81
votes
Accepted
Which type of dragon is depicted in the middle of the cover art for this chapter of the "Rise of Tiamat" published adventure?
Hey everyone this is Marcel Mercado, the artist behind the art. As many have pointed out, that is another silver dragon. The brief called for one Gold dragon, and two silver dragon. Quadratic Wizard ...
48
votes
Which type of dragon is depicted in the middle of the cover art for this chapter of the "Rise of Tiamat" published adventure?
It appears to be another silver dragon.
If you look closely, the middle dragon does have the crest on its head; it's just viewed at an oblique angle. Look how it flows down the full length of the ...
- 80.9k
47
votes
Accepted
Which creature is depicted in this Xanathar's Guide illustration of a war mage?
It is indeed a Ki-rin
Jeremy Crawford has stated in a tweet as a response to someone posing this same question:
Casey White @CaseyDaWhite
@mikemearls @JeremyECrawford Not sure who to ask, but ...
- 36.4k
37
votes
Accepted
What is Orcus doing with Mind Flayers in the art on the last page of Volo's Guide to Monsters?
This depicts Orcus raising Cyrog from Out of the Abyss
Warning: this answer is full of spoilers
During the Out of the Abyss adventure, the party travels to a location called Gravenhollow, a library ...
- 79k
35
votes
Accepted
What is the origin and meaning of D&D Beyond's spell school symbols?
These particular symbols date back to the AD&D 2nd edition revised Player's Handbook (1995), where they appear in an elaborate diagram in the specialist wizard rules depicting the eight opposing ...
- 80.9k
28
votes
Does Mage Hand give away the caster's position?
Probably not
Under the usual proviso of "spells only do what they say they do", then there is no indication in the spell description that the mage hand is visibly connected to the caster.
As you ...
- 28.3k
26
votes
What is the origin and meaning of D&D Beyond's spell school symbols?
Fair warning: this answer does not include any actual knowledge of the history of these symbols’ usage in D&D, nor any statements from D&D authors responsible for choosing them. Instead, I am ...
- 352k
25
votes
Accepted
Where do the symbols for the Spheres in Mage: the Ascension come from?
As Guybrush McKenzie’s fine answer notes, Wikipedia claims these are alchemical symbols depicted in Symbols, Signs, and Signets by Ernst Lehrer, 1950. However, I haven’t been able to find a copy of ...
- 352k
24
votes
Accepted
Which Deck of Many Things cards are depicted in this art?
I found this image online which lists all of the cards shown, as well as the two missing ones.
The gallery where I found this image can be found here
- 26.5k
20
votes
Accepted
What is the winged creature on the back of the Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes book?
It appears to be a Berbalang
Looking through the pictures in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes it most looks like the Berbalang.
Wizards of the coast has been known to put baby pictures of monsters in ...
- 27.9k
19
votes
Does Mage Hand give away the caster's position?
No, the image doesn't reference mage hand and the spell doesn't describe it working like this.
I honestly never would have thought this an option before seeing that picture. The written description ...
- 125k
18
votes
Who's the artist that drew the art on pages 148 and 220 of the PHB?
The art on page 148 is "Shield bash" by John Stanko.
The art on page 220 is "Burning Hands", also by John Stanko.
- 181
16
votes
Accepted
What monsters are depicted on the 2008 D&D 4e DM Screen?
This DM screen was released in August 2008, a couple of months after the first PHB, MM, and DMG were released (June 2008). MM2 and PHB2 weren't out until 2009 so this likely features exclusively MM1 ...
15
votes
Accepted
Why are rogues always depicted wearing so many belts?
They don't usually wear that many, but generally speaking, Rogues are the stereotypical "prepared for everything" character. They need belts because belts means pouches and other storage locations for ...
- 81k
15
votes
Accepted
Which of the Walking Statues does this art in the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist adventure depict?
Most likely The Great Drunkard
These are the Walking Statues of Waterdeep:
The God Catcher
The Griffon
The Sahuagin Humbled
The Great Drunkard
The Lady Dreaming
The Honorable Knight
The Hawkman
The ...
- 125k
14
votes
Accepted
Who is depicted in Dragon Heist's cover?
These are the characters described in "Choose Your Villain(s)," in the introduction:
The beholder looming behind is The Xanathar,
the eyepatch- and large hat-wearing drow is Jarlaxle Baenre,
the ...
- 101k
13
votes
Accepted
Who is pictured on the cover of Dragonlance Adventures?
You correctly identified the characters depicted in the image: indeed they are
Lord Ariakas (the dying man): the commander of the Dragon Army
Tanis Half-Elven (the standing one with a sword and a ...
- 28.7k
12
votes
Accepted
Is there any D&D 5e art for the Acolyte background/monster?
Turn back one page from the Acolyte Background
The art on PH p. 125 (the first page of the Backgrounds section) seems to depict an acolyte. The figure carries a mace (commonly associated with clerics ...
- 25.9k
11
votes
Where do the symbols for the Spheres in Mage: the Ascension come from?
They are derived from alchemical symbols
Several sources, including those cited on the Wikipedia article for Mage: The Ascension, match the sphere symbols to specific alchemical symbols. Some of the ...
10
votes
How to get permission to use Monster Manual images in articles and adventures “courtesy of Wizards of the Coast”?
Wizards of the Coast's D&D support site has a Submit a Request page that explicitly includes Permission Request. When you pull up Permission Request, it also includes a link to the Fan Content ...
- 37.8k
10
votes
Accepted
What is the lore behind why soul coins have the symbol of Bhaal on them?
We only get one side of the soul coin in official material
As far as I know, the only depiction of the soul coin in official D&D 5e material appears in Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus in ...
- 74.7k
10
votes
Which type of dragon is depicted in the middle of the cover art for this chapter of the "Rise of Tiamat" published adventure?
It's hard to be sure because the colouring doesn't really match anything except another silver dragon.
But I believe it is a copper dragon, based on the way the horns lie back against the head. ...
- 12.7k
9
votes
First time DM - Is it a good idea to use stock photos / images?
Presenting Is a Bad Idea
Presenting a list of photos to a group of people who gathered to play a game will result in immediate boredom. Powerpoint, in particular, is the worst way to keep the ...
- 3,267
7
votes
Accepted
Which identical image appears in each of these editions' DMGs?
That picture is a warrior trapped in a flooding room while attacked from behind by a skeleton. It appears in separate depictions by different artists in AD&D 1st edition, AD&D 2nd edition, and ...
- 80.9k
7
votes
Is there any D&D 5e art for the Acolyte background/monster?
There's no such thing as a single "official" acolyte appearance — an acolyte is just a low-rank or trainee priest. Use any art for a cleric that suits the specific NPC and religion you desire to ...
- 244k
7
votes
Which Deck of Many Things cards are depicted in this art?
Starting on the left, row by row:
Row 1
Knight
Moon
Fates
Donjon
Balance
Jester
Row 2
Gems
Void
Fool
Vizier
Row 3
Idiot
Flames
Key
Sun
Row 4
Euryale
Rogue
Skull
Star
Throne
Comet
This ...
- 24.4k
7
votes
Accepted
First time DM - Is it a good idea to use stock photos / images?
It's OK to use photos when they're relevant, but I recommend using them for yourself rather than for your players.
The focal point of a storytelling game is inevitably going to be telling of stories. ...
- 21.8k
7
votes
What nation in Eberron uses a crown as its symbol?
The D&D 3.5e Eberron supplement Five Nations describes the heraldry of every nation. Cyre is the one we’re looking for:
Cyre at a Glance
Data based on the Cyran census of 992 YK and accurate as ...
- 352k
7
votes
What type are the Dragons on these pages of Fizban's Treasury?
Page 14: Definitely Gold Dragon
The art on page 14 is consistent with the Monster Manual description and art for a gold dragon:
A gold dragon has a sagacious face anointed with flexible spines that ...
- 149k
6
votes
Accepted
Are there digital versions of book artwork?
The D&D Beyond versions of the books include all art from those books
The compendium content of each adventure on D&D Beyond is an online browsable version of that adventure. It contains not ...
- 49.9k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible