Despite the variety of settings explored throughout Dungeons & Dragons lore, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' decision to pick the Forgotten Realms as its primary setting was the correct one. Thanks to the Forgotten Realms being perhaps the most famous campaign setting in the TTRPG, Honor Among Thieves can easily pick almost any source material and build their story from here. And this is exactly what the film does: use the backdrop of the Forgotten Realms to create a riveting personal story that evolves into a hero’s journey.
Not to mention, the vastness of Faerun means it is chock-full of towns, cities, and even nations that evildoers can see ripe for the taking. And thankfully, there are just as many adventurers willing to defend it. Should a sequel D&D film still have Edgin, Holga, and the gang or introduce a new set of adventurers, some fan-favorite tales inside the Forgotten Realms may serve as a neat basis for a succeeding story.
7 The Sellswords Trilogy (2000-2006)
Throughout the years of Drizzt Do’Urden and his companions saving the Forgotten Realms from various threats, there have been plenty of instances when he meets both companions and villains. A prime example is Drizzt crossing blades not only with his rival Artemis Entreri but also with the charming mercenary leader and fellow Drow Jarlaxle. As mysterious as these two characters are, their powerful personalities had the Sellswords Trilogy letting readers see what a story with them front and center would be like.
Think of this setup as though the D&D movie had instead put Sofina front and center, with Edgin and the crew being her enemies instead. In the Sellswords trilogy, an unfortunate incident would have Artemis escort Jarlaxle, with the former’s calculating nature and the latter’s opportunism being reasons for frequent clashes. However, the two develop an interesting friendship throughout the series, with this D&D story having the makings of an Honor Among Thieves sequel in the vein of a criminally-focused action flick a la John Wick.
6 Brimstone Angels Saga (2011)
Among the races of Dungeons & Dragons, the Tiefling are the most misunderstood. Almost always depicted as either children with demonic heritage or actual hellspawn, Tieflings often encounter discrimination and hatred from their peers. Such was the experience of Farideh and Havilar in the Brimstone Angels Saga, where the two Tieflings were abandoned by their mother at birth and only had their adoptive father care for them. And when Fariden pursues power through a pact with the devil Lorcan, the sisters become involved in an overarching supernatural plot.
Compared to other stories set in the Forgotten Realms, the Brimstone Angels Saga is quite specific and majorly tied to the perspective of Tieflings and society’s take on their presence. These elements make Brimstone quite perfect for fans of Tieflings or anyone interested in creating more nuanced Tiefling characters. This kind of Honor Among Thieves sequel can transform a D&D movie into a sibling story with a dash of hellish encounters, having a more personal story instead of an all-around fantasy comedy heist.
5 War Of The Spider Queen (2002-2005)
With a Dungeons & Dragons setting like the Forgotten Realms, there is always room for ambitious individuals and factions to get a foothold of their power; however, occasionally a story shakes things up. Such is the story in War of the Spider Queen, where R.A. Salvatore manages a group of authors in chronicling a tragic tale involving the Drow and their home city of Menzoberranzan.
The book begins with the premise of Lolth, the Drow Goddess, having suddenly stopped answering prayers. While this has been kept secret for a while, this revelation begins creating tension throughout the numerous families eyeing control of the city. The War of the Spider Queen saga is easily a must-recommend for D&D hopefuls who want to look at the Forgotten Realms from a more serious perspective, with each of the saga’s six books offering a deeply political story perfect for a more suspenseful Honor Among Thieves sequel.
4 The Erevis Cale Trilogy (2003)
Players who feel like Drizzt Do’Urden is becoming a little too mainstream for their liking may appreciate the Erebus Cale Trilogy instead. Unlike the more lighthearted D&D film, Erevis Cale takes the grittier concepts of Drizzt’s life and dangers and sends it into overdrive, telling the tale of Erevis Cale as he becomes the newest chosen of the deity Mask. Under the guise of a regular butler, Erevis Cale is in truth not just an assassin but also a thief, among many things.
The trilogy features Erevis doing odd jobs for various factions, particularly the Night Masks that adopted him and trained him to become a spy Fans who want a more serious D&D movie that explores its version of a messy criminal underworld and more obscure cosmology will find a fresh perspective with the eyes of Erevis Cale.
3 The Dark Elf Trilogy (1990-1991)
Despite Drizzt Do’Urden being introduced as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale trilogy, his reputation as a Drow loving the surface world skyrocketed him into main character status. In a bid to flesh out Drizzt’s personality and motivation, R.A. Salvatore created the Dark Elf Trilogy, chronicling the character's upbringing in the Underdark and his eventual journey for a new life on the surface. The story of Drizzt apparently begins in Menzoberranzan, the home city of the Drow in the dangerous Underdark. With Drow being infamous for their cunning and for their society expecting nothing less from its citizens, Drizzt quickly finds himself an outcast.
This rather lonely yet extremely personal journey of Drizzt is a nice change of pace versus other fantasy novels at the time. Not to mention, the Dark Elf Trilogy is a great way of giving a better context to the dangers of the Underdark, which is only briefly explored in the D&D movie. Should Wizards of the Coast want an expanded D&D movie universe, introducing Drizzt as a potential main character may be the ideal move.
2 The Harpers (1991-1998)
Fans of the D&D movie will remember that Edgin Darvis was a member of the Harpers, an organization in the Forgotten Realms that believes in the preservation of history and the balance between society and nature. Due to their expansive reach throughout the Realms, it makes sense that not all Harpers share the same stories. It’s The Harpers series of stories that prove just that.
While spanning 16 books in total, none of them have connected stories, only the fact that Harpers were sent or happened to be in places where their help could make a vast difference in the landscape. Fans looking for a D&D movie without the pressure of keeping up with the reception of Honor Among Thieves may appreciate the standalone nature of each of The Harpers novels.
1 The Icewind Dale Trilogy (1988-1990)
The Icewind Dale Trilogy introduces the legendary Drow Ranger Drizzt Do’Urden and his companions. At its core, Icewind Dale tells the tale of Drizzt's eventual rise from an isolated Drow into one of the most renowned heroes of the land, beginning with the saving of the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale from various threats.
The trilogy’s beginnings tell of the tale of the dangerous Crystal Shard called Crenshinibon, which not only is sentient but has nefarious goals. Throughout the story, the Icewind Dale books give readers a better picture of life in the Forgotten Realms, particularly in the snowy region that the series is named after. The story's more compact approach makes for a great introduction to the setting, with much of the trilogy’s story taking personal turns, much like Edgin and his gang in the D&D movie’s plot.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was released on March 23, 2023.