The Practically Complete Guide To Dragons
The Practically Complete Guide To Dragons is a beginner-friendly Dungeons & Dragons book that focuses on the world and flavor of the game rather than mechanics, and is designed to be read and enjoyed. It’s an encyclopedia for D&D players who want to learn about the many different types of dragons in the D&D world, and includes illustrations, jokes, and handwritten scrawls that are reminiscent of Horrible Histories, which makes it a fun read for D&D aficionados.
Written in-character by Sindri Suncatcher, a bard, scribe, and nobleman who is familiar with and has met many types of dragons throughout the lands of Faerûn, the book introduces the reader to the characteristics of different dragons, such as height, breath weapon, lair, favorite foods, and preferred treasure.
However, it doesn’t provide guidance for creating, running, or surviving dragon encounters, and it doesn’t introduce new types of dragons, attacks, maps, dungeons, or encounters. It also lacks stat blocks for the dragons featured, meaning that it won’t be a practical resource for running dragon-focused adventures or providing mechanical information.
Given these limitations, the book feels rather expensive at $39.95 (UK price TBC), but it does include artwork and the readability of the writing makes it worth the money. Additionally, the character of Sindri Suncatcher, who is written with humor and personality, adds value to the text.
The Practically Complete Guide To Dragons is also available as an audiobook narrated by Liam O’Brien, which adds to the charm of the product.
A previous book in the series, Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, also included information on Gem Dragons, but they are not featured in this book – which may be disappointing for those who own and enjoyed Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons.
Despite its limitations, The Practically Complete Guide To Dragons is an enjoyable encyclopedia for those who are interested in learning about dragons in the D&D world, whether you’re a fan of the lore or are looking to run your first D&D game. It’s definitely a book for the “D&D Enjoyer” rather than the “D&D Player,” but that’s not a bad thing.
The Practically Complete Guide To Dragons will be available on Amazon starting August 22, 2023.
In the meantime, you can check out some of the other best D&D books for additional reading material.
