Frostgrave Characters - Potion Master and Alchemist

I love the adaptability of Frostgrave. Like many of my favorite rules sets of late - SAGA, Lion Rampant and Dragon Rampant, nothing ties you into a specific figure manufacturer's line. Of course, Northstar's dedicated line of Frostgrave plastics are excellent, but what about the metal characters?

In all honesty, I wish they were a bit larger. It is fine that the plastic sprues fit in with historicals, but I would like it if the metals stood out as bit more heroic. The potion master below is actually a bit smaller than the plastics. Which probably fits with the way it would work, but I like a little more heft out of my metal fantasy figs.

I bought the pack pretty much for the potion master. He's a really unique character and tough to find a suitable stand in among my collection. The marksman is not terribly interesting - any Crusader Miniature crossbowman could stand-in for that roster slot.

Here's some treasure markers I made up using Hirst Arts casts - barrels, treasure chests, a stack of books and some sacks. 

Finally, my last minis of the week are not Frostgrave related directly, but I suppose one could make them work. Both are Reapers, one is a half orc and the other is an ogre, although I painted them with the idea that the smaller guy is a half-ogre - a father/son pairing, perhaps. 

Oberon Half-Orc and Ogre Chieftain

Female Monster Adventurers for Frostgrave

This is one of the more interesting ideas for a Frostgrave warband I have put together, an all-female "monster" warband.  I had started this before the Into the Breeding Pits expansion was announced, but I think they will work well with the new material. 

They might make a good Beastcrafter warband, as the author describes them as being a more animalistic type of magic, Read more at his website The Renaissance Troll.  

Krokuta, Gnoll Cleric, Reaper # 02955

Looking for a goblin female was a bit difficult, so I went with a gnome female and gave her green skin. Not very d&d goblin, but maybe Warcraft.

03196: Petra Posiedew, Gnome Sorceress

03263: Ferrunk, Female Bugbear Cleric

The two "sisters" shown below will be a ranger and a barbarian in the warband.

02708: Janara HalfOrc Female & 03019: Lathula, Female Barbarian

Female Adventurers from Reaper

A small party of female adventurers from Reaper, a warm-up for my soon to be posted Oathsworn female adventurers. 

The first on the right is in Bones plastic and the other two are metals. As it is from the first bones, it suffers a bit from a lack of details. It is also a bit tall for a figure that should be a halfing...or is it a dwarf? I have detailed my problem before with Reaper's "not small enough" halflings - but it is a nice figure. 

Bailey Silverbell

Liriel Silverlocks, Elf Bard

Magda Mintsilver

The dwarf above will probably end up as an NPC in a dwarven village, although I don't suppose there are too many dual wielding blacksmiths. Maybe it is a 3rd edition feat.

Orc Army for Dragon Rampant

This week's project was finally getting a box of Wargames Factory Orcs painted and based. I must have bought them four or five years ago for a project I have since forgotten. However, with my new interest in Dragon Rampant, I decided to assemble and paint up the orcs.

Here's a group shot of twenty four

Some small group photos below. Overall, my impression of these figures is rather mixed. The look or aesthetic is well done. These are very much Peter Jackson LOTR orcs, not pig faced AD&D/GW orcs or noble savage Warcraft/Skyrim orcs. Their armor and gear is rather patchwork, suitable for the savage mob army from the films. In keeping with the films look, I went for an ocher skin color with a little goblin green and pale flesh mixed in.

The design of the figures is something with which I had a bit more of a problem. The bodies and legs are separate pieces - which is generally a good thing as it gives more variation. However, the bodies are meant to be reversible, meaning either side is suitable for the chest to give even more variation. A nice idea in theory, however it does lead to some awkward poses and odd angles. The plastic material is a positive, though. Even on some of their bad figures, the hard plastic from Wargames Factory is durable, takes paint well and has minimal flash. 

The weapons on the sprue are another positive. These are some real nasty looking weapons that orcs would make - serrated edges, extra spikes, thick little daggers and morningstars.  As far as conversion and kit bashing potential, it's pretty easy. The photo above shows a spear bearing orc whose arm comes from a Gripping Beast Viking set. The orc archer on the far right has a recurve bow clipped on from the Gripping Beast Arab army. Some other bits come from the Frostgrave soldiers. 

That's my review of a five year old or more product whose immediate and near future availability is uncertain due to the pending takeover of Wargames Factory by Warlord Games. (I just checked Warlord - they are available at $5 USD per sprue of 3 figures)

A good Dragon Rampant army needs a big guy, so I threw in a Reaper Bones Mountain Troll. A great figure, and as I have said before, on figures of this size and larger, the bones material holds detail as well as metal. 

All my ducks in a row

I got these Duckmen from Rebel Minis holiday sale, and they went to the front of the line in my paint queue. They are the old Mongoose duckmen for Runequest, currently released through Rebel minis as part of their Darkhold line.

I imagine these as the strangest Frostgrave band possible, or maybe as a weird wilderness encounter for PCs in my next campaign.

The sculpts are excellent, and each figure is unique. They are short, averaging about 20mm, but well detailed.

Due to aging eyes, painting at this size is not my strong suit, one reason I avoid 15mm despite its growing popularity. However, between my anthro characters and other short races, I seem to spend a lot of time in this size.

A blog reader recently asked for some comparison shots from various manufacturers, so here are a few combinations

L to R: Iron Wind Quickling, Rebel Ducman (2) and a Reaper halfling

L to R: Oathsworn dormouse, Rebel duckman (2) and a full size Reaper Elf. 

The duckmen compare relatively well to most halflings, though they lack the bulk that some manufacturers add to their halflings and gnomes. I suspect they don't want them to look like normally scaled 15mm or 20mm figs.  

And now, just some mice: 

L to R: Reaper mousling, Oathsworn dormouse, Splintered Light Rat and Oathsworn mouse.
Note that the Splintered Light fig is on a thinner base. 

Dragoth Undead King

I had this miniature finished a few weeks ago - for Halloween, in fact. My son, who is a big Nightmare Before Christmas fan, nicknamed him Jack and it stuck. He's been the big baddy in a couple of Open Combat games.

The mummies were painted mostly by son, who is six. As I have stated before, the real appeal of the Bones kickstarter's is cheap miniatures for my son and daughter to paint at a low entry price. And for a mummy, it was a good basic lesson. Paint it skeleton white, sepia wash and drybrush the highlights.

Fafhrd and Grey Mouser

My first introduction to Fafhrd and Grey Mouser was not through the original novels by Fritz Leiber but from a comic book adaptation by Howard Chaykin and Mike (Hellboy) Mignola. Howard Chaykin, in addition to being a great creator of original characters (American Flagg) also knows his way around other writer's works. And in the late 1980s at the prime of my comic collecting days, Mignola was one of my favorites. He is a stylist without making his style obtrusive on the story. I enjoyed the collection quite a bit, but not to the level of Marvel's Conan comics, especially Savage Sword. Regrettably, I did not pick up the novels until years later and was blown away by the craftsmanship of Leiber.

Here are two obvious Reaper "not Fafhrd and Grey Mouser" figures, Fafnir of Kjord and Arran Rabin. Fafnir is in metal, the other in Bones plastic. Side by side, one can see that metal holds better detail, especially in the face, than bones plastic, not withstanding improvements in Bones II over Bones I. He's still worth picking up if you need a Mouser stand in for an RPG or skirmish game. 

Leiber continually emphasized Grey Mouser's monochromatic apparel. On the page, it's fine, but on a figure it is hard to avoid a dull, boring look. However, put the Mouser against a grey stone background and I instantly see why the smaller man favored such an outfit. It's sword & sorcery urban camouflage. 

Before my comic collecting days, but a little web research led me to this forgotten (better forgotten?) work from Wonder Woman's disco era costume days. 

Female Adventurers

Here is a quartet of female adventurers from Reaper Bones plastic. Below, a female paladin and wizard, both ready for some Frostgrave action.

The caster is from Bones I, and the problem with indistinct facial details are particularly noticeable on that figure. The severity may vary from figure to figure, but it has improved on the most recent Bones release.

Below, the two female adventurers from the Dragons Don't Share set. Fine details on the face and clothing are noticeably better here. 

The two face off against a Warg, also from Reaper Bones. The terrain tiles are by Acheson Creations. Cast in a hard plastic, they paint up very nicely and will work in a variety of situations. Check for updates later.

Fire & Ice: Reaper minis for Frostgrave

This week I worked on my Reaper I backlog, in part due to some Frostgrave inspiration.

First, the fire elemental which is cast in red translucent plastic. I held back on this mini because I had some plan of drilling out the bottom and installing an LED. No shortage of examples are out there on the web, but I pretty much decided that after two years that was a project that would never get off the backburner.

So, here it is, ready for summoning by an elemental wizard. I quickly applied some basic yellow highlights with hot ash and coal on the base. 

I really like this Frostgiant Princess, although it looks more like a shaman than a noble. Some of the design elements have an Inuit influence, or possibly Saami. 

Oriental Adventures into 5th Edition: Korobokuru

     Oriental Adventures came in 1985 at the tail end of the 1st edition/AD&D era. Released as a hardcover, it introduced many concepts such as skill proficiency, comeliness, and honor. Of course, the real draw was new classes such ninja, samurai and wu jen. Other classes, such as barbarian and monk were repurposed to better fit the new setting. To an 11 or 12 year old who grew up on Kung Fu Theater every Saturday afternoon, this was a prize. From the classic cover to an Asian bestiary, this is an AD&D collector's essential..
       The setting of Kaan-Tur was initially meant to be the Oriental end of a generic European medieval world, probably Greyhawk. In 1987, it was specifically stated to be in the Forgotten Realms. A later edition of Oriental Adventures (for 3E) would place the story in Rokugon, of Legend of the Five Rings Fame. A good book, but one that was at cross purposes with itself. Many of the races and classes it contained were not a part of the setting the book described, and so the book never worked to a coherent whole.
The original Oriental Adventures contained only three non-human player character races, all of which I will adapt in the coming weeks.  First, the dwarves of Kara-tur:

KOROBOKURU

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The Korobukuru are a race of eastern dwarves who make their home deep in the jungle, on snowy mountains or in remote forests.  They rarely venture outside of their villages, and avoid contact with humans and other intelligent races.

Dwarf monk from Reaper Miniatures

Standing about 4 feet tall, the Korobokuru are nonetheless stout and powerful. Their long, hairy arms and slightly bowed legs and sparse beards give them a comical appearance to many humans. Nonetheless, they are extremely strong and hardy
Korobokuru live in small settlements where they farm, hunt and work at simple crafts. They are often considered primitive by settled and more advanced peoples, though the korobokuru’s pugnacious and boastful nature will not tolerate insults. Korobokuru adventurers who travel outside of their villages are most often barbarians, but might also include rangers and druids.  

KOROBOKURU NAMES

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Names are very important in Korobokuru culture. In addition to the clan name, parents give children a name or nickname at an early age. Upon reaching adulthood, another name is taken, which is mostly kept secret. Only very close family members or companions are told this secret name.

Male Names. Akihi, Horohoro, Isonash, Koshaman, Menkakush, Mici, Nupur, Pasekur, Resak, Takhaka,

Female Names. Api, Hotene, Katekemat, Kateyui, Mina, Oki, Opere, Nupeki, Pirka, Saki, Toitoi, Umoshmatek,

Clan Names. Hakket, Jomo, Kapo, Karafuto, Niputay, Ponape, Yezo,

KOROBOKURU TRAITS

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Your Korobokuru character has a variety of characteristics in common with all other Korobokuru.

Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution Score increases by 2 and your Strength increases by 1.

Age. Korobokuru mature at the same rate as humans, but they are considered young until they are 50 years of age. On average, they live about 350 years, although rare ascetics among them may live much longer.

Size. Korobokuru stand between 3 ½ to 4 ½ feet tall and average about 125 lbs. Your size is Small.

Alignment. The majority of Korobokuru are chaotic or neutral, especially in their relations with outsiders.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Type. You are of the humanoid type.

Darkvision. Accustomed to the dark forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in the dark. You can see in dim light within 60 feet as if you were in bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You cannot identify color in the darkness, only shades of grey.

Resilience. You have advantage on saving throws against poison and you have resistance to poison damage.

Hardy. You have advantage on all Strength and Constitution saves against magic.

Toughness. Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.  

Languages. You can speak Korobokuru, Trade and Hengeyokai.

Close to the Wild. You have proficiency in the Nature skill. If attempting to identify plants and animals of your clan's native area, you have Advantage on skill checks.

Oriental Adventures for AD & D at rpgnow.com

Conversion notes: This is basically a 5th edition hill dwarf with a few changes. They have the nature proficiency instead of a tool proficiency. A couple of gnomish traits (small size and magical resistance) replace the armor and weapon proficiencies and bonuses. The names are borrowed and adapted from Ainu names. Korobokuru are a part of Ainu folklore and the Ainu thought the dwarves were the previous inhabitants of their northern islands. 

Goblin Villagers

My painting project for the week were these goblins from Rebel Minis from their Dark Hold line. They are 20mm to the top of the head. The sculptor is Bobby Jackson, and as you can see, the poses, character and expression is excellent. The casting is also top quality. Very little clean up required, and all are single piece figures.

I will possibly make use of them in a Frostgrave warband. They would certainly be very good low level minions for an unscrupulous wizard.

Order Rebel Minis

Frostgrave

Frostgrave is the mini hit of the summer, and I have certainly fell under its spell. Part of its appeal was that, like Open Combat, any miniatures could be used. With plenty of Reaper Bones on hand, I bought the rulebook, and passed on the official wizard and soldier minis.

That was the plan, but the book was illustrated with so many beautifully painted miniatures that I gave in and ordered the box of plastic figures from Brigade Games.

The sprues are well stocked with so many options that one could assemble all 20 with no noticeable repetition. The two handed weapons (great sword, battle axe) will be in my next batch.

Here is my planned warband - a Sigilist wizard and his apprentice, both from Reaper. The plastic miniatures are closer to the 28mm standard used by historical manufacturers. In fact, many of their arms and weapons will fit with Gripping Beast's plastic figures. I'll post some examples next week. But as you can see below, many fantasy manufacturers tend towards the taller side of 28mm (really 32mm). The two don't necessarily look out of place together, but there is a noticeable differential. 

I have also been busy assembling some Frostgrave terrain from my Hirst Art blocks. One of the nice things about building ruined terrain is that I don't have to use clamp and guides to line up the blocks straight and true. Buckled walls, gaps and other irregularities are the desired outcome in this case.  

Holy Vindicator

Here's a mini from a friend of mine that got the collecting bug recently. He painted up a neat color scheme (Superman, right?) and I added some washes and highlights.

Minotaurs

Now that the Minotaur is a semi-official PC race for D&D from the online Unearthed Arcana, I thought I should paint up my Reaper Minotaurs in case any of my players wants to try one.  I am generally not opposed to creature races and I generally like "kitchen sink" campaign settings, but...the Minotaur is way out there. 

The is the Minotaur from the first Reaper Bones. Very Greek, looks like something Kratos would fight.

From the second Reaper Bones are these two Minotaurs. On the left, is a failed experiment.  I wanted a white bull as a Minotaur, but I struggled with the armor. I probably should have gone with an iron black look, but a did a blue glaze over chainmail silver and arrived at a neat way to do metallic colors. It still doesn't look right for the bull, but on another figure it would work. On the right is a basic gladiator type, pefect for a PC barbarian or fighter.

And from the back...

Other beastmen types:

The goatmen might make a good substitute for smaller, PC sized Minotaurs. Keeping them as goatmen, you could replace the Goring Rush feature with a Climb feat - move up rocky and sheer surfaces at normal speed.  Less practical than the Minotaur, but a cool companion for a mountain dwarf. 

Hobgoblins

In traditional D&D/d20, Hobgoblins are criminally underused. Mainly because, I think, they are average for the goblinoid creatures - they're humans, basically. Not as sneaky as goblins, nor as brutish as orcs. Not as savage as bugbears, and not as pack minded as kobolds.

I particularly like this one, shown above and below. While dual wielding with a sword and an axe, his pose is particulary dynamic. Of course, the pose came at the price of separate pieces for the arms. Fortunately, they fit well and stayed secure with my mix of superglue and epoxy glue.

As with almost all of Reaper's metals, the production quality is excellent. Flash lines are minimal, and the white metal is substantial. The heft of the metal may be a psychological bonus more than anything, but to me it helps justify the prices I pay today compared to twenty years ago.

If I had to put in one complaint, it is the facial sculpture. A little too simian/Planet of the Apes. OTOH, somebody might use these for just such a product. 

On the eve of the Reaper Bones III launch, a couple of wishes for the project:

1) These guys in plastic. I'll want at least two more as extras.
2) Other hobgoblins - archers, rogues and shamans
3) Female goblinoids - orcs, ogres, hobgoblins and goblins
4) Kings or tribal chieftains.  Whatever is appropriate.