D&D (2024) Here's The New 2024 Player's Handbook Wizard Art

 

[cbwjm]

Next campaign I’m playing a Warforged that wears glasses.

Reminds me of Nordom, the rogue modron who had lenses, though in his case they were definitely magical.

 

[Eric V]

The worst offender in this regard was the 2e Al-Qadim books, in which character level correlated almost entirely with social status.

Like how the Caliph, who was described as sheltered and had barely left the palace, was also a 20th level fighter.

Your point stands, but not this particular example...the Grand Caliph spent all his youth adventuring, presumably picking up those 20 levels.

 

[TwoSix]

Your point stands, but not this particular example...the Grand Caliph spent all his youth adventuring, presumably picking up those 20 levels.

Yea, but that always felt like a weak justification, to me. It was fairly obvious that the level came first, and then they put just the tiniest amount of backstory to justify it.

 

[ezo]

I have no idea what this reply has to do with @Tonguez's post. As in, what is the connection between (on the one hand) flair and favour and (on the other hand) silliness?

The two are not mutually exclusive.

None that I can see.

And more generally, why is what the first of the following passages describes more annoying than the second?

Jeez... I was really hoping I wouldn't actually have to do this with all my posts... but I guess I do:

DISCLAIMER: All content of this post is the opinion of the author. No infringement on the rights or priviledges of others is intended or implied.

Because the threat couldn't possibly be off screen and the target of whatever she's about to lay the hammer down on is the point of view that we're supposed to take.

But, that's impossible. After all, using any degree of imagination when looking at a picture is verbotten. You must only use the picture, never make any attempt to interpret the picture, and must be told, explicitly by the artist exactly what the picture is showing.



You must be an absolute delight at an art gallery.

You know, it was a joke, and people laughed...

And generate more fun and humour, like this:

Personally, I think this wizard is the head librarian at a world-renowned facility (say, a fantasy expy of the Library of Alexandria). And she's about to crack down on some skipped late fees.

LOL, nice! If she was actually the librarian, maybe she is using magic to put all the books away?

 

[Chaosmancer]

It is true that Elf culture cares about clothing and fashion.

In the 2024 image, the Wizard reads as an Elf wearing glasses that are fashionable.

Except for the fact that she is not an elf, you can "read" it that way, but that would be as accurate as me reading it as though she were a gnome.

And, your first comment I was responding to was "If an Elf is wearing glasses, for sure there is some magical benefit." which isn't fashion. So, you believe elves can wear glasses for fashion, or for magical utility, but not because they need them? I suppose that is slightly better than them only wearing glasses for magical benefits.

I also note that we have now dropped the "embodying beauty" angle you had before.

Apparently, there are no Elves born deaf or blind.

I did mention the possibility of a magical curse. One can target an Elf with a Blindness or Deafness spell.

It is a reallife folkbelief trope that Elves can curse each others fates, to appear elder or so on, or in this case perhaps blind or deaf.

And there is no statement in DnD saying that Elves cannot be born blind or deaf. You are making this up, seemingly because you think elves are too special to not be born exactly like you imagine them.

Heh, something like that.

On the other hand, glasses when magic items are a status symbol, conveying a magical otherworldly perceptiveness.

Something like that? Something like the ableism of saying that glasses are only for the poor, the weak, or the unattractive?

Yeah, no thanks. I don't need magical glasses of special privilege. I'm perfectly happy with people just wearing glasses. Like in real-life.

 

[Yaarel]

Except for the fact that she is not an elf, you can "read" it that way, but that would be as accurate as me reading it as though she were a gnome.

And, your first comment I was responding to was "If an Elf is wearing glasses, for sure there is some magical benefit." which isn't fashion. So, you believe elves can wear glasses for fashion, or for magical utility, but not because they need them? I suppose that is slightly better than them only wearing glasses for magical benefits.

I also note that we have now dropped the "embodying beauty" angle you had before.


And there is no statement in DnD saying that Elves cannot be born blind or deaf. You are making this up, seemingly because you think elves are too special to not be born exactly like you imagine them.



Something like that? Something like the ableism of saying that glasses are only for the poor, the weak, or the unattractive?

Yeah, no thanks. I don't need magical glasses of special privilege. I'm perfectly happy with people just wearing glasses. Like in real-life.

You keep saying things that I never said.

 

[occam]

You keep saying things that I never said.

So, in response to:

...therefore you don't think it makes sense to depict powerful, beautiful people with glasses, because glasses are not for the powerful, the magically capable or the beautiful. They are only for those who lack those qualities.

You didn't say:

Heh, something like that.

Do you really not get how your words are relevant outside of a game, for people in the real world?

 

[Yaarel]

So, in response to:

You didn't say:

Do you really not get how your words are relevant outside of a game, for people in the real world?

Elf is a reallife archetype, from certain reallife cultures. To some degree, cultural appropriation takes place by misrepresenting what an Elf is.

What is salient about an Elf, is in the context of fate, the Elf takes on forms that embody cultural ideals. Especially, ideals of physical of beauty. Also success. Love. Family. Influence. As a speaker of fate, an Elf personifies magic itself.

Elves are shapeshifters whose magic manifests in ideal forms. Forms that are a good fate that humans aspire to be for oneself and ones children. This is what an Elf is.


I dont actually care about "Keen Senses" or its excellent vision − or Darkvision − these are irrelevant for mythologically accurate species as whole. I would rather have at-will Detect Magic and Advantage in Arcana checks. Magic is more salient as a trait of the entire species.

The Wood Elf can have Darkvision as a nocturnal spirit, and the Perception of a hunter or an animal. Darkvision makes sense for a Drow. But these traits dont really matter for the other Elf cultures.

But beauty matters for the Elf species. Beauty is what the Alfr, Sidhe, Feie, Nymphe, etcetera, have in common. Superhuman beauty is the archeytype that links these concepts from the disparate cultures together.

 

[occam]

What is salient about an Elf, is in the context of fate, the Elf takes on forms that embody cultural ideals. Especially, ideals of physical of beauty.

And cultural ideals, particularly those of physical beauty, do not include people who wear glasses. Got it.

 

[Yaarel]

And cultural ideals, particularly those of physical beauty, do not include people who wear glasses. Got it.

Do I want to be nearsighted? No. Do I really care? Not really.

Do I think being nearsighted is an ideal of beauty? No.

Do I want to cause my kids to be nearsighted because that would please other people who are frustrated with beauty? That would be child abuse.