The Griffon’s Saddlebag Adds More Magical Goodies to D&D Beyond
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In 2018, professional graphic designer and illustrator Griffin Macaulay launched a unique project on Reddit: he would create one new magic item for D&D 5E every day for an entire year. The result was The Griffon’s Saddlebag, a project that has since seen the launch of several million dollar Kickstarters, a thriving online fanbase and two complete books featuring hundreds of magic items.
In fact, the franchise has become so popular that in December 2024 the The Griffon’s Saddlebag: Book Two landed on D&D Beyond, which at the time made it one of the few third-party books to appear on Wizards of the Coast’s closely guarded digital platform.
Now, over a year later, The Griffon’s Saddlebag: Book One has finally made its way to D&D Beyond, offering up 365 unique magic items, not to mention new player character options and DM-focussed setting material. Below, we take a closer look at what’s inside.
What is “The Griffons Saddlebag: Book One”?
The result of a successful Kickstarter from 2020, The Griffon’s Saddlebag: Book One is a sourcebook for D&D 5E that was later picked up for publication by Hit Point Press. The book is 208-pages in length and includes the 365 magic items which were created and illustrated by Griffin Macaulay as part of his original Reddit challenge (which has since become a highly popular subReddit).
The book also includes 12 new character subclasses, 4 new settings and a new playable species – all of which were designed for the D&D 5E 2014 rule set.
What’s included in “The Griffon’s Saddlebag: Book One” on D&D Beyond?
The D&D Beyond version of The Griffon’s Saddlebag is essentially a digital version of what has been previously published by Hit Point Press in 2021. It includes the following:
- 12 new subclasses: This includes one for each base class: the Path of the Glacier Barbarian, College of Dance Bard, Astral Domain Cleric, The Unbroken Circle Druid, Couatl Herald Fighter, Way of the Celestial Monk, Oath of the Hearth Paladin, Winter Trapper Ranger, Runetagger Rogue, Frost Magic Sorcerer, Pact of the Astral Griffon Warlock and Material Magic Wizard.
- A new playable species: This is the The Feathren, a race of humanoid griffons.
- 365 magic items: Each item is individually illustrated and ranges in use, with everything from powerful weapons like the Bow of Mind Thievery (which deals extra damage and allows you to dominate the victim) to Frefil’s Jolly Oozebean Sugarbombs (magical jellybeans that grant the eater a range of abilities).
- 4 Settings: These consist of The Everglacier (a treacherous, shifting landscape of eternal ice and hidden ancient frost) The Festerwood (a subterranean forest defined by bioluminescent fungi and a cycle of decay) Hearth (a cozy, fortified sanctuary centered on community and warmth) and The Fight Against Dendallen (a combination of setting and mini-campaign focused on battling a powerful lich).
It’s worth noting that the biggest difference between this new digital offering and the original is that all of the content is fully integrated into D&D Beyond’s toolset, meaning Dungeon Masters will be able to hand out the 365 magic items while players will be able to access the 12 new subclasses and the Feathern species.
It’s also important to note, that the book has been converted to the D&D 2024 rules (which Wizards of the Coast has recently renamed to D&D 5.5E)
How much is the D&D Beyond version of “The Griffon’s Saddlebag: Book One”?
On D&D Beyond the new book retails for $17.99 USD, which is actually a pretty decent price given that the physical copy of the book from Hit Point Press goes for $49.99 USD (not including shipping and handling). There is also no PDF version available, which means that D&D Beyond is currently the only place to get a digital version. It’s also worth noting that the original copies from Hit Point Press are still using the D&D 2014 rules.
Final Thoughts
When Griffin Macaulay set out to create and illustrate a year’s worth of new D&D magic items, he also inadvertently launched one of the most popular third-party supplements in recent years, so it’s great to see it finally get a chance to reach a new audience on D&D Beyond. If you don’t already own this unique supplement, then it’s definitely worth considering adding to your Bag of Holding.
You can pick up the digital version of The Griffon’s Saddlebag: Book One now on D&D Beyond.
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Jason Volk is the Publisher of Dungeons & Dragons Fanatics and lives in the wilds of Western Canada. He has been playing D&D for over 25 years and is a huge fan of Dragonlance and the Forgotten Realms. His favorite character of all time was a Necromancer named Neek who spent most of his adventuring career resurrecting the corpses of slain monsters. When he’s not playing TTRPGs, Jason enjoys video games, Magic: The Gathering, Warhammer 40K, watching football and spending time with his wife and adorably nerdy children.
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