D&D: ‘Fizban’s Treasury Of Dragons’– The BoLS Review
Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons promises to deliver you tons of new dragons and dragon accessories. But is it worth hoarding? Here’s our review.
Dealing with dragons is somewhere in between getting involved in a land war in Asia and betting against a Sicilian when death is on the line. It’s generally inadvisable, but not unheard of. Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons wants to change that. This new book takes aim at the “& Dragons” part of D&D, with the goal of updating and reinventing dragons as 5th Edition moves forward. In its pages, we get new types of dragons, new draconic monsters, new magic spells, and items– everything you need to make dragons feel a lot more distinctive.
Putting the ‘Dragons’ in ‘Dungeons & Dragons‘
This is great– because before this book came out, dragons always felt like they needed a little bit of a boost. Sure, they make up the second part of the game’s name. But you don’t have to play through multiple campaigns to understand that dragons can be a little bit lackluster in D&D. It can be difficult to gauge when to use a dragon and, more importantly, how to use one.
Played too recklessly, they’re just big bags of hit points with terrible dex saves and the occasional ability to breathe fire. Played too shrewdly, they might wipe out the party. We need only look at the introduction to Tyranny of Dragons, one of the more maligned segments of the adventure, to see that sentiment in action. In D&D, if something shows up in combat, the players expect they can take it on.
“Why would we have this fight if we couldn’t win?”
Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons wants to change the question. The book wants players to imagine dragons as they fit into the world. In fact, a full third of the text deals with dragons and their impact. And as any good D&D book should, it focuses on the players first.
There are a surprising number of player-facing abilities that represent how a dragon might impact their character before even encountering a dragon. There are the two new subclasses, Drakewarden Ranger and Way of the Ascendant Dragon Monk.
Both of these subclasses bring draconic might to the table in their own ways. Of the two, Drakewarden is the clear winner– there were some bizarre nerfs to the Way of the Ascendant Dragon that makes it less exciting (but still fun).
There are draconic magic items that have the power of a dragon’s breath imbued within them. There’s even an item that lets you summon an adult gold dragon (you only get to do it once per year though). These might be treasure in a dragon’s hoard.
Fizban’s Treasury also examines all parts of the dragon. Not just the flying monster, but also their magical abilities, their lairs, and even their treasure hoards. In the book, you’ll find rules for special Hoard Items that gain power as they’re “steeped in a dragon’s hoard”. It’s a way to create powerful magic items that aren’t quite artifacts but also aren’t just normal, boring magic swords.
For the Dungeon Masters
These are items that drip with flavor– they even come with special Quirks that modify their powers based on what dragon’s hoard they were attuned to last. Slaying a dragon lets you expand one of these items’ powers. But they could also be good quest rewards since you have to continually steep an item in a dragon’s hoard to keep it empowered.
Similarly, there are new draconic feats that represent a gift of dragon’s power. You could pick them per normal, but if I was the DM, I’d consider handing out some of these as boons to players for dealing with a dragon. Because this book is all about the impact dragons have on your game.
Perhaps the most inspiring information for me, as a DM, is in the ‘how to play a dragon’ chapter. There are sections that build on roleplaying a dragon, giving you insight as to what a dragon might want. There are adventure hooks. Pre-constructed encounter ideas. Even whole sample campaign ideas that incorporate dragons at the very heart of them.
This stuff is invaluable to any aspiring DM. It tells you how to make dragons feel mythic. And it gives you ideas for what to do with a dragon besides just “get in a throwdown fight.” Players could be hired by a dragon or might help it with some long-term scheme.
If you’re a more experienced DM, the tables and regional effects for different dragon lairs will be invaluable when you want to make a big setpiece encounter. That’s how dragons should feel in this game– like memorable, show-stopping moments. It takes a lot of work. But rather than just gloss over that work, this book gives you step-by-step guides.
It isn’t as clear or as structured as it could be if you’re a total novice. You do have to use some contextualization to understand “okay if there are all these rules for regional effects and lair actions, I should put together a dragon’s lair, and then have the dragon fight around it.” Again– a lot of work.
Don’t Forget the Monsters
All that work for the DMs is well-rewarded. Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons also introduces a swath of new monsters. You get the new gem dragon types, which are all exciting and we’ll look closer look at a little later this week. But you also get a number of dragon-related monsters, like Animated Breath, which is a living being made out of a dragon’s breath weapon.
There are also the new Greatwyrms, which are supposed to be dragons that have power enough to rival even the gods. As a dragon acquires treasure and basks in it, it becomes more and more like an Aspect of Bahamut or Tiamat. They become mythic monsters (meaning you have to fight them twice in order to kill them all the way), but they don’t feel quite as cataclysmic as the book makes them out to be.
For one, you’ll always be hurting for legendary actions. And two, they feel like they’re just lacking a little in terms of actions outside of combat. But they’re a great jumping-off point for creating your own world-shaking dragons.
And that’s the book in a nutshell. It’s the springbed for your own imagination. Fizban’s wants to get you thinking about dragons and how you’ll use them (if you’re a DM) or how your character thinks about them (if you’re a player).
If that’s what you’re looking for, this book has it in spades. Definitely worth checking out if you want more dragons.
Happy Adventuring!
