I might give it a try, once. But it would really have to blow my socks off to get a second play.
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Are you planning to do chairs/benches for the tables? Or just assume that the chair is whereever the mini is?
I've inserted some, ah, 'intermediary steps' to maintain things and it's worked pretty well. Would you mind sharing those steps Troubleshooter? I'm preparing to run Kingmaker once we finsh the current campaign, and I'd like to know what other people have done. I'm currently reviewing the same section of the AP, and I foresee simular problems.
I have repainted lots of D&D minis and a few Wow ones. With the D&D minis, I usually soak the in Simple Green, just to bring out some of the sculpting details that are usually obscured by the thich paint and protective overcoat used by the painters in China. I've found that I don't have to do that for the WoW figures. The existing paint makes a fine primer and the paint is thin enough that it doesn't clog up the nice detail of the figures. If your careful, you can also change the colors on just part of a WoW mini. I'm not a fan of the outragious hair colors that WoW figures have. I've turned several pink, puple and blue haired figures into blondes and brunettes. Remember to use a protective coating on your paint job once it's finished. The oils from your fingers will rub the paint off a plastic miniture much faster than it does on a metal one.
Tarondor, that must have been an absolutly stunning adventure to play in. I envy your players. I may just steal elements of this (mostly the Lovecraft ones - the white ship, the dreamlands adventure, etc) once my players get into adventurer #3. I'm constantly amazed by the collective creativity of these boards. Thanks to the idaes I've gained from other DM's who found this AP to be as dungeon-bash heavy as I have, I may just continue the AP after book #2. I think I can finally make thins work for my RP-heavy group.
An excellent website. Thanks for all the work that goes into something like this.
E-mail sent to ghettowedge.
Well, since these are not my own design and sculpts, I don't think I can legally sell a reproduction of one. I have a large dragon collection, but I don't recognize the sculpt. What mini is the original?
I like the clear crystal look. Good looking Gem Dragons are always hard to find and this one works. If your willing to sell one of the clear crystal ones, PM me with your price. The castings look good, and at table distance (3') no one will ever see a missing finger or toe.
Brassbaboon - I cast with Alumilite all the time. I think your problem is your doing too much at trhe same time. Aluminite comes from liquid to hard too fast to do all nine pieces at once. Personally, I'd do the big pieces (wings, body, tail) one at a time. Just mix up enough Alumilite for one piece (that's part of the beauty of Alumilite). Work that piece hard - bang the table (or use sean's drill table), shake the mold, whatever you need. Once you see the change from liquid to solid, then mold the next piece.I doubt that any of the molds are used twice on something like a dragon (claws maybe) but if they are, mold 1 at the begining and another at the end. Working more than one alumilite mold at a time is a recipie for frustration. Fortunatly, it cures quick enough that it shouldn't be a problem. Try it and see if that works better.
When I told the players we'd sort of "fast foward" through this section, I had a near revolt on my hands. I settled for 1 month per session, and I was allowed to continue DMing the game ;-) The problem with pugs inappearing again is that my players foam at the mouth at the mere mention of the word "pugwupis". Eyes twitch and nervious gesturers gome out from every player. I guess I over did it when I had a group of pugs follow the PC's around town after they cleared out the Battle Market. They went at the town sorta backwards - they cleared out the houses by the river, then when straight to the battle market, then finished off the town. The pugs in the battle market - my addition, including the gnoll booth on the first level that sold roasted pug on a spit (showing everyone what the gnolls really think about the little buggers) Since the pugs say the players beat the gnolls and then the PC's let the pugs out of the cage at the booth, the pugs attached themselves to thier new heroes (awww). The mahem caused by the combination of pugs, remaining opponents, and 1/2 decayed buildings was epic. I just don't think I'd survive another episode of pugs.
How big are those squares on that board? Each square is 1/2 inch. I have the same cutting board on my painting table.
I've got to agree with Dave the Barbarian. Books #4 and #5 are too simular for my players. When I did my first read-through, it was like "wait a minute!!! Didn't we just do that??" As it stands now, I'm going to run parts #1-2 as a mini campaign, and move on to other adventurers from there.
I've got to disagree just a bit with Boxhead. He is correct that it's not relavant in most of the AP. However, If you have a group like mine, which likes to explore beyond the initial assignment of investigating and recapturing a small town on the edge of the desert, then it could be. There is an area map in Book #2 that shows some areas that could easily be considered desert. If they want to check these areas out, at least one character with skill in survival will help. There are enough rivers and mountains that a desert focus won't be critical, but it can't hurt either. I told my players that they'd be begining in a mountainous area near a desert, and their initial mission would concern reclaiming a village in the lower hills. One player did give his character a desert background and some points in Survival. It help him spot a possible ambush spot as they approached the village on their initial scouting run. I won't say more due to spoilers. Overall, I'd say as a DM, you can make a players Survival skill relevant without much effort. But, as Boxhead says, it's not critical to the AP.
Jhavhul will be about 1 wish short of completing the ritual. However, when he dies, his life essence will be the last drop of mystical energy required for Xotani to revive itself. I'll give my players a couple of rounds to leave Xotani's cave, but after that, I plan to have one last battle against Xotani in the heights of the Pale... Personally, I like the idea, but I'd impliment it a little differently. Rather than have Xotani appear just two rounds after your players defeat Jhavhul, I'd give them a little break. Let them enjoy their victory for a couple of days/weeks. Then, just when they think it's safe, have Nefeshti appear before them, fill them in on any of the history/backstory they missed, tell the players about Xotani's rise - which was (in a very small way) brought about by the PC's killing of Xotani and then offer the players a chance to become the Templar's of the modern age. Once they agree - wishcraft begins and level 20 is finally achieved. That's my thought, for what it's worth.
When I have a self based mini (or I'm re-baseing a MageKnight or other Clix figure) I just cut 1" squares (or larger) out of stiff plastic. Curently I'm using a "Garage Sale" sign that's 1/16 of an inch thick. It started out as 2'x4' in size, so it's been providing me bases for about a year now and I've still got more than half left over. IIRC, the sign cost about $3US. I've used simular signs to provide walls and billboards in my terrain building efforts. The bases don't take long to make. Just draw out a 1" grid and cut. I use a metal cutting shears, but the plastic is thin enough that a good pair of scissors would work just as well - although they'll dull quickly.
Looking forward to it Bruunwald.
Sean, I'm sorry to hear that your Gelationious Cube project never finished. It was your project that motivated me to make my own. I'll try and post some photos when I have time. Brassbaboon - I can understand retailing a 28-32mm gelationous cube with a painted mini (or better yet - one with 4 pieces of painted treasure) floating inside for $30US. The primary cost factors are (based on my own experience):
Overall, making a good looking g-cube is tough. Casting them in bulk is tougher.
I really like the coy pond. What did you make the fish out of? As for oriental RPG stuff, I have a number of re-painted pieces of aquarium scenery, the four L5R elemental dragons and a couple of resin wargaming pieces. Most of my figures are Dixon's - I like the detail, but they look "fat" compared to most of my 28-32mm. If you get your site back in shape, and a store running let us know.
I've usually got 10-15 miniatures going at any one time, so it's hard to track time spent on any single miniature. Like you Brassbaboon, I re-purpose a lot of Mageknight, Heroclix, Horrorclix, Heroscape, Christmas and Halloween ornaments, and other 28-32mm figures from various sources. With some, just a simple drybrush and adding a few dedtails is all I need to do. Sotimes, full re-sculpts are necessary. Basically, I paint til I'm happy with a figure. And I also find little to no corrolation between the time I spend on a figure and how much I like it. Some of my favorite figures take less than 15min. Others have 20+ hours total.
I just got a bucket from Amazon about a week ago. Have you got a link for that bucket. My googlefoo has been failing as of late.
I've gotta agre with brassbaboon and Sean. If you only want one, just make one out of plastic or grenn stuff. Another idea would be to go to an office store or a store that stocks scrap book tools and look for a paper punch that creates a star shaped hole in paper. It will probably be 5-pointed rather than 6, but it should work fine. Just punch them out of thin plastic sheeting - I use a garage sale sign I found at a local big box store. It's a cheap way to make all sorts of circles, squares and diamonds for terrain decorating. And I know I've seen star shaped paper punches. If you can't find one local, just google.
My players haven't finished Book #1 yet (they're still clearing the village) but I think the kingdom building rules from RRR will work well for the automatic year off they recieve at the end of Book #1. My players have aready made several side treks onto nearby villages using the region map from Book #2 to make sure that nearby viallges know that Kalmarane will sone be open for business. They problem my players are having is what to do with the Pesh fields. Two characters (thief and sorcerer) want to expand the fields and use them as a cash crop. Three others (palidan, cleric and alchemist) are firmly against the idea of producing drugs. Has any other group run into this problem over Pesh? If so, how was it solved? I could always have the Pactmasters simply order the fields to be brought back inro production, but I want my players to have more influence over the reconstruction of Kalmarane. What do other DM's think about this? I'd like your ideas and input. Thanks in advance for your help.
Halidan, I don't know whether to be impressed or alarmed by the size and scope of your collection. :) Personaly, I'm a little scared by the whole thing. I won't repeat what my wife usually says about it. But, my collection is a lifetime of work. I started historical wargamming in 1974, and caught the D&D bug in 1977. I worked at my Dad's Hobby Shop during High School and since graduating college in 1983, I've usually had a second, part-time job at various other hobby shops in the MidWest. Employee discounts are a dangerous thing. The worst/best job was at a shop where the very kind owner paid us weekly in cash, and let us charge items against our paychecks anytime during the week. There was more than one Saturday when I owed him money. But 7,500? Man.... I wouldn't even know how to begin to store all that. I use a tool chest (about 4' high on rollers for my commonly used RPG minis. The rest of the RPG minis are in boxes in my garage. I take them out when I know an adventure calls for them. Each of the 4 WFB Armies has it's own cases. The ones I use stack on a small dolly for rolling into tournaments and store play dates. Unpainted minis are mostly still in the booster or box they're sold in, with some of them in boxes, sorted by type. They are all stored in my 2.5 car garage, which has just enough room left over to hold our minivan. @Velcro Zipper - What a wonderful job on the Athach. I have a couple of those trolls that are just laying around doing nothing. I think you just gave me an idea of how to put them to better use. I'd also never have guessed that your Punxizu was Blob if you hadn't told us. Great conversion using a difficult mini to do anything creative with.
PDK - if your drawing is to scale, then a 4x4 gargantuan stand is also 4" high? If so, then I foresee trouble using some of the heavier lead and pewter figures. Some of the Reaper dragons have wingspans in the 8" to 10" range, depending on pose. With that much pewter overhanging the edge of the base they probably will tip easily - especially when you consider the normal confusion on most gaming tables. Bumps and nudges could easily tip over any heavy gargantuan mini that's 4" off the table and supported on only those (relativly) small posts. Most mini painters aren't going to risk 40+ hous of painting and modeling to a stand that isn't considerably more stable. While the DM in me likes the off the ground idea, the mini painter in me wants a simple and sturdy alternative. Personally, I'm leaning towards Dapper Devil's option #1. Yes, I understand it will be fiddily to use and you'll have to move minis on and off the base, but it's sturdy and you can see the gaming grid through the base. That's all I really need. Just my 2 coppers. Your mileage may vary.
But even that left some pretty significant gaps that I felt I needed to fill (particularly dragons). Have you looked for any of the MageKnight Dragons. They had a couple of really good ones including the Venomous Shadow Dragon and Polar Ice Dragon that made great blues, the Radient Light Dragon for a white and a Great Fire Dragon for a decent red. Like all MageKnight stuff, they can be had cheap. So I'm wondering, how "unique" are other people's mini collections? Do other people think about putting a scorpion tail on a giant eagle? How many other gamers hack up miniature animals, dinosaurs and bugs and just stick the pieces together until something strikes their fancy? Oh, yes. I kitbash all the time. I just finished making 20 elven zombies for a scenario I'm working on for a FLGS. I used a box of GW zombies and a bunch of older GW plastic High Elves that I had laying around in my garage. After I run the game, they'll make a nice addition to my Vampire Counts army. I'm also starting to work on Female and child Giants for Hill, Frost, Stone and Fire Giants. Reaper has a couple of female Frost and Fire giants, but nothing (or nothing I like) for Stone or Hill. So, I'm using a couple of plastic action figures for the Hill Giant Females - just add some green stuff warts, enlarge some body parts to match the male Hill giants I have, make ratty looking hair and give them a laddle, cleaver or cooking pot with 1/2 of a hobbit sticking out. The Hill Giant kids will be old plastic cave people. I just have to figure out what Hill giant kids will play with. I could always go with toy clubs/rocks, but I may make a corndoll or other softer plaything for the females. The Stone giant females and kids (I want at least 3) are a much harder problem. They're taller than the Hill giants, so standard action figures aren't working. And the stone-like skin will be tough as well. I'm open to suggestions and any help would be appreciated. What is the most unique miniature you have? I think that would be the Chitine and Choldrith I made out of HeroClix parts. The monsters are basically spider humanoids that live in the Forgotten Realms. Chitine are mostly human with four arms and fangs. The Choldrith ars spider-bodied with a human head and two arms/hands. Here's the entire group and here is a close-up of one of the Chitine and lastly, a close up of one of the Choldrath. How many miniatures do you have that you would bet are totally unique in the world. How many of you create these minis and then add them to your bestiary? I would guess that I have about 50 completely hand-made or entirerly self-sculpted minis in my collection. As for those that are just kit-bashed out of existing parts (like the fore mentioned elven zombies), I would have to say that I have between 300-400 in my various WFB armies and another 50-75 in my role-palying minis. Or am I just a certified nutcase? Not by my standards. I have close to 7500 painted miniatures, and at least that many more in my garage awaiting thier chance at the painting table. You're no more crazier than I am. :-)
Thanks for the quick answer Robert. I useually don't read the blogs unless the title catches my eye. I think I'll have to pay more attention to them from now on.
Also one of our group is also a GM and we have an agreement to bring our minis in case the other GM needs them, and that arrangement includes a "bring them all, 'cause you don't need to know what you're fighting until you fight it" clause. That would be a problem. It makes me glad that I'm the perpetual DM. I know ahead of time what the players might run into, and can pack my toolbox accordingly(a 3-drawer steel box - my minis have sheet magnets on the base). At home, I have a 4' high, rolling tool chest (again steel) that holds a lot more minis and two drawers of basic terrain and it fits under the breakfast counter next to my DM's chair.
I just want to echo Mr. Beadrsley. These blogs are really helpful. I've been painting and making terrain since the mid-70's, and it's still helpfull to return to the basics for a reminder or two. BTW, what are design Tuesdays? I think I'm missing something here.
There are lots of commercial miniature carriers that are large enough for even the big WotC dragons. But, personaly I prefer a sturdy corregated cardboard box of the right size with styrofoam packing peanuts for my metal dragons. Plastic ones can be packed loose, and my few resin dragons are on display in one of my bookcases, mostly because I'm overly proud of the paint job I did on them. I don't use gargantuan figures very often, and I know ahead of time if there if a chance that the players will encounter a big demon or dragon, so I just take the correct one out of my garage and place it near my DM's chair. When the time comes, it goes on the table and after the encounter, back in the box. The cardboard boxes are simple, cheap and effective. That's all I need, but your mileage may vary.
Assuming your playing Pathfinder, the targeted Dispel Magic or Greater Dispel would work, but remember that your players have to make the role versus DC 11+ the Caster's level for the dispel to work. As for damage, I agree with Qualidar that the screw can't penatrate deep enough for a total kill. Blow off a limb or do a bunch of dice to his belly. I'd kill Javhul only if they manage to get the screw into his ear (nice use for a telekinisis spell), or imbed it into his neck.
Given how many parties are having problems with the Dinner Party scene, I decided that a little foreshadowing would be in order. My players have just finished clearing the village of Kelmarane. They were surprised when I told them they had a yuear off to do whatever they wanted to do. Several wanted to re-make Kelmarane into a thriving market town. They made trips to several of the villages on the regional map in House of the Beast, solving problems, attracting trade, and making sure that the rooute north and south of the village were secure. Then, I dropped the hint that asking one of the major merchant houses in Katapesh woulsd be the best way to get regular travel through the village. So they took a quick side trip to Katapesh, tried to see the leaders of the merchant houses, got a better look at how tightly the Pactmasters control things, and secured an invitation to a dinner party (as a bidder for the house's trade) so they know about this pleasant little tradition. They were also sucessfull in getting a promise of more trade, but only once the problem of the Carrion King was solved. Now, they're ready to head into Book #2, and have enough briefing on Book #3 that it won't seem forced. Not a bad night's work.
@Scipion - Interesting that you should mention Kroot. I'm currently converting 10 Kroot Cavalry and 20 Kroot foot to use in my fantasy RPG campaign. I've replaced the rifle with a selection of blowpipes, javalins, kroot knives and a few random sword looted from previous kills. Most of the assmebly is done, painting should start this weekend, provided I find time. I'll post some pics as I finish.
I suspect a lot of groups have an interesting time rescuing the goat and learning about the fearsom pug-wumpis. It's actually a great forshadowing encounter. In my game, after they finally killed the pug and saved the goat, the cleric in my groups was heard to say, "Good thing there was only one of the **** things. We're in a heap of trouble if we ever run into a group of them." It was later that night that they asked the NPC ranger if the pug-wumpis were solitary or social creatures. They didn't like his answer.
Nicely done. Did you just copy the maps in the module, or did you rework them in some sort of mapping program? If you just copied the maps, at what scale did you enlarge them? If you used a mapping program, are you willing to share the files? Thanks.
Some of the first terraian I built were hills, rock outcroppings, small groups of trees. From thre I moved on to farm houses (both intact and destroyed0. wells, fences, sheds, and other buildintgs that you might find along a road - like shrires, graves, stables inns, signposts, etc. Only after I had the rural stuff covered did I move on to urban terrain.
Don't get me wrong, I understand the lure of collecting great looking miniaturers. I probably have 60+ painted or pre-painted dragons, not counting the box full of D&D plastic ones that I own. But I have an excuse - I've worked part-time in hobby shops since I was 15 and my Dad owned one. I have dragons that go back to the old Heritage and Martian Metals lines. Eventually I'm going to run an old Judges Guild module called Zantac, in which the main encounter is a mountain lair with more than 30 dragons of all colors and sizes. Converted to Pathfinder, it's probably going to take a party of 6-8 30th level characters. Now Ijust have to find some suckers...er, I mean players, to run through it.
Still that's what, one dragon a month? How many more do you need? My players rarely deal with more than one dragon a month, and often go 2-3 months between dragon encounters. Your milage may vary.
I'm not sure about #1. I like my PC's to arrive at encounter #1 seperatly and get to know each other as we start the game. Having them already be an adventuring group would short-cut that. I find that my players really get into introductions, and enjoy getting to know the other character via role play. #2 I like this idea. My group is now in the middle of investigating the village and the area around it. The more I hear about the troubles GM's are having with the banquet in Book #3 and the re-hash of plots in Books #4&5, I think that I may run a short campaign of just books #1&2. We'll move on from there with an unrelated adventure and let the players move away from Kelmarane and the mountains as they choose to do. #3 I did both actually. I kept the pugwampis in the chapel, and added another batch between the old pesh fields and the destroyed buildings on the south edge of the village. By the time the players saw the second group near town, vials of Alchemist Fire and Sleep spells were readied.
The McFarlane and Safari Ltd dragons are at least that much and generally more, plus shipping if I buy online. One of the best ways to get a bargin on the Safari line of figures is if you have a Michael's Craft store anywhere in your area. At Michaels, the Dragons run about $2-3 less than retail, there is no shipping, and if you sign up for coupons on Michael's web site, they'll send you a 40% off any regular priced merchandice every couple of weeks. That's how I've gotten most of my Safari figures, including their great new Chimeria.
I'm not having any problems with too much exp from book 1. I'm running an 8-person party, and they have convinced their boss (through great role-playing and tithing to the Pactlords) to permanently assign them three of the guards. By their decision (done between sessions) I'm giving the NPC's full exp for any encounter they participate in. Mostly, the NPC's have been given safe duties - like guarding the spellcasters. So, basically, I have an 11-member party!!! I've had to add several encounters just to get them ready for exploring the town and I've got several more in town to get them ready for the battle market. Despite their bosses complaints, they are alreay looking beyond Kelmarene into the greater Pale Mountain region. This is without any push from me, so I think I'll actually manage to get them to 4th level sometime during the battle market - if thigs go like planned (which they won't).
The more I hear about the problems with the dinner party in book three and boook five being a mirror/repeat of book four, I think I'm going to run Legasy as a 2-book mini campaign. My players are having the time of thier life with the gnoll village in book #1, and they've already started collecting legands and info on the larger gnoll citadel in book 2. What do people think about that idea? Any suggestions?
While they can't compare to the McFarland dragons, I use a nuber of the dragon figures from MegaBlox. They are gargattuan in size, and if you remove or camoflage the lego-style brich where a rider can sit, they don't look too bad. I especially like the Translucent colored set that came out a few years ago - they make great gem dragons. E-bay usually has older MegaBlox sets for very reasonable prices.
Excellent results - especially on the skeletons and the legionaire with the shield. I'm quite impressed. As for dealing with the excess dip, Sean has already given excellent advise. the only thing I can add is to do a test dip using one of each figure to find out where the dip will pool. Then, when you dip them in mass, you know what areas you'll need to pay additional attention to. As for the dip pooling in the eye holes of the minis, in my mind, that's not a real problem. You can either leave the pool and call it good as far as the eyes go, or you can use a small brush (0 or 00) and use a little off white paint to make a smalller dot as the eyeball. Unless it's a figure that I want to do an extra special job on (like a PC model) I usually don't paint more than a white dot on a darker flesh background for the eyes. BTW - where did you get the skeleton figures from. I really like pose and could use a few for my collection. You can never have enough skeletons in your collection. They work as both monsters and decoration on the walls of a room. Thanks for posting the figures. That took confidence.
I have dozens of Actions figures that work as giants and dragons. Many of Todd McFarlane's Dragons line the shelves of my garage. I just picked up three action figures from the upcomming Thor movie to work as frost and fire giants. I also own most of MegaBlox's Dragon figures. They're not as detailed as the McFarlane range, but they're cheaper and still big enough to serve as Huge and Gigantic figures. As for terrain, there are lots of possibilities, depending on your budget. Model train buildings, especailly some of the O-scale buildings by Plasticville and Lionel work very well. O-scale is actually bigger than 25mm, but since most of the current figures run from 28mm to 32mm isn size, O-scale works fine. The hills, rocks and mountains that are included in various toy plastic dinosaur and green soldier sets work for everythiung from montains, clumps of rocks, hedges, hills and even volcanos. Model train trees of various scales work well, but can be expensive. Instead, look for the trees that come out at Christmas time for ceramic villages. They're covered in fake snow, but that can be either be removed with a spray of hot water, or sprayed over with a couple of cans of different colored green spray paint. I usualy go into high-guage model hunting mode from October through December. Holoween cardboard table decorations can make excellent ruined houses. Thanksgiving decorations have provided me with everything from tables for my action-figure giants to a Type-1 demon made from a cheap (and badle made) turkey figure. Christmas is the real winner. This past year I found a stack of three holiday gift boxes that became three different houses. Christmas ornaments have given me harps, fireballs, crystal chandeliers, angel and solar figures and giant bird nests. There are several stores that are excellent hunting outlets. Craft stores like Michael's, Jo-Ann's, and Hobby Lobby are good for finding both supplies and ideas. I recently picked up several wooden canoes that I made into long-hual river and lake transports. They also have a line of cardboard houses, barns, and churches. I've takes the bare arboard forms and filled them out with cardbaord shingles, basswood doors, and waud & dabble plasterwork made from spackle. Those are the things that just came to me here at the computer. I'm sure that if I went into my garage, I'd have other suggestions.
I will figure out a way to post some photos. I admit to some trepidation indoing so because I suck at this. My goal in buying all these minis was to flesh out my collection in areas that are critical to my campaigns. I don't think you have to worry about anyone being critical here at Paizo. It's one of the most helpful and friendly RPG boars that I'm on. If folks ask for critcisim or help, then people will make comments and suggestions, but otherwise the folks around here are encouraging and accepting. Personally, I just want to see other peoples work so I can get ideas for my own.
Post some pictures when your finished. I'd like to see how your experiment turns out.
I'm not familiar with the name brand Apoxie Sculpt, but assuming it's a two part epoxy putty, I can offer some help. I'm not sure if my advice will work for what you're using. The reason I'm worried is that I've never had any brand of epoxy ribbon that was anything close to the consitancy of mud. Usally it's a much fimer consistacy. #1 - make sure you use equal parts of both compounds (typically a yellow and a blue ribbon). When mixed, you should have a solid green mass without any of the original colors. #2 To keep things from sticking to your fingers, use a dish of warm water. Keep your fingers moist at all times and wet your tools as you use them. #3 you can hasten the hardening process with a little warmth.I like to use a metal can with a light bulb through the bottom. You can put the can over the piece your working on and it will harden faster. I know several other sculpters who use a hair dryer on low setting. It works, but it means using one hand for the hair dryer and another to hold the mini. With my set up, I can do somethiong else while the mini dries. The last thing I'd recommend is to read the instructions for your product very carefully. I suspect your mix is off given the muddy consistancy you've mix. This website says a 1 to 1 mix will give you a clay-like consitancy, which is what I'd expect from an epoxy based sculpting medium. That same website says that Apoxie Sculpt takes 24 hours to completely dry. Patience is your best friend when sculpting.
I wouldn't worry about the wood warping. When you clear-coat your figurers, you'll also be clear-coating the bases. This protects the base from moisture. As long as thee bottom of the base stays dry, you shouldn't have any problems. I've used wooden bases for years, and have never had a problem with warping.
Personally, I'd avoid a skin colored primer. Frist, I'm doubtful an actual primer that;s skin colored. Primer is different from paint. Paint has a smooth finish - primer has a rougher finish. It's designed to giver the surface a bit of tooth, which is a surface that can be gripped. Secondly, the color of your primer will effect the colors you put over it. Black primer will give the paints a darker look, while white primer giver the paint a much lighter, brighter look. Presonally, I prefer neurtal primers like gray and brown. As for painting, I'd do batch painting. Take a group of 15-20 simular figures. After the prinmer dries (12-24 hours) you then paint them from the lowest level to the top. First is usually skin color, then clothing (shirt and pants first, then things like vests, hats, boots,etc.) Finally paint weapons and equipment. At each stage, work all the figures at the same time - do 20 fleshes, then 20 pants, 20 shirts, 20 quivers, 20 bows, etc. This way, by the time you finish the flesh on figure 20, figure 1 is dry and can have his pants done. This is a very easy (although boring) way to paint armies of miniaturers. It gives you a decent, table-top paint job, where all of the figures look good at a distance of 2-3 feet. They won't win any Golden Demons, but they will give you servacible paint jobs in a minimum amount of time.
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