New D&D 5e Player's Handbook Art Revealed

[Rhykker]

New D&D 5e Player's Handbook Art Revealed

High-resolution art from the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition Player's Handbook has been released.

The revealed pieces of artwork depict a high-elf wizard, a wood elf forest city, the Cloudkill and Mordenkainen's Sword spells, a party of adventurers confronting a dragon in its treasure-filled lair, and the cover of the Player's Handbook. While a spectacular piece of artwork, the cover doesn't quite capture the spirit of D&D the way the aforementioned dragon image does, feeling instead like generic fantasy art.

The Warlock's two-page spread is revealed, including artwork and the preliminary descriptions of the class. I never liked the idea of the Warlock being a core class, but I must say that the concept has grown on me since 4th Edition. Distinct from wizards and sorcerers, warlocks are magic users that are bound by a pact to an otherworldly being, be it a demon prince, an archdevil, or a fey lord.

I was pleased to see the return of artist Wayne Reynolds, whose work graces the cover of the 4th Edition Player's Handbook, accounts for some of the most memorable pieces of 3rd Edition artwork, and heavily influenced the overall look of Pathfinder. His distinct style and flair for dynamic poses make his artwork instantly recognizable.

If I have one qualm, it's the huge disparity between the various art styles. I feel as though 3rd and 4th Edition had more cohesive art directions - but maybe my memory is just being selective.

The first of the three core rulebooks to be released, the Player's Handbook will hit shelves August 19. The Monster Manual is scheduled for a September 30 release, and the Dungeon Master's Guide is coming November 18.

Which edition had your favorite artwork?

Source: Boing Boing [http://boingboing.net/2014/07/21/an-exclusive-look-at-the-new-d.html]


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[Dying_Jester]

I've never once played D&D, but after listening to the podcast Nerd Poker I've had a real urge to start. Sadly I've no idea where to start nor do I know anyone that plays. Oh well, just another thing I don't get to do because of the lack of friends, hahaha.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Well...it all looks like generic fantasy art to me, but then isn't D&D about as generic as it gets?

(Not fussed on the Cloudkill one in particular...back in the day, cloudkill was basically chlorine gas, when D&D based things on more real science to make it more interesting. Not a boring magic killer fog thing)

 

[RaikuFA]

I've never once played D&D, but after listening to the podcast Nerd Poker I've had a real urge to start. Sadly I've no idea where to start nor do I know anyone that plays. Oh well, just another thing I don't get to do because of the lack of friends, hahaha.

You and me both buddy. I played once and and had a shitty DM.

 

[CharrHearted]

Never played DnD, would love to, but i have no idea how to start or do whatever... o.o Can't i just download the rule books or whatever online? XD would save me time.

 

[Wilco86]

Well...it all looks like generic fantasy art to me, but then isn't D&D about as generic as it gets?

Check Planescape [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planescape], and then we can continue this conversation.

And speaking of the devil, my favourite is anything from Tony DiTerlizzi in AD&D 2nd Edition.

Examples:

 

[Thaluikhain]

Well...it all looks like generic fantasy art to me, but then isn't D&D about as generic as it gets?

Check Planescape [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planescape], and then we can continue this conversation.

Pft, if I want to talk about interesting campaign settings, it's Spelljammer for me.

But, it's just a campaign setting. D&D itself is still very generic, which I suspect was the idea, you just plug in whatever weirdness you want onto the basic framework that everyone is familiar with.

 

[RaikuFA]

Never played DnD, would love to, but i have no idea how to start or do whatever... o.o Can't i just download the rule books or whatever online? XD would save me time.

I'd like to know if it's possible to play by yourself.

 

[Sidmen]

Well...it all looks like generic fantasy art to me, but then isn't D&D about as generic as it gets?

Check Planescape [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planescape], and then we can continue this conversation.

Pft, if I want to talk about interesting campaign settings, it's Spelljammer for me.

But, it's just a campaign setting. D&D itself is still very generic, which I suspect was the idea, you just plug in whatever weirdness you want onto the basic framework that everyone is familiar with.

Well, as the thing that pretty much created the Genre, it makes perfect sense that it's the generic default which all things are compared to. The only thing that really irritated me about D&D's generic status was that it made it hard to use any other universe's magic rules.

 

[Sidmen]

Never played DnD, would love to, but i have no idea how to start or do whatever... o.o Can't i just download the rule books or whatever online? XD would save me time.

I'd like to know if it's possible to play by yourself.

It is not possible to play by yourself, it is a storytelling game. Two people are the minimum requirement, but it works best with between four and six people. One person assumes the role of the Game Master, or Dungeon Master, or Storyteller (all synonyms); who acts as the world and the people within it. Everyone else is a Player Character - and they interact with the world that the DM describes.

When getting into D&D it's best to find someone you know that already plays - if you can't do this then I recommend gathering up what friends you have that would like to play. You can do this online (there are various sites that make it easier, like Roll20.net. Lacking any friends that want to play, I'd recommend some searches online if there is a group around you, or a store that sells RPG books (they usually have a bulletin board). If you live in a smaller town it might take a while, and you might have to put up your own ads on boards until you find some people.

I'd actually recommend that you don't start your Pen-n-Paper career with D&D. It's quite a... hefty game. The Dragon Age RPG is much lighter and I feel gives a better introduction to the hobby. You can find it at the link below.

http://greenroninstore.com/products/dragon-age-rpg-set-1-pdf

 

[Drake Barrow]

Looks alright. Nothing in the reveal has gotten me all amp'd up over it, but neither does it induce nausea and a dreadful sense of loss.

Well...it all looks like generic fantasy art to me, but then isn't D&D about as generic as it gets?

(Not fussed on the Cloudkill one in particular...back in the day, cloudkill was basically chlorine gas, when D&D based things on more real science to make it more interesting. Not a boring magic killer fog thing)

I remember that. I also remember the 30,000 cubic square feet of a Fireball spell. That didn't end well when you have a DM in a 2nd Edition game who loves backblast effects and PCs damaging themselves. It turned me off of using Fireball for a year or two.
(Well, that and melee-centric characters who didn't understand the concept of "Hang back and let the spellchuckers soften it up first)

Well...it all looks like generic fantasy art to me, but then isn't D&D about as generic as it gets?

Check Planescape [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planescape], and then we can continue this conversation.

Pft, if I want to talk about interesting campaign settings, it's Spelljammer for me.

But, it's just a campaign setting. D&D itself is still very generic, which I suspect was the idea, you just plug in whatever weirdness you want onto the basic framework that everyone is familiar with.[/quote]

Ah, Spelljammer. Needed tweaking, but some good stuff to be had. Planescape probably gets the nod for distinctive art, though.

 

[RaikuFA]

Never played DnD, would love to, but i have no idea how to start or do whatever... o.o Can't i just download the rule books or whatever online? XD would save me time.

I'd like to know if it's possible to play by yourself.

It is not possible to play by yourself, it is a storytelling game. Two people are the minimum requirement, but it works best with between four and six people. One person assumes the role of the Game Master, or Dungeon Master, or Storyteller (all synonyms); who acts as the world and the people within it. Everyone else is a Player Character - and they interact with the world that the DM describes.

When getting into D&D it's best to find someone you know that already plays - if you can't do this then I recommend gathering up what friends you have that would like to play. You can do this online (there are various sites that make it easier, like Roll20.net. Lacking any friends that want to play, I'd recommend some searches online if there is a group around you, or a store that sells RPG books (they usually have a bulletin board). If you live in a smaller town it might take a while, and you might have to put up your own ads on boards until you find some people.

I'd actually recommend that you don't start your Pen-n-Paper career with D&D. It's quite a... hefty game. The Dragon Age RPG is much lighter and I feel gives a better introduction to the hobby. You can find it at the link below.

http://greenroninstore.com/products/dragon-age-rpg-set-1-pdf

http://theindiedragon.com/how-to-play-dungeons-and-dragons-by-yourself

Just found that. I only ask because when I tried I had a DM that screwed me over as much as possible. Hated it.

 

[Sidmen]

http://theindiedragon.com/how-to-play-dungeons-and-dragons-by-yourself

Just found that. I only ask because when I tried I had a DM that screwed me over as much as possible. Hated it.

Ok, I suppose you technically can play by yourself. But I personally believe that it wouldn't be nearly as fun. You'd get the essential experience of that by reading a choose your own adventure book.

If you're going to go through all the hassle of learning a game and DMing it for yourself, I'd suggest becoming a DM for some other people. Pick up an adventure path (pre-made stories) and, if you don't have anyone who would play with you, sign up for Roll20.net and post a campaign in their forums. I did that and had half a dozen people ready to play within a week. It uses voice over internet chat and has a playing board, so it's much more engaging than forum games (which was the only online option until recently).

 

[RaikuFA]

http://theindiedragon.com/how-to-play-dungeons-and-dragons-by-yourself

Just found that. I only ask because when I tried I had a DM that screwed me over as much as possible. Hated it.

Ok, I suppose you technically can play by yourself. But I personally believe that it wouldn't be nearly as fun. You'd get the essential experience of that by reading a choose your own adventure book.

If you're going to go through all the hassle of learning a game and DMing it for yourself, I'd suggest becoming a DM for some other people. Pick up an adventure path (pre-made stories) and, if you don't have anyone who would play with you, sign up for Roll20.net and post a campaign in their forums. I did that and had half a dozen people ready to play within a week. It uses voice over internet chat and has a playing board, so it's much more engaging than forum games (which was the only online option until recently).

That is true that it'd be a CYOA.

Other problem is that my internet sucks. I saw one at my local store but it's too intimidating for me.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Just found that. I only ask because when I tried I had a DM that screwed me over as much as possible. Hated it.

One bad DM is a crappy reason to not want to play with people again. I don't know where you're located but finding a local game and auditing their style is always a good way of seeing whether or not you fit within the group dynamic and whether or not the people are worth playing with. One game is not indicative of the whole player base.

 

[RaikuFA]

Just found that. I only ask because when I tried I had a DM that screwed me over as much as possible. Hated it.

One bad DM is a crappy reason to not want to play with people again. I don't know where you're located but finding a local game and auditing their style is always a good way of seeing whether or not you fit within the group dynamic and whether or not the people are worth playing with. One game is not indicative of the whole player base.

Kind of is. It left a bad first impression. Made me think all DMs like to be as sadistic to the new guys cause newbies ruin everything.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Just found that. I only ask because when I tried I had a DM that screwed me over as much as possible. Hated it.

One bad DM is a crappy reason to not want to play with people again. I don't know where you're located but finding a local game and auditing their style is always a good way of seeing whether or not you fit within the group dynamic and whether or not the people are worth playing with. One game is not indicative of the whole player base.

Kind of is. It left a bad first impression. Made me think all DMs like to be as sadistic to the new guys cause newbies ruin everything.

Its the same concept as judging all females/males/x-race because you had a bad experience with one. And that is more of a person's personality rather than "all DMs" because there are plenty of great DMs out there who prefer new players. I'm a DM who likes new players because they bring a fresh perspective with them as well as being less likely to argue about rules in the middle of battle or become jaded to everything in the game.
I treat everyone fairly, but newbies get free passes to ask "dumb" questions because they don't know. Not all DMs are like toxic LoL players or MMO raiders, in fact they're few and far between. Otherwise no one would play the game. I joke a lot about how fun it is to kill off PC's and the like but I only reserve becoming "that DM" for occasions when a player has gone out of their way to make my job difficult. I'm not vindictive but if anyone intentionally disrupts the game, I will make them feel unwelcome.
Now if you're playing Paranoia then everyone including the DM is out to get you... thats the whole point. I've never had a Paranoia session end with all the players alive. Actually most of those sessions ended prematurely without having to resort to killing off the PC's, they killed each other accidentally or on purpose... either way didn't matter because it was fun.
Seriously though you shouldn't quit a game after one bad experience. You're bound to find better DMs out there. And judging every DM by one idiot is kind of insulting to the rest of us who strive to create inclusive and fun campaigns for people to play in.

 

[scotth266]

I've never once played D&D, but after listening to the podcast Nerd Poker I've had a real urge to start. Sadly I've no idea where to start nor do I know anyone that plays. Oh well, just another thing I don't get to do because of the lack of friends, hahaha.

My advice would be to not start with DND (or if you do, to start with 4E, as it's the easiest DND to get into.)

If you enjoy Star Wars, Edge of the Empire is a fantastic system. If you lack money, Pathfinder has its basic rules for free online (though it's basically DND 3.75, which is a more complex system.)

Outside of that though, my advice would be to hone your improv skills (as improv will make your tabletop experience more colorful) and try to play online using services like Roll20.

 

[RaikuFA]

Just found that. I only ask because when I tried I had a DM that screwed me over as much as possible. Hated it.

One bad DM is a crappy reason to not want to play with people again. I don't know where you're located but finding a local game and auditing their style is always a good way of seeing whether or not you fit within the group dynamic and whether or not the people are worth playing with. One game is not indicative of the whole player base.

Kind of is. It left a bad first impression. Made me think all DMs like to be as sadistic to the new guys cause newbies ruin everything.

Its the same concept as judging all females/males/x-race because you had a bad experience with one. And that is more of a person's personality rather than "all DMs" because there are plenty of great DMs out there who prefer new players. I'm a DM who likes new players because they bring a fresh perspective with them as well as being less likely to argue about rules in the middle of battle or become jaded to everything in the game.
I treat everyone fairly, but newbies get free passes to ask "dumb" questions because they don't know. Not all DMs are like toxic LoL players or MMO raiders, in fact they're few and far between. Otherwise no one would play the game. I joke a lot about how fun it is to kill off PC's and the like but I only reserve becoming "that DM" for occasions when a player has gone out of their way to make my job difficult. I'm not vindictive but if anyone intentionally disrupts the game, I will make them feel unwelcome.
Now if you're playing Paranoia then everyone including the DM is out to get you... thats the whole point. I've never had a Paranoia session end with all the players alive. Actually most of those sessions ended prematurely without having to resort to killing off the PC's, they killed each other accidentally or on purpose... either way didn't matter because it was fun.
Seriously though you shouldn't quit a game after one bad experience. You're bound to find better DMs out there. And judging every DM by one idiot is kind of insulting to the rest of us who strive to create inclusive and fun campaigns for people to play in.

Yeah, true. The only group I know of is in the game store near me and from what I've seen, they take the game very seriously. Never heard laughing or any fun coming from them.