It's difficult to know where to start with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dungeons & Dragons books. Ostensibly the best place is the Player's Handbook, which acts as a summary of the rules, the world, and the characters you'll be meeting and creating. But D&D is a combat-based game, at least most of the time, so you're going to need a Monster Manual too. And someone's going to run the game, so add the Dungeon Master's Guide. Those are the three books included in the Core Rulebook Set, and will run you over $100, even if bought in a group. The Practically Complete Guide To Dragons is designed to come before any of this, letting you explore the flavour of the world rather than diving deep into the mechanics.
Wizards of the Coast does not consider the Core Rulebooks to be that core to the experience anyway. The much cheaper Starter Set, available for about $25, contains five pre-generated characters, an easy to learn role for a new DM, and the levels 1-5 adventure The Lost Mine of Phandelver. It's advised that you play this before getting the Core Rulebooks. There's also the Essentials Kit, which is more advanced than the Starter Set but less robust than the Core Rulebooks.
Why does any of this matter for The Practically Complete Guide To Dragons? Often, new D&D books are supplements to the Core Rulebooks. Whether they're new campaigns or, like the recently released Bigby Presents: The Practically Complete Guide To Giants, offer additional options for character creation, dungeons, and encounters, they're meant to add to the basic experience in one way or another. The Practically Complete Guide To Dragons is a rarity as it's far more beginner friendly in its intentions, and that will change how you feel about it.
The book is more of an encyclopaedia than a typical D&D supplement, written in-character by the kender wizard Sindri Suncatcher (though actually penned by Susan J. Morris, Lisa Trutkoff Trumbauer, and James Wyatt). It's full of whimsical illustrations, ink splodges, and hand-written scrawls, as well as a few jokes thrown in. The whole thing has the tone of a less-funny Horrible Histories book, providing information on all the different types of dragons in a more approachable and digestible way. It sees them less as fearsome creatures to encounter at Level 13, and more as majestic beasts for us to wonder at. We get details on each type of dragon's height, breath weapon, and typical lair, but also their favourite foods, which dragons they like least, and what treasure they hoard.
That 'Practically' in the title does come with some pretty severe caveats, however. This is a book to be read and enjoyed, it's not a novel but it does try to enrich the world of Dungeons & Dragons in a more narrative sense, adding character to the dragons. I knew Red Dragons had Fire Breath Weapons, but until this book I was unaware that they found young Elves easiest to digest, or that they understood monetary value better than other dragons. The fact they frequently fight with Silver Dragons also sets up some interesting scenarios.
But aside from some more in-character advice (like Sindri telling us to use 'formal Draconic' when communicating with dragons), there's nothing that will help you create a dragon encounter, run a dragon encounter, or survive a dragon encounter. Put simply, this is not a book for people who want to play Dungeons & Dragons, but for people who want to learn about the world it exists in.
If you're expecting a sequel to Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, you'll be disappointed. There are no additions to the game here - no new types of dragons, no new attacks, no maps, dungeons, or encounters (even the dragons featured have no stat blocks), and no extra class, subclass, background, or feat based around all things draconic. It also skips out Gem Dragons, which were the headline item in Fizban's, which seems like a considerable oversight.
It retails at $39.95, $20 cheaper than the standard price for a supplement like Fizban's or Bigby's, which feels slightly steep for what you actually get. However, for a thick encyclopaedia that's easy to read and full of flair, art, and character, there's a lot of value here, as long as you're reading it from the perspective of D&D Enjoyer rather th🤪an D&D Player. The Practically Complete Guide To Dragons is not complete (missing both mechanical information and Gem Dragons) nor is it practical for anyone looking to run an adventure with dragons. It is full of dragons, however, and if that's what you're looking for, you've come to the right place.
The Practically Complete Guide To Dragons
The Practically Complete Guide To Dragons is a Dungeons & Dragons book that does exactly what it says on the cover. Far more beginner-friendly than most guides you'll find when getting into D&D, this book is just as much about showcasing the game's artwork and providing players with an encyclopedia as it is about helping them understand its world. Available through Amazon from August 22, 2023.