D&D General Defining your campaing through art? Or how I learned to embrace anime elf ears (image-heavy)

[Crimson Longinus]

I am very visual person, so when creating a setting what things look like is super important to me. I usually start by searching for pics online and creating a visual bible for the setting. I also like putting my own spin on things so there usually are a lot of things that I want to look in certain way and there is no proper visual representation for available. So for that reason I also end up making a bunch of concept sketches.

Here's the sketches I did for the main species and cultures for my current setting. They're kinda messy, but I think they get the idea across. I have a lot of small sketches of creatures and such, but I've not scanned them, I just show them to the players from my sketchbook.

Spoiler: Humans

Spoiler: Eldri

Spoiler: Orcs

 

[Yaarel]

I am very visual person, so when creating a setting what things look like is super important to me. I usually start by searching for pics online and creating a visual bible for the setting.

Yeah, art is so important, especially for a speculative setting.

Much of the artwork in D&D is for content that only the DM sees, such as encounter illustrations and maps.

I wish, more of illustrations were presented in a way, that the DM could show the players the image, without communicating any other information.

 

[reelo]

I wish more of illustrations were presented in a way that the DM could show the players the image, without communicating any other information.

Greg Gillespie's "Barrowmaze" has a bunch of illustrations on full page at the back of the book, and in certain places in the text it says "show the players the illustration on page X.

 

[Yaarel]

Greg Gillespie's "Barrowmaze" has a bunch of illustrations on full page at the back of the book, and in certain places in the text it says "show the players the illustration on page X.

If there was a deck of monster cards, with an illustration on one side, and statblock and notes on back, I would buy that. Some monsters might need more than one card, but I am fine with that.

 

[MarkB]

I wish, more of illustrations were presented in a way, that the DM could show the players the image, without communicating any other information.

That used to be a thing with some of the Dungeon Magazine adventure paths, as I recall. They'd release PDF images of things like maps that had all the DM-facing info stripped out.

It still is a thing in the official versions of many published adventures that are converted for VTTs. On battlemaps, information that is for the GM will be placed on a layer that's invisible to the players. Once the players become aware of it, those elements can be individually made visible to the players at the GM's discretion. There will also often be "Player Handout" versions of illustrations and descriptions that omit anything the characters wouldn't be aware of.

 

[Oofta]

If there was a deck of monster cards, with an illustration on one side, and statblock and notes on back, I would buy that. Some monsters might need more than one card, but I am fine with that.

I used to do that - type up the monsters 4 to a piece of paper, print the pictures on the other side then laminate. I have one of those recipe card holders that I stored them in. Most of the time I could just abbreviate a bit and do things like change

Morningstar. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d8 + 2)piercing damage.​

to

Morningstar: Melee +4/11 (2d8+2) piercing​

Looked like

For the most part I could get all of the stats on one card with a handful of exceptions for legendary monsters or really complex ones. I find most descriptions for monsters use a lot of extra fluff words that make them read better but don't really add value.

Then our color printer died and I started using my laptop instead.

 

[Yaarel]

@Oofta

Also, there can be keywords that briefly such how the monster will tend BEHAVE during a combat encounter.

 

[Oofta]

@Oofta

Also, there can be keywords that briefly such how the monster will tend BEHAVE during a combat encounter.

I agree for a commercial product. However, this was just something I did for my own personal use. Usually I would read up on the monster ahead of time; this was just a quick stat block when running the game.

 

[Voadam]

If there was a deck of monster cards, with an illustration on one side, and statblock and notes on back, I would buy that. Some monsters might need more than one card, but I am fine with that.

Creature Decks from Inkwell Ideas do that. I have a few of their PDFs but they also sell POD card sets.

For example here is their 5e aboleth:

I am sure there are others who do similar concepts too.

 

[Mannahnin]

If there was a deck of monster cards, with an illustration on one side, and statblock and notes on back, I would buy that. Some monsters might need more than one card, but I am fine with that.

They made these for 5E, right? And TSR did a limited number for 1E back in the 80s.

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