This is a FAQ in that the question "What font did/do they use?" is
frequently asked; it is (obviously) not a standard FAQ question &
answer session.
| Where used |
Font Name |
Example from books |
Example of font |
| Original D&D |
| Original D&D & early 1st ed. titles |
Quentin EF (Elsner+Flake)
Similar to Wood Type (URW++) (But as an outlined form)
Also similar to: Buffalo Bill (Intecsas), Rosewood (Adobe), Antique
(Datascan), Buffalo Gal (Agfa-Monotype), Madame (Linotype), and Subway Regular
|
 |
 |
| Original/Basic D&D headers & text (e.g. Basic "Red book", B3 [green cover]) |
*? Souvenir Demi, Light (Linotype, Adobe, etc.)
a.k.a. Soutane, Souvienne
(Confirmed as "Souvenir", but which version was not specified) |
 |
 |
| 1st ed./Basic D&D |
| Early Hardcovers: Interior Titles (e.g. MM, PH, DMG) |
Chisel D (URW++)
a.k.a. Chisel EF (Elsner+Flake) |
 |
 |
| Early Hardcovers: Headers (e.g. MM, PH, DMG) |
*? Futura Bold (Neufville/Linotype, Datascan)
a.k.a. Twentieth Century Bold (Agfa-Monotype)
a.k.a. Tw Cen Bold (Agfa-Monotype)
(Confirmed as Futura, but which version was not specified) |
 |
 |
| Early Hardcovers: Text (e.g. MM, PH, DMG) |
*? Futura Book & Italic (Neufville/Linotype, Datascan)
a.k.a. Twentieth Century & Twentiety Century Italic (Agfa-Monotype)
a.k.a. Tw Cen, Tw Cen Italic (Agfa-Monotype)
(Confirmed as Futura, but which version was not specified) |
 |
 |
Futura Light (Neufville/Linotype, Datascan)
a.k.a. Twentieth Century Light (Agfa-Monotype)
a.k.a. Tw Cen Light (Agfa-Monotype)
(Example is Tw Cen MT) |
 |
| Later Hardcovers: Titles & Headers (e.g. UA, MoP, DSG) |
ITC Korinna Bld (ITC) |
 |
 |
| Later Hardcovers: Text (e.g. UA, MoP, DSG) |
Helvetica (Adobe, Linotype, Agfa-Monotype, etc.) |
[Example coming soon] |
[Example coming soon] |
| Early Module Titles (e.g. B1 [pastel & brown], G1 [pastel], S2 [pastel], S3 [black]) |
Avant Garde Bold (Bitstream, Adobe, URW++, Linotype, etc.)
("1" character apparently customized)
Cloned as: Decker Bold |
 |
 |
| Later Module Titles (e.g. S4 [brown], N1) |
Helvetica Bold (Bitstream, Adobe, URW++, Linotype, etc.) |
 |
 |
| Early Module text |
Avant Garde (Bitstream, Adobe, URW++, Linotype, etc.)
a.k.a. Century Gothic
Cloned as: Decker |
[Example coming soon] |
 |
| 2nd ed. |
| Logo & Headers |
Friz Quadrata No. 2 D [Bold] (URW++)
a.k.a. Fritz Quadrata Bold
(Top is Linotype's "Friz Quadrata Bold"; bottom is URW's
"Friz Quadrata No. 2 D". Note the different 'g') |
 |
 |
 |
| Revised 2nd ed. Hardcovers: Headers (also Labyrinth of Madness headers) |
University Roman Bold Plain: 1.0 (Bitstream, ITC) |
 |
 |
| Text (e.g. early 2nd, e.g. PH2, 1st printing) |
Zapf Calligraphic 801 (Bitstream) |
[Example coming soon] |
 |
| Revised 2nd ed. Hardcovers: Text |
Formata (Berthold, Adobe) |
 |
 |
| Text (late 2nd ed., e.g. Reverse Dungeon) |
Book Antiqua (Agfa-Monotype)
a.k.a. Palatino (Adobe)
| [Example coming soon] |
 |
| Map text (e.g. Vecna Lives) |
Libra BT (Bitstream)
Cloned as: Livingstone |
 |
 |
| Night Below Title and "Players Handout #" headers |
* Blackmoor Plain (ITC)
Cloned as: Black Castle |
 |
 |
| Night Below "Players Handout 7" text |
Charme (Neufville/Linotype, Adobe) |
 |
 |
| Night Below "Players Handout 9" text |
Tekton Regular (Adobe) |
 |
 |
| Night Below "Players Handouts 13-16" text |
Bergell (Linotype, ITC) |
 |
 |
| Night Below "Players Handout 23" text |
Shelley Andante Script (Linotype)
a.k.a. English 111 Adagio (Bitstream) |
 |
 |
| Night Below "Players Handout 26" text |
Clairvaux (Linotype) |
 |
 |
| Return to the Tomb of Horrors "Journal of the Tomb" text |
Mistral (Fonderie Olive; near-identical fonts with the same name are available from
Adobe, Linotype, Agfa-Monotype, URW)
a.k.a. Stacatto 222 (Bitstream) |
 |
 |
| 2nd ed. Skullport room headers |
Goudy Heavyface (Bitstream) not 100% match |
[Example coming soon] |
[Example coming soon] |
| similar to Goudy Medieval (public domain, from book publ. by Dover) |
[Example coming soon] |
| 3rd ed. |
| Cover Titles |
* Not an electronic font; it's from an old book of fonts (probably one
published by Dover)
|
[Example coming soon] |
[Not a font--no example] |
| Interior Titles (in adventures & sourcebooks) |
* Vitriol (Margo Chase Design's Gravy Fonts) |
 |
 |
| Interior Titles (in web-only adventures) |
Vitriol Alt (Margo Chase Design's Gravy Fonts)
(definitely a slightly different font from the above, but is not listed on the designer's webpage;
probably a custom version)
(Example is normal Vitriol) |
 |
 |
| Section Headers |
* Pterra-dactyl (Margo Chase Design's Gravy Fonts)
a.k.a. Pterra |
 |
 |
| Encounter Icons/Dingbats (trap, town, creature, treasure, etc.) |
* DL5AIcons Regular (custom created for TSR, orig. for Dragonlance 5th Age)
Cloned as: Adventure |
 |
|
| Main text |
* Celestia Antiqua Medium
(Example is Adobe's Celestia Antiqua Regular)
Cloned as: Caslon 540 (Adobe, Linotype)
(Celestia Antiqua has "corroded" edges; Celestia Antiqua
Medium doesn't.)
("Numerals in 3e handbooks are closer to those of Celestia Antiqua SC [Small Caps]
than to those of Celestia Antiqua Regular" --Doug Bailey)
|
 |
 |
| Players Handbook Credits page |
* Historical All Sorts, Fell Type, SmallCaps
(Woefler Type Foundry)
("WotC's use of Historical Fell Type and Scala Sans LF are slightly
modified... the numbers are not old style." -- Patrick Murphy) |
 |
 |
| Players Handbook tables, 3rd ed. Adventures copyright block & sidebars |
* Scala Sans Regular LF, Scala Sans Bold LF
("WotC's use of Historical Fell Type and Scala Sans LF are slightly
modified... the numbers are not old style." -- Patrick Murphy) |
 |
 |
| 3e Character Sheet Class/Cross-class dingbats |
Scala Sans Regular LF Expert |
 |
[Example coming soon] |
Universal News w. Commercial Pi 97 (Linotype)
a.k.a. UnivNewsCommPi (Linotype)
| [Example coming soon] |
| Campaign Worlds |
| Al Qadim Titles |
* Ondine (Linotype, Datascan) |
 |
 |
| Birthright Headers & Cover Text |
* Democratica (Emigre)
Cloned as: Bebris |
 |
 |
| Birthright text |
* Minister Book (Adobe) |
[Example coming soon] |
 |
| Dark Sun (Revised) Titles |
* PapyrusLET (Letraset)
a.k.a. Papyrus
Cloned as: FZ Hand 16 |
 |
 |
| Forgotten Realms headers "For all levels of play" and "Anauroch" on
FR13: Anaroch; and Skullport section headers |
Uncial (Datascan) |
 |
[Example coming soon] |
Neue Hammer Unziale 2 (Linotype)
(Not 100% match, but closest match so far) |
 |
| Forgotten Realms CS (3rd ed.) Section Headers |
* Democratica (Emigre) (customized for FRCS) |
 |
 |
| Forgotten Realms CS (3rd ed.) Logo & Chapter Titles |
* Masonic (customized for FRCS)
Apparently customized from: Mason (Emigre)
(Example is Mason)
Cloned as Splendors (Mad Irishman) |
 |
 |
| Forgotten Realms CS (3rd ed.) minor headers |
* Historical All Sorts Fell Type, Small Caps
(Woefler Type Foundry)
("WotC's use of Historical Fell Type and Scala Sans LF are slightly
modified... the numbers are not old style." -- Patrick Murphy) |
 |
 |
| Forgotten Realms CS (3rd ed.) text |
* Historical All Sorts Fell Type, Roman
(Woefler Type Foundry)
("WotC's use of Historical Fell Type and Scala Sans LF are slightly
modified... the numbers are not old style." -- Patrick Murphy) |
 |
 |
| Kara-Tur & Oriental Adventures titles |
(Actual font unknown)
Cloned as: Bonzai Regular (creator unknown)
Cloned as: ChinaOne (creator unknown)
(Example is Bonzai) |
 |
 |
| BD&D Mystara Titles & AD&D Map Text (e.g. D&D Gazetteers,
Forgotten Realms maps, Dragon Mountain title) |
* Feinen Bold (Datascan)
a.k.a. FC-Feinen, Furst
Cloned as: Baldur (Mad Irishman Productions)
(Example is Baldur) |
 |
 |
| Planescape Titles |
* Exocet Heavy (Emigre) |
 |
 |
| Planescape Spot Text |
* Exocet Light (Emigre)
Cloned as: Visitation, Avalon Quest |
 |
 |
| Ravenloft (Revised) Logo |
* Blackmoor Plain (ITC)
Cloned as: Black Castle |
 |
 |
| Ravenloft (Original) Titles & Headers |
* Heidelberg
a.k.a. Honda (Datascan) |
[Example coming soon] |
 |
| Ravenloft Titles & Headers |
* Ironwood (Linotype, Adobe, Datascan)
Cloned as: Irongate
| [Example coming soon] |
 |
| Ravenloft Maps & Titles |
* Nosferatu |
 |
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