So I'm running a campaign with an odd looking final monster. He is an amalgam (from Advanced Bestiary)trumpet archon/ glabrezu, who is wrapped head to toe in sheet music. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for minis for this guy. Also, what minis have you used for other big bad monsters. I've always wanted to end Age of Worms with this guy.
http://www.amazon.com/s/field-keywords=B00006BSRX/?tag=perblosit-20
No suggestions for your abomination, but for draconic BBEGs, McFarlane Toys makes an excellent line of dragons. You'll have to base them yourself, but they're incredible sculpts, cheaper than WotC's gargantuan dragons, and some (all?) of them are even pose-able to a degree. I have their bone dragon to use as a dracolich (originally for Dragotha) and it's been very well received at the table indeed when I break it out.
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So I'm running a campaign with an odd looking final monster. He is an amalgam (from Advanced Bestiary)trumpet archon/ glabrezu, who is wrapped head to toe in sheet music. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for minis for this guy.
http://www.amazon.com/s/field-keywords=B00006BSRX/?tag=perblosit-20
Maybe Samuel from the Hell Dorado range....though it may not be demonic enough.
Close, but it should be about Huge size. He's much more wrapped up than that mini, but its a good start!
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Best I can come up with is this guy or this guy - they'd be Large at best though.
Whatever sculpt you end up going with, don't forget you can add your own sheet music.
Best I can come up with is this guy or this guy - they'd be Large at best though.
Whatever sculpt you end up going with, don't forget you can add your own sheet music.
The second mini is pretty close. Thanks! Oh and by the way, awesome catch on the sheet music.
Hmmm.
Doesn't sound like something you're going to find in an unmodified mini... If you're geared up for and open to the idea of doing a little conversion, Reaper Miniatures has some stuff that might make for good parts/bits:
- Reaper Figure Finder (use search term "angel" & take your pick - the Deva looks the closest to the D&D 3.x MM Trumpet Archon artwork IMO, but has no trumpet that I can see at a glance)
- A Reaper musical instruments pack; includes a long straight horn
- A Reaper musician with a different type of big horn; not sure how much work to remove
- A Reaper Glabrezu-like demon (or use the link above with search term "demon"; there is another one with 4 arms and lobster claws that will show up... BTW, the "angel" and "demon" searches also turn up angelic/demonic wings packs, if that helps.
- A Reaper conversion pack that includes claws, horns, etc.
Most if not all the parts of their multi-part minis can be purchased separately through their site also...
A lot of images in their figure finder have little triangles spaced out along the edge that help show the size of the mini, but not all of these ones have them; sorry I can't say whether or not they'd make good parts for a huge mini.
For the sheet music you could use the dollhouse stuff linked above, or else roll out some thin sheets of green stuff to wrap around the end product & freehand-paint the notes onto.
There's a thread about people's various takes on a {BBEG} mini for the AoW finale here, BTW, in case you haven't already seen it.
Good luck, have fun, and make sure to come back and let us know what you came up with!
Kang
If you're comfortable sculpting or doing mods at all and are willing for its music to be more scroll-like rather than individual sheets....
take a glabrezu
add bird wings
mix a lot of greenstuff
smoosh the greenstuff into a big flat pancake
cut the greenstuff into strips with a knife (cut from top-down like a guillotine, not side-to-side like cutting vegetables, to minimize distorting the edges
allow the greenstuff to cure about 30 minutes so it's firm but still pliable
wrap the greenstuff lengths around the mini's arms, legs, and body
allow the greenstuff to fully cure
prime and paint
use a micro-pen (.2mm) to draw lines/notes/etc. on the greenstuff "sheet" music
I'd suggest commission a custom paper mini from N'wah. His prices are good and you'd have your own, perfect mini
Hmmm.
Doesn't sound like something you're going to find in an unmodified mini... If you're geared up for and open to the idea of doing a little conversion, Reaper Miniatures has some stuff that might make for good parts/bits:
- Reaper Figure Finder (use search term "angel" & take your pick - the Deva looks the closest to the D&D 3.x MM Trumpet Archon artwork IMO, but has no trumpet that I can see at a glance)
- A Reaper musical instruments pack; includes a long straight horn
- A Reaper musician with a different type of big horn; not sure how much work to remove
- A Reaper Glabrezu-like demon (or use the link above with search term "demon"; there is another one with 4 arms and lobster claws that will show up... BTW, the "angel" and "demon" searches also turn up angelic/demonic wings packs, if that helps.
- A Reaper conversion pack that includes claws, horns, etc.Most if not all the parts of their multi-part minis can be purchased separately through their site also...
A lot of images in their figure finder have little triangles spaced out along the edge that help show the size of the mini, but not all of these ones have them; sorry I can't say whether or not they'd make good parts for a huge mini.
For the sheet music you could use the dollhouse stuff linked above, or else roll out some thin sheets of green stuff to wrap around the end product & freehand-paint the notes onto.
There's a thread about people's various takes on a {BBEG} mini for the AoW finale here, BTW, in case you haven't already seen it.
Good luck, have fun, and make sure to come back and let us know what you came up...
As cool as that would be, I'm also a 16 year old kid with a minuscule budget. Anything too complicated is way beyond me and my current bank account of $11.
If you're comfortable sculpting or doing mods at all and are willing for its music to be more scroll-like rather than individual sheets....
take a glabrezu
add bird wings
mix a lot of greenstuff
smoosh the greenstuff into a big flat pancake
cut the greenstuff into strips with a knife (cut from top-down like a guillotine, not side-to-side like cutting vegetables, to minimize distorting the edges
allow the greenstuff to cure about 30 minutes so it's firm but still pliable
wrap the greenstuff lengths around the mini's arms, legs, and body
allow the greenstuff to fully cure
prime and paint
use a micro-pen (.2mm) to draw lines/notes/etc. on the greenstuff "sheet" music
I've used sculpy for minis in the past, but it never fully dries and often melts in heat. What green stuff would you recommend?
I'd suggest commission a custom paper mini from N'wah. His prices are good and you'd have your own, perfect mini
We have been using N'wah's minis when we can, but sadly most monsters have not been converted to the paper format (which I endorse wholeheartedly!) N'wah, if you are listening, please make skeletons! Where would I go to find prices for custom minis? Also, a slight aside, is there a place where I can get free paper minis? I have all of Paizo's but could always use more.
I've used sculpy for minis in the past, but it never fully dries and often melts in heat. What green stuff would you recommend?
This green stuff.. It's a two-part epoxy putty. You mix the two colors together until they're a uniform green, then you can sculpt with it, use it as filler, and so on. It cures fairly hard (no heat required) in about an hour (but still has a little "give"), which is why I suggested letting it sit for half an hour after making the pancake so it hardens up a little bit, but not so much that picking it up with your fingers will ruin the flat strips you made.
Professional mini sculptors use green stuff to some extent, which is why the prototypes of minis about to be cast are called "greens." There are many examples on the Reaper greens page (where you'll also see how they use "brown stuff" for pieces that need to hold more of a sharp edge, like weapons, and how they incorporate metal bits from other minis when creating a similar figure).
I've used sculpy for minis in the past, but it never fully dries and often melts in heat. What green stuff would you recommend?This green stuff.. It's a two-part epoxy putty. You mix the two colors together until they're a uniform green, then you can sculpt with it, use it as filler, and so on. It cures fairly hard (no heat required) in about an hour (but still has a little "give"), which is why I suggested letting it sit for half an hour after making the pancake so it hardens up a little bit, but not so much that picking it up with your fingers will ruin the flat strips you made.
Professional mini sculptors use green stuff to some extent, which is why the prototypes of minis about to be cast are called "greens." There are many examples on the Reaper greens page (where you'll also see how they use "brown stuff" for pieces that need to hold more of a sharp edge, like weapons, and how they incorporate metal bits from other minis when creating a similar figure).
Cool. That's one mystery down. Is this stuff available readily at hardware or art stores?
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Cool. That's one mystery down. Is this stuff available readily at hardware or art stores?
You can order the Reaper brand green stuff (and brown stuff) online here:
http://www.miniature-giant.com/supplies-Reaper-c-598.htmlI've done business with Miniature-Giant in the past before and not only is their shipping cheap (like 50 cents -- seriously) but they ship items extremely fast, too.
Cool. That's one mystery down. Is this stuff available readily at hardware or art stores?
You should be able to get green stuff anywhere you can buy paints and other supplies for Warhammer minis. Games Workshop makes one version of it and usually stores (except official GW stores) that carry their version will also carry competing versions.
I just realized you could also soak paper in diluted white glue, then wrap that around the mini; when it dries, it should be hard. Cheaper and more available than epoxy putty. :)
As cool as that would be, I'm also a 16 year old kid with a minuscule budget. Anything too complicated is way beyond me and my current bank account of $11.
Ah, I see. Been there. Hey, don't sweat it - when you get to be my age (in 20 years or so), 10 of those $11 will be earmarked for mortgage payments, insurance, utility bills, etc. Enjoy it while it lasts! :o)
One thing my gaming group does is to each chip in $2 per session that can be used by anyone in the group who wants to pick up stuff that might enhance our games. People have the option (and are highly encouraged) to make/build/paint something for the campaign instead if they'd rather. Mostly people chip in the $2. It adds up fast; maybe something like this would work for your group. Depending on how many players you have, you could probably have enough for either the glabrezu-like demon and the angel wings pack (or just the wings from the angel/large bird of your choice) for a glabrezu with some archon features, or the Deva and the creature components pack for a (slightly more expensive) archon with demonic appendages (ie. claws, horns, tail), and a pack of green stuff within just a few sessions (maybe just a couple weeks if you throw in that $11)... Just a thought. Hope it helps,
Kang
There's also Apoxie Sculpt (also an "add this putty to this putty" mixture), which you can order fairly cheap online, which hardens to a rock-life toughness in about a day with no heat required.
As cool as that would be, I'm also a 16 year old kid with a minuscule budget. Anything too complicated is way beyond me and my current bank account of $11.Ah, I see. Been there. Hey, don't sweat it - when you get to be my age (in 20 years or so), 10 of those $11 will be earmarked for mortgage payments, insurance, utility bills, etc. Enjoy it while it lasts! :o)
One thing my gaming group does is to each chip in $2 per session that can be used by anyone in the group who wants to pick up stuff that might enhance our games. People have the option (and are highly encouraged) to make/build/paint something for the campaign instead if they'd rather. Mostly people chip in the $2. It adds up fast; maybe something like this would work for your group. Depending on how many players you have, you could probably have enough for either the glabrezu-like demon and the angel wings pack (or just the wings from the angel/large bird of your choice) for a glabrezu with some archon features, or the Deva and the creature components pack for a (slightly more expensive) archon with demonic appendages (ie. claws, horns, tail), and a pack of green stuff within just a few sessions (maybe just a couple weeks if you throw in that $11)... Just a thought. Hope it helps,
Kang
That's a good idea. I'm running this campaign for two groups: 4 highschool/college friends, and a group of adults varying in number from 5-8. That's at least $18 a game. But the players in my younger group usually have less money than me. Even dropping it down to $1 would give me many more options. Great idea!
I just realized you could also soak paper in diluted white glue, then wrap that around the mini; when it dries, it should be hard. Cheaper and more available than epoxy putty. :)
Wow Sean, you're a craft wizard full of useful ideas. This seems the cheapest so I guess it just got promoted to best idea.