Review: Wizards of the Coast – Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons (Dungeons & Dragons)

Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons
Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons is an epic fantasy supplement for Dungeons & Dragons, written and published by Wizards of the Coast.
By Dave Pierson

Learn more about Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons here
Purchase Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons here (paid link)
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The Homebrew DM’s Perception

Disclaimer: No guarantee is made that this book was or was not removed from the hoard of a dragon. Be aware that items taken from a dragon’s hoard might carry traces of the dragon’s inherent magic even long after they are removed from said hoard. Exposure to another dragon’s hoard can reawaken that magic, with unpredictable results.

– Wizards of the Coast and Critical Role, Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, 2021

It is no secret amongst my family and friends that I love dragons. I was that kid when your teacher asked you to associate an animal with the letter of your first name, I said dragon. I was hooked into Dragonlance because of dragon riders. And when Dragonborn became an official playable character option in DnD 4^th Edition, I was all over creating them. My own legacy character, Zeldris Vignar, is that of the Black Dragonborn Paladin/Warlock who serves an Ancient Wrym that falls between the extremes of Bahamut and Tiamat. So Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons has been a book that I’ve been looking forward to ever since it was announced.

When 5^th Edition officially came out, I was looking forward to converting Zeldris and launching a whole new set of adventures. However, with the conversion to 5^th edition, some aspects, such as his breath weapon, felt weaker now. And I get that 4^th edition definitely had a power creep that was more video game like than past editions, but it felt like Wizards was taking away one aspect of the Dragonborn that was a great tool to have in your back pocket. So when they began to playtest more options for the Dragonborn, and then subsequently announced Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, I was excited for the future.

Fizban’s is 224 pages of information for both players and dungeon masters. The first chapter is all about character creation and introduces Gem dragons as a playable option. Players have an option of new breath weapon damage types that were previously unavailable with Force, Radiant, Psychic, Thunder, and Necrotic being added. In addition, Fizban’s revamps the number of times you can use your breath weapon. Instead of being limited to once per short or long rest, players now no longer need to feel limited by being able to use the breath weapon equal to their proficiency modifier per long rest. The trade off is giving up 2d6 damage for 1d10 instead, however, it still does half damage on a failed save. The first chapter also includes new class options for the monk and ranger and draconic feats while chapter 2 delves into dragon magic – new spells, items, and draconic gifts for all players.

Moving into chapters 3 through 5, we find the DM essentials for creating and playing many different types of dragons, including building dragon lairs and their hoards. I love these chapters as they provide the perfect flair, especially for a new DM that may not know as much when it comes to dragons and their interactions. The Draconomicon is one of the most robust features I’ve seen in awhile and even includes rare dragons such as Dragon Turtles, Faerie, and Shadow dragons. And if you were looking for something beyond dragons, the bestiary (chapter 6) includes more options for the DM such as an Animated Breath, Liondrake, and Sea Serpents. Finally, one cannot forget the typical sidebars we find in Wizards recent releases. Wizards includes them now in the table of contents so you can find them more easily and in Fizban’s they provide additional information around Ancient Dragons that exist in the DnD settings that you can pull into your game.

Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons is a smorgasbord of material for players and DMs alike; from new character creation options, to lairs and hoards, to new types of dragons to challenge new and old players. It’s perfect for those homebrew DMs looking for source material to add to their own settings without feeling beholden to story content. This collection is an essential must for any DM in this dragon lovers opinion.