Everest Ascended

A little over six years ago I received my rewards for the Reaper Bones III Kickstarter, including the enormous Ma’al Drakar the Dragon Tyrant. That Kickstarter had a bumper crop of great models, including several Gargantuan and Colossal figures that honestly broke me. I worked away on the smaller miniatures, but Ma’al Drakar and the rest of the titanic models languished in my basement as my painting backlog grew and grew.

Finally, last March I got myself an airbrush in one last, desperate attempt to break through the logjam. And the airbrush really did the trick—I’m still very much a beginner, but for priming and putting down base coats on large miniatures it really can’t be beat and has allowed me to put a massive dent in that logjam. (Just in time for the haul from the Reaper Bones 6 Kickstarter to land!)

Armed with the airbrush I was able to complete Ma’al Drakar over the course of several weeks. Because the work was intermittent I couldn’t say how many total hours that represented, but it was a significant time investment. This was easily the largest model I’ve ever worked on, though it probably wasn’t the most technically challenging—that honor probably goes to Shub-Niggurath and all those infernal goat eyes.

Obviously, I wanted to paint this model up as Tiamat so I looked at lots of Dungeons & Dragons reference art, particularly from Tyranny of Dragons. I assembled the model using poster-tack for priming and base coating, then disassembled everything to more easily work on individual components. The wings and the heads were probably the only components that benefited from this approach: everything else probably could have been permanently assembled right from jump.

I primed the model using Army Painter Uniform Gray from a spray can and then applied a zenithal undercoat. Knowing what I know now, I probably would have skipped the primer and just moved right to the undercoat, but old habits die hard.

At this point I assembled the main body, limbs, tail, and neck sections with superglue. In general, the pieces fit well with relatively few gaps and although the model was made with the original Bones material, I didn't notice a lot of sagging or drooping and I think this is because Julie Guthrie did an excellent job sculpting a balanced, well-supported piece. I used some Vallejo plastic putty for the gaps but was not very happy with the results.

I then put down a base coat of Reaper MSP Red Brick on the body, limbs, wings, and tail, followed by washes of Army Painter Strong Tone. The Red Brick had an alarmingly purplish look when first laid down, but this dissipated after I added highlights of Deep Red and then further highlights of Blood Red. I then blocked out the claws and tail spines with brown, highlighted with yellows and gray.

I then worked on the scales of the necks and heads with a base coat, wash, and then highlights. The washes really helped knock down the brightness of the chromatic colors and helped tie the different pieces together.

I did the eyes and teeth and then attached all the remaining pieces with superglue. The cleanup steps probably took as much time as all the rest of the painting, as there were lots of little details and adjustments to add.

All-in-all, it’s a pretty impressive piece to see in person if only because of the size, but Julie Guthrie really outdid herself with this design. I only wish I had used a much lighter tone on the wings: a leathery, tannish base would have made a better contrast and would have allowed the addition of some veining.

I am fairly pleased with the number of models I was able to complete in 2024. I mostly cleared everything in the priority pile, and even allowed myself to pick up a few new additions for the queue.

The Deep and the Dark

So the big project I started last year and turned in earlier this year is finally out: The Deep and the Dark, a sourcebook for Mongoose Publishing’s Traveller RPG. The Deep and the Dark covers Reaver’s Deep and Dark Nebula sectors, a vibrant, messy, and strange area at the intersection of the Third Imperium, Aslan Hierate, and the Solomani Confederation.

I’m very happy with how this book turned out, but it has been a long, strange trip. Almost fifteen years ago an idle search for low tech worlds on the edge of the Imperium gradually morphed into a fascination with this region of Charted Space—and eventually, my very first RPG lead credit. I am an incredibly slow writer so this book was a labor of love, but I feel like I learned a lot and can finally check off a long-standing life goal.

My manuscript was so overstuffed that I had no room for any sort of dedication, but I am indebted to many, many others, starting with the incredibly prolific Keith brothers from Traveller’s Golden Age: J. Andrew Keith and William H. Keith. Along with Loren Wiseman they introduced the Aslan in Journal of the Travellers’ Aid Society 7 (1981). This information was greatly expanded in Traveller Alien Module 1: Aslan (1984), which is credited to J. Andrew Keith, John Harshman, and Marc Miller. I am continually astonished that these authors were able to convey so much complexity and offer up so many gaming possibilities in just 40 short pages. All the fundamentals of the Aslan and their Hierate are right there in this little Alien Module.

The Keith Brothers also developed Reaver’s Deep sector through a series of supplements, adventures, and magazine articles published by GDW, Gamelords, FASA, and Marischal Adventures, among others. Their work on the Deep demonstrates their innate understanding of what makes for a great sandbox setting: the Deep is a wild, backward area caught between three great powers, full of mysteries, danger, and interesting places to explore. 

It’s also structured to give maximum agency to the players. The vast Third Imperium with its sector-spanning government, megacorporations, giant capital ships and megafreighters, black globes and TL15 goods can make player characters seem puny and insignificant. The Deep, in contrast, takes everything good about the Imperium and strips it down, shrinks it, and makes it more approachable for a PC. It’s a lower-tech, small ship environment that still has wild, lawless areas. The Principality of Caledon is very much a small Imperium with its own version of the familiar Army, Navy, and Scouts services.

One of the toughest tasks in working on this book was tracking down all of the various references on this sector, which are scattered over dozens of sources ranging from GDW’s Double Adventure 6: Night of Conquest (1982) to small press chapbooks and fanzines. But for the Keith brothers, it was almost always worth it: they were adventure-generating machines.

Another Classic Traveller alien module, AM 6 - Solomani (1986) by Marc Miller and John Harshman has also been a vital resource. Just as the Aslan module, Solomani does an incredible amount of worldbuilding in just 48 pages. It also manages to effectively invert the hoary sci-fi chestnut of the heroic Terran battling against a universe of hostile aliens.

One of my favorite books from the MegaTraveller era was DGP’s Solomani and Aslan: The Rimward Races (1991) by Peter G. Celella and James Holden, which was highly influential on my own Magyar campaign. They did a great job of building on top of the foundations laid by the CT Aslan and Solomani alien modules. Working with the limited data from Atlas of the Imperium (1984), Celella and Holden carefully considered how the unusual astrography of Dark Nebula would have shaped the development of the sector, and used these insights to fill in many details of the setting timeline. S&A also has many evocative line drawings of Aslan worlds by Michael Vilardi, which continue to inform my personal imagining of Aslan art and architecture.

Although I have never been a huge fan of GURPS the game system, I have always loved GURPS supplements for the superb standards of writing and editing, as well as the dedication to extensive playtesting. The extra effort usually pays off: most GURPS books are tightly written and full of gamable material even for referees using completely different systems. But my favorite part is how GURPS books thoughtfully consider the social and structural implications of various game settings.

These insights are particularly useful when it comes to the alien species of Charted Space. The GURPS Alien Races books detail how these alien cultures would actually work, and thus are a great help for players and referees trying to understand what it might be like to live in the Aslan Hierate. GURPS Traveller: Alien Races 2 (1999) includes a characteristically excellent section on the Aslan written by Andy Slack.

Slack has been enormously influential on me personally: his old White Dwarf articles on Traveller were probably my first contact with the game, and I still pull out “Backdrop of Stars” from WD 24 (Apr/May 1981) from time to time. Slack recognized the highly gamable potential of the Dark Nebula boardgame, which has some of the most evocative world names of any GDW setting. I tried to incorporate as much of this into my own history of the Dark Nebula. His GURPS work is enormously helpful for anyone trying to understand what life on an Aslan world would really be like. In a similar vein, Jon F. Zeigler’s GT Rim of Fire: The Solomani Rim Sourcebook (2000) is an outstanding resource for anyone trying to understand life inside the Solomani Confederation.

I am also indebted to Joshua Bell, who created and runs the magisterial Traveller Map website, which I’ve often described as one of fandom’s greatest contributions to any RPG. Not only is his site incredibly fun to play with, it is an invaluable reference for anyone doing research on Charted Space. If Traveller Map had existed in 2009, my search for low tech human worlds on the edge of Imperial space would have taken a couple of hours instead of weeks and months of poring over old, buggy sector data files. At Joshua’s encouragement, I fleshed out the rimward sectors of Canopus, Aldebaran, Neworld, and Langere—which became important prep for working with Reaver’s Deep and Dark Nebula.

I need to thank the ever-patient Matt Sprange of Mongoose Publishing, who was willing to take a chance and assign a big book to an unknown and untested writer. The entire experience was extremely rewarding.

Finally I am thankful for my large group of players, whose characters crew the IMV Starjammer—a Type U armed packet ship working Magyar and Dark Nebula sectors. I know they would often rather play Dungeons and Dragons and so I greatly appreciate their indulgence when I’d rather run Traveller. There definitely would not be a Deep and the Dark without these crazy guys.

Speaking of which, since I tried to cram so much stuff into that book, a lot of material ended up on the cutting room floor. I’m developing a proposal to incorporate some of that work into a new book. Working title: Clans of the Aslan. Fingers crossed!

Griffon and Wyvern

Griffons and wyverns, classic heraldic monsters, have been staples of Dungeons & Dragons from the very beginning, being first mentioned together in Chainmail (1971), where they are treated like Rocs. Both of these Reaper Bones miniatures, sculpted by Julie Guthrie, were part of the core set of the Bones 4 Kickstarter. Even though I didn’t have a pressing need for either miniature, they looked so darned good they both steadily rose to the top of my priority pile.

In OD&D (1974), griffons are described as 

the most prized of steeds, for they are swift, loyal, and fierce. However, they are fond of horse flesh above all other foods, so the two creatures cannot be mixed …. In their wild state Griffons will attack anyone nearby with little provocation, particularly if their lair is nearby.

(I had forgotten that bit about griffons and horses.) The AD&D 1e Monster Manual (1977) repeats the same information, and includes additional details on capturing and training young griffons. “Fledglings sell for 5,000 gold pieces, eggs for 2,000, on the open market.” The MM also mentions that grey elves use griffons as guards and mounts, while storm giants “dwelling on cloud islands or mountain peaks” may have 1-4 griffons.

The 1e Dungeon Master’s Guide has an entire section on “Flying Mounts” which largely seems written to throw cold water on the whole idea of PCs getting their own griffon mounts, emphasizing their “nasty and bad-tempered” natures: “Imagine the confusing tumult of giant wings, the rush of air, the sudden changes in altitude, and you will realize why an inexperienced rider absolutely cannot handle a flying mount.” That actually sounds like a really fun session to me!

The Julie Guthrie griffon is a fantastically dynamic figure that looks like it could spring off its base and soar into the air. It reminds me very strongly of an old John D. Batten illustration of “Jack With His Invisible Coat,” from English Fairy Tales (1902). The illustration shows two fierce griffons guarding the winding road to a giant’s castle.

To prepare for this miniature I looked at lots of references for golden eagles. I skipped priming and went straight to the airbrush for a zenithal undercoat of Reaper Pure Black and Pure White.

I continue to experiment with using the Army Painter Quickshade line, particularly with figures that have lots of fine detail, such as eagle feathers.  It took multiple rounds of Quickshade layers followed by dry brushing to get this griffon where I wanted it.

Wyverns are described in OD&D as

relatives of Dragons, but they are smaller and have but two legs. A Wyvern hasn’t the fearsome breath of a true Dragon, but they are equipped with a poisonous sting in their tail and poison enough to use it repeatedly.

Similar information is contained in the 1e MM. I had it in my head that wyvern poison was one of the more potent in the game, but I don’t see in the 1e MM where wyvern poison is any more virulent than medusa, giant spider, or purple worm poison. Wyvern poison is certainly one of the worst in 3e, doing 2d6 Con intial damage and 2d6 Con secondary damage.

The Guthrie wyvern, like the griffon, has a very dynamic pose, its head cocked at the end of its sinuous, snaky neck. I primarily relied on the illustration in the 5e Monster Manual (2014) for a reference, which has a wyvern with a muted, pale red coloration. After putting down a zenithal undercoat I then put a base coat of Reaper Yellowed Bone. I then used several layers of Army Painter Quickshade to add a red tone to the figure. Overall, I was happy that I was able to approximate the colors in the illustration from the 5e MM without slipping into a hot pink.

Wyverns and Griffons in the Great Dungeon

Both of these monsters are not uncommon in the wild interior of the North. Wyverns and griffons both nest in the Majestic Mountains, and can be found in the cloud islands that periodically drift over the region. Wyverns are also found in the deepest, trackless forests of the North.

Charnel Ghouls

The Eaters of the Dead, a band of ghouls and ghasts, are among the more formidable factions within the Great Dungeon of the North. Their leaders are intelligent, highly civilized ghouls from the Distant West and patterned on the true ghouls of Wolfgang Baur’s classic 2e adventure Kingdom of the Ghouls, which was in turn influenced by the works of Clark Ashton Smith and H.P. Lovecraft.

A tribute to Baur’s take on ghouls was incorporated into the Golarion setting of the Pathfinder game. The Darklands, the Underdark of Golarion, contains a dread Ghoul Court which recalls Baur’s White Kingdom. Wizkids produced a couple of pre-painted ghoul miniatures as part of the Pathfinder Battles Rusty Dragon Inn set: A ghoul cultist and a ghoul champion. These sculpts were reissued in a single blister pack of unpainted Ghouls as part of the Pathfinder Deep Cuts Wave 7 release. I snapped these up thinking they would work pretty well for leaders of the Eaters of the Dead.

I tackled these figures by starting with a zenithal undercoat, then used Reaper Ghoul Flesh and Imperial Purple for the base coats. My Army Painter Regiment and Insane Detail brushes got some pretty good workouts as I finished these miniatures off.

Conceptually, civilized ghouls overlap somewhat with vampires. To distinguish the two, I think of vampires as cursed, wretched creatures clinging to the remnants of their lost humanity, hating their damned condition and fearing to die the true death. Even cultists of Orcus are terrified of death, perhaps because they know all-too-well what torments await them in the Abyss.

Ghouls, in contrast, are eerie post-humanist creatures who actually embrace their undead state: they consider themselves to be transcendent, blessed to have surpassed their mortal flesh. They view humanity with alien detachment and callousness. Ghouls neither fear nor fetishize death: as worshippers of the mysterious Charnel God, true death represents just one more transformation for them into blissful oblivion.

These two miniatures are useful for representing leaders of the Eaters of the Dead faction. Charnel Captains are military commanders of ghoul forces. Charnel Priests are clerics of Mordiggian, philosopher-advisors to ghoul communities. Both captains and priests are usually accompanied by lesser ghouls or ghasts. The sacrificial altar they are posed with was from the “Mythos Expansion” of the Reaper Bones 3 Kickerstarter. This model is another Kevin Williams sculpture.

In the Great Dungeon, areas controlled by the ghouls are filled with the faint scent of musty cinnamon and the muffled ringing of chimes. This curious detail is a shout-out to the Ssú of the Empire of the Petal Throne setting. “The Enemies of Man” are creatures so feared within Tékumel that new PCs quickly learn to flee at first whiff of cinnamon or the sound of bells.

The following text is Open Game Content.

3.5e

These stat blocks use an abbreviated format that omits extraneous or redundant elements. Listen and Spot skills, for example, are detailed on the Senses line and not repeated on the Skills line; Feats that are “always on” like Improved Initiative or Toughness are incorporated into the stat block and not listed on the Feat line.

The Charnel Captain was created by applying the elite ability score array to a standard ghoul and adding 4 levels of fighter.

Charnel Captain CR 5

CE Medium undead

Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +3, Spot +8

Language Common

Defense

AC 21, touch 14, flat-footed 16

hp 40 (6 HD)

Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +8

Immune undead traits; Resist turn resistance +2

Offense

Spd 30 ft.; Balance +8, Climb +8, Jump +8

Melee bite +9 (1d6+4 plus paralysis), 2 claws +8 (1d3+4 plus paralysis)

Ranged mwk composite shortbow +9 (1d6+4/x3)

Special Attacks ghoul fever (DC 13)

Statistics

Str 18, Dex 18, Con –, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 15

Base Atk +5; Grp +9

Feats Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack

Skills Hide +8, Intimidate +9, Move Silently +8

Combat Gear oil of greater magic fang (+3), potion of displacement; Other Gear +1 chain shirt, cloak of resistance +1, masterwork composite shortbow (18 Str) with 40 arrows

Special Abilities

Ghoul Fever (Su) Disease—bite, Fortitude DC 13, incubation period 1 day, damage 1d3 Con and 1d3 Dex.

Paralysis (Ex) DC 13 Fortitude, paralysis 1d4+1 rounds. Elves have immunity to this paralysis.

The Charnel Priest was created by applying the elite ability score array to a standard ghoul and adding 5 levels of cleric. Clerics of the Charnel God (favored weapon: dagger) have access to the Death, Evil, and Knowledge domains.

Charnel Priest CR 5

CE Medium undead

Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +5, Spot +10

Language Common

Defense

AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 18

hp 41 (7 HD)

Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +12

Immune undead traits; Resist turn resistance +2

Offense

Spd 20 ft.; Balance +4, Climb +4, Jump -2

Melee bite +6 (1d6+2 plus paralysis), 2 claws +4 (1d3+1 plus paralysis)

Special Attacks death touch 1/day (+6 melee touch), ghoul fever (DC 14), rebuke undead 6/day (+3, 2d6+8, 5th)

Spells Prepared (CL 5th, 6th for evil spells)

3rd—animate dead^D, bestow curse (+6 melee touch, DC 18), deeper darkness

2nd—death knell^D (DC 17), hold person (DC 17), shatter (DC 17), silence

1st—bane (DC 16), cause fear^D (DC 16), death watch, divine favor, doom (DC 16), shield of faith

0—detect magic, guidance, read magic, resistance, virtue

^D Domain spell; Domains death, evil

Statistics

Str 15, Dex 14, Con –, Int 14, Wis 20, Cha 16

Base Atk +4; Grp +6

Skills Concentration +10 (+14 casting defensively), Hide +6, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (religion) +7, Move Silently +6, Spellcraft +9

SQ spontaneous casting (inflict spells)

Combat Gear oil of darkness, scroll of divine power, scroll of mass inflict moderate wounds; Other Gear +1 breastplate, holy symbol (dagger), funeral-purple robes, silver skull-like mask

Special Abilities

Death Touch (Su) Once per day the ghoul priest may use a death touch against a living creature (+6 melee touch). If successful, roll 5d6; if this is greater than the creature’s current hit points, it dies (no save).

Ghoul Fever (Su) Disease—bite, Fortitude DC 14, incubation period 1 day, damage 1d3 Con and 1d3 Dex.

Paralysis (Ex) DC 14 Fortitude, paralysis 1d4+1 rounds. Elves have immunity to this paralysis.

5e

Ghoul Captain

Medium undead, chaotic evil
Armor Class 15 (studded leather)
Hit Points 78 (12d8 + 24)
Speed 30 ft.
Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
16 (+3)	16 (+3)	15 (+2)	12 (+1)	13 (+1)	11 (+0)
Senses darkvision 60 ft.; passive Perception 13
Languages Common
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Damage Resistances necrotic
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, poisoned
Actions
Multiattack. The charnel captain makes either three melee attacks—one with its bite and two with its claws—or three ranged attacks with its longbow.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage. If the target is a creature other than an elf or undead, it must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage.

Charnel Priest

Medium undead, chaotic evil
Armor Class 16 (breastplate)
Hit Points 75 (10d8 + 30)
Speed 30 ft.
Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
15 (+2)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)	12 (+1)
Damage Immunities. necrotic, poison.
Condition Immunities. charmed, exhaustion, poisoned.
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Common
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Spellcasting: The ghoul priest is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks). The priest has the following cleric spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will)—guidance, sacred flame, thaumaturgy 1st level (4 slots)—bane, inflict wounds, shield of faith 2nd level (3 slots)—hold person, silence 3rd level (2 slots)—animate dead, bestow curse
Actions
Multiattack. The charnel priest makes three melee attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) piercing damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) slashing damage. If the target is a creature other than an elf or undead, it must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success
Channel Negative Energy The charnel priest magically unleashes negative energy. Living creatures within 60 feet of the charnel priest, including ones behind barriers and around corners, can’t regain hit points until the end of the charnel priest’s next turn.

OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a

The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved.

1. Definitions: (a) “Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b) “Derivative Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d) “Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Identity” means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts, creatures, characters, stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f ) “Trademark” means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement.
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License.
3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content.
5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.
6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute.
7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.
8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content.
9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License.
10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You distribute.
11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so.
12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.
13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable.
15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
    
    • Open Game License v 1.0a, Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
    • System Reference Document, Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
    • System Reference Document 5.1, Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
    • Charnel Ghouls, Copyright 2023, R. Dorman.

Undead Gnolls

There is a great resemblance between gnolls and hyenas. Gnolls have greenish gray skins, darker near the muzzle, with reddish gray to dull yellow mane. Eyes are dull black and nails are amber colored. Their armor is of horn, metal plates, and leather; like their fur capes and vests, it is shabby, and the latter are moth-eaten and dingy, being brown, black or grayish pelts.—1e Monster Manual (1977).

Gnolls are arguably the most distinctive of the evil humanoids from early Dungeons and Dragons. While kobolds, goblins, hobgoblins, orcs, and bugbears all seem to spring from common Northern European/Tolkien roots, hyena-headed, demon-worshiping gnolls seem to originate from someplace altogether different. 

While many of the classic humanoid monsters are first described in Chainmail (1972), gnolls debut in Dungeons and Dragons Book II: Monsters and Treasures (1974): 

A cross between Gnomes and Trolls (… perhaps, Lord Sunsany [sic] did not really make it all that clear) with +2 morale. Otherwise they are similar to Hobgoblins, although the Gnoll king and his bodyguard of from 1–4 will fight as Trolls but lack regenerative power.

Note that none of the distinctive features of the gnolls as described in the 1e Monster Manual can be found here. A Greg Bell illustration of a “Gnoll,” on page 10 just looks like a generic, pointed-eared humanoid.

Lord Dunsany, the Anglo-Irish writer, is listed as “Inspirational and Educational Material” in Appendix N of the 1e Dungeon Master’s Guide (1979). “Gnoles” are mentioned in his enigmatic short story “How Nuth Would Have Practiced his Art upon the Gnoles” from The Book of Wonder (1912): 

No track led up to the sinister gloom of the trees, either of men or cattle; not even a poacher had been there snaring elves for over a hundred years. You did not trespass in the dells of the gnoles.

Though [spoiler alert] gnoles are never actually seen in Dunsany’s story, they appear to be some manner of forest-dwelling bogeymen. Although I’ve never been sure how influential Dunsany really was on him, Gygax seemed to have had a special fondness for gnolls. They appear in the “Example of the Referee Moderating a Dungeon Expedition” from OD&D Book III, The Underworld and Wilderness Adventures. The party encounters a room with “a half-dozen gnolls,” but although Gygax describes the physical dimensions of the room and its contents in great detail, he doesn’t actually describe what a gnoll looks like. 

Gygax also developed a new gnoll card to the Dungeon! Boardgame. He mentions gnolls in his short story “The Search for the Gnome Cache,” from The Dragon 3 (October 1976). Writing under the pseudonym “Garrison Ernst,” Gygax portrays them much like the bogeymen of Dunsany:

Yer ain’t heard ‘bout that terribul country? Why, airs most slimey great beastswhatlives in the waters o’Nyrn, an’ the hills above the lake are cursed too! Ain’t no folks lives there—only bad things like gnolls.

Enter Yeenoghu

So where did the familiar hyena-headed gnolls of the 1e Monster Manual come from? I can’t find a direct source, but here’s a promising but extremely obscure lead: Strategic Preview Sub-titled TSR Jobbies #5 (Summer 1976), a TSR in-house newsletter produced in vanishingly small numbers. As detailed by Frank Mentzer over at Dragonsfoot, this newsletter featured the very first appearance of Yeenoghu, and most of the information closely mirrors the description from the 1e Monster Manual:

Yeenoghu resembles a human in general form, except that his head is a hyena’s, his chest canine in form, his hands paw-like, and his feet are pawed.

The Strategic Preview entry differs mainly on one point, but it’s a doozy: Yeenoghu is described as “The Demon Lord of Orcs.”

So at some point between Strategic Preview 5 and the publication of the Monster Manual one year later, someone decided to connect Yeenoghu with gnolls, and to have gnolls resemble their hyena-headed demonic patron.

So who did it? Gygax is the presumptive answer, but as Mentzer pointed out in a followup post, “Throughout the 4 Strategic Previews, there is no mention of authors, artists, or copyrights. [Determining an author for] the writing is trickier, and this entry is not written in HighGax.”

I have sometimes wondered if Yeenoghu might actually be the creation of Rob Kuntz. I don’t have anything to support that idea beyond “feel.” The name Yeenoghu, the exoticism of his appearance, the connection to ghouls all feel inspired by the pulp writer Clark Ashton Smith. And while Gygax supposedly hadn’t read him, Kuntz is a well known fan of CAS.

Earlier this year James Maliszewski posted a nice Grognardia entry on Clark Ashton Smith’s short story "The Tomb-Spawn," which describes monsters that might be a direct inspiration for the hyena-headed gnoll: the Ghorii.

The story is part of CAS’s Zothique cycle of weird fiction. While it’s not entirely clear whether the Ghorii are a tribe of bestial humans or inhuman monsters, they certainly sound gnollish in nature:

Into this waste, which was seemingly unpeopled and void of life, the caravan went warily. Urging their camels to a swift trot in the narrow, deep-walled ravines, the merchants made ready their spears and claymores and scanned the barren ridges with anxious eyes. For here, in hidden caves, there lurked a wild and half-bestial people, known as the Ghorii. Akin to the ghouls and jackals, they were eaters of carrion; and also they were anthropophagi, subsisting by preference on the bodies of travelers, and drinking their blood in lieu of water or wine. They were dreaded by all who had occasion to journey between Yoros and Tasuun.

* * * * *

[The] gully swarmed and seethed with the hideous earth-brown bodies of the Ghorii, who appeared instantaneously on all sides, leaping wolfishly from the rocky slopes or flinging themselves like panthers from the high ledges.

These ghoulish apparitions were unspeakably ferocious and agile. Uttering no sound, other than a sort of hoarse coughing and spitting, and armed only with their double rows of pointed teeth and their sickle-like talons, they poured over the caravan in a climbing wave.

Whether created by Gygax or Kuntz, the 1e Monster Manual firmly established the look of gnolls, their connection to ghouls and their demonic patron, Yeenoghu.

Amongst the ranks of demon princes, Yeenoghu is one of the most powerful and most feared. There will normally be 66 gnolls of the strongest sort … in attendance upon Yeenoghu, and if he is alone he can summon from 6–66 in one turn. As this demon prince also receives homage from the King of Ghouls, he can similarly summon from 6–16 ghouls if he so desires.

Fourth Edition introduced the witherling in the Monster Manual 2 (2009), a form of undead gnoll. The concept makes a lot of sense, but I find the design and artwork a bit underwhelming. Fifth edition brought the witherlings back in Volo’s Guide to Monsters (2016), and the artwork really sold this monster to me. When WizKids introduced witherling miniatures as part of Wave 15 of their Nolzur’s Marvelous Miniatures line, I knew I had to get these.

These were really fun miniatures to paint. I sprayed a zentihal undercoat of black which helped establish shading; in retrospect I should have done a second coat of white on top of this. 

I then used several washes of different Army Painter Quickshade tones, which helped create a pallid, desiccated look that reasonably matched the artwork in Volo’s. Using washes also helped preserve the fine details of the skeletal areas, which sometimes get lost with chalky white paints.

I was fairly happy with how these miniatures came out and look forward to using these in an upcoming game.

Undead Gnolls in the Great Dungeon

The gnolls of the Great Dungeon venerate the foul demon lord Yughooragh, who also “commands the service of hyenas, ghouls, ghasts, and trolls.” As a sign of his power, he grants many gnoll shaman the ability to create and command undead gnolls, which assume a variety of horrid forms. Slain shamans or chieftains especially favored by Yughooragh are sometimes called back from the Abyss as ghoul-kissed gnolls.

For 5e games, I would simply use Witherlings as described in Volo’s. But in a 3e game I would make use of the many undead templates available. Green Ronin’s Advanced Bestiary provides a handy Dread Ghoul template which suits our purposes quite well. The following text is Open Game Content.

Undead Gnolls

Ghoul-Kissed Gnoll CR 2

CE Medium undead (augmented humanoid, gnoll)

Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent; Listen +4, Spot +5

Languages Gnoll

Defense

AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 13

hp 13 (2 HD)

Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +2

Special Defenses turn resistance +2

Offense

Spd 30 ft., climb 30 ft.

Melee bite +4 (1d6+3 plus paralysis), 2 claws +2 (1d3+1 plus paralysis)

Special Attacks command ghouls, create spawn

Statistics

Str 17, Dex 14, Con –, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 10

Base Atk +1; Grp +5

Feats Multiattack, Track ^B

Skills Climb +11, Survival +10

Special Abilities

Command Ghouls (Su) A ghoul-kissed gnoll can automatically command all normal ghouls within 30 feet as a free action. Normal ghouls never attack a ghoul-kissed gnoll unless compelled.

Create Spawn (Su) In most cases, ghoul-kissed gnolls feast on the bodies of the fallen. However, any creature killed by a ghoul-kissed gnoll that lies undisturbed until the next midnight rises as a dread ghoul at that time. The new dread ghoul is not under the control of its creator. A protection from evil or gentle repose spell cast on the corpse prevents this.

Paralysis (Ex) A creature damaged by a ghoul-kissed gnoll’s natural attack must succeed on a DC 11 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1d4+1 rounds.

Scent (Ex) A ghoul-kissed gnoll can detect approaching enemies and sniff out hidden foes by sense of smell alone.

Skills A ghoul-kissed gnoll can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.

Undead Traits Immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects or is harmless. Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage to its physical ability scores, ability drain, energy drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or death from massive damage.

Skeletal Gnoll CR 1

CE Medium undead

Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +0, Spot +0

Defense

AC 18, touch 11, flat-footed 17

hp 13 (2 HD)

Fort +0, Ref +1, Will +3

Immune cold; DR 5/bludgeoning

Offense

Spd 30 ft.

Melee morningstar +3 (1d8+2)

Statistics

Str 15, Dex 12, Con –, Int –, Wis 10, Cha 1

Base Atk +1; Grp +3

Gear leather armor, heavy wooden shield, morningstar

Special Abilities

Undead Traits Immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects or is harmless. Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage to its physical ability scores, ability drain, energy drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or death from massive damage.

Zombified Gnoll CR 1

CE Medium undead

Init -1; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +0, Spot +0

Defense

AC 16, touch 9, flat-footed 16

hp 29 (4 HD); DR 5/slashing

Fort +1, Ref +0, Will +4

Defensive Abilities undead traits

Offense

Spd 30 ft.

Melee morningstar +5 (1d8+3)

Statistics

Str 17, Dex 8, Con –, Int –, Wis 10, Cha 1

Base Atk +2; Grp +5

Gear leather armor, heavy wooden shield, morningstar

SQ single actions only

Special Abilities

Single Actions Only (Ex) Zombified gnolls have poor reflexes and can perform only a single move action or attack action each round. A zombified gnoll can move up to its speed and attack in the same round, but only if it attempts a charge.

Undead Traits Immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects or is harmless. Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage to its physical ability scores, ability drain, energy drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or death from massive damage.

OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a

The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved.

1. Definitions: (a) “Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b) “Derivative Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d) “Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Identity” means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts, creatures, characters, stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f ) “Trademark” means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement.
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License.
3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content.
5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.
6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute.
7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.
8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content.
9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License.
10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You distribute.
11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so.
12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.
13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable.
15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
    
    • Open Game License v 1.0a, Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
    • System Reference Document, Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
    • System Reference Document 5.1, Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
    • Advanced Bestiary, Copyright 2004, Green Ronin Publishing, LLC; Author Matthew Sernett.
    • Undead Gnolls, Copyright 2023, R. Dorman.

Father Dagon

“With only a slight churning to mark its rise to the surface, the thing slid into view above the dark waters. Vast, Polyphemus-like, and loathsome, it darted like a stupendous monster of nightmares to the monolith, about which it flung its gigantic scaly arms, the while it bowed its hideous head and gave vent to certain measured sounds. I think I went mad then.” —H.P. Lovecraft, “Dagon.”

The Dagon model was one of the last rewards unlocked as part of the Reaper Bones 3: The Search for Mr. Bones Kickstarter, and one of several very large figures produced as part of that campaign. Like the Shub-Nigurrath, it’s another Kevin Williams sculpt of a Cthulhu monstrosity.

Dagon has a special place in the Great Dungeon of the North, even though Delvemount is many leagues from the Lythian Sea. Rumors claim that one or more gates in the deeper levels lead to an Abyssal layer of dark ocean, filled with sea monsters. I’ve previously written about the Dagonites, his horrid servitors. One of my sample Inhabited Idols is a Gargantuan statue of Dagon. And I’ve provided some details of Dagon as a Demonic Patron.

Like one of the ancient Deep Ones, this Dagon model lay for many a long year in the dark of my basement, dreaming and awaiting its time. I took a good run at this in the early summer, right before I tackled the Shub-Niggurath model. 

I started by assembling the entire model, though I did not attach Dagon to the terrain. There were some significant gaps with the limbs that I filled using Green Stuff. I then primed Dagon with the Army Painter’s Uniform Gray out of a rattlecan, but this model would have definitely benefited from a zenithal undercoat.

I put down a base coat of Reaper MSP Sapphire Blue, then gave it a wash of Army Painter Dark Quickwash. I drybrushed the figure with more Sapphire Blue, then added highlights with Reaper MSP Clear Green, and then another layer of highlights with MSP Clear Yellow. One of the things I liked about using the yellow on the model is it brightened everything up and looked a bit like filtered sunlight playing on underwater surfaces.

I then set the model aside for a few months as I was unsure how to tackle the terrain, which consists of two stone idols in a sandy substrate. I wasn’t quite sure how to paint up a sand texture—many modelers use actual sand or textured material when working on sand terrain, and I didn’t want to go there. I also had partially embraced object source lighting (OSL) with Dagon, and really wasn’t sure how to extend this technique to the terrain section.

After a few months experimenting with other techniques I returned to Dagon’s terrain. I started by putting down a base coat of white, then colored the sand sections with Army Painter Light Tone, and the stone statues with Army Painter Dark Tone. The Quickshades gave both the sand and stone a diffused, mottled appearance which to my mind worked well with the underwater theme. I then highlighted both surfaces with more Clear Yellow, which helped tie the terrain with Dagon. Although it’s not really an OSL technique, I really liked the contrast of the golden sand with the dark blues and green of Dagon.

I then glued Dagon to the terrain. I made a glaze out of 2 parts Pure White to 3 parts Matte Medium and 3 parts water, and used this filter to lighten up Dagon’s teeth, claws, and tentacles. I also lightened up the many spots along the demon’s three tails. 

To create a glowing eye effect I painted the large eyes white, then put down a line of Clear Green around the outermost rim of the eyes. I then made a ring of Clear Yellow just inside the green. I then made a glaze out of pale, pale yellow and began running this around the outside of the eyes, gradually adding more yellow to the eye and the surrounding flesh. A few layers of the glaze helped blur the three colors together and created the appearance of a glow.

To finish I sealed the model with Testor’s Dullcote. I didn’t really have a gaming base big enough to suit this model, so decided to leave Dagon as is.

Williams did a great job sculpting this model: Dagon neatly combines the features of a frog, eel, octopus, and anglerfish into a sleek, sinuous form that looks like it could be swimming through water. I felt very vexed at several points while painting this model, and more than once figured I had wrecked the job beyond recovery. So it was very satisfying to stick with it and end up with a miniature I am pretty happy with. Ad astra per aspera.

The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young

Ever Their praises, and abundance to the Black Goat of the Woods. Iä! Shub-Niggurath! Iä! Shub-Niggurath! The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young!

—H.P. Lovecraft, “The Whisperer in Darkness” (1930)

This enormous Shub-Niggurath miniature, sculpted by Kevin Williams, was an add-on to the Reaper Miniatures Bones 3 Kickstarter from back in 2015. Around the same time I also pledged the Delta Green: The Roleplaying Game as well as the Sandy Peterson’s Cthulhu Mythos for Pathfinder Kickstarters, which demonstrates how deeply the Mythos was occupying my mind eight or so years ago. Yet despite my best (or perhaps worst?) intentions I still have yet to run a real Cthulhu campaign for any system. I have previously written about the Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath, and even painted up a couple different models of those lesser monsters, but it took me a long time to finally try to tackle their foul mother.

Rob Kuntz and Dr. J. Eric Holmes might have been the first to write up Shub-Niggurath for fantasy roleplaying games. “The Lovecraftian Mythos in Dungeons and Dragons” appeared in The Dragon 12 (February 1978). Their description of her is certainly vivid:

[This] fountain of uncleanliness is a huge grey pool, 100 feet across, in the caverns beneath Mount Voormithadreth, constantly bubbling and putting forth mouths, limbs, pseudopods and whole creatures. 1-10 small monsters are created from the pool per melee round and go crawling, flopping and flying away up to the surface. Some fall back into the pool which then grows mouths and devours them. … Thus the god is the source of all the foul and unclean creatures of the earth. The growing little monsters usually ignore strangers, but they will attack on Shub-Niggurath’s command.

Similar language is included in the first printing of the AD&D Deities and Demigods book, which also includes this sanity-destroying Erol Otus illustration of Shub-Niggurath. In the lonely wilderlands of my own Great Dungeon of the North campaign, certain foul madmen are said to venerate this abomination. Her dark young stalk the most desolate places of the farthest North, and one of the deepest levels of the Great Dungeon is said to consist of living caverns out of nightmare, a vile place corrupted with the fecundity of Shub-Niggurath.

I struggled to formulate a plan of attack for the Shub-Niggurath model, which is large and complex with many different parts. I was torn between assembling everything first and then painting, or painting everything first and then assembling. In the end I compromised: I used poster tack to put the model together long enough to prime and lay down a base coat, then I disassembled the pieces to work on the small, hard-to-reach features. Even with lots of poster tack it was tricky to keep the various legs, tentacles, and whatnot hanging together: the process was a bit like working an abhorrent Jenga puzzle.

I primed the model using Army Painter Uniform Gray out of a rattlecan, then used my airbrush to put down a base coat of Army Painter Barbarian Flesh. If I were to do this over again, I probably would have skipped the gray primer and used zenithal priming instead. Although the airbrush saved a lot of time, the Barbarian Flesh didn’t provide great coverage and looked very orange; in retrospect a more pallid tone like Reaper MSP Fair Skin might have worked much better as a base coat. A bolder and more interesting choice might have been to use Reaper Ghoul Skin, which would have both suitably grotesque as well as thematically appropriate.

In any case, I then disassembled the model and began working on the smaller details on the individual components. Between eyes, mouths, teeth, horns, tumors, lacerations, and suppurations, the model has loads of gross detail that I steadily picked off. 

Once I had blocked out these smaller details, I reassembled everything with superglue. There were a few nasty gaps that I tried to fill using Vallejo Plastic Putty, which is a product I have admittedly never had much luck with. In retrospect I wish I had gone with Green Stuff, which requires more work but gives me better results, particularly with larger gaps.

I then began shading the model using a variety of Army Painter Quickshade washes followed by several rounds of drybrush highlighting. I then started on cleanup and lining, which took a long time to complete. I spent a lot of time watching videos on painting eyes, since these are one of the most prominent features of the model. I was nearly done and feeling fairly satisfied with how all the eyes were turning out when I realized, to my horror, that goats have very, very weird eyes with horizontal slits for pupils—and I had painted all the eyes with round pupils. Although I tried to convince myself that round pupils were fine, just fine, in the end I broke down and went back to try and add horizontal slits. The result was a little disappointing—just five minutes with some reference art earlier in the project would have saved a lot of headaches.

I sealed the miniature with a couple of coats of Testor Dullcote, and then went back over the eyes and mouths with Vallejo gloss varnish. I would have preferred a somewhat glossier finish for Shub-Niggurath’s flesh, but I still haven’t found a varnish or blend of varnishes that isn’t too glossy. 

Finally, I mounted this miniature on a Reaper Miniatures 160 mm round base, suitable for a Colossal size monster. The figure’s native base was a little too big and I ended up trimming it back with an x-acto knife to fit. 

This model was technically the most difficult and easily the most time-consuming I’ve yet worked on. Though there were many steps I would have done differently if I had to start over, but in general I am fairly happy with how this figure turned out. I don’t know when or if I will ever be able to drop this beast into a game, but it certainly makes for a conversation piece!