I was just looking at the picture in yesterday's blog that showed Valeros at 7th level. My god, that sword he is weilding is HUGE! There is no way that thing is a 4 pound long sword. In order for it to fit that weight it would have to be too thin to be usable. It's just ridiculously large.
I thought the guy holding the "bastard" sword (Otic?) was bad enough, then I saw this picture. Why can't they be shown with weapons that don't look like they came out of some video game?
I know, I know, it is just petty whining over a couple of pictures. It's just they pictures like that continue uphold the delusion people seem to have about swords these days.
Well, in it's defense, those are magical swords by the time he's 7th level.
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I know, I know, it is just petty whining over a couple of pictures. It's just they pictures like that continue uphold the delusion people seem to have about swords these days.
Well, here's my opinion: If every fantasy artist tries to hold to a 'realistic' interpretation of weapons and armor, then just about every single longsword is going to look exactly the same. Every suit of full plate is going to have all the exact same design (though there's a lot of customization applicable to engravings and whatnot). Every scimitar is going to be the same. Everything is going to fall into this extremely narrow interpretation of what is 'realistic' and the imagination and 'fantastic wonder' of the fantasy genre is going to disintegrate.
Now, things like the Buster Sword from FF7 are beyond the bounds of reason, IMO, but I don't have a single issue with Valeros' swords.
Meh, I've seen far less believable sword sizes in anime so I guess Valeros's sword doesn't really bother me that much.
Are we looking at the same picture? The sword is half as tall as he is; which is roughly the right proportion for a long sword. It may be a bit broad, but I don't think it's unreasonable.
I know, I know, it is just petty whining over a couple of pictures. It's just they pictures like that continue uphold the delusion people seem to have about swords these days.Well, here's my opinion: If every fantasy artist tries to hold to a 'realistic' interpretation of weapons and armor, then just about every single longsword is going to look exactly the same. Every suit of full plate is going to have all the exact same design (though there's a lot of customization applicable to engravings and whatnot). Every scimitar is going to be the same. Everything is going to fall into this extremely narrow interpretation of what is 'realistic' and the imagination and 'fantastic wonder' of the fantasy genre is going to disintegrate.
Now, things like the Buster Sword from FF7 are beyond the bounds of reason, IMO, but I don't have a single issue with Valeros' swords.
QFT
Well said,Fatespinner. I'm inclined to share this perspective. Even with bad art, I still treasure variety. As an artist myself, I enjoy diversity and making my art different from other artists: realism be damned.
I'm curious though why now his sword has become an issue since his image has been around since before August. If you want to split hairs about realism, how about Seoni's wardrobe while outdoors in winter, or how Merisiel gets that jewel to stay in her forehead, or why magic abounds when no such thing exists, or any other countlessly absurd issues. I'm not aware Golarian existed in history, so that's a sham as well.
Next thing you know, people will start to get skeptical about the size of Conan's codpiece. I say, you can't say for sure unless you've held it in your hands yourself.
Are we looking at the same picture? The sword is half as tall as he is; which is roughly the right proportion for a long sword. It may be a bit broad, but I don't think it's unreasonable.
The sword is over half his height, from what I can judge. Now, since the sword is held at an angle it is a bit of a judgment call on that. The width, which is almost a hand-width, plus the thickness implied in the picture is what gives it the appearance of an over-sized sword to me. As someone who used to deal with swords and other weapons as a volunteer at a military museum (and who studied military history as part of my BS), I have seen quite a number of swords from all over the world. Except for some bronze weapons, and certain ceremonial weapons, I can honestly say I have not seen something of those dimensions before.
Really, I just want to see things that don't jar me and make me go, "what the heck is that?"
I'm curious though why now his sword has become an issue since his image has been around since before August.I know, I know, it is just petty whining over a couple of pictures. It's just they pictures like that continue uphold the delusion people seem to have about swords these days.Well, here's my opinion: If every fantasy artist tries to hold to a 'realistic' interpretation of weapons and armor, then just about every single longsword is going to look exactly the same. Every suit of full plate is going to have all the exact same design (though there's a lot of customization applicable to engravings and whatnot). Every scimitar is going to be the same. Everything is going to fall into this extremely narrow interpretation of what is 'realistic' and the imagination and 'fantastic wonder' of the fantasy genre is going to disintegrate.
The reason I brought it up now is, quite honestly, this is the first time I have actually looked at it. I just recently started getting the Pathfinder material, and I really haven't paid attention to the cover, more on what is on the inside.
Oh, with regard to the repetitive look you think occurs with "realistic" arms and armor, I would be happy to show you works from Japan, China, India, England, Russia, and a host of other places that would be defined as plate armor that look nowhere near the same. This is equally true of of swords and other arms. Though weapons may fit a broad definition, it doesn't mean they will look the same.
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... that sword he is weilding is HUGE! There is no way that thing is a 4 pound long sword...
I think his sword weighing 4 pounds is every bit as realistic as are elves using magic to fight dragons is realistic. There used to be a guy in my gaming group that would start arguments like this all the time. My position is that realism is taking a break when we start talking about the aforementioned elves, dragons, and magic.
-Skeld
I think his sword weighing 4 pounds is every bit as realistic as are elves using magic to fight dragons is realistic. There used to be a guy in my gaming group that would start arguments like this all the time. My position is that realism is taking a break when we start talking about the aforementioned elves, dragons, and magic.... that sword he is weilding is HUGE! There is no way that thing is a 4 pound long sword...
Ok, in this case I am not talking just realism, I am talking game mechanics. In D&D 3.5 a longsword weighs 4 pounds, according to the PH. I am just trying to figure out how that illustration matches up to the game.
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Ok, in this case I am not talking just realism, I am talking game mechanics. In D&D 3.5 a longsword weighs 4 pounds, according to the PH. I am just trying to figure out how that illustration matches up to the game.
Easy fix for you, Miller: Increase the longsword's weight in your game. Or assume that the artist was given the description of Valeros as a "human male wearing raggedly clothing and dingy armor carring two swords: one long and the other not-so-long."
I guess I mean (without sounding totally fecetious, of course) that if we want cool images where the artist is able to exercise artistic license and establish his/her own style within the confines of a loose description of characters/places/events in the storyline, we have to be willing to accept some blurry historical innaccuracies. If you appreciate the different and varied tones of Pathfinder's (and to a larger extent, Paizo's) artwork, you have to sometimes accept that the longsword depicted probably doesn't adhere to historical reality. But, as stated numerous times above by other posters, neither do elves and dragons.
Well, I'm not an expert on medieval weapons, nor do I re-enact things at Ren Faires or anything like that. So I can't really talk about realism. But I am an artist and I'm pretty interested in fantasy stuff. All I can really say is that the way the piece looks is the most important bottom line to the artist and Wayne Reynolds in particular is known for taking things more toward the exaggerated. Indeed, sometimes you have to exaggerate somewhat in a picture to get the point across. He wants that sword to be prominent and powerful within the context of the picture; it's how this character makes his living, so it's a bit wider and heavier than it would be in real life. Accuracy to historical or RPG guidelines takes a back seat to how the finished product looks unless the artist in question is making a scene from a particular period in history. The artist, art director and editor in question felt that for this character in this fantasy world, it was appropriate. If this were set during the 100 Years War in France, it wouldn't be approriate.
That's my take at the least; I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.
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I was just looking at the picture in yesterday's blog that showed Valeros at 7th level. My god, that sword he is weilding is HUGE! There is no way that thing is a 4 pound long sword. In order for it to fit that weight it would have to be too thin to be usable. It's just ridiculously large.
I thought the guy holding the "bastard" sword (Otic?) was bad enough, then I saw this picture. Why can't they be shown with weapons that don't look like they came out of some video game?
I know, I know, it is just petty whining over a couple of pictures. It's just they pictures like that continue uphold the delusion people seem to have about swords these days.
Oh, that's nothing--there have been some illustrations of armor and weapons throughout D&D's illustrious 33-year history that would make this one look realistic. Especially in the helmet, shield & armor department.
At a certain point, you just gotta call it artistic license and move on.
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Well, I'm not an expert on medieval weapons, nor do I re-enact things at Ren Faires or anything like that. So I can't really talk about realism. But I am an artist and I'm pretty interested in fantasy stuff. All I can really say is that the way the piece looks is the most important bottom line to the artist and Wayne Reynolds in particular is known for taking things more toward the exaggerated. Indeed, sometimes you have to exaggerate somewhat in a picture to get the point across. He wants that sword to be prominent and powerful within the context of the picture; it's how this character makes his living, so it's a bit wider and heavier than it would be in real life. Accuracy to historical or RPG guidelines takes a back seat to how the finished product looks unless the artist in question is making a scene from a particular period in history. The artist, art director and editor in question felt that for this character in this fantasy world, it was appropriate. If this were set during the 100 Years War in France, it wouldn't be approriate.
That's my take at the least; I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.
Truth.
This is illustrative art; is the OP suggesting that Picasso's Guernica is a failure, and he should have just copied a photograph of the event/aftermath?
He's compensating.
You know, all I was saying is that I thought the sword was too big to be a depiction of a longsword. Really, that's all I was saying. You know, just forget I said anything. Nothing to see here. Move along.
You know, all I was saying is that I thought the sword was too big to be a depiction of a longsword. Really, that's all I was saying. You know, just forget I said anything. Nothing to see here. Move along.
No worries. You're absolutely entitled to your opinion. (I'm beginning to get sick of the illustrator in question myself, so I can see where you're coming from in some ways.)
It looks how I always imagined the Broad sword, but that didn't make it to 3rd edition :)
Indeed, sometimes you have to exaggerate somewhat in a picture to get the point across. He wants that sword to be prominent and powerful within the context of the picture; it's how this character makes his living, so it's a bit wider and heavier than it would be in real life. That's my take at the least; I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.
No; you're right... but at the same time, Reynolds has failed in his intent somewhat. Why so? Because pretty much all swords in D&D art now appear to weigh at least 432 pounds, and are typically depicted as being close to the wielder's height, with blades as wide as his (or her) torso. One guy with an oversized weapon makes your point. When they've all got them, the exaggeration ceases to have the desired impact anymore, and just looks silly. I'm with Mr. Miller to some extent on this one; it doesn't have to be Valeros, but sooner or later I'd like to see a few swords that are appropriately-sized. Arguments of "it's fantasy, dude! A nine-foot sword can weigh an eighth of an ounce!" don't do it for me; my reply is, "it's fantasy, dude! I'm gonna illustrate all the iconics with wings and 4 arms!"
SJ brings up a really good point that deserves a few minutes of explanation.
I am just trying to figure out how that illustration matches up to the game.
Short Answer: It totally doesn't.
Long Answer: It totally doesn't, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing considering what we get in exchange.
When we do our art orders, we do not send copies of the three core rulebooks out to our artists. Most don't even play D&D, they're just awesome fantasy illustrators. We tell them what we'd like to see and trust in their artistic capabilities to produce something awesome. And I think most folks would agree that they succeed the vast majority of the time. If something comes back that looks silly or blatantly defies what we want, we ask for revisions, but changes that have little effect on how we'll present the adventure and risk detracting from a composition (and potentially piss off our miraculously hardworking artists) are typically not worth the time and money to change. We're more likely to change an adventure's words then change a finished piece of art, it's faster and several hundred degrees of magnitude cheaper (both of which are constant concerns) to do it that way .
When we got Wayne's picture in of the as of the time unnamed fighter iconic, we spent several days gushing about how AWESOME our world's first character looked. When it came to stating him up, he got weapons that corresponded to what the picture suggested and that made him a workable pre-generated character. No one wants to start a campaign with a penalty for trying to use a two-handed weapon in one hand, that's noooo fun.
So ultimately, if there's any problem with any illustration being realistic, it's simply the cost we pay for working in a fantasy world, using an interpretive medium like illustration rather than photography, and working within the physics of what the rules allow and require to make cool characters and encounters. And again, more often then not, I think it ends up looking pretty cool!
So I hope that clears some stuff up! Oh, and as for that arm thing Valeros wears: that's a wrist brace, that sword is #$%@in' heavy!
Have you ever seen the old viking swords? Those would classify as long swords but are huge and heavy. The weight doesn't classify the sword, it if it can be held with one or two hands and not every longsword is going to weigh about 4 pounds.
Yeah, I think the thing to remember is that not all swords are going to be 4 lbs... Maybe that sword was crafted by the barbarians that live in the Hold of the Linnorm Kings (it is a frost longsword after all) who (this is just wild speculation) often have heavier swords more meant for smashing skulls than actual cutting (as some swords in real life were used for).
Have you ever seen the old viking swords? Those would classify as long swords but are huge and heavy. The weight doesn't classify the sword, it if it can be held with one or two hands and not every longsword is going to weigh about 4 pounds.
Yes, I have seen, and in a couple of cases handled, early (8th and 9th century) iking era swords. They are about 2" to 2.75" across, and generally under 36" in length. They range in weight from around 2 pounds to just under 4 pounds. Actually the way to classify a sword, according to Oakeshott's typology, is by blade form (including width, length, number of fullers, point style, etc.) hilt type (including pommel, crossguard and grip differences), and less commonly by general use (combat, ceremonial, presentation, etc.). Blade form and general use will determine a weapon's weight. Ceremonial weapons are heavier, and tend to be larger. Those are often times the ones that survived, as they were not taken out except for special occasions, so tended to not be lost, broken, or otherwise disposed of.
You know, I said to myself earlier today that I was going to keep my mouth shut about this topic, as I saw I was not really communicating what I wanted to say. This time I mean it when I say I am going to shut up about this now. I appreciate Wesley's comments on the subject, and I understand the vaguries of working with fantasy art and artists. I have a number of friends who are fantasy artists, some people have even heard of. :) The picture just hit a nerve, and I felt I should say something about it. That's all. I am not a "realism" freak, or anything like that. Just someone who felt like commenting on the art.
I really am going to shut up now.
Just someone who felt like commenting on the art.
It's all good man! No worries. Thanks for letting me rant!
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Now, things like the Buster Sword from FF7 are beyond the bounds of reason, IMO, but I don't have a single issue with Valeros' swords.
...I have a player that has been beggin' me to stat up First Tsurugi (which I refuse to do).
Yeah, I know how you feel. I actually wasn't that disappointed at first, but that is because I thought, "Nice bastard sword." Then when I saw the stats and that it was a longsword I thought (in an Eric Cartman voice), "Lame."
But it is probably best to just realize that almost all of the images are suppose to be caricatures. I mean look at the elf on p. 46 of The Skinsaw Murders, I keep expect at any moment to see Yakko, Wakko, and Dot to come bouncing out ("Hello Nurse!").
Creative Director
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Dang! The messageboards ate my post about the SEVEN TRUTHS OF SEONI wherein I answer the top 7 misconceptions about our lovely sorcerer. One of which was that the "sword" she has is a magic rod. It looks like a sword, sure, but she can't use a sword so why should she carry a sword?
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Ate one of my posts too a few minute ago too.
In any case, be nice and rewrite that SEVEN TRUTHS OF SEONI post.. pleeeease. :)
Why would she carry it? Maybe it's a +5 Kean Vorporal Defending Katana of Icy Burst that was passed down to her by her. I know you guys have corrected it before which is why I call it a "It's Not A Katana" Katana. :)
I'd be very interested in reading one of the art orders for a piece that made it into the paizo blog. How detailed are they and what comes from the artist's imagination?
Would it be possible to post one?
Ate one of my posts too a few minute ago too.
In any case, be nice and rewrite that SEVEN TRUTHS OF SEONI post.. pleeeease. :)
Why would she carry it? Maybe it's a +5 Kean Vorporal Defending Katana of Icy Burst that was passed down to her by her. I know you guys have corrected it before which is why I call it a "It's Not A Katana" Katana. :)
One of the aspects to the iconic party roles in D&D originate specifically from certain armor and weapon restrictions. By appearance alone, players can gauge with 70 - 98% accuracy what class an NPC is from the DM's description alone. From that, they can plan the most cliche of battle tactics: everyone aim for that robed figure that only weilds the staff and/or dagger first, etc. Not that this always works, but it can at least take away the mystery from a DM's cadre of encounters.
When I was a player, playing a wizard, witch, or psionicist, I'd take great pains to carry around weapon and shield (at least at low levels) to keep enemies guessing so that my character wasn't the first primary target. Even if I used weapons I was skilled in only, I'd still never hit anyway, so it didn't matter if I took out a sword and waved it like my character knew what he was doing.
"It's Not A Katana" Katana. :)
I have already houseruled that Golarion's elves are going to be competent with katana, samourai will be their favorite class!
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I'd be very interested in reading one of the art orders for a piece that made it into the paizo blog. How detailed are they and what comes from the artist's imagination?
Would it be possible to post one?
An art order's complexity is generally pretty variable. Some are simple; when Sean Glenn asked Wayne Reynolds to do the cover to Dragon 348, the entire art order read: "Draw Vecna being bad ass!" Cool thing about Wayne is, of coruse, that he knows D&D very well; for another artist we'd have to send reference and describe him, taking pains of course to note which eye and which hand are missing.
But generally, we try to describe as little as possible, so that our art orders aren't so complex that the artist gets lost or confused or frustrated. That's a hard thing to do in a lot of cases, since the game has so many things that aren't really open to artistic license (elves have to have pointy ears, wizards shouldn't wear armor, aboleths have four tentacles, that tiefling should have a tail, Seoni has tattoos, etc.).
Here's a few examples for illustrations I ordered for Pathfinder 1, though, so you can see what they look like. I'm not gonna post the entire order, though, since it's over a thousand words long...
7. Closet Goblin (.5 H)
Nighttime, inside of a young boy’s bedroom. He’s got the covers pulled up to his eyes and looks fearfully at the half open closet door across the room; an equally frightened looking goblin peers out of the shadows. The goblin’s got a scratch over his face and a swollen eye; he’s a little beat up. A small barking dog stands at the foot of the boy’s bed, furiously barking at the goblin. The scene is lit by moonlight coming in from an open window.
Reference: Goblins
19. Goblin Lair (.5 H)
This illustration shows the goblins’ lair. It’s on top of a cliff overlooking the sea. A tangle of thickets grows on top of the cliff, several diseased trees grow out of it here and there. A rope bridge descends from the cliff edge in the middle of the thorny thicket, leading downward at an angle to an island about 60 feet off shore. This island is a rocky protrusion sticking up from the surf, an island that is in fact the remnants of an immense statue’s head. The statue head was once of Karzoug (see reference), but it’s badly eroded. It sits at a slight cant, at about a 10-degree lean, so its left eye is slightly closer to the surf than the right, the lower half its face worn away by the passage of time so only its badly weathered eyes glare balefully out to sea. The island-head itself is about 120 feet in diameter and its top is about 50 feet above sea level.
Atop the island head is a wooden stockade with a few wisps of smoke.
The focus of the illustration is a fight taking place at the edge of the island head’s seaward side; the angle should be looking downward slightly so we can see the face on the island’s cliff below. The fight shows the iconic sorceress and the iconic fighter fighting back to back (him with sword, her with an upraised hand that shimmers with electricity) against several goblins and goblin dogs (see Bestiary section) that have surrounded them. The fighter’s just hit a goblin with his sword and the goblin tumbles off the cliff’s edge. Thick patches of thickets grow along the base of the wooden building and along the cliff edges on the island head, but none in the area where the fight is taking place.
Illustration happens at sunset.
I’ll hopefully have a map of this site ready on Monday to send as reference so the illustration will match the map itself.
Reference: Karzoug
Reference: Sorceress
Reference: Goblins
Reference: Goblin Stockade Map
27. Ameiko (Head Shot)
This woman is in her late 20s; she’s of Asian descent. She’s attractive, with a small nose ring, earrings, and a tattoo of a snake on her left shoulder. She’s got an easy laugh and blue eyes and brown hair; she’s dressed nice with some cleavage for her customers to ogle if that’ll get them to buy more drinks.
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Creative Director
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Okay... here's the fast version of the Seven Truths of Seoni:
1) That thing on her back is a magic rod. Not a sword.
2) By the time she heads up to the snow, she'll own a wand of endure elements.
3) It's pronounced see-OH-nee.
4) They're natural.
5) She's too obsessed with magic to have realized that one of her traveling companions has a crush on her.
6) She likes blowing things up and is kind of a pyro—if she were real, Michael Bay would be her favorite movie director.
7) I can't for the life of me remember the seventh truth. That one must have been a lie.
Awesome! Thanks James. Posting examples of the art orders really gives me a sense of how y'all create the universe that we're imagining.
Cheers,
El Skootro
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Okay... here's the fast version of the Seven Truths of Seoni:
1) That thing on her back is a magic rod. Not a sword.
2) By the time she heads up to the snow, she'll own a wand of endure elements.
3) It's pronounced see-OH-nee.
4) They're natural.
5) She's too obsessed with magic to have realized that one of her traveling companions has a crush on her.
6) She likes blowing things up and is kind of a pyro—if she were real, Michael Bay would be her favorite movie director.
7) I can't for the life of me remember the seventh truth. That one must have been a lie.
Hmmm, I think we've heard the 5th truth before. One of them has a crush on her, hmmmm, wonder when we'll find out who.
As for the 7th, a joke or a tease.. I'm thinking tease.
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Creative Director
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Hmmm, I think we've heard the 5th truth before. One of them has a crush on her, hmmmm, wonder when we'll find out who.
As for the 7th, a joke or a tease.. I'm thinking tease.
It's a tease to me, that's for sure. I know for a fact that I came up with 7 of them for her. Now I'll be tortured all weekend, trying to remember what that one was.
Oh well.
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Hmmm, I think we've heard the 5th truth before. One of them has a crush on her, hmmmm, wonder when we'll find out who.
As for the 7th, a joke or a tease.. I'm thinking tease.
It's a tease to me, that's for sure. I know for a fact that I came up with 7 of them for her. Now I'll be tortured all weekend, trying to remember what that one was.
Oh well.
...where is her familiar?!?
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Creative Director
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...where is her familiar?!?
THAT'S IT!
YAY!Seoni can't afford a familar in her writeup for Burnt Offerings. She gets a Familiar later on though; a bluetailed skink named Dragon. And what's a skink? It's a lizard. That's why Seoni gets her Climb skill called out once she gets the familiar; Dragon helps her climb!
That was it! YAY!
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It looks how I always imagined the Broad sword, but that didn't make it to 3rd edition :)
Y'know, for the longest time I though it hadn't made the cut in 2e, either. In fact, I had an argument over that with a friend back in '93 (or thereabouts)--good-natured, of course--but neither of us were willing to back down. To my surprise, he whipped out his PHB and lo! There was the broadsword. Confused, I brought out my PHB--no broadsword in sight. I had a first printing PHB, he had a later printing. After that, everyone laughed like at the end of an 80's cartoon episode. :D
Yeah, I know--a wild tangent and a thread-jacking all in one, but I felt like sharing. :Þ
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THAT'S IT! YAY! Seoni can't afford a familar in her writeup for Burnt Offerings. She gets a Familiar later on though; a bluetailed skink named Dragon. And what's a skink? It's a lizard. That's why Seoni gets her Climb skill called out once she gets the familiar; Dragon helps her climb! That was it! YAY!
Ahh.. now I wonder how long it'll be before Dragon shows up in some of the art. :)
...where is her familiar?!?THAT'S IT!
YAY!Seoni can't afford a familar in her writeup for Burnt Offerings. She gets a Familiar later on though; a bluetailed skink named Dragon. And what's a skink? It's a lizard. That's why Seoni gets her Climb skill called out once she gets the familiar; Dragon helps her climb!
That was it! YAY!
If Valeros gets a big sword then Seoni should get a big Skink. It's only fair.
Ate one of my posts too a few minute ago too.
In any case, be nice and rewrite that SEVEN TRUTHS OF SEONI post.. pleeeease. :)
Why would she carry it? Maybe it's a +5 Kean Vorporal Defending Katana of Icy Burst that was passed down to her by her. I know you guys have corrected it before which is why I call it a "It's Not A Katana" Katana. :)
One of the aspects to the iconic party roles in D&D originate specifically from certain armor and weapon restrictions. By appearance alone, players can gauge with 70 - 98% accuracy what class an NPC is from the DM's description alone. From that, they can plan the most cliche of battle tactics: everyone aim for that robed figure that only weilds the staff and/or dagger first, etc. Not that this always works, but it can at least take away the mystery from a DM's cadre of encounters.
When I was a player, playing a wizard, witch, or psionicist, I'd take great pains to carry around weapon and shield (at least at low levels) to keep enemies guessing so that my character wasn't the first primary target. Even if I used weapons I was skilled in only, I'd still never hit anyway, so it didn't matter if I took out a sword and waved it like my character knew what he was doing.
I have done this too. I played a elven wizard who carried his father's longsword and wore tight clothing with lots of pockets. The DM played it like most people didn't know what he was. It was cool. I played him as the archologist type, learned and always looking for more knowledge (sort of like Indiana Jones) but he did use magic. He was seldom attacked first because of the longsword and the fact that he didn't wear robes.
I love Wayne Reynolds pictures (he's one of my top 5 D&D artists), but from a purely artistic perspective he does have a few flaws, especially when it comes to the sizing of weapons (he's not alone in that) and his depiction of bodies and faces (sometimes his characters verge on caricature because of his comic book-like style). He's not employed to depict reality, though, so I have no problem with anything he does.
Here's a few examples for illustrations I ordered for Pathfinder 1...
Thanks James!