D&D 5E [XGtE vs. SCAG] Xanathar's Guide to Everything and Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

[extralead]

The Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (SCAG) lays out many conceptual elements for roleplaying and character creation/development. While not a strict RAW reference, SCAG does provide many ways to design and build a character in D&D 5E that fits common molds (especially its Chapter 4). Xanathar's Guide to Everything, even though a Forgotten Realms campaign setting extension in some ways, does appear to break those molds significantly.

Let's start with the Barbarian. Each Path is given an area, often down to the tribe level (and where that tribe is located on the map of Faerun, or was originally-located), that corresponds to the subclasses in the PHB: Berserker and Totem Warrior (as well as its own addition, Battlerager). How do the new Paths fit into a Forgotten Realms campaign setting?

The Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard classes suffer from some of this, but the Bard, Monk, and Paladin (like the Barbarian) get the worst of it. Will the Colleges of the Herald, Fochlucan, and New Olamn welcome Glamour, Swords, and Whispers Bards? Where do Kensei come from? Do they (or can they) join Monastic Orders? If the Oath of Crown Paladins hail from Sumbar Hills (near Red Larch) to be a part of the Order of Samular -- and the Oaths of Devotion and Vengeance hail from Helm's Hold (right outside of Neverwinter), then where do the Oath of Conquest or Oath of Redemption Paladins hail from?

Will some of the new subclasses from XGtE be more-predisposed to a certain faction, such as the Harpers for Bards or the Emerald Enclave for Druids?

Many players are introduced to the Forgotten Realm Campaign Setting in the Sword Coast due to the various tie ins spelled out in the modules. Sometimes the modules will even include Paths/Tribes, Colleges, Orders, Druid Circles, Temples/Shrines, and Wizard Groups as NPCs. I assume that new modules will continue in this vein and include the XGtE subclass affiliations, but for the current modules there appears to be a visible gap. Is there any way to compensate for this gap, especially when and if XGtE doesn't cover subclass inclusion to the setting?

This distinction may worsen in Adventurer's League (AL) legal environments. If AL only allows one book beyond the Player's Handbook, then this may cause further collisions and gaps. Is everything going to be ok or am I just worrying too-much?

 

[jgsugden]

The Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (SCAG) lays out many conceptual elements for roleplaying and character creation/development. While not a strict RAW reference, SCAG does provide many ways to design and build a character in D&D 5E that fits common molds (especially its Chapter 4). Xanathar's Guide to Everything, even though a Forgotten Realms campaign setting extension in some ways, does appear to break those molds significantly... Is everything going to be ok or am I just worrying too-much?

Everything will be ok. You're worrying too much. However, a lot of people will worry too much, so these types of discussions will be prevalent for a while.

You can make fun and interesting characters with just the PHB, or with a PHB + 1 approach. They've learned from their prior efforts and lifted restrictions that were unnecessarily limiting. We're trying to tell great stories. Prohibiting someone from telling a story because it did not fit a cookie cutter model of the vision of the subclass, background or whatever - well, that isn't fun. D&D is often at its best when something breaks the traditional thinking.

 

[Satyrn]

I read those SCAG bits you're talking about as suggestions on how you can fit a character into the setting, but that absolutey nothing bars you from doing something different if you have some other cool idea.

suggestions, not rules. Everything can fit anywhere as the table - players and DM - decides.

And of course, SCAG is only considering what's in it and the core books. Adding in new material will of course change things in whatever ways make sense to the table.

 

[gyor]

When VGTM came out, AL released a document on how to use the races in AL written by Matt Sarnett himself.

Perhaps XGTE will cause the AL to do something similar.

I have my own thoughts.