The next Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook, Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, is set to release on October 19. It will not only integrate Gem Dragons into Fifth Edition but provide further details about and benefits to the Dragonborn race, all brought to readers by a bumbling old mage known to all who've met him as Fizban the Fabulous.
Upon first introduction, one could hardly expect this doddering old fool to be a virtual treasure trove of knowledge about dragons. However, there's far more to Fizban than meets the eye. His expertise on the subject is understandably solid considering his origins as the god Paladine.
Fizban the Fabulous was introduced in Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles, a trilogy of novels set during the War of the Lance, also known as the Fourth Dragon War. Introduced through his dealings with a mischievous Kender named Tasslehoff Burrfoot, it wasn't discovered until much later that Fizban was the chosen avatar of the Dragon God Paladine.
For a good portion of the story, none of the characters, save Tasslehoff, took Fizban seriously because he was ridiculously forgetful. He barely remembered his own name most of the time, much less how magic worked. Nearly every time he cast a spell, it backfired or wound up being a disaster-averting disaster that only just managed to barely save the day. In fact, Fizban was quite famous for setting his hat on fire.
In time, however, he revealed his true nature and purpose, choosing the 10 Heroes of the Lance and teaching them how to forge the dragonlance that would help them win the war against the dragons. Paladine chose to travel the mortal realms as an old man with a host of seven canaries, all of which were gold dragons in disguise. Thus, Fizban was created.
The D&D worlds share connections and similarities, and Paladine ties into Bahamut, who was introduced in the Greyhawk expansion and holds virtually all of the same attributes to Paladine. Both represent the basis for the Lawful Good alignment, with a strict distaste for all things evil, and wish to lend their aid to mortals who battle against such things.
Fizban's expertise on the matter of dragons comes straight from the source. Not only is he a dragon, but he's a god of dragons, and he knows everything there is to know about their origins, natures, habitats, dispositions and alignments. He may even know a thing or two about where the Dragonborn race originated.
Fizban's reintroduction to D&D could indicate that Dragonlance itself could be coming to 5e. The D&D novels once expanded heavily on the franchise's worlds and monsters, exploring worlds familiar to players and introducing readers to the game. With D&D continuing to grow in popularity, now seems like the perfect time to relaunch fictional adventures to keep the momentum going.