D&D: Five Old Monsters Desperately in Need of New Art
D&D is full of amazing monsters. And their modern art style is gorgeous. But older monsters? Welllll… sometimes not so much.
There are a lot of monsters in Dungeons & Dragons. And a lot of great art too. In fact, the art is more and more central to the experience. The game isn’t just fun to play, it looks good too. Head to Wizard’s games page, and you’ll find the following:
“At Wizards, everything starts with legendary stories, striking art, and innovative game play.”
That hasn’t always been the case though. Back in the 90s, with 2nd edition, came a whole compendium of monsters with a big artistic overhaul. Monsters, like most things in the ’90s, got a little cooler. Sometimes a little too cool.
Let us cast our gaze back, to the D&D of yore. When orcs were green and undead all had one arm raised a little higher than the other:
And not a-one of them was wearing pants. Let’s take a look at five monsters in need of new art.
Poltergeist
First up, the Poltergeist. These malevolent spirits are supposed to be terrifying. They’re the restless spirits of people who committed heinous crimes in life (and got away with it). They are normally invisible, but anyone who can see them will see their twisted forms weighed down by the weight of their sins, Jacob Marley style. Except here’s what they actually look like.
Sure, like all undead, one arm is a little higher than the other. But you don’t pity this poor man, you just want to get him some pants. And skin cream. Maybe a little hair product.
Elementals
Whether you’re summoning them to use against your enemies, or having to fight them because your party has insisted on yet again dumping over the brazier that’s smoldering quietly in the room, even though you’ve already told them not to, elementals are a staple of D&D. They are described as “terrible to behold and fierce opponents.” But what do these bastions of elemental glory whose countenances are too fierce to behold look like?
I can’t tell for certain, but I think the little flames on either side are the fire elemental’s hands. It looks exciting to have company over. Meanwhile, the water elemental is worrying about whether or not they made enough canapes and has thrown its droplet arms up as it paces about, worrying.
Osquip
Osquips are rats whose bite attack is worse than normal. They do more damage, and the monster itself is bigger, about the size of a cat. The artist read this brief, had one immediate thought, and then never looked back.
Sea Lion
Okay, now this one I’m actually fine with this. I just want to see what WotC does with the concept of a lion mermaid.
…
Vampiric Mist
“Run that by me one more time?”
“Okay, so you know mist, right?”
“Yeah…”
“Just do that, but, like, vampiric.”
Originally appearing in the classic Star Trek episode “Obsession“, the vampiric mist is a classic monster. But this mist doesn’t even have eyes. How are you supposed to know what’s drinking your blood?
Bonus: Invisible Stalker
Clearly, someone lost a dare…
What’s your “favorite” piece of D&D art from the older edition?
