I was waiting for you to mention elementals. The artwork for the air and water elementals is weirdly mesmerizing, almost looks like they're in pain or like they're horribly distraught that they are forced to kill someone on the whim of a wizard.
Come to think of it, you’re right, Fire and Earth do have a confined form with Fire being a campfire and Earth being a small pile of mud, but both Air and Water are ridiculously big, it’s gonna be like ripping your finger off when conjuring one
This. The elementals (specifically air and water) look so creepy yet powerful, the way they’re unnaturally warped, crushed confined into this form is morbidly mesmerizing.
27:04 you just answered your own question there champ with regards to the shield of bane. The "scraped together armour" implies that knolls are scavengers and will use what ever they can for armour and weaponry. Whether they've killed a humanoid or just found their body, if there's anything that they can salvage, they will take it.
@@TheMightyBattleSquid depends, lizardfolk might consider them to be more food than companion. Also depends on how religious that particular knoll pack is, they might want to just war with the lizardfolk rather than form an alliance.
Hyenas are actually a very social animal with a well-defined hierarchy IRL, too. To me at least Lawful Evil seems totally in-character, albeit a very alternative interpretation.
I am going to be honest, but i have never liked Demigorgon’s design. He is supposed to be the most powerful Demon lord and yet i have never felt intimidated by his apperance. I like the concept of having the most powerful demon lord look like a wild monster beast but something about his design makes me think of a strong monster serving a demon lord rather than being a demon lord himself
The "Prince of Demons" thing was assigned by Demogorgon himself, if I'm not mistaken. And quite honestly, I'm not in any mood to correct him. But I don't think the Prince thing holds any weight outside of his own vanity
Man I never really noticed the generic pastel blotches behind almost everything, and now looking through the book I feel like it really makes it seem like a repository of doctor's office wall art lol
Esper, the Levitation was an Elder Evil in 3.5 book Elder Evils. It was a aberration or monstrosity in that and it brought the end of the world if it ever woke up.
It's kinda similar, but that one was called 'The Leviathan' whereas the Elder Elemental in 5e is just called 'Leviathan' and has completely different lore. So I'd imagine, they aren't meant to be the same creature.
@@danielborden4126 Yeah, I feel you. A while back, there was a complete 5e conversion of the book over on r/unearthedarcana and I've been wondering ever since why Wizards haven't done more with them.
Yes, agreed. You could zoom in on any piece of one of his paintings and make an adventure, mini series, character base, antihero, creature offshoot, etc.... He was a true master of painting and proclaiming the imagination. Everything he did screamed adventure in 3D and deep color. I could always FEEL the temp in his paintings and need a coat or want to ditch one. His paintings always made me want to roll morale checks. The multiple layers of clouds made me think I could step into them and actually live there, want to live there....
I do feel I should point out old school fae creatures like pixies and fairies can be very dark. There's a story about a man who said aloud he owed them what he owned and then they showed up to his house to turn his cows in side out take all the meat off their bones and then but the bones and skin back together and left the cow alive in a state between life and death.
Personally I am quite fond of the 5e nightwalker. it just looks so much more unnervering compared to older versions that just look like monsters to fight(3rd edition is close second)
Elmore art..... Nothing compares. Everything in it has depth and a texture. The longer you look at it the more adventures come to mind. His entire piece is an adventure. The layers of the sky, you can feel the temp. The antagonist.... you want to know more about him OR if you're a DM.... you are already working on it. You can feel how much time you have left. How long has this place been here? This area has history and intention. "There's something here." Are you sure who the bad guy is? Is he dead? Will she heal him in time? Is she too late?
I like the 5e hell hound, but if you wanna see a really awesome hell hound depiction, check out the adnd "Saga of the Shadow Lord" module cover, it has a more realistic take on the hellhound but it looks really cool, It's got literal lava coming out of the maw
I'm following you for a days now and I have to say that I'm happy to find your videos. I love it when it's long, because it doesn't even seem to be, it's well done and has a lot of informations and I can see the difference in quality between the older videos and this one. Good work!!
I enjoy your work and effort, and while i disagree with some of your points here that is the nature of personal tastes, i am very pleased to see such a calm and honest take as we all see far too often is simply knee jerking denials. Thank you Mr Esper.
an example of 5e artwork I personally like is the Nightwalker. I've always really liked this monsters design, and while the 3e and 4e artwork is great in its own right too, the 5e one just looks freaky! its thin shape, rotting flesh, six eyes, and the black haze coming off of it just adds to it so much! Plus, having a terrified guard for scale really helps in showing how big this monster is
I think earlier edition were more stylized, but suffer a lot of inconsistency in the art style on the books and weren´t specially polished. 5e makes sure to have a more modern aestethic with less style but a lot more mood, specially for the mosters. Also adding the page layout, makes 5e feel more modern and easy to pick up and ready as any other edition
As an artist it’s so fun to see you react to a lot of this art with genuine enthusiasm it’s good to know that our work can be appreciated in this way. Artists these days don’t see how there work can impact others because there is a level of separation from artist and viewer due to the internet. So thanks for this.😊
On the Frost Giant's pauldron, I like to think it's some sort of dragon skull, like maybe it's a white dragon's skull or something. That would be pretty epic if it was.
The horn placement suggests a blue dragon. Which is strange beaches blue dragons live in desert climates. Though it is possible it was a white dragon with a slightly deformed horn.
@@Fistminer Yeah, I was thinking white dragon because that is, most likely, the kind of dragon a frost giant might run into. I mean, who knows, could be something else.
@@Fistminer to be fair giants and dragons have been fighting since time in memorial. The idea that a frost giant centuries ago killed a blue dragon and turned it into a paldrun that is passed down threw either it's own blood line, or maybe earned within some sort of clan as a badge of honor, as some cool lore to the world without any real work.
I havent met anyone with your taste in art though I've seen that type or artistry all over the place. Refreshing change of pace to hear someone adress that kind of art.
The myconid is my favorite. It really sells the alien nature of myconids. You can’t tell what they’re thinking or what they want or how they even work. There’s a surreal eeriness to them, like they could be a dream you’re having from taking mushrooms or inhaling spores
I agree with you in everything you said in this video but I was shocked not to see the Mordenkainen's tome of foes' Zuggtmoy and Jubilex art. That piece of art was breathtaking.
I had the video zoomed in some on my phone so when the 5e Frost Giant came up, it looked like the art cut off the everything above his chin. I thought that was great! He's too giant for this frame!
You've covered many creatures on your channel. One topic I've never seen covered on YT are the friendly DnD creatures/monsters. I recently encountered a Tressym in a module and it got me interested in more innocent/less violent creatures.
The merrow's art inspired me so strongly that it was the very first monster I ever used when I ran my first D&D session. Really love their design, and frankly I've always enjoyed the aquatic monsters.
Regarding 5e Orcus, I really liked all the points you brought up. Up until now, he looked too much like a typical demon to me. "He has bat wings and red skin and, and.. .He's red! And he has horns! And tail! And muscles!". I don't know. He looked too humanoid and not eerie enough. Now with the flesh piled off his head, and his body looking like a deformed version of it's former self, he feels more unnatural. Although I don't like that grin on the skull in his scepter :)
Super , i've just stopped the video at second 0:01 this quote from Van Gogh is yet inspiring me so much... the world of dreams is the craddle of all arts. where the clouds are the saddles of all hearts. When The Dunes are the pages of all oracles. And the Winds'sands are the quills of all Gods. Then the singing bards are the flying bushes. Carrying the fairy tales from oasis to mirages.
I'm now curious for your opinion on the bad art of D&D. Not the bland stuff like the sterile 5e stuff, but the art that makes you genuinely question what in God's name was going on in the head of the artist who drew it. And not just the stuff from when Gary was hiring amateurs out of his garage, but also stuff from the actual professionals where it was clear that either they or more likely the art director were off their rocker.
Surprised for frost giants you didn't mention the awesome full art piece in Volo's Guide of a frost giant about to wrestle bare handed a Remorhaz with epic mountains in the background.
Alhoons are a variety of Illithid that have embraced undeath and thus could be potent servants of Orcus. They're not exactly welcome in the dens of regular Mind Flayers, so they'd have to be solo or seek the protection or patronage of a stronger being. Could be a nifty bit of storytelling from that cover art with Orcus and the Elder Brain.
On the demogorgon the second one you show is by Tyler Jacobson. He’s ridiculously good. He also did Descent into Avernus and white a few other book covers
I just started running a game for my 11year old daughter and her friends. They got a kick out of looking through the artwork from my first edition books after becoming familiar with 5e.
My rating of the Demogorgon art: 9/10.⭐ My rating of the Bodak art: 8/10.🌟 My rating of the Elip art: 9/10.⭐ My rating of the Leviathan art: 8/10.🌟 My rating of the Azer art: 8/10.🌟 My rating of the Maiconid art (sorry if I didn't write that right): 10/10.💯 My rating of the Water Wierd: 8/10.🌟 Water elemental: 8/10.🌟 Hell Hound: 9/10.⭐ Halmed Horror: 8/10.🌟 Clay Golem: 8/10.🌟 Frost Giant: 8/10.🌟 Cockatrice: 10/10.💯 Aniss Hag: 10/10.💯 Flail Snail: 8/10.🌟 Witherling: 10/10.💯 Gnoll: 8/10.🌟 Pixie: 7/10.✨ Orcus: 9/10.⭐ Beholder: 9/10.⭐
Be cool if you did some vids on 40k art. Both the older stuff (john Blanche), and the newer Age of Sigmar stuff. The older stuff is amazing, but some of the newer art is also great. ty
Demogorgon in the Immortals Set is the best image ive ever seen of the demon lord. Leviathan was a monster from the Creature Catalogue of BECMI D&D in the Mystara world. 5e has stolen a lot of monsters from Mystara.
I think the character on The Player's handbook is shocked because she was trying to get away from him but the fire giant king wound up charging at her and is about to barrel down on top of her. This is just my theory and interpretation of the piece of work. She wasn't trying to charge towards him he just wound up circling around her and cutting her off while she was trying to retreat.
For anyone wondering what commoner armor looked like, and has only seen the fancy stuff in museums, please check out Visby. The armor looks like what we envision Orc armor to be.
actually I think the picture of the wizard healing herself I think her face is the result of her trying to get away to heal but the gaint caught up...hence the shocked face...she's scared and thought she was safe.
I feel like 5e art is like, so much more washed out, and they tend to give monsters way too human features at times idk. I think 4e had my favorite art cause it's very evocative and colorful, while even in some of these examples it kinda feels like the monsters blend themselves together a bit too much idk
35:00 Honestly I really don't see terror in the eyes of the Beholder-beholders. The adventurer on the foreground is clearly beckoning his or her allies, not fleeing.
11:09 "not again...those chains of magic." A slave forced to act on the will of a mage summoning is a cruel art The expression appears despair melancoly, and lamentation of a terrible fate.
The player handbook of 5e shows the secret and totally op spell called True Strike and how it should be used by players in their encounter. 1. Fill all your spell slots with True Strike, haste or any kind of movement spell 2. Find giant monster 3. Dash in before any of your party members 4. True Strike the monster, preferably on the nose, but the little toe also works 5. ???? 6. Profit!
I still think 2/2.5 has the best art. But glad you like the modern stuff, I am old enough at this point to know not everything is for me and people are allowed to like other stuff.
tbh i like earlier edition art better than 5e art not because its better...dont get me wrong 5e art most of the time is way more detailed, lifelike and just more descriptive (which is the point of art) but earlier art especially 3e art gives off vibes of drawings/sketches of someone who remembers seeing the creature/describing it to someone else to draw it...which gives much more room for imagination and not a fixed mental image of a thing.... with 5e its: "oh thats what it looks like" whereas earlier editions focus on "if you'd describe it...what would it look like?" key features of monsters are set...but the whole is left to the imagination...which is also the point of dnd
Honestly I very heavily prefer previous editions of Demogorgon, with the colorful Mandrill heads. For one it makes them distinct from all other demons and especially devils, where in 5e they feel more generic, like it could be any devil/demon and the more uniform color makes me think of them as more devil like. I think the mixing of various creatures gives it a very chaotic feel, which is appropriate for the Chaotic Evil Demons, like it was just various features from various creatures thrown together at random. Also with the current 5e Demogorgon I think the lack of lips or any facial features works against it. Imagine seeing 4e demo, both heads staring at you kindly, and maybe the interaction can start off friendly, but as you talk one of the faces starts snarling reveling huge canines and screeching angrily while the other stays calm. But then both heads for seemingly no reason turn aggressive and it's clear on their face that they're going to attack. That's just a problem I have with Demons, that I feel they should be distinct from Devils, but often times I can't tell the difference based on their appearence.
Neither.The one in the middle is a Frost Titan who is twice the size of a frost Giant.He is crouching and stepping forward so they are more or less standing in a line.
@@thewatcher3429 I keep forgetting one of D&D's monster designs is "Y'know that terrifying monster that was a boss at lvl 9? the one that was a challenge to take down? Well that's just a diet version of something bigger and meaner"
I absolutely agree with these pieces being some of the best in the game across all editions. I have to say though that Leviathan did appear in 3rd edition's Elder Evils book, and I'm quite fond of the illustration of it. It's hard to go wrong with a venomous viper crossed with a plesiosaur look, and I honestly preferred the lore of the Leviathan being a Lovecraftian Jormungandr-type of monstrosity over the giant water elemental stuff of 5e.
*Sees title* the Bodak better be here.
EDIT: Eyyy...
Now, what of the Invisible Stalker
Dude, the invisible stalker in the 2e manual was some masterful old school trolling
@@OMentertainment ye
I love the "Esper Disapproves" noises, such as "bah" or "beh" following a concept he dislikes. It's hilarious
Esper can be very eloquent, but when words aren’t enough to express his dissaproval, he opts to use interjections
Its the charm of this channel for sure
I was waiting for you to mention elementals. The artwork for the air and water elementals is weirdly mesmerizing, almost looks like they're in pain or like they're horribly distraught that they are forced to kill someone on the whim of a wizard.
Come to think of it, you’re right, Fire and Earth do have a confined form with Fire being a campfire and Earth being a small pile of mud, but both Air and Water are ridiculously big, it’s gonna be like ripping your finger off when conjuring one
This. The elementals (specifically air and water) look so creepy yet powerful, the way they’re unnaturally warped, crushed confined into this form is morbidly mesmerizing.
27:04 you just answered your own question there champ with regards to the shield of bane. The "scraped together armour" implies that knolls are scavengers and will use what ever they can for armour and weaponry.
Whether they've killed a humanoid or just found their body, if there's anything that they can salvage, they will take it.
I was actually thinking the same thing mostly because the creature is inspired by the hyena which are known to hunt and scavenge for food.
I wonder if they could get along with lizardfolk who historically make bone weapons (excluding the recent nerf to that)
@@TheMightyBattleSquid depends, lizardfolk might consider them to be more food than companion. Also depends on how religious that particular knoll pack is, they might want to just war with the lizardfolk rather than form an alliance.
Hyenas are actually a very social animal with a well-defined hierarchy IRL, too. To me at least Lawful Evil seems totally in-character, albeit a very alternative interpretation.
I am going to be honest, but i have never liked Demigorgon’s design. He is supposed to be the most powerful Demon lord and yet i have never felt intimidated by his apperance.
I like the concept of having the most powerful demon lord look like a wild monster beast but something about his design makes me think of a strong monster serving a demon lord rather than being a demon lord himself
Speaking of Design Yeenoghu pretty much takes the cake as "scary beast-monster" Demonlord
I agree
Could be because instead of looking like a king who gives orders to lesser demons looks like he's the one doing the action?
The "Prince of Demons" thing was assigned by Demogorgon himself, if I'm not mistaken.
And quite honestly, I'm not in any mood to correct him. But I don't think the Prince thing holds any weight outside of his own vanity
@@RecklessInternetting well, it still holds enough merit that Orcus wants that title for himself
Man I never really noticed the generic pastel blotches behind almost everything, and now looking through the book I feel like it really makes it seem like a repository of doctor's office wall art lol
Nobody:
This guy: "this Cockatrice art gives my life meaning!"
The spider people one (no clue how to spell it) the art over the years looks like they actually evolved, not just art wise but as a species
Chittine.
Ettercaps
@@thothamon9046 No, ettercaps are different to chitines, and chitines are what they were features in this video.
Have you ever just stared at a flail snails shell man
Esper, the Levitation was an Elder Evil in 3.5 book Elder Evils. It was a aberration or monstrosity in that and it brought the end of the world if it ever woke up.
It's kinda similar, but that one was called 'The Leviathan' whereas the Elder Elemental in 5e is just called 'Leviathan' and has completely different lore. So I'd imagine, they aren't meant to be the same creature.
@@leuchtelicht4879 I know they do. Wish Elder evils got more attention, though Mordenkainen's tome of foes does reference them a little.
@@danielborden4126 Yeah, I feel you. A while back, there was a complete 5e conversion of the book over on r/unearthedarcana and I've been wondering ever since why Wizards haven't done more with them.
Always gonna be Larry Elmore who takes the crown for me, but these pieces are pretty awesome
Yes, agreed. You could zoom in on any piece of one of his paintings and make an adventure, mini series, character base, antihero, creature offshoot, etc.... He was a true master of painting and proclaiming the imagination.
Everything he did screamed adventure in 3D and deep color. I could always FEEL the temp in his paintings and need a coat or want to ditch one. His paintings always made me want to roll morale checks. The multiple layers of clouds made me think I could step into them and actually live there, want to live there....
I do feel I should point out old school fae creatures like pixies and fairies can be very dark. There's a story about a man who said aloud he owed them what he owned and then they showed up to his house to turn his cows in side out take all the meat off their bones and then but the bones and skin back together and left the cow alive in a state between life and death.
Personally I am quite fond of the 5e nightwalker. it just looks so much more unnervering compared to older versions that just look like monsters to fight(3rd edition is close second)
Elmore art..... Nothing compares. Everything in it has depth and a texture. The longer you look at it the more adventures come to mind.
His entire piece is an adventure. The layers of the sky, you can feel the temp. The antagonist.... you want to know more about him OR if you're a DM.... you are already working on it.
You can feel how much time you have left. How long has this place been here? This area has history and intention. "There's something here."
Are you sure who the bad guy is? Is he dead? Will she heal him in time? Is she too late?
Truly one of the fantasy art masters. There is something real and engrossing about his work, it has soul.
I like the 5e hell hound, but if you wanna see a really awesome hell hound depiction, check out the adnd "Saga of the Shadow Lord" module cover, it has a more realistic take on the hellhound but it looks really cool, It's got literal lava coming out of the maw
I'm following you for a days now and I have to say that I'm happy to find your videos. I love it when it's long, because it doesn't even seem to be, it's well done and has a lot of informations and I can see the difference in quality between the older videos and this one. Good work!!
Valeu Caoane!
Something about the cockatrice art makes me imagine it as way bigger than a person and not the size of a chicken.
I enjoy your work and effort, and while i disagree with some of your points here that is the nature of personal tastes, i am very pleased to see such a calm and honest take as we all see far too often is simply knee jerking denials.
Thank you Mr Esper.
an example of 5e artwork I personally like is the Nightwalker. I've always really liked this monsters design, and while the 3e and 4e artwork is great in its own right too, the 5e one just looks freaky! its thin shape, rotting flesh, six eyes, and the black haze coming off of it just adds to it so much! Plus, having a terrified guard for scale really helps in showing how big this monster is
I think earlier edition were more stylized, but suffer a lot of inconsistency in the art style on the books and weren´t specially polished. 5e makes sure to have a more modern aestethic with less style but a lot more mood, specially for the mosters. Also adding the page layout, makes 5e feel more modern and easy to pick up and ready as any other edition
As an artist it’s so fun to see you react to a lot of this art with genuine enthusiasm it’s good to know that our work can be appreciated in this way. Artists these days don’t see how there work can impact others because there is a level of separation from artist and viewer due to the internet. So thanks for this.😊
That impression of the junk lady from Labyrinth was gold!
10:40 that expression says "Stop going pee-pee in the ocean!"
Don’t pee in his home, he doesn’t like that.
On the Frost Giant's pauldron, I like to think it's some sort of dragon skull, like maybe it's a white dragon's skull or something. That would be pretty epic if it was.
The horn placement suggests a blue dragon. Which is strange beaches blue dragons live in desert climates. Though it is possible it was a white dragon with a slightly deformed horn.
@@Fistminer Yeah, I was thinking white dragon because that is, most likely, the kind of dragon a frost giant might run into. I mean, who knows, could be something else.
@@Fistminer to be fair giants and dragons have been fighting since time in memorial. The idea that a frost giant centuries ago killed a blue dragon and turned it into a paldrun that is passed down threw either it's own blood line, or maybe earned within some sort of clan as a badge of honor, as some cool lore to the world without any real work.
I havent met anyone with your taste in art though I've seen that type or artistry all over the place. Refreshing change of pace to hear someone adress that kind of art.
Esper, keep it up! big fan of fans talking about the art that helps to make them fans!
The myconid is my favorite. It really sells the alien nature of myconids. You can’t tell what they’re thinking or what they want or how they even work. There’s a surreal eeriness to them, like they could be a dream you’re having from taking mushrooms or inhaling spores
I agree with you in everything you said in this video but I was shocked not to see the Mordenkainen's tome of foes' Zuggtmoy and Jubilex art. That piece of art was breathtaking.
Maybe if I do a part 2 ...
16:39 That, my friend, is not the clay golem. It is an Alchemical Golem, which accounts for the steam.
You’re a true bard with this series of monster analyses Esper!
Yoooo you know what the bodak is?! It's a more mature design of the green ghost from scooby doo!
Very pleased to see the Annis Hag on this list.
Also Raymond Swanland gets my upvote every time.
Tony DiTerlizzi is by far my favorite d&d artist. His art is so elegant and so ethereal
"Why would hyenas be following Bane?"
Anyone who does not play dnd would think you are losing sanity by the second.
Thanks so much for your workmanship. I greatly look forward to your reviews especially. These art videos though were a refreshing change of pace
"By the burning yeast infection of Zuggtmoi" 🤣🤣🤣
i spat my smoothie when i heard him say that
I had the video zoomed in some on my phone so when the 5e Frost Giant came up, it looked like the art cut off the everything above his chin. I thought that was great! He's too giant for this frame!
You've covered many creatures on your channel. One topic I've never seen covered on YT are the friendly DnD creatures/monsters. I recently encountered a Tressym in a module and it got me interested in more innocent/less violent creatures.
Yes, and what happened to the Dragon Horse from Oriental? 🤔
22:12 All I can hear is the snipe from up. Like the rehhhhhhh sound
The merrow's art inspired me so strongly that it was the very first monster I ever used when I ran my first D&D session. Really love their design, and frankly I've always enjoyed the aquatic monsters.
Actually the leviathan IS in the inkblot.
Which is actually kind of clever
Or the Kuo/Kua-Toa. Love those crazy purple fish-men
My favourite d&d art comes from 2e. It just evokes the feeling of d&d really well.
Yes. To me it was the height of DnD. Everything after was some perverted stupid thing. And it just got worse after. Good eye candy but hollow.
Agreed.
@@redfaux74 I honestly despise the art in the Fifth-Edition source-books.
2e was very hit-or-miss. You either got beautiful fantasy epics that gripped the imagination, or some goofy ass Google image line art.
The Frost Giant shoulder-guards are dragon skulls. :) I think the cover of the PHB also features them; Volo's Guide as well, maybe.
@14:30 Its an older Wayne Reynolds, sir, but it checks out.
We got confirmation boys, Esper is a water genasi
You know who’s always had great art that just gets better? Palladium. Especially Rifts.
The 2e Leviathan was a whale and can be found on Page 258 of the 2e Monstrous Manuel.
The 2e water weird was inspired by the move, The Abyss.
The Leviathan appeared as an Elder Evil in the book of the same name near the end of 3.5's life.
Surprised Bone Devil didn't make this video, I think it's my favorite 5e art ever.
Regarding 5e Orcus, I really liked all the points you brought up. Up until now, he looked too much like a typical demon to me.
"He has bat wings and red skin and, and.. .He's red! And he has horns! And tail! And muscles!". I don't know. He looked too humanoid and not eerie enough.
Now with the flesh piled off his head, and his body looking like a deformed version of it's former self, he feels more unnatural.
Although I don't like that grin on the skull in his scepter :)
Super , i've just stopped the video at second 0:01 this quote from Van Gogh is yet inspiring me so much...
the world of dreams is the craddle of all arts.
where the clouds are the saddles of all hearts.
When The Dunes are the pages of all oracles.
And the Winds'sands are the quills of all Gods.
Then the singing bards are the flying bushes.
Carrying the fairy tales from oasis to mirages.
The Leviathan is in the Elder Evils book from 3.5
7:00 Look at the MUSCULAAARITY
There is a Leviathan in 3rd edition monster manual 2. It was essentially a very powerful humpback whale.
I'm now curious for your opinion on the bad art of D&D. Not the bland stuff like the sterile 5e stuff, but the art that makes you genuinely question what in God's name was going on in the head of the artist who drew it. And not just the stuff from when Gary was hiring amateurs out of his garage, but also stuff from the actual professionals where it was clear that either they or more likely the art director were off their rocker.
Surprised for frost giants you didn't mention the awesome full art piece in Volo's Guide of a frost giant about to wrestle bare handed a Remorhaz with epic mountains in the background.
Alhoons are a variety of Illithid that have embraced undeath and thus could be potent servants of Orcus. They're not exactly welcome in the dens of regular Mind Flayers, so they'd have to be solo or seek the protection or patronage of a stronger being.
Could be a nifty bit of storytelling from that cover art with Orcus and the Elder Brain.
On the demogorgon the second one you show is by Tyler Jacobson. He’s ridiculously good. He also did Descent into Avernus and white a few other book covers
I've played myconids before and I love them so much
Stephen Gammel's art is amazing! Few things have frightened me more!
Always loved the design of Demogorgon. :D
the art in 34:32 is from Volo's Guide to Monsters
I love Bodaks in 5e. I threw one at my newbie players years ago and they're still traumatized by the encounter
I just started running a game for my 11year old daughter and her friends. They got a kick out of looking through the artwork from my first edition books after becoming familiar with 5e.
My rating of the Demogorgon art: 9/10.⭐
My rating of the Bodak art: 8/10.🌟
My rating of the Elip art: 9/10.⭐
My rating of the Leviathan art: 8/10.🌟
My rating of the Azer art: 8/10.🌟
My rating of the Maiconid art (sorry if I didn't write that right): 10/10.💯
My rating of the Water Wierd: 8/10.🌟
Water elemental: 8/10.🌟
Hell Hound: 9/10.⭐
Halmed Horror: 8/10.🌟
Clay Golem: 8/10.🌟
Frost Giant: 8/10.🌟
Cockatrice: 10/10.💯
Aniss Hag: 10/10.💯
Flail Snail: 8/10.🌟
Witherling: 10/10.💯
Gnoll: 8/10.🌟
Pixie: 7/10.✨
Orcus: 9/10.⭐
Beholder: 9/10.⭐
oh maaaan, that opalescent shell mannn, i'm like totally su'uding on that shell my dude
:D
I agree with this entire video so much I’m no longer convinced that I’m a separate person.
Imagine having the exact same opinion as Esper. Ew 🤣
@@staticcharm3808 Hah!
Be cool if you did some vids on 40k art.
Both the older stuff (john Blanche), and the newer Age of Sigmar stuff.
The older stuff is amazing, but some of the newer art is also great.
ty
16:44 its not a clay golem its a alchemical golem
and from 3,5 at that
@@yossiharr yup, monster manual 3?
@@sopppa indeed
esper may have been confused on account of all reused art
Demogorgon in the Immortals Set is the best image ive ever seen of the demon lord.
Leviathan was a monster from the Creature Catalogue of BECMI D&D in the Mystara world. 5e has stolen a lot of monsters from Mystara.
I'm actually a big fan of Pathfinder 2e art and it'd be cool if you took a look at some of that
I think the character on The Player's handbook is shocked because she was trying to get away from him but the fire giant king wound up charging at her and is about to barrel down on top of her. This is just my theory and interpretation of the piece of work. She wasn't trying to charge towards him he just wound up circling around her and cutting her off while she was trying to retreat.
u sir. are stellar
I was hoping you would mention the Bodak. I love the 5e art. That thing freaks me out.
i wish the art in mordenkinens tome for the demigorgon had a background or a person to really sell how large he is
I've always thought that cockatrices should be more like a peafowl in body shape and aesthetic.
For anyone wondering what commoner armor looked like, and has only seen the fancy stuff in museums, please check out Visby. The armor looks like what we envision Orc armor to be.
Demogorgon in 5e really does look like a horrible cluster heck of angry animal stuff, those other ones look weird.
actually I think the picture of the wizard healing herself I think her face is the result of her trying to get away to heal but the gaint caught up...hence the shocked face...she's scared and thought she was safe.
I think the character of the pub cover is a monk with ki on his hands
That has to be the best SILENCE FOOL I ever heard
5E demogorgon art is easily describable as a set of masterpieces quite honestly.
too much
I feel like 5e art is like, so much more washed out, and they tend to give monsters way too human features at times idk.
I think 4e had my favorite art cause it's very evocative and colorful, while even in some of these examples it kinda feels like the monsters blend themselves together a bit too much idk
Amazing ArtWork ☕
I do love the charm of the older edition, but I overall like 5e art the best
35:00 Honestly I really don't see terror in the eyes of the Beholder-beholders. The adventurer on the foreground is clearly beckoning his or her allies, not fleeing.
11:09 "not again...those chains of magic."
A slave forced to act on the will of a mage
summoning is a cruel art
The expression appears despair melancoly, and lamentation of a terrible fate.
fantastic art .... you don't want to meet in the dark.
The player handbook of 5e shows the secret and totally op spell called True Strike and how it should be used by players in their encounter.
1. Fill all your spell slots with True Strike, haste or any kind of movement spell
2. Find giant monster
3. Dash in before any of your party members
4. True Strike the monster, preferably on the nose, but the little toe also works
5. ????
6. Profit!
Really thought the art of the leviathan is amazing and I would really like to know who made it.
I still think 2/2.5 has the best art. But glad you like the modern stuff, I am old enough at this point to know not everything is for me and people are allowed to like other stuff.
i honestly like the 5e oni much better for how i use the monster
With the Marow I have a small book of some creatures and it has the Marow and it looks more human and Elven then ogre
tbh i like earlier edition art better than 5e art
not because its better...dont get me wrong 5e art most of the time is way more detailed, lifelike and just more descriptive (which is the point of art)
but earlier art especially 3e art gives off vibes of drawings/sketches of someone who remembers seeing the creature/describing it to someone else to draw it...which gives much more room for imagination and not a fixed mental image of a thing....
with 5e its: "oh thats what it looks like"
whereas earlier editions focus on "if you'd describe it...what would it look like?"
key features of monsters are set...but the whole is left to the imagination...which is also the point of dnd
It seems that 5e really tried to give monsters faces.
Honestly I very heavily prefer previous editions of Demogorgon, with the colorful Mandrill heads. For one it makes them distinct from all other demons and especially devils, where in 5e they feel more generic, like it could be any devil/demon and the more uniform color makes me think of them as more devil like. I think the mixing of various creatures gives it a very chaotic feel, which is appropriate for the Chaotic Evil Demons, like it was just various features from various creatures thrown together at random. Also with the current 5e Demogorgon I think the lack of lips or any facial features works against it. Imagine seeing 4e demo, both heads staring at you kindly, and maybe the interaction can start off friendly, but as you talk one of the faces starts snarling reveling huge canines and screeching angrily while the other stays calm. But then both heads for seemingly no reason turn aggressive and it's clear on their face that they're going to attack. That's just a problem I have with Demons, that I feel they should be distinct from Devils, but often times I can't tell the difference based on their appearence.
18:35 oh man that perspective is killing me. Is the left most giant in front of the middle one or behind him?
Neither.The one in the middle is a Frost Titan who is twice the size of a frost Giant.He is crouching and stepping forward so they are more or less standing in a line.
@@thewatcher3429 I keep forgetting one of D&D's monster designs is "Y'know that terrifying monster that was a boss at lvl 9? the one that was a challenge to take down? Well that's just a diet version of something bigger and meaner"
...and they said the demigorgon was large...
I absolutely agree with these pieces being some of the best in the game across all editions. I have to say though that Leviathan did appear in 3rd edition's Elder Evils book, and I'm quite fond of the illustration of it. It's hard to go wrong with a venomous viper crossed with a plesiosaur look, and I honestly preferred the lore of the Leviathan being a Lovecraftian Jormungandr-type of monstrosity over the giant water elemental stuff of 5e.