If I write a epic series of books that takes place in faerun that is canonically correct would it be considered canon?
Edit: I'm going to provide a definition to help. To quote 6thLyranGuard, "'Canon' is what's factual to D&D lore. 'Cannon' is what your going to be shot out of if you keep getting the word wrong,".
If I write fanfiction, is Wizards of the Coast able to ignore the events of it in their published material without causing flame wars on internet forums?
As answered by Sedge, canon is only official works.
However, people at D&D (I think Jeremy Crawford, or maybe Chris Perkins, if not both) have point out that as D&D is an infinite multiverse, technically everything is canon.
In terms of the "established" (or at least most current) version of events they use in modules and spinoff related media, anything you create would not be canon.
Since DDB is now owned by WotC, everything we do here is canon.😜
If it's not obvious: Kidding. As stated, it's not established canon unless it's published by official channels, but I've seen so many different campaigns with their own canons that established canon is a starting point for your story as you see fit.
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Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
If this is true how is stuff like the crystal shard considered canon?
If you read the more thorough definition of canon provided in the first response to this thread, you wouldn't be asking that question. The bigger question is "why?" are you asking this question. Anything you write for (as a DM or with DM's consent in worldbuilding) or play through in your game is canon for your game. What happens at your table or in your imagination doesn't impact anyone else's game, unless it's actually published by WotC ... and even then WotC's D&D studio's official stance on canon is that even "official books" aren't canon to specific games unless the table adopts them. So while for some lore heads, the crystal shard is key canon to the Forgotten Realms ... in a lot of Forgotten Realms games Drizzt doesn't even exist.
I don't even know whether Adventurer's League has a strong adherence to established "canon", but again AL's organized play is just one game and has no say as to what is canon in games outside Adventurer's League.
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Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
It's only canon in the campaign you play in where it is being used. Other campaigns could take it to be true at their table if they wanted to. Of course, they could also disregard official canon entirely. As pointed out, no one is forced to have Drizzt Do'Urden (part of official lore and canon) and have it part of their version of the Forgotten Realms.
As an aside as someone who has written about 750k of fan fiction here, canon aside keep in mind three things:
Per Wizards legal, you are allowed to do your fanfiction, and use their settings for free, per Fan Content Policy | Wizards of the Coast. However, in the the details under the Terms of service (Terms | Wizards of the Coast) you have given away license to Wizards to co-opt your material (see section 5.2). Are they going to republish your work? Unlikely but if you have a juicy story; don't put it in any part of the D&D space. That's because...
You cannot make money with fiction with WOTC without a license, and they aren't granting them currently. If you want to monetize your work; you can't use WOTC settings or material. So just make up your own world.
Also on the side, point 1 allows you to use WOTC art from sources. That does not mean you can copy DnDBeyond's digital art, of WOTC material. Completely different case.
So... Hi
If I write a epic series of books that takes place in faerun that is canonically correct would it be considered canon?
Edit: I'm going to provide a definition to help. To quote 6thLyranGuard, "'Canon' is what's factual to D&D lore. 'Cannon' is what your going to be shot out of if you keep getting the word wrong,".
Come check out some of my Homebrew (please give input!)
Make some trinket tables on this thread!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_(fiction)
Canon would be official works. Your contributions would not be.
That was quick!
Thanks!
Come check out some of my Homebrew (please give input!)
Make some trinket tables on this thread!
If it ever got recognized as semi-official, it would at best be considered “expanded/extended universe” (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expanded_universe), otherwise it’s just “fan fiction” (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_fiction).
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
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That would be fan fiction. There are websites just full of that stuff.
Come check out some of my Homebrew (please give input!)
Make some trinket tables on this thread!
Because it was published by TSR, the company that published D&D at that time.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Think of your questions as this:
If I write fanfiction, is Wizards of the Coast able to ignore the events of it in their published material without causing flame wars on internet forums?
It's not canon.
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
As answered by Sedge, canon is only official works.
However, people at D&D (I think Jeremy Crawford, or maybe Chris Perkins, if not both) have point out that as D&D is an infinite multiverse, technically everything is canon.
In terms of the "established" (or at least most current) version of events they use in modules and spinoff related media, anything you create would not be canon.
Since DDB is now owned by WotC, everything we do here is canon.😜
If it's not obvious: Kidding. As stated, it's not established canon unless it's published by official channels, but I've seen so many different campaigns with their own canons that established canon is a starting point for your story as you see fit.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
i thought this thread was asking if the definition of canon was canon.
cant help but feel dissapointed
If you read the more thorough definition of canon provided in the first response to this thread, you wouldn't be asking that question. The bigger question is "why?" are you asking this question. Anything you write for (as a DM or with DM's consent in worldbuilding) or play through in your game is canon for your game. What happens at your table or in your imagination doesn't impact anyone else's game, unless it's actually published by WotC ... and even then WotC's D&D studio's official stance on canon is that even "official books" aren't canon to specific games unless the table adopts them. So while for some lore heads, the crystal shard is key canon to the Forgotten Realms ... in a lot of Forgotten Realms games Drizzt doesn't even exist.
I don't even know whether Adventurer's League has a strong adherence to established "canon", but again AL's organized play is just one game and has no say as to what is canon in games outside Adventurer's League.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
It's only canon in the campaign you play in where it is being used. Other campaigns could take it to be true at their table if they wanted to. Of course, they could also disregard official canon entirely. As pointed out, no one is forced to have Drizzt Do'Urden (part of official lore and canon) and have it part of their version of the Forgotten Realms.
As an aside as someone who has written about 750k of fan fiction here, canon aside keep in mind three things:
I said yes, because unless you have permission from Wizards of the Coast, it would just technically be canonical on here.
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