D&D (2024) Here's The New 2024 Player's Handbook Wizard Art

 

[Zardnaar]

By the 14th century riveted spectacles were relatively common having their own guild in Venice. At one point a shipment of 24000 spectacles was made for sale in the middle east and India and apparently the first specialist optician shop opened in Strasbourg in 1466.

I'm aware.

Lens technology wasn't that great that came later along with better telescopes. Hell even windows.
. She coukd be wearing eyes of the eagle. The glasses aren't an issue for me the style is modern though minor nitpick.

I didn't even notice them tbh until others talked about them.

 

[Azzy]

Personally, I think this wizard is the head librarian at a world-renowned facility (say, a fantasy expy of the Library of Alexandria). And she's about to crack down on some skipped late fees.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Access to high tier healing spells depends on the setting. In Forgotten Realms, any high tier player character can access it, directly by casting the spell oneself, or knowing someone who can.

So, we've gone from "I assume, if a mage is wearing eyeglasses, it is because there is a good reason, normally a magic item." to "A low tier mage or a Rogue, might need to correct vision. A high tier mage can use magic to correct it." to now it being setting dependent.

And sure, I can agree that access to magic is setting dependent... but if it is setting dependent, why was it class dependent, then class and tier dependent first? You have essentially gone from "any mage with glasses is likely using a magic item because they would have cured their vision with magic" to "well, any high level mage would have cured their vision with magic" to "well any high level character in the right setting would have cured their vision with magic." without addressing the underlying assumptions I was pointing out as rather problematic.

Elf. "The first elves could change their physical forms at will."

And since most games take place long long long after that, no current elves are changing their physical forms at will.

"Elves have the mystical ability to take on characteristics of the environments with which they are bonded."

Which environment has the characteristic of good eyesight? I mean I know of environments which are cold, sandy, lush with plant life, but I've never heard of an environment which has good eyesight.

The alterability of bodily appearance includes ideals of beauty,

Oh really? Huh. Spectaphiles are people who find Glasses physically attractive. Are elves unable to embody ideals of beauty that are not common? Do they only embody a specific type of beauty? That sounds like very dangerous territory to begin declaring what is and is not beautiful.

as well as the seasonal shapeshifting of Eladrin,

And what season is the season of good eyesight?

and likewise the diverse appearances of very many different Elf ethnicities.

Do people with diverse ethnic appearances not have poor eyesight?

Elf. "These connections grant Elves access to certain kinds of magic."

Gnomes have innate magic, as do Tieflings, Aasimar, Aarakocra, Duergar, Fairy, Firbolg, Genasi, Gith, Lotusden Halflings, Hexbloods, Kobolds, Tritons and Yuan-ti. Are all these groups also personifications of magic and therefore have good eyesight?

All elven senses, especially sight and hearing are extraordinary, and presumably scent, and taste and touch. Perception represents every sense.

And they can never possibly be born differently? They cannot have variance amongst their senses?

Please be respectful, civil, and constructive. If you want to do this snarky stuff, I can end the conversion. I accord this same respect to you.

I was sighing because we are back to the same argument. Magic exists, therefore people with glasses would not exist, unless they are poor or weak or come from a setting with less magic. I just had this discussion before, and I was hoping your reasoning would not fall into the same errors. I am not being disrespectful or uncivil, and I am absolutely attempting to be constructive.

 

[Yaarel]

Do they only embody a specific type of beauty? That sounds like very dangerous territory to begin declaring what is and is not beautiful.

I clearly said "ideals" of beauty, plural. There are many ways to be beautiful.

In D&D traditions, there are over a hundred different kinds of Elves, conducively different ethnicities. And each ethnicity has a wide array of appearances, such as Drow with skin from silvery white to obsidian black, and ranges of grays of various hues like bluish or purplish, in between. All of these forms express various cultural ideals of beauty.

And they can never possibly be born differently? They cannot have variance amongst their senses?

All Elves officially have "keen senses", especially eyesight and hearing. If there even exists an Elf who lacks keen eyesight, it is a remarkable anomaly.

I was sighing because we are back to the same argument. Magic exists, therefore people with glasses would not exist, unless they are poor or weak or come from a setting with less magic. I just had this discussion before, and I was hoping your reasoning would not fall into the same errors. I am not being disrespectful or uncivil, and I am absolutely attempting to be constructive.

I appreciate this way of explaining where you are coming from better.

At the same time, I disagree with your premise.

I am nearsighted but dont care. Contact lenses work fine for me. (I wear one lens at a time, and alternate right or left.) If I personally could cast the Heal spell and conveniently see fully without contact lenses, I would do so immediately.

At the same, for many reasons, all Elves have good eyesight.

 

[Zardnaar]

Personally, I think this wizard is the head librarian at a world-renowned facility (say, a fantasy expy of the Library of Alexandria). And she's about to crack down on some skipped late fees.

I can see that.

 

[Mistwell]

Mage hand?

Sure but then it's not a component but appears to be casting the spell in the picture.

 

[Mistwell]

Neither is wielding a sword. Do we need aspirational artwork to be "common"?

I was replying to a hypothetical that it was a thing wizards do, with the implication it was therefore common to that class?

 

[CreamCloud0]

Next campaign I’m playing a Warforged that wears glasses.

why not throw in a little velma dinkley?
"oh no my optic enhancers! I cannot percieve without my optic enhancers!"

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I am nearsighted but dont care. Contact lenses work fine for me. (I wear one lens at a time, and alternate right or left.) If I personally could cast the Heal spell and conveniently see fully without contact lenses, I would do so immediately.

If you have to faff about switching eyes with contact lenses, why don't you wear glasses? They are quick and easy to take on and off, and don't make you eyes sore.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

All Elves officially have "keen senses", especially eyesight and hearing. If there even exists an Elf who lacks keen eyesight, it is a remarkable anomaly.

Be that as it may, that merely means that elves have better vision compared to humans. An elf might still have poorer eyesight than elves typically have, and wish to correct that with glasses. I assume that the structural eye issues that affect vision in humans can exist in other species too. There probably are hawks with "poor vision" for a hawk, even though that poor vision might still be better than human vision. Now hawks have hard time accessing eye glasses, but that's not necessarily true for elves.

And ultimately in a game this glasses thing is really about aesthetics and representation. If a person wants their nerdy elf to have glasses in a setting where that technology exists because they think that fits the imagery they want, let them!