5E D&D Fizban's Treasury of Dragons alternate cover

Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons Reveals Big Secrets About 5E D&D’s Iconic Monsters

July 16, 2021

Dungeons & Dragons/ Events/ Monsters/ Nerdy News/ Twitch

During a press briefing this week Wizards of the Coast I learned a ton of details about one of the three new fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons books slated for release in fall 2021 in particular. Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons dives deep into the lore of these mythical creatures. During the meeting Ray Winninger, executive producer in charge of the Dungeons & Dragons studio, asked what could be more important to 5E D&D than the creature who lends its name to the game itself. I’ve got the details on what to expect inside so let’s get into it.

A comprehensive guide to dragons in 5E D&D

The official announcement of the book’s title and release takes place during D&D Live 2021 on July 16-17 from noon to 8 p.m. PST. This year’s event is presented by G4 and streams simultaneously on Twitch and Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming app. Along with announcements for Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons and other new 5E D&D products the event features a bunch of celebrity games. D&D Head of Franchise Nathan Stewart expressed great excitement for the partnership with G4, which can increase the reach and audience for the brand tremendously, explore more platforms and also provide a vast talent pool for future productions.

Like several 5E D&D books Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons features a point of view character offering insights and quips throughout the book’s pages. Fans of the classic Dragonlance book series and campaign setting might recognize the name Fizban, which is the human persona of Paladine, the Platinum Dragon from the campaign setting. Winninger made it clear the book is not a campaign setting and not designed to introduce Krynn in an official capacity.

James Wyatt, longtime D&D and Magic: the Gathering writer, was on hand during the meeting to explain the book in further detail. For starters the standard cover illustration features two dragons battling it out in the skies. One is a classic red dragon and the other represents a variety of dragon tons of people love (myself included) — gem dragons! Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons reintroduces these legendary creatures from D&D history. Like their chromatic and metallic counterparts gem dragons come in five types — amethyst, sapphire, emerald, topaz and ruby. The book will include stat blocks for each type and all the age categories typically found for standard dragons. And yes, gem dragons and their psionic capabilities are definitely included. Wyatt said that while they are not all neutral aligned, sticking with 5E D&D’s pivot away from alignment absolutes when it comes to sentient species, gem dragons do tend toward neutrality.

Did I mention the standard age categories because Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons introduces an age category beyond all others. A Great Wyrm dragon possesses power far greater than any other dragon in 5E D&D, surpassing even ancient dragons. These great wyrms are mythic creatures, and Wyatt explained fighting one is essentially like fighting two challenge rating 20 dragons back to back. Another expansion to 5E D&D dragons related to their age is the dragon turtle, one of Wyatt’s favorite creatures, which gets fleshed out with the full range of age categories like other true dragons. (The one in the Monster Manual is considered adult.) One final note about new monsters is the book includes draconians. During a Q&A portion of the meeting with D&D’s Principal Rules Designer Jeremy Crawford he mentioned all the classics can be found in the book as well as some new options, but these will not be player character race options.

The book isn’t all stat blocks though and Wyatt explained it’s comparable to Volo’s Guide to Monsters and Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes in that about a third of the book is the bestiary, another third is additional Dungeon Master resources and the final third adds new character options to 5E D&D. Some of the DM resources are things like dragon lair maps and other kinds of material designed specifically for DMs to use right away in their games. The book dives into the origin myth of dragons and explores how they’re an essential part of the Material Plane — not just extremely powerful natural creatures. The intent is to develop and reinforce a canonical myth for the iconic monsters in the context of D&D, which is a terrific idea. Wyatt mentioned for example how each dragon’s hoard is more than simply an accumulation of wealth but rather a focus of magical energy.

New 5E D&D character options in Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons

The presenters in the meeting did not get too in depth with the new character options in the book but several things were confirmed. For starters the gem dragonborn race is included. This was originally part of Unearthed Arcana 2021 — Draconic Options along with several draconic feats and spells. Those parts were not mentioned during the meeting but I’d say it’s a safe bet they’ll be found inside too.

Two other confirmed character options are the Drakewarden Ranger Archetype and Way of the Ascendant Dragon Monastic Tradition, both of which originally appeared in Unearthed Arcana 2020 — Subclasses, Part 5.

Introduces gem dragons to 5E D&D
Reveals the story of the First World and the role Bahamut and Tiamat played in its creation and destruction
Adds new character options, including unique draconic ancestries for dragonborn, dragon-themed subclasses for monks and rangers, and new feat and spell options
Offers everything a DM needs to craft adventures inspired by dragons across the worlds of D&D, with new dragon lair maps and details on 20 different kinds of dragons
Presents a complete dragon bestiary and introduces a variety of new dragons and dragon-related creatures, including aspects of the dragon gods, dragon minions, and more

Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons releases on Oct. 19, 2021. You can preorder the book through Amazon and help out Nerdarchy here.

Check out the gallery below for additional images shared during the press briefing and check out these other posts for news about more 5E D&D announcements from D&D Live 2021.

Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos [live on July 17 at 2:00 p.m. EST]
Wild Beyond the Witchlight

*Featured image — Discover how dragons embody magic across the worlds of D&D and how you can bring them to life at your table in Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, the quintessential reference guide for the world’s greatest roleplaying game. [Images courtesy Wizards of the Coast]