Can You Dig It?

Do any of us truly have enough big machinery in our DnD campaigns? No…no, we do not. So, let’s take a look at this awesome earth mover and what sorta role this mechanical beast can play in a game.

Mighty structures are always popping up in one’s RPG setting. Someone has to build those architectural marvels and farm for those mighty minerals, but they need the right gear to do it! Plus, who doesn’t love big ol’ machines on the gameboard?!

Thankfully, the wonderful hardhat crew over at STL Miniatures has a superb Constructors Set for all to 3D print. DM Ben just adores this set. He’s printed nearly every piece from it for our office campaign.

Today, we’ll focus on the Earth Mover STL, which is filled with delightful details. Painted by resident painter Kimmy Utah, it features a cornucopia of whimsical elements, including the dwarf-goblin riding tandem, squirrelly exhaust pipes, an accordion mid-base, and, of course, the digging apparatus.

The 3D-printed piece just looks so mechanical in the best tinkerer way possible. It doesn’t matter which angle you’re looking at it from – it’s 360 degrees of gorgeous. And you just know there will be a player at your table who will do everything he or she can do to drive it!

DM Ben was waiting for the perfect time to integrate this Earth Mover into the campaign, and The Forgotten Rails was the perfect catalyst. The Realm’s hovertrain runs on a rock material called “Corederite Glass.” That stone comes from a particular wandering Earth Elemental.

These rarer Stone Scar Elementals are typically found deep underground. They shed their “C-Glass” like an elk dropping its antlers. These blue and purple-tinted rocks are combined with founding wizard Leland Farce’s arcane magic to produce the hovertrain’s necessary propulsion fuel.

One can certainly find this C-Glass here and there above ground, but the railway line needs a lot of it — so much so that they often have to go on larger mining expeditions (much like we do for our own fuels) to locate larger quantities. That’s where these big ol’ machines are seen in operation.

The specialty Dwarves that operate this equipment and lead the Corederite Glass extractions are called “Stone Scalpers.” Under the orders of Waterdeep’s Omin Dran, these official construction crews force exploratory openings into larger mountainous outcroppings. Then, a secondary team can search for the Stone Scar Elementals deep underground and retrieve the mysterious creatures’ valuable resources.

How might you use one of these Earth Movers in your own DnD game? Share your thoughts on our Facebook or Instagram pages!

Until next time!