Who in the Nine Hells Is Fizban? Find Out Here!

Fizban's Treasury of Dragons will be chock-full of dragon goodness when it drops on October 26. The Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook will include new character options like subclasses and dragonborn ancestries, tools for Dungeon Masters, and additional lore on dragons and their role in creating the multiverse. Fizban will serve as your guide in the book. If you aren't familiar with this quirky character, here's what you should know:

Introducing Fizban and the world of Dragonlance

Fizban artworkWarning! Spoilers for the Dragonlance novels lie ahead!

Fizban the Fabulous is a feeble archmage who was the unexpected hero of the War of the Lance. He's the avatar of a dragon god yet often forgets the incantations to his spells. To understand how instrumental Fizban has been in the world of Dragonlance, you'll want to look at Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman’s Dragonlance novels.

The novels follow the story of Weis and Hickman’s D&D campaign back in the 80s. Hickman, the Dungeon Master at the time, created the world of Krynn. His players (including Weis) made up the party of adventurers known as the Companions, though they would eventually become known as the Heroes of the Lance.

The original series of Dragonlance books focused on the War of the Lance, a harrowing conflict between the followers of Takhisis, the goddess of evil, and an Alliance of the inhabitants of Krynn. The Companions were pivotal to the eventual defeat of the forces of Takhisis and her Dragonarmies.

Fizban and the War of the Lance

Fizban served as a sort of Gandalf figure to the Companions. In the first book, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Fizban showed up at the group’s reunion after a five-year separation. He then set the adventure in motion by purposefully getting them mixed up in trouble with the local law enforcement.

Unbeknownst to the characters of the story, Fizban is actually the god Paladine, the deity of law and goodness in the realm of Krynn. Paladine had chosen the Companions to be his agents of good against the armies of the evil Takhisis. He would later join the Companions and bumble his way through the many adventures they would come to have, only helping or getting in the way as much as was needed to nudge them toward victory over Takhisis’ forces.

Fizban was known to be a kind yet forgetful mage. He had a long white beard, mouse-colored robes, and was always trying to straighten his bent, shapeless hat. The old mage had a propensity to get the group into more trouble than he solved, but that trouble always seemed to lead to a victory of sorts. As the party continued their adventures, Fizban grew fond of Tasslehoff, a kender. (Kenders are Krynn’s equivalent of halflings.) Fizban was instrumental in getting Tasslehoff to end the bickering within the Whitestone Council and eventually assisted in the forging of the legendary dragonlances that were used to slay the chromatic dragons supporting Takhisis.

Throughout their adventures, Fizban consistently showed incompetence with magic. As he was a wizard with a terrible memory, he could never remember the words of power to any of his spells, including his favorite, fireball. This guise of an aloof, forgetful old man was sometimes interrupted with moments of lucidity where he would offer an encouraging word at the exact right time.

Eventually, as the Companions’ journey came to an end, Fizban revealed himself to be the god Paladine. When confronted by the leader of the group, Tanis, for being the cause of their adventure, Fizban replied "I set the stage, lad. I didn't give you a script. The dialogue has been all yours."

Looking back on it now, it’s obvious to me that Fizban was a tool of Hickman’s in order to progress the story in his D&D campaign. If there is one quote that describes the role of a Dungeon Master to their party, it is those last words Fizban had for the Companions.

Why is Fizban Important to D&D?

TiamatThe multiverse has been established in Dungeons & Dragons for quite a long time. While there are reflections of the Material Plane, such as the Feywild or Shadowfell, there are also different interpretations of the Material Plane. While these worlds are different in many ways, they also have their similarities.

In the world of Krynn, Fizban and Paladine are one and the same, involving themselves in the War of the Lance in order to bring law and goodness to the realm. In other D&D worlds, Paladine exists as the god of justice and nobility, Bahamut the Platinum Dragon.

Where there is good, there must be evil. For Bahamut, there is Tiamat. For Paladine, there is Takhisis. The way the good and evil dragon gods interact in the Forgotten Realms is similar to the way they interact in the War of the Lance. In the Monster Manual entry for metallic dragons, it is said that "Bahamut seldom interferes in the affairs of mortal creatures, though he makes exceptions to help thwart the machinations of Tiamat the Dragon Queen and her evil brood." This is precisely how Paladine interacts with the world of Krynn during the war with Takhisis.

Prepare yourself for dragons, minions, and more!

Fizban is the quintessential source for information on dragons. Not only is he a platinum dragon and the leader of the metallic dragons, but he was around for one of the most influential dragon-based conflicts that has ever occurred in the multiverse. During the War of the Lance, Krynn experienced the return of dragons to the mortal world, the corruption of metallic dragon eggs into draconians, and the forging of the dragonlances. At the center of all of this was Fizban. Thus, this doddering archmage is the multiverse's utmost expert on all things dragons.

 

Fizban's Treasury of Dragons releases October 26 and will be packed with dragon lore and stat blocks for new kinds of dragons. Players will enjoy new subclasses and dragonborn ancestries and more! You can preorder your copy now on D&D Beyond. If you have a Master-tier subscription, you can share your book and other content you've unlocked in the marketplace with players in your campaigns.

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Mike Bernier (@arcane_eye) is the founder of Arcane Eye, a site focused on providing useful tips and tricks to all those involved in the world of D&D. Outside of writing for Arcane Eye, Mike spends most of his time playing games, hiking with his girlfriend, and tending the veritable jungle of houseplants that have invaded his house.

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