Following concerns of racism in the recent Spelljammer expansion, Wizards of the Coast has quietly altered Dungeons & Dragons’ hadozee race’s origins.
The Astral Adventurer’s Guide, one of several sourcebooks released as a part of the Spelljammer expansion, includes a brief rundown of one of Spelljammer’s races, the hadozee. The game’s description of the hadozee quickly drew criticism from Dungeons & Dragons players for its use of anti-Black tropes and imagery. According to Kotaku, Wizards of the Coast caught wind of the criticism and has already edited the description of the hadozee in an online D&D Beyond entry.
Spelljammer’s hadozee were initially described as a race of animalistic primate-like creatures who gained sapience as a result of genetic experimentation intended to turn them into a slave race. Beyond inviting obvious comparisons to the horrifying real-life history of the transatlantic slave trade, the Astral Adventurer’s Guide also includes depictions of hadozee that look extremely similar to infamous caricatures of minstrels.
Following sharp backlash from Dungeons & Dragons players, Wizards of the Coast seems to have altered the hadozee origin story. After an update on D&D Beyond, the online platform which hosts all official D&D content, the description of the hadozee no longer contains any references to slavery, instead implying that the hadozee gained sapience as a result of natural evolution. This brings the latest incarnation of the hadozee closer to earlier imaginings of the character, which had no backstory at all. The art depicting a minstrel-like hadozee bard is still visible on the updated D&D Beyond entry. All physical copies of the Astral Adventurer’s Guide still contain the original description of the hadozee, and WotC has not announced reprints of the sourcebook.
Wizards of the Coast has come under fire for racism within Dungeons & Dragons several times over the last several years. WotC has taken steps to work the game into a more racially sensitive form, including revamps to the game’s racial system in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, a recent major supplement. Both the studio and the game have continued to draw criticism for their regressive handling of race as a concept, and for specific insensitive portrayals of races like the hadozee.
Spelljammer and all related sourcebooks and supplements were released on August 16. They can be purchased at most brick and mortar hobby retailers, and the updated version of the Astral Adventurer’s Guide can be found on D&D Beyond.
Source: Kotaku
