Dungeons and Dragons is on the verge of its second attempt to move from tabletops to the big screen. No other franchise in history has had more to live up to than the adaptation of a game that has spawned countless adventures and differing stories on every single table it has been played on.
As Dungeons and Dragons players and game masters are known for their meticulous attention to detail, the recent trailer released for the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will undoubtedly be under heavy examination. This just might be the reason why Paramount Pictures has filled the first trailer with some details that only D&D players could recognize.
A Displacer Beast
An action-packed shot in the trailer showed Chris Pine and his fellow adventurers dodging a ferocious panther-like creature. This monster is another staple of D&D campaigns in their early sessions.
The displacer beast might not have used its signature ability in the trailer but it is in fact capable of projecting illusions of itself to confuse its prey. This ability of the displacer beast makes for fun encounters where adventurers have to rely on more than their combat skills in order to survive.
A Gelatinous Cube
As the adventurers dive out of the way of the displacer beast, they seem to land in a strange-looking transparent gelatinous cube. Seeing this strange cube in the corner of what appeared to be an arena could have confused some fans.
That strange piece of gelatin is one of the oldest monsters in the history of Dungeons and Dragons. It is a predator that has been roaming dungeon halls ever since the first edition of D&D, trying to capture adventurers in its acidic ooze.
A Black Dragon
From Benedict Cumberbatch’s iconic Smaug to Daenerys’s Drogon, mainstream audiences might be used to seeing their fair share of dragons in fantasy titles. The first dragon that greets the viewers in the trailer, however, is no ordinary fire-breather.
Seasoned players probably had horrifying flashbacks as a black dragon flapped his wings into the frame and showered the battlefield with its black, acid breath. Black dragons are notorious for being the last resort for angry dungeon masters.
The Tavern
The line “Figure it out over a drink.” might not have resonated with casual audiences, seeming like a throwaway line from one of the adventurers. It actually is a nod to a classic D&D trope.
The tavern is a staple of D&D campaigns. It is where adventures usually start and end. Adventuring parties are formed, hard-earned loot is meticulously shared, and countless long-rests are taken in them. Seeing the characters immediately decide to head to a tavern must have brought fond memories for many players.
Neverwinter
The beautiful coastal city that is revealed in the trailer is none other than the Jewel Of The West, the famous city of Neverwinter, a bustling metropolis located on the Sword Coast in Northwest Faerun.
Whether they were playing the Neverwinter Nights games, reading one of the many novels set in the Forgotten Realms, or simply playing through a table-top campaign set in Faerun, Neverwinter is a city that some players know better than their own neighborhoods.
Menzoberranzan
It is no coincidence that the words “There is evil here.” are voiced over the shot of an ominously lit underground city. That city could quite possibly be the Drow city of Menzoberrenzan.
Home of maybe the most legendary hero in all of Forgotten Realms, Drizzt Do’urden, this matriarchal city is an incredibly perilous location for any adventurer from the surface to venture into. The City Of Spiders is an ancient landmark of the Forgotten Realms with deep lore and history.
A Mimic
The bane of all greedy adventurers or players who might simply be in too much of a hurry made a brief appearance in the trailer to most certainly pour salt on some of the old wounds some players forgot they even had.
A mimic is an ambush predator that can take the shape of objects, in order to launch surprise attacks on its unsuspecting victims. Just as adventurers think they are in the clear after a hard-fought battle and they are ready to reap its rewards, dungeon masters love to throw them one last curveball with a mimic that has taken the shape of a treasure chest.
Not Just Any Bard
It is now without a doubt, obvious that Chris Pine’s character in the movie is a bard. While bards are often incredibly skillful comic relief characters in most D&D campaigns, Chris Pine’s bard appears to be the leader of his party. This however might not be the only interesting aspect of this bard.
In a shot in the trailer, Chris Pine appears to be wearing a pin on his shoulder in the shape of a harp. This could imply that his character is a member of The Harpers, a semi-secret organization with the aim of preserving lore and history while promoting all that is good.
Red Wizards Of Thay
From the trailer alone, the main antagonists in this movie appear to be members of the Red Wizards Of Thay, sporting their classic red cloaks and dangerous arcane abilities.
Referred to in the trailer as the greatest evil the world has ever known, and seen as a skeletal figure in red robes, the party in the movie might have their hands full with the leader of this cult Szass Tam, a powerful lich who could give any adventuring party a run for their money.
Themberchaud
The trailer ends with some exciting moments of action as the characters seem to be battling a giant red dragon. That dragon appears to be none other than the monstrous Themberchaud.
Themberchaud is a classic monster that has made multiple appearances across Dungeons and Dragons media as a terrifying dragon that resides in a dwarven city in the Underdark. No matter how he is portrayed in the movie, surviving him will be no easy feat.