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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Raven Crowking" data-source="post: 3236345" data-attributes="member: 18280">Do you honestly believe that any of those are examples?Page 64 (Krusk helps Jozen climb the cliff) and page 75 (Lidda finds that using a magic device can be risky) have been discussed rather thoroughly.  If you are going to argue that these represent significant risk within the context of the game, then you are making an argument closer to that which WayneLigon accused me of than I am.Page 116:  Happy to use this as an example.  Mialee is noted as being unconscious, but it is also noted that "Jozan cures Mialee" and that Tordek moves to prevent Mialee from being slain.  I very much doubt that anyone flipping through the book would look at that picture and say "Wow, this is dangerous".  Indeed, while the illustration notes Mialee as unconscious, it does not note why, and only one of the orcs is noted as being wounded.Further examination of the book, and reading the example combat, will certainly show that the combat might go either way, but this is not clear when looking at the example.  Since, presumably, one will have bought the book before reading it, this is a good example of how the information in the illustration actually reduces the inherent tension in the text.Page 124 (This dragon finds Tordek hard to swallow):  This is the only thing even close to a counter-example in the book, and I wish they hadn't thrown that caption in to ruin it.  The sad part is, only the dragon is depicted as bleeding, and Tordek is apparently able to hold its mouth open (preventing chewing).  His armor is neither dented nor bloody.  This is also a picture which has already been addressed, going back to my OP.Again, however, this is a great illustration.  Those who worry about unrealistic armor can hardly complain about how Tordek is depicted -- his spikes are very small, and well within the realm of possibility/what is depicted in earlier editions.  The action is very wahoo but this, again, falls well within the norm for all editions.  The figures are well rendered, and it is a nice detail that Tordek's helmet has gone flying.Page 153 (Jozen brings a friend back from the dead):  There's not a lot of evidence that Jozen's friend was an adenturer.  It is also notable that Dead Friend is the one person who doesn't actually have a name.  While this may imply that the Dead Friend is not a PC (especially the way the iconics are used in 3.0), if this character is not a PC it is the sole example where any PC has any connection to the world around him/her.  We should also note that a picture of someone being brought back from the dead (there is a related picture in the 1e PHB) is more evidence of the impermanence of death (and hence the lack of long term consequence) than of real danger.EDIT:  I am in error in the above paragraph.  The wizard using a ray of frost on p. 243 is also nameless.....and is oddly enough also a florist.  This is perhaps the only illustration in the book that makes me wonder what the guy's story is, so it should be treated as a significant one (at least in terms of my thesis).  If only his costume (including what looks like a pair of swimming goggles) wasn't so meh......  Anyway, this picture also shows a nameless character, and again one who is at least to some degree invested in his world (since he is preserving roses rather than using his kewl powerz to stomp monsters).Page 214 (Jozen casts holy smite against a succubus):  That succubus is in an awefully submissive posture for someone seriously threatening Jozen.  Jozen is in an awefully dominant posture for someone being seriously threatened.Again, do you seriously believe that these illustrations based only on illustration and caption depict PCs encountering serious hazards?  Ones that might have severe and long-lasting consequences?RC</blockquote>

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