D&D 5E Discussion

[Spectacle]

D&D bard artwork c. 2017:

D&D bard artwork c. 1992:

This is the post the "decline" rating was made for.

 

[Morblot]

 

[nikolokolus]

And this is why Bards were relegated to the appendix in the 1st ed. AD&D PHB where they belonged. Unused, and unloved.

 

[gurugeorge]

D&D bard artwork c. 2017:

D&D bard artwork c. 1992:

Who is the artist of the lower one? Excellent technique, surely must have been art-school trained?

 

[Stella Brando]

The artist is kind of a mystery. He or she is known only as 'R. P. Spore.'

 

[Gyor]

No, I meant more the quantity of materials released as an indicator of its popularity. As they say here:

https://unpossiblejourneys.com/what...uccess-of-fifth-edition-dungeons-and-dragons/

WotC took some flak from existing D&D fans because of the slow pace of initial Fifth Edition releases. The Starter Set, three core rulebooks, and two adventure modules were released in 2014. The following year a campaign guide and two more adventure modules were released. On average thereafter the company has released one or two supplements and two modules a year. By comparison, for Fourth Edition D&D over the course of just three years WotC released two starter boxed sets, eight core rulebooks, 30 supplements, 11 setting books, and 17 modules.

They've said they are increasing the cadence of releases, they are releasing 5 major books this year (Candlekeep Mysteries and Van Richton's Guide to Ravenloft. They have 5 project leads right now, one of which, Amanda Hammon, hire recently, but they training more which suggests they plan to start releasing alot more products per year, increasing the slots this year from 3 or 4 per year, to 5 slots this year and more in the future. They are also releasing some minor releases.

The reason they weren't releasing much was because its only in the last few years that WotC and Hasbro has had any faith in D&D and it takes time to expand your staff, increase your pool of freelancers,and train people up. There is also major licensing deals in video games, a blockbuster movie in FR planned, there are TV pilots being written, ect...

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Who is the artist of the lower one? Excellent technique, surely must have been art-school trained?

Artwork by Glen Orbik, who sadly passed away of cancer in 2015. He seems only to have ever created three pieces of art for TSR; the other two were the cover of adventure module GA3 Tales of Enchantment and an interior color piece for PHBR12 The Complete Paladin's Handbook.

 

[gurugeorge]

Who is the artist of the lower one? Excellent technique, surely must have been art-school trained?

Artwork by Glen Orbik, who sadly passed away of cancer in 2015. He seems only to have ever created three pieces of art for TSR; the other two were the cover of adventure module GA3 Tales of Enchantment and an interior color piece for PHBR12 The Complete Paladin's Handbook.

Wow, thanks. Yeah, really great artist, shame he didn't do more in the genre.

 

[nikolokolus]

They probably couldn't afford him?

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

According to renowned fantasy artist Stephen Fabian, TSR's art department switched to a "work for hire" scheme, in which artists received just a one-time payment from TSR and lost all rights to later use of their own artwork for reprints, posters, etc. (even requiring permission from TSR to sell the original artwork!). This would have driven away talented artists, perhaps explaining why the artwork in the last few years of TSR's independent existence was generally lower quality with the notable exception of the Planescape campaign setting.

Although note that Stephen Fabian seems to misremember the chronology of his involvement with TSR, as he mentions the shift to "work for hire" in a comment on a Dragonlance product released in 1989 and in comments on his Ravenloft artwork states that this occurred prior to his Dragonlance / Known World art, when in reality Fabian produced a voluminous amount of interior artwork for the Ravenloft campaign setting box set in 1990 and for many other Ravenloft products over the next two years before terminating his involvement with TSR.

Presumably, the "work for hire" scheme would have gone into effect in 1992/1993, at which point Fabian stopped creating more art for TSR. It also so happens that Clyde Caldwell left TSR in 1992 (with Larry Elmore and Keith Parkinson having already left in 1989) and Gerald Brom left in 1993, perhaps not coincidentally.

 

[Bara]

Well the Goodman Games Temple of Elemental Evil 5e conversion sent out their printer proofs. It's still going to be a $100 but at least new art looks freaking fantastic from what little of it you can see in this image.

Other news finally start a 5e game this weekend thankfully in time to get a few games in before Solasta's release so I'll have a base for comparing the table top to digital finally.

 

[Bara]

Also for 5e art the showed some of the new pieces of the new Ravenloft book.

This is the only I think looks pretty okay the rest you can see in this imgur.

The others are either pretty bad or just boreing if I'm being honest.

 

[nikolokolus]

There's something not quite right about that picture. It's not just the "oh shit, I spilled water all over my water colors and they bled together into a smudgy mess" technique that's trying to evoke misty hills and fog shrouded vales, it's the bright colors down in the valley; that makes the place look warm and inviting like you've just set foot into a Thomas Kincade landscape, not a dark, forboding land of mysterious forests and shadowed horrors.

 

[Thac0]

Also for 5e art the showed some of the new pieces of the new Ravenloft book.

This is the only I think looks pretty okay the rest you can see in this imgur.

The others are either pretty bad or just boreing if I'm being honest.

These are ok aswell, but yeah the one you linked is the best.

This one is really close to being good art, but something is missing. Not a drawer myself, but the mood is off. Maybe the lighting?

 

[Larianshill]

Maybe they're leaving Ravenloft, and not entering it.

 

[Gyor]

There's something not quite right about that picture. It's not just the "oh shit, I spilled water all over my water colors and they bled together into a smudgy mess" technique that's trying to evoke misty hills and fog shrouded vales, it's the bright colors down in the valley; that makes the place look warm and inviting like you've just set foot into a Thomas Kincade landscape, not a dark, forboding land of mysterious forests and shadowed horrors.

Some of the Domains, most specifically the folk horror domains are supposed to look like that, they are ment to evoke the illusion of an idyllic existance that hides evil, terror, and horror at its heart. Other types of domains, Dark Fantasy, Cosmic Horror, Body Horror, and Gothic Horror are much more dark as one would expect, Folk Horror domains are lul you into thinking your safe instead of the other 5 primary types that aren't as subtle usually and are more grim dark.

 

[Gyor]

https://youtu.be/q9YUNwoJ1WY

An interview with VRGtR project leader Wes and Senior Designer Amanada Hammon about VRGtR.

Each domain gets between 4 and 8 pages.

Amanada is hot, great resume too, worked on alot of cool stuff with the last before becoming Senior Designer at WotC being work on the Southlands books for Kobold Press. In VRGtR she did Barovaria and another domain as a freelancer (she was working on this book before becoming Senior Designer at WotC, she must of reallly impressed them).

 

[Cryomancer]

I wonder how much Woketards will nerf the Dark Lords. Eg?

 

[Catacombs]

I wonder how much Woketards will nerf the Dark Lords. Eg?

Why would they?

 

[Larianshill]

Dark lords are already nerfed. I seem to recall that Strahd used to have dragons and shit under his command, none of that anymore. The most powerful of his minion is some elf, and his vampire spawn. And for God's sake, don't start whining about the good old days when Strahd did have dragons.

 

[Cryomancer]

Dark lords are already nerfed. I seem to recall that Strahd used to have dragons and shit under his command, none of that anymore. The most powerful of his minion is some elf, and his vampire spawn. And for God's sake, don't start whining about the good old days when Strahd did have dragons.

I already complained a lot about how high level enemy casters aren't threatening on 5E mainly if they don't have evocation spells. For eg, a Lich can be defeated by a lv 14 party on 5E with some problems. If you trade his power word kill for meteor swarm, the same party can be OHKilled by him in one round.

That said, Strahd is a 16th level necromancer according to AD&D 2nd Edition Domains of Dread - Ravenloft campaign setting - page 96. He has really nasty spells and even invented some of his own like Strahd frightful joining which allow him to possess NPC's or even PC's. Has a SLA gaze which the target needs to make a save at -4 penalty or become his slave, and can cast clone, maze, finger of death, forcecage, control weather, spell turning, misty summons and if he is losing, he can teleport or assume a gaseous form. 5E Strahd is weaker than a clone of Strahd on 2E.

Why would they?

Because Woketards of the C*** hates the "cautious" style of gameplay which is played on 2E ravenloft. And a lot of iconic monsters got nerfed. Succubi could summon really powerful demons when she is at danger. Including a demon prince. Vampires and other undead could give negative levels. Mindflayers in particular was a really nasty enemy even at high level. Now they lost most of their nasty abilities that could screw up your party.

 

[udm]

Amanada is hot, great resume too, worked on alot of cool stuff with the last before becoming Senior Designer at WotC being work on the Southlands books for Kobold Press. In VRGtR she did Barovaria and another domain as a freelancer (she was working on this book before becoming Senior Designer at WotC, she must of reallly impressed them).

Tabletop game writer, editor, designer, & developer. Senior Designer for Dungeons & Dragons at
@Wizards_DnD
. #WotCstaff. She/her. Bi. #BlackLivesMatter

Have some standards, man!

 

[Reinhardt]

For eg, a Lich can be defeated by a lv 14 party on 5E with some problems.

In BG2 you can bitchslap hoboliches right after leaving Irenicus dungeon.

 

[Cryomancer]

For eg, a Lich can be defeated by a lv 14 party on 5E with some problems.

In BG2 you can bitchslap hoboliches right after leaving Irenicus dungeon.

Yep. I love BG2 but the way that they handle "liches" is just awful. They could just call it "skeleton mages". I wish that CRPG devs had developed time and effort to make a AI good as the "Deep Blue" to play this highly intelligent enemies. I like when CRPG's allow you to play as a Lich/Vampire(mainly vampire) but I don't think that it can work in most TT campaigns. And also think that lichdoom should have high costs involved. The quest to become a lich on M&M VII was not easy. And certainly, it should't be allowed on lower levels. Here is the requirements to become a lich on 5e

 

[aleph]

I wonder if someday, Victor will understand that just having a long list of epic (EPIC!) spells doesn't make an antagonist interesting in any way. Well I guess it would already be amazing if he figured out that you can't just compare stuff from different D&D editions by looking solely at stats and levels.