Skip to main content

Cheap(er) Miniatures for Role Playing Games

I am always on the lookout for inexpensive miniatures for my Pathfinder games.  In particular, with my Pathfinder Pirates campaign starting I am looking not only for the typical 1" = 5ft 25mm miniatures, but also for the 1" = 30ft scale miniatures for ship battles, where minis might represent a sea creature.

Several good new additions have greatly grown my collection of animals and creatures.

First is anwo.com, where I found a great source for 1" animal miniatures.  The scale is slightly off, because all of the miniature creatures are 1 inch, but for most things it is ok.  The creatures do not have bases and are made of a rubbery material which makes them very durable, but in some cases, almost impossible to stand up.  I'll probably end up super-gluing them to some washers for bases.  The price is very good at only $0.49 each, but the shipping makes it worth your while to buy them in large lots.

Second is Safari Limited.  Their toobs are a great source for small sea creatures, dragons(1, 2), and all sorts of things.  In addition, they carry a great collection of larger dragons.  You can, of course, order these online, but I also was able to find them at my local craft store at similar prices.

I occasionally have a need for large dragons to represent great wyrms.  These dragons are hard to find in official form, and when you do find them, they are terribly expensive.  To substitute, I found some ornamental dragons that fill in quite nicely.  Stealstreet (also on amazon) has a number of dragon statues under $30 that work nicely for great wyrms.  A quick search for "Tom Wood Dragons" will also turn up a lot sources for similar size dragons with good detail for less cost.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

5E Starting Gold and Equipment for Higher Levels

The DMG has a rough recommendation for starting gold and equipment for higher levels, but with my groups running one-shots, we wanted to nail it down to level by level. Here's my DMG-inspired table. Generally I allow equipment to be traded in during character creation for half book value, where applicable. I also, as a GM, offer to make custom magic items for players who can't choose. A list of magical items by rarity can be found here  with stats available in the DMG. I also generally allow players to buy healing potions (2d4+2) for 50gp and greater healing potions for 250gp (4d4+4). PHB items are available at book cost at creation. I do not allow other equipment to be purchased except in game. This is generally based off the "high magic" campaign. Level Starting Gold Starting Equipment / Magic Items 1 - 160gp  OR Standard starting equipment 2 210gp Standard starting equipment 3 285gp Standard starting equipment 4 365gp Standard sta...

Rules for Flying Creatures in 5E

I'm not one for just throwing my players willy-nilly into something new without an idea of how it would work.  Flying races are on the horizon for one of my games, so here are my clarifications for flying creatures: A flying creatures requires a minimum space of at least 3 times their height in all directions in order to flight. For example, a 6 ft tall flying creature requires a room to be at least 18 ft in all dimensions before they can fly in it. A flying creature can attempt to grapple a creature.  If the the target or grappler are flying, grapple attempts are at disadvantage. If neither are flying, grapples are per RAW.  The state of flying or walking is determined by the last square you have moved.  To change between walking and/or flying, you must use at least 1 space of movement.  Movement rules per RAW apply (PHB pg 190 "Using Different Speeds") A successful grapple check by a flying creature can allow the flying creature to potentially carry th...

Exploiting Weakness in D&D 5e: A Guide for the Evil Plotting GM

I wrote a similar article to this on Pathfinder, and though this is a pretty evil topic, it has been of use to a lot of folks out there.  So, now, I think, is the time to start a similar article for D&D 5e.  This will be a living document to be updated with suggestions and more information as I find better methods. In general, 5e is a lot more challenging for a GM, because the classes are reasonably balanced and because the game mechanics don't have a lot of scale over the 20 levels. Here's a general list of things to increase the difficulty for the party: Increase the number of foes and the CR (ignore the book CR system if it isn't offering a challenge) Spells against the PCs low saves.  A high level sleep spell, for example, could take out a party with no elves. Drag out the opportunity for the long rest.  After 2 short rests, the 3rd battle of the day is tough. Hit the most vulnerable PC first. It almost always forces another teammate to take an acti...