Compelling D&D Images

[Olive]

Agreed. Though I'm not a huge fan of 3E and the current WOTC "look" of the game, when I saw those ads, I immediately got a very good nostalgic feeling. It was quite funny, as none of the current art does that to me.

I'm pretty much indifferent to fantesy art in general, but I really like those ads.

 

[GrayIguana]

Cover of Dragon 126 (I think) -- female ranger battling an undead monster, down to her last arrow.

Amazing. I think I have a copy of that picture. I believe it was the living corpse of a frost giant leaping out of the snow with a great ax.

There was also a picture from one of the softcover rulebooks that I liked. A green dragon descending on a warrior with a two handed sword which was engulfed in magical electricity.

The art is what first attracted me to D&D. If anyone has some links to some good galleries, I'd greatly appreciate it.

 

[The Serge]

The art is what first attracted me to D&D. If anyone has some links to some good galleries, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Since you asked nicely (warning... some of these are purely 3ed concept art, so if you don't like 3ed style, you may be disappointed):



3ed Monster Manual concept art

Todd Lockwood's site



Keith Parkinson's site Matt Stawicki's site

Brom's site

I'm sure that Larry Elmore has a sight, and I'm certain if one did enough searching, they'd find links to 1ed and 2ed stuff beyond Elmore's work (which I think defined 1ed and 2ed).

 

[Henry]

I still don't think you can beat the cover of the 1st ed. PHB.

Depends on which one - the original with the adventurers battling the lizardmen and the giant idol in the background,

or the later one with Ringleurn the then-iconic wizard summoning up a homonculus.

The first one is the one I'm assuming you mean.

 

[Kryndal Levik]

I hate to be the dissenting opinion, but I'm not a big fan of Wayne Reynolds' work. He's a talented artist, of course- but I don't like his particular "style" all that much. I'm a huge Todd Lockwood fan, though...

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

One of my favorites has always been the blue and white line picture from the 2e PHB opposite the description of the bard. (It showed an armored woman lying on a bier and could be interpreted as a fallen hero lying in state or a fallen valkyrie lying in enchanted sleep). Unfortunately, I've lost my 2e PHB (well, that's about the only thing I regret losing it for) and haven't seen a copy of it anywhere.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Here's a great index of Dragon cover art.

Also, Larry Elmore's site.

My favorite cover:

 

[Magus Coeruleus]

OD&D Companion Rules Cover

Someone mentioned this image. I thought I'd post it. I love pretty much all of the art in the OD&D rule books.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Amazing. I think I have a copy of that picture. I believe it was the living corpse of a frost giant leaping out of the snow with a great ax.

If I remember correctly, the picture is titled "Saving the Best for Last". The little blurb on the inside cover of the magazine described how the skeleton is that of a frost giant previously slain by the ranger which has now risen for revenge. She has lost her sword and used up all her normal arrows and has just one magical arrow left....

 

[Ycore Rixle]

I loved Emirikol the Chaotic, by David Trampier I believe, p. 193, 1st ed. DMG. I know many others loved this one as well.

I was going to say PHB 1st ed. with the lizards and the idol, also, but someone beat me to it.

Someone mentioned A Paladin in Hell already, but this one has a very special meaning for me. You see, in later printings/editions of the PHB, the title "A Paladin in Hell" was removed from the bottom of the picture. To me, this marked the beginning of the horribly misguided slide of TSR. Soon after, demons and devils were removed from the game. In the late 90's, when I saw a module on the shelves titled A Paladin in Hell, I knew that the long dark age of D&D was over and my favorite game was regaining its soul. My heart leapt, I kid you not.

I also really enjoyed the art for the very late 2e boxed set Return to the Tomb of Horrors. Throughout the module, there are pictures of the same party members battling the horrors. I love the story the series of pictures tells.

I loved the 1e MM troll (is that the first time a troll was ever drawn that way, btw? Because it sure has stuck since then).

And, finally, I have a certain fondness for the naked succubus by Darlene Pekul, I believe, on p. 230 of the 1e DMG. What's she thinking about? She looks ashamed, and that's not the sort of emotion one normally associates with succubi. Good stuff. Love Gygax's "Afterword" above that picture too.