Wandering Wednesday: Sea What We Mean?

Greetings, fellow monster hunters. Boy howdy, do we have a fun, new freak of nature for you today. Just remember to grab a bigger net and some extra bait because you’re gonna need it!

Another healing hobby week is in motion, so that means another wandering monster to terrorize your DnD players. Longtime 3DRPGers know we love unique and wild STL sculpts. Anything that makes a player gasp, something like, “Well, there’s something you don’t see every day.” That’s probably why we dig today’s featured TTRPG creator so much. He’s got so many clever creations, and our 3D printer certainly yearns for more of his fine work.

We’re on a little bit of an aquatic-ish kick lately, and we’re not exactly sure why. We recently cranked out some Crab Folk, a Zaratan, and even a seaworthy pirate ship. And now we’re going to showcase a sorta half-man, half-fish monstrosity. After seeing this one, we think you’ll most certainly join us in bringing this bullhead-ish bastard to your game table.

Today’s creator is good ol’ Toadstool Weaver. We’re not exactly sure whose living in that brilliant mind of his, but we sure are glad it’s busy up there. He concocted this free Ningen Uo miniature (but of course, tips are always encouraged), and we absolutely love it! Since this twisted monster can crawl with the best of ’em, it’s certainly worth an add to our ongoing free Wilderness Trek Wandering Monster table.

With resident painter Kimmy Utah quite swamped, the office crew basically forced DM Ben to finish this one, hook, line, and sinker. His first attempt was pretty rough, but he stuck with it and considers this a valid attempt from a novice craftsman. What he lacked in fine brushwork, he tried to make up for in an eye-catching base.

DM Ben initially asked Google for some paint recommendations and called an audible on a few of their suggested steps. The good news is their initial color palette at least got him moving in the right direction. He chucked his first version and refused to let us take a picture. We just told him he was being too hard on himself.

Anywho, here are the steps he utilized…

• Prime Flat Black* | Slapchop Base.
• Human Skin P1: FAN Barbarian Flesh + Soft Tone Wash.
• Human Skin P2: ASP Peachy Flesh + FAN Barbarian Flesh edging.
• Body P1: FAN Aegis Aqua + Blue Wash.
• Fins & Skin Edging: FAN Hydra Turquoise.
• Head Top: ASP Orc Skin + Green Wash.
• Head: Citadel Contrasts Snakebite Leather + FAN Desert Yellow Drybrush.
• Eyes: ASP Blood Red.
• Mouth Rim: ASP Pastel Salmon.
• Teeth: GSW Parchment

He also tried a couple of commercial primers, including Games Workshop’s Grey Seer and White Scar. Honestly, he didn’t notice a significant difference compared to a cheaper Rust-Oleum Flat Black, but it was fun to experiment a little. The three featured here each had a different primer base coat.

Since he was pretty subconscious about his mini painting results, DM Ben felt he could still save this big catch with a really immersive base. These fin swatters fit best on a 2×2 d20 base, which gives more real estate to make their surface more engaging.

Nothing crazy here in terms of the steps:

• Paint half the base in ASP Tidal Wave
• Flock the other half of the base with some uneven sand.
• Go back over the sand with Scenic Cement.
• Cover the water portion with AK Interactive’s Pacific Blue Water Effect

We adore Army Painter’s Tidal Wave Speedpaint – it’s our go-to color for water these days. And that sand, that’s literally from a CA beach DM Ben scooped up on a vacation like 15 years ago. And as far as water effects go, AKI’s products are so frickin’ good. Now we could have also added some of GSW’s Sea Foam Texture to create a bit of a tide effect, but DM Ben is still working out the kinks on that one.

Lastly, Toadstool Weaver often goes the extra mile by providing sample DnD 5e stat blocks for many of his creations. What a pal, right?! The stats are nearly spot on for our sixth-level adventuring party of six. AC: 14, HP: 90, Multi-att: +6/2d6+3 Bite and +6/reach 10/1d8+3/Grapple (DC 14 Escape), Song of Longing (DC14 WIS). You can find the full monster sheet on this marvelous mini’s download page on Cults.

The lore is pretty cool here. Some greedy, ruthless fishermen who have terrorized the sea have been cursed by the gods, and after passing, are reincarnated so that they can live with their consequences and feel what it’s like to be hunted themselves.

Now all that’s left to do is update our table and add another nifty on-decker for all your DnD monster needs.

Until next time!