D&D 5E Meet Ravenloft's Harkon Lucas and Rudolph Van Richten

WotC has shared some artwork from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, featuring the titular vampire hunter himself, and the darklord of Kartakass, Harkon Lucas.

"Rudolph Van Richten prepares for his next expedition, watched over by the spirit of his son, Erasmus."

"A born liar and shape-shifter, Harkon Lukas orchestrates elaborate manipulations.
He's rarely seen without his signature wide-brimmed hat; wolf's tooth necklace; and violin, which he calls Bleeding Heart."​

 

[Urriak Uruk]

If you want a esthetically consistent proper Dante's Inferno from artists and creators who actually understand art direction, do not purchase a WoTC product. Instead purchase from third parties with Italian artists known for their art unlike the American mishmash art directors at WoTC.

It seems Wizards of the Coast faces that classic American problem playing the "rule of cool" card but cannot even define what fantasy direction to take. I mean fantasy cannot rule out denim jeans since there is no obvious time period in 5th Edition D&D that is lined to the real world.

The failure to add jeans and baseball caps is WoTC contracted D&D artists trying to show they have some art direction when in reality they have no logical one.

Here is art from a proper Dante's Inferno with consistent Italian art not made in America.

Everyone arguing yo defend the tit l artist mess of D&D 5th Edition art fails yo offer any logical reason that our D&D 5e core book absolutely refused to showcase a hero in jeans and baseball cap. Remember that jeans are just trousers and a baseball cap just a hat, both common items. Someone here even suggested the Wizard's spellbook is like a computer tablet, then why do we never see art in the core book or even extras like Xanthar's Guide to Everything? Why have a crystal ball in the art but no portable computer in the art? After all there is magic in D&D.

Remember some people argue that fantasy is fantasy and does not rule out anything. So a computer device easily fits such a definition. Yet for some strange incoherent reason even simple things like baseball caps are still missing in 5e core book art.

I would not ask for that in Legend of the Five Rings art because the art direction is obvious as one not to embrace computers.

But people here are implying that D&D stands for anything goes in art direction.

You keep referring to art direction, but your citing examples of genre. Which is a very, very different thing. D&D does not contain the genre of modern fantasy, so jeans and baseball caps aren't present. Dante's Inferno has a very narrow genre (exploring hell as interpreted by an Italian Renaissance writer) so it has a much more tight and consistent art direction.

D&D is still contained with a genre, but it's much broader than Dante's Inferno.

Now, look at Pathfinder below; these are two covers from different Adventure Paths released at similar times. They are from different subgenres (but are of the same broader genre, pre-modern action-adventure fantasy), but do they have different art direction? They don't. They actually use the same art direction, and most of their adventure paths do (they use I believe the same group of adventurers in many art pieces).

 

[Voadam]

There is also this type of interior art from 3.5 Expedition to Castle Ravenloft.

 

[Dire Bare]

Harkons ethnicity was never determined in previous versions and the art was B&W so even though he was presumed white it was never explicit. Even moreso as a shapechanger he can alter his skin tone if he wants to
The whole argument and any outrage is stupid

I think we're largely in agreement, the outrage is rather silly.

But . . . . the original art, while B&W, reads very Euro to me. Which is fine. It was a long time ago when I read about Harkon Lukas, I'm not a Raveloft super-fan (or "stan" as the kids say these days). I'll trust you that Harkon's ethnicity was not nailed down in the original works. But D&D wasn't super diverse back in the day, so the (possible) artist and fan assumption that Harkon is fantasy European isn't a stretch.

Harkon is a shape-changer, yes, but there are a lot of different types of shape-changers in D&D that follow different "rules" for how their shape-changing works. Most lycanthropes, classically, have a single human form, a single hybrid, and a single animal form . . . rather than being able to change the looks of their forms like the changelings of Eberron (doppelgangers) can. Harkon is a loup-garou, a type of werewolf (I'm pretty sure), not a doppelganger or changeling.

A number of modern reimaginings (in all sorts of genres and media) have swapped the gender, orientation, and/or ethnicity of existing characters and . . . I am 100% okay with this practice.

 

[Voadam]

Harkons ethnicity was never determined in previous versions and the art was B&W so even though he was presumed white it was never explicit. Even moreso as a shapechanger he can alter his skin tone if he wants to
The whole argument and any outrage is stupid

Unless as a shapechanger he specifically can't.

Realm of Terror page 101 "As a humanoid, he can choose which race to imitate, and can assume both a male and female form. His exact appearance in each race and gender is always the same, however, and is determined by greater powers."

"In male, human form, Harkon is a bard of exceptional charisma and physical beauty. He stands 6' 2", and is well muscled with perfect proportions. He has thick, wavy black hair, a finely trimmed black beard, and a long, pointy mustache."

"As a female human, Lukas has dark brown eyes, a bewitching smile, and gleaming black hair that falls to the waist. His (or her) feminine beauty is breathtaking."

Neither specifies in text what his skin tone is.

 

[imagineGod]

You keep referring to art direction, but your citing examples of genre. Which is a very, very different thing. D&D does not contain the genre of modern fantasy, so jeans and baseball caps aren't present. Dante's Inferno has a very narrow genre (exploring hell as interpreted by an Italian Renaissance writer) so it has a much more tight and consistent art direction.

D&D is still contained with a genre, but it's much broader than Dante's Inferno.

Now, look at Pathfinder below; these are two covers from different Adventure Paths released at similar times. They are from different subgenres (but are of the same broader genre, pre-modern action-adventure fantasy), but do they have different art direction? They don't. They actually use the same art direction, and most of their adventure paths do (they use I believe the same group of adventurers in many art pieces).

View attachment 136857View attachment 136858

Not contained within one genre, okay, that is a good response. So building on that, if D&D core books can mix Medieval Europe with Renaissance Europe and Victorian Masque of the Red Death, exactly where are the boundaries for D&D defined?.

I keep seeing arguments that the 5th Edition Core books are fantasy without boundaries, hence, I bring things I see missing if we go with that definition.

With my Legend of the Five Rings example the consistent artistic aesthetic defines the boundaries to the reader. I see that consistency lacking in official WoTC D&D books.

 

[Faolyn]

And those are special cards, not actual illustrations in the books.

 

[Faolyn]

If you want aesthetically consistent proper Dante's Inferno from artists and creators who actually understand art direction, do not purchase a WoTC product. Instead purchase from third parties with Italian artists known for their art unlike the American mishmash art directors at WoTC.

But then I wouldn't be purchasing D&D. I'd be purchasing an art folio based around a specific piece of classic literature.

D&D isn't classic literature. It's a pastiche of hundreds of elements. Why do you keep ignoring that?

It seems Wizards of the Coast faces that classic American problem playing the "rule of cool" card but cannot even define what fantasy direction to take. I mean fantasy cannot rule out denim jeans since there is no obvious time period in 5th Edition D&D that is lined to the real world.

So draw some fantasy adventurers wearing denim and submit it to WotC. Nobody is stopping you.

The fallback yo "rule of cool" but then a failure failure to add jeans and baseball caps is WoTC contracted D&D artists is a lazy way trying to show they have some art direction when in reality they have no logical one.

You keep quoting the line "rule of cool" but are ignoring the fantasy aspect to it. Denim and baseball caps aren't fantasy.

Here is art from a proper Dante's Inferno with consistent Italian art not made in America. Consistent aesthetics are not impossible if you put some effort into getting there.

So what?

And if this is in reply to the description of BGiA, then you're also ignoring the Mad Max elements I mentioned.

You keep focusing on half the conversation and ignoring the other half, because you don't like it.

Why does D&D have to look like only one thing?

 

[Faolyn]

Harkons ethnicity was never determined in previous versions and the art was B&W so even though he was presumed white it was never explicit. Even moreso as a shapechanger he can alter his skin tone if he wants to
The whole argument and any outrage is stupid

Agreed. And more to the point, even if Lukas had been specifically referred to as white before (they did say he was from Cormyr, but I have no idea what the typical skin tones are like there), there's no reason that can't change in a new edition. Being white (or black, or anything else) was never a part of his identity. His identity is someone who wants power and fame and the Dark Powers cursed him so he can't get it. His skin coloration is besides the point.

They did do Lukas a disservice by not giving him his monocle, since it had been noted that it was a particular affectation of his. I'm going to assume it was reflecting too much light so the portraitist had him take it off.

 

[imagineGod]

But then I wouldn't be purchasing D&D. I'd be purchasing an art folio based around a specific piece of classic literature.

D&D isn't classic literature. It's a pastiche of hundreds of elements. Why do you keep ignoring that?


So draw some fantasy adventurers wearing denim and submit it to WotC. Nobody is stopping you.


You keep quoting the line "rule of cool" but are ignoring the fantasy aspect to it. Denim and baseball caps aren't fantasy.


So what?

And if this is in reply to the description of BGiA, then you're also ignoring the Mad Max elements I mentioned.

You keep focusing on half the conversation and ignoring the other half, because you don't like it.

Why does D&D have to look like only one thing?

And hence I ask what are the boundaries of this D&D fantasy?

Clearly if like you said Mad Max has made it into a core D&D book, that means we moved from Medieval through Renaissance through Modern into Post-Apocalyptic. Never said I was against that.

I simply said unlike other non-WoTC products that have art directors who appreciate consistent art aesthetic, the art directors at WoTC seem clueless.

If WoTC can channel Mad Max into D&D fantasy then denim jeans exist in that time Rane of reference. But never have I seen in a core WoTC product the modern aesthetic of jeans and baseball caps.

And that is the problem. 5th Edition D&D in particular is such an artistic mess, the art directors no longer have any logical frame of reference for D&D fantasy. Because if post-apocalyptic bikes can be considered D&D fantasy, that defeats the arguments that modern T-shirts and mobile phones are somehow outside 5th Edition Core D&D fantasy.

At least with other publishers whose art I showcased, there is a logically consistent direction of travel represented through art.

 

[Voadam]

Feast of Goblyns presumably shows Lukas on its color cover, but that is not an exact match to the text description of black hair and pointy mustaches.

He also has "In this particular case, Harkon Lukas is making use of a ring of impersonation. This magical item was crafted for Lukas by an evil wizard in exchange for the service of a number of wolfweres long ago. This device, which functions only for Lukas, allows him to assume the shape and characteristics of any individual he knows well."