D&D 5E Fizban's Treasury Dragons Ranked By Challenge Rating

WotC has been sending out previews of Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, due out next month, to folks on Twitter. Amongst those are art pieces and other items.

By Challenge Rating the dragons in the book are:

• Ancient crystal (19)
• Ancient topaz (20)
• Ancient emerald (21)
• Ancient moonstone (21)
• Ancient sapphire (22)
• Elder brain dragon (22)
• Ancient amethyst (23)
• Ancient dragon turtle (24)
• Gem greatwyrm (26)
• Chromatic greatwyrm (27)
• Metallic greatwyrm (28)
• Apects of Bahamut and Tiamat (30)

Interestingly, it appears that the great wyrm category is divided into three -- gem, chromatic, metallic -- rather than by each dragon type.

There's also an alphabetical list of all 20 dragon types in the book:

• Amethyst
• Black
• Blue
• Brass
• Bronze
• Copper
• Crystal
• Deep
• Dragon turtle
• Emerald
• Faerie
• Gold
• Green
• Moonstone
• Red
• Sapphire
• Shadow
• Silver
• Topaz
• White

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Yeah, but the idea isn't "this is what dragons in the Feywild are", is it? The idea is "this creature is to dragons what regular fairies are to humans."

Don't pseudodragons more or less already fill that role?

I also had never considered that the concept of a Faerie Dragon would be that they're to dragons as fairies/pixies/sprites are to humanoids. If that was the purpose, it wasn't made clear in the Monster Manual. I'm more just considered them to be the type of dragons that lived in the Feywild. (Moonstone dragons are making things weird here, especially with their name being similar to Gem Dragons).

 

[Bolares]

I'm fine with annoying monsters. I just think making Fairy Dragons be magical winged cats is a huge mistake. (And, yes, I will stick by my "should". If the Shadow Dragon is a template that is added onto True Dragons, so should Faerie Dragons, because the Feywild and Shadowfell are opposites.)

I think the moonstone dragon will be the oposite to the shadow dragon...

 

[Parmandur]

Don't pseudodragons more or less already fill that role?

I also had never considered that the concept of a Faerie Dragon would be that they're to dragons as fairies/pixies/sprites are to humanoids. If that was the purpose, it wasn't made clear in the Monster Manual. I'm more just considered them to be the type of dragons that lived in the Feywild. (Moonstone dragons are making things weird here, especially with their name being similar to Gem Dragons).

Keep in mind that the Feywild is a pretty new thing in D&D.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Keep in mind that the Feywild is a pretty new thing in D&D.

In the same way that the Shadowfell is a new thing to D&D.

Counterpoint: The Demiplane of Shadow and the Plane of Faerie are way older than them, though.

 

[Maxperson]

Yeah, if they do I wager an Ancient Fairie Dragon is CR 18 or lower. I bet the same for Deep Dragons: more sneaky shapeshifters than fighters, at least compared yo the other Dragons.

Deep Dragons have in prior editions been full size and on the same power level as the chromatic and metallic dragons. While an ancient Faerie Dragon might be CR 18 or lower, the Deep Dragon is probably going to be CR 23ish. About on par with a Blue Dragon.

Edit: I'd actually be surprised if an ancient Faerie Dragon is higher than CR 10.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Yeah, if they do I wager an Ancient Fairie Dragon is CR 18 or lower. I bet the same for Deep Dragons: more sneaky shapeshifters than fighters, at least compared yo the other Dragons.

So you think Ancient Deep Dragons will be weaker then Ancient Crystal Dragons, Copper, or White Dragons in combat, but with more none combat magic and skills and other abilities?

I guess they could make the trade off of combat ability power for utility and support powers, making sense why it would be a lower CR, but still very dangerous.

Like Shape Shifting magic, scrying, illusions, tunneling, etc...

This would make it like PHB Celestial, far more powerful and useful then its CR would indicate because so much if it's power is in support and utility, not offense or defensive powers. Example Couatls, low CR, but packing more magic spells, powers, shape shifting ability, then creatures far, far higher in CR then it.

 

[Parmandur]

Deep Dragons have in prior editions been full size and on the same power level as the chromatic and metallic dragons. While an ancient Faerie Dragon might be CR 18 or lower, the Deep Dragon is probably going to be CR 23ish. About on par with a Blue Dragon.

Edit: I'd actually be surprised if an ancient Faerie Dragon is higher than CR 10.

Well, here's the thing: we got that list of CR 19+ statblocks, and no Deep Dragon.

 

[Parmandur]

So you think Ancient Deep Dragons will be weaker then Ancient Crystal Dragons, Copper, or White Dragons in combat, but with more none combat magic and skills and other abilities?

I guess they could make the trade off of combat ability power for utility and support powers, making sense why it would be a lower CR, but still very dangerous.

Like Shape Shifting magic, scrying, illusions, tunneling, etc...

This would make it like PHB Celestial, far more powerful and useful then its CR would indicate because so much if it's power is in support and utility, not offense or defensive powers. Example Couatls, low CR, but packing more magic spells, powers, shape shifting ability, then creatures far, far higher in CR then it.

It's a possibility!

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I'm fine with annoying monsters. I just think making Fairy Dragons be magical winged cats is a huge mistake. (And, yes, I will stick by my "should". If the Shadow Dragon is a template that is added onto True Dragons, so should Faerie Dragons, because the Feywild and Shadowfell are opposites.)

Interesting idea, but the problem is Faerie Dragons have a long history and are a specific thing and they are tiny creatures, so they wouldn't work for that, but there are types of Dragons that are tied to the Feywild in 4e that could act as the opposite of Shadow Dragons. Heck they could have a Feywild Dragon Template for that.

 

[Maxperson]

Well, here's the thing: we got that list of CR 19+ statblocks, and no Deep Dragon.

I wonder if it's an exhaustive list. Or maybe they just aren't giving Shadow Dragons ancient or great wyrm stats. Or maybe they've seriously downgraded it, which would be a shame.