Libertad
Legend
Dragons and the Lux Aeterna Ritual is a purely flavor chapter, written from the in-character perspective of Kallizandrex, an aeternal green dragon scholar. This chapter discusses each of the 45 dragon families' views and approaches to the ritual, and in the case of Battlezoo's more original families provides some additional fluffy world-building. Beyond the aforementioned quicker path to power, traditionalist dragons often become aeternal because it is in line with their ethos or or helps enhance some aspect of their nature. For example,the isolationist nature Black Dragons and their desire to win at all costs makes them more likely than other chromatic dragons to go "all-in" with a risky magical ritual. This also has the effect of causing traditionalist Black Dragons to hate and fear their aeternal counterparts, viewing them as akin to rapidly-ticking time bombs that will eclipse them in power if they're not dealt with immediately.
While there are some interesting exceptions, for the most part this chapter is a bit repetitive, in that entries have recurring themes of draconic societies debating the merits of fast but risky power vs slow yet tried-and-true means, and aeternal dragons being more likely to interact with non-dragons and join adventuring groups. Each entry also discusses which character classes aeternal dragons of that family are likeliest to gravitate.
Some of the more interesting exceptions are worth calling out The first are Bliss Dragons, who have their own unique process of the Lux Aeterna, where they perform the ritual in order to save a mortal's life. Astral Dragons are among the least likely type to undergo the ritual, but those who do are strongly compelled by encountering visions or memories from mental echoes of long-dead dragons. Crypt Dragons patrol the planes in search of threats to the natural flow of souls, and being independent in this duty they typically undertake the Lux Aeterna in order to avert a great threat that needs relatively quick action. Lunar Dragons watch inhabitants of planets much like people in the real world might watch a reality show, as detached observers who often develop one-sided bonds of fondness for people they may never personally meet. Their society has a rule of non-interference, but Lunar Dragons who want to more directly intervene (usually due to forming an attachment for their favorite watched beings) are the likeliest to undertake the ritual. Finally, Void Dragons are cursed to eventually be consumed by alien entities representative of the cosmic forces of entropy, and the Lux Aeterna can not only reset the clock but let them control how much cosmic corruption they take via the selective attainment of powers specific to their kind. Thus, the Lux Aeterna is viewed by many Void Dragons as a means of potential salvation for their people.
Thoughts: I covered it before, but I did find this chapter repetitive in places and suffers a bit from word bloat. That being said, I'd prefer to have this chapter than not, as it can be a useful bite-sized look for players who need a quick rundown of their draconic PC's society and common reasons for adventuring.
Hoards of Power is a new subsystem present in both the D&D and Pathfinder 2e systems of this book. It makes references to a crafting subsystem in the Battlezoo Bestiary books, which I don't own, so I can't give it as insightful a review as I can other parts of this book. The Pathfinder 2e version says that one can use the Automatic Bonus Progression optional rules, but that the monster parts subsystem is recommended.
In short, when an aeternal dragon PC gains treasure, they can choose to add it to their treasure hoard. Coins, art, gemstones, and the like add their full value, but magic items only add half their value. The dragon can then "spend" the value of their hoard to refine and imbue their natural weapons and scales, with the former being treated as handwraps and the latter being treated as bracers (but only when they're not wearing armor or using a shield). For Pathfinder groups using Automatic Bonus Progression, dragon PCs who upgrade their hoard to a certain amount worth of gold pieces gain the ABP benefits of that level, using item bonus instead of potency bonus. In the case of gaining defense potency their maximum Dexterity modifier to AC is capped at +5.
Thoughts: I cannot really grade this sub-system without buying another sourcebook, so others more familiar with the Battlezoo Bestiary series will need to fill me in if these rules sound good or not. I do like the idea of dragons effectively "buying" new powers by collecting treasure, as in a normal campaign hoarding wealth and not using it is actually suboptimal from a game design perspective. One oversight is that while it's not outright spelled out, the book doesn't say if items in the hoard can or cannot be used without "taking them out" of said hoard. While the implication is that the dragon PC will be storing them for safekeeping when not on adventures, it does raise the question of stuff like using a hoard's Lyre of Building during downtime for constructing a home base but not being taken on adventures.
Our book ends with an Appendix, which includes 11 alternatives* to the Lux Aeterna Ritual to explain varying concepts for dragon PCs in case the aforementioned ritual doesn't fit the DM or player's vision. The Dragon Index lists every dragon family in alphabetical order, detailing snippets of important game information such as their dragon family (chromatic, metallic, planar, etc), damage type, unique Gifts/feats, and the like.
*The book says 10, but they have 1 more.
Thoughts So Far: I don't have much to add for this section as a whole besides that I liked the Dragon Index most, as I can see it of most frequent use for the average player and DM needing a quick comparison or reference for building characters.
Final Thoughts: While making playable monsters in D&D and Pathfinder always required a delicate balancing act between authenticity and playability, dragons in particular are one of the most difficult for such a task. Battlezoo Ancestries: Dragons had a difficult road and high bar to clear, yet managed success where I've seen so many other designers fail. This is the best "playable dragon" sourcebook I've ever read, and would highly recommend it to gaming groups who want to emphasize the Dragon part of their Dungeons & Dragons (and Pathfinder) campaigns.
But this isn't the end of draconic goodness! Later this month, I have plans to review of Itza's Guide to Dragonbonding. For those fans of Eragon, Drakengard, and similar "dragon-rider" fantasy media, this 5e setting is heavily inspired by such titles and pits PCs in the saddle of true dragons as they battle world-ending threats!
