paizo.com - Hero's Handbook: Dragonborn (4E)

"Do not fear death, only the shame of defeat."

Born of dragons and steeped in war, the greatest warriors have always been the dragonborn. Herein, players and DMs alike will learn the secrets of the last of the warrior-kings, the sinister plots of the Cult of Apophis, the mysteries of the Forbidden City, and the siren song of long-lost homelands.

Fearless in battle, unmatched with the blade, theirs is a martial tradition whose legacy spans centuries. Has the sun set on the ancient empire, or can heroes write new legends? Take up your clan’s banner, belt on your ancestral sword—a new world awaits, crying out for adventures worthy of the mantle of hero!

Whether you are a hero championing the cause of good, or a dark avenger sworn to wicked Apophis, Hero's Handbook: Dragonborn is the essential dragonborn player’s resource. First in a complete line of PC aids, each brings character, history and new depth to your player character.

Writers: Aeryn "Blackdirge" Rudel, Jeff LaSala, Harley Stroh
Developer: Harley Stroh
Cover Art: Ben Wooten
96 pages

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“Hero’ s Handbook: Dragonborn” is an extensive, intensely-detailed tome that adds such a degree of depth and flavor to the 4th edition’s newest core character race that GMs and players alike will find nearly boundless possibilities for their dragonborn NPCs and characters.

But to say only that is to seriously understate the scope of this book.

The book itself, paperback and black-and-white, won’t jump off the shelf at you. The disappointing cover art is just a step above childish, cartoonish caricature. Fortunately, though, this is most definitely the only drawback of the work as a whole.

“Hero’s Handbook: Dragonborn” is exactly what a third party supplement should be. It takes what the core rules give us, and adds detail and depth in a thoughtful and imaginative way. This book gives players and GMs so much to work with that, should they choose, they could go just as far as to spice up their individual dragonborn characters, or take it all the way and create a fully-developed, intricately-detailed dragonborn campaign. Whether dragonborn are going to be rare, unique creatures of myth in your game or dominate the spotlight, this supplement is an absolute “must have.” Let’s hope that Goodman Games continues to draw on LaSala’s, “Blackdirge’s,” and Stroh’s creativity and inspiration to keep the “Hero’s Handbook” line going and continues to fill the void of details left by the core rulebook’s sadly underdeveloped racial entries.