D&D (2024) WotC Unveils Dragon Delves' Eclectic Art Styles

In a short 1-minute video, Wizards of the Coast has 'revealed' Dragon Delves, the upcoming anthology of dragon-themed adventures. The video showcases the book's eclectic art styles.

Dragon Delves contains 10 adventurers from levels 1-12, each featuring a different type of dragon. The book is due out July 8th.

 

[Parmandur]

The term "red" is a noun. Saying stuff like, "the reds versus the blues", is normal in English such as in sports.

(Even to refer to the shades of red as the reds , or a red, is normal.)

But turning the color into a noun and putting it after "dragon" is a cure much worse than the illness, as even apparent violations of adjective preference are deeply jarring in English.

 

[Yaarel]

But turning the color into a noun and putting it after "dragon" is a cure much worse than the illness, as even apparent violations of adjective preference are deeply jarring in English.

For example, political communists, can be nicknamed "the reds" or for a person "a red". The "red kangaroo" is often referred to as "a red".

Here "Red" is the name of a species.

Dragon is a noun that normally often functions as an adjective:
• dragon fish
• dragon fly
• dragon fruit
• dragon lady
• dragon lizard
• dragon shape

Dragon Age, etcetera etcetera.

 

[Parmandur]

For example, political communists, can be nicknamed "the reds" or for a person "a red". The "red kangaroo" is often referred to as "a red".

Here "Red" is the name of a species.

Dragon is a noun that normally often functions as an adjective:
• dragon fish
• dragon fly
• dragon fruit
• dragon lady
• dragon lizard
• dragon shape

Dragon Age, etcetera etcetera.

No, it is just...jarring and unnatural sounding.

 

[Yaarel]

@Parmandur

Meanwhile in the alphabetical sorting ...

Humanoid Bandit
Humanoid Commoner
Humanoid Cultist
Humanoid Cultist Fanatic
Humanoid Mage
Humanoid Mage Apprentice
Humanoid Mage Archon (!)
Humanoid Noble
Humanoid Pirate
Humanoid Pirate Captain

etcetera.

 

[BookTenTiger]

@Parmandur

Meanwhile in the alphabetical sorting ...

Humanoid Bandit
Humanoid Commoner
Humanoid Cultist
Humanoid Cultist Fanatic
Humanoid Mage
Humanoid Mage Apprentice
Humanoid Mage Archon (!)
Humanoid Noble
Humanoid Pirate
Humanoid Pirate Captain

etcetera.

In this case you would have to call them

Draconic Red
Draconic Blue
Etc.

The problem is that the term "draconic" is modifying the noun Red. A "Red" is not a creature as defined in D&D.

You could create a monster book based around colors being kinds of monsters, which would be interesting. You'd have a Draconic Red, a Goblinoid Red, an Undead Red...

But in terms of D&D being written in a way the majority of people would understand, putting Dragon first would be mostly confusing instead of clarifying.

 

[Yaarel]

In this case you would have to call them

Draconic Red
Draconic Blue
Etc.

The problem is that the term "draconic" is modifying the noun Red. A "Red" is not a creature as defined in D&D.

You could create a monster book based around colors being kinds of monsters, which would be interesting. You'd have a Draconic Red, a Goblinoid Red, an Undead Red...

But in terms of D&D being written in a way the majority of people would understand, putting Dragon first would be mostly confusing instead of clarifying.

Because the creature type is Dragon, rather than Draconic, and because one is more likely to try to find "dragon", it seems better to go with Dragon paralleling Humanoid.

 

[Mournblade94]

Hey! I resemble that remark!

Elven names are not WordWord.

They are Celestialword Natureword

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Elven names are not WordWord.

They are Celestialword Natureword

It’s better than Halfling names, which are Farmingword Cookingword

 

[Demetrios1453]

Nooooo...no. Following a noun with an adjective (even if it is "Noun-ified") is a violation of the word order in English. Adjective order is actually one of the weirdly strict rules in English (of the ten categories of adjective, color comes in at number 7, for instance.

I'd imagine some attorneys general would like to talk to you about that, given how their title has been since time immemorial.