Dragon Delves is a new Dungeons and Dragons supplemental book for dungeon masters who want well-crafted, short adventures centered around dragons. The lead designers for this book are Amanda Hamon, who worked on the well written Strixhaven, and James Wyatt, who authored much of Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons. These two experienced authors teamed up to create Dragon Delves collection of short adventures that can be inserted into almost any campaign setting.
Game Industry News was sent a review copy of the book, and I was able to use some of the material in a recent adventure I ran. There are two different covers with one showing five chromatic dragons and the alternative cover with a single, unspecified dragon evoking a dream. We also looked at the digital version of the book, which is available for online games like on the Roll20 platform.
In the spirit of the 50th anniversary of Dungeons and Dragons, each adventure centers on a specific dragon type (like green, red or blue) and shows the different artwork that each dragon inspired, starting with the original black and white 1977 Monster Manual. Panels from later editions of the Monster Manual (2008, 2014 and 2024) plus the other books that feature dragons like the Draconomicon (2003) are also featured. Artist Todd Lockwood, who worked on Dungeons and Dragons Third Edition, is given valuable space to both talk about and share his art. The book states that he based “his designs on the anatomy of real-world animals and certain points of continuity with earlier designs…those designs set the standards for D&D dragons for over 20 years.”
Dragon Delves is a reminder to the reader about the many ways dragons have been envisioned, and the different ways game masters can portray them for their players. The split between both the chromatic and the metallic dragons is well defined here, and some of my favorites, like the scheming, sly and manipulative green dragon and the more brute, arctic hunter white dragon both make an appearance. There are 10 chapters, each with its own dragon type to explore and learn about. There is also an adventure that prominently features each kind of dragon.
This book makes each dragon adventure stand alone and does not tie them to the Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Dragonlance or even Greyhawk. What I liked is how each adventure, which is divided in difficulty from levels one up to level 12, are all different in tone. There are whimsical adventures with a childlike feel, stark ones that pit good against evil and complex ones where the outcome will have both the game master and players debating which are the best actions to take.
For example, the level three adventure, Baker’s Doesn’t, is one with cartoon like illustrations, a candy cottage, gingerbread antagonists and a fairytale feel. There are candy creatures and even a taffy factory. The level of detail in the text is something a DM could use to make great word pictures to share with the players. This is a gold dragon-based adventure, so we are on the good side of the D&D alignment axis, but there are lots of antagonists that aren’t, so don’t ignore the lethality of some creature just because it has a name like “Bubba Wugga” and is a giant-sized baby doll. It can kill.
The level nine adventure mixes Githyanki, Astral Plane inspired encounters and an alien garden. This is one of the more complex adventures and carries with it the heft of a Red Dragon. It is something I really enjoyed reading. This one is perfect for players who enjoy roleplaying and having their characters discuss a tangled situation where merely slaying a monster may make things worse.
If you like pirates, the black dragon adventure set for level 10 players may be for you. If the level nine adventure makes for some moral quandaries, then this level 10 adventure is a straight fight against some baddies. There is a great twist that I won’t reveal, but if you like Pirates of the Caribbean, Treasure Island or the show Black Sails, then this is one a DM can use with plenty of enjoyment.
If you have the book which we reviewed last year Quests From the Infinite Staircase and enjoy using it in campaigns, then Chapter 9 A Copper for a Song, is for you. This 12th level adventure has lots of well-drawn NPCs and interwoven plots. I do not know if D&D Designer Justice Ramen Arman wrote it, but Chapter 9 definitely takes its flavor from Infinite Staircase. It also has a plot hook that you can dovetail into that campaign.
There are other adventures in Dragon Delves, and looking back through them you can see that the lower-level offerings have plot protections in place to stop a Total Party Kill. Imagine a green dragon going up against some first level fortune hunters without these safeguards. If you ordered a pizza for some friends who came over to enjoy that adventure, the pizza would get there just in time for everyone to make new characters to avenge the ones who just died.
This book gives the players and GMs just enough protection to make it a challenge but not insurmountable. I do wish this book had more stat blocks, but it does refer to the core books for most monsters. The digital copy on D&D Beyond takes you right to what you need.
Dungeon Delves delivers for the DM who wants one or two session adventures that use dragons. It should be noted that this book was dedicated to Christopher Perkins, who just retired from Wizards of the Coast. Perkins was a great ambassador for D&D. He grew from a designer into a spokesperson and a GM that made crowd pleasing Actual Plays with Acquisitions Inc. I and the many players of this game wish him the best. To those still working on Dungeons and Dragons, we hope the new ambassadors will be supported and more Actual Plays be produced.