TSR & WotC Font Usage FAQ

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.

None of these fonts are available here for download, nor do I plan to make them available, for copyright reasons. Please don't ask me for them! In most or all cases, as long as you know the name of the font in question, you can find it somewhere on the net, either as freeware, shareware, for-sale-ware, or pirateware. If there is not already a link to a font foundry's page, I recommend trying a Google search for the font name and the word "font". In addition, there are also some font-specific search engines and reference sources in the list of related links, as well as a small, non-exhaustive selection of webpages which have some of the freeware clone versions of these fonts available for download.

* = Confirmed by TSR and/or WotC
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
PH1 Interior Logo Quentin EF
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)
B3 Headers Souvenir Demi
      1st ed./Basic D&D
Early Hardcovers: Interior Titles (e.g. MM, PH, DMG) Chisel D (URW++)
a.k.a. Chisel EF (Elsner+Flake)
MM1 Interior Title Chisel D
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)
MM1 Headers Futura Bold
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)
MM1 Text Futura Book
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)
Tw Cen MT
Later Hardcovers: Titles & Headers (e.g. UA, MoP, DSG) ITC Korinna Bld (ITC) DSG Spine Title ITC Korinna Bld
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
B1 Title Avant Garde Bold
Later Module Titles (e.g. S4 [brown], N1) Helvetica Bold (Bitstream, Adobe, URW++, Linotype, etc.) N1 Title Helvetica Bold
Early Module text Avant Garde (Bitstream, Adobe, URW++, Linotype, etc.)
a.k.a. Century Gothic
Cloned as: Decker
[Example coming soon] Avant Garde
      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')
PH2 Interior Logo Friz Quadrata Bold, Linotype
Friz Quadrata No. 2 D, URW++
Revised 2nd ed. Hardcovers: Headers (also Labyrinth of Madness headers) University Roman Bold Plain: 1.0 (Bitstream, ITC) DMG2R Headers University Roman Bold Plain: 1.0
Text (e.g. early 2nd, e.g. PH2, 1st printing) Zapf Calligraphic 801 (Bitstream) [Example coming soon] Zapf Calligraphic 801
Revised 2nd ed. Hardcovers: Text Formata (Berthold, Adobe) DMG2R Text Formata
Text (late 2nd ed., e.g. Reverse Dungeon) Book Antiqua (Agfa-Monotype)
a.k.a. Palatino (Adobe)
[Example coming soon] Book Antiqua
Map text (e.g. Vecna Lives) Libra BT (Bitstream)
Cloned as: Livingstone
Vecna Lives Map Text Libra
Night Below Title and "Players Handout #" headers * Blackmoor Plain (ITC)
Cloned as: Black Castle
Night Below Title Blackmoor Plain
Night Below "Players Handout 7" text Charme (Neufville/Linotype, Adobe) Night Below Players Handout 7 Charme
Night Below "Players Handout 9" text Tekton Regular (Adobe) Night Below Players Handbout 9 Tekton
Night Below "Players Handouts 13-16" text Bergell (Linotype, ITC) Night Below Players Handouts 13-16 Bergell
Night Below "Players Handout 23" text Shelley Andante Script (Linotype)
a.k.a. English 111 Adagio (Bitstream)
Night Below Players Handout 23 Shelley Andante
Night Below "Players Handout 26" text Clairvaux (Linotype) Night Below Players Handout 26 Clairvaux
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)
Return to Tomb of Horrors Journal Mistral
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) Hero Builders Guide Interior Title Vitriol
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)
Ghosts of Aniel Interior Title Vitriol
Section Headers * Pterra-dactyl (Margo Chase Design's Gravy Fonts)
a.k.a. Pterra
Ghosts of Aniel Headers Pterra-dactyl
Encounter Icons/Dingbats (trap, town, creature, treasure, etc.) * DL5AIcons Regular (custom created for TSR, orig. for Dragonlance 5th Age)
Cloned as: Adventure
Encounter Icons Dragonlance Fifth Age Icons
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)
PH3 Text Celestia Antiqua
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)
PH3 Credits Page Historical Allsorts Fell Type Small Caps
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)
PH3 Skill Table Scala Sans
3e Character Sheet Class/Cross-class dingbats Scala Sans Regular LF Expert 3e Character Sheet Dingbats [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) Land of Fate Headers Ondine
Birthright Headers & Cover Text * Democratica (Emigre)
Cloned as: Bebris
Book of Regency Headers Democratica
Birthright text * Minister Book (Adobe) [Example coming soon] Minister
Dark Sun (Revised) Titles * PapyrusLET (Letraset)
a.k.a. Papyrus
Cloned as: FZ Hand 16
Dark Sun Revised Campaign Setting Titles Papyrus
Forgotten Realms headers "For all levels of play" and "Anauroch" on FR13: Anaroch; and Skullport section headers Uncial (Datascan) Skullport Headers [Example coming soon]
Neue Hammer Unziale 2 (Linotype)
(Not 100% match, but closest match so far)
Neue Hammer Unziale 2
Forgotten Realms CS (3rd ed.) Section Headers * Democratica (Emigre) (customized for FRCS) FRCS Headers Democratica
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)
FRCS Logo & Chapter Titles Mason
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)
FRCS Internal Headers Historical Allsorts Fell Type Small Caps
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)
FRCS Text Historical Allsorts Fell Type Roman
Kara-Tur & Oriental Adventures titles (Actual font unknown)
Cloned as: Bonzai Regular (creator unknown)
Cloned as: ChinaOne (creator unknown)
(Example is Bonzai)
Kara-Tur MC Headers 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)
FR 1st ed. Boxed Set Map Baldur
Planescape Titles * Exocet Heavy (Emigre) DM Guide to the Planes Cover Exocet Heavy
Planescape Spot Text * Exocet Light (Emigre)
Cloned as: Visitation, Avalon Quest
Players Guide to the Planes Spot Text Exocet Light
Ravenloft (Revised) Logo * Blackmoor Plain (ITC)
Cloned as: Black Castle
Domains of Dread Title Blackmoor Plain
Ravenloft (Original) Titles & Headers * Heidelberg
a.k.a. Honda (Datascan)
[Example coming soon] Heidelberg
Ravenloft Titles & Headers * Ironwood (Linotype, Adobe, Datascan)
Cloned as: Irongate
[Example coming soon] Ironwood
Ravenloft Maps & Titles * Nosferatu Ravenloft 20th Anniversary Headers Nosferatu

Some D&D/Fantasy Font-related URLs (In no particular order...)

List compiled by Aardy R. DeVarque