An iconic character is a named character depicted in artwork in Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks as an example of a given character class. They were widely used in D&D third edition.
Origins
The term "iconic" is used in the title of Enemies and Allies (2001), p.53, Appendix II: Iconic Characters. That chapter provides statistics for Alhandra, Devis, Ember, Hennet, Jozan, Krusk, Lidda, Mialee, Lidda, Nebin, Regdar, Soveliss, Tordek and Vadania.
The term was previously used in 2002 to describe Regdar, Jozan, Lidda and Naull.[1]
The web enhancement for the D&D 3.5 Player's Handbook uses the term "iconic":
- "The new 3.5 Player's Handbook provides one starting package for each character class. This package includes preselected equipment, skills, feas, and spells, plus starting gold for a 1st-level character of the iconic character's race."
Usage
Iconic characters were widely used in Dungeons & Dragons third edition, where artwork including the iconic characters repeatedly appeared in both the core rulebooks and sourcebooks.
Iconics are often used to show a consistent and familiar party of characters progressing through a series of adventure modules or demonstrating content appearing in rulebooks. They typically depicted recommended combinations of race and class, often representing a race's favored class.
Throughout the core rulebooks and supplements, text describing characters of a given class standardly used the pronoun of that class' iconic character. For example, a paragraph describing a wizard or rogue typically uses "she", while fighters and clerics are typically described as "he". This contrasts with AD&D 2nd edition, which used "he" for clarity,[2] and D&D 5th edition, which typically uses "he or she".[3]
Several iconic characters appeared in Dungeons & Dragons novels published between May 2002 and December 2003 by Wizards of the Coast by nine separate authors under the pseudonym T.H. Lain, to ensure that the books would on remain together on shelves.[1][4]
List of iconic characters
Player's Handbook
The primary iconics used in the character class section of the Player's Handbook are:
- Alhandra: A female human paladin.
- Devis: A male half-elf bard used in D&D 3.0, and reappearing on p.105 of the D&D 3.5 Player's Handbook.
- Ember: A female human monk.
- Gimble: A male gnome bard introduced in D&D 3.5, when gnome's favored class was changed to bard.
- Jozan: A male human cleric of Pelor.
- Krusk: A male half-orc barbarian.
- Lidda: A female halfling rogue.
- Mialee: A female elf wizard.
- Nebin: A male gnome illusionist.
- Regdar: A male human fighter.
- Soveliss: A male elf ranger.
- Tordek: A male dwarf fighter.
- Hennet: A male human sorcerer.
- Vadania: A female half-elf druid.
Additional named characters appearing in the D&D 3.5 Player's Handbook include:
- Eberk, a dwarf cleric of Moradin (p. 165), illustrated by S. Wood
- Kerwyn, a human rogue[5] wielding a rapier (p.168)
- Naull: A female human wizard (p.110),[1] illustrated by Todd Lockwood
Other sourcebooks
Numerous other name characters representing a class or prestige class appear in D&D sourcebooks, although some appear in as little as single piece of artwork in the book where their class appears. All prestige class iconics also have levels in at least one other class.
- Althain: A hexblade appearing in Player's Handbook II.
- Arthon: A warmage appearing in Player's Handbook II.
- Sir Agrivail: A knight appearing in Player's Handbook II.
- Anastria Nailo: A female half-elf beguiler appearing in Player's Handbook II.
- Cahlo Sheebrehl: A male human fighter/Suel arcanamach appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Cotter Maggin: A male human sorcerer/blood magus appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Erbera Anvilheart: A female dwarf conjurer/wayfarer guide appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Fenlun Herlendal: A male gnome illusionist/effigy master appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Ferno: An elf warmage appearing in Complete Arcane. Ferno's long hair may be construed to indicate that the character is female, the section uses male pronouns.
- Faerjan Laughingsong Skoras: A female gnome bard/sublime chord appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Filas Lamean: A male half-elf abjurer/geometer appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Hallia: An elf duskblade appearing in Player's Handbook II.
- Hide-yori: A female elf wu-jen appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Iaryo Felunnda: A female human abjurer/initiate of the Sevenfold Veil appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Iskara: A dragon shaman appearing in Player's Handbook II.
- Kal Brandric: A male halfling sorcerer/mindbender appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Korrin: A marshal appearing in Player's Handbook II.
- Korrik: A beguiler appearing in Player's Handbook II.
- Kyvera Luerten: A female elf warmage/elemental savant appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Meara Swiftblade: A duelist appearing in Player's Handbook II.
- Maralea Duskwood: A female half-elf bard/seeker of the song appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Mekkhier Saadren: A male human sorcerer/master transmogrifist appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Morthos: A male human warlock appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Raadi Weskil: A male human sorcerer/fatespinner appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Revena Callordin: A female half-elf sorcerer/wild mage appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Sheris Liaday: A female human monk/sorcerer/enlightened fist appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Silveth Agreimal: A female elf sorcerer/argent savant appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Lady Sorra: A female human knight appearing in Player's Handbook II, although her artwork depicts her as a half-elf.
- Thane: A human dragon shaman appearing in Player's Handbook II.
- Theogrin Raablek: A male human barbarian/sorcerer/Green Star adept appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Trilla Lilleir: a female conjurer/alienist appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Turial Edemont: A male human wizard/mage of the Arcane Order appearing in Complete Arcane.
- Vorta Nehalem: A male human warlock/acolyte of the skin appearing in Complete Arcane. His clothing may indicate that he is an alias for Morthos.
- Yele: A male elf duskblade appearing in Player's Handbook II.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Savage Caves: Iconic Review
- ↑ "The male pronoun (he, him, his) is used exclusively throughout the AD&D game rules. We hope this won't be construed by anyone to be an attempt to exclude females from the game or imply their exclusion. Centuries of use have neutered the male pronoun. In written material it is clear, concise, and familiar. Nothinge else is." - A Note About Pronouns, Player's Handbook (2e revised) (1995), p.9.
- ↑ "The final oath, taken when he or she reaches 3rd level, is the culmination of all the paladin's training." - Player's Handbook (5e) (2014), p.85.
- ↑ Will the Real T.H. Lain Please Stand Up!
- ↑ D&D Miniatures Database: Miniature: Dragoneye #22 - Kerwyn, Human Rogue
