The New 5.5E ‘Dungeon Master’s Guide’ Gets Canonical With D&D’s Lore
After fifty years of gameplay, there’s a lot of D&D lore out there, and the new 5.5E Dungeon Master’s Guide glossaries it.
In a new video, Wizards of the Coast shows off the expansive lore glossary that awaits within the upcoming 5.5E Dungeon Master’s Guide. As you might expect, after fifty years of being the biggest fantasy RPG in town, there’s a fair bit of lore to D&D.
Side note: I’m not sure when “the lore” started to appear to be a thing. I’m excited about it because lore is a great word. And it’s one that the new DMG employs to good use, with a beefy “lore glossary” that codifies and canonizes D&D’s twisting history into its latest version. Your mileage may vary, but this is where you’ll find the official shared lexicon of who’s who and what’s what in the D&D world.
D&D Lore In the Dungeon Master’s Guide
But what even do you need to know? Honestly, not much. Arguably, that’s what makes D&D so much fun. The most interesting parts are the bits on the map that you get to fill in for yourself. But it can be handy to pull from somewhere other than thin air. Even if you went with the facts of your world being one hundred percent whatever they are in the Lore Glossary, eventually, things will change and become your table’s own version of “the lore.”
Unless you’re one of those people who’s obsessed with making everything completely canonical (which is impossible), in which case, congratulations, the D&D cartoon characters exist in your campaign world now. They not only exist, but they’re realm-walking adventurers known as the Heroes of the Realm that can show up at any time. In any place. This means that Earth and the 1980s exist in the worlds of D&D now, too.
“The so-called Heroes of the Realm are a group of young adventurers: Bobby, Diana, Eric, Hank, Presto, and Sheila who traveled from Earth in the 1980s into a world in the D&D Multiverse. Equipped with powerful magic items, they foiled the schemes of foes such as Venger and Tiamat while seeking some means to return home. Eventually, as the heroes’ mastery of adventuring skills increased,the y discovered the secrets of travelling between worlds, though they still have not found a way home.”
Moreover, these aren’t the only Earthlings in D&D’s multiverse. A new character, Nico, is a Cleric that, like the others, was transported from Earth in the 80s. So, who knows how many other Earthlings are out there or will eventually feature in a D&D movie or a D&D video game to go on to become another part of the lore that unfolds as your stories of Dungeons & Dragons do.
You can find more about the Heroes of the Realm, as well as the Raven Queen, Vecna, Acererak, and other major figures in the D&D multiverse in the Lore Glossary.
I guess this means the groundwork is laid for *YOU* to be in Dungeons & Dragons!
