I want to make a kenku bard for an upcoming campaign, but I'm torn between the stats in Volo's Guide to Monsters or Monsters of the Multiverse. Which one should I use?
Well, I suppose the obvious question is whether or not your GM has said whether or not either of those books are not allowed.
After that, it's whether either of them has a special ability that you're particularly interested in vs particularly not interested in. From a strictly mechanical standpoint, the Monsters of the Multiverse version is slightly better thanks to Kenku Recall being superior to Kenku Training.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I've a preference for the kenku in Volo's Guide to Monsters as I am not a fan of how Monsters of the Multiverse has granted the kenku speech. Its mimicry of sounds but inability to speak was something that made it truly stand out. Coming up with a signature sound for one was often part of the thrill of rolling one up and that signature sound could always then be a launchpad for an interesting backstory.
As the other poster said it might depend one what your DM will allow but otherwise it's really just about what you want.
I do like the idea of a bard who can communicate with his instrument of choice more effectively than he can generally speaking (no pun intended).
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INSPIRATIONS:Clark Ashton Smith, Mervyn Peake, Jack Vance, Michael Moorcock, Fritz Leiber, M. John Harrison, Gene Wolfe, Steven Brust, Terry Pratchett, China Miéville.
I played a Kenku for a short time - I used the Monsters of the Multiverse stats but kept the speech pattern (I even took it a step further and made it so he had a set number of sentences he could say (everything a character from his backstory ever said to him - which wasnt much)) . I also pretty much ignored the whole no creativity aspect - it seems impossible to me to do this anyway.
I think you should talk to your DM or just take what you like.
I don't know about Volo's or the options it presents - but a kenku bard should be a parrot. Take whatever stats work for you, then ... be a parrot.
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Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
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I want to make a kenku bard for an upcoming campaign, but I'm torn between the stats in Volo's Guide to Monsters or Monsters of the Multiverse. Which one should I use?
Well, I suppose the obvious question is whether or not your GM has said whether or not either of those books are not allowed.
After that, it's whether either of them has a special ability that you're particularly interested in vs particularly not interested in. From a strictly mechanical standpoint, the Monsters of the Multiverse version is slightly better thanks to Kenku Recall being superior to Kenku Training.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I've a preference for the kenku in Volo's Guide to Monsters as I am not a fan of how Monsters of the Multiverse has granted the kenku speech. Its mimicry of sounds but inability to speak was something that made it truly stand out. Coming up with a signature sound for one was often part of the thrill of rolling one up and that signature sound could always then be a launchpad for an interesting backstory.
As the other poster said it might depend one what your DM will allow but otherwise it's really just about what you want.
I do like the idea of a bard who can communicate with his instrument of choice more effectively than he can generally speaking (no pun intended).
INSPIRATIONS: Clark Ashton Smith, Mervyn Peake, Jack Vance, Michael Moorcock, Fritz Leiber, M. John Harrison, Gene Wolfe, Steven Brust, Terry Pratchett, China Miéville.
SYSTEMS: ShadowDark, C&C, AD&D.
GEAR: pencils, graph paper, dice.
I played a Kenku for a short time - I used the Monsters of the Multiverse stats but kept the speech pattern (I even took it a step further and made it so he had a set number of sentences he could say (everything a character from his backstory ever said to him - which wasnt much)) . I also pretty much ignored the whole no creativity aspect - it seems impossible to me to do this anyway.
I think you should talk to your DM or just take what you like.
I don't know about Volo's or the options it presents - but a kenku bard should be a parrot. Take whatever stats work for you, then ... be a parrot.
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.