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!

 

[Vaalingrade]

The 3e covers were my absolute favorites. They looked like in-universe tomes, and it was awesome.

Agreed.

They were so strongly associated with D&D that 3PP also copied it.

I'd put 4e and 5e as a distant, distant runners-up as the only other Core that made an attempt at having a distinct trade dress that made your bookshelf look nice.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

the cover art on it's own is fine ii think, but i wish just once they would do party illustrations that weren't fellowship of the ring remix. It's always humans and elves and maybe a dwarf or halfling. Don't get me wrong like Lord of the Rings just fine, but it wouldn't kill them to use the other phb species from time to time.

In an ideal universe, kobolds would be in the PHB and humans, elves, dwarves and halflings would just appear in the Monster Manual.

 

[Gradine]

Interesting they did it as the Pride Flag color palette. Suppose that was by Wizards or a choice by the artist?
Left to right it is red to violet with the pink included.View attachment 363062

I think the term you are looking for is "rainbow". Despite our best efforts we don't own those (yet)

 

[Kobold Avenger]

I really like the wide pieces for the player backgrounds:

https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/05/13/d1764098/gidnd10.jpg

The fields look like Vietnamese rice terraces, but the buildings don't look Vietnamese. It's an interesting design choice for a picture of a farm.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

the cover art on it's own is fine ii think, but i wish just once they would do party illustrations that weren't fellowship of the ring remix. It's always humans and elves and maybe a dwarf or halfling. Don't get me wrong like Lord of the Rings just fine, but it wouldn't kill them to use the other phb species from time to time.

The back cover has a Tiefling and lets be honest any of the back human looking folks could be Aasimar.

 

[Weiley31]

I like it. I like it a lot. Which means that I'll probably have to get both the regular and alt cover.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The fields look like Vietnamese rice terraces, but the buildings don't look Vietnamese. It's an interesting design choice for a picture of a farm.

Halflings?

 

[Doctor Futurity]

As PHB covers go this is one of the more dynamic ones and I rather like it. I actually kind of like the 5E PHB cover currently, and also liked the 4E PHB cover, but was never a fan of the faux grimoire look of 3rd edition, and despite being a huge stan for AD&D 2E I concede it had All The Worst Covers of any edition. The 1E covers are primarily nostalgia now but I definitely have a special appreciation for Otus's B/X covers which were the most evocative for me as a kid.

 

[Burnside]

Oh wow. I just post about how I don't really care for D&D art these days and you post a picture I really, really like.

My problem with the cover (back cover too) is that they just don’t look like finished pieces of art to me. I know WotC likes this “painterly” style, and have throughout 5E really, but to me it just looks rough, unfinished, and kinda messy.

The interior art with the old 80s cartoon party grown up and exploring the ruins looks like a finished piece of professional art and evokes a sense of danger, mystery, and discovery,

The wide-format background pieces are beautifully composed with evocative detail and whoever made them really understands lighting.

 

[Arnie_Wan_Kenobi]

sidebar, it was Paramount+'s #2 movie globally on May 11 and is still 8th for 2024 among movies on the platform.

As it should.