D&D 5E Is Paladine Bahamut? Is Takhisis Tiamat? Fizban's Treasury Might Reveal The Answer!

According to WotC's James Wyatt, Fizban's Treasury of Dragons introduces a new cosmology for dragon gods, where the same beings, including Fizban, echo across various D&D campaign settings with alternate versions of themselves (presumably like Paladine/Bahamut, or Takhisis/Tiamat). Also... the various version can merge into one single form.

Takhisis is the five-headed dragon god of evil from the Dragonlance setting. Paladine is the platinum dragon god of good (and also Fizban's alter-ego).

Additionally, the book will contain psychic gem dragons, with stats for all four age categories of the five varieties (traditionally there are Amethyst, Crystal, Emerald, Sapphire, and Topaz), plus Dragonborn characters based on metallic, chromatic, and gem dragons.

D&D 5E - Check out Fizban's Alternate Cover!

WotC's James Wyatt talked to Polygon about Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, which also revealed the alternate cover, which you can only get from hobby stores. https://www.enworld.org/threads/fizbans-treasury-the-dragon-book-now-has-a-description-and-a-feat.681399/

www.enworld.org

D&D 5E - Fizban's Treasury: The Dragon Book Now Has A Description... And A Feat

Courtesy of Amazon, we now have a description for Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, the October D&D hardcover. The book introduces gem dragons, dragon-themed player options, and plenty of draconic lore! This joins September's The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, and November's Strixhaven: Curriculum of...

www.enworld.org

 

[Parmandur]

Now that you mention this, there is an old Polyhedron magazine (from 1e or 2e?) that says that some gold dragons believe Bahamut was originally a gold dragon who "evolved" into platinum dragon god through "sheer goodness".

It a reasonable possibility, given overall D&D shenanigans.

 

[Demetrios1453]

I'll add, this is a fairly big retcon. Chronepsis and Aasterinian were previously consider deities of their own, Chronepsis as the god of death and undeath, and Aasterinian of humor, inventiveness, and pleasure. It seems like this change is to make Bahamut and Tiamat as the only true dragon gods, while other have ascended to the very powerful Great Wyrm status which is short of that.

Ashardalon I'm fairly certain was never a god, but I guess he's so iconic they've put him in Great Wyrm status. Dragotha better make the cut too!

Honestly, in the way Wyatt described it, it sounds like the difference between "great wyrm" and "deity" isn't terribly great. Perhaps nothing more than semantics for some cases for the most powerful great wyrms. I'm really curious to see how this is all set forth in the book...

 

[Hussar]

/snip

For instance, in the Planescape sourcebook On Hallowed Ground (affiliate link), the entries for Bahamut and Paladine don't refer to each other, nor do the entries for Tiamat and Takhisis. Likewise, they're said to live on the same planes of existence (Mount Celestia for Bahamut and Paladine, Baator for Tiamat and Takhisis), but each has a different divine realm, and in some cases those realms are on different layers. (EDIT: They also indicate that Bahamut and Tiamat are lesser deities, while Paladine and Takhisis are greater deities, so the different levels of divine power are an implication of them being different entities as well.)
/snip

See, this is why I ignore all things Planescape.

Why would the Queen of the Abyss, Takhisis, have her plane on Baator? That makes zero sense. Heck, pre-Planescape, Dragonlance didn't even have a Hell.

 

[Parmandur]

Honestly, in the way Wyatt described it, it sounds like the difference between "great wyrm" and "deity" isn't terribly great. Perhaps nothing more than semantics for some cases for the most powerful great wyrms. I'm really curious to see how this is all set forth in the book...

From what he was laying down, even a lesser Dragon can play the part of a local Deity, it seems.

 

[Hussar]

It's just a name. On Krynn they call the planes different names. On Earth, we call places different names, too. Don't worry about it.

Not really. Those planes have specific meanings in D&D. The Abyss and the 9 Hells are not interchangeable. I'm a little confused why Takhisis, the Queen of the Abyss, is living on a plane in the 9 Hells where, as an Abyssal being, she should be up to her neck in Devils trying to kill her for being an enemy in the Blood War.

 

[Troy70]

I for one can't wait to get this book.

I have so many ideas for using this book.

 

[Umbran]

Sure, but Tiamat and Takhisis are not unique in form in function. If they where, this wouldn’t be an argument

Well, there's big burly barbarians walking around wearing very little clothing in each world, and in a large sense they are all the same basic form and function. So... are all of them actually Conan?

The simple thing being, I am unlikely to run a game that jumps between worlds. So, linkages across worlds are not useful to me, and I'd prefer they not be linked, so that they could have different function more easily.

 

[Parmandur]

Well, there's big burly barbarians walking around wearing very little clothing in each world, and in a large sense they are all the same basic form and function. So... are all of them actually Conan?

The simple thing being, I am unlikely to run a game that jumps between worlds. So, linkages across worlds are not useful to me, and I'd prefer they not be linked, so that they could have different function more easily.

They do participate in the same abilities via an abstract Class in the Realm of Ideas...so, yeah, they kinda are.

 

[Parmandur]

Not really. Those planes have specific meanings in D&D. The Abyss and the 9 Hells are not interchangeable. I'm a little confused why Takhisis, the Queen of the Abyss, is living on a plane in the 9 Hells where, as an Abyssal being, she should be up to her neck in Devils trying to kill her for being an enemy in the Blood War.

She's a Chaotic Evil prisoner in the Hells. It's complicated, I suppose, but just because some mortals use words one way doesn't mean that is how things really are.

Also, it's all made up silliness.

 

[Hussar]

No it does not. It changes nothing at your table. You have no obligation to use any of this. Actually I would hope every time they print material for a new edition they could take a completely different take on it. That way we have five different versions of all the DND lore. Wouldn’t that be awesome!

That would be spectacularly awesome.

Only thing is, there are significant numbers of fans that would lose their collective minds if their pet setting was changed in a new edition. All you have to do is look at 4e to see just how acceptable it is to change existing setting lore. People absolutely freaked.