D&D 5E 5th edition artists need to watch Legend of Korra

[Tovec]

I was just putting forward what I thought was a well done example. I also found it important to note this is a Male Player describing a Female PC. I think it shows a maturity among the player base for something more than overt sexuality. The PC's in my game think of themselves as ass-kicking adventurers first and Females second, and I think that's a good way to look at it.

You are lucky your male player even remembers they are playing a female character. This issue happens from time to time in our games.

I think that MOST people, players, DMs, fans, artists who do DnD try to keep it discrete. I think that a few bad apples ruin the bunch, as we end up seeing pictures of female fantasy characters with chainmail bikinis or skulls (or shells) covering their naughty bits. But I think that most people who care and who are trying to draw THEIR character, as opposed to A character will be mature about it.

 

[Dog Moon]

You are lucky your male player even remembers they are playing a female character. This issue happens from time to time in our games.

Haha, I do that sometimes too. Our campaigns tend to be short or filled with death, so I've played many characters male and female. Everyone once in a while I'm like 'oooo, I hit on her! Wait, I'm totally playing a female character. Never mind!'

I try not to let it happen often, but it happens occasionally. Depends on how much I like my character, I think.

 

[Yora]

But it would be nice if the bad apples do not happen to be the interior artists for the new rulebooks.

Though I think there is very few danger of getting back to the Art of AD&D with its occasional chainmail bikinis. The new Art Director for 5th edition, who makes the descisions what art gets put into the books, is ocasionally visiting the D&D art threads here, and he seems like a really sensible man who takes his work and oppinions of the players very seriously.
Maybe we'll see some mages in impractical dresses going on adventures, but I expect the new art to be at least as sensible as the late 3.5e books. I don't remember any striperific images from those.

 

[DogBackward]

Not every image should be 50% sexual, 50% functional(that would be boring), but we should be able to come to roughly that when looking at all the art across the edition.

That... what? No. Sexuality has no place in D&D art at all, unless you're looking at a BoEF or a succubus or some mythological creature for whom sexuality was part of their schtick. Adventuring women don't need to be sexy to beat someone's face in. Anything sexual in nature actually detracts from survivability and one's ability to do one's job in a setting like D&D.

For the record, there's a difference between being attractive, and being sexualized. There's nothing wrong with attractive character art (though having every single adventurer ever be attractive is a little silly...). But sexuality brings nothing to the table for an adventure game. Those stupid poses and skimpy outfits are just plain ridiculous.

Don't get me wrong, I'm aware that I'm never going to get my way on this, because WotC is a company and they want to make money, and they still think that gamers buy RPG's for sexy art specifically (gamers may like the sexy art, but it rarely drives the purchase in a field like this). But that doesn't mean I don't still feel that sexualized adventuring characters in RPG art is pandering and detrimental to the feel of the game.

 

[Sunseeker]

Haha, I do that sometimes too. Our campaigns tend to be short or filled with death, so I've played many characters male and female. Everyone once in a while I'm like 'oooo, I hit on her! Wait, I'm totally playing a female character. Never mind!'

I try not to let it happen often, but it happens occasionally. Depends on how much I like my character, I think.

And why can't a her hit on another her? It may be tropey to be a male playing a lesbian female, but honestly, go with your strongpoints, attempting to fake attraction for the sake of "well it's a woman, she likes men!" probably isn't going to come out as good roleplaying anyway.

As far as "sexualized" vs "attractive" to some people showing cleavage will be sexual and not attractive, and the reverse to others. Realistic fantasy armor is nice until you remember that Disintegrate won't care if you're showing a little T&A.

And while we're at it maybe we should discuss the bulging biceps, copious chest hair and loincloths over muscular legs that men get. "sexualization" isn't limited to boobs and butts.

 

[ArmoredSaint]

If you have to spell women with a "y" to show how tough they are, you've failed before you even began.

What he said.

As for "korra..."

No, please. This art absolutely does not say "Dungeons and Dragons" to me. None of the characters even wear armour. I cannot put into words how much I do not want D&D to look like this.

If core 5E's default aesthetic style had to be anime for some reason, then yeah, I have to go with Record of Lodoss War. Sorry, but Tradition does have a place in the game, even if some people can't wrap their minds around the appeal it holds for the rest of us.

 

[DogBackward]

Realistic fantasy armor is nice until you remember that Disintegrate won't care if you're showing a little T&A.

And if Disintegrate were the attack option of choice for the majority of enemies, you'd have a point. Swords, spears and arrows, however, are far more commonplace, as are claws and fangs.

 

[Sunseeker]

And if Disintegrate were the attack option of choice for the majority of enemies, you'd have a point. Swords, spears and arrows, however, are far more commonplace, as are claws and fangs.

So your argument is that armor should become skimpier as tougher opponents become more able to decimate you? Hmmm, interesting logic.

In any case, at some point we need to draw the line that this is a game, and none of this really exists so "it wouldn't work in reality" probably isn't going to get very far in D&D.

 

[DogBackward]

So your argument is that armor should become skimpier as tougher opponents become more able to decimate you? Hmmm, interesting logic.

In any case, at some point we need to draw the line that this is a game, and none of this really exists so "it wouldn't work in reality" probably isn't going to get very far in D&D.

No, I'm saying that no matter how powerful you or your enemies get, there will always be people and things trying to gut you with sword and fang. So even if armor doesn't protect against magic, it still protects against the vast majority of attacks.

It's not so much a matter of what would work in reality, though that is part of it. It's this thought that in order for a female warrior to be included among "the manly men", she has to be in skimpy armor and a sexy pose. Because nobody would accept a female warrior otherwise, right? It's an annoying proposition in the first place, and makes annoying assumptions about the maturity levels of gamers in general. It's indicative of an overall mindset that is, to say the least, troubling.

 

[Balsamic Dragon]

[MENTION=2433]Balsamic Dragon[/MENTION] how is Korra drawn any differently than jshaft37's, except that it is anime?
Yes, she has muscles, curves and looks like a real person but most GOOD pictures of women in dnd do.

And as for the "but more muscles comment", that is because she is an animated character I dont see what that has to do with Ildi Silva. Perhaps it is the medium as opposed to the "person" depicted to which you are referring.

I'm not saying you are WRONG or that we need another example, I just think you are off. I don't see how it is DIFFERENT from other examples.

I think jshaft37's pic is also a great pic of a female D&D PC!

As far as muscles go, this gets to the heart of the issue. Women who are strong and train as combatant's have muscles. Big ones. Ildi Silva does not. She'd make a perfectly good mage, but she is not a believable image of a woman with a high Strength score.

Most D&D fantasy art depicts slender, non-muscular women. My point is that there is a way to draw a woman who looks like she could really be as strong as the PC she is meant to resemble. More than one way, in point of fact