Dungeons and Dragonsis a cornerstone fantasy brand. While its own derivation fromLord of the Ringsmakes it difficult to determine exactly where that story’s influence ends and D&D’s begins, D&D clearly deserves credit for inventing and codifying the modern forms of many fantasy tropes, iconic monsters, and group dynamics. Tropes like the lecherous bard, excessively noble knight and many modern depictions of fantasy monsters are heavily influenced by the game.
This game and its place in the history of fantasy and nerddom are worth celebrating, and, how do we celebrate the things we like? With merch! We’ve already made more general lists about D&D merch in general, and of various specific types. Today, we’re here to talk about another category; posters! Here are some of the best D&D posters out there to adorn the walls of your home, (or dungeon).
Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Wall Poster
Nothing is more D&D than a party fighting a monster
An expanded (and flipped) version of the image on Fifth Edition’s Starter Set, this poster shows a green dragon in battle with a group of adventurers. It’s hard to get more quintessentially D&D than that!
Like many of the items we’re going to feature on this list, this first poster is derived from the cover art on a D&D product. In this case, it’s one of the first pieces of art ever associated with the Fifth edition, the box art on the first 5e starter set. Where the cover on that box essentially just shows the dragon, this version of the picture has zoomed out a bit to show the larger scene as it already appears elsewhere in the product.
Dungeons & Dragons Battle Wall Poster
There is lightning underground
Derived from the cover art in the 5e Monster Manual, this poster depicts encountering a beholder and foolishly trying to fight it rather than flee in terror as they should.
Another piece of art derived from a book’s cover, this is the cover image on the 5e monster manual. As with many books, the front and back of that cover fold out into a single image, which is why most of the action in this poster is in the right half of the picture, which corresponds to the front cover. Though some might wish the left half had a bit more going on, this is still a cool and iconic piece of art worthy of hanging on your wall.
Dungeons & Dragons Demogorgon Wall Poster
This is the part where you pretend you knew what a Demogorgon was before Stranger Things
This poster, which is almost identical to the front cover of 5e’s “Out of the Abyss” module, shows a Demogorgon rampaging.
This time our cover art is taken from a module Out of the Abyss. The image is nearly identical. The only difference is that it’s a bit taller and, as a result, shows a bit more space above the Demogorgon. Still, it more than captures what’s excellent about that image, namely the awesome monster design and the energy and action it carries here.
Dungeons & Dragons Tiamat Wall Poster
Tremble before Tiamat!
This expanded version of the Rise of Tiamat module’s cover shows off the entirety of the five-headed dragon goddess as she emerges from the ground.
Another expanded cover, this image is a zoomed out version of the cover art on the module The Rise of Tiamat. What’s cool about this image is that, where the actual book’s front cover is forced to zoom in on some (only some!) of Tiamat’s heads, this version is able to show much more of her terrifying form, giving all five heads and the rest off her body their due, especially the really cool blade on her tail.
Dungeons & Dragons Papazotl’s Tomb Wall Poster
Honestly, where did they get that many bones?
Representing Papazotl’s Tomb, this piece of art does a great job depicting the long odds you face when you venture into the Tomb of Annihilation.
This is our last image to be derived from a book cover, and even then, it’s a rather obscure book. The D&D character Folio can have several different covers, and this scene of a lone adventurer being swarmed by skeletons in Papazotl’s Tomb, a level of theTomb of Annihilation. This is a really cool piece of art. Its monsters are simpler than the ones in some of the other pieces showcased here, but that’s made up for by the sheer number of them. It’s a challenging scene in a cool setting, and that makes for a great poster design.
Dungeons & Dragon Different Colored Dragons Wall Poster
A piece of a fantasy world in your own home
This in-universe board shows informational posters on the ten most common types of dragon in the D&D setting as they may plausibly be laid out in some corner of the D&D world.
A lot of the best merch is stuff that appears to be taken from the universe it’s celebrating. We recently didan entire list centered around movie merch that follows that premise, and we attempt to include an item or two along those lines even in lists that aren’t entirely about them. This item follows that pattern. Though it is, in fact, a flat poster on a single piece of paper, this piece of art is designed to appear to be an informational display on the ten most common types of dragon in the Dungeons and Dragons mythos, including the endlessly-underserved metallic dragons.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Movie Poster
Manages to incorporate both “and” and “Dragons.” Unfortunately, neglects “Dungeons.”
Designed as a poster for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves film, this poster shows the D&D logo in the background with a series of silhouetted heroes in front of them.
All of the other images on this list have been scenes that, at least potentially, could come from the world of Dungeons & Dragons, but that doesn’t cover the breadth of D&D imagery, by any means. There’s also all of the out of universe stuff. For one thing,there’s metagame objects like dice and maps, which this list neglects due to a lack of applicable products, but this item showcases the other variation, the D&D company logo. This poster is actually for the movie, and it’s great for fans of that film, but it’s also a great way to just get a big flashy D&D logo into your home.
FAQ
Is D&D becoming more popular?
Yep! D&D is currently pretty close to the height of its popularity. While it’s seen widespread success in past eras, it’s often carried a stigma along with it. Less so in the modern day, when nerdy hobbies in general, and this one in particular, enjoy about as much mainstream respect as they’ve ever had.
What is the best selling edition of D&D?
Given the recent success of the fifth edition, many people’s first guess would be that it’s that one. However, in terms of raw numbers, the first edition’s player’s handbook is the best-selling D&D book of all time.
