Dragon+ Issue 35

 by Emi Tanji

You can read this issue right here.

New Dragon+! Is there free stuff in here? Methinks that there is.

This issue is good, very "meat and potatoes." We get free maps from Rime and Storm King, an epic walkthrough map of Rime, and a really good article on the Mighty Servant of Leuk-o, complete with .pdfs of Leuk-o stuff from older editions.

Holiday Gift Guide 2020

We go through the many cool/weird D&D products out there that you can buy. I do like the cover of the "premium" Player's Handbook:

Gold foil! The set comes with a fancy DM screen and everything. 

There's shirts. I really like this one:

I think I've mentioned before that when I was a kid, I didn't understand the differences between basic D&D and Advanced D&D. I just squashed them all together. I remember my older brother telling me that we were playing it "wrong." 

I do remember getting the Immortal set and being baffled by the "Immortal" rules.

So yeah, I really like these shirts, and would love to get one for each basic box. But... $42! For one shirt! We're in a pandemic here, people. I should have invested in bitcoin. Or dogecoin, at least.

Honestly I'd like some 2nd edition apparel. I know 2nd edition wasn't as popular as the others, but 2e is what I played a ton of. I'd particularly like some Planescape shirts. I do have one Lady of Pain shirt, but I think it's a bootleg. I want some shirts with DiTerlizzi art.

There are more inexpensive shirts for 5e on amazon. They have shirts for different alignments. I declare myself to be LAWFUL GOOD:

Then of course, we have one of my favorite things ever. The d20 changing color light! I will buy this soon and it will be with me forever.

Update 1/14/2021: Greetings from the future! 2021 is somehow already more horrible than 2020. But! I got the d20 light today. 

It's a very simple product - a big, plastic, hollow d20, and it comes with a USB cord. There's a little button on the bottom. Push it, and boom there it goes, cycling through the colors. 

Is it worth $35? I think so. It is a little... light? Plastic? And it's a bit smaller than I expected. I mean.. it's big. I also expected it to have a black base for some reason, and it doesn't have that.

If you can find this product somewhere for $20, then it's an absolute must buy IMO. At $35, I think you'd need to already think it is the coolest thing ever.

Personally, I love it and have no regrets.

Dragon Classics

The 2e Leuk-o Explosion Chart

Now we get to the free .pdf stuff. This one focuses on a weird D&D artifact: The Mighty Servant of Leuk-o. We go through the lore. Apparently Leuk-o is a rival of Lum the Mad.

The item was actually named after Luke Gygax.

We trace its history through old D&D products. It was disassembled in Expedition to the Ruins of Castle Greyhawk.

It is in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, where there is a mention of "Lum the Maestro," a granddaughter of Lum the Mad.

Really great article! 

Best of the DMs Guild

They feature a bunch of Curse of Strahd-related products. They even included my Guide to Curse of Strahd! Looking at some of the other products, I feel like people don't charge enough money for their stuff. Hand-drawn maps of Barovia! Worth more than $1!!

Maps of the Month

Real good ones this month, most of them are from Rime of the Frostmaiden. We get players versions and DM versions of:

• Cackling Chasm 
• Karkolohk
• The Black Cabin
  

We also get maps from Storm King (the Great Worm Cavern), Mythic Odysseys of Theros, and a pile from an old 4e adventure.

Unearthed Arcana

Playtest stuff!

Monk: Way of the Ascendant Dragon: These monks alter their ki to "resonate with draconic might."

One possible origin: "After a dream that features a five-handed dragonborn you awoke with altered ki, reflecting the breaths of dragons."

A dragonborn with 5 hands?? Not arms, just hands? What an odd NPC. I guess they're an agent of Tiamat?

These monks can breathe dragon breath weapons, grow spectral wings, all sorts of good stuff. This is really cool.

Ranger: Drakewarden: Rangers who bond with a "minor dragon."

I wonder if Wizards of the Coast will be coming out with a 5e Draconomicon soon? This stuff is all dragon-centric. Draconomicons are cool, I'm always up for more details on Tiamat, bahamut, and all the weird dragon types out there. I'd love a section of harvesting dragon parts to use in the making of potions and magic items. I'd also love to read about what happens if you eat dragon meat. I bet Ed Greenwood has made up a whole thing about that, that guy is amazing.

My favorite origin: "You drank a few drops of dragon blood, forever infusing your nature magic with draconic power."

At 3rd level you can summon your drake companion. It's got a base stat block. You choose the damage type: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison.

It is small, so you can't ride it. It grows wings when you hit 7th level. It becomes large when you hit 15th level.

Comic: Icewind Dale Rime of the Frostmaiden

These Jason Thompson walkthrough maps are the best. Some of them have helped me so much when it comes to understanding an adventure.

Good stuff! Loved the Leuk-o info.