D&D 4E In terms of theme, tone, and spirit, I hope 4e . . .

[Sundragon2012]

Also, I am not advocating the static museum replica armor of A Paladin in Hell. How about these:

Lockwood 1

Lockwood 2

Lockwood 3


Starlion

 

[theredrobedwizard]

Realism is versimilitude which allows for the suspension of disbelief. WAR's stuff is patently contrary to the suspension of disbelief IMO. It stretches credibility to the utmost.

I, on the other hand, want my D&D to be like the film 300. We're big damned heroes who only get beaten when we're outnumbered 300,000 to 1. Muscles everywhere and mookishly silly bad guys getting cut into ribbons by the truckload. I want to play Legends of an Age, not Legends of the Hamlet of Thorp.

I look back at those 2ndEdition PC Class pictures and shake my head. Talk about static. And that bard. *shudder*

-TRRW

 

[Wormwood]

Here's an example of WAR at his very best:

Exactly!

And while I love WAR's stuff, I can't resist posting my favorite piece of D&D artwork EVER (and I've been staring at this stuff since 1979), Marc Sasso's Blackguard:

 

[Nifft]

Hi, this post is all about wizards, REAL WIZARDS. This post is awesome. My name is Nifft and I can't stop thinking about Emirkol the Chaotic. That guy is cool; and by cool, I mean totally sweet.

Facts:
1. Emirkol is a mammal.
2. Emirkol fires laser beams from his finger ALL the time.
3. The purpose of Emirkol the Chaotic is to flip out and kill people with laser beams.

Testimonial:
Emirkol the Chaotic can kill anyone he wants! Emirkol shoots laser beams ALL the time and doesn't even think twice about it. This guy is so chaotic and awesome that he flips out ALL the time. I heard that there was this time Emirkol was eating at a diner. And when some dude dropped a spoon Emirkol killed the whole town. My friend Mark said that he saw Emirkol totally set some kid on fire just because the kid opened a window.

And that's what I call REAL Ultimate Power!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you don't believe that wizards have REAL Ultimate Power you better get a life right now or they will set you on fire with lasers!!! It's an easy choice, if you ask me.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Sundragon2012]

I, on the other hand, want my D&D to be like the film 300. We're big damned heroes who only get beaten when we're outnumbered 300,000 to 1. Muscles everywhere and mookishly silly bad guys getting cut into ribbons by the truckload. I want to play Legends of an Age, not Legends of the Hamlet of Thorp.

I look back at those 2ndEdition PC Class pictures and shake my head. Talk about static. And that bard. *shudder*

-TRRW

Funny how you mention 300. I was just telling a friend of mine that 300 looked like a live action version of both Boris Vellejo and Frank Franzetta's work. Just look at it with that in mind and see if you agree.


Starlion

 

[SavageRobby]

Exactly!

And while I love WAR's stuff, I can't resist posting my favorite piece of D&D artwork EVER (and I've been staring at this stuff since 1979), Marc Sasso's Blackguard:

Great art, indeed. Every time I see this image, I think of the Kurgan. "Father, forgive me. I am a worm..."



Surprising people feel it so necessary to be so hostile and nasty about something as silly as art in a gaming book. Personally, I love the 1e feel far more than the 3e feel, but it had a fair share of clunkers. But some of the 3e art is simply just fantastic (I love a lot of the Reynolds stuff, for example), but some of it is just too ... outlandish ... for my tastes. Maybe I'm just getting old or something, I dunno. I'm not a big fan of the oversized weapons, the wild, impractical armor, the serious hair-gel look I've seen as a prevailing motif.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Hi, this post is all about wizards, REAL WIZARDS. This post is awesome. My name is Nifft and I can't stop thinking about Emirkol the Chaotic. That guy is cool; and by cool, I mean totally sweet.

Facts:
1. Emirkol is a mammal.
2. Emirkol fires laser beams from his finger ALL the time.
3. The purpose of Emirkol the Chaotic is to flip out and kill people with laser beams.

Testimonial:
Emirkol the Chaotic can kill anyone he wants! Emirkol shoots laser beams ALL the time and doesn't even think twice about it. This guy is so chaotic and awesome that he flips out ALL the time. I heard that there was this time Emirkol was eating at a diner. And when some dude dropped a spoon Emirkol killed the whole town. My friend Mark said that he saw Emirkol totally set some kid on fire just because the kid opened a window.

And that's what I call REAL Ultimate Power!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you don't believe that wizards have REAL Ultimate Power you better get a life right now or they will set you on fire with lasers!!! It's an easy choice, if you ask me.

Cheers, -- N

Didn't you already win this thread earlier? I mean, c'mon...this is great, but you're showing everyone up with this overachieving here.

 

[Asmor]

I, on the other hand, want my D&D to be like the film 300. We're big damned heroes who only get beaten when we're outnumbered 300,000 to 1. Muscles everywhere and mookishly silly bad guys getting cut into ribbons by the truckload. I want to play Legends of an Age, not Legends of the Hamlet of Thorp.

That's amusing, considering that 300 is based on the very real Battle of Thermopylae. Certainly, many things were exaggerated, but the movie is surprisingly accurate.

Just find it funny that your idea of over the top, larger than life heroes... really existed.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

That's amusing, considering that 300 is based on the very real Battle of Thermopylae. Certainly, many things were exaggerated, but the movie is surprisingly accurate.

Just find it funny that your idea of over the top, larger than life heroes... really existed.

But the visual style of the movie(which, I believe is the thing being commented on) comes directly from Frank Miller's comic...300. The movie is not a telling of the historic battle, its a telling of Frank Milller's version of it.

 

[Mad Mac]

That being said, while I can find art I like in both editions, I am a fan of the Emirikol picture--and I don't much care for most portrayals of Mialee, partly because her outfit is so stupid. (Note that I didn't say "historically inaccurate." While I'd like to see more historically semi-accurate stuff, just as an option, there's lots of inaccurate artwork that I love. But Mialee's outfit is downright stupid. I figure she's gained most of her XP by killing the scores of people who see her coming and laugh at her. )

Ah, Mialee. She's always given me a "trying too hard" vibe, personally. That or perpetually clueless. Like maybe the outfit was a hand-me-down from her smokin hot sorceress older sister for whom curves were more than a abstract geometric concept, and she really doesn't understand why the outfit doesn't score her any free drinks. This theory is supported by her obvious adversion to hair care products.

On the other hand, I'm pretty sure I've heard more than once that Mialee is one of the more popular iconics to draw...maybe because she comes across as almost a parody of an elf wizard chick. On the other, other, hand, evil apparently makes Mialee hotter:

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ph2_gallery/97152.jpg