D&D 5E (2024) What do people think of the new dragon designs?

[MonsterEnvy]

We actually did get pictures of the updated designs for the other Chromatics.
Let me post them again.

https://i.*****.com/5KkvLYg.pnghttps://i.*****.com/M7JQtyw.png
https://i.*****.com/yiDDdAV.png
https://i.*****.com/HBFKLhe.png
https://i.*****.com/q2TRbXC.png
https://i.*****.com/urqnTw3.png
https://i.*****.com/w6clOp3.png


https://i.*****.com/P9dZBYx.png
https://i.*****.com/YQn70Yk.png

The Cover Art for the PHB shows the new look for the Gold Dragon
https://i.*****.com/E84Wsn7.jpeg

 

[Corinnguard]

The new versions of the Chromatic Dragons look pretty good. More distinctive.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

We actually did get pictures of the updated designs for the other Chromatics.
Let me post them again.

The Cover Art for the PHB shows the new look for the Gold Dragon

Wait where did these get posted?

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Wait where did these get posted?

The Drizzt Visual Dictionary.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Lol the Green Dragon wings.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

The Drizzt Visual Dictionary.

Looking at the red dragon, it seems that there is some design changes between the two. Not sure if it's just artist variation or intentional redesign.

 

[Reynard]

https://i.*****.com/urqnTw3.png
https://i.*****.com/w6clOp3.png


https://i.*****.com/P9dZBYx.png
https://i.*****.com/YQn70Yk.png

Now THESE are how big dragons should be!

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Now THESE are how big dragons should be!

Now calculate how many squares a dragon like that would occupy on a battlemap.

Also, seems it would be literally impossible to kill such a thing with a sword, as you couldn’t reach anything vital.

 

[Deset Gled]

Overall, I think they're quite good. Lot's of high quality art, good design. I especially like the overhead views from the OP.

But I prefer to judge some things by the lowest resolution drawings rather than the highest resolution. What will these dragons look like as computer icon or a thumbnail? Maybe it's just my 8-bit gaming history showing, but I think how designers communicate under more minimalist circumstances is pretty important. Is there enough difference that a color-limited person like myself can tell the chromatic dragons apart when they're shrunk down below mega-pixel scale?

Does anyone have any examples of how this might appear outside of the high quality previews shown here? I'm looking for things like the tiny picture in the corner of a book, not the cover.

 

[Reynard]

Now calculate how many squares a dragon like that would occupy on a battlemap.

Irrelevant, really. The dragon is the terrain at that point.

Also, seems it would be literally impossible to kill such a thing with a sword, as you couldn’t reach anything vital.

You don't kill it with swords -- you kill it with magic swords, and lances, and axes, and spells.