Nest Rest

Today’s DnD post seemed as good as any to get a little extra spooky with our latest 3D-printed scatter terrain. Don’t be afraid now – scroll this way…

This is one of those times when we saw the rendering first and immediately made up our minds that we were going to slice it, 3D print it, paint it, and figure out later how it might fit into a future D&D campaign encounter. To us, that’s a true sign of an A+ STL. While we do have some ideas for where and when we might use today’s featured 3D print, there’s nothing concrete quite yet.

Once again, we shine the TTRPG spotlight on STL Miniatures and this wicked Skull Nest. This slam-dunk scatter terrain is from their marvelous Fantasy Props 2 Kickstarter, which is full of value. It even contains eight-plus wild varieties of monster roosts, and it’s a given we’ll be showcasing more of ’em at some point.

Technically, this RPG 3D print breaks DM Ben’s “No eyes, no problem” rule of them, but hey, they’re really big eyes, right?! He’s also gotten comfortable with a particular bone paint scheme, thanks to YouTuber Apathetic Fish Miniatures. That same confidence goes for the hay and straw, critical to the nest. We’ve even done several eggs before, too!

Familiarity with all these paint categories just comes with practice, and with that comes more confidence. DM Ben still considers himself below average when it comes to painting, but the key is to just keep growing. His first colored 3D print, compared to what he paints these days, is rather night and day. We’ve also expanded our paint library, thanks to Green Stuff World, and added several fun painting aids, which have also helped us improve our hobby skills.

We truly love it when other DnD hobbyists share their paint steps, so we always try to share ours. You might be inspired to try them yourself or at least latch onto a particular color that suits a specific 3D print you’re working on right now.

For the bones, here are Apathetic Fish Miniatures’ steps:

• Prime Flat Black & Slapchop Base.
• Apply a base layer of Citadel Zandri Dust.
• Cover with Citadel’s Agrax Earthshade.
• Use a light dry brush of Citadel Karak Stone.
• Go back over with a lighter dry brush of Citadel’s Ushabti Bone.
• Finish by edging with Citadel’s Screaming Skull.

For the hay, try:

• Heavy Ochre drybrush.
• Agrax Earthshade wash.
• FAN Moon Dust Yellow drubrush.
• Very light white drybrush.
• Optionally, add a black or brown wash.

And then for the rest of it:

• Eggs: Citadel Pallid Wych Flesh.
• Egg Spots: GSW Turquoise Chost
• Teeth: GSW Skull Linen Dipping Ink + FAN Soft Tone Wash
• Wood: ASP Dark Wood
• Rocks: ASP Gravelord Gray
• Ground: ASP Forests Sprite and Americana Burnt Umber drybrush

These might seem like a lot of brush steps, but they go really quickly, and it’s nothing a novice can’t handle. Trust us when we say that if DM Ben can do it, you definitely can too.

This mysterious roost 3D-prints to a 3×3 d20 size area. The bottom is a tad thin, so it’s possible you’ll need to sand it down slightly to compensate for any warping that may occur. We’re based in sunny Arizona, and our climate doesn’t do 3D prints a lot of favors sometimes. Alternatively, you can glue it to a standard MDF hobby board, apply hot glue to its edges, and add additional flocking. We might also add a grass tuft or two to the base to give it a little extra zest.

In terms of where we place this bad boy, mcguffins_printables on Instagram suggested that we add some eggs for our recent Queen Flea. To be honest, we weren’t even sure fleas laid eggs, but it turns out they actually do. So, we could use our newest scatter terrain for an upcoming DnD scenario. Or, we can save it for one of our other Wilderness Trek Wandering Monster encounters. No official pick yet, but DM Ben loves options!

Until next time!