D&D 5E D&D Next Art Column: June! And July!

[Klaus]

New month, new thread. As soon as the first article goes up, I'll link it here.

 

[Kaodi]

Not if I beat you to it, .

 

[frankthedm]

On the subject of art

Article (The Making of an Owlbear) had a bit on how to interpret just what an "owlbear" is.

IMHO too much "killer ape" has been injected into recent owlbear designs.

While this one is more interesting, it REALLY is moving away too far from both owl and bear.

So far my favorite depiction of an owlbear has been this photochop. Shame I can't seem to find a non-demotivater version.

 

[Ellington]

I like the Track 1 owlbear.

It's lean, mean and bulky. It looks like it packs a punch but can still move and attack swiftly. I can also envision it moving, which is always a plus.

 

[Hussar]

I said it before.

I like big bear butts and I do not lie.

 

[Kaodi]

Here is today's article: Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (The Making of an Owlbear, Part 2) .

I wonder if Jon did not see the video that was posted of the owl scarfing down that rabbit? The beak may look small, but like a snake, it is surprising how wide its mouth opens.

 

[Stormonu]

Why has no one ever made a variant owlbear that can fly?

Sage: And here we have an excellent taxidermal model of strigiformes ursus, commonly known as the owlbear.
Fighter: Your stuffed toy here sure has some long arms and big feathers. What are these, roc feathers? Your taxidermist ought to be fired for this obviously fake mock-up.
Sage: Oh no, this specimen was brought in from the Crystalmist mountains, and it was quite advanced in age. Those feathers allowed it to fly.
Fighter: Say wha...?
Sage: Yes, apparently, if allowed to live long enough, they reach a point of maturity at which they can fly. Takes some time - over forty years if my research is correct....Now - on to the hall of behemoths....

Also, I would veer away from the quadraped owlbear. It looks too similar to a wingless griffon.

 

[GX.Sigma]

I don't like the direction the Track 2 owlbear is going--he mentions people didn't like that it was too much like an ape, then he shows two more concepts that are even more stylized and ape-like? Whut?

I like the quadruped. It fits my idea of what an owlbear is: a really big, tough flightless bird that looks (and fights) like a bear. The evolutions of "the original" are cool too, though I think the arms are way too long (they should be short and stubby like a bear, not big like an ape!).

I totally love the idea that there would be brown owlbears, black owlbears, and polar owlbears.

(Though after looking at those raptor pictures, I think I'd prefer eaglebears.)

 

[Dragoslav]

All I want is a bear with an owl for a head. I mean... an owl head. But having an entire owl for a head would be cool, too. Either way, is that asking too much?

I think some of their designs make the owlbear way too intricate. Some of them actually remind me of dragons, or, worse, some sort of deep planes/Far Realm nightmare like this: http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/5434/1300062-fadebeast_super.gif

 

[jadrax]

As with everything, it looks like they are really listening to feedback here. I am pretty impressed.