D&D (2024) Comeliness and Representation in Recent DnD Art

Charlaquin said:

Which is why the Last Supper faded so much so fast. The refectory specifically wanted him to do it, but he hated working in egg tempera because it dries so quickly and he worked at his own (very slow) pace. So he tried to do it with a mix of tempera and oil paints, which… I feel like should have been an obviously terrible idea, but that man would apparently do anything to avoid being rushed to finish his work.

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If we are being charitable, we could say he liked to experiment with new techniques and materials (with other people's money).

And TLS is a big painting. It would take anyone ages using the equivalent of primary school poster paint.

Faolyn said:

Well, how much cheesecake do you really need in a gaming book? Especially when there's so much already available online.

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For me personally? I don't have a particular preference for it.

At the same time, I acknowledge that other people play the game, and they may have fantasies that differ from my own. Some of those people likely have backgrounds, points of view, and life experiences that likewise differ from my own. That makes them no less valid.

I do not believe that I should wholly dismiss the desires of others due to gender identity, as I (personally) feel that doing such would be closed-minded, potentially bigoted, and against the general ethics by which I choose to live.

Can I understand why a chainmail bikini might rub someone the wrong way? Yes - both figuratively and literally.

Can I understand why someone wouldn't be bothered by it? Also yes, and it's no less out of place than the weird belt fetish that 3rd Edition sorcerers seemed to have.


In the end, it's a bit of a wash for me. However people beyond myself play the game and have different points of view.

If, for a moment, I can ignore all of that; my own personal preference would be for ttrpg artwork that is less clean. By "clean," I mean that in a literal sense (not as any sort of commentary on scantily clad bodies). A little bit of artwork that shows adventurers with a bit of dirt and grime or perhaps dinged armor and the signs of a hard journey would be nice, rather than picture-perfect AI-Instagram-model figures.

On the topic of the thread: I'm okay with (and supportive of) adventuring folk who aren't perfect and don't look like airbrushed movie stars. At the same time, art should fit the story being told and make sense in the context for which it is given.

A warrior with crooked teeth and a nose that's obviously been broken a few times? Sure; cool

A wizard with soot on his robes, Coke-bottle glasses, and vitiligo? Sure; cool

A charismatic nymph being drawn like a frumpy hobo with a methamphetamine dental plan?
That doesn't work for me.

Argyle King said:

A charismatic nymph being drawn like a frumpy hobo with a methamphetamine dental plan?

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But, again, context is important. I mean, drawing a scantily clad nymph makes sense. Obviously. It's pretty on brand and... well... yeah, that's what a nymph should look like.

But, why is my female barbarian being drawn in the same outfit? Again, context matters. My adventurer, in the middle of the dungeon, laying waste to those around me, should probably be wearing considerably more than a loincloth. I mean, heck, Conan in the stories is almost ALWAYS wearing armor. It was the artists that drew him not wearing armor. Like Savage Sword of Conan (geez I miss those comics) drew shirtless Conan on the cover. But, as soon as you actually start reading, poof, he's got clothes on. Not always of course. Kinda like how Captain Kirk manages to rip his shirt off, Conan's clothes keep falling off too.

But, the point is, the whole "loincloth and sandals" look was mostly on the covers.

Hussar said:

But, again, context is important. I mean, drawing a scantily clad nymph makes sense. Obviously. It's pretty on brand and... well... yeah, that's what a nymph should look like.

But, why is my female barbarian being drawn in the same outfit? Again, context matters. My adventurer, in the middle of the dungeon, laying waste to those around me, should probably be wearing considerably more than a loincloth. I mean, heck, Conan in the stories is almost ALWAYS wearing armor. It was the artists that drew him not wearing armor. Like Savage Sword of Conan (geez I miss those comics) drew shirtless Conan on the cover. But, as soon as you actually start reading, poof, he's got clothes on. Not always of course. Kinda like how Captain Kirk manages to rip his shirt off, Conan's clothes keep falling off too.

But, the point is, the whole "loincloth and sandals" look was mostly on the covers.

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Sure, but it also is the iconic "barbarian look" and they even gave the class unarmoured defence to justify running around like that in the game. So it absolutely fine to depict that in the art.

I really don't need "cheesecake" art in my D&D, but all lack of clothing isn't that. The other end of the spectrum here is the sort of insanity that lead to some American school firing an art teacher for shoving sixth-grade students a picture of Michelangelo's David.

Argyle King said:

For me personally? I don't have a particular preference for it.



Can I understand why someone wouldn't be bothered by it? Also yes, and it's no less out of place than the weird belt fetish that 3rd Edition sorcerers seemed to have.

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Blame that on the comic book art trend of unnecessary belts of the 90s I bet.

Levistus's_Leviathan said:

The point is that 5e does have a diversity of styles.

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But one overarching theme: over-produced.

I guess it could be worse in regards to the intersection of what counts as practical adventuring clothing and matching real world trends. One of the warm weather themes on campus the past two years seems to be very short shorts that many wearers feel the need to readjust on a regular basis while walking (every 50' not being an exaggeration in some cases). Is that a free or bonus action? Would it change in melee with a weapon in hand vs. just walking? Anyway, apologies if this diversion was too cheeky.

Faolyn said:

Well, how much cheesecake do you really need in a gaming book? Especially when there's so much already available online.

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But i not always online. Because cheesecake pics are the only cheesecake I like. You can keep your cream cheese.

Paul Farquhar said:

If we are being charitable, we could say he liked to experiment with new techniques and materials (with other people's money).

And TLS is a big painting. It would take anyone ages using the equivalent of primary school poster paint.

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Sure, but it’s not as if working at a snail’s pace is out of character with what we know of him. There are a lot of records of complaints about commissions taking too long, and he was quoted as saying “art is never finished, only abandoned.” There’s a famous anecdote about the Last Supper where the head of the refectory allegedly asked why it was taking so long and he (again, allegedly) answered that he was struggling to get Judas’ face right, and that if he wanted to help speed things up, he could use him as the model.

Scribe said:

I am sorry, but I find your argument not persuasive on any front...

As I believe I have said elsewhere on this forum, if this is wrong, I never want to be right.

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Yeah, sorry; this may be aesthetically cool, but it's painfully dumb. One arrow to the gut and he's done.