A Thorny Situation

Miniature Monday takes a pokey turn today as we explore some thorny Dark Roots by one of our favorite STL makers. Read carefully, as these babies are sharp!

Longtime readers know we went through great (filament) lengths to build two 3D-printed Wandering Monster tables: dungeon and wilderness. We ultimately created 20 entries in each free DnD table, so rolling a result is a snap. However, we’ve been slowly adding to each of them, so you will have some replacements once you initially use a particular row.

Today, we’re featuring the Dark Roots set by the hardworking crew at STL Miniatures. We wanted some lunging vines for the DnD Grasping Vine spell, either for player characters but especially for our (usually) outnumbered villains. These STLs are perfect!

Since these sculpts do not have the dreaded eyeballs, novice painter DM Ben took a stab with his Army Painter Speedpaints. Dark Wood is an exceptional paint, especially when paired with Vallejo Ocre Brown, for the perfect combo. He then added some green, orange, and red here and there to give off that earthy vibe.

STL Miniatures always includes dandy bases for its 3D prints, but we’ve been on a clear-base kick lately (thanks to YouTube’s Miniature Hobbyist for the inspiration). We really dig seeing the gameboard underneath, and the vines can drop into any scene, thanks to their neutral stands.

DM Ben is going through a character transition, as two players want to swap out their existing classes. He was looking for a way to subdue the party in their next encounter so they could be eliminated while the remaining players became imprisoned. Then, our two new characters will bust them out! Since extra toughGrasping Vines seems like the perfect way to tie everyone up, we rushed these STLs to our resin printer!

Also, it’s super important to note that STL Miniatures offers a PDF with every set that includes insanely handy DnD info, including a monster description, stats, and cool actions/abilities.

We’re just going to use an altered spell Grasping Vine to it as a +8 to hit bonus action but with a DC 20 against Athletics to break free. It’s a tough one for our poor adventurers, as a much higher witch villain is casting this spell so it needs to big a serious punch. We interspersed a bunch of these dead plants throughout her hideout, and they will transform out of nowhere once the players walk into her spooky basement.

From there, it will be a battle of attrition as numerous spawned vines will ultimately wear the remaining players out and render them helpless.  Then, those players will awaken briefly (thanks to a right hook to the jaw), only to see a Medusa head in front of them and then turn to stone. DM Ben foreshadowed this event when the group was nearing the outskirts of her cabin in the woods.

From there, it’s a rescue game for our two new characters, who were lurking just beyond the battlefield, waiting for a victor so they could come in and clean up the treasure. Since her cover is blown, our evil witch will flee the area. She doesn’t believe anyone will bother with her stone-cold trophies.

Lastly, let’s include these grappling vines in our Wandering Wilderness Trek table in case you want to utilize them in a cool surprise attack. Our players love to pitch a tent in the great outdoors, so these pricks are the perfect pick, right? 😉