D&D 5E DDN Concept Art

[Sunseeker]

The elves aren't too bad, but I'm really not liking anything else, too cartoony(and that's coming from a guy who liked 4e art!)

 

[Stormonu]

If they made the halflings gnomes, *maybe* I could go for it. As is, the halflings are terrible.

I think they should go back to the art in 2E's Complete Halflings (and Gnomes), and start from there and stop tweaking before they hit the point they morph into the 3E version.

 

[Hussar]

I wasn't impressed by most of the art, but THIS picture did a good job. Even the halfling.

I'd much prefer "normal perportions" but this was a good step in the right direction.

I agree that they do look pretty cool. But, I wonder why everyone is hunched forward? Is everyone FR suffering from back problems? Jeez guys, can't anyone stand up straight and tall?

 

[Zaukrie]

Someone complained about the elf ears never being like that....the PDF that is free has elves with ears like that, the red box...

 

[Obryn]

I am 99% positive that when Tolkien emailed Gary Gygax in 1974, he said, "fantasy art is allowed to be stylized, so it's okay to artistically portray Hobbits or any other fantasy race, for that matter, even humans. Also, your elves aren't immortal enough; remember they're basically all demigods and should start at, I dunno, 86th level maybe(?) on account of living forever. When I visit next time, I am totes rolling up a wizard, btw. Can I start with Glamdring or do I need to find it?"

(as told in Appendix U of the 1e DMG)

 

[YRUSirius]

Emailed...

I just noticed that the gnome is smaller than the Bette Middler Halfling... :/

Another thing that is unfortunate in my eyes ist that the look of orcs seems to be set in stone already. The new orc miniatures seem to share the look of the concept orc (I'm okay with the new ogre though). Personally I'd rather have them look more like the half-orc in the picture above. That's how I imagined my orcs. More like Tolkien orcs and less like Warcraft/Warhammer orcs.

Has there been an art article on orcs yet? I don't seem to remember any polls on how orcs should like... :/

-YRUSirius

 

[Klaus]

No orc articles yet. And look at the size of that axe the human is carrying! That's why he has back problems!).

Old school orcs were not strong barbaric types, like they are now (and have been since 3e), but were rather pathetic, filthy beings whose main advantage was their ability to survive anywhere and procreate really fast. What we now accept as D&D (and Warcraft) orcs was originally called orogs. In fact, 1e orcs and orogs were somewhat parallel to Tolkien's orcs and uruk-hais. Now, those Tolkien races have closer analogs in D&D goblins and hobgoblins (and this would make Azog, a giant Gundabag orc, a bald equivalent to a D&D bugbear).

 

[steeldragons]

Someone complained about the elf ears never being like that....the PDF that is free has elves with ears like that, the red box...

I'm not sure which free pdf red box you're talking about, but the red box I know of has these elves...

(I can't believe nowhere I could find has the Jeff Easley halfling and elf picture....but that one is in that red box, too. And looking at my copy, in that picture, also, they were not sticking perpendicular to their skulls!)

To go a bit pre- and post- Basic red box D&D we have:



Nowhere in here are ears poking out of their heads sideways.

As already noted, that is clearly from japanese/anime influence, most likely the gods-awful look popularized in Lodoss War, which I will not even dignify with a link. We HATESSS extended, oversized and ridiculously angled (WoW anyone?) ears on elves. HATES THEM!

They need to:
Put the elf ears BACK against their heads, where they belong, and STOP trying to change stuff that there is NO reason to change!
Put muscle back on the legs of...well...everything.
Put the hair back on the halfling's feet (there's gotta be SOME way to get this around Tolkien...or get permission for it. It's been 35 f-in' years for cryin' out loud.)...or, as suggested, on SOME halflings' feet and let others have the little boot-wearing kender-wannabes that seem to be popular for some reason.
Put snouts back on the orcs...why is EVERY gods-blessed [monstrous] humanoid have mushed in faces with tiny puggish noses?
Put some proportion back into the length of legs (along with the muscles to support them, mentioned above).\
Put back braces on EVERYTHING (apparently) that walks on 2 legs to improve their posture.
Put some height on the gnomes...When did they become shorter than halflings?...And why were they?!

To summarize and reiterate: STOP trying to change stuff that there is NO reason to change!

Ain't broke. So you aren't "fixing" anything! Just making more problems and turning people OFF.

Oh, and a PS: as reasonable as the "northman barbarian guy" appears, for the most part, here we go again with a battle axe that he couldn't possibly lift, let alone wield with any control in battle. KNOCK THAT OFF!

 

[Hussar]

Yeah, I gotta admit, the whole over compensation thing that we see with male weaponry is a bit wonky. Could we at least get in the ballpark of something that could be actually used as a weapon?

 

[Bluenose]

As evocative, interesting and good fantasy art? Sucks donkey-snacks. As quick video-game how-to-play booklet art? Yup, fits perfectly.

Fascinating how all video-game art apparently looks the same.

The Humans and Monsters (for the most part) look pretty good. The Halflings, Gnomes, and Dwarves look like Disney characters. Far too cartoonish to be taken seriously.

And why, after decades of traditional D&D art, is it suddenly necessary to make Elves with silly, over-exagerated, anime inspired ears!?!?!

As already noted, that is clearly from japanese/anime influence, most likely the gods-awful look popularized in Lodoss War, which I will not even dignify with a link. We HATESSS extended, oversized and ridiculously angled (WoW anyone?) ears on elves. HATES THEM!

I suggest not looking at the rest of this post then, because you're going to see some things you hate.

Elfquest. 1978.

There's also Arthur Rackham's elves, though they aren't very like D&D elves in a lot of other ways too.

Arthur Rackham, 1867-1939.

Record of Lodoss War, 1986.