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I already have this book ordered, and all I've got to say is that, if this gallery is any indication, it can't arrive fast enough!
Seriously, I'm finding this artwork very inspiring!
EDIT: Although the more I look at it, the more strange, dragon-y creatures I find! I'm getting very curious... And what the heck is with #2? Is that a Copper Dragon? A Red Copper Dragon? I don't understand.
This gallery looks more interesting than all excerpts combined.
I guess picture #2 is about dragon crossbreeds and it was commissioned before it was decided to leave good dragons out of the core books.
But whats with that iconic party in this book? A dragonborn and two girls? Not really that impressive.
And the monsters could have used some more work.
There are 5 skeleton dragons, a dragon pig (#41), a slimy worm thing (#42), dragon dragonborns, a ugly dog dragon (#47) and some sort of ironman dragon (#65).
The wyrmlings look a bit goofy and not really threatening. And I wonder what the Coatul (At least I guess its one) and the fairy dragon are doing in this book as they are neither chromatic nor evil and according to the designers stats are not needed when you don't fight it. I just hope they changed that policy instead of making them semi evil just to give the PCs an excuse to fight some iconic D&D creatures.
__________________ Everything about RPGs is subjective, so everything I say about them is I my opinion and not hard facts
Having a backstory is good. Using this backstory in game is better. And for that you need background skills.
4E, the game where you play HSMFOS
Heroic
Only good, or at least unaligned adventurers are supported and no monster you can fight is good aligned.
Super-
The PCs become masters in any skill automatically and it is impossible for them to be bad at a mundane task
Mutants
Compared to NPCs of the same strength, PCs poses a ungodly amount of HP and can withstand huge mountains of punishment. That or they can spontaneously regenerate wounds.
From Outer Space
Yet despite no matter how powerful the PCs become, they can never do anything special what the "natives" (=NPCs) can do like animating a skeleton.
Last edited by Derren; 14th November 2008 at 08:54 AM..
I'm very curious about #1, what the entity that Dragon is having a conversation with.
My guess some manner of elemental (probably fire... but there is lightning too).
Also the little dragons, are quite cute :P
It definitely looks like we will have quite a vast quantity of different creatures in this book. I am wondering what number 46 is, looks to be some kind of aquatic one. But also seems like something that be in a urban-environment; the stone-wall, has a dagger, seems to be trying to stifle the scream of the Drow.
And what the heck is with #2? Is that a Copper Dragon? A Red Copper Dragon? I don't understand.
Red Dragon doing a chi release, represented by the red lightning. The copper-like fins are just artistic license.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Derren
But whats with that iconic party in this book? A dragonborn and two girls? Not really that impressive.
I think the reader is supposed to be rooting for the dragons. It seems the two females have had some 'enhancements' between #8 and #22.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Derren
The wyrmlings look a bit goofy and not really threatening
. White Hatching from egg was ok. Blue and brown were too cute. Thankfully they don't have the bulgy eyes like from the 3E Draconomicon. I just hope they are minions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Derren
And I wonder what the Coatul (At least I guess its one) and the fairy dragon are doing in this book...
Hopefully that is not a Couatl. The Fae in 4E are now wildcards at best, so a Faedrake is by no means a guaranteed friendly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rechan
I'm very curious about #1, what the entity that Dragon is having a conversation with.
Looks like an Extreme Purple Dragon is talking to an cataclysm / elemental dragon.
And is it me or does the Tiamat pic look like the Artist got a little lazy using the black to mask the area where the heads join together? Though I do think it would look good as a black velvet painting.
Red Dragon doing a chi release, represented by the red lightning. The copper-like fins are just artistic license.I think the reader is supposed to be rooting for the dragons. It seems the two females have had some 'enhancements' between #8 and #22.
. White Hatching from egg was ok. Blue and brown were too cute. Thankfully they don't have the bulgy eyes like from the 3E Draconomicon. I just hope they are minions.
Hopefully that is not a Couatl. The Fae in 4E are now wildcards at best, so a Faedrake is by no means a guaranteed friendly.Looks like an Extreme Purple Dragon is talking to an cataclysm / elemental dragon.
And is it me or does the Tiamat pic look like the Artist got a little lazy using the black to mask the area where the heads join together? Though I do think it would look good as a black velvet painting.
That's not red lightning, those are lava leaks in the Red Dragon's lair.
I really wish they would put up more art for the other 4e books. I love to use them as handouts for my players; particularly the handouts in the published modules.
I do like the idea that a D&D insider subscriber can download the entire art pack.
Nope, it's a Purple Dragon, formerly known as a Deep Dragon in 3E. (The confusing bit is that in 3E, Shadow Dragons were represented by a picture of a Deep Dragon on at least one occasion.)
__________________ Game on, gang! Ptolus #16 (with customized, personalized sig from Monte. Awesomesauce.), Rappan Athuk Reloaded #37 (Another Awesomesauce, the Necromancer way.)
Try to not let failure to use technical language properly get in the way of getting to the real point under discussion. - Umbran
Characters & Games
Books currently in play: Dungeon & Dragon Magazine (*Scales of War AP*), WOTC 4e Core and Supplemental books
Current Campaign: Scales of War - Lost Mines of Karak -- Kodirgo, Minotaur Barbarian 6; Vondal, Dwarf Cleric 6; Karithul, Gnome Bard 6; Marshaun, Elf Druid 6
I do like the idea that a D&D insider subscriber can download the entire art pack.
This is a nice touch. Making littler things easy for insiders adds some good value.
__________________ Game on, gang! Ptolus #16 (with customized, personalized sig from Monte. Awesomesauce.), Rappan Athuk Reloaded #37 (Another Awesomesauce, the Necromancer way.)
Try to not let failure to use technical language properly get in the way of getting to the real point under discussion. - Umbran
Characters & Games
Books currently in play: Dungeon & Dragon Magazine (*Scales of War AP*), WOTC 4e Core and Supplemental books
Current Campaign: Scales of War - Lost Mines of Karak -- Kodirgo, Minotaur Barbarian 6; Vondal, Dwarf Cleric 6; Karithul, Gnome Bard 6; Marshaun, Elf Druid 6
It seems the two females have had some 'enhancements' between #8 and #22.
The silver haired one's outfit is certainly more functional in #22.
In #8 are they singing or just all talking at the same time?
__________________ Game on, gang! Ptolus #16 (with customized, personalized sig from Monte. Awesomesauce.), Rappan Athuk Reloaded #37 (Another Awesomesauce, the Necromancer way.)
Try to not let failure to use technical language properly get in the way of getting to the real point under discussion. - Umbran
Characters & Games
Books currently in play: Dungeon & Dragon Magazine (*Scales of War AP*), WOTC 4e Core and Supplemental books
Current Campaign: Scales of War - Lost Mines of Karak -- Kodirgo, Minotaur Barbarian 6; Vondal, Dwarf Cleric 6; Karithul, Gnome Bard 6; Marshaun, Elf Druid 6
Nope, it's a Purple Dragon, formerly known as a Deep Dragon in 3E. (The confusing bit is that in 3E, Shadow Dragons were represented by a picture of a Deep Dragon on at least one occasion.)
Oh? I figured he was a misplaced gem dragon or something.
Nope, it's a Purple Dragon, formerly known as a Deep Dragon in 3E. (The confusing bit is that in 3E, Shadow Dragons were represented by a picture of a Deep Dragon on at least one occasion.)
I can live with "purple" but "deep" was cooler... well, I like alias for D&D monsters.
I'm going to go with a planar dragon from the Far Realms, similar to that Abyssal White Dragon (I'm guess that the dragon was originally a red).
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