Through the sorcery of datamining, intrepid adventurers recently discovered the next fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons book: Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. Likely a spiritual successor to the Draconomicon and similar to Volo's Guide to Monsters or Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, this upcoming supplement for D&D 5e is sure to be teeming with loads of options for players and a plethora of useful chunks and inspiration for Dungeon Masters.
It looks like this book will also be one of D&D 5e's premier forays into Dragonlance, the epic fantasy setting upon the planet of Krynn. Its title highlights Fizban, the false fool and avatar of Paladine, Krynn's incarnation of Bahamut.
This article speculates about what might be buried in the hoard of Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, and will be updated with new information once we learn more about this book of dragons!
- 16 July 2021: Added a section with all the confirmed content at the top of this article, most of it from the leaked Amazon product page (sigh, like clockwork!).
- 16 July 2021: Added the massive hoard of information given in the D&D Beyond video on Fizban's Treasury of Dragons.
- 17 July 2021: Added release date.
Confirmed Content for Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
- Releases October 19, 2021
- Two Subclasses
- The Drakewarden Ranger Archetype
- The Way of the Dragon Ascendant Monk Monastic Tradition
- Expanded and New Draconic Ancestries for Dragonborn
- Chromatic Dragonborn
- Metallic Dragonborn
- Gem Dragonborn
- Additional Spell Options
- New Feats
- Dragonsight
- This new concept discusses how dragons in various worlds (the Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, etc) may contact each other. It's mystical and relates to echoes of these dragons spreading from world to world.
- Dragon-Based Adventure, Campaign, and Dungeon Creating Tools
- Dragon Lairs, Dragon Hoards
- Detailed Information on 20 Dragon Types
- Presents the First World
- The First World is supposedly a realm crafted by Tiamat and Bahamut, two of the prime dragon gods.
- Complete Bestiary of Dragons
- Dragon Minions
- Gem Dragons
- Dragon God Aspects/Avatars
- Gem Dragons
- Sapphire - These gem dragons enjoy working with deep gnomes, pursuing military tactics and collecting weapons of war and are not afraid of employing them.
- Amethyst - They serve as diplomats and emissaries of peace between warring factions.
- Crystal - These creatures are extremely friendly dragons, they despise white dragons because they lair in the same terrain as them. They also steal white dragon eggs and raise them as their own.
- Topaz - The most aggressive type of gem dragon, they assault others on sight, are not shy in the slightest, they lair underwater and on isolated beaches.
- Emerald - Intelligent, inquisitive, these gem dragons know much about the world, but they dislike other creatures and do all they can to stay isolated.
- All types of gem dragons wield psionic abilities.
- Dragon Turtles by Age
- Great Wyrm Dragons
- These epic versions of all the current dragons will be decked out with the mythical monster system first seen in the Mythic Oddyseys of Theros. These dragons will be significant challenges even to the most powerful characters.
- Dozens of Beautiful New Pieces of Art
- Backstory on Fizban the Fabulous
- Information about the War of the Lance
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| Fizban's Treasury of Dragons Alternate Cover, Anato Finnstark, 2021 Wizards of the Coast |
Speculation Based on Amazon Information
From the looks of the Amazon information, we will not be getting for than a set of subclasses for monks and rangers, and I think it'll only be the two playtested in 2020: the Drakewarden and the Way of the Ascendant Dragon. Although disappointing, this means the rest of the book (which is hopefully bulky) will dedicate itself to enriching draconic lore, mechanics, and uses in D&D 5e.
The newfound knowledge gives credence to similar anatomical and lore sections like in the Draconomicon of old. I'm curious about the five mystery dragons, though. There are five famous chromatics, five established metallics, and five true gem dragons, what could the final five be? Could we be exploring new chromatics like the yellow and purple dragons? Perhaps the book will dive into the lore of brown dragons and grey dragons? Or maybe FTOD will throw something new at us, unseen in prior editions, new to players old and young alike.
The tidbit about the First World is also intriguing; in many D&D worlds, dragons were the first creations to walk the Material Plane. Could this be an origin story for the Forgotten Realms, fully fleshed out? Or is it going to be a skeleton meant for homebrewers to fashion their worlds with? I suppose we'll find out more soon!
I don't believe we'll get stat blocks for Tiamat and Bahamut in FTOD anymore. Instead, we will receive information about the aspects, avatars of the gods themselves. Hopefully this provides interesting ideas for the current Tiamat stat block from Rise of Tiamat, it could definitely use bolstering.
As for the gem dragons, I expect at the very least the normal age ranges for each type: wyrmling, young, adult, and ancient. Although if WOTC follows the path of the Draconomicon, we will see additions to this range, which I am all for!
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| Fizban and Gunthar, Larry Elmore, The Art of Dragonlance Saga, TSR 1987 |
Player Options
Recently, Wizards of the Coast released a batch of dragon-related subclasses and races for folks to playtest. It's likely they'll all be in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons.
In October 2020, Unearthed Arcana flew two draconic subclasses into D&D:
- Way of the Ascendant Dragon, a monk Monastic Tradition
- Drakewarden, a ranger Archetype
April 2021's Unearthed Arcana unleashed the following new or updated D&D races:
- Chromatic Dragonborn
- Metallic Dragonborn
- Gem Dragonborn
- Kobold
It also introduced three new feats:
- Gift of the Chromatic Dragon
- Gift of the Metallic Dragon
- Gift of the Gem Dragon
Seven new spells arrived to D&D 5e, a few named after famous D&D dragons, such as the titular character of Fizban's Treasury of Dragons:
- Icingdeath's Frost
- Nathair's Mischief
- Flame Stride
- Raulothim's Psychic Lance
- Summon Draconic Spirit
- Fizban's Platinum Shield
- Draconic Transformation
With feedback compiled on all these player options, it's likely all of them will appear in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, alongside a variety of other playthings for us to enjoy. In particular, I'd love to see the following included for players:
- Draconian race/ancestry
- Winged kobold race
- Wyrm Pact/Dragon Pact warlock, make a pact with an ultra powerful dragon
- Path of the Dragon Slayer barbarian, similar to Skyrim's Dovahkiin, rage enhanced by dragons, gain powerful roars
- Dragon Domain cleric, wield the divine might of dragons
- Oath of the Dragon Keeper paladin, pledge yourself to an oath written by a dragon of old
- Dragon Sage wizard, unlock the secrets of dragons and wield them
- Dragon Rider feat
- Roll tables that connect player backstories to dragons
- Further rules for dragon companions and guidelines on raising/nurturing a wyrmling from hatching
As more ideas soar into my mind, I'll add them to these lists. Once an aspect is confirmed, it will be added to the section at the peak of this article!
DM Advice and Tools
We rarely receive early previews of DM advice and tools, but I've a decent idea of what we'll see in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons for DMs.
- Dissection of Dragon Lore. Similar to the Draconomicon's in-depth look at all types of dragons, their biology, psychology, social structure, and beyond, surely FTOD will delve into the minutiae of what typical dragons are in D&D, as well as their grander role in the multiverse conflicts that scour its unlimited realms.
- Dragon Roleplaying Advice. Akin to Volo's Guide to Monsters explanation of roleplaying hags, beholder, yuan-ti, lizardfolk, and other iconic D&D races, FTOD will certainly explain how to roleplay each variety of dragon, from blue and red to gold and silver. Although much of this information is briefly touched on in the Monster Manual, I expect exact demeanors to be explored, if not by variety, then by type (metallic, chromatic, gem).
- Dragon Battle Advice. Dragons as they currently stand can be pushovers if the DM does not play them to their strengths. I suspect Wizards of the Coast knows this and will include a section or blurb on the proper ways to wield dragons in battles.
- Dragon Roll Tables. Everyone loves roll tables. The roll tables included in FTOD will likely provide DMs ample opportunity to construct dragon NPCs on the fly, build dragon encounters or adventures in a few minutes, or craft dragon artifacts with ease. I'm confident a few random encounters tables will wyrm their way into the book, as well.
- Example Dragon NPCs. One of my favorite sections of the old Draconomicon is the expansive chapter of example NPCs, one for each dragon type and age combination. That means there's a sample wyrmling gold dragon, an ancient green dragon, an adult red dragon, and so on. If this isn't present, I'll be somewhat upset.
- Dragon-Based Rewards. In the form of new boons, enticing artifacts, and even the promise of grand favors or possible travel assistance, there is a decent shot FTOD will include a section, perhaps even a chapter, dedicated to possible rewards from draconic patrons or dragon hoards of all sizes.
- Lore About Dragonlance. Since Fizban is the titular character of this book as Volo, Mordenkainen, and the Xanathar have been for previous D&D 5e supplements, perhaps the world of Krynn will be elaborated on, though I'm doubtful. I've not included a font of information about Krynn in this article because in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, I believed Greyhawk would feature prominently (Tasha being an iconic Greyhawk character). I was wrong then, and I'm confident now that we'll see only tidbits of Greyhawk with FTOD.
Honestly, my most anticipated piece of this new 5e book is an overhaul of how dragons are treated in this edition. In edition's past, dragons were frightening foes to battle and confront. They could easily wipe out an entire group if they went in unprepared or haughty. Without the proper tactics, presently a dragon can quickly die in D&D 5e. I know because I've wielded dragons poorly in the past, I know my mistakes, but I also know that WOTC can insert years of advice and observing D&D 5e games into this book of dragons. Hopefully, this will prevent others from making the same mistake as me.
New and Revisited Monsters
Alongside player and DM options, it's all but confirmed Fizban's Treasury of Dragons will hit with a host of new and updated dragon and dragon-related monsters.
While yes, new dragons will appear, I think old dragons will receive a makeover to ensure they're formidable foes.
Here are the monsters I believe will be/should be in the book:
- Revamped true dragons (all chromatic and metallic), with new legendary actions and maybe even mythic actions
- Gem dragons
- Topaz dragon
- Ruby dragon
- Amethyst dragon
- Emerald dragon
- Sapphire dragon
- Diamond dragon
- Kobold variants
- Draconian
- Dragon rider
- Dragon golem
- Drake variants
- Tiamat
- Bahamut
- Wyvern variants
- Lesser dragon deities
- Dragon-based demon prince
As monsters are confirmed, I'll add them to the group at the top.
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| Draconomicon Cover, Todd Lockwood, 2003 Wizards of the Coast |
Hover for More!
The Draconomicon is one of my favorite books of editions past. I am ultra excited for Fizban's Treasury of Dragons to release, visit this page for all the latest updates, and know that I'll definitely review the book once it hits, elaborating and enhancing its ideas in the typical RJD20 fashion.
Until the next encounter, stay creative!
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Art in Order of Appearance
- Fizban's Treasury of Dragons Cover, 2021 Wizards of the Coast
- Fizban's Treasury of Dragons Alternate Cover, Anato Finnstark, 2021 Wizards of the Coast
- Fizban and Gunthar, Larry Elmore, The Art of Dragonlance Saga, 1987 TSR
- Draconomicon Cover, Todd Lockwood, 2003 Wizards of the Coast
Last update: 17 July 2021 at 10:02 a.m.
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