D&D 5E D&D Next weekly art column!

[Hussar]

To be fair though, the Adventurers Vault 2 image is an obvious homage to the back image on the old AD&D PHB.

I do rather like the idea of the heroes looking over the vista. The remake of the Caves of Chaos image:

is just a wonderful piece.

Or something like this:

Not this particular piece mind you. It doesn't really do it for me. But, something along that line.

 

[Kaodi]

If there was only one painting to represent the entirety of 4th Edition Artwork, the one that was used on the Character Record Sheets above would have to be it.

In any case, my spotty memory of the full colour photos in the 2e led me to believe that there were some good pictures of flowing gold coins there... But it appears it is limited to the Fred Fields cover.

 

[Klaus]

To be fair though, the Adventurers Vault 2 image is an obvious homage to the back image on the old AD&D PHB.

I do rather like the idea of the heroes looking over the vista. The remake of the Caves of Chaos image:

is just a wonderful piece.

Or something like this:

Not this particular piece mind you. It doesn't really do it for me. But, something along that line.

Love 'em both. What I specially like about the second one is that the wizard has a hat! Not a pointy, boring hat, but a stylish, Solomon Kane-style hat. That provides hints to the world's culture (yes, people wear hats, and not just cloaks and hoods) and the character's personality (echoes of the Man With No Name). The pseudodragon familiar perched on his shoulder only adds to the awesome.

Of course, one must be careful when coming up with these paintings, or else we'll run the risk of only having adventurers' backs.

 

[Hussar]

Yeah, Claudio, I'd agree with that. It's a technique that is very effective, but, I think it's something that should be used sparingly.

Heck, you could turn a couple of those characters around, looking behind them, and it's every bit as effective.

 

[Kaodi]

This weeks article is up, it seems: Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Pointy Hats, or a Tale of Two Wizards) .

 

[Mercutio01]

The images in the post are both too big and cut off, but I opened them in new tabs, and I think they are interesting to consider, particularly the one of the two version of Elminster. I'll be honest in that I've always pictured old-school wizards in pointy hats. I don't think it's a necessity so much as just a pretty clear indicator at a brief glance that this person is a wizard. In the first image, the dwarf and the elf on the right don't scream out "wizard" to me (the elf does kind of tell me he's an old-school race-as-class elf or 2E fighter/mage), whereas the other four do. In the Elminster picture, the first is absolutely a wizard. The second could be any old adventurer. I suppose that's part of the point of Elminster, but I wouldn't look at B and say, "Wizard!" unless it was in a block of text that clearly told me that's what he was.

 

[Klaus]

New article is up, about Wizards' attire and Pointy Hats: Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Pointy Hats, or a Tale of Two Wizards)

Note that the images aren't resized correctly, so copy the URL and open them on a new window to see the pictures.

 

[Dausuul]

On the question of what identifies a wizard to me... books and scrolls. "Party scholar" is the single consistent trait among wizards. Staves and wands are far from universal--many wizards don't have magical ones and see no point in toting around mundane versions, especially pre-4E when arcane implements were not a thing. Robes and pointy hats are fashion choices. Many wizards prefer subtler magic to slinging fireballs, and the need for material components varies by edition.

But every wizard is going to have a high Intelligence score and tote around a spellbook. The wizard is the one standing in front of a wall covered in strange runes, tracing them with a finger and looking thoughtful. The wizard is the one sitting in the corner devouring a giant tome while the rest of the party argues over how to divide the gold--screw the gold, this is the real loot. The wizard is the one slumped over a desk in the middle of a heap of discarded books and papers, exhausted from hours of study.

 

[Hussar]

Yeah, I went with party scholar too. Not a big fan of hats, although I'm not terribly adverse to them either. Bit of variation is fine. Even tossing in a fairly bog standard Gandalf/Dumbledore wizard is fine. I've been leafing through my old Basic/Expert books lately, and some of the wizards in those books are really cool.

 

[Arytiss]

As has been said, the Spellbook is the one object that every wizard should have. It's a big part of their character.

However, for depictions of wizards, I'd also favour a staff. LIke the pointy hat it's fairly typical of most classical wizards, and unlike the hat it still remains in use for depicting wizards (e.g. Harry Dresden, of the Dresden Files)

The wand, less so. The wizard who uses a wand in my mind is a different sort of person who carries round five feet of solid oak or ash. The wand is a more dextrous, subtle tool while the staff is more suited for the big flashy magics we like to see depicted.

As for the silhouette, I think you should be able to see it and know that: "Yes, this character is a wizard." There's a quote from one of Terry Pratchett's discworld book concerning the significance of the witch's hat. I don't have the exact wording on me at the moment, but it's something like: "It's a witch's hat because you wear it. People see you coming wearing the hat and know you're a witch."