A New Dawn for Dragons on the Tabletop
5th edition Dungeons & Dragons has introduced many new fans into the hobby, and over the decade it has released and updated its books to better accommodate all of its players. Many of the books have built upon settings, monsters and class features that help to flesh out worlds and provide inspiration to both Players and Dungeon Masters (DMs) alike. So it is surprising to see a book about Dragons, half of the tabletop games name, get a book so late into the lifespan of the edition. But it is certainly the wait as we finally get the addition of the fan favourite Gem Dragons as monsters to play against/with. There are also a variety of new player options in the book and so much lore about each of the dragons, new and old, to truly give them the proper emphasis and importance they deserve as one of fantasy’s most recognisable figures.
A “Breath Weapon” of fresh air for the Dragonborn
A handful of new player options are added in this supplement for all adventurers alike to try out, but most notably is the inclusion of the Dragonborn redesign for Metallic and Chromatic Dragonborn as well as brand new Gem Dragonborn. This reimagining of the race, now species, which tries to make each of the dragon types more unique with variations on the sub-species. Fizban’s offers brand new Metallic and Chromatic Dragonborn that each receive brand new breath weapons and abilities respectively; Metallic Dragons are now able to perform an Enervating Breath which creates a cone that incapacitates anyone caught in the blast. While Chromatic Dragons are now able to activate a Chromatic Warding from level 5 onwards that allows the dragonborn for a minute to become immune to the damage type their draconic ancestry is associated with. As part of this refresh, Gem Dragonborn are now available to play now with a unique range of damage types associated with each of the Gem Dragon types; Emerald dragons provide a resistance to Psychic, Topaz have a connection to Necrotic and Crystal Dragons imbue their dragonborn with Radiant Damage.
The Gem Dragonborn utilises these unique damage types to enhance their Breath Weapon and gain damage resistance towards it, but what helps them to stand apart from the other two Dragonborn Sub-Species is the unique ability to telepathically speak to other creatures. In addition to this, Gem Dragonborn are able to use their ability Gem Flight that allows them to psionically fly at a movement speed equal to their walking speed for a minute after reaching level 5. The Gem Dragonborn feels very fleshed out in the book, along with the Gem Dragons in the book, there is a wide variety of options to base the personality of your Gem Dragonborn and to customise your draconic heritage to fit with the Dragonborn you want to play.
Other than the new Dragonborn species, players have the option of two new subclasses to play as that are specialised in Dragon culture and theming. The first of the two is a new subclass for the Ranger, the Drakewarden that has tamed a draconic companion to adventure with. Similar to one of the base Ranger subclass, The Beastmaster, which gives the player access to a brand new animal companion to assist in both social and combat encounters. What makes this stand apart from the Beastmaster is that the animal companion is a small sized Drake, that may take on any appearance you wish, and physically grows along with you as you level up in this class. The drake is later able to fly, carry you on its back as a mount and are able to cast a draconic breath weapon from the drake in the later levels of the class. Majority of the levels in this subclass focus on growing your drake and enhancing its abilities; having the option to customise its damage and immunity type, increasing the damage of its bite and claws, being able to summon it out of thin air, etc. But, this is still a fun subclass that will fit greatly in most campaign settings, as long as you talk to your DM first.
The Monk also receives a brand new subclass option in Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons allowing them to master the Way of the Ascendant Dragon. This Subclass is themed around mastering the spiritual form of a dragon and letting it alter your character to become a powerful martial artist that inspires others that surround you. Early on you become better at influencing in social encounters, getting to reroll intimidation and persuasion checks, but by the end you will have mastered many traits synonymous with dragons. You are able to cast a breath weapon, fly around the battle map and become capable of sensing enemies through blindsight. Monks in 5th edition often take longer to grow into their potential in comparison to other martial classes, but this fits very well with the leveling of the monk that it should make sense in almost any campaign with just a bit of change to the thematic elements to be better suited to all campaign settings.
The Draconic horde grows with more beasts to battle!
Fizban’s offers a nice selection of monsters in its book alongside the character options and details on how to customise and write dragons for your campaigns. The highlights of the book are the new stats for both Aspects of Tiamat and Bahamut, allowing DMs to now run variations of the gods of dragons in their games, as well as the brand new gem dragons. The gem dragons have existed in previous editions of D&D but were first introduced years before with the Sapphire Dragon, a fan favourite from Unearthed
Arcana until its final release in Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons along with the many other gem dragon types. It is a fun alternative to many of the other dragons in the game, now offering up a selection of neutrally aligned draconic monsters compared to the good and evil that came out in the original monster manual. Many other monsters show up in Fizban’s also as we now get specialised minions for each of the dragon types that could now be found out in the wild or guarding the lair of their master. Some monsters introduced are also less dragon specific but help to add to the world of D&D and its many dungeons; we see the introduction of a Hoard Mimic that takes the shape of a pile of gold, Hoard Scarabs bare a similar semblance to coins and make for a fun reference to the scenes from The Mummy films, the book also introduces Sea Serpents into 5th edition as a brand new monster to roam the seas and becoming an encounter for many pirates and sailors alike.
Do these dragons roll a Critical Success or have they failed?
It is great to see a proper expansion of Dragon lore, monsters and interactions between the players and the notorious monster that has stood the test of time as still one of, if not the most famous monster in all of fantasy. Though there is not too much in the book outside of anything that isn’t thematic to dragons, it is excusable as Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons provides an extensive overlook of Dragons and is an absolute must have for any campaigns that run dragons at the centre of itself. The two new character subclasses are flavourful and lots of fun to see played on the tabletop, but it would have been better to see a brand new subclass for a selection of the other classes as well; perhaps a new warlock pact with a dragon, A paladin with an oath for Tiamat or Bahamut, a druid that has powers themed around transforming into a dragon, etc. Overall, Fizban’s is a great addition to the many books in D&D 5th editions collection and high up on my list of books to get after having bought the original three rule books.
