Ok, so I decided against SCAG in the end, since it sounded like the things I'd be most interested in wouldn't be in there anyway, or at least in too little amounts to be worth the money.
I do have the option of Fizban's though...what is your assessment of the book? How useful is it to someone that is looking at creating a few dragon based quests? How would you rate the character options? In your rankings of the books overall, how highly does it rank?
Also, it seems like a coffeetable book to me...where the art is an integral part of the product. How well does the DDB version integrate that?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
I really like it. The revised dragonborn is way better than the PHB version. Drake warden rangers are pretty cool. I don’t love the monk, but others might. The feats are interesting. I really like the hoard items, and the rules around dragon hordes — like if you can find a way to steal enough of a horde, you can physically weaken the dragon before you fight it. They also have some maps for possible lairs. It’s probably my favorite recent book.
Ok, so I decided against SCAG in the end, since it sounded like the things I'd be most interested in wouldn't be in there anyway, or at least in too little amounts to be worth the money.
I do have the option of Fizban's though...what is your assessment of the book? How useful is it to someone that is looking at creating a few dragon based quests? How would you rate the character options? In your rankings of the books overall, how highly does it rank?
Also, it seems like a coffeetable book to me...where the art is an integral part of the product. How well does the DDB version integrate that?
SCAG is a wonderful thing to have in your collection since it gives you a hell of a lot of lore about the world as individuals from the setting would see it along with descriptions on 48 seperate human gods.
Regarding Fizban: it's the draconomicon of 5th; basically a go to source of information about dragons and gives information on their behavior, origins, gods, monsters, magic and generally anything you could want to do with dragons. Heck it even presents "pure bred" dragonborn as race options and 2 subclass options (Drake warden is a beast master that gets a sub-dragon as his pet and Ascendent dragon is a monk who didn't waste his time studying some sissy crane or mantis they just went to the top tier).
Overall I'd definitely suggest picking it up because it has a buttload of stuff to play around with that isn't tied to any one setting.
SCAG is arguably useful as a "part of the Forgotten Realms" sourcebook, but there's nothing in it lore wise that ain't in a wiki and the character options have largely been "meh'd" aside by others.
Fizban's gets you the gem stone dragons, dragon born variants more tied to the now three factions of dragons, though provoking dragon lore, I'd say it's a better value particulalry if you're running a dragon focused game. New spells are a little thin, but the ideas about draconic gifts, and magic items derived from the magic of dragon's hoard and stuff, that's new and neat stuff. Were there "bigger" draconomicons in prior editions, yeah, but I'd say this is one of the better 5e books, but also my main campaign is Dragon and dragon lore centric, so I get a lot of use out of it. Particularly the sort of on the fly guide to building different dragon's personalities. My campaign has lots of conversations and correspondence with all sorts of dragons, and it's good to have a sorta "rando chart" to determine the perspective of this particular librarian or inquisitor or what have you.
EDIT: oh, plus the "Ancient Great Wyrm" age status for dragons, sorta an Apex dragon age. Also "aspects of Tiamat and Bahamut, and a few neat Dragon-related monsters, like what would happen if an ooze consistently fed on dragon blood, or a mind flayer tried to convert a dragon, stuff like that. Basically if you read the Dragon stuff in the monster manual and you want "more" Fizban's will do you right.
If your campaign is set in the forgotten realms then you need SCAG, it’s really the only 5e product to focus on the realms fairly exclusively. Sadly it’s also now dated and the you will need the wiki to stay updated. Fizban, as others have said, is the 5e source for things draconic. If your campaign is dragon centered, or even features dragons significantly you will want to have it as a DM. It’s far less essential as a player unless you are taking either of the 2 subclasses or grabbing for the magic (items or spells). I would recommend that players just buy the classes but a DM probably should get the book.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Ok, so I decided against SCAG in the end, since it sounded like the things I'd be most interested in wouldn't be in there anyway, or at least in too little amounts to be worth the money.
I do have the option of Fizban's though...what is your assessment of the book? How useful is it to someone that is looking at creating a few dragon based quests? How would you rate the character options? In your rankings of the books overall, how highly does it rank?
Also, it seems like a coffeetable book to me...where the art is an integral part of the product. How well does the DDB version integrate that?
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
I really like it. The revised dragonborn is way better than the PHB version. Drake warden rangers are pretty cool. I don’t love the monk, but others might. The feats are interesting.
I really like the hoard items, and the rules around dragon hordes — like if you can find a way to steal enough of a horde, you can physically weaken the dragon before you fight it. They also have some maps for possible lairs. It’s probably my favorite recent book.
SCAG is a wonderful thing to have in your collection since it gives you a hell of a lot of lore about the world as individuals from the setting would see it along with descriptions on 48 seperate human gods.
Regarding Fizban: it's the draconomicon of 5th; basically a go to source of information about dragons and gives information on their behavior, origins, gods, monsters, magic and generally anything you could want to do with dragons. Heck it even presents "pure bred" dragonborn as race options and 2 subclass options (Drake warden is a beast master that gets a sub-dragon as his pet and Ascendent dragon is a monk who didn't waste his time studying some sissy crane or mantis they just went to the top tier).
Overall I'd definitely suggest picking it up because it has a buttload of stuff to play around with that isn't tied to any one setting.
SCAG is arguably useful as a "part of the Forgotten Realms" sourcebook, but there's nothing in it lore wise that ain't in a wiki and the character options have largely been "meh'd" aside by others.
Fizban's gets you the gem stone dragons, dragon born variants more tied to the now three factions of dragons, though provoking dragon lore, I'd say it's a better value particulalry if you're running a dragon focused game. New spells are a little thin, but the ideas about draconic gifts, and magic items derived from the magic of dragon's hoard and stuff, that's new and neat stuff. Were there "bigger" draconomicons in prior editions, yeah, but I'd say this is one of the better 5e books, but also my main campaign is Dragon and dragon lore centric, so I get a lot of use out of it. Particularly the sort of on the fly guide to building different dragon's personalities. My campaign has lots of conversations and correspondence with all sorts of dragons, and it's good to have a sorta "rando chart" to determine the perspective of this particular librarian or inquisitor or what have you.
EDIT: oh, plus the "Ancient Great Wyrm" age status for dragons, sorta an Apex dragon age. Also "aspects of Tiamat and Bahamut, and a few neat Dragon-related monsters, like what would happen if an ooze consistently fed on dragon blood, or a mind flayer tried to convert a dragon, stuff like that. Basically if you read the Dragon stuff in the monster manual and you want "more" Fizban's will do you right.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
If your campaign is set in the forgotten realms then you need SCAG, it’s really the only 5e product to focus on the realms fairly exclusively. Sadly it’s also now dated and the you will need the wiki to stay updated. Fizban, as others have said, is the 5e source for things draconic. If your campaign is dragon centered, or even features dragons significantly you will want to have it as a DM. It’s far less essential as a player unless you are taking either of the 2 subclasses or grabbing for the magic (items or spells). I would recommend that players just buy the classes but a DM probably should get the book.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.