Dungeons & Dragons has updated the lore surrounding one of its more controversial playable races. Yesterday, Wizards of the Coast published a new Unearthed Arcana playtest packet that included new playable options tied to the Dragonlance campaign setting. This includes rules to play as a kender, a small humanoid race exclusive to Dragonlance adventures and books. However, the Kender comes with several new abilities not seen in previous editions, including the ability to magically pull out random items out of their pockets or pouches. This is explained as a “magical phenomenon” that not even kenders can explain.
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This new ability is an update to previous lore surrounding the kender, which replaces what many would consider to be a negative stereotype. Originally, kenders were portrayed as having kleptomaniac tendencies – they had a tendency to “borrow” things for an indeterminate amount of time. This was depicted as being a cultural trait – most kenders saw no harm in borrowing objects without permission, and they rarely took coins, gems, or valuables as they had little concept of money. While this was mostly portrayed innocently in the Dragonlance novels, some players would use that aspect to openly steal from anyone and everyone, including their own teammates.
The Unearthed Arcana references the kender’s previous kleptomaniac portrayal by tying it to their new racial ability. Because kender can pull almost any item of their pocket at random, the Unearthed Arcana notes that many kender are “mislabeled” as thieves. This seemingly replaces a universal cultural trait with a magical ability and an update to the corresponding lore.
Wizards of the Coast has made similar updates to the lore surrounding other races, mostly to strip them of their negative stereotypes and to remove traits tied to cultural beliefs. While the kender in Krynn (the world of Dragonlance) might not have a strong understanding of monetary value or personal property, kender in another world (such as a homebrew world) might not have the same values. In essence, Wizards of the Coast is trying to ensure that players can create a kender character that doesn’t necessarily align with the values and cultural belief of the kender portrayed in the Dragonlance novels or adventures.
Of course, some Dragonlance fans are upset by the new changes, especially as the Unearthed Arcana seemingly ties the kender back to the Feywild. While the Kender aren’t classified as fey creatures, Wizards of the Coast has tied several other races and their innate magical abilities back to the Feywild. In the Unearthed Arcana, the kender’s natural curiosity is tied to the “whimsical magic ofthe Feywild, that some believe kender have a high affinityfor,” providing the kender with a potential origin back to the Feywild.
Since the kender lore comes in an Unearthed Arcana, it’s not a guarantee that this lore is “set in stone.” Players can provide feedback on the playtest material later this month. You can check out the full packet of Unearthed Arcana playtest material here.
