D&D 5E Iconic characters in 5e books?

Li Shenron · Mar 12, 2018

Are there actually any iconic characters in 5e books? I don't mean references to setting-specific NPCs such as Drizz't or Volo, but rather like in 3e when we had Mialee the Wizard, Lidda the Rogue, Tordek the Fighter etc. I guess not, but I wonder if for example the characters in the illustrations used for the PHB classes ever got a name at some point.

Yaarel · Mar 12, 2018

I was never a fan of class icons, because they create to specific an image, even going so far as to gender the perception of the class. It annoyed me that the fighter was presented male, and the wizard female. This even extended to gendering the pronouns of the descriptions of a class. Likewise it would annoy me if the warlock is always a tiefling, and so on.

I strongly prefer each class have a variety of examples of how the class can play out. I want to see a clean-shaven jock Wizard, and so on.

Cap'n Kobold · Mar 12, 2018

I don't think that 5e is having iconic characters at all. Rather, they are going for several different examples of each class.

Having said that, I think that XGtE actually has some of the Introductory flavour texts written by some of the 3e iconics.

Jacob Lewis · Mar 12, 2018

Matt Mercer. Vin Diesel.

Immoralkickass · Mar 13, 2018

Yaarel said:
I was never a fan of class icons, because they create to specific an image, even going so far as to gender the perception of the class. It annoyed me that the fighter was presented male, and the wizard female. This even extended to gendering the pronouns of the descriptions of a class. Likewise it would annoy me if the warlock is always a tiefling, and so on.

I strongly prefer each class have a variety of examples of how the class can play out. I want to see a clean-shaven jock Wizard, and so on.

I'm fine with class stereotypes, male fighter/female wizard don't bother me. Stereotypes exist because they are true, and men are generally stronger than women. Don't argue with me on this, because I am right. I will point to sports and athletic records in history to prove my point. Same goes for Tiefling Warlocks and the like. Some call it a stereotype, I call it classic. They already got rid of the gender stat differences from previous editions, so I call that a win.

We don't need more Zarya-like characters to please the SJWs.

Sunseeker · Mar 13, 2018

Yaarel said:
I was never a fan of class icons, because they create to specific an image, even going so far as to gender the perception of the class. It annoyed me that the fighter was presented male, and the wizard female. This even extended to gendering the pronouns of the descriptions of a class. Likewise it would annoy me if the warlock is always a tiefling, and so on.

I strongly prefer each class have a variety of examples of how the class can play out. I want to see a clean-shaven jock Wizard, and so on.

This, and some of the imagery that has been used in specific for certain "iconics" has been rather distasteful.

ccs · Mar 13, 2018

shidaku said:
This, and some of the imagery that has been used in specific for certain "iconics" has been rather distasteful.

Such as?

cbwjm · Mar 13, 2018

I thought the 3e iconics were cool, it never coloured my perceptions of the classes at all. I still made barbarians, fighters, and clerics who were women and wizards, paladins and rogues who were men.

Coroc · Mar 13, 2018

Miala, Lidda, Tordek ? ..... Who ?

Darn i never heard about these epic folk.

Morrus · Mar 13, 2018

Immoralkickass said:
I'm fine with class stereotypes, male fighter/female wizard don't bother me. Stereotypes exist because they are true, and men are generally stronger than women. Don't argue with me on this, because I am right. I will point to sports and athletic records in history to prove my point. Same goes for Tiefling Warlocks and the like. Some call it a stereotype, I call it classic. They already got rid of the gender stat differences from previous editions, so I call that a win.

We don't need more Zarya-like characters to please the SJWs.

Please read the site rules, and refrain from using insulting terms like "SJWs". Don't post in this thread again.