A Cover for Basic D&D
Wizards of the Coast has released free PDFs of the Basic rules for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, containing material from the Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide.
I printed myself a copy of the combined Basic Rules via Lulu on printed it on 8.5″ x 11″ paper, perfect binding, with white interior paper, and black + white ink. Which was surprisingly affordable.
When I did so, the document needed a cover. There’s currently nothing, so I made this:
(Click for PNG of the full wrap-around cover)
The front cover art is Larry Elmore’s Dragonslayers and Proud of It!, one of my favourite pieces of fantasy art. It was the opening page in the 2nd Edition Player’s Handbook and I always thought it should be the cover. (For a short time it kinda was, being the cover of Races of Ansalon for the 3e line of Dragonlance books).
The back cover is a Player’s Handbook cover, being from the revised 2nd Edition PHB, drawn by Jeff Easley.
Both are excellent artists and I heartily recommend buying some of their prints and frequenting their tables at conventions.
Hey how can I stick this in the PDF of the Basic Rules so I can get it printed as cover for my rules set when I get it printed?
It’s tricky as you need a PDF editor. There’s a few available, but Adobe is the best albeit priciest. If taking the file to a professional print shop, they’re also often able to combine files. I know Staples can.