger]

Forgotten Realm is the name of the campaign setting, Faerun the name of the continent.

[hidden current]

i know

[sharp owl]

The problem with saying 'Faerun' instead of 'Forgotten Realms' is that it might sometimes be confusing
For example, Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus is an adventure set in the Forgotten Realms, but most of it doesn't take place in Faerun. It takes place in the version of Avernus most aligned with the Forgotten Realms setting

[tame locust]

Isn't there a considerable bit of lore on cereomorphis... including things about needing a specific size, temperature, and chemistry of a host body.

I'd assume that without living brain tissue and body temperature, the parasite would die.

Some illithids have experimented with ways to force cereomorphis on normally unsuitable hosts, but a failure typically produces death for both, or a monster the illithids typically fear.

I'm not sure if published lore specifically covers trying to use a lich as a host, but I wouldn't expect it to work without all sorts of special circumstances.

At minimum, you'll probably need to heat the lich to body temperature, and feed them a steady diet of humanoid organs. Since cereomorphis replaces the host with an illithid, the lich, who went to considerable efforts to stay sentient won't like this plan.

Also... lich magic... undead negative energy... so there would likely be additional lore issues to interfere with the process.

[hidden current]

ok so it wont work got it

[tame locust]

*at the DM's discretion.

[tame locust]

If you were the DM, there is a lot of illithid experimentation lore...

[hidden current]

is it weird that yuan-ti wo often use magic and worship snake gods often get along with illithids who loath magic?

[iron saffron]

Where/when do they get along?

The yuant-ti tend to be in jungle areas and the mindflayers tend to be in the Underdark.

[hidden current]

for one yuan-tillithids, two the underdark yuan-ti from ss'zuraass'nee have a long standing aliance with illithids from the underdark

najara and serpent hill yuan-ti often travel or live in the tunnels that connect to the underdark

[iron saffron]

Okay...

One has access to magic and the other has psonics. Mindflayers just think magic is inferior to their psionics.

[hidden current]

and yuan-ti refer to everyone else as lesser beings and themselves as vrael olo,/favored ones

[iron saffron]

Enemies of my enemies are my friend.

We can point to real world instances but I rather not here because it would be delving into real world politics...

Don't think to hard on this. The yuan-ti and mindflayers have been go to top tier bad guys for decades for adventure writers.

[sharp owl]

alliance isn't the same as getting along

[hidden current]

true enough i suppose, both prefer logic and evil to compasion and peace so i guess there is that

[sharp owl]

it just means they have aligned goals

[magic jackal]

There's a specific underdark city whose name escapes me where Illithids and Yuan-Ti formed an ancient pact, and in more recent times the city is now populated by Half-Illithid Half-Yuan-Ti called Yuan-Tillithids

It was 3.5e lore

Kageura mentioned the name

And for the record Yuan-Ti had strong psionic talent

[hidden current]

Ss'zuraass'nee

[magic jackal]

Yep, I know

[magic jackal]

.

[hidden current]

true there whers a lot of psionic yuan-ti in the house of serpents trilogy

[primal wharf]

Can someone tell me if there is a lore difference between a mind flayer arcanist and a mind flayer psion?

[hidden current]

one uses magic one uses phychic power

[sharp owl]

Yep, the former uses arcane magic (and is generally an outcast because of it) whereas the latter is much more adept at psionic magic than the average illithid

[primal wharf]

Based on that, would it mean that a psion would be more welcomed in a colony than an arcanist?

[sharp owl]

Arcanists would be actively exiled

[primal wharf]

gotcha'

[hidden current]

ever since BG3 came out there have been a lot of illithid based conversations

[trail nebula]

is there any real lore on fairies? all I know of is little descriptions in Monsters of the Multiverse and the Wild Beyond the Witchlight

[white ravine]

Generic Fairies? Not much. They aren't really...a thing in lore.

[trail nebula]

well, they are a playable race

[white ravine]

Well yeah, but that's more a gameplay representation of it

[hidden current]

fey in general there is a fair bit but specifically fairies not as much

[white ravine]

There's fey as a whole, but 'Fairy' in terms of the race are just an abstraction

[hidden current]

unless by fairy you mean pixxie

[magic jackal]

There's plenty of specific kinds of fairies

[white ravine]

Best metaphor I can give is like asking of a generic animal. Too much wiggle room there to be an identifiable thing

[magic jackal]

What's the lore on all hooved animals Xplosion?

[white ravine]

hrrng, hard feet

[trail nebula]

so like, the fairy race is an umbrella term for a player character that could be a sprite, a pixie, etc? That doesn't make much sense though because they are stated to be physically larger than that

[white ravine]

Yeah, it doesn't make sense.

Let's ask WOTC why they did this!

👁️ 👁️

Fact of the matter is, if your using Fairy as a race it's best not to think about it too much.

[crude blaze]

Size category doesn’t mean the physical size of a character, it’s about how much space they command

You wanna flavor your fairy as a Sprite who is tiny, go for it. They still command a “Small” amount of space.

[magic jackal]

That's a really good point

[crude blaze]

Same reason why there’s no category size beyond Gargantuan. There may be monsters that are far bigger than an ancient red dragon, but they only command a certain amount of space.

[white ravine]

Ehhhh...

[crude blaze]

Don’t gotta like the answer, but that’s the answer.

[white ravine]

It's the WOTC Perfect Answer™

[crude blaze]

Also:

Fairies are a wee folk, but not nearly as much so as their pixie and sprite friends.

Fairies aren’t sprites or pixies.

[trail nebula]

yea that is the line i was referring to

[crude blaze]

WOTC never said fairies are supposed to be pixies and sprites.

[magic jackal]

which brings us back to the problem of what are fairies

[crude blaze]

Yeah, the line explicitly states that what you were originally wondering is not the case. You asked as if Fairy was an “umbrella term” for them. They’re explicitly excluded from fairies.

[crude blaze]

Generic “fey” is really how I personally see the Fairy race. You wanna play something like a leprechaun, a boggart, brownie, etc? Fairy

But that’s just how I use it

[white ravine]

Nothing, and to me that's the point WOTC wanted, for everything better and worse.

[trail nebula]

yea i was saying that in response to @white ravine who to me implied that they were an umbrella term, but that isn't what i originally thought

[iron saffron]

WotC: "DMs, you make it up!"

[crude blaze]

Me: “Gladly!”

[white ravine]

When it comes down to the original question though, outside of those two books there's nothin' in terms of information.

5e 'original'

[trail nebula]

lol that is disappointing to hear

[white ravine]

It is.

Typical, but it is.

As for specific fey however, there's loads of details on those.

[trail nebula]

well fairy constitutes a specific fey right?

just not something we have info on

[crude blaze]

Nope

[trail nebula]

just that they exist

[crude blaze]

It’s pretty much a generic playable fey that you can flavor to look how you want

[white ravine]

Essentially, no.

[trail nebula]

my head hurts

[white ravine]

Yeah that sounds about right

[trail nebula]

feywild does that i guess lol

[white ravine]

This isn't even feywild, this is just wizards logic.

[crude blaze]

Personally I like it

[white ravine]

But yeah, when it comes to Fairy it's essentially a block of wood. It's a piece of material that you can slather your favorite coat of paint onto.

No matter what you paint it, it's still a block of wood. Looks different, same functions.

[magic jackal]

Most races are specific, like you're not just a Dwarf, you're a Mountain Dwarf, you're not just an Elf, you're a Wood Elf etc.
Fairy is just kinda "Generic Fey", a template on which you can slap your own flavor with less inherent prescription

[crude blaze]

Which works, cuz imo I don’t really need it to be much else

[trail nebula]

So really it is an umbrella term then, for miscellaneous fey

[crude blaze]

Pretty much. Doesn’t even necessarily have to be representative of anything that has a statblock.

[magic jackal]

I personally dislike the lack of lore, because I prefer having established lore, and then having the option to ignore or accept it, or borrow some things and ignore others etc., that comes with my comfort with the concept of flavor and reflavoring.
I can see the appeal for a new player who doesn't quite grasp that fully yet, but it is obviously not meant to appeal to people like me.

[trail nebula]

miscellaneuous fey that have wings

and are also wee folk

but not as wee as pixies or sprites

[white ravine]

The most non-commitment a company can muster.

Nonetheless though, there are tons of established fey to read into for inspiration

Whether or not you use Fairy to represent it

[half scroll]

hey so i didnt know bahamut was a thing in dnd i thought it was just a real term people used for god of dragons lol

and no i didnt use it from ff either

[hidden current]

yea bahamut is just as much a thing in d&d as tiamat, although the original term of bahamut is about a fish

[half scroll]

lol i just knew it was some god of dragons didnt know it was dnd

[white ravine]

Well Tiamat also shows up in FF

But that's besides the point of here

[iron saffron]

And FF1 was heavily inspired by D&D in that a lot of D&D monsters, including Bahamut, appeared in the game.

[white ravine]

Aye.

[foggy flame]

Does anyone know about the cult of the dragon cultists, the dragonwing in particular? From hoard of the dragon queen and rise of Tiamat…

They have an ability to fly. Does anyone know why or how? Magic item? Something that’s ever explained? I see no description of that in particular

[foggy flame]

I ask the important questions

[white ravine]

No explanation, it seems.

[iron saffron]

Tiamat did it.

[foggy flame]

The only explanation

[quartz lagoon]

where can i go for more reading on eilistraee besides the FG wiki?

i personally believe she's criminally underutilized

[iron saffron]

She is criminally underutilized (she's my favourite D&D deity).

[karmic chasm]

Loving the new lore added in Glory of the Giants

[karmic chasm]

Especially Paul Bunyon's Ox

[scarlet crest]

wyrmlings are basically just baby dragons right

so do the parent dragons like keep them close and protect them or do they just kinda go off and do their own thing straight away?

[sharp owl]

Depends both on the type of dragon and their personality

Also it can vary between dragons how 'developed' a dragon the wyrmling stage represents

compare for example a white dragon wyrmling with a copper dragon wyrmling

[scarlet crest]

will these links only work if i have the monster manual on dnd beyond?

no it just took a moment

[sharp owl]

All chromatic and metalic dragons from wyrmling to ancient are in the basic rules

[scarlet crest]

didnt know that

i dont have that book yet

[sharp owl]

The basic rules are the free rules

[scarlet crest]

oh yea

the white one has more health

copper dragons seem pretty good reading about them

i think i might use these if i use dragons because my friends would like a dragon that does goofs

[timber bison]

Glory of the giants says for the "building a giant foundling character" section, "Your life among giants has given you a unique perspective. Though you are unsusually large for your kind, you're no larger than a giant child, so you might be very mindful of your size" I'm not familiar with giant child sizes, nor giant heights in general really tbh. Could someone give me some insight on how tall this might entail?

[sour trout]

There's a random story hook in Descent to Avernus that I want to find out more about - Bormul House and the associated killings. The only thing I can find is an association between an old Bormul and the knights of the shield. Is there anything else out there somewhere?

Is it a Dracula situation?

[white ravine]

Giant children are usually the size of tall men if not bigger. 8 feet I'd reckon.

[timber bison]

Thank you greatly!!

[sour trout]

Gosh there are some great story hooks for Baldurs Gate in this adventure. It's a shame Wizards buried them here instead of publishing proper setting books for 5e.

[scarlet crest]

would copper dragons hang around areas that have high levels of copper in the earth?

[eager bay]

Nope, that's just their scale color. Copper dragons like warm but dry places, and humidity in caverns is an issue

[scarlet crest]

why is it an issue

[eager bay]

Because they prefer staying dry

So something like hills and mountains

They also prefer terrain that allows them to take advantage of their natural ability of flight

[scarlet crest]

okay

huuh

rodents within 1 mile of a copper dragons lair gain the ability to speak

and my campaign involves a talking rat and a copper dragon

[eager bay]

That sounds awesome

[white ravine]

Chittering little spies. Best thing you can do is have one replace another if one is killed.

Eventually the party will be stomping on dozens and wasting arrows and spells on swarms of rats that do nothing more than stare.

[scarlet crest]

i dont want them to kill the rats

[white ravine]

Eh, they wont. But if they do, always a fallback plan

What sick person sees a little mousey and decides that 'kill it' is the most favorable option

[eager bay]

The sorcerer in my current campaign

[white ravine]

Send the giant rat, simple as.

[eager bay]

"I cast fire-"
"No."
"Why?"
"Giant rat."
"Makes sense. I dash."

[eager bay]

Are animals from the mournland inedible?

[unkempt merlin]

Most likely

[manic pagoda]

hey does anyone have info about minotaur lore any websites i could go to or anything

[white ravine]

https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Minotaur

[manic pagoda]

thanks

[white ravine]

That's more schizophrenia than rational thought

That's more a meta point though, you're gonna be looking like a crazy person if you constantly murder rats thinking they're shapeshifters trying to kill you

[manic minnow]

Do we know how the legal system works in Waterdeep when it comes to court cases?

Like can I just copy how it is irl or is there anything written on how that usually goes

[white ravine]

Dragon Heist has the Code Legal of waterdeep printed, and Lords of the city and Magisters have free reign to determine guilt and innocence absolutely and setting any sentence within the bounds of the crimes charged

As for cases, if memory serves it's just you (no lawyer) pleading to the judge with the victims present...?

[manic minnow]

Court legal just says do x crime suffer y punishment

Nothing about how it's determined if you actually are guilty of a crime

[white ravine]

Magisters/Lords of the city have criminals brought to them to determine judgement based on evidence presented

In court of course

[manic minnow]

Makes sense

[white ravine]

Also, law is harsh

[scarlet crest]

can ancient dragons produce offspring at that age?

[sharp owl]

Yeah, nothing suggest they can't

Ancient doesn't mean 'old age' like it does in mortals

Dragons only ever grow stronger as they age, which is how you get greatwyrms

[scarlet crest]

never heard of a great wyrm

i read dragons do eventually die of old age thouugh

im making an ancient copper dragon for my thing and i want it to like make sense within the lore

[sharp owl]

Greatwyrms are from Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

And I don't think dragons dying of old age is a thing, at least anymore

Actually, Fizban's says this

Dragons are considered ancient once they reach eight hundred years of life, and many live for centuries more.
Now this doesn't specify if it means old age, or just that they typically die from other means around that age

Searching the chapter on dragon life span, it doesn't mention old age

At least not that I can see

[scarlet crest]

alright

[magic jackal]

So they do die of old age, Greatwyrms in Fizbans have been retconned to be a sort of pseudo-apotheosis a Dragon achieves once awakening Dragonsight and uniting their Echoes across the multiverse.

[sharp owl]

Ah, okay

gtk

[magic jackal]

Becoming a Greatwyrm confers immortality, but it's also incredibly rare and difficult, which is why you don't see many these days.

Which is mildly funny to me, because you've got Ashardalon who became Immortal by sticking a Pit Fiend in his heart (Nice Fafnir reference) and he's now also a Greatwyrm iirc, which means double immortality?

[sharp owl]

Didn't he become a greatwyrm by killing is echoes rather than uniting with them?

[magic jackal]

That sounds right

[scarlet crest]

Are great wyrms in the monster manual?

[sharp owl]

Nope, Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

[scarlet crest]

Okay

[echo parcel]

would there be shadar-kai present in ravenloft?

[timber bison]

Where was it retconned?

[magic jackal]

Greatwyrm used to be just another stage in a Dragon's life cycle but it was retconned into the aforementioned transformation in Fizbans

[vagrant inlet]

i want to ask a lore question but it(and the answer) probably contain spoilers for baldurs gate 3 so..

|| In bg3 we saw confiramtion that Kereska, the god of dragon magic exist, even tho last time she was mentioned in dnd was long ago in 2e. 1) Can we accept game as official lore? So Kereska now a 5e god? If so what the relation of Kereska amd Mystra, are they like Tiamat and Kurtulmak, or Mystra cant control dragon magic? Maybe somebody saw more texts about it in the ingame books?||

[white ravine]

1: Yup.
2: Gods of different pantheons can cover the same fields without hassle

[runic totem]

On the sword coast (the doip and lmop region), are leilon, phandalin and neverwinter the only towns? Are there small hamlets at all between them or is it basically just those

[iron saffron]

There a bunch of villages and hamlets that the bigger map doesn't show.

This allows for DMs to fill in the blank.

[runic totem]

I know I can make it all up, but are they usually only a few buildings or are there phandalin-level towns

[scarlet crest]

Are the mother or father dragon more parental?

[white ravine]

Varies on dragon

[sharp owl]

And dragons can reproduce in various other ways than male/female pairing

Origin of Dragon Eggs

Incudes stuff like a dragon voluntarily going to sleep and then dying, leaving behind an egg
Or crafting the eggs meticulously and then breathing life into them

[scarlet crest]

Oh yea

Is this al in the uh

Fizban book

[white ravine]

Mhm.

[eager bay]

What is force damage?

Like is it concussive force?

[white ravine]

Sheer magic power

[eager bay]

Cause it feels like an explosion would deal either fire or force damage to me

[white ravine]

It varies based on spell for example, disintegrate vs magic missile

[eager bay]

What is it for eldritch blast then?

[white ravine]

Its hard to define for that

[eager bay]

Also, I feel still that it should be concussive damage

Like the ripples from an explosion

[white ravine]

Nah, hence why disintegrate does force

Its pure magic, whether launched or forced into something

[covert island]

Force = Undescribed Magical Damage

[white ravine]

Many interpretations

The source of it is important to decide

[eager bay]

So it could be just sheer concussive waves

Typically it's thought of as raw magic or pure energy without an elemental type. Think of a bolt of fire or lightning but "neutral." This is from the basic rules.

[covert island]

I would not focus myself on "It is only this specific thing" but it could be. It's Pure Magic doing damage. What form that magic takes is up to how you flavor your spells but the lore answer is, It's just magic doing damage without any attribute

[eager bay]

So yeah, it's just energy

[white ravine]

Mhm

[scarlet crest]

Alright I’ll have a look tomorrow then in that book.

[white ravine]

The method of delivery though? More variation there

[sharp owl]

I would say calling force 'pure magic doing damage' is a little misleading because you can have non-magical force damage

[eager bay]

Tbh, disintegrate is most likely achieved via plasma

[white ravine]

Thats a fairly new development with basically no explanation in terms of lore

[eager bay]

Since plasma basically eradicates anything

[white ravine]

Its a mechanical shoehorn more than a lore reason for it

[white ravine]

Similar, I suppose.

[sharp owl]

Disintegrate isn't something being burned away

It's the target being turned to dust

[eager bay]

Exactly. Rather it is more just energy being displayed. It's kinda like the in-between

[eager bay]

Plasma will do that to you

[sharp owl]

Not really, no

Disintegrate is a transmutation spell, it's literally turning you into dust

Plasma, something burning you away, would be evocation

Also something being burned away leaves ash, not dust

Or it leaves nothing at all

[covert island]

Science and Physics don't really hold up when you have a world where magic is the norm to explain everything

[white ravine]

Yeah, its not a burning of sorts, just a magical obliteration

[eager bay]

Ig you're righf since plasma wouldn't even leave dust behind

[sharp owl]

It's more getting Snapped

[eager bay]

Plasma isn't fire btw. It's an entire state of matter

[white ravine]

Nah, they mix. At least, before writers stopped caring about making it work.

[sharp owl]

It is fire, flames are plasma

[white ravine]

Plasma does fire DAMAGE even if Plasma isnt FIRE

Thats the distinction

[eager bay]

Plasma is measured both in kelvin and a form of volts

It is energy

[covert island]

Only because Scientists can't explain what fire actually is but it's close enough to plasma that they just state it is

[white ravine]

Lightning if your so inclined

[eager bay]

Not fire, not electricity

[sharp owl]

Take it to #non-dnd-topics

[eager bay]

How do you explain disintegration then?

[ionic rivet]

magic ray that disintegrates you

[sharp owl]

It's magic turning someone to dust like they're getting Thanos snapped

They're getting transmuted by magic

[ionic rivet]

Or if you are tough enough, just does a lot of damage.

[eager bay]

Cause the topaz annihilator deals both necrotic damage and can cast disintegrate

[covert island]

That's just a property the weapon has

[white ravine]

Thats like a gun with an underbarrel grenade launcher

Its parts of a whole weapon

[covert island]

Pretty much yeah

[white ravine]

One isnt indicative of anothers function

[eager bay]

It specifies that it reduces them to a fine gray dust

Hence the plasma interpretation

[white ravine]

But when it comes to force, disintegrate can be seen as using magic to effectively rip someone apart into pieces in the way one would grind a stone into sand.

The plasma interpretation isnt bad, but force damage isnt an exact science lol

[sharp owl]

Dust isn't the same as ash though

[eager bay]

It's finer than ash

[white ravine]

Correct

[eager bay]

Plasma doesn't create normal ash

It's not a fire

[sharp owl]

Again, this isn't the channel for physics talk

[covert island]

^

[ionic rivet]

Let's get back to D&D lore shall we?

[sharp owl]

Lore wise, there's nothing that support Disintegrate burning the target

[eager bay]

Like disintegrate it reduces you to atoms

[covert island]

taps the sign

[white ravine]

Right, but your attempting to prescribe plasma specifically to the spell. It may look similar and function similarly but when held up side by side key differences arise

[ionic rivet]

Final reminder before the line begins - please get back to D&D lore.

[eager bay]

Like what? Also, idk how in the world me talking about the logistics of the disintegrate spell is off topic

[sharp owl]

It is
Accept it
Get back on topic please

[ionic rivet]

D&D is not a real world physics simulator - it's a game. Time to get back to dicussing lore.

[white ravine]

Oh Im agreeing with you, dont mistake me here. Biggest detail I can point toward is that there's really not much effect to it. To quote the president, "There was no sound, he just died!"

They simply 'were'.

On top of this, iirc doesnt it leave gear completely unaffected?

[sharp owl]

A disintegrated creature and everything it is wearing and carrying, except magic items, are reduced to a pile of fine gray dust.

[white ravine]

Riiight magic items.

[eager bay]

It could easily be said plasma doesn't affect magic items

Basically, how would YOU flavor the spell?

[white ravine]

There'd be significantly more damage around the area if the spell was summoning an energy tremendous enough to reduce the person to a fine dust compared to if its imbuing energy into the person directly

[white ravine]

Well that doesnt make much sense though, since any damaging magic can harm magic items even slightly.

[white ravine]

Thanos Snap. Prior me wouldve said Dr Manhattan blast.

[eager bay]

Well then maybe it just doesn't destroy them

ALSO you could just be turning the air around someone into plasma

Kinda like how flmaethrowers shoot fire, you could be shootingna stream of plasma at the target

[white ravine]

Well yes, but there are also many more things that can reduce someone so thoroughly

An intense magical unmaking being one

It could be extreme radiation obliterating you in a second, it could be the air itself flaying you at a microscopic level, it could be many-a-thing

[white ravine]

This would be a very strange exception given the circumstances and otherwise decent consistency

[magic jackal]

Well so first you take integrating and the you invert it.

Simple really.

[sharp owl]

That is not a question for this channel, as this channel is about discussing the official lore

[snow laurel]

What magical metal (mithril, orichalcum, adamantine, etc) would you say would work best narratively as a room temperature superconductor?

[white ravine]

For like...electricity?

[snow laurel]

well if it's room temperature you ain't conducting heat now are you?

[shrewd bobcat]

Well, mithril is said to be a type of silver, so you could say it has the same (or lack there of) conductivity

I imagine adamantine would naturally be non-conductive

Never heard of the the other one

But Platinum would possibly be very conducive

[white ravine]

We are talking a magical world, mana conduits arent a concept to be ruled out in that question

But assuming electricity...hard to say for magical means.

[magic jackal]

So this is specific for DND Lore and Orichalcum is not really used in most DND settings

It's the fictional metal that supposedly allowed Atlantis to flourish or something

[snow laurel]

Orichalcum is in Tal'Dorei which is a published D&D setting

also I feel like I did see some orichalcum in some mystara BECMI books way back when

[covert island]

Tal'Dorei is more a Third Party setting as it was made by Matt Mercer of Critical Role. What comes from there doesn't necessarily link up with established D&D Lore so I wouldn't make a broad stroke statement like that though I do not know if Orichalcum was ever used before in any other Setting.

[snow laurel]

Forgotten Realms didn't start as a D&D setting either but WotC published books in it and we consider it D&D now

Same goes for Blackmoor

[iron saffron]

Forgotten Realms is an official setting now (TSR bought it from Ed Greenwood for about $7000).

[shrewd bobcat]

In fact, the “Main” setting now

[snow laurel]

And Crit Role became an official setting when WotC published Explorer's Guide to Wildemount

It's no less an official D&D setting than Rokugan

Let's also not forget that characters from Exandria started popping up in official WotC published books as early as Descent into Avernus

[sharp owl]

It's not an official WotC setting

Critical Role still owns the setting 100%

It's theirs through and through, even says so in both Netherdeep and Wildemount

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. The world of Exandria, its groups of individuals, its elements, its distinctive characters, and its locations are the sole property of Critical Role. All rights reserved. All other characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. The materials described in this statement are protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America and around the world under international intellectual property treaties. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the materials contained herein or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast or Critical Role as applicable.

Explorer's Guide to Wildemount: Credits

[snow laurel]

if it's in a published WotC book how is it not official?

[sharp owl]

The book is an official WotC book

The setting still belongs to CR, as you can see above

[snow laurel]

"Official" and "owned by D&D" are two different things

Again, would you say that Arneson's Blackmoor isn't official?

[iron saffron]

WotC can't update what happens in Wildemount campaign setting. CR can.

[sharp owl]

I don't know, nor really give any care, to Blackmoor

I'm just referring to what the credits in both books say; Exandria and everything contained within is sole property of Critical Role. WotC cannot claim it to be one of their official settings

Nor do they

[snow laurel]

This is like saying Tyr isn't an official D&D god because he was invented by the ancient Norse instead of Gary Gygax

[sharp owl]

No, it's not

Tyr is not an intellectual property

Exandria is

[snow laurel]

I literally work with IP in my day job. Tyr is as much an IP as Exandria and Santa Claus

[sharp owl]

The Norse god Tyr is not an intellectual property, nor is Santa Clause

[iron saffron]

Tyr is not trademarkable. He's public domain.

[sharp owl]

And this is getting silly

This channel is for discussing lore of official D&D settings; Exandria does not fall under that category and is therefore not a topic for discussion here

[white ravine]

Isnt exandria mentioned in actual lore however?

Bit odd to effectively censor an entire setting from discussion due to a licensing difference when said setting actively affects officially licensed lore

[sharp owl]

Channel description is very clear; discussion of official settings, which Exandria does not fall under

If anyone has any further questions, you can request a moderator contact you to discuss them via #moderator-support

[scarlet crest]

duunno if this would be this channel, but are the healing items only/mainly healing kits and potions of healing? not counting any magic.

if there are other common healing items, what are they?

[white ravine]

Herbal medicines come to mind as a third option between manmade and magical healing. Its something used a lot back in the day...to varying effect

[iron saffron]

Not really a lore question since it involves more game mechanics. Ask in #dnd-discussion

[scarlet crest]

okay

[distant brook]

If the pact from a devil is like some binding legal contract. Then what would a pact from a celestial be like?

[iron saffron]

A binding legal contract (celestials can be lawful too).

[balmy spoke]

a warlock lawyer

or a cleric of tyr lawyer

[modest badger]

A feylock lawyer sounds terrifying actually.

Oh right Lore channel.

[hidden current]

demons and devils are all about contracts so i think warlock lawyer makes more sense although i am not sure if the forgotten realms or any other d&d setting even have lawyers

[iron saffron]

Demons don't really care that much about contracts since they're CE. They rather corrupt or kill you.
Devils are all about contracts (they're LE afterall) and will get you on the fine print.

[hidden current]

i have read in a few d&d novels demons making contracts as well, granted it is rare and done mostly by devils

[modest badger]

Demonic pacts are possible yeah, but definitely a lot more.. loosey-goosey and probably fey in nature.

3.5 Fiendish Codex I has this:

However, the Black Scrolls do allow for demonic pacts and bargains. Ahm asserts that a particularly evil—and powerful—individual can make a bargain with Demogorgon or Orcus, promising to serve that prince faithfully in life, in exchange for guaranteed rebirth as a powerful demon after death.

When chaotic evil worshipers of these demon lords die, their souls manifest on the home layer of their demon lord, usually as manes. The souls of those foolish enough to have entered a demonic pact that promised their soul to the demon lord suffer the same fate.

Pacts with the reclusive aquatic obyrith have led to powerful discoveries and experiments, many of which stalk the corridors of Abysm in sentient form

But Faustian Bargains done by devils are detailed far more heavily in Fiendish Codex II, having entire pages dedicated to how a pact is made.

[hidden current]

yeah like i said mostly devils rarely demons, never a good idea to deal with either one

[modest badger]

I'm not sure if demon pacts are as binding but I can't really find much lore on it. I want to say it's probably more an 'agreement' and the demon has no compulsion to fulfill their end, same as a mortal. But again, I have no lore sources for that.

We can see from the above though that Faustian Bargains are their own thing . They have rules, they are binding. Where as demonic pacts are just.. mentioned. Never explained.

[hidden current]

true enough

[runic totem]

In the FR, where's the tarrasque?

[foggy flame]

Do dnd dwarves in general have pointy ears or rounded ears? 😬

Or somewhere in between

[hidden current]

pretty sure rounded but could be wrong

[modest badger]

I've only ever seen them depicted with round ears in art

[spark haven]

sleeping somewhere deep underground, typically

[thick trout]

So I keep finding conflicting information on this.
Isna Dragonborn the same color as their ancestral dragon? Are do they all look fairly the same?
Can you tell a metallic Dragonborn from a chromatic or a gem?

[modest badger]

That's because there are different 'lines' or subraces of dragonborn.

This is the lore for PHB dragonborn:

The first dragonborn had scales of vibrant hues matching the colors of their dragon kin, but generations of interbreeding have created a more uniform appearance. Their small, fine scales are usually brass or bronze in color, sometimes ranging to scarlet, rust, gold, or copper-green. They are tall and strongly built, often standing close to 6½ feet tall and weighing 300 pounds or more. Their hands and feet are strong, talonlike claws with three fingers and a thumb on each hand.

The blood of a particular type of dragon runs very strong through some dragonborn clans. These dragonborn often boast scales that more closely match those of their dragon ancestor—bright red, green, blue, or white, lustrous black, or gleaming metallic gold, silver, brass, copper, or bronze.

So regardless of what ancestry they pick, their scales can be any colour and are often browns-reds-yellows.

Fizban's treasury of dragons introduced Gem, Metallic and Chromatic subraces of dragonborn who can more strongly trace their ancestry and influence to particular draconic types:

The dragonborn race in the Player's Handbook is the most direct way to reflect a character with dragons somewhere far back in their ancestry. But for players who want to try a more nuanced approach, this section offers three variant dragonborn race options that can be used to create a character with clear connections to a specific draconic ancestry. When you're making a new character using one of these races, use the rules under "Creating Your Character" to fill out the details.

[thick trout]

Alright thank you. I wanted a Dragonborn to closely resemble their ancestors but wasn't sure if that was lore accurate. I really appreciate it

[hazy fox]

Rounded ears.

[shrewd bobcat]

What is the lore about true immortals in D&D. Like, as in not being about to die. Is there any such examples?

[modest badger]

From old age, or just in general? As in, cannot die to wounds, sickness, age, so on?

[shrewd bobcat]

Aye. Can’t die at all, although I suppose an otherwise “mortal” person with no powers having immortality.

[steep drum]

Are Dragonborn surnames based on their clan's name?

[shrewd bobcat]

I can think of that one Vampire Elf who got stuck in Hell (forgot his name)

[modest badger]

I think almost all things in D&D can ultimately be killed, including gods.
In some editions I know things like gods and archdevils/ demon queens so on cannot permanently die, even on their own plane, and will come back lesser and weakened, and can even be brought back from being 'dead' gods.

But in general things can die but other things can bring them back.

[rare rune]

I would think so. But that would probably be a good talk with the dm/gm of your group.

[steep drum]

Was mostly curious because I'm thinking of making my Baldur's Gate III Dragonborn from the same clan as the one I'm using in my campaign, which wouuld mean that he would mean that his surname, but functionally his forename, would be the same as hers.

[rare rune]

Sounds good to me. 😎👍

[iron saffron]

Yes, nothing is truly immortal in D&D. The Astral Plane is littered with the bodies of dead gods (some of whom do come back to life like the Dead Three (Bhaal, Myrkul, and Bane, who were weaker after being alive again)).

[steep drum]

D&D and Pathfinder do love their dead gods!

[shrewd bobcat]

God’s power stems from their worshippers
And being dead does a number on your cred…

[crude blaze]

Huh?

[tired edge]

My world is homebrew but the actual cosmology is the same as forgotten realms (aside from the sun and moon gods being different) and since I'm gonna make Tiamat and Bahamut the cult of the dragon the same as usual for my world, I was curious, does the sect of the dragon cult that wants to make undead dragons rule the world ALSO want to free Tiamat, or are those two sides of the cult of the dragon separate groups with different goals entirely?

[iron saffron]

So you want to use the Great Wheel cosmology.

[iron saffron]

You're the DM, you decide what their goal is.

This channel deals with official lore. If you need help with your worldbuilding then go to #dm-world-building or DMing advice then go to #dm-discussion

[white ravine]

The rough idea of where it lives is inside the core of the planet.

[white ravine]

Jander Sunstar?

[shrewd bobcat]

Yeah, that’s the one I was thinking of

[white ravine]

I'm running DiA at the moment so this stuff comes natural

[tired edge]

alright thanks!

[raw spear]

im so confused about the forgotten realm, its lore and how the great wheel of cosmology works. For example:

The lands of Barovia are from a forgotten world in the D&D multiverse, and this adventure
gives glimpses into that world. In time, cursed Barovia was
torn from its home world by the Dark Powers and bound
in mist as one of the Domains of Dread in the Shadowfell.

Im confused what they mean by "a forgotten world" and if the diffirent settings like Ebberon are all in the Material plane? Im sorry im just having a real hard time

[white ravine]

The word 'world' is a bit misleading here. It was part of the forgotten realms and a real place on Toril you could go to a long time ago (some dragons might even be old enough to remember it) but it was effectively ripped out of existence and jammed into the shadowfell when Strahd made his immortality bargain.

Exact location on Toril it was at? God knows. Hardly matters now, though.

[raw spear]

ahhhh so thats why its not on the sword coast/faerun map. But Barovia was atleast SOMEWHERE on toril

thank you!

[white ravine]

[iron saffron]

Barovia is not part of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting but one of the domains of the Demiplane of Dread (which is the Ravenloft campaign setting (see Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft). The Domains of Dread is a demiplane that is in part of the Shadowfell.

The Dark Powers will rip away a small chunk of a world, as small as a mansion to a nation, and make it one of the Domains of Dread. Very few Darklords manage to free themselves from their prison (Lord Soth being one).

Barovia was created as part of the original 1E Ravenloft module and not set in the Forgotten Realms. Tracy and Laurea Hickman wrote the adventure before they sold it to TSR (and thus not officially tied to FR as of the original module)

Also remember that there are numerous worlds in the Material Plane (this was the basis for 2E Spelljammer to travel between those worlds in the Material Plane). Toril (the Forgotten Realms) is just one and even though it was the "default" campaign setting it doesn't mean every single module/adventure took place on it (or Oerth (aka Greyhawk)). There were plenty of setting agnostic modules and Dungeon Magazine adventures that took place on non-Toril/Oerth worlds.

[iron saffron]

Where did the lore say Barovia was part of Toril? AFAIK it was always been from a nameless world.

[white ravine]

I vaguely recall mentions of it. Something about the...Eblis river?

[iron saffron]

Non-Darklords can cross between the Domains of Dread and other worlds, including Toril.

[magic jackal]

I think it's referenced a couple times in 5e and non 5e sources about Ravenloft that it was originally a valley from the Forgotten Realms

[iron saffron]

Eh, I'll personally ignore that retcon. I prefer it be mysterious in its originals than have it original in Toril like everything else...

[magic jackal]

It's not exactly a retcon, I think one of the sources predates 3.5

At least it's not a 5e retcon

[iron saffron]

Ah

I don't see it referenced in the FR wiki though.

[white ravine]

🤷‍♂️

[scarlet crest]

would a wyrmling reasonably survive a missing leg

[white ravine]

It could, but probably not long.

[scarlet crest]

would it be able to continue on and be fine as it ages with 1 leg and 2 arms

[white ravine]

Losing a limb especially as a dragon is a quick way to make yourself easy pickings for rivals

And dragons do not heal quickly.

[scarlet crest]

well like if someone healed it or had a mcguffin that could be used to heal the wound but not grow the leg back.

[white ravine]

Well yes, but a dragon's also a creature that flies

Taking off the leg of a large bird is extremely detrimental to them, and for a dragon that spends a good portion of its life fighting off other dragons having such a major hindrance can easily cost them their life

Not to say its IMPOSSIBLE it can make it...but not likely.

[scarlet crest]

okay

[iron saffron]

Four legged creatures Irl can survive with a missing leg

[scarlet crest]

yea

[iron saffron]

This is a DM's fiat than a lore issue

[scarlet crest]

i got confused cause i only know fiat as a car

[iron saffron]

From the Latin for "let it be done," the word fiat is a binding edict issued by a person in command.

[runic totem]

Are dragonborn affected by the colour or category of their dragon

[scarlet crest]

i know the category of dragon affects their breath ability

[iron saffron]

What do you mean "their dragon"?

They have a colour ancestry

[runic totem]

Their ancestor, say a blue dragonborn, would they be more likely to be lawful evil

Or would a metallic one in general be good

[iron saffron]

There are no tied alignments based on colour for PC dragonborns

[runic totem]

No personality or anything really other than the breath weapon

[iron saffron]

Yes

[white ravine]

The only affect it has is on their breath weapon, not even really their scale color. You can have a white dragonborn blast fire at you.

[runic totem]

When's that mentioned??

I've only ever seen them matching ancestry

[white ravine]

PHB

[iron saffron]

The PHB dragonborn has set breath weapon type to scale colour

[white ravine]

That's heritage, not their actual color

'The first dragonborn had scales of vibrant hues matching the colors of their dragon kin, but generations of interbreeding have created a more uniform appearance. Their small, fine scales are usually brass or bronze in color, sometimes ranging to scarlet, rust, gold, or copper-green.'

So you get brass and bronze colored dragonborn launching ice blasts and acid sprays

[rare rune]

When did that change?

[runic totem]

So brass and bronze are the most common scale colours?

But not necessarily actual type

[iron saffron]

I stand corrected

[white ravine]

Since the PHB it's been there

[white ravine]

Yeah, just mixing over time. Some of them have more vibrant colors still, however.

[rare rune]

Unless the dm/gm was fine that a bronze/brass dragonborn had a breath weapon of cold instead of what they are listed in the table content already.

[white ravine]

Nah nah nah

Heritage and scale color are different

[unkempt merlin]

^

[white ravine]

That's the big thing about it, the heritage decides the abilities

[rare rune]

Right

[white ravine]

Scale color is just a hodgepodge of whatever your ancestors were doing to one another

[rare rune]

I guess that'll be something the player and the dm/gm would need to talk about then lol

[unkempt merlin]

In the context of (FR) lore though, it's not really a matter of asking the DM, as while most are the general bronzy/brassy coloration, individuals with the "clear" scale colors do still exist

[scarlet crest]

is it possible to have a not evil mindflayer

[halcyon dragon]

Actually, I want to know that too-

[scarlet crest]

i mean you could homebrew, but lorewise in the uh base game? idk what you call it.

[halcyon dragon]

I’m straight up new in this- no idea

[scarlet crest]

im new to 5e and the lore

well there are mindflayer rogues and outcasts

and they mostly belong to colonies devoted to elder brains

idk what that is

they dont have a pagein the manual

or phb

[halcyon dragon]

Aren’t they the final stage of a mindflayer?

[scarlet crest]

idk

yea you couuld i think have not evil mindflayers

[halcyon dragon]

“Forming the physical and spiritual center of a mind flayer community, the elder brain served as a living library of the community's history, technology, and knowledge. Playing this important role in a mind flayer society, it often doubled as an advisor in all sorts of political and military decisions, operating as the community's effective leader.”

“An elder brain marked also the ultimate goal in every mind flayer's life when it neared the end of its lifespan. Mind flayers sacrificed their brain and individual life by merging with the elder brain, strengthening its powers and intellect. The average mind flayer was unaware that their personality and consciousness were lost when joining with the elder brain, and only their knowledge and ideas survived. This was a fiercely guarded secret kept by the elder brains.”

[scarlet crest]

sounds like the tau

[halcyon dragon]

No idea what that means :’)

[scarlet crest]

its a race in warhammer

wont go into detail here its just similar

[halcyon dragon]

Oh, okay:)

[white ravine]

Yeah, of course.

The evilness of mind flayers tends to stem from the elder brain's activities, and the enthrallment they place all mind flayers with them under.

If you separate a mind flayer from the elder brain, you get to see who that mind flayer really is.

For better or worse.

[scarlet crest]

yea

[marble sun]

is it possible for devils/demons to become good aligned?
if yes, what happens when they do?

[iron saffron]

Yes.

If they are discovered to have "risen to grace" they will probably be hunted down and destroyed by their brethren.

[marble sun]

are there any examples of such things happening in official books?
wanted to read up on alignmnet shifts for creatures, like how good can become evil but i don't hear as much about evil becoming good

[iron saffron]

In the old CRPG Planescape: Torment, there was Fall-From-Grace, a LN succubus who was proprietress of the Brothel for Slaking Intellectual Lusts in Sigil.

Dragon Magazine has a series called Fight Club wherey featured unique monsters. They had Eludecia, a LG succubus paladin. She was featured in a short adventure in Dungeon Magazine called The Legend of the Silver Skeleton.

[marble sun]

ok thanks

[drowsy granite]

Can anyone explain how speaking with plants and speaking with animals work? Like I know it does what the name says but how exactly does it play out in a game? Like what type of info could you gather and more importantly how as a dm could you implement something in the game to reward the players using this spell?

[ionic rivet]

Are you asking about the lore of these spells? It sounds like you're asking other DMs how they run these spells in which case check in with #dm-discussion.

[drowsy granite]

Oh wrong channel, my apologies

Miss pressed on dnd-rules 😅

[hidden current]

i know purebloods typically live about 80-120 years, how long do abominations usually live?

[primal fjord]

Any good dnd novels?

[twin sand]

Hello everybody, I'm completely new to DnD, and I would like to learn everything I can about the lore and history behind the game. I've started checking YT vidéos and looking for some books. Any suggestions on how/where I can speed up the learning process?

[scarlet crest]

the player handbook is the best for the rules and it has a lot of lore in it too.

the monster manual has a lot of lore for a lot of monsters

[cloud marten]

Dragonlance Chronicles

[twin sand]

What about the novels? Is there one in particular that should be read first? are any of them non-canon?

[scarlet crest]

no idea

if you want lore novels probably arent gonna be good for it

since theres always a lot of inconsitencies from lore to story books.

maybe its different for dnd but thats the way it was for other franchises

[cloud marten]

heh most of my DnD lore knowledge comes from novels that I read back as teen

[twin sand]

what about Xanathar's Guide to everything

that sounds promising

[scarlet crest]

you'd need to buy a lot of books to get all the lore

im pretty sure xanathar's guide is better for gaming than lore because it adds a lot of subclasses and stuff

[twin sand]

When I wanna learn something I get pretty dedicated

[scarlet crest]

okay

[eager bay]

I’m trying to figure out what the canon dnd party is and what the true timeline and story of said party because I want to make it into a camp

[sharp owl]

Are you asking about the published adventures?

[serene crater]

I dont think there's one distinct party. It'd mostly be references to a group doing something in one module that has ramifications to another module. I know 5e doesn't really have a canon but there's a lot of nods to make it seem plausible

[scarlet crest]

can there in the lore be a bard mindflayer

with the few ways mindflayers can not be basically controlled by the big brains

if they just leave or like im pretty sure some get captured and experimented on sometimes iirc

[sharp owl]

Arcane illithids are rare already, I don't think there's any account of an illithid accessing arcane magic through bardic casting

[scarlet crest]

okay

so that would be more a homebrew thing than a core thing

[eager bay]

I’m that case I would think the canon party would be the premade character sheets for the starter set

[iron saffron]

There's no "canon party" at least in reference to official D&D lore.

There are archetypal party roles like frontline warrior (aka "tank"), striker (aka melee/ranged martial damage dealer), arcane spellcaster, and healer. But this isn't lore related but more gameplay mechanics.

[foggy trail]

Question: Lorewise, would you create a Ninja/Shinobi subclass to be a Fighter, Monk, or Rogue subclass? I'm honestly leaning more towards Fighter.

[iron saffron]

This isn't a lore question. This is a #character-discussion question as this deals with gameplay mechanics not lore. Lore is basically "history."

That said, in 5E the shadow monk is also called a "ninja"

[primal fjord]

arent the baldurs gate game parties technical canon parties? like theres dozens if not hundreds but as far as ik those are the only canonical ones

unless im just stupid

[iron saffron]

There is no "canon parties." I already posted earlier about archetypal classes.

Canon basically means official lore set by the creator (which would be WotC).

If you want help setting up premade characters then go ask in #dm-discussion

D&D canon would be: The most powerful archdevil is Asmodeus.

[primal fjord]

"Illithids were known to postpone their other goals just to renew an emptied retinue of thralls and every illithid had at least one personal thrall. When they found one they favored, illithids would go out of their way not to eat personal thralls in bouts of hunger or anger, and might even grant them toys and trinkets to occupy themselves with when not working." they give them toys? bro

[scarlet crest]

where is that from

[primal fjord]

forgotten realms wiki, id assume its not reliable but its a fun read

[scarlet crest]

yea

[tame locust]

They do list their sources...

I might have read something similar in a 3.5 book....

[primal fjord]

Yeah I think a lot of it is the older editions

Either way it’s pretty cool stuff

[hidden current]

house of serpents trilogy and venom in her veins are my prefered novels mostly due to the heavy yuan-ti content

[nocturne gust]

ra salvatore my beloved

[hidden current]

i know the dead three became gods after taking divinity from Jergal but did Jergal give his divinity willingly or did the three of them steal it somehow?

[iron saffron]

He gave it up willingly because he was tired of being a god of the dead.

[runic totem]

How populated is avernus?

Would you have to search for hours to find anything other than lemures?

[hidden current]

other than getting the divinity from a preexisting god is there any other way to become one?

[white ravine]

I wouldn't say hours, no. You could probably look up and see at least one or two spined devils/imps flying about. Minimum. At any time.

[runic totem]

How common would the higher level devils be? Like a barbed/bearded devil

[iron saffron]

There's also the Blood War happening on Avernus. You're bound to meet demons and devils there.

[white ravine]

Fairly common. Those ones are the brunt soldiers of the blood war, so anywhere that devils (or demons for that matter) are present there are likely at bearded devils. Maybe barbed, but a good chance.

Only more specialist devils such as chain, bone, and pit fiends would be rarer to find.

[iron saffron]

Mostly least and lesser devils.

[white ravine]

Lemures though, you walk 30 feet and there's some lemure crying under a rock.

[iron saffron]

They're fodder for the invading demons.

[solid osprey]

Don't lemures actually become proper devils at some point down the line though? Could have sworn I read somewhere that they eventually ascend to the status of actual devils

[iron saffron]

Eventually if they get promoted.

[proud thistle]

20

[white ravine]

Lemures do if chosen, but a majority of them are left to mill around the nine hells as torture toys for their betters and for setting off landmines. The first waves of devils are usually flooded with lemures, with rather unflattering names for their 'dreg legions'.

"Bugs in the System, Momentary Lapse of Progress, Casualties Imminent, Last in Line for Healing, Not Worth the Effort" are examples MTF gives which are...hilarious.

[runic totem]

Is there a reason the lower planes are awful and the upper planes are amazing

[fickle blaze]

So I currently have the 3e's forgotten realms campaign guide, 3.5e's grand history of the realms, and 5e's sword coast adventurer's guide.

Any other recommendations for books to get for forgotten realm lore? Can be any edition

[white ravine]

Each plane is meant to be the 'perfect' afterlife for the person there. The upper planes seem more amazing to us because we are sensible and dignified people. Its why the lower planes are, in that same train of thought, disgusting.

[runic totem]

Wait so the lower planes people love it there??

[white ravine]

Yup.

A soul sent to the abyss will be overjoyed, able to murder and maim to their hearts content without threat of death.

Free reign to indulge their darkest impulses without any pushback