The Sign of the Dragon (Marco Bertini and Marco Fossati) sends us their new work Treasures from Krynn for a review. Treasures from Krynn is a compact compendium of 80 new magic items for D&D5e. As the more seasoned of you can guess from the name, this is a supplement designed for the world of Dragonlance, specifically as an integration for the adventure module Shadow of the Dragon Queen. However the product turns out to be easily adaptable to all D&D5e settings.
Like Sign of the Dragon’s other works, Treasures from Krynn is available in english on DMsguild in digital format for $3.95.
Review of the aesthetics and usability of the expansion
The quality of layout and images is undoubtedly excellent. Completely in line with the level of Sign of the Dragon’s other works (Undead Mosters, Acerark’s guide to Lichdom, and many others). Treasures from Krynn’s digital version has a very convenient hypertexted index, which makes fruition extremely accessible. The content is super varied and suitable for different power levels.
The graphic style of Treasures from Krynn immediately brings back the feeling of the official D&D5e material. Thanks to the skillful use of Homebrewery (the online tool to layout documents according to the D&D5e style standard) and a combination of illustrations from Dean Spencer, the Master’s Handbook, and the DMsguild licensing agreement, the 25 pages of Treasures from Krynn appear immediately familiar to the eye accustomed to the D&D5e aesthetic.
Noteworthy are the numerous blue squares with references to the history and characters of Dragonlance, pleasant tidbits and useful tools for recalling immediate links to the setting.
Review of the content of Treasures from Krynn
Treasures from Krynn opens with a series of tables, grouping by rarity the 75 original magical items and 5 original artifacts. This structure allows us to direct our search with a quick glance to the contents of our interest. The only thing I can point out in this review of Treasures from Krynn is perhaps the lack of the numbering of the items in the tables. I think it might be useful to have the tables already numbered, in case you want to randomly roll some rewards or loot for your players. After the grouping tables, we find three lists from A to Z in which every item appearance and effect is described in detail. The three lists divide magic items from legendary items, from artifacts.
As the authors promise, Treasures from Krynn offers a wide variety of magical items. We find weapons, armor, rings, rods and staffs, as well as a wealth of wondrous items. There are even a few sentient items, such as the Blue Crystal Staff, who stands as a champion of the weak and downtrodden. The list ranges from common wondrous items to legendary weapons. You will find items appropriate for low-level groups up to treasures worthy of the greatest heroes. Treasures from Krynn also contains five powerful artifacts, around which entire game campaigns can be built. The Crown of Power, the ancient crown once possessed by the Kingpriest of Istar, is an example of these.
All of the elements listed have well-explained descriptions and effects. Some items I came across while reading the document to write this review of Treasures from Krynn have references to spells contained in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything and Tasha’s Cauldron of everything. There are also references to the spells and effects in the Dungeon Master’s Handbook and the Player’s Handbook.
Conclusions
Everything is ready to be inserted directly into your game campaigns, without any additional effort. Although some of the names and several inspirations come from the Dragonlance setting, you can nonetheless draw heavily from Treasures from Krynn to enrich your homebrew world. The content is designed to be fully compatible with the D&D5e game system.You can use it even outside Dragonlance. Obviously you are always free to rename any items particularly related to the original setting.
Treasures from Krynn will be able to give excellent satisfaction to both long term fans of Dragonlance and those unfamiliar with that setting. Fans will find content heavily imbued with the stories they love. For everyone else, the content remains very valid game elements to be used with ease.
The Sign of the Dragon brand once again proves to be a mark of quality. In conclusion to this review of Treasures from Krynn, I would recommend this product to anyone who wants an interesting additional variety in their library of magical items.