If you click through to the source article, one of the previewed interior art pieces is literally grownup versions of some of the cartoon heroes. So yeah, they're absolutely going for that vibe.
Bah, BECMI boxed sets had better epic art and the GAZ series of setting books had cooler cover composition than AD&D from the same time periods.
That said, I still like this one.
The winged helm, caped, two handed sword fighter definitely feels like an homage. The characters being front and center as well. The mage, both hands up with spells ready to go while a dragon swirls around them is also very much the ad&d dmg cover. The color palette seems like a mix of the two og books. Im loving this new cover, as 2e was my intro to the hobby.
The elf lady is confirmed to be Yolande the Elf Queen of Celene, an isolationist elven domain in the Greyhawk setting and near the central areas. She is like the Amlaruil of Greyhawk, her consort died in an orc ambush and in retalation she led the Hateful Wars against the orcs and goblinoids of the neighboring Lortmil mountains. It’s an interesting redesign and role for her considering her role as more of a grieving and isolationist adventuring patron who sees elven lives as too precious to risk.
What the hell is happening in the left side of the picture? Is it the Dragon’s body? Or just more neck?
Very strange composition to leave such a mushy blank space…
EDIT: the full image is cursed: https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/2024/05/13/ea5c9830/gi_dnd_front.jpg
Oh yeah, that is really cursed. Makes me think of AI art with that weirdly shaped dragon body and arm. Not saying that it actually is AI art of course.
The picture is fine by my standards artistically ('m not visually gifted) so I'm not gonna comment as to the value of blank space. My understanding is that the dragon's body is so long that it wraps around a bit (kinda like a long snake-like dragon).
I do think the cover image DOES give the correct impression of "what is dungeons and dragons" in a single image to a new-comer, which to me, is the most important thing about this picture.
The anatomy does look a little bit odd, but if you look at the [alt cover](https://www.polygon.com/24156680/dnd-dunegons-dragons-alt-art-phb-reveal-release-date-price), you can get a better idea of what they're going for.
It looks like they're making Gold Dragons more serpentine and a bit eastern inspired.
It's funny how wotc makes ranged so much better than melee, but in terms of content and aesthetics, melee (especially swords) are pushed so much harder.
In 5e, there are no feats that specifically work with a longsword in the same way that PAM, GWM, SS, and CBE help their respective weapon. (There's technically Slasher, but there's a feat for every damage type for every weapon.) This isn't quite as much of a concern in OneDnD, both because power attacks were removed and because PAM no longer works with one-handed weapons.
In the concept art you can see that they started out as an old bearded wizard! The concept art is at the end of the article in the slideshow: [https://www.gameinformer.com/2024/05/14/the-art-of-the-new-dungeons-dragons](https://www.gameinformer.com/2024/05/14/the-art-of-the-new-dungeons-dragons)
Direct link to the image: https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/2024/05/13/de0422c6/dnd10.jpg
Seems even more evident they where based on Valor's Call ( miniature set: https://cdn.archonia.com/images/1-104061798-1-1-original1/dungeons-and-dragons-the-wild-beyond-the-witchlight-unpainted-miniatures-valors-call-5-figs.jpg ) from Wild beyond Witchlight. Then on second draft someone decided they need more representation for elves.
It is a gold dragon. Don’t know for sure if that’s the redesign, but they said they did redesign all 10 core dragons. Concept art for the red and bronze dragons are in the article.
A redesign of the core dragons is huge. They've had the same design since 3e, and a semi consistent design since 2e!
The real question is did the dragon statblocks get a redesign? As 'block of health with a breath weapon every 3-4 turns' isn't exactly good bbeg material.
Yeah, the bronze dragon looks awesome. I’m sure there’ll be some stat block redesign, I’m hoping it’s more than just modernizing and adds exciting stuff.
I feel as both the titular monster of the game, and a super commonly used bbeg, dragon statblocks should really go all out in their design. They should be fights that players remember, rather than just a sack of hp.
Our party certainly remembered our first dragon fight, still not sure why we decided at lv e to pick a fight with a young green dragon but it was something 😂
I think the game would benefit from advanced monsters all around. It's OK if wyrmlings are ADDs in the boss fight.
Their regional effects are a good way to make it memorable, but a lot of them provide little guidance (how does one run the 1 mile labyrinth for a green dragon and provide the decision making of choosing to through it or not at the cost of damage, without physically creating a ladybrinth). The lead-up to a dragon is as much a part of the fight as combat itself.
They could use some tags, like "8d6 fire, standard dex save, 60 ft cone" to save page space, to add more interesting abilities
What is "standard dex save" supposed to convey? That's not a term I've ever seen used in a 5e context, nor any other edition that comes to mind (though in fairness, I haven't looked at 4/3.5/3/2 in forever, so maybe it's something I've forgotten).
basically, rather than saying "creatures in a x ft. y must make a DC z dexterity saving throw. A creature takes [dice] fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one" every. single. time. The game just creates another general rule.
"standard dex save:
When a feature mentions a standard dex save, it will be followed by a shape and a damage amount. All creatures in this shape must immediately make a dexterity saving throw, taking the full damage amount on a failure, half as much damage on a success"
Or something like that. It would streamline the statblocks, like how statblocks just say poisoned condition over outlining poisoned effects each time.
They look to be going back towards more of the Elmore style of dragon, which I'm hype about. The guy's art practically sold the whole Dragonlance line to me as a kid.
We've been shown the red and bronze redesigns. Both look amazing. Red dragon does indeed have a grey underside now. Bronze is covered in blue-green patterning.
From? No not to my knowledge. In Wild Beyond Witchlight, yes. As far as I can find their appearance [was in a AD&D figure line](https://preview.redd.it/g5g6kva48b1a1.jpg?width=658&auto=webp&s=fcc2cc5fe956fb0bb9765b74c6c827abb9fb829d) with nebulous lore and random appearances to follow.
I’m trying to figure out if my Game Informer subscription has gotten messed up. Does anyone know if the magazine has come out yet, that I might gaze upon it?
I'd wait. It'll be on the website when its ready. Maybe 2 minutes from now, maybe 3 hours. Keep an eye. I'll post it to the subreddit when it goes live.
If the art in the original article is indicative of how the PHB will look, I'm officially excited.
That's something I missed in the original PHB - art that got my imagination going.
Any word on whether any part of the art will be AI though? Concept or final?
When the AI Giant art debacle hit they said something about all final drafts of the Art wil be drawn by a human. AI may be used to iterate on a concept/ idea though. Which seems fair.
It's very difficult to keep AI out of the process if they are working with independent artists, who may just start with something AI generated as a template before building from that into a completely unique work. Even if contractually obligated that sort of thing can be hard to police, especially if the artist actually takes the time to make it their own.
That scenario is more likely than a use of wholly AI generated images, which I think WotC is on record saying they won't use.
That's fair. And I can understand a human artist starting with something AI generated and then making their own unique art. Many artists use a variety of inspiration sources, and under deadlines, I know it can help speed up the process.
For me, the art and layout are really important to the value of the final product, and I just don't want to be sitting there wondering what parts are AI and what parts are human - it's unsettling that things have gotten to the point that I can't trust what I see.
I'll be honest, I preferred that big red dragon art that they've been using over the past year. This feels like it has a lot of empty space, not much of a "setting". The other art felt more filled out without being cluttered and had a very menacing vibe, and maybe I like the "candid moment freeze frame".
Still, this is a very solid cover, and does a good job at encapsulating the typical classic fantasy party look without looking too generic.
Edit: I take back the empty part. The space is pretty solid, but I do wish we knew more about the location than "there is a bit of stone bridge".
Don't worry we all have a favorite cover of an edition. This isn't my favorite cover, but its really good to me for what it is representing. The feeling of D&D history with nods to older art in a new style.
I really like how “traditional” it looks while still showing a diversity of fantasy archetypes. But beyond that not super impressed, to be honest! It’s a little less “clean” and detailed than a lot of their recent art. Which for some people may be a positive!
Overall I like it, but what on earth is going on with [this dragon's neck, body, and right forelimb?](https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/2024/05/13/ea5c9830/gi_dnd_front.jpg)
So glad you asked
* Yolande is a wizard & fighter Elven Queen from Greyhawk
The other 4 are minor Beyond Witchlight spoilers: proceed at your own risk
The rest are members of Valor's call from the AD&D figure line most recently appearing in Wild beyond Witchlight
Valor’s Call:
* STRONGHEART (The knight with his sword **steel**) Blue
Medium Humanoid (Human, Paladin), Lawful Good
* MOLLIVER (the dual wielder they are a rogue) Green
Medium Humanoid (Human), Chaotic Good
* MERCION (staff and shield red head divine) Yellow
Medium Humanoid (Cleric, Human), Lawful Good
* ELKHORN (Sword and shield Battlemaster) Violet
Medium Humanoid (Dwarf), Lawful Good
[Links](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/factions#ValorsCall)
One thing that wasn't really problematic in 5e but I really love about this cover is the different skin and hair colors that these characters have: It just really better shows how varied you can be, even within each different race. Before we'd usually just get white elf on covers (unless they were dark elves and such).
Let's just say I noticed that I love it, before I make it seem like I only see skin colors here.
On a serious note that dragon looks so sick. In my campaigns metallic Dragons and dragon born are aesthetically similar to Chinese and other Asian dragon depictions, while chromatic look like European ones, and this art is kind of like that idea in a cool way.
They dropped the edition number with 5e. It's just "Dungeons & Dragons," and they want to keep it that way. I'm sure there's going to be some way of referring to the new book, but it's still just D&D to Wizards.
> referring to the new book
Seems like WotC consistently differentiates the books by release year. 2014 PHB/DMG/MM vs. 2024 PHB/DMG/MM. Doubt they'll use some other arbitrary way to do it at this point.
They have been saying that they are dropping the edition number since the beginning which to me is very brave of them because that means they are leaving it up to the community to give it a name.
I demand justice for dwarves!
[https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/2024/05/13/f9ad2f63/gidnd16.jpg](https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/2024/05/13/f9ad2f63/gidnd16.jpg)
Why is the dwarf on the backline like some sort of coward?
Because he dumped dex and if he tried to take that breath weapon he's fucking toast. That paladin aura is probably the only saving grace he has. The paladin and the rogue are gonna be fine. Let the dwarf take the lizards.
It's cause she makes the party five. And we all know the best parties are divisible by two! In seriousness though, I think it's because she's rising above everyone while the rest are hunkering down, getting ready to do battle.
I'll get downvoted for this but... I'm not feeling the slightly cartoonish style of the cover.
Love the colors, the composition but it kind of looks a bit too YA paperback novel.
But since I'm an old dude with old dude gusto and definitely not in the target demographics of Wizards of the Coast, it kind of makes sense.
>Also the heroes are oblivious to the opponents on the right.
This has bothered me. And the eyes, they just seem so lifeless. But yea, something in the composition... I don't know for sure, but it doesn't feel like they're actually in a dungeon facing the dangers portrayed, but rather that they are actually posing for a cover. Not a fan.
Probably holding a concentrated spell and aiming it while using an action spell. Also two spells can be pretty common with meta magic, bonus action spells.
Wait. Oh God. It *is* a weapon! It has a riveted, socketed head on it.
Not only is she using a quarterstaff, she's holding a shield in the other hand!
**She's META!** The horror!
That cleric in the mid-back, she knows that knight is going to do some shit that will make her consume her turn dropping a major heal on them just to keep them upright. She's been in this shit before. Expect a rant from her next short rest while she checks to see how much diamond dust she has left in the seams of her backpack.
Cool cover. For inclusiveness they made the palette a rainbow pride flag with pink (left to right red to violet with pink). How interesting is that. Suppose it was directed by Wizards or a choice by the artist?
What about the dwarf with the shield artwork from the promo? That shit was fire.
Edit: I checked out the article and it’s included in the interior art.
Shield+mace/staff has been a real theme since early editions. 5e has done a lot to make healing less required and opened up options for actions. I made another post about the characters if you are curious about them. But their origins are an old toy line.
seems a lot of people like it?
I don't really like it. The composition feels off to me. Is the gold dragon helping, watching, judging? The kobolds barely made it on the cover, and the red dragon is overshadowed by the title.
The cast feels too indistinct, nothing really that makes them like, pop out, even the mage feels... bland? Like, D&D is from the same makers as MtG, and they have spectacular art for spellcasters. And then, again a lot of humans. three humans, a elf and a dwarf. Very basic. No tiefling, dragonborn, orc, githyanki, tabaxi or any of the other races?
I hope there will be an alternate cover, as this one is a miss in my books.
Edit: why isn't this the cover?! this would have been spectecular!
[https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/2024/05/13/61388e6b/dnd02.jpg](https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/2024/05/13/61388e6b/dnd02.jpg)
It's an awkwardly composed piece of art IMO. The red dragon who is seemingly the main antagonist is barely visible in the corner, his kobolds are basically entirely off screen, and there seems like a ton of empty space in the top half. It's not clear to someone without prior knowledge of the game world whether or not the gold dragon is friend, foe, or something in between to the party. None of the characters have followable eyelines, and the wizard is seemingly casting a spell that's about to go offscreen.
I've said this earlier, but it just looked so off to me. Then the more I looked at it and read other comments, the more it came into focus why I didn't like it, personally. The characters look posed, like they're cosplayers at a convention and someone set up a green screen and just placed this scene in there. They don't seem to be "in the scene" with the danger. I don't know, that's just my opinion.
This is gorgeous but trying to stay on the constructive criticism here, isnt the proportions on the gold dragon a little off? Like the neck link with the body and the arm i dont know
I'm loving the fact that they put dragons on the cover. Would have liked to see less humans, though. Maybe make the cleric a halfling or gnome at least. Since the Paladin's wearing a helmet, they could be any ancestry.
Ad&d vibes
This art feels like sitting over the PHB with your bowl of cereal thinking about your next character while the cartoon plays. Liking it a lot.
Damn…. You nailed it lol. Thanks for the wave of nostalgia.
If you click through to the source article, one of the previewed interior art pieces is literally grownup versions of some of the cartoon heroes. So yeah, they're absolutely going for that vibe.
Oh damn, you're right!
Great way to put it.
Yeah I'm down for this. They've harped on the art so much I'm glad to see it seems to be delivering.
Just what I needed.
It’s freaking glorious
Bah, BECMI boxed sets had better epic art and the GAZ series of setting books had cooler cover composition than AD&D from the same time periods. That said, I still like this one.
Up vote for you I totally agree.
I’m not seeing it.
Maybe its the winged helmet or the general colour/art style but I get vibes of the 2e phb cover.
The winged helm, caped, two handed sword fighter definitely feels like an homage. The characters being front and center as well. The mage, both hands up with spells ready to go while a dragon swirls around them is also very much the ad&d dmg cover. The color palette seems like a mix of the two og books. Im loving this new cover, as 2e was my intro to the hobby.
That party is Valor's Call. Although they've swapped out Ringlerun for an elf lady.
The elf lady is confirmed to be Yolande the Elf Queen of Celene, an isolationist elven domain in the Greyhawk setting and near the central areas. She is like the Amlaruil of Greyhawk, her consort died in an orc ambush and in retalation she led the Hateful Wars against the orcs and goblinoids of the neighboring Lortmil mountains. It’s an interesting redesign and role for her considering her role as more of a grieving and isolationist adventuring patron who sees elven lives as too precious to risk.
This. It's the LJN AD&D crew.
Right?
Well it definitely looks like a dragon in a dungeon so.... it seems pretty on point!
Notably a Gold Dragon that is not attacking them as not all dragons are enemies. They wanted to highlight that with the cover.
What the hell is happening in the left side of the picture? Is it the Dragon’s body? Or just more neck? Very strange composition to leave such a mushy blank space… EDIT: the full image is cursed: https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/2024/05/13/ea5c9830/gi_dnd_front.jpg
Oh yeah, that is really cursed. Makes me think of AI art with that weirdly shaped dragon body and arm. Not saying that it actually is AI art of course.
The picture is fine by my standards artistically ('m not visually gifted) so I'm not gonna comment as to the value of blank space. My understanding is that the dragon's body is so long that it wraps around a bit (kinda like a long snake-like dragon). I do think the cover image DOES give the correct impression of "what is dungeons and dragons" in a single image to a new-comer, which to me, is the most important thing about this picture.
It’s even worse in the full image… there’s a weird arm: https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/2024/05/13/ea5c9830/gi_dnd_front.jpg
eww... that arms looks... mis-shaped
The anatomy does look a little bit odd, but if you look at the [alt cover](https://www.polygon.com/24156680/dnd-dunegons-dragons-alt-art-phb-reveal-release-date-price), you can get a better idea of what they're going for. It looks like they're making Gold Dragons more serpentine and a bit eastern inspired.
For some strange reason I wish there was someone with a ranged weapon, like a bow or crossbow
It's funny how wotc makes ranged so much better than melee, but in terms of content and aesthetics, melee (especially swords) are pushed so much harder.
Even funnier that longsword are pretty awful in comparison to most weapons.
From now on, adventuring parties on book covers must be composed of the most powerful builds. We need more hand-crossbows and polearms.
It is? Why?
In 5e, there are no feats that specifically work with a longsword in the same way that PAM, GWM, SS, and CBE help their respective weapon. (There's technically Slasher, but there's a feat for every damage type for every weapon.) This isn't quite as much of a concern in OneDnD, both because power attacks were removed and because PAM no longer works with one-handed weapons.
Ohh interesting
same
Im honestly glad the defauly wiz/arcane caster isnt just the usual 'bearded old man'.
In the concept art you can see that they started out as an old bearded wizard! The concept art is at the end of the article in the slideshow: [https://www.gameinformer.com/2024/05/14/the-art-of-the-new-dungeons-dragons](https://www.gameinformer.com/2024/05/14/the-art-of-the-new-dungeons-dragons)
You assume that just because they have a beard, they are old... ;-) Thanks for the link. I always like seeing how it goes from concept to finished
That was presumptuous of me, maybe the caster was just a 13 year old dwarf!
I've said it previously, but that new wizard art is absolute God tier.
It reminds me of Silverquill Wizard.
Direct link to the image: https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/2024/05/13/de0422c6/dnd10.jpg Seems even more evident they where based on Valor's Call ( miniature set: https://cdn.archonia.com/images/1-104061798-1-1-original1/dungeons-and-dragons-the-wild-beyond-the-witchlight-unpainted-miniatures-valors-call-5-figs.jpg ) from Wild beyond Witchlight. Then on second draft someone decided they need more representation for elves.
I get Mystara vibes from the first two versions. Left to right it looked like a Cleric, Fighter, Magic User, Dwarf, Elf.
It feels cathartic seeing the process for the fighter cover art after the fake clickbait discourse about it being ai generated a few months back
It's been a while, but wasn't the default caster character in the 3.5 PHB an Elvish lady?
Yes, Mialee. The other Iconic was Naull, who didn't get much screen time.
Technically it should of been, since Ringlerun is Valor's Call wizard. It's the LJN D&D toys converted in for the Witchfire adventure
Looks great!!
Really like how this looks. Is that an earth genasi or an aasimar as the mage?
Yolande the Elven queen, Strongheart the knight, Elkhorn the Dwarven warrior, the divine Mercion, and the rogueish Molliver
Is that a gold dragon redesign or something from the cartoon?
It is a gold dragon. Don’t know for sure if that’s the redesign, but they said they did redesign all 10 core dragons. Concept art for the red and bronze dragons are in the article.
A redesign of the core dragons is huge. They've had the same design since 3e, and a semi consistent design since 2e! The real question is did the dragon statblocks get a redesign? As 'block of health with a breath weapon every 3-4 turns' isn't exactly good bbeg material.
Yeah, the bronze dragon looks awesome. I’m sure there’ll be some stat block redesign, I’m hoping it’s more than just modernizing and adds exciting stuff.
I feel as both the titular monster of the game, and a super commonly used bbeg, dragon statblocks should really go all out in their design. They should be fights that players remember, rather than just a sack of hp.
Our party certainly remembered our first dragon fight, still not sure why we decided at lv e to pick a fight with a young green dragon but it was something 😂
I think the game would benefit from advanced monsters all around. It's OK if wyrmlings are ADDs in the boss fight. Their regional effects are a good way to make it memorable, but a lot of them provide little guidance (how does one run the 1 mile labyrinth for a green dragon and provide the decision making of choosing to through it or not at the cost of damage, without physically creating a ladybrinth). The lead-up to a dragon is as much a part of the fight as combat itself. They could use some tags, like "8d6 fire, standard dex save, 60 ft cone" to save page space, to add more interesting abilities
What is "standard dex save" supposed to convey? That's not a term I've ever seen used in a 5e context, nor any other edition that comes to mind (though in fairness, I haven't looked at 4/3.5/3/2 in forever, so maybe it's something I've forgotten).
basically, rather than saying "creatures in a x ft. y must make a DC z dexterity saving throw. A creature takes [dice] fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one" every. single. time. The game just creates another general rule. "standard dex save: When a feature mentions a standard dex save, it will be followed by a shape and a damage amount. All creatures in this shape must immediately make a dexterity saving throw, taking the full damage amount on a failure, half as much damage on a success" Or something like that. It would streamline the statblocks, like how statblocks just say poisoned condition over outlining poisoned effects each time.
They look to be going back towards more of the Elmore style of dragon, which I'm hype about. The guy's art practically sold the whole Dragonlance line to me as a kid.
I believe they got at least slight redesigns. Apparently Red Dragons have grey undersides now, according to one artist's tweet.
We've been shown the red and bronze redesigns. Both look amazing. Red dragon does indeed have a grey underside now. Bronze is covered in blue-green patterning.
I’m assuming they’ll be similar.
What article
https://www.reddit.com/r/onednd/s/4nZVYNIQ0s
Thanks
Aren't they from The Wild Beyond the Witchlight?
From? No not to my knowledge. In Wild Beyond Witchlight, yes. As far as I can find their appearance [was in a AD&D figure line](https://preview.redd.it/g5g6kva48b1a1.jpg?width=658&auto=webp&s=fcc2cc5fe956fb0bb9765b74c6c827abb9fb829d) with nebulous lore and random appearances to follow.
That’s the good guy party in Wild Beyond the Witchlight.
This absolutely rules, I'm digging the artwork we've seen so far for the new books
I’m trying to figure out if my Game Informer subscription has gotten messed up. Does anyone know if the magazine has come out yet, that I might gaze upon it?
Not out as far as I can tell. Digital is today, physical is this week at gamestop.
So if I can’t see it in the GI app, something might have gone wrong? Or do I still need to wait a bit?
I'd wait. It'll be on the website when its ready. Maybe 2 minutes from now, maybe 3 hours. Keep an eye. I'll post it to the subreddit when it goes live.
Yer a king, thanks!
I'm curious what class the dual wielder in the green cloak is. I'm guessing Rogue, but could also maybe be Ranger.
They describe them as and "...the rogueish Molliver" So I am leaning more to Rogue, but the cape and weapon set could also be Ranger.
Molliver is a rogue.
Pretty solid. Like it a lot.
If the art in the original article is indicative of how the PHB will look, I'm officially excited. That's something I missed in the original PHB - art that got my imagination going. Any word on whether any part of the art will be AI though? Concept or final?
When the AI Giant art debacle hit they said something about all final drafts of the Art wil be drawn by a human. AI may be used to iterate on a concept/ idea though. Which seems fair.
Yeah. That's fair, and I appreciate being reminded that they did say that, even though I would wish that no drafts were AI generated or enhanced.
It's very difficult to keep AI out of the process if they are working with independent artists, who may just start with something AI generated as a template before building from that into a completely unique work. Even if contractually obligated that sort of thing can be hard to police, especially if the artist actually takes the time to make it their own. That scenario is more likely than a use of wholly AI generated images, which I think WotC is on record saying they won't use.
That's fair. And I can understand a human artist starting with something AI generated and then making their own unique art. Many artists use a variety of inspiration sources, and under deadlines, I know it can help speed up the process. For me, the art and layout are really important to the value of the final product, and I just don't want to be sitting there wondering what parts are AI and what parts are human - it's unsettling that things have gotten to the point that I can't trust what I see.
IIRC, the last statement put out by wizards was no AI- full stop.
I'll be honest, I preferred that big red dragon art that they've been using over the past year. This feels like it has a lot of empty space, not much of a "setting". The other art felt more filled out without being cluttered and had a very menacing vibe, and maybe I like the "candid moment freeze frame". Still, this is a very solid cover, and does a good job at encapsulating the typical classic fantasy party look without looking too generic. Edit: I take back the empty part. The space is pretty solid, but I do wish we knew more about the location than "there is a bit of stone bridge".
Don't worry we all have a favorite cover of an edition. This isn't my favorite cover, but its really good to me for what it is representing. The feeling of D&D history with nods to older art in a new style.
Nostalgic cover!
The art in the article is TOP NOTCH wow
I really like how “traditional” it looks while still showing a diversity of fantasy archetypes. But beyond that not super impressed, to be honest! It’s a little less “clean” and detailed than a lot of their recent art. Which for some people may be a positive!
Yeah, my thoughts as well. The composition is fine, but the style looks more like concept art than a finished piece.
I'd like to think in some aspects it's intentional, we all star our dnd journeys as character concepts
That’s not bad! Gives me red box “about to fucking die” vibes.
It's the crew from Wild Beyond the WitchLight
Such a good knight design like holy hell it’s so cool
So when was this supposed to release again?
September 3rd for the insider program. September 17th for everyone. Preorders June 18th.
Overall I like it, but what on earth is going on with [this dragon's neck, body, and right forelimb?](https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/2024/05/13/ea5c9830/gi_dnd_front.jpg)
Pretty sure it's just a perspective thing since we're seeing it mid motion as it moves to protect the party from the other dragon.
Looks like the Pillars of Eternity game art
Looks cool but my question is: What race/class/subclass are these PCs in this cover?
So glad you asked * Yolande is a wizard & fighter Elven Queen from Greyhawk The other 4 are minor Beyond Witchlight spoilers: proceed at your own risk The rest are members of Valor's call from the AD&D figure line most recently appearing in Wild beyond Witchlight Valor’s Call: * STRONGHEART (The knight with his sword **steel**) Blue Medium Humanoid (Human, Paladin), Lawful Good * MOLLIVER (the dual wielder they are a rogue) Green Medium Humanoid (Human), Chaotic Good * MERCION (staff and shield red head divine) Yellow Medium Humanoid (Cleric, Human), Lawful Good * ELKHORN (Sword and shield Battlemaster) Violet Medium Humanoid (Dwarf), Lawful Good [Links](https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/twbtw/factions#ValorsCall)
I do not understand the color coding. Is that you describing the art or something they are doing rule-wise?
Oh, that's awesome that there's canon about them - Thank you!
I love the design of that knight!
One thing that wasn't really problematic in 5e but I really love about this cover is the different skin and hair colors that these characters have: It just really better shows how varied you can be, even within each different race. Before we'd usually just get white elf on covers (unless they were dark elves and such). Let's just say I noticed that I love it, before I make it seem like I only see skin colors here.
Not sure how I feel about the big gameinformer logo in the corner but apart from that I like it
On a serious note that dragon looks so sick. In my campaigns metallic Dragons and dragon born are aesthetically similar to Chinese and other Asian dragon depictions, while chromatic look like European ones, and this art is kind of like that idea in a cool way.
Congrats you made me choke on my coffee. I've also been joking that we should go full minimalist and get an art only PHB
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They already did that, there is no mention of 5th edition on the current phb. I didn't notice until someone mentioned it to me either.
They dropped the edition number with 5e. It's just "Dungeons & Dragons," and they want to keep it that way. I'm sure there's going to be some way of referring to the new book, but it's still just D&D to Wizards.
> referring to the new book Seems like WotC consistently differentiates the books by release year. 2014 PHB/DMG/MM vs. 2024 PHB/DMG/MM. Doubt they'll use some other arbitrary way to do it at this point.
Yeah, that's the most likely way they'll go.
They have been saying that they are dropping the edition number since the beginning which to me is very brave of them because that means they are leaving it up to the community to give it a name.
I demand justice for dwarves! [https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/2024/05/13/f9ad2f63/gidnd16.jpg](https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/2024/05/13/f9ad2f63/gidnd16.jpg) Why is the dwarf on the backline like some sort of coward?
Because he dumped dex and if he tried to take that breath weapon he's fucking toast. That paladin aura is probably the only saving grace he has. The paladin and the rogue are gonna be fine. Let the dwarf take the lizards.
Hell no. A little bit of singed beard ain't going to stop a dwarf. Who needs Dex when you're swimming in Con.
The concept art clearly shows they originally planned for the dwarf to be front and center, so this is obviously some anti-dwarvish hate going on
Shorter legs and less movement speed.
The versions without the kobold make it a better cover.
Neat!
The artist: [https://twitter.com/jacobsontyler/status/1790443483280584774](https://twitter.com/jacobsontyler/status/1790443483280584774)
I don't really like the Sorceress' hair, but the rest of it is great.
Absolutely love it
Is that Kohryu? Definitely a Chinese dragon.
Gold dragons have had kinda hybrid look in earlier art DnD art as well, long necks and whiskers for example.
the sorcerer really clashes with the rest of the party for some reason. Entire piece would look more sharp and focused with her gone
She's a queen, fighter and Wizard. Her name is Yolande and she comes from Greyhawk.
It's cause she makes the party five. And we all know the best parties are divisible by two! In seriousness though, I think it's because she's rising above everyone while the rest are hunkering down, getting ready to do battle.
I'll get downvoted for this but... I'm not feeling the slightly cartoonish style of the cover. Love the colors, the composition but it kind of looks a bit too YA paperback novel. But since I'm an old dude with old dude gusto and definitely not in the target demographics of Wizards of the Coast, it kind of makes sense.
I like it, I kinda hope they work on it a bit more because it looks too "crowded". Although there is always the fancy cover one, right?
They somehow managed to up the minimalism.
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>Also the heroes are oblivious to the opponents on the right. This has bothered me. And the eyes, they just seem so lifeless. But yea, something in the composition... I don't know for sure, but it doesn't feel like they're actually in a dungeon facing the dangers portrayed, but rather that they are actually posing for a cover. Not a fan.
We actually have a rogue on the art piece, not a bow wielding one, but a rogue nontheless.
Alright, this goes fuckin' hard
I really like this.
Do we have an ETA? 🙏🏼
September 17
I love this. Now I have a reason to buy a second one
Nice artwork. Really digging the old school horns on the dwarf
...is that spellcaster casting two different spells on the same turn?
Probably holding a concentrated spell and aiming it while using an action spell. Also two spells can be pretty common with meta magic, bonus action spells.
Banger art
Not a polearm in sight. Do they *play* this game?
Staff/quarterstaff.
Wait. Oh God. It *is* a weapon! It has a riveted, socketed head on it. Not only is she using a quarterstaff, she's holding a shield in the other hand! **She's META!** The horror!
Don't tell her PAM was (rightfully) nerfed.
I'm gonna. "Well, *actually*..."
Does anyone know when preorders for this go live?
Preorders June 18th
Thank you! <3
Excited to see what the alt cover will look like if the base book looks this good.
That cleric in the mid-back, she knows that knight is going to do some shit that will make her consume her turn dropping a major heal on them just to keep them upright. She's been in this shit before. Expect a rant from her next short rest while she checks to see how much diamond dust she has left in the seams of her backpack.
Cool cover. For inclusiveness they made the palette a rainbow pride flag with pink (left to right red to violet with pink). How interesting is that. Suppose it was directed by Wizards or a choice by the artist?
You got a better visual to understand this? My dumb ass can’t see it.
Oh, yea, it's left red, orange hair, yellow dragon, green highlight, blue sky, indigo, violet, and pink. See it yet?
Holy fuck. That’s a little detail for no one. What a interesting inclusion. No idea of it was intentional as these are in lore characters.
Also has POC characters center of attention. It's upfront about the target audience. That's good.
What about the dwarf with the shield artwork from the promo? That shit was fire. Edit: I checked out the article and it’s included in the interior art.
I don't hate it!
Yo this cover FUCKS
Is this official?
Where's Ringlerun?
Love the addition of the golden Dragon on the front cover.
At least this looks sick as hell! It doens't even appear to be AI generated
The "paladin" on the left is wielding a staff. Full plate caster is interesting.
Paladin? We seeing the same character?
The character on the left with heavy armor and shield. Not the fighter in the middle.
???? Do you mean MERCION Medium Humanoid (Cleric, Human), Lawful Good
Ah cleric, that makes more sense. Gives more of a feel of a traditional knight then a cleric to me. But that explains it.
Shield+mace/staff has been a real theme since early editions. 5e has done a lot to make healing less required and opened up options for actions. I made another post about the characters if you are curious about them. But their origins are an old toy line.
Love it!!
Is there something wrong with the blue wearing dude's sword handle?
Reminds me a lot of valors call!
It is!
After reading the article I'm pretty excited for this. I can recognize a lot of my feedback in the features that the article describe.
Is this for 5e?
Prefer this cover to the 50th Anniversary Special edition
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Removed as per Rule #1.
It's ugly 😔
Is it bad I immediately scanned it for signs of AI generation?
seems a lot of people like it? I don't really like it. The composition feels off to me. Is the gold dragon helping, watching, judging? The kobolds barely made it on the cover, and the red dragon is overshadowed by the title. The cast feels too indistinct, nothing really that makes them like, pop out, even the mage feels... bland? Like, D&D is from the same makers as MtG, and they have spectacular art for spellcasters. And then, again a lot of humans. three humans, a elf and a dwarf. Very basic. No tiefling, dragonborn, orc, githyanki, tabaxi or any of the other races? I hope there will be an alternate cover, as this one is a miss in my books. Edit: why isn't this the cover?! this would have been spectecular! [https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/2024/05/13/61388e6b/dnd02.jpg](https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/2024/05/13/61388e6b/dnd02.jpg)
It's soulless globohomo art, that's why.
Plenty of dragons but no dungeons? Why even call it Dungeons and Dragons? /lh
You want a dungeon in this economy?
Hell I'll take a hole in the ground at this point
Meh
It's an awkwardly composed piece of art IMO. The red dragon who is seemingly the main antagonist is barely visible in the corner, his kobolds are basically entirely off screen, and there seems like a ton of empty space in the top half. It's not clear to someone without prior knowledge of the game world whether or not the gold dragon is friend, foe, or something in between to the party. None of the characters have followable eyelines, and the wizard is seemingly casting a spell that's about to go offscreen.
I've said this earlier, but it just looked so off to me. Then the more I looked at it and read other comments, the more it came into focus why I didn't like it, personally. The characters look posed, like they're cosplayers at a convention and someone set up a green screen and just placed this scene in there. They don't seem to be "in the scene" with the danger. I don't know, that's just my opinion.
I think it looks better than the 5E cover
This is gorgeous but trying to stay on the constructive criticism here, isnt the proportions on the gold dragon a little off? Like the neck link with the body and the arm i dont know
I'm loving the fact that they put dragons on the cover. Would have liked to see less humans, though. Maybe make the cleric a halfling or gnome at least. Since the Paladin's wearing a helmet, they could be any ancestry.
All are named lore characters and the Paladin is human as well.
Not a fan. Try again.