Dungeon Masters and dragon lovers rejoice! Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons has been opened for us to explore!
This book promises everything that you could ever want in a book solely focused on dragons. With lore, stat blocks, player options, and DM tips for including dragons in your campaign, Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons strives to be the ultimate resource for all things draconic in D&D 5e.
I had a blast reading through this one and am now happy to offer the Tabletop Joab review of Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons!
What is Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons?
Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons is a supplement for D&D 5e that exclusively focuses on dragons and all things related to them.
There is a TON in this book! (We’ll go over what’s specifically in it in just a moment!)
Much like how other books for 5e have been “written by” famous characters from D&D’s lore (like Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes), this book is written from the perspective of the powerful archmage, Fizban the Fabulous.
In addition to all of the draconic goodies, Fizban has included humorous and clever notes/observations throughout the book.
With so many of 5e’s releases as of late focusing on new and interesting campaign settings, it’s nice to see this book take a slight return to the classic fantasy that D&D embodies.
While Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons functions as a great resource on all things draconic, there’s more than enough information in this book to base an entire campaign setting around!
Who is Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons For?
First and foremost, Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons is a book that is clearly meant for Dungeon Masters.
While there are some player options in this book, it’s a small section (8 pages in total.) The majority of the book is meant to give DMs everything that they could possibly need to run dragons properly in their game.
After all, we’re talking about immensely powerful creatures with incredibly deep lore here! If anything deserves their own book, it’s dragons!
A DM who reads Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons and applies it to their game will be perfectly able to capture the excitement (and terror) that comes with encountering a dragon.
That said, this book might still appeal to some players despite not having many player options. Because there’s so much lore in Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, players who want to learn more about dragons and their lore need to look no further.
The material within Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons works best if you are homebrewing your own story. With the exception of the Tyranny of Dragons adventures, you’ll likely have a difficult time fitting much of this in with other adventure modules.
What This Book Is Not
The focus here is on running dragons and the world-building that comes with introducing such a powerful entity to your games.
Think of Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons like a toolkit for DMs above all else.
Where other releases like Xanathar’s Guide to Everything and Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything have had a ton of resources and options for players, this isn’t one of those books.
Likewise, if you’re not looking to include dragons in your campaign, this isn’t the book for you. It’s hyper-focused on its subject and does a good job at not deviating from that.
What is in Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons?
So what is actually in Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, you ask?
The book has 6 chapters in addition to some fun extra lore in the preface and many sidebars. Some chapters (like the Character Options) are shorter, but most are very expansive!
Let’s take a quick look at what you can expect in each section!
Character Options
Chapter 1 of Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons includes several dragon-themed options for players.
First up, there are now three sub-race options for Dragonborn characters to choose from.
Specifically, players can now choose if their Dragonborn is of Chromatic, Metallic, or Gem Dragon ancestry. Each of these options provides extra abilities to the character based on the specific ancestry chosen.
Monks and Rangers will be excited about their new subclass options introduced in Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons!
For the Monk, the Way of the Ascendant Dragon fuses the might of dragons with the speed and discipline of martial arts. Students of this Monastic Tradition are able to enhance their own combat abilities, fly with spectral dragon wings, and use their energy to bolster their companions.
Rangers, on the other hand, gain the Drakewarden subclass. These rangers have made a bond with a draconic spirit that will grow and fight alongside them. Not only is your scaly friend a powerful ally in combat, but you’ll eventually be able to use it as a flying mount!
I admittedly feel like there were some missed opportunities for more dragon-based subclass options here. It would be interesting to see more information about having dragons as Warlock patrons as well as some extra love shown to the Draconic Bloodline sorcerer.
Lastly, the Character Options section of Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons includes dragon-themed feats and suggestions for how you might connect characters to a draconic theme regardless of their class.
Draconic Magic
In Chapter 2 of Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, we explore the role of Draconic magic.
First up, spellcasters now have seven more spells to consider! Naturally, these are draconic spells in both name and effect!
From there, we get 13 new Magic Items that you can include in your next adventure. Many of these items are exceptionally powerful and include legendary items like the Dragonlance and the Flail of Tiamat.
Where this section really shines, though, is in giving ideas for how a given item can grow in magical power as a result of being in a dragon’s hoard. Not only can such items become more powerful, but they might also develop some unique magical quirks.
Finally, the Draconic Gifts section of this chapter explains the types of powers, abilities, and physical changes that one might gain from slaying a dragon. If you’re running a dragon-themed campaign, this investment of draconic power can make an incredible extra reward for the party members!
Using Dragons in Your Game
For Dungeon Masters, Chapter 3 is where the real “meat” of Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons is.
In this chapter, Fizban goes into how to roleplay as a dragon as well as provides information about dragons’ lives. Dragons’ life spans, religions, organizations, and more – it’s all here!
This section is THE difference between simply including a dragon in your campaign and actually having a dragon really be a part of your game’s world.
There’s also information here about dragons’ followers and the types of relationships that a dragon might have with those around it.
Lastly, the role of dragons in your story is explored in this chapter.
Is a particular dragon a schemer who bides their time and manipulates the world around them like pieces on a chessboard?
On the other hand, are they are monster who terrorizes those within their domain?
What if it’s neither and the dragon is more of a force of nature than anything?
There’s a ton of great material in Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, but this is the section that I think gives the most value to DMs. With this section alone, you have so much material that you can use to build out an entire dragon campaign for your players!
Dragon Lairs and Hoards
The famous author, Jane Austen, once wrote that “it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a dragon in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of more treasure.”
Okay, so maybe that’s not exactly what she said, but that doesn’t make it any less true!
Dragons love treasure and are just as defined by their massive hoards as they are anything else!
So of course Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons is going to go into detail about dragons’ lairs and the hoards of treasures within them!
In Chapter 4, we start out by taking a look at what goes into designing a dragon’s lair.
Not only does this make for an exciting challenge for players, but it has effects on the region around the lair while also granting the dragon special “lair actions” that it can use.
From there, this chapter elaborates on the magical effects that hordes can have on the treasure within them.
Naturally, there are also guides detailing the kinds of treasures that one can find in a dragon’s hoard and how you can design your own!
Draconomicon
Not all dragons are the same! To assume that a Blue Dragon is the same as a Silver Dragon is to march to certain death!
That’s where Chapter 5 comes in: the Draconomicon.
In this chapter, full breakdowns of twenty different types of dragons can be found.
For each dragon type, you’ll get:
- Guides for creating the dragon’s personality and ideals
- Adventure hooks to tie the dragon into your campaign
- Full lair maps and features
- Ideas to connect the dragon type into your world (based on their age)
- Ideas for treasures that are especially loved by that type of dragon
- Sidebars featuring famous examples of dragons of that type
Remember how I spoke pretty highly of Chapter 3? Well, the Draconomicon in Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons is a VERY close second in terms of importance!
Encountering a dragon should be a massive experience and these two chapters work together wonderfully to help you make it the moment you want!
Bestiary
Last, but certainly not least, Chapter 6 is the dragon bestiary you’ve been waiting for! At 65 pages, this chapter is nearly a third of the entire book.
While there’s definitely a lot of entries here, I really appreciate just how interesting each and every one of them is. I was initially worried that it would be kind of “one note” with few exceptions, but this bestiary feels inspiring and well-crafted!
While there are too many entries here to look over each one of them, I just HAVE to share some of my personal standout favorites!
Much to my players’ future terror, I absolutely love the Elder Brain Dragon. Mixing all of the terror of fighting dragons and Mind Flayers, this is the stuff of nightmares. Its breath attack infests anyone it hits with Mind Flayer tadpoles whether or not they make the save!
I’ll almost certainly be writing an article featuring the Elder Brain Dragon in the near future!
Similarly, I love the Hoard Mimic. While adventurers are likely wise to the tricks of other mimics, these ancient mimics disguise themselves as dragon hoards. An adventurer may think they’ve hit the ultimate payday only to find themselves gobbled up by what they thought was treasure for the taking!
On the less insidious side of things, I immediately fell in love with the Moonstone Dragons. There’s a dreamy, Fey vibe to these creatures that just resonates with me. I can’t wait to introduce one to my current group!
There are also stat blocks for aspects of both Bahamut and Tiamat if you want to add some god-level appearances into your campaign!
While there are MANY incredible inclusions in this book’s bestiary, these are my personal favorites.
Final Verdict: Is Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons Worth Buying?
With so much information and a hyper-focused approach to showing what dragons have to offer in D&D 5e, I’m impressed with Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons.
For Dungeon Masters, I would say that this absolutely deserves a spot on your shelf. This is especially true if you’re running games in that “classic fantasy” style (as compared to, say, a horror campaign in Ravenloft for example.)
Chapters 3 and 5 particularly captured my imagination. They give you enough information and examples that you can easily build out your own world based largely on the dragons that inhabit it. If for no reason other than that, I’d recommend Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons.
As I mentioned towards the beginning of this article, this is a questionable buy for players. The overwhelming majority of this book is meant for Dungeon Masters, after all.
Unless you just really want to learn all about dragons, there’s not really much value here for players. The character options are great, but you’ll basically be buying just a dozen pages if that’s all you care about. In that case, it’s better to borrow your DM’s copy.
But for Dungeon Masters, lorehounds, and worldbuilders, Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons is a verifiable hoard of juicy and useful material!
Conclusion – Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons Review
I really like that Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons takes such a deep dive into all things Dragons.
It makes me hopeful that we’ll see other books in the future that take a similar approach to other creature types.
Talking with others who have checked out this book, which seems to be a pretty common feeling! It would be great to see books that fully explore everything you could ever want to know about a single creature type like Giants, Undead, or Devils!
We’ve had some very fascinating lore in books like Volo’s Guide to Monsters and Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, but opening the vault in a style like Fizban’s Treasury does make for an incredible and focused resource!
What’s your favorite thing about Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons? Let me know in the comments!
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I finally remembered to comment here.
Loved the book an Gem dragons especially, but the thing about them baffles me. So, Gems are reintroduced. But no notice about how a Draconic Sorcerer may have their ancestry? Strange.
Moreover, the Ascendant Dragon Monk, published in the same book, also has only elemental options.
I can understand the out-of-game reason, but not an in-game one.
Hi V-Z!
The Gem dragons are very cool indeed! That’s a good point about the subclasses though…
For the Draconic Sorcerer, I think that can be homebrewed without being overpowered.
But I am struggling to think of an in-game reason for the lack of Gem dragon influence on the Ascendant Dragon Monk.
The best that I can think of is that perhaps ki can be trained to channel elemental properties but the properties of Gem dragons don’t manifest in that same way.
Though psychic or thunder punches would definitely be interesting to see!
Actually, a Sorcerer with such legacy will be quite campaign-dependent. Resistance to thunder or force wouldn’t matter much if no enemies deal such damage.
Monk is strange. First I thought that it may be attributed to its creation by Bahamut… but Ascendant Dragon can deal poison damage, which is not of metallic dragons. So I see no obstacles. Frankly, using ki – inner energy – for mighty roars or psionic blasts is even easier to imagine, than elemental manipulation.
As to Gem legacies, by the way: I assume that an Emerald Dragonborn who is also a Wizard or a Horizon Walker is immensely annoying for the Illithids just by the fact of existence.
I agree! It’s always a very deflating feeling to realize that a character isn’t working in a campaign.
Some people think a Session Zero is pointless, but when my group started using them to outline campaign expectations, it really helped everyone make characters that fit and that they love playing.
More to the point as you mentioned, it also helped us get ideas for things that we wanted to homebrew!
If such a Sorcerer or Monk were to take Gem Dragon options, it would be cool for the DM to make sure that there are moments for that character to really shine. (And it would be really awesome to see in action too!)
Also, I hadn’t considered the idea of an Emerald Dragonborn Horizon Walker when I was writing that subclass guide. Those Mind Flayers won’t know what’s hitting them!
The published campaigns are interesting in that way: on one hand, certain characters won’t fit, on the other hand – it is known beforehand, and a GM can warn the players even without spoilers.
Though the Sorcerer has another problem here: for a Gem Sorcerer to shine such a caster would need spells with certain type of damage.
Well, on the contrary! The Flayers will know, and will consider such enemy an abomination.) Or aberration. However ironic it may sound.