Today we want to show you our review of the Great Wyrms of Drakha. First of all we want to thank Draco Studios for providing us with a copy of this collection of high profile adventures for D&D5e. After a very successful Kickstarter campaign, now the manual can be preordered for $ 40 (just over € 35). Accessories are also available, such as a limited set of dice and STL files for printing 3D dragon miniatures. A very nice job for the game around the table!
Great Wyrms of Drakha is based on Dragonbond, the work of Daniel Servitje. But there is also the work of a wide audience of professionals who have contributed to the development. Moreover the 1408 backers of the Kickstarter are thanked one by one in the manual. A nice attention, for those who have contributed to such an ambitious project. And a great satisfaction to see that it was worth it!

Review of the Handbook of Great Wyrms of Drakha
Great Wyrms of Drakha Handbook is a collection of seven adventures for D&D5e, all designed to take characters from 17th to 20th level. A monumental book, 320 pages paginated that follow the original criteria of the official manuals. Of these, nearly 40 are dedicated to a bestiary. All these features create a solid volume, designed with impeccable professionalism. A beautiful manual, satisfying even just to the touch.
But not just to the touch. The quality of the artwork is very high; despite the beautiful cover, the other content still manages to surprise. It’s certainly true that when it comes to dragons, you really can’t go wrong. Especially when it comes to 50% of the name of the most famous RPG in the world. But Great Wyrms of Drakha manages to take it a step further, bringing small masterpieces to its pages. It’s not just the illustrations themselves, but the design behind each type of dragon represented. Excellent.

High Level Adventures
As anticipated, in this Great Wyrms of Drakha review we talk about a collection of adventures, all for high level characters. The pinnacle of a successful adventurer’s career. Probably I would have appreciated a way to connect them, not to be forced to play them individually. But we are talking about challenging the azhurma, the dragon lords. This should be actually accomplished once in a lifetime. Furthermore, these adventures can become the conclusion of an epic campaign, or fill the void that exists for short but high-level D&D5e adventures.
In addition to the adventures and the aforementioned bestiary, the manual also presents new artifacts and amazing items, purely functional to the story. There are no customization options for the characters, but a completely new mechanic is introduced for the battles against the azhurma. Clashing with the lords of Drakha in their home means in fact articulating the battle in different phases. An escalation in which the combat will become more and more challenging, exploiting the environment also to resort to tricks that distract or weaken the dragon, as well as damaging it.
To make everything even more compelling, Great Wyrms of Drakha does not just propose adventures for their own sake, but in each of them he outlines an entire setting, which alone can host an entire themed campaign!

Review of the Setting of Great Wyrms of Drakha
The setting is certainly one of the best parts of Great Wyrms of Drakha. Our reviews are always spoiler free, but we can give you some clues.
Drakha, the Red Moon, is the moon of the world of Rhaava; the most important world of the Dragonbond setting, the Draco Studios project. When Rhaava was younger, its surface was furrowed by Protogons, creatures endowed with such power to mold it to their liking. Among the Protogons it was Kadmos, the Primordial Dragon, who discovered how to increase his breed and frighten others with his ambition. Exile him with his lineage was the only possible solution.
But the offspring of Kadmos are not as dead as might be expected; it colonized Drakha and thrived there. The most powerful dragons have shaped society in broods, passing on their characteristics and ideas in a rather rigid hierarchy. And every 27 years, the Eye of Kadmos opens, and a portal allows them to raid Rhaava. Intelligent creatures that are not immediately devoured to absorb Vaala, the magical energy that dragons lack, are brought to Drakha. Where the best expectation is to become a slave for life.

An Hard Life
For many, becoming dragon food may indeed be a preferable option. In this review of Great Wyrms of Drakha we would like to point out that the draconic society is definitely ruthless. Aiming to be third-class citizens for the inhabitants of Rhaava is already a goal that is difficult to achieve.
The azhurma, the dragonlords, have shaped entire regions according to their will and inclinations. You won’t find the metallic and chromatic dragons you are used to; their characterization, on Drakha, is linked to the nature of the azhurma from which the entire brood descends. Over the centuries the entire satellite has modeled itself depending on its colonizers. Each life form has either turned out to be strong enough to survive, or has been reshaped to the image of its new lords.
The player characters are exiles, prisoners who have survived the raids of the Eye of Kadmos and found their way on Drakha. Humans, elves, orcs, halflings; any normally playable character can become a source of Vaala or a slave once on the Red Moon. Their most frequent interactions will be with the dragonkin, humanoid versions of the azhurma, who make up the bulk of Drakha’s population and are true citizens of it, albeit inferior to dragons.
Should the characters get to interact directly with the latter, they will do well to be ready for any eventuality.

Review of the Different Tastes of Great Wyrms of Drakha
The main strength of Great Wyrms of Drakha, along with the power of the setting and the undeniable charm of dragons, is its versatility. In fact, each of the seven adventures is not limited to presenting a different area of the Red Moon ruled by an azhurma. Each of these regions is already sufficiently characterized to host a large portion of a campaign that goes beyond the adventure itself.
What really makes this manual a product of excellence is that each adventure has a completely different style of play from the others. While remaining consistent with the setting, and presenting its pivotal theme – the challenge to dragons – each adventure presents a game experience completely different from the others. Whether for a one-shot, short-term adventure, or broader campaign segment, this means having a one-of-a-kind asset.
Let’s see what we are talking about concretely.
The Voice of Dissent

The first adventure featured in Great Wyrms of Drakha takes place within the walls of the Golden City, the reign of Aureus Fulgen, the Lawgiver. Perhaps the only place on the entire Red Moon that PCs can somehow find resembling Rhaava, assuming they were not born in captivity on Drakha, the Golden City is the only relevant urban settlement in the setting. The only place where the player characters can hope to be granted rights, however minimal and always subject to the will of the dragons.
The Voice of Dissent is an adventure of intrigue and politics. While not lacking the action component that is expected when playing D&D5e, it projects the protagonists into a vortex of overlapping intrigues. Various factions vie for control of the Golden City, each with its own objectives. At stake is not only personal survival, but the fate of the social order of the city itself.
The Primordial Shard

The second adventure of the manual also starts from the Golden City, but this time ventures beyond its borders. Characters explore the inhospitable Drakha Desert; so they venture into the realm of Baastherox, the strongest fighter among the azhurma. The only one said to have been able to face Kadmos, who has retreated to a land where only the strongest can survive.
In total contrast to The Voice of Dissent, The Primordial Shard confronts characters with tests based primarily on physical prowess, especially combat. The goal of the entire adventure is to prove your worth, forcing your way through the adversity that Baastherox and his followers place on the path. A classic, almost “aggressive” approach, which can always count on the solidity of the setting and the intensity of the moments narrated.
Secrets of the Forge’s Core

The Obsidian Plains are the kingdom of Dehrilya, mistress of the forge. In the belly of the Great Vault, the volcano she has chosen as his home, the most amazing metallurgical works of all Drakha are produced. In a series of tunnels where the lava flows and the risk of being overwhelmed by the heat is constant, the greatest threat to the life of non-dragons is created. The weapons in Va’ra, the mineral capable of sucking the Vaala, and therefore the life force.
Secrets of the Forge’s Core is an infiltration adventure. While a more direct approach to combat is always possible, the best way to achieve the characters’ objective is to move in the shadows and evade controls. Sure, fighting every now and then will be inevitable, but the concept of the adventure is undeniably that of an infiltration.
The Hearts of Permutation

Kuxcoatl is among the azhurma the most interested in study and knowledge. His realm is flourishing and luxuriant, but no more hospitable than the others. Full of pitfalls and traps, like everything controlled by dragons, it is highly harmful to other life forms. As an arcanist who lives his quest for knowledge as a passion that leads to obsession, Kuxcoatl has filled his realm with everything that may be relevant to his research.
The Hearts of Permutation is dedicated to lovers of traps and puzzles. Retracing the most classic patterns of dungeons, this adventure alternates combat phases with others in which pausing and thinking becomes necessary. And just when players are thinking that they have ended up in a series of mousetraps for their own sake, the common thread that links all the adventures of Great Wyrms of Drakha reappears.
To Be in the Shadows

Nixis is, of all dragons, the one who has most detached from the concept of life. Ossarium, a kind of gigantic open-air cemetery, is less hospitable than other places in Drakha for dragons. Consequently it has become the ideal destination for some refugees from Rhaava. The less coveted a place is by dragons and dragonkins, the better it is for other life forms. But Nixis’ power has led him to the path of undeath, and hoping to find a quiet life here is a pipe dream.
To Be in the Shadows is a classic horror adventure for D&D5e, so much so that it starts with a disclaimer that suggests discussing its contents beforehand in order to avoid hurting the sensitivity of some players. The tones are certainly horror, but not to the point of being disturbing. Surely it is an idea that, however, allows you to focus on a kind of game that is a little different than usual.
The Scent of Creeping Death

Rawraxxa, the azhurma that controls the Shrilling Sands, is the apex predator. If Baastherox is Drakha’s best fighter, Rawraxxa is unrivaled in hunting. And he imposes on his whole “kingdom” the same ruthless law of the strongest. In Shrilling Sands, there is only one thing: surviving. Anyone who fails to meet the impossible predator standards becomes prey. Weaker prey simply become sacrificial victims.
Of all the Great Wyrms of Drakha adventures, The Scent of Creeping Death is the one that relies the most on pressure. The players are driven to a mad rush. Against time, against opponents who pursue them, against their own instincts. These will become fundamental in the course of the adventure. The characters will be able to choose whether to resist or indulge them; in both cases, the impact on the conclusion will be decisive.
The Crystal Haunts

The lord of the arts and beauty of all Drakha, Sivax, has transformed his subterranean realm into an art academy. All the dragons of his brood experiment on the most disparate materials, not least living creatures; sometimes even on themselves. In a region that unfolds like an endless dungeon, the works of Sivax and his acolytes come to life – or take it away.
The latest adventure presented focuses on horror themes. But unlike in To Be in the Shadows, here we face a different, creeping sense of horror. Based on restlessness and perversion, on a distorted vision of reality that generates horrors, rather than monsters in the classical sense. A vaguely Lovecraftian style, which certainly requires more commitment from the DM, but which also goes much deeper. The constant use of the mechanics for Madness says all there is to know.

Conclusions of the Review of the Great Wyrms of Drakha
The conclusions of this review of Great Wyrms of Drakha can only be positive. A product with great attention to every detail, an addition of value even only from a collector’s point of view. To make everything even more unique, I appreciated the use of dedicated rules not only for the world of Drakha, but for each single adventure, which modify the use of magic in a significant way.
The passage of time on the Red Moon, which sees light and dark alternate over weeks and not days, allows you to manage drama and pressure very effectively. The timing of the movements becomes essential, but the manual provides the tools to make the most of it. I also liked the mechanics of fatigue and the possibility of obtaining Inspiration by following the nature of the azhurma in whose territory you are moving.
If you are looking for high-level adventures, if you are a lover of the dragons that baptize 50% of the most famous RPG in the world, or if you simply want to add a volume of great value to your collection, Great Wyrms of Drakha is highly recommended.