D&D (2024) Here's The New 2024 Player's Handbook Wizard Art

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

There are going to be at least 5 class art pieces for each class (Chapter art, and 1 for each subclass). There are 4 more wizard pieces we've not yet seen. Perhaps they will show a variety of themes?

 

[Yaarel]

I'm not saying that PCs become DM property.

I'm saying typically old wizards are retired adventurers or never were adventurers. Rarely are actively adventuring wizards old.

Ok, but still, a player character sheet sitting in folder is never an "NPC".

 

[TwoSix]

Ok, but still, a player character sheet sitting in folder is never an "NPC".

We just had this thread.

 

[Yaarel]

Yeah it's weird because long, long before that, settings like The Forgotten Realms and Taladas had featured numerous important people who were pretty low-level (though rarely 1 HD to be fair - but like 3 HD or 3rd level or 5th level? Sure), all the way back in the 1989. I'm sure there were 1E examples too. It was really inconsistent though - like Azoun IV was level 20, which seemed a little excessive, but at least he had a long and storied career as a first an adventurer, then king/knight to vaguely justify it.

In a 5e context,

I feel the Professional Tier (levels 5 thru 8), in other words Proficiency Bonus +3, to be suitable competence for most of the important jobs.

The Pro +4 in the Master Tier (levels 9 thru 12) is corresponds to wide acclaim.

Then Pro +5 and Pro +6 surpass world records and become superhuman.

 

[Epic Meepo]

I was just looking at the cover of Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, and it made me realize what this new wizard illustration is missing. Tasha is shown actively casting a spell, like it's her turn in combat and she's doing something badass. In contrast, this new wizard is just floating around, surrounded by spell effects, waiting to react to something. She isn't even visibly controlling her spells. She's just kind of floating there, doing nothing, while the trappings of a wizard surround her on all sides. The spell effects look way more badass than the wizard herself.

If they take this same approach with a druid, we're going to get an illustration of the new druid just standing in a grove, striking a self-aggrandizing pose, while animal companions and summoned elementals run wild around the periphery of the page, looking like they're ready to tear into monsters. Hey DM, can I play a badass, snarling wolf like the one behind that boring, pretty person who's just standing there, passively modeling a green cloak?

 

[Minigiant]

Your Gandalfs, Elminsters, and Dumbledore... they are not the main characters.

Ok, but still, a player character sheet sitting in folder is never an "NPC".

Point is that the old wizard is usually not an adventurer. NPC ally controlled by the PC at best in most cases.

So the main class art shouldn't be an old wizard.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The Wizard is a young knight in training, or an accomplished lord at the height of power.

Because of magic extending life and maintaining youthfulness, the Wizard who CHOOSES to appear as an elder is rare.

What life-extending magic does a 5E wizard have access to before Tier 4?

I mean, I agree that it makes sense, but it's not RAW.

 

[Reynard]

I'm saying typically old wizards are retired adventurers or never were adventurers. Rarely are actively adventuring wizards old.

I feel like the optional class based XP rules in 2E were there specifically to have old NPC wizards make sense.

 

[Minigiant]

I feel like the optional class based XP rules in 2E were there specifically to have old NPC wizards make sense.

I always believed that the exp you get for nonadventuring train was so slow that you'd become elderly before you hit mid levels.

This is why wizards became liches or sold their souls, To extend their lifespans long until to get to the good spells without risking being a dragon's lunch.

 

[Geoff Thirlwell]

That hasn't been D&D's visual design for literal decades.

There’s quite a lot of positivity for this newer style look but it does nothing for me. I guess I’m just not the target audience