Art! Look away!

Back when 4th Edition was in production, WotC had an art contest on some Photoshop forum or other for an image using the new crustacioid beholder concept. This was my entry.

(click to embiggen)

It never got used anywhere I can tell, but the prize money was significant for an unemployed art grad, and for whatever it's worth I had the only image liked by both Wizards (who wanted something recognizable) and the other forum denizens (who wanted something Photoshoppy).

Much more RAWR I'M A MONSTER than I like in a beholder but I'm still proud of the Rider-Waite-ness and the various dead or petrified PCs. Most monster art in recent RPG books has just the creature on a blank background or growling at the camera - the black and white 1st Edition stuff looked pretty crude, but at least those awkward beasts were shown in a dark cavern mauling a dwarf or something. I'm always a sucker for art with a body count.

As the post title indicates, a whole D&D-themed tarot deck would indeed be pretty sweet. (As long as no one involved cared about 'brand identity' - no Lidda or Tannis or *shudder* Elminster.) For suits I was thinking Eyes for sure (I: catoblepas, II: basilisk, III: aboleth, IV: umber hulk...), and either Arms or Limbs (I: um... amputated troll? II: ogre, III: xorn, IV: girallon...). Problem is the larger numbers, particularly the odd numbers, get weird in a hurry. (IX: Modron Nonaton? Man I don't even know if that's true.) For other suits maybe Spells, with the numerals as spell levels? Maybe Blades? Alternatively just go all major arcana, but that's lazy. I'm remembering why I gave this project up.

Oh yeah, plus there's already tarot decks with the suits as the four adventuring classes and the six ability scores. But none with monsters, dammit.