There are whole books filled with wondrous monsters, difficult enemies, and interesting characters for use in Dungeons & Dragons games. These creatures come from all different places - fantasy tropes, popular stories, and, of course the imagination of D&D creators. Many come from real-world mythologies: Medusa from Greek mythology, the Sphinx from Egyptian mythology, or Frost Giants from Norse mythology. But these popular mythologies aren’t the only ones to make an appearance in the world of D&D. Irish mythology is filled with its own array of strange and wondrous tales, many of which got their own interpretation in the official lore of Dungeons & Dragons! Let’s take a look at a few.

Dragons, as you might expect, are a huge part of D&D, but you might not know that there are all sorts of different types in the D&D world. Some come from the land of fairies, some from the realm of undead, and some from the minds of evil wizards, each with a different personality type, set of abilities, and lair where they make their home. In honor of the Year of the Dragon, we’ve selected 10 of our favorites to share with you (presented in no particular order - choosing only 10 was difficult enough)!

When you play Dungeons & Dragons, the first thing that you do is make a character, choosing a class, race, and background. Each background gives your character abilities that can come in handy on your adventures. But a background can also give you ideas about your character’s backstory: who they were and what happened to them before the start of a game. Making up a backstory from thin air can feel intimidating, especially to new players, but starting from a background can help you build up some key details and bring your character to life.

Attention, Stranger Things enthusiasts! Throughout the beloved series, the nods to Dungeons & Dragons are unmistakable. Keen fans have astutely observed disparities between the show's depiction of D&D and the actual game. Today, we discern the truths and fallacies, exploring what Stranger Things got right – and what it got wrong  – about the monsters and villains of D&D.

We’ll compare 3 of Stranger Things’ most legendary creatures with their in-game counterparts. We’ll take a look at where the Duffer Brothers took some artistic liberties, as well as point out aspects of the characters that are true to the game. In the end, it’s up to you to decide whether the game or the show handled the character best.

We’re all excited to see Honor Among Thieves, but did you know that before this D&D movie, there was...another? Back in the year 2000, Dungeons & Dragons, the movie, was born. Learn the strange tale of this film which unbelievably stars Jeremy Irons, and see if you should watch it, too.