D&D (2024) New D&D Edition's Player’s Handbook Cover Reveal

Game Informer has revealed the cover to the 2024 Player’s Handbook.

The cover features a gold dragon behind the old-school D&D characters Strongheart the paladin, Mercion the cleric, Elkhorn the dwarf fighter, and Molliver the thief. Ringlerun the wizard is absent (then again he got his showcase on one of the 1E AD&D Player's Handbooks), but a drow mage appears to have joined the party!

 

[Chaosmancer]

It's why I like the Full Image better. Here's my take on how to frame it:

View attachment 363869

They don't look like they're posing now, do they?

I think that is a fine improvement. I'm not sold on the solid black header and footer, but the art does pop more.

 

[Nerd of Many Things]

Am I the only one who is reminded of the 2e DMG? The colors. The spell illuminating an overarching dragon. The wizard two-handedly casting – which is also on the revised 1e PHB. The flowy beard that morphed into a helmet’s crest on the 5e24 cover. Edit: And is this the absent Ringlerun as well? Also compare the flaming right hand and the flowing greenish robe.

 

[Dion D Ritter]

Is that a black elf rising above the rest? I thought the only black elves were Drow. Those glowing eyes make her look as if she's infused with supernatural power, probably a NPC magic user of some sort, very stereotypical.

 

[Parmandur]

View attachment 363914
Am I the only one who is reminded of the 2e DMG? The colors. The spell illuminating an overarching dragon. The wizard two-handedly casting – which is also on the revised 1e PHB. The flowy beard that morphed into a helmet’s crest on the 5e24 cover. Edit: And is this the absent Ringlerun as well?

Yes, I got a very late 80's TSR painting vibe. Very excited to see what they fo eith the DMG and MM.

 

[Kurotowa]

This is something I think is interesting in the image. I've seen a lot of people call that Elf Mage a Drow, and I get it, it comes from years and years of Drow being the "Dark Elves".

But I think that she's just an Elf! An elf who happens to be black!

It might be anime influence. In the Japanese school of medieval fantasy, instead of drow there are "dark elves" that have brown skin and either white or black hair.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Is that a black elf rising above the rest? I thought the only black elves were Drow.

I believe WotC has said for years that nearly all PC races have a wide variety of skin tones. It's just that, historically, TSR (and pre-5E), they've been white-coded.

 

[dead]

Drow have white/silver hair.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I think that is a fine improvement. I'm not sold on the solid black header and footer, but the art does pop more.

Nor am I, but unlike WotC, I only used MS Paint and 2 minutes to reframe it! It's the Red Dragon being made more prominent that I think is key.

 

[Yaarel]

which begs the question whether Star Wars even is science fiction…

A knight with a sword rescuing a princess from an evil sorcerer…

Conversely, all fantasy is scifi.

 

[Autumnal]

And yet all sf is actually cozy romances and cookbooks. This puzzle has not yet been adequately explained.