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

 

[cbwjm]

I'm guessing that the images for each class are going to be aspirational - "This illustration gives you some idea of what your character could look like once they've become powerful in their chosen class."

World of Warcraft does something similar during character creation. As you go through the class list, you'll see what the character will look like once they have higher-powered gear, to give a new player a preview of what the future may bring. Then, once you choose, on the next page you'll have what the character will actually look like at level 1 (usually having pretty raggedy and basic equipment).

That's right, been years since I played WoW, but I recall that in character gen you have that high powered look about you. Were those actual gear sets you could get in game? I recall spending ages farming specific pieces for transmog.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

That's right, been years since I played WoW, but I recall that in character gen you have that high powered look about you. Were those actual gear sets you could get in game? I recall spending ages farming specific pieces for transmog.

Nowadays, when you create a character, you see a set of gear that was available during the Warlords of Draenor expansion. They've sense made some of the starting gear look like that, though. (There's now multiple choices for how you start your character off once you've customized your character's looks.)

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

It's been decades since tired old men defined what a wizard is. And, honestly, beyond that you could probably have found some classic fantasy wizards in the pulps that were women and POC.

Weren’t there some in Ursula Le Guin’s books?

Your desire to see the perpetuation of tired stereotypes is transparent and shameful. Please move on so the rest of us can enjoy what fantasy's future holds.

Hell, the various tropes and archetypes of magicians that developed into the Gandalf-style wizards has been evolving for thousands of years. The tropes go back to Merlin, Odin, and if you stretch a bit, to the Western misconception of the Magi, none of which were originally depicted with the modern “Wizard” of colorful robes, pointed hats, and spell books. Sure, they’re most often shown as bearded old men, but the lack of the other iconic parts of modern wizards shows how much the depictions of Mages/Wizards changes over time. Odin was a Germanic deity. The Magi were Zoroastrian priests. Merlin was supposed to be the Antichrist in one old depiction. Things change a lot over time, and that’s not a bad thing.

Dare I say, the evolution of tropes and depictions of fantasy archetypes is a good thing. Especially with the further progress in terms of depicting female mages dressed as reasonably as their male counterparts.

 

[Zardnaar]

Other than a very small handful of artists, I pretty much never know who does any art. It could probably be all AI generated and I wouldn't know.

A lot of classic D&D art you can recognize the artist via the artists style.

This is part of the criticism it's just generic art similar to what AI spits out. Technically proficient but nothing special.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I never said that, but you can’t deny that white and gold together have long been used in reference to divine forces

You mean the Pope? Roman Catholicism is just one religion amongst many, and in that Cardinals wear red and priests wear black. You going to ban wizards from wearing black and red as well for looking too religious?

Prediction: any cleric illustrations will avoid colours associated with real world religions.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Plate armor is not post-medieval

Plate armour, as described and illustrated in D&D, is 17th century (I.e. renaissance) sports equipment.

D&D has always had a Fantastic Medieval Aesthetic, since the beginning...

Very early d&d had a “I known nothing about history but I think I do” aesthetic, which was quickly dropped for being ridiculous (horns on helmets, no pants).

Swords, Bows, Spears, the portrayal of Armor. Knights on horses, Paladins, Clerics, Wizards, Bards, Peasants, Kings, Nobility... Big Castles in a Medieval style, with not a single Cannon in sight to bring them down...

None of these things are exclusively medieval. Do you want to write to my head of state King Charles III and tell him to move out of his big castle in Windsor?

Or all the clerics that work for the church? You going to tell them they need to quit? (The word cleric dates from the 17th century, priest is older).

And I would like to see your historical evidence for wizards casting fireball during the medieval period. (If you want something more authentic, “cunning man” or “cunning woman” was used, but they were healers, not fireballers.)

 

[Zardnaar]

Medieval Knights would have been in chain mail.

Full plate Renaissance.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Medieval Knights would have been in chain mail.

Full plate Renaissance.

Don’t say “chain mail”. It was just callled mail. Chain mail is a D&Dism.

 

[Zardnaar]

Heavy cavalry predates medieval as well.

Don’t say “chain mail”. It was just callled mail. Chain mail is a D&Dism.

Lorica hagmata then

Roman's didn't invent mail either and medieval Europe didn't invent the knight except the popular pop culture idea of one.

 

[teitan]

I prefer Vance's wizards with their weird garb and hats to Tolkien's Merlinesque archetype. Turjan and Mazirian, Pandelume, were all much more interesting to read about and visualize. This wizard is sort of similar to that idea but I think Otus and Mullen capture it visually with their unique style and pallet choices.