D&D General Art that defined D&D for you

[Retreater]

That classic TSR mid to late 80s art: Elmore, Easley, et al.

 

[Dausuul]

How has nobody cited this one yet? This is THE iconic D&D image as far as I'm concerned, right down to the party puzzling over their map while the two rogues in the back are prying out a gemstone from an idol and you just know something bad is going to happen when that gem pops loose.

 

[aco175]

These were some of the first I recall. I had to get the figures to go with them.

 

[Charlaquin]

For me it’s the 3e dungeon punk aesthetic. Basically all of the 3.5 PHB art defined the look of D&D to me. Much as I dislike 3e, I can’t deny it was extremely formative for my relationship with D&D, and strongly defines how I conceptualize it.

This will forever be what a D&D Bard looks like to me:

And this is a rogue:

This is a typical adventuring party:

And while the super-cluttered character designs catch a lot of flack now, I’ll admit I appreciate the attention to detail. It still kinda bugs me that D&D art tends not to show characters even carrying packs, let alone all the weapons and bags and trinkets and baubles and tchotchkies D&D characters tend (in my experience) to lug around with them. If you can’t depict your character with all the stuff they’re carrying in a way that doesn’t look horribly cluttered and inconvenient... maybe you’re carrying too much crap.

 

[Sacrosanct]

How has nobody cited this one yet? This is THE iconic D&D image as far as I'm concerned, right down to the party puzzling over their map while the two rogues in the back are prying out a gemstone from an idol and you just know something bad is going to happen when that gem pops loose.

Eltab mentioned it in the first reply. Also, while certainly iconic, I was asking for more of a personal piece that defined D&D for you. Which can vary largely by what we were exposed to when we really got into love with the game.

 

[wingsandsword]

what are these from?

Planescape.

Tony DiTerlizzi used that specific art style for that campaign setting. There's a huge amount of art done in that style to describe all kinds of planar stuff in D&D.

A quick search turns up this retrospective thread about that artist and his style in that setting: Artist Tony DiTerlizzi Reflects On 25 Years of Planescape

 

[Sacrosanct]

That classic TSR mid to late 80s art: Elmore, Easley, et al.

View attachment 123739

I remember when the dragon magazine came out with that image of the giant skeleton and archer. I think I ignored my entire math class that day just looking at the picture. Still one of my all time favorites.

 

[darjr]

 

[Eltab]

Love that shield! Though I am not sure why only her legs are armored!

Her strongest attack is a Kick or martial arts Knee; the "3/4 armor" is to sucker you in close.

Because, even in a world with Halflings Kobolds and Gnomes, some people never learn to look below horizon level.

 

[Eltab]

How has nobody cited this one yet? This is THE iconic D&D image as far as I'm concerned

Text description, my first post.

Edit: somebody beat me to it. (So maybe I don't need glasses that badly after all !)