Daily Art Preview

[HeinorNY]

And the balor.
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[hong]

Huh, the balor and pit fiend aren't as different as I thought.

 

[HeinorNY]

When I was a kid I always thought they were the same monster with different names.

 

[Mentat55]

I like the balor -- not a big change from the MM 3.5 artwork, but that was already a huge improvement from 1st and 2nd ed. He also looks like he is bellowing and angry, whereas the 3.5 balor is just kind of standing there. The weapons are nice, basically raw elemental energy given form.

I've decided I miss the pit fiend's trademark fangs, and wings wrapped around the body.

 

[SlimeGuru42]

I love the balor, but wish it had worse posture. A bellowing, bestial, hunched over figure thats clutching tightly to weapons made out of its hatred for everything. Mmm.

 

[Zulithe]

I still like the Fellowship of the Ring Balrog a lot more.

I wish they'd have gone more this route than a Minotaur with wings.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I like both the new angels and the new balor.

The former are quite good; I like the facelessness and their lack of legs both, as it makes them appear more like extensions of a divine will than beings in their own right. (I'm going to ignore the "astral mercenaries" idea; IMO, the whole point of angels is that they serve some deity, good, evil or indifferent.)

As for the balor, it looks pretty damn bestial, and at last definitely different enough from the pit fiend. (Balors and pit fiends having been one of the prime examples of pointless symmetry between demons and devils.) Also, the almost translucent sword and the whip coiling around the balor are good touches, I think, showing the weapons as parts of the balor as a whole.

Speaking of Symmetry:
Isn't there a symmetry between Archons and Angels?

Archons come from the Elemental Chaos, Angels from the Astral Sea. Both seem to be mercenary like warriors.
While Archons are made of the core elements (Fire, Ice), Angels are made from higher concepts (Valor, Vengeance).

Oh, and IIRC, both lack legs.

I think I like the Pit Fiend more than the Balor.
The Balor looks more bestial, probably thanks to the hair, and him looking as if he was screaming out loud (possibly breathing fire, too).

 

[Gloombunny]

Huh, the balor and pit fiend aren't as different as I thought.

Yeah, I'm puzzled by all the "they look different" rejoicing. They're both big red dudes with big toothy mouths and big red wings. So one is muscular and has a mullet and the other is scrawny and has a tail. That's not much of a distinction if you ask me.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

The Balor's sword would have looked better if it was shaped like a wicked looking lightning bolt, as it was in previous editions, rather than a shard of glass.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

I still like the Fellowship of the Ring Balrog a lot more.

Really? I've always thought looked like some Diablo-esque crap.