“Cutting Things
Down To Size”
Artist: Jeff
Easley
This week I wanted to take a fun look at the most
prolific of all the TSR/D&D artists, Jeff Easley. Mr. Easley has produced
literally hundreds of works for several of the most important books and adventures in
D&D history. While you may not recognize his name off the top, go do a search of his work and I'm sure you’ll recognize more than a few pieces.
In particular, I've always been a fan of this piece listed as “Cutting Things Down to Size”. I believe that this work was featured
in either the 2nd Edition Player’s Handbook or Dungeon Master’s
Guide. Either way, I find it to be a fun depiction of what
happens when a character/NPC/monster thinks it can have its nasty way and then
it learns otherwise. As a DM, I find that you have to give your players
opportunities from time-to-time to assert how talented they are. This is not to
say that you allow them to get egos the size of New Jersey, but it is fun to
let
them flex their muscles occasionally. For me, this painting shows one of those
times perfectly.
Looking at the piece, we can see that a Hill Giant
thought he was going to have an easy time with a female human. Based on the
slices of his club and the shards of his shield covering the ground, I’d say he
bit off more than he could chew. The fact that he’s now on his butt with his
nose ring at an uncomfortable angle says to me that it’s just about time for
the negotiations to start. What do you think our woman Fighter/Ranger might
want from our large and obviously outmatched friend?
The only unfortunate part about this piece is the cliché
scantily clad woman. Although she’s in a position of power, she is still
showing a lot of skin and I’m not too sure how much protection that tiny
leather shirt is going to provide (AC! Hello!). Regardless, she sure does seem to be in
charge of the situation and that it is a lot better than the standard “damsel
in distress” motif.
Overall, this piece reminds me of almost every time I’ve
seen that glint in my players’ eyes that says “Is that so?” and they go on to
teach some NPC or monster a lesson. I like seeing their excitement in those
moments but I also make sure to never let them think that they can bully all of
their encounters around. That leads to arrogance and that’s the one thing I
always hope players never achieve. Thanks Mr. Easley!
I've always loved this piece. Mr. Easley's work has always been hit-and-miss for me, but this one is definitely a hit. That sword must have some serious magic mojo to slice that club so cleanly and into so many pieces.
ReplyDeleteI'm not particularly put out by her attire. It is entirely possible that she sports some sort of AC-improving magic along with that sword of hers. Perhaps a Ring of Protection (we can't see the "rings" part of her fingers) or maybe that thing on her left arm is a Bracer of Defense, At any rate, I don't find her lack of covering lamentable. I find it ironic that people bemoan a scantily-clad fantasy heroine, yet have no problems with Conan being most often depicted in visual media sporting nothing but a Speedo loincloth. Nobody ever says "Poor Conan, being stereotyped and treated like eye-candy. He's so much more than that, and it's demeaning to Cimmerians everywhere when he is depicted this way."