- Hardcover: 158 pages
- Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (8 Aug 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0786939230
- ISBN-13: 978-0786939237
- Product Dimensions: 27.4 x 21.4 x 1.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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- #72 in Books > Fiction > Science Fiction > Gaming > Dungeons & Dragons
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Product Description
Product Description
Unleash the dragons within!
Long ago, dragons ruled the world, and although their power has waxed and waned over the millennia, they never forget the glory of the distant past. Now and then, some world-shaking event or revelation brings out the worst in them … and transforms Faerûn forever.
If you want dragons to serve important roles in your campaign, this supplement is for you! It describes some of Faerûn’s most notorious dragons and dracoliches and presents information on dragon-related organizations such as the church of Tiamat and the Cult of the Dragon. In addition, this book includes ready-to-play adventures, new traps and treasures found within dragons’ lairs, new dragon spells, and new monsters.
For use with these Dungeons & Dragons® products
Player’s Handbook™ Dungeon Master’s Guide™ Monster Manual™
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting Draconomicon™
Long ago, dragons ruled the world, and although their power has waxed and waned over the millennia, they never forget the glory of the distant past. Now and then, some world-shaking event or revelation brings out the worst in them … and transforms Faerûn forever.
If you want dragons to serve important roles in your campaign, this supplement is for you! It describes some of Faerûn’s most notorious dragons and dracoliches and presents information on dragon-related organizations such as the church of Tiamat and the Cult of the Dragon. In addition, this book includes ready-to-play adventures, new traps and treasures found within dragons’ lairs, new dragon spells, and new monsters.
For use with these Dungeons & Dragons® products
Player’s Handbook™ Dungeon Master’s Guide™ Monster Manual™
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting Draconomicon™
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I initally assumed this was a fairly basic roll-call of dragons, and frankly expected a lot of reprints of the old Ed Greenwood articles on "Wyrms of the North", originally printed in Dragon magazine and updated on the Wizards of the Coast website. Actually, it is much more than that.
Firstly, I have to mention the cover - a ravishingly beautiful (if slightly grisly) depiction of a gigantic red dragon obliterating a party with its fiery breath (and flip over to the back cover, where the sole survivor watches in horror from the shelter of a pillar as her compatriots are roasted - brilliant).
Secondly, this actually doesn't really contain much on the Wyrms of the North stuff at all - instead the reader is redirected to the said website for this stuff. Much of what is there is actually new content, which seems only fair for an expensive hardback book.
Thirdly, it actually looks beyond the period of the Rage of Dragons (as depicted in the trilogy of FR novels by Richard Lee Byers) and is, to some extent, moving the FR world on in time a bit, at least with respect to the impact of those events upon the Cult of the Dragon, the Church of Tiamat and events in Unther and Chessenta. We are no longer in the Year of Rogue Dragons, Sammaster is destroyed and Tchazzar is reborn.
In brief, the sections of the book comprise a history of dragons in Faerun, including the rivalry between Tiamat and Bahamut, a brief description of a few important dragons and dracoliches, and a smallish though interesting section on draconic motivations (effectively dividing them between predators, who have a small impact at a political level, i.e. the archetypical "hoard-sitter", and schemers who are much more active in schemes and machinations at a regional level). Next there is a chapter on the Cult of the Dragon, and how recent events have changed it and its leadership. After that, the Church of Tiamat and the its impact on Chessenta and Unther are described (including a brief detailing of Unther as a region). Another sets out various, less important draconic groups, including the Moruemes of the Nether Mountains with their hobgoblin army and the Silver Talons, a group of draconic paladins. The next couple of sections set out "draconic lairs", including traps, hazards (like dracolich slough, animated bits of undead flesh that have fallen off a dracolich) and monsters, spells and magic items (including a number of minor and major artifacts which can be found in the hoards of specific dragons). Finally, there is a comprehensive listing of all dragons mentioned in the FR literature, including novels, with indicative descriptions.
One caveat - a degree of reliance is placed upon the owner having the Draconomicon and, to a lesser extent, Races of the Dragon too (while some are fully statted, a number of dragons are described along the lines as using the same statistics as "the ancient green dragon on page xxx of the Draconomicon", and a number of prestige classes and feats from this publication are used, for example in Tchazzar stats, who is a terrifying CR40!). This doesn't bother me (I own them both) but it might some people. However, you can probably use it without these, though it might involve a bit more elbow grease to create the relevant nasties.
Overall, I like this. It has good campaign ideas, a few of the dragos really make compelling long term villains, and it pushes forward the story of Faerun a bit further.
Firstly, I have to mention the cover - a ravishingly beautiful (if slightly grisly) depiction of a gigantic red dragon obliterating a party with its fiery breath (and flip over to the back cover, where the sole survivor watches in horror from the shelter of a pillar as her compatriots are roasted - brilliant).
Secondly, this actually doesn't really contain much on the Wyrms of the North stuff at all - instead the reader is redirected to the said website for this stuff. Much of what is there is actually new content, which seems only fair for an expensive hardback book.
Thirdly, it actually looks beyond the period of the Rage of Dragons (as depicted in the trilogy of FR novels by Richard Lee Byers) and is, to some extent, moving the FR world on in time a bit, at least with respect to the impact of those events upon the Cult of the Dragon, the Church of Tiamat and events in Unther and Chessenta. We are no longer in the Year of Rogue Dragons, Sammaster is destroyed and Tchazzar is reborn.
In brief, the sections of the book comprise a history of dragons in Faerun, including the rivalry between Tiamat and Bahamut, a brief description of a few important dragons and dracoliches, and a smallish though interesting section on draconic motivations (effectively dividing them between predators, who have a small impact at a political level, i.e. the archetypical "hoard-sitter", and schemers who are much more active in schemes and machinations at a regional level). Next there is a chapter on the Cult of the Dragon, and how recent events have changed it and its leadership. After that, the Church of Tiamat and the its impact on Chessenta and Unther are described (including a brief detailing of Unther as a region). Another sets out various, less important draconic groups, including the Moruemes of the Nether Mountains with their hobgoblin army and the Silver Talons, a group of draconic paladins. The next couple of sections set out "draconic lairs", including traps, hazards (like dracolich slough, animated bits of undead flesh that have fallen off a dracolich) and monsters, spells and magic items (including a number of minor and major artifacts which can be found in the hoards of specific dragons). Finally, there is a comprehensive listing of all dragons mentioned in the FR literature, including novels, with indicative descriptions.
One caveat - a degree of reliance is placed upon the owner having the Draconomicon and, to a lesser extent, Races of the Dragon too (while some are fully statted, a number of dragons are described along the lines as using the same statistics as "the ancient green dragon on page xxx of the Draconomicon", and a number of prestige classes and feats from this publication are used, for example in Tchazzar stats, who is a terrifying CR40!). This doesn't bother me (I own them both) but it might some people. However, you can probably use it without these, though it might involve a bit more elbow grease to create the relevant nasties.
Overall, I like this. It has good campaign ideas, a few of the dragos really make compelling long term villains, and it pushes forward the story of Faerun a bit further.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This supplement to the Forgotten Realms campaign setting details the history of dragons within the realms as well as descriptions of some of Faerūns most notorious wyrms. The book is set out in the same way as many other Forgotten Realms supplements beginning with a brief history of the draconic race followed by descriptions and stats for fifteen famous dragons and four undead dragons of various types. Although many of the dragons have been detailed in past magazines and books the entries here have been updated somewhat to include the events of the Year of Rouge Dragons. As well as this the book also includes information on the Cult of the Dragon and the Church of Tiamat along with details of some of the lands controlled by dragons. Finally the book includes spells, magic items, traps and creatures that are appropriate for dragons as well as two ready-to-play adventures. The book is well written throughout, has some brilliant illustrations and is as good to just read through as it is to play through.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
EXCELLENT EXAMPLES OF UNIQUE DRAGONS
9 Aug 2006
Format:Hardcover
There's probably no debating that Dragons are the most popular monster in Dungeons & Dragons. Heck, it's part of the name! But for a long time there was a problem with dragons, dating back to the first Monster Manual for AD&D. Instead of striking fear into the hearts of adventurers the way they should, the appearance of a dragon was usually cause for celebration by players. There was never any doubt that they were going to defeat the dragon, and haul away a truckload full of loot and magic items. There were two reasons for this: One, dragons originally were vastly under-powered, and two, DM's were often not skilled enough to take advantage of all the dragon's abilities.
Thankfully these days we don't have the former problem, and really shouldn't have the latter problem either. Dragons have been upgraded to the terrors they should be, and are no longer as generic as the average Orc. When it comes right down to it, no two dragons are alike. They are unique in their personalities and their motivations. Afterall, these are extremely intelligent creatures.
Wizards of the Coast's latest supplement is Dragons of Faerun, a compendium of unique dragons, new dragons, new dragon spells, new magic items, ready-to-play adventures, and much more. These unique dragons run the gamut from the young adult Mercury dragon named Tostyn Alaerthmaugh with a CR of 8, to the great wyrm red dragon who is Tiamat's Chosen champion, Tchazzar with a CR of 40! But before we get to the unique dragons, the book provides a very detailed history of Dragons and the unending war between Tiamat and Bahamut.
The book goes into great detail on each of the unique dragons featured, with details on all of their abilities/feats and powers, history, treasure hoard, lair, known allies and enemies, and tactics. In addition, each entry provides various knowledge checks for players to locate the dragon's lairs and other information, and adventure hooks for players and DMs to encounter the various dragons. One caveat is that a few of the unique dragons do not have their stats listed but instead your directed to use the stats of a typical specimen as described in the "Draconomicon" and abilities from various other supplements. These notes even give the page number to these other books but it would still have been nice for them to be included all in one spot. In addition, 25 more dragons are each given a capsule notation. These dragons originally appeared in Ed Greenwood's long running series "Wyrms of the North" in Dragon Magazine and the original articles are available on the Wizards of the Coast website for free.
But the book isn't just 160 page of dragons, there's lots more here. The Cult of the Dragon, the Church of Tiamat, and other dragon orders are featured which include short, but in-depth complete adventures. One of my favorite chapters is on dragon lairs and provides new, and devious traps, tactics, and monsters, all to help protect a dragon's lair. Your PC's won't think they're on the way to a tea party after encountering the Exhaustion Trap or new monsters like the Redspawn Birther. The Birthers were abnormal Red Dragon spawn but are now being bred by the Church of Tiamat.
Some two dozen new spells and a like number of new magic items, including both minor and major artifacts are also included. Finally three new dragon types are described: The Mercury Dragon, Steel Dragon, and Mist Dragon, although if memory serves there were earlier incarnations of these many years ago in Dragon magazine. The book concludes with a 10 page appendix of every known dragon on Faerun.
The Dragons of Faerun is a perfect complement to 2003's Draconomicon. Even if you don't want to use the Dragons in the book, it will help players to devise unique dragons of their own. This may be my favorite supplement of 2006 so far!
Reviewed by Tim Janson
Thankfully these days we don't have the former problem, and really shouldn't have the latter problem either. Dragons have been upgraded to the terrors they should be, and are no longer as generic as the average Orc. When it comes right down to it, no two dragons are alike. They are unique in their personalities and their motivations. Afterall, these are extremely intelligent creatures.
Wizards of the Coast's latest supplement is Dragons of Faerun, a compendium of unique dragons, new dragons, new dragon spells, new magic items, ready-to-play adventures, and much more. These unique dragons run the gamut from the young adult Mercury dragon named Tostyn Alaerthmaugh with a CR of 8, to the great wyrm red dragon who is Tiamat's Chosen champion, Tchazzar with a CR of 40! But before we get to the unique dragons, the book provides a very detailed history of Dragons and the unending war between Tiamat and Bahamut.
The book goes into great detail on each of the unique dragons featured, with details on all of their abilities/feats and powers, history, treasure hoard, lair, known allies and enemies, and tactics. In addition, each entry provides various knowledge checks for players to locate the dragon's lairs and other information, and adventure hooks for players and DMs to encounter the various dragons. One caveat is that a few of the unique dragons do not have their stats listed but instead your directed to use the stats of a typical specimen as described in the "Draconomicon" and abilities from various other supplements. These notes even give the page number to these other books but it would still have been nice for them to be included all in one spot. In addition, 25 more dragons are each given a capsule notation. These dragons originally appeared in Ed Greenwood's long running series "Wyrms of the North" in Dragon Magazine and the original articles are available on the Wizards of the Coast website for free.
But the book isn't just 160 page of dragons, there's lots more here. The Cult of the Dragon, the Church of Tiamat, and other dragon orders are featured which include short, but in-depth complete adventures. One of my favorite chapters is on dragon lairs and provides new, and devious traps, tactics, and monsters, all to help protect a dragon's lair. Your PC's won't think they're on the way to a tea party after encountering the Exhaustion Trap or new monsters like the Redspawn Birther. The Birthers were abnormal Red Dragon spawn but are now being bred by the Church of Tiamat.
Some two dozen new spells and a like number of new magic items, including both minor and major artifacts are also included. Finally three new dragon types are described: The Mercury Dragon, Steel Dragon, and Mist Dragon, although if memory serves there were earlier incarnations of these many years ago in Dragon magazine. The book concludes with a 10 page appendix of every known dragon on Faerun.
The Dragons of Faerun is a perfect complement to 2003's Draconomicon. Even if you don't want to use the Dragons in the book, it will help players to devise unique dragons of their own. This may be my favorite supplement of 2006 so far!
Reviewed by Tim Janson
16 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Errors abound
11 Oct 2006
Format:Hardcover
This would have been a great book (4 stars) with elements we were all looking forward to integrating into our campaign. Unfortunately, it reads more like a second grade English test, with volumes of errors waiting to be corrected. Not small errors, but missing images, mis-labeled pictures, charts missing data and obviously incorrect information.
The book is passably usable, but only barely. Having to struggle with these errors drops it down to 2 stars at best. If there were editors, they need to be fired. Anyone having purchased this book should be offered a free (corrected) replacement. It's literally as if they accidentally went to publishing with an alpha document instead of the final version.
The book is passably usable, but only barely. Having to struggle with these errors drops it down to 2 stars at best. If there were editors, they need to be fired. Anyone having purchased this book should be offered a free (corrected) replacement. It's literally as if they accidentally went to publishing with an alpha document instead of the final version.
11 of 18 people found the following review helpful
WotC editors need to learn to spell.
7 Oct 2006
Format:Hardcover
The editing on this book is terrible. There's a laundry list of typos, and even more mistakes in monster statistics. Stat blocks in the book that are not screwed up would be easier to list than those that are. This would be useful material, but to make use of the actual game material, I'll have to do the editors' jobs for them. At this price, I might as well just make up my own dragons.
That said, if you're into the fluff of Forgotten Realms and haven't read the novels, this book has an excellent summation of the events of the Year of Rogue Dragons. But the novels would be more entertaining (presuming they weren't written by some hack, like some FR novels are).
All in all I'm not happy with the designers for making these mistakes, nor with the editors for not correcting them. I intend to write long and angry letters to Wizards of the Coast concerning this matter.
That said, if you're into the fluff of Forgotten Realms and haven't read the novels, this book has an excellent summation of the events of the Year of Rogue Dragons. But the novels would be more entertaining (presuming they weren't written by some hack, like some FR novels are).
All in all I'm not happy with the designers for making these mistakes, nor with the editors for not correcting them. I intend to write long and angry letters to Wizards of the Coast concerning this matter.
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