Questions tagged [lore]
For questions about a setting's in-world details or background.
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What is a spell slot in-lore, and how does it justify the limits on casting spells?
Spell slots are something that we, as players, expend when we want our spellcasting PCs to cast a spell. It is a resource to limit how many powerful spells we can cast in a day. But for our characters ...
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How common is homosexuality in the Forgotten Realms?
For whatever roleplaying reason, I've decided that my Male Human Wizard is gay. After an exhausting week of dungeon crawling, he's heading down to the nearest medium to large-sized city for some R&...
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What makes the Forgotten Realms "forgotten"?
If the Forgotten Realms are forgotten, who forgot them? Certainly not the inhabitants. Is there a lore explanation for why the Forgotten Realms are forgotten?
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What crimes would constitute a 'Universal Crime' or a 'Crime against Nature/Existence'?
The question popped into my head while watching Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and it sprung from the un-modified interaction between Slughorn and the young Tom Riddle. If you aren't familiar ...
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Why are ball bearings so common in the Forgotten Realms?
A standard starting item in some packs is "a bag of 1000 ball bearings." Now, I am still a D&D newbie, but it seems to me that the cart is way before the horse here. Heavy-load-bearing ...
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What differentiates "Gods" from other entities in the Forgotten Realm cosmology?
I am creating a campaign world that is supposed to be a “refuge from the gods”: no true deities can come here, no intervention in the affairs of mortals. People came here from the Forgotten Realms to ...
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Does an Ooze (Gelatinous Cube) float?
If I have a situation where an ooze, such as a Gelatinous Cube, is near a source of water, like a small pond or underground stream, is there source material somewhere that says whether the ooze floats ...
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What sound does an owlbear make?
A discussion in my gaming group led to us wondering: what does an owlbear sound like? Many monsters, especially those as iconic and strange as this one, have had long-winded descriptions across the ...
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Is there a functional reason for wizards to live in towers so often?
The concept of wizard towers seems to predate D&D, but has there been a functional reason for this added to D&D? I'm going to be using the answer specifically in 5e, but wizard towers ...
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I'm a quarter Draconian, a quarter Dragonborn and half Half-Dragon?
What are the differences between "Dragonborn", "Half-Dragon", and "Draconian" races in D&D?
In the Hoard of the Dragon Queen adventure, for example there is a Half-Dragon npc. I had assumed that ...
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Whose portrait is printed on the Waterdhavian gold coin?
Reading Waterdeep: Dragon Heist for an upcoming campaign, I'm writing a few teasers about the world in preparation. I know that the "dragon" is the local name for the gold coin minted in Waterdeep, ...
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How can I develop my character's background when I know nothing of the game's lore and want to avoid spoilers?
This is a tricky one, and I may be painting myself into a corner in which case please feel free to tell me so in an answer but please also provide advice on how to get out whilst disturbing as little ...
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What do Unicorns want?
I am making a Celestial Warlock who has made a pact with a particularly powerful Unicorn, as suggested in XgtE. One thing I want to do is flesh out the pact and my patron, but I am struggling to find ...
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Are Drow Cities Illuminated?
I am delving into DM'ing a Drow campaign. Despite having read numerous novels and publications spanning from TSR to WotC to Paizo, I am now having trouble wrapping my head around the idea of their ...
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Do dragons smell of lilacs?
I had an interesting thing happen in my last session of Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition.
My players' characters are in a dragon-heavy adventure. A player tried to do a Perception check to detect ...
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Why are elves immune to a ghoul's paralyzing touch?
I was reading Are Half-Elves immune to the paralyzing property of a Ghoul's Claw action? and it struck me that I have no idea as to why elves would be immune to the paralyzing touch of a ghoul, ...
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When did Warlocks make their first appearance in D&D and how do they differ between editions?
I'm gathering lore about Warlock class origins in D&D.
A quality answer would have more than just a release date, and would ideally cover what makes each edition's version different from other ...
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Where do the Bête stand on LGBT issues?
In a recent Werewolf session, our GM had us meet an informant in a gay club, and it raised an issue we never really explored before in this game. Our group of players is composed of people close to ...
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What are the "Dark Powers"?
What are the dark powers in Ravenloft?
I'm not asking for a list, but rather a description of these entities.
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Do owlbears lay eggs?
Well, do they?
And has this changed across editions?
I'm interested in "canonical" answers. While not something a typical Monster Manual entry would cover (am I wrong?), there may well be an article ...
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If Tiamat is killed in the Nine Hells, does she die permanently?
The entry on devils (p. 68) in the Monster Manual states the following:
"Devils that die in the Nine Hells are destroyed forever - a fate that
even Asmodeus fears."
This makes it clear ...
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What's in a Dead God?
On pages 46-47 of the 5e DMG, under the section regarding the Astral Plane, it states:
Visitors occasionally stumble across the petrified corpse of a dead god.
Is there any lore about the ...
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Is giving a kobold a weapon considered a marriage proposal?
I have a friend who played D&D 4e longer then me. One day we were adventuring in Kobold Hall and I convinced a female kobold to join our group. Soon after my character gave the kobold a weapon, my ...
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What does the "titan" monster tag mean?
I've noticed that a few creatures have the "titan" tag (here's a D&D Beyond search) but I'm not sure what that tag means.
I noticed the other day in my Monster Manual when looking at the ...
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Is there any canon lore reason why urban werewolves haven't destroyed vampires (or vice versa)?
Werewolf: The Apocalypse has a couple of tribes of urban werewolves: the Glass Walkers and the Bone Gnawers. Plus those members of the Black Spiral Dancers who hang about in Pentex boardrooms or areas ...
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What do Devils eat, and how do they get it?
When a monster in the Monster Manual doesn't need food, drink, sleep, or air, it's specified by a [X] Nature. For example, a zombie has an Undead Nature:
Undead Nature. A zombie doesn't require air,...
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How are Githyanki effective against Mind Flayers?
The description of the Gith, particularly the Githyanki portrays them as deadly, implacable enemies of Mind Flayers, so much so that they took down the unbelievably vast and powerful ancient Illithid ...
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Why are the Faithless condemned to the Wall of the Faithless after death?
If you live in the Forgotten Realms and die without worshipping a deity, you are sentenced to the Wall of the Faithless by Kelemvor to serve as another proverbial brick in the Wall.
But why does this ...
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Is there a guide/reference for possible character hairstyles in D&D Forgotten Realms universe?
I was playing a D&D session as a female cleric of Qotal and, at some point, the party encountered some kind of wind monster. As I tried to cast spells requiring concentration, the DM argued that I ...
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What is the precedent for what happens to a warlock's character levels if their patron dies?
Let's say my multi-class Warlock 3 / Wizard 17 and his party have just killed his patron, fulfilling a life long dream to be free of an ancestral Pact with the evil fiend. He has zero interest in ...
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How would a devil get around using its true name on a contract?
In the lore, knowing a devil's true name allows you to summon it and grants you power over it.
Devils LOVE contracts, but surely they need to put their full names somewhere on the contract to be ...
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Is there an in-universe reason why each wizard uses different notation in their spellbook?
One of the best things about being a wizard in D&D is the wide array of spells that, in principle, you have access to. To prevent this from being over-powered and over-whelming, you can't just ...
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Is Troll Mitosis possible?
A Troll has incredible regenerative abilities. They can even regrow lost bodyparts, including their head. Hence, my question: Does each part that is severed from a Troll eventually grow into a ...
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What happens when a metallic dragon and a chromatic dragon mate?
Is it possible, and if so, what happens when a metallic and chromatic dragon mate? I'm most interested in blue and bronze dragons.
I'm interested in lore from all editions except the fourth edition. ...
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Why are so many languages written using the Dwarvish script?
If you look at the list of Standard Languages, you'll see that most of them use Dwarvish as their script:
Common: Common
Dwarvish: Dwarvish
Elvish: Elvish
Giant: Dwarvish
Gnomish: Dwarvish
Goblin: ...
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How can I explain a race from Eberron showing up in Faerûn?
I know Eberron and Faerûn are different planes, but I have players who want to play warforged. What connections exist between the planes to facilitate a Eberron race ending up in Faerûn?
I am looking ...
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Is there an iconic monster or creature for each alignment?
In my D&D 5e game, I have a custom cosmology, and I'm currently working on a concept for an afterlife plane where any sentient creature who enters is sorted by alignment and guided to the ...
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Do gods need to be worshiped?
I am working on my first homebrew setting using a spelljammer sort of cosmology, and I have run into some confusion. So far, my understanding is that gods in D&D only exist where they have ...
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What exactly is a fey/fiend/celestial spirit?
A few spells mention using spirits, specifically fey, fiend or celestial spirits, usually regarding summoning them to take the form of another creature. A few examples are listed below:
Conjure ...
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Will this series of events work to drown the Tarrasque?
Here's the challenge: I, a level 17 Bard taught by the College of Compulsion (a homebrew subclass), am hired by some random bumpkins to go and get rid of the Tarrasque all by my lonesome, for 5 silver ...
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Would Great Old Ones care about the Blood War?
I've been wanting to play a Great Old One Warlock, but my table is about to start Descent Into Avernus. My thoughts to tie it in is that the GOO has taken notice of what's going on in the Nine Hells ...
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What is the nature of Tiamat's imprisonment?
Background: In HotDQ, one of my PC's is a Tiefling who grew up orphaned and wandering the Nine Hells. (I find it a little farfetched, but I'm trying not to step on people's creativity unnecessarily.) ...
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What happens if a vampire tries to enter a residence without an invitation?
A vampire "can't" enter a residence without an invitation.
Forbiddance: The vampire can't enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.
Source : Monster Manual, p. 297....
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How is the Blood War a balanced conflict?
There are 2 sides to the Blood War. The Nine Hells and the Abyss.
Devils, from the Nine Hells:
Are Lawful, orderly and disciplined
Take the souls of mortals they can make deals with either in life ...
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Why do most dwarven city names in the Forgotten Realms have a suffix of -bar?
I am running a 5e campaign based in the Silver Marches of Faerun of the Forgotten Realms universe. I noticed that some of the cities in and around the Silver Marches area have a suffix of -bar, and I ...
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When did Artificers make their first appearance in D&D, and how do they differ between editions?
My curiosity arose after reading When did Warlocks make their first appearance in D&D and how do they differ between editions? by aaron9eee:
A quality answer would have more than just a release ...
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Who is that demon on the cover?
One of the most enduring and iconic images from the history of D&D is Trampier's cover for the 1ed AD&D Player's Handbook. You know the one: orange demon idol with the thieves prying out the ...
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Are elves native to Faerun/Toril, or are they immigrants from elsewhere (like the Feywild)
Where did the D&D 5e elves come from? (In-universe sense).
Based on some comments under this answer, this map of the Feywild, the fact that elves have Fey Ancestry (see PHB), and the following ...
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In which editions of D&D have druids been able to Wild Shape into owlbears?
In the trailer for the movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, we see a druid character use the Wild Shape ability to turn into an owlbear (timestamped link to trailer). Notably, this ...
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Can a patron revoke a warlock's powers?
I would like to know whether a warlock can directly confront his patron without risking to lose his powers. And generally in which case the patron is allowed can take his "gift" back. I've tries ...
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