MM2 art gallery- AWESOME!

[Nai_Calus]

I like the Eladrin picture best. Not one but *two* women in sensible friggin' armor? w00t.

 

[Klaus]

I like the Eladrin picture best. Not one but *two* women in sensible friggin' armor? w00t.

Yeah, the eladrin might just get the "most improved race art" award.

 

[sjmiller]

I have a silly question. Why does the creature labeled as a Tiger have shoulder spikes, a line a spikes down its spine, and saber tooth like canine teeth?

 

[Inyssius]

I have a silly question. Why does the creature labeled as a Tiger have shoulder spikes, a line a spikes down its spine, and saber tooth like canine teeth?

That's a dire tiger. Dire animals have giant fangs and spikes (and occasionally even a hint of armor plating), and are usually about half again as large as you might expect an animal of its kind to be. It's a D&D tradition.

EDIT: For example, check out the MM1's boars, bears, and wolves--though I'm pretty sure the silly "dire" thing extends back at least into 3.X.

 

[Dire Bare]

No matter edition or system, any RPG designer who generalizes eeeeevil as ugly won't have my support.

People really have different opinions concerning art, I dislike most of the images, in special the cartoon style for creatures that should inspire fear, not laughing.

Wotc is thinking it pleases an younger aundience.

I have serious doubts about it.

I understand where you are coming from, equating evil with physical ugliness is not fair way to look at life. But, it's nothing unique to this new D&D book, or even to D&D in general. Human mythology and religion worldwide has a long-standing tradition of equating spiritual ugliness with physical ugliness. In fact, the beautifully evil fey stand out as truly insidious because they buck this trend!

Quick! Name the "evil races" of standard D&D fantasy. Your top 5 (heck, your top 10) are probably ugly suckers. Orcs, gobs, gnolls, gith, flayers . . .

Now quick name the top 5 "good races" and they'll all be sexy in one way or another! Elves, dwarves (ruggedly handsome), halflings (cute), gnomes (even cuter).

Now of course you'll find evil individuals amongst the so-called goodly races and the Klingon Effect has changed our viewpoints somewhat on some of the uglies (shamanistic, nature-loving orcs). But these are exceptions to the rule.

If anything, D&D 4e has taken some slight steps away from this long tradition with the more wierd player races such as dragonborn, genasi, shifters, the new deva, etc.

 

[Dire Bare]

That's a dire tiger. Dire animals have giant fangs and spikes (and occasionally even a hint of armor plating), and are usually about half again as large as you might expect an animal of its kind to be. It's a D&D tradition.

EDIT: For example, check out the MM1's boars, bears, and wolves--though I'm pretty sure the silly "dire" thing extends back at least into 3.X.

Yep, it's a dire tiger alright! At the very beginning of 3rd Edition, I liked the idea of the "dire" class of animals . . . but with every illustration since of a spiky bear or spiky tiger I've really started to equate the word "dire" with "stupid-looking".

And, yes, I'm aware of the irony of this and my screen name. But hey, I like the play on words!

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Another one I like is Djinn Windbow

 

[sjmiller]

That's a dire tiger. Dire animals have giant fangs and spikes (and occasionally even a hint of armor plating), and are usually about half again as large as you might expect an animal of its kind to be. It's a D&D tradition.

EDIT: For example, check out the MM1's boars, bears, and wolves--though I'm pretty sure the silly "dire" thing extends back at least into 3.X.

Oh, I know what a dire creature is. I currently run a D&D 3e game (when not running playtests of a new game I am working on), and use dire creatures in it. I just figured if you are going to show a "tiger" it should look like a tiger, not a dire tiger. I am mainly complaining about poor labeling, I guess.

 

[Klaus]

Yep, it's a dire tiger alright! At the very beginning of 3rd Edition, I liked the idea of the "dire" class of animals . . . but with every illustration since of a spiky bear or spiky tiger I've really started to equate the word "dire" with "stupid-looking".

And, yes, I'm aware of the irony of this and my screen name. But hey, I like the play on words!

Hey, allow me to pimp my dire animal art!

http://www.enworld.org/Pozas/Pictures/Wallpapers/dire_wp_lg.jpg

 

[avin]

But, it's nothing unique to this new D&D book, or even to D&D in general.

That's why I've said any system and any edition.

As for 4E (that you mentioned, not me) bringing weird stuff, I don't agree, AD&D's Planescape had far more weird and interesting fluff.

By the way, Creature Collection (3e or 4e) is better in therms of avoiding vinculating appearance with alignment