PHB, MM, DMG covers

[Turjan]

They're clean covers, I think, with maybe a bit too much art, I'd almost like a cover similar to the 2nd Edition Revised ones.

They really look like AD&D 2E. The white sticks too much out, IMHO.

I know I'm in a minority, but I don't like Wayne Reynold's style; and I find him overused.

I'm with you here. His faces look like those of mice. But he seems to be popular *shrug*.

 

[Wormwood]

The counter art I did for Fiery Dragon of a tiefling only had differing eye colors (one blue, one yellow) as a hint of fiendish heritage (and the aasimar had a metallic sheen on his skin and pearlescent eyes). I dunno, I guess my tiefling image comes from Toni DiTerlizzi portrayal of them in Planescape. If 4e tieflings look like this, what will half-fiend and fiendish creatures look like?

For all we know, 4e Tiefling = 3e half-fiend.

 

[Pbartender]

Eh... they don't really impress me. I've never been especially fond of WAR's art, and the covers presented here aren't especially inspiring.

What I'd love to see is a full cover (meaning wrapping around the entire cover) "iconic" adventuring scene that isn't running-jumping-shouting people with spiky armor and jagged swords. The 1st ed. AD&D PHB cover with a party of characters going about the business of cleaning up and looting after a lizardman attack has always been my favorite D&D cover art, with the DMG's demon attack and City of Brass a close second.

Imagine the 30th Anniversary "Bar Fight" stretched across the cover of the PHB. That's the sort of thing I'd like to see.

Even better if, as suggested above, it was a triptych of scenes that stretched across all three Core Rulebooks.

I dunno, I guess my tiefling image comes from Toni DiTerlizzi...

Now there would be a great cover artist. I'd love to see what he could come up with.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The weird thing to me is that I haven't heard anything about Aasimars also being included. It seems kind of weird to have one without the other, you know? For that matter, the Genasi should be in there, too.

No, they shouldn't. Enough people humping fiends to make tieflings a PHB a core race is hard enough to believe. Please don't turn elemental-boffing into a national sport while you're at it.

 

[Virel]

Looks much better than the garbage that passed for a book cover in 3/3.5, of course it would really take trying to make something uglier than a 3 version book.

Would the white top border look better in gold or black?

 

[Baby Samurai]

Please don't turn elemental-boffing into a national sport while you're at it.

I think that's still legal in France.

 

[avin]

By now I find 3E cover art better. We'll see.

I'm for more basic races. I just love options.

MAYBE they're going for half blood instead tiefling / aasimar. A generic template for interracial breeds. I don't know.

Hi there Sammael *waves*

 

[Hjorimir]

I'm not a fan of the PHB cover at all. First, I'd like to see more characters there and I'm not sure I'd even include a tiefling amongst them. (Which even surprises myself because I think the tiefling is a much better race to have as core over gnomes! Die, gnomes, die!)

Virel, I think I'd go with black over the white, which would make it less obtrusive, though I'm not really sure I'd have a back color to the logo/title at all.

I like WAR fine, but I'd rather have Komarck or maybe Lockwood on the covers.

 

[airwalkrr]

Ugly, just ugly. I don't like it at all.

 

[Darth Shoju]

Anyway, I'm guessing that the inclusion of Tieflings (and possibly other planar races) in the PHB is a move to showcase their new solution to the old level adjustment problem. I expect that Tieflings will be balanced with the other races at first level, and they'll just have access to lots of interesting racial feats as they advance.

I gotta say, I'm pretty put-off by the idea of Tieflings as a PC race. And am I the only one that sees a similarity (perhaps not coincidental) between the new Tiefling pics and the Dranei?