Adrasteia Winterthorn, Vampiress

The dungeon dweller’s vampire Adrasteia Winterthorn is a wonderful figure. Really classic look, and a well sculpted face.

This is how Reaper's in house artist painted theirs.

I was honestly looking forward to painting a figure that wasn’t clearly in a combat I was also looking forward to painting the dress. I wanted to see what I could do with Spectral White, and in the end, I think I got a good effect from it. I also used this figure to practice something that was a focus of one of my classes at Reapercon – shadowing faces. Up close it looks a little rough, but I think I got the effect basically down. Even my bride, who is generally rather critical of my efforts to paint faces thought she came out well.

For the dress I worked really hard to make the dress look like it’s giving the impression of being a little sheer. Not so much that you can see anything through it, but I wanted it to look a little soft, the way old fabric gets.

One concern I did have was how the dress and the vampiric skin would look together. I was concerned that the colors would both be too pale next to each other, but the final effect looks okay. It helps that the dress is more purplish pink and her skin is more in the blue shade of things. It’s subtle, but strong enough to work, especially with the succubus kiss cape liner and lips. I used Heraldic Red to bring the color up for highlights. For the lace/ribbon around the bodice, and the bracers and wrap around her waist I used Ancient Bronze mixed with a drop of Succubus kiss to give the metal a reddish tint.

For the back of the cape, I used pure black mixed with Nightsky Indigo, and a touch of Mountain Grey for highlights.

I'm kind of displeased with the base, and I think I'm going to redo it before wrapping this up. Aside from the base, I've still got some work to do on her hair, and the wrap, and I might want to do a bit more with the highlights of the cape

Stonehell: Back to the Dungeon!

Session 113 was played on 11/24

Borumar, ½ Orc Thief 7 (Josh)
Sabine, Elf Wizard 9 (Chris)
Phynara, Elf 8 (NPC)

Borumar, on a quest to save Jo, takes Sabine and Phynara into Stonehell to find the body of the medusa. On the way they’re spotted by a dragon flying above them. It circles once, and then continues on its way.

Down through the hobgoblin caves, through the empty halls of the redoubt, and down the main stairs to the Medusa’s lair, they discuss how they’ll take her head, worried that the head might still turn them to stone. Borumar and Sabine put on blindfolds, while Phynara stayed back and kept watch. Moving blindly forward, keeping the wall in reach, with Borumar in the lead, his hand presses into something soft that Phynara didn’t see… a gelatinous cube! It tries to suck Borumar in, but he leaps back, and the party kills it before it can do much damage.

Sadly, the cube, and the sparkling clean hallway, mean that the body of the medusa is long gone.

They then head back toward where the Oliphant room is, stopped on the way by a plated monkey that they kill before it can launch a lightning bolt at them.



With the mouse statue in hand, Borumar pushed open the broken door of the Oliphant’s room, and stepped in. The stone oliphant turned toward Borumar, and then there was a flash of purple light, and in place of the mighty animated statue was a much smaller statue, barely a foot tall, with one black and one white tusk. Borumar played with it, revealing that turning one tusk turns the statue into a pack elephant, and the other into a war mammoth.

Departing Stonehell, they decided to head back to the side dungeon to try to find the medusa that used to live there.

Gains: Phollando's Phenomenal Portable Pachyderm
Kills: Plated Monkey, Gelatinous Cube
Losses:

Miniature: Owlbear

More catching up on finished projects, today the Bones Black Owlbear!



While I have some WiP pictures, I'm a little fuzzy on exactly what paints I used.

The pictures are pretty clear on how they're all layered together. I went with markings that aren't exactly realistic to either owls or bears, but I think make for an interesting looking magical beast.











One thing that bugs me is that I forgot I had an owlbear from Bones 3 that I could have painted at the same time. Ah well.

Sunday Inspirational Image: Frost

December by Shinkarchuk

Miniatures: Sci-Fi Dino Troopers

I have a bunch of miniature posts to catch up on, from the Raptors, to the Owlbear, to a bunch of vampires, and some ghouls

This post though, is about the sci-fi dino troopers from Reaper's Bones 4.

Of course I did most of the painting in October, and don't remember exactly what colors I used... I think I used grey liner, but it might have been blue...













You'll note that the bases are tiny. I've got these guys sitting on standard 1" bases, and, well, the only one that comes close is the T-Rex. So, sadly, I cut them all off their bases...



And stamped out some sci-fi bases. And yeah, that's one of the vampires I'll be posting about later.

Here they are!


Then I painted them up and glued them on. I probably could have done a cleaner job trimming the edges of the stamped mold. Also thinking that it might look better on square bases, but they're done, and they were fun to work on.

My biggest complaint, aside from the bases, is that there's only one of each of these guys. I'd love a few more variations for any or all of them. More weapons, different poses, but the same types of armor.

I have no idea what I'll ever use them for, but whatever.

Stonehell: Rock Hard from a Cockatrice

Session 112 was played on 11/17

Borumar, ½ Orc Thief 7 (Josh)
Joho, Mystic 5 (Chris)

Returning to the side dungeon, and the many petrified figures, Jo wants to revive someone. They make a check over the various figures, and settle on a female elven wizard. Rubbing the oil of Stone to Flesh over her, she returns to life, and once realizing Jo and Borumar aren’t trying to kill her, introduces herself as Sabrine Blackwillow, and explains that she’d been hunting a medusa with her friends, and that they were set upon by a flock of cockatrices. Looking around, she only sees one of her fellow adventurers. She hopes that the others made it out alive. Asking the year, she realizes she’s been trapped for 64 years…

Checking out another room, they discover an owlbear pressed up in the corner, petrified. Jo talks about using the last vial of oil on the owlbear, in case they need to run away and want something to get in between them and whatever they’re running from. Borumar thinks this isn’t the best idea. Sabrine wants to use the oil on her friend. Jo is hesitant, but she promises to make it worth their while. Borumar and Jo discuss it, and agree.

Back to the Medusa’s bedroom, they oil up Phynara Wynnan, explain the situation, and move on.

The next room they explore has a pair of cockatrices. Jo tries to block the first one, as it flies toward him, but he gets pecked, and instantly crusts over. The foul are killed, and Borumar looks at the pair of elves. They quick check the room, discover a bunch of gold, and some gems. Grabbing the statue of Jo, they head toward the exit.

6 lazily aggressive wererats are waiting for them at the stairs. They’re upset that the party hasn’t been better visitors, and demand 500 gold to let them pass. Borumar tries to talk them down, but they up the cost to 600. In the course of conversation, they discover that the medusa did used to live here, but was moved out some time ago. Phynara is ready to throw down, but Borumar just wants out, so he pays.

It’s a long walk back to town, dragging the statue of Jo, but they eventually make it. In town, no wizards know Stone to Flesh, and no one has a potion, but an alchemist says he can do it with a Medusa’s hair (snake).

Borumar checks in with A-A-Ron, who tells him about the medusa they killed in Stonehell, and where. Borumar plans to see if the body is still there…

Gains: 3,000gp, 7 gems, Phynara, Sabrine
Kills: Cockatrices
Losses: 600gp

Sunday Inspirational Image: Surrounded

The holidays are coming...

by kazekuro22