D&D General One Piece of Art II (Monsters)- What D&D Art Inspired You to Love a Monster?

[pukunui]

Artist: Ron Spencer
Source: Dragon #270, "The New Adventures of Volo: The Ardeep"
Monster: Reluraun
Story: Similar to a wichtlin, the restless spirit of the elven hero, Reluraun, manifests as a pair of floating eyeballs and skeletal arms clutching a magic sword. Twisted by dark magic and completely insane, Reluraun guards his tomb along with three baelnorn assigned to keep intruders away. More than one "insistent band of adventurers has seen the hero's blade burst through the chest of a baelnorn who's sadly remonstrating with them to be gone. Then the sword darts about flashing and stabbing at empty air, forest birds, and leaping bunnies while its insane wielder screams wildly, wordlessly, and endlessly (a faint, faroff sound that one warrior described as a 'mournfully despairing whistle, like a kettle gone mad')."

I used this guy in my first run-through of Scourge of the Sword Coast, when the PCs decided to cut through the Ardeep Forest to get from one location to the other. I also used some of the other (less lethal) locations in the forest detailed in that same article, like the Green Glade and the Dancing Dell.

 

[CleverNickName]

I blame Jeff Easley for my deep and abiding love of Frost Giants.

From "CM1: Test of the Warlords," page 17

 

[James Gasik]

I blame Jeff Easley for my deep and abiding love of Frost Giants.
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From "CM1: Test of the Warlords," page 17

I got a love of frost giants from another source, but I'm not sure if posting real art would break the rules or not. I mean, the Invisible Stalker! It's so amazing to gaze upon!

 

[pukunui]

I got a love of frost giants from another source, but I'm not sure if posting real art would break the rules or not. I mean, the Invisible Stalker! It's so amazing to gaze upon!

Posting real art doesn't break the rules, but posting more than one piece of art does!

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Artist: ? Couldn't find it listed on D&D Beyond or the Forgotten Realms Wiki, so I'm not sure.
Source: D&D 5e Monster Manual
Monster: Illithid (aka "Mind Flayer")
Story: The 5e Monster Manual was the first D&D book I ever owned. I got it for Christmas when I was 15, and was instantly inspired by all of the monsters in it. However, the Mind Flayer art in particular made me fall in love with the amazing monster and its variants (shout out to the Gnome Ceremorph from Rime of the Frostmaiden).

 

[Charlaquin]

Have you read ORCS! by Christine Larsen? I love it.

View attachment 256979

I haven’t but I like the art. Though the variety of body types and general chaotic energy says “goblin” to me more than orc.

 

[Lidgar]

Fiend Folio had some truly awesome B&W art. This is one of my favorites, and crystalized my picture of Githyanki - ruthless and darn scary.

Artist: Russ Nicholsen
Source: 1e Fiend Folio
Monster: Githyanki

 

[Emirikol]

Fiend Folio had some truly awesome B&W art. This is one of my favorites, and crystalized my picture of Githyanki - ruthless and darn scary.


Artist: Russ Nicholsen
Source: 1e Fiend Folio
Monster: Githyanki

The Fiend Folio and TSR-UK artwork was LEVELS more scary than any other D&D art. You had people getting eviscerated in really scary dungeons with actually-scary monsters. I love that art!

 

[pukunui]

Artist: ? Couldn't find it listed on D&D Beyond or the Forgotten Realms Wiki, so I'm not sure.

It's a real shame WotC only started putting the artist credits on the same page as the art in their 5e books partway through the edition.

 

[James Gasik]

All kidding aside: Taja Deeplunder, who made me realize Frost Giants can actually be quite attractive.