Artist RJ Palmer shared new official art of Dungeons and Dragons' gem dragons to Bluesky in late July and early August. These gorgeous redesigns will feature in The Book of Dragons, an illustrated guide to the iconic monsters that releases on August 19.
Gem dragons have been part of D&D since its second edition. While Bahamut and Tiamat were the first-born leaders of the metallic and chromatic dragons, gem dragons were created by the crystalline ruby dragon Sardior. The most recent book to explore these DnD dragons was Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. Gem dragons were notably absent from the stat blocks in the 2025 Monster Manual.
The Book of Dragons, however, is unlikely to share any new stat blocks for these gem-encrusted creatures. Penguin Random House's pre-order page describes it as an illustrated compendium where "decades of complex lore are meticulously condensed into detailed summaries". Tiamat and Bahamut apparently narrate the DnD book.
RJ Palmer's first dragon reveal was the Amethyst Dragon, posted on July 29. "For some reason, I really did not expect painting five dragon designs without any photo or 3D elements in a month and a half would be this hard", they write.
"I was, uh, very wrong." "Very nearly reached my breaking point getting these guys done, but I sure am happy with how they came out."
The artist also posted the Topaz dragon (and their very unusual wings) on July 29. RJ Palmer says that this is his favorite of the bunch.
"You may have noticed the somewhat controversial design feature, but instead of cowardly 'fixing' it, I leaned all the way in", he writes.
On July 30 came the Emerald Dragon. "Of all the gem dragon illustrations I did for Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Dragons, this weirdly proved the most challenging", Palmer says. "I pushed myself to paint a type of scales I rarely do here."
Apparently, this dragon was the toughest to paint because it had the most traditional design. "Had to find more novel ways to eke out a bit more juice in the design", Palmer explains.
The Crystal Dragon, shared on July 31, reportedly had "the strongest foundation to build from". To get creative, "I really made a meal out of painting the skin folds", Palmer says.
More than any of the others, this one had a lot of gem bits in the hide. I'm already such a fan of painting osteoderms that doing crystalline ones were a special treat, a painter's delight."
Lastly, Palmer shared the Sapphire dragon on August 1. "Unlike the others who are merely decorated with crystals, this boy is crystal to the bone", Palmer writes, "like a gummy worm made of rock."
For more upcoming books, here's all you need to know about this year's DnD release schedule. Or, if you want to start roleplaying, here's all you need to know about DnD classes and DnD races. We can also offer plenty of TTRPG tips in the Wargamer Discord.