It looks like our favorite half-elf paladin-in-blue and the red elf rogue have some new pals. It looks like one is a tiefling fighter-type and the other, well, I have no idea. She may be a cleric, and she has all those blade-looking things on her clothing.
I am basing this on the fact that those two new images appear both on the cover and in a couple of other interior illustrations with the elf and the paladin.
Did something happen to the ranger-ish woman and the sorcerer guy?
I can't believe I am this interested in this. Wow, I need to get out more.
Creative Director
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Never fear! The ranger and the sorcerer are doing fine. We've just added three new faces to the Dungeon family; a drow bard, a tiefling fighter, and a human cleric of Wee Jas. You can expect all seven of these characters to pop in now and then in the magazine, and eventually, I wouldn't be surprised to see a monk, wizard, barbarian, and druid join the fun...
Wow, James, are you always lurking around to answer questions like this?
Cool to see some new blood in the iconics. I really enjoy seeing how all of the great artists who contribute to Dungeon interpret these characters. Brings me back to my days when I read X-Men and looked forward to new visions of those characters.
I think these iconics are a good idea, it really brings a nice visual representation of the "shared experience" aspect of D&D. Not only do the characters connect all the variety of adventures Dungeon provides, but it also creates an artistic common ground to show off the talents of the various artists who make D&D eye-candy as well as a game.
I really appreciate all the attention you guys pay to these little details, it is clear you care as much for the institution that is Dungeon (and Dragon) as all of us fans do.
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Creative Director
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Wow, James, are you always lurking around to answer questions like this?
I am!
As Erik mentioned on some other thread somewhere out there on the Internets, another handy thing about using these characters over and over is that we don't have to explain to an artist how to illustrate a "drow bard" or a "human paladin." We just provide a picture as reference and say, "paint this guy."
I am!As Erik mentioned on some other thread somewhere out there on the Internets, another handy thing about using these characters over and over is that we don't have to explain to an artist how to illustrate a "drow bard" or a "human paladin." We just provide a picture as reference and say, "paint this guy."
Plus it means that I get to make Wayne Reynolds create cool characters from descriptions that James, Erik, and myself cook up.
You can thank me for the cool instrument the Drow bard plays. It's based on an Asian instrument called a pipa, as filtered through Wayne's incredible pencil (I think his artistic talent may have something to do with it too).
Never fear! The ranger and the sorcerer are doing fine. We've just added three new faces to the Dungeon family; a drow bard, a tiefling fighter, and a human cleric of Wee Jas.
Not to get too meta-gamey on you, but the Tiefling Fighter: Is she, in fact, wielding a longsword and a sickle by way of Two-Weapon Fighting? If so... Awsome. That's a combination I need to try or otherwise build on at some point (as I enjoy using underused weapons. Hmmm... Scythe + Monkey Grip + TWF + Sickle = ...?).
And since I've already crossed into the field of such things... While I understand, and do not argue with, the level of iconishness in the first four feature charachters (Rogue, Ranger, Paladin and Sorceror)... Just how "iconic" are a Tiefling and a Drow? Exotic, certainly, and that indeed cpatures the essence of the game, but I really want to know... Why were these two decidedly non-standard races chosen to be icons?
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Creative Director
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The tiefling is indeed a Two-Weapon fighter. She's on the cover of issue #125, as it turns out, but she's using a somewhat different combo there.
As for how "iconic" they are... well, drow are one of the more popular races in D&D, despite a lot of backlash against them for being "overexposed." The simple fact is that issue #119 sold extreemly well. The reasons for this are complex, but one of the major factors is probably because there's a drow on the cover. By making one of our characters a drow, that gives us more of an excuse to put drow in the issue without having to do drow adventures (which are pretty much played-out for now, as far as I feel).
Also, we wanted to go with characters who were immediately recognizable as unique characters. Tieflings certainly count as recognizable!
The tiefling is indeed a Two-Weapon fighter. She's on the cover of issue #125, as it turns out, but she's using a somewhat different combo there.
As for how "iconic" they are... well, drow are one of the more popular races in D&D, despite a lot of backlash against them for being "overexposed." The simple fact is that issue #119 sold extreemly well. The reasons for this are complex, but one of the major factors is probably because there's a drow on the cover. By making one of our characters a drow, that gives us more of an excuse to put drow in the issue without having to do drow adventures (which are pretty much played-out for now, as far as I feel).
Also, we wanted to go with characters who were immediately recognizable as unique characters. Tieflings certainly count as recognizable!
119? Not just any Drow, but a very awsome-looking one at that.
I'll admit that I don't much care for Drow, but I like them a whole lot more than Mind Flayers (another overused race if ever there was one...)
As for the rest of your answer... I had halfway figured that's why you (the team, if not you as a person) had chosen them. I had to ask, however, as I was curious. You do have to go with what sells issues, and pains some people as it does, things like drow and dragons and such do in fact sell. (I've long ago come to accept such things, and don't let them rob me of sleep. Indeed, I very ofen just say "Now that's a cool picture" and be done with it...)
And speaking of curious, what combination IS the Tiefling using on the cover of 125? I know the preview isn't up yet, but I doubt it'd kill anyone to at least say... ;p
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Creative Director
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And speaking of curious, what combination IS the Tiefling using on the cover of 125? I know the preview isn't up yet, but I doubt it'd kill anyone to at least say... ;p
It wouldn't... but I'm not sure the weapon she's using in her off hand really has any corollary with a D&D weapon. Kinda a sickle, kinda a long dagger, kinda a kukri...
Her other hand's got a short sword, though.