D&D 5E What Author or Authors are your biggest influence in the Fanatsy Genre/D&D

[JackOfAllTirades]

I'm one of those odd gamers who enjoys D&D but hasn't read a whole lot of fantasy. So my list of influences is gonna sound kinda weird:

Tolkien (duh)
The Brothers Grimm
Lewis Carrol
Stephen R. Donaldson
China Mieville
Jim Butcher

 

[Ath'kethin]

My introduction to fantasy literature was Weis & Hickman via the Dragonlance Chronicles (and Legends) omnibus editions, so I'd be remiss to not mention them. But their Rose of the Prophet and Darksword series have had more of an impact on my DMing.

Glen Cook's underrated Garrett books are a huge influence, as are other latter-day weird fiction writers like China Mieville.

I've been known to steal plots/subplots from Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince and Dragon Star series. And the early Seven Altars of Dûsarra series by Lawrence Watt-Evans still rears it's outsized, giant-cat-riding head from time to time. Ditto Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality and Bio of a Space Tyrant series.

And all of my campaigns seem to be heavily influenced by Earthdawn First Edition from FASA, and of late I've been more explicitly following a Lovecraftian/Howard/Lieber path.

 

[Wulffolk]

INFLUENCES:
Gygax and Arneson . . . Well, you should be able to guess why.
Weiss & Hickman's original DragonLance trilogy
The Moonshae Trilogy by Douglas Niles
Tolkien's epic The Silmarillion
Norse mythology
The "Robin of Sherwood" TV series (more so season 1 with Michael Praed, rather than season 2 with Jason Connery)
WarHammer and WarHammer 40k (lots of good reading mixed into lots of bad writing)
The Dragon & The Unicorn by A. A. Attanasio, and the rest the his series based on the Arthurian legends.
Elizabeth Moon for "The Deeds of Paksennarrion"
Jacqueline Carey for the "Kushiel's Legacy" series
Mark Rein*Hagen for the World of Darkness games and the StoryTeller system

CURRENT FAVORITES:
Paul S. Kemp for his Egil & Nix series
Nicholas Eames for the "Kings of the Wyld"

LEAST FAVORITES:
Patrick Rothfuss for one of the most unlikeable and egotistical Mary-Sue's ever put in print.
Steven Erickson for the "Gardens of the Moon". So terrible that I couldn't finish it.

 

[MechaPilot]

I'm one of those odd gamers who enjoys D&D but hasn't read a whole lot of fantasy. So my list of influences is gonna sound kinda weird:

Tolkien (duh)
The Brothers Grimm. . . .

You're not alone. I also enjoy D&D (and have since BECMI) but haven't read much fantasy. I played D&D for many years before I ever read Tolkien. Maybe that's why I also drew on The Brothers Grimm and fairytales.

My fantasy influences come mostly from film:
Willow (1988)
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
The Neverending Story (1984)
Excalibur (1981)
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Heavy Metal (1981)
Big Trouble in Little China (1986), which is where I first saw a beholder.
Red Sonja (1985)
Star Wars (face it, it's fantasy in space, not sci-fi)
Legend (1985)

More recent influences include Akamtsu Ken's Mahou Sensei Negima manga series.

 

[Lanefan]

I forgot a few in my first post:

Authors:
Gary Gygax
Dave Arneson
Tracy Hickman
Robert Jordan (even if just for his version of a world of dreams - outstanding!)
HP Lovecraft, not from direct readings but from his influence on others

TV and Movies:
Hercules
Xena: Warrior Princess
A Knight's Tale
Princess Bride (can you tell I like my games a little campy and a lot humourous?)
Thor

Also various music influences my game design, mostly individual songs and sometimes even just single lines; for example a 4-adventure series a few years back was sparked by hearing two lines in a fairly obscure metal song.

Lanefan

 

[MechaTarrasque]

In recent years I have found Aliette de Bodard's Osidian and Blood books to be inspiring even though my world isn't particularly Aztec themed (my orcs have become thinly veiled pulp Aztecs, though). I also like the Malazan books, particularly "Power attracts Power"/ascension and the idea that governments aren't willing to let powerful PC's (and NPC's) run around free, although I try to channel Glen Cook's Garret PI series to give PC's options to maintain their independence (or at least a little independence) in the face of government and/or outer planar control.