D&D 5E The 5E Art is Awesome

[Saxon1974]

I think this is the thing right here: 5th Edition has done a good job of broadening the depiction of female character types. Of course there is room for the femme fatale and the busty warrior woman, but there is also room for the armored knight and the practical sorceress and the demure priestess. Likewise male figures, but males have always had a much higher variety of common archetypes compared to females in fantasy art.

I can't think of any damsels in distress in the art off the top of my head, which is a very good thing.

(All that said, I love me some sexy fantasy art and in my head D&D is always illustrated by Frazetta, but I don't think for a second all D&D art should look like that; fantasy is the broadest genre of all.)

What's so wrong with a damsel in distress? Are you saying there aren't any females out there that would like rescued by valiant fighting men? I think as long as ALL females aren't depicted this way its fine (also have female warriors, wizards, thief etc...). Variety my friend. My wife very much likes the strong man type and the idea of chivalry so I know some women like that idea.

 

[Reynard]

What's so wrong with a damsel in distress? Are you saying there aren't any females out there that would like rescued by valiant fighting men? I think as long as ALL females aren't depicted this way its fine (also have female warriors, wizards, thief etc...). Variety my friend. My wife very much likes the strong man type and the idea of chivalry so I know some women like that idea.

I think D&D should err on the side of empowerment and the damsel in distress is disempowering. Men have far less baggage to carry around, genre wise, than women do and therefore I think it is incumbent upon us to be aware of how some tropes can be construed as harmful or unwelcoming.

 

[Blackbird71]

better than the crazy dreadlock halflings of 4e IMO

Over all, I am really liking the 5e art. Its not the "Bondage Gear" look of 3.x, nor is it the "ACTIONALLTHETIMEADHDD&DSQUIRREL!1" art of 4e/Pathfinder.

Of the WoTC editions, its probably my favorite. None of it stands out as to what I see as D&D still though.

That is still D&D to me. Nothing by WoTC has come close to inspiring as this one simple piece of art.

Hear, hear!

That is an image that has always stuck with me; something about it just strikes a chord in the imagination.

 

[MechaPilot]

Hear, hear!

That is an image that has always stuck with me; something about it just strikes a chord in the imagination.

One of the things that always struck me about that picture was the box of treasure. . . that tiny, little jewelry-box of treasure.

You hear dragon and you think lots of gold, not a kid's lunchbox full of gold.

 

[Grainger]

They pocketed the rest of the gold (bags of holding?). That little box is just the gold they left for the Dark Gods in their baby dragon murder ritual.

 

[Reynard]

One of the things that always struck me about that picture was the box of treasure. . . that tiny, little jewelry-box of treasure.

You hear dragon and you think lots of gold, not a kid's lunchbox full of gold.

Small dragon, small hoard. These guys are 3rd level, tops.

 

[Aloïsius]

Hear, hear!

That is an image that has always stuck with me; something about it just strikes a chord in the imagination.

To each his own... I don't like it at all, it looks like a bunch of larpers posing next to a latex dragon... Note that I don't dislike LARP, by the way. But D&D needs to be more epic than something you can do with foam and paint...

Dragons are not wildboars, they should not be depicted as such.

 

[YourSwordIsMine]

To each his own... I don't like it at all, it looks like a bunch of larpers posing next to a latex dragon... Note that I don't dislike LARP, by the way. But D&D needs to be more epic than something you can do with foam and paint...
Dragons are not wildboars, they should not be depicted as such.

Different times... D&D wasn't about being "Big Damn Heroes(tm)"...

 

[Grainger]

[post deleted: changed my mind!]

 

[steeldragons]

One of the things that always struck me about that picture was the box of treasure. . . that tiny, little jewelry-box of treasure.

You hear dragon and you think lots of gold, not a kid's lunchbox full of gold.

Small dragon, small hoard. These guys are 3rd level, tops.

Possibly. But there's the big ole bag-o-swag at the feet of the fightery gal. There's definitely some stuff worth some ducats in there.