Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons introduces the Gem Dragonborn into D&D 5th Edition, allowing for excellent new builds for players to try out.
With the release of the new official D&D 5th Edition supplement Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, comes plenty of new options for players aiming to try the new Dragonborn lineages. By introducing the Metallic, Chromatic, and Gem Dragonborn races, D&D 5e now provides players with a wider array of draconic options for their characters. While each new Dragonborn race has its ups and downs, Gem Dragonborns stand above the competition by giving characters the usual dragon powers coupled with the ability to fly.
The first thing of note regarding the new Dragonborn race options in Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons is the added flexibility to spread out ability score improvements. Unlike the Player Handbook’s version of the Dragonborn that provided a +2 boost to Strength and a +1 boost to Charisma, players can now choose to give +2 and +1 to any stat they chose or even a +1 to three stats. This keeps in line with Wizards of the Coast’s new direction in providing more flexibility in character creation to players.
Related: What Dragonsight Means For D&D Books After Fizban’s Treasury Of Dragons
The breath weapon for the new Dragonborn races added in Fizban's Treasury differs from the Player Handbook's version in quite a few ways. The damage was scaled down to a 1d10 from 2d6 and no longer recharges on a short rest, as it can instead be used a number of times equal to proficiency. However, some characters no longer need to commit a full action to cast it as it can now substitute a single attack. The synergy between the type of damage of the breath weapon and the type of damage the character is resistant to remains as new elemental options were added.
At fifth level, Gem Dragonborns gain the ability to fly for one minute per long rest. Because martial classes tend to focus on melee, this ability can be incredibly valuable in fights against out-of-reach enemies. Crippling a martial classes’ ability to fight up close can be very debilitating to their damage output. Having the ability to fly, even if just for one combat encounter can be the trump card that changes the outcome of a battle. For martial classes that focus on range, this can be just as beneficial as it can allow them to deal damage from the air, minimizing the danger from melee opponents.
Most martial classes, especially those which focus on Strength as the main stat, often suffer from having low utility. Seeing as Athletics is the only ability that scales with Strength, even the few proficiencies a martial class might have will quickly be outmatched by their non-Strength-based companions. Gem Dragonborns can help fix this utility gap without relying on Dungeons & Dragon's magic items, not only with their ability to fly and deal area damage but also because of Psionic Mind, which allows them to telepathically send a message to a creature within 30 feet. This ability can add a lot to the social component of D&D, as it enables characters to communicate silently in a pinch, and mess with people’s heads by sending unrequited messages.
The Ancestry of Gem Dragonborn allows players to pick from some of the most powerful damage types in the game. Force, Radiant, Psychic, Thunder, and Necrotic are the least resisted damage types by enemy creatures in D&D 5e. Because Ancestry also gives characters resistance to the same damage type, the Breath Weapon can often be more beneficial than Draconic Resistance, as these damage types are also rare for enemies to inflict. In essence, this means that classes with the Extra Attack feature tend to get more value from the changes to Breath Weapon. Martial classes, who tend to struggle when facing multiple enemies, will also benefit from the option to use this area of effect to hit multiple targets. Because Gem Dragonborn’s Breath Weapon is a 15-foot cone, this also synergizes well with these types of classes, as they tend to stand in the front lines dealing with enemies up close.
Gem Dragonborn Moon Druids are most likely one of the best possible combos in D&D 5e. Because Wild Shape allows characters to maintain their racial abilities, this class can benefit from all the Gem Dragonborn has to offer while in beast form. This means that Wild Shaped characters now have a way to communicate with their party through Psionic Mind, can use the Breath Weapon to do area damage, and even fly without having to turn into a flying beast. The only caveat is that because the Multiattack action is different from the Attack action, Druids in beast form cannot substitute one of their attacks for the Breath Weapon, thus having to commit a full action to do so.
For players aiming to build a more tanky D&D Dragonborn character, a Path of the Totem Warrior Barbarian as a Gem Dragonborn can effectively become a resistance powerhouse. Barbarians who pick the Bear totem spirit in the subclass will be resistant to every type of damage while raging except psychic. On the other hand, Emerald Gem Dragonborn, one of the possible Ancestries, provides resistance to psychic damage and changes the Breath Weapon's damage type to match. This means that while raging, Bear Totem Barbarians will take half damage from everything in the game, and their Breath Weapon will deal a damage type very rarely resisted by D&D 5e monsters.
Divine Soul Sorcerers can also make for an excellent Gem Dragonborn. Because they have the least amount of spells in D&D 5e, having the ability to fly without having to pick up the Fly spell can add a lot of value. Gem Flight also does not require concentration, which means Sorcerers can effectively fly around the battlefield while unleashing some of the best spells in Dungeons and Dragons. Having the Favored by the Gods ability and proficiency in Concentration Saves will make losing concentration on those spells even harder. Since Breath Weapon isn’t a spell, Sorcerers can also use Metamagic to Quicken synergistic spells such as Bane. This works well with the Gem Dragonborn Ancestries since the damage types available incentivize an offensive build.
Fighters as a martial class benefit greatly from the many abilities the Gem Dragonborn offers. However, what sets them apart from other martial classes, is the ability to Action Surge. If Breath Weapon can be used when a character takes the Attack action, it also means that Fighters can use Action Surge to cast it twice to nuke several enemies in a single turn. This, once again, synergizes well with the rarely resisted damage types the Gem Dragonborn Ancestries offer. This plus the ability to fly makes Gem Dragonborn an excellent choice in D&D 5th Edition for a Fighter regardless of the subclass.
Next: D&D: Fizban’s Treasury Of Dragons: New Subclasses Explained
Pedro always had a passion for both writing and video games and is currently a freelance guide writer for Screen Rant. Having graduated from Aveiro University in Literature, Languages, and Culture he now seeks to put his skills to the test and hopes that readers enjoy his guides as much as he loves writing them.