Kickstarter and Me

Get Lucky and The Gamers: Hands of Fate

As I was waiting for the last day or two of the Book of the Righteous for Fifth Edition Kickstarter to count down this week, the following article appeared in my Facebook feed: "Old-fashioned boardgames, not tech, are attracting the most money on Kickstarter." This news did not really surprise me, as my own pledges have been primarily for games, particularly RPGs. And even those that weren't games themselves have tended to be tied to them in some way.

Here is a quick review of the projects that I've backed in the four years that I've been involved in Kickstarter.

Re-Creating my Art from S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks by Jeff Dee (March 2012): Jeff Dee was one of the more prolific artists employed by TSR in the early years of the D&D game. At some point, the company lost or destroyed most of his originals, so Dee has spent much of the past few years recreating those pieces for his portfolio, as well as producing some new pieces for gods, monsters, etc., that lacked art due to time constraints when the books were published. One of his first art Kickstarters was for "Expedition to the Barrier Peaks," one of my favorite 1st edition adventures. That was the project that persuaded me to try out this whole Kickstarter thing, and I now have a signed print of my favorite Dee piece from S3 (a mind flayer) displayed above my desk.

The Gamers: Hands of Fate by Zombie Orpheus (September 2012): I am a fan of The Gamers and The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, so happily contributed to this sequel. I didn't yet own the second movie at the time, so pledged at a level that included that as a reward.

Fate Core by Fred Hicks / Evil Hat Productions (January 2013): Fate is a system that I have had little experience with, but find intriguing enough to want to explore more fully. This Kickstarter provided an updated rulebook plus a staggeringly long list of stretch goals that are still being produced. Among the ones released so far are Fate Accelerated Edition (a streamlined version of the rules), Do: Fate of the Flying Temple (a Fate Accelerated setting), and the Fate Freeport Companion (for Green Ronin's Freeport setting). A friend of mine has recently started up a Do game, and I'm greatly enjoying a chance to finally learn Fate through actual play. And the Freeport book is a welcome addition to my sizable collection for that setting (I'm a bit of a completist there, as the next item will make more clear).

Freeport: The City of Adventure for the Pathfinder RPG by Chris Pramas: Green Ronin Publishing (April 2013): I've been a fan of Freeport ever since finding the first adventure, Death in Freeport, in my FLGS. My love of this product line prompted the start of what became Tim's Errata Archive, which in turn led to me becoming an official contributor to the setting (through revising the Freeport Trilogy to v.3.5, then writing, editing, and proofreading other titles). Green Ronin's announcement about this massive update to the setting persuaded me (and my players) to convert my most recent (v.3.5) Freeport campaign to Pathfinder. We ended up making that change well ahead of the book's completion, so I have not yet used as much of this book as I would have if we had been using it from the beginning of a brand-new campaign. But it's a solid resource that will ensure that I will return to Freeport for future campaigns.

The last few physical rewards for this Kickstarter (a miniature and a bookplate) finally shipped recently, but a few electronic rewards are still in progress. The first installment of the six-part Return to Freeport adventure path is now available, and the rest will be released over the rest of 2016. Green Ronin has promised to produced a Freeport Companion for their Fantasy AGE system, but that product is still in the very early development stages and does not yet have a release date. (Blue Rose for AGE--see below--has priority at the moment.)

Get Lucky, the Kill Doctor Lucky Card Game by Cheapass Games (November 2013): I have enjoyed many Cheapass Games, including the original Kill Doctor Lucky, since I first discovered the company quite a number of years ago. James Ernest reserves the deluxe color treatment for his company's very best games, so I was pretty confident of getting a good game from this project, and was not disappointed.

Advanced Bestiary for the Pathfinder RPG by Chris Pramas: Green Ronin Publishing (December 2013): The original Advanced Bestiary, for v.3.5, is my favorite non-Freeport book from Green Ronin: its diverse collection of templates adds value to every other monster book you own. With my gaming group's shift from D&D to Pathfinder, I was eager to see this book updated to those rules. The new book has been expanded to include even more templates, some of which I've already put to very good use in my games.

Prospero's Price; A Lovecraft and Shakespeare Tale by J Kovach (March 2014): This graphic novel, which promises a Lovecraftian retelling of The Tempest, has suffered delays due to health issues and other obstacles. It's impossible to tell at this time when or if the book will be completed.

MUNCHKIN® BRICKS - Accessories for your miniature figures by Crazy Bricks (June 2014): This Kickstarter produced LEGO-compatible bricks based on Steve Jackson Games' Munchkin games. Of all the projects I've backed, this one probably delivered the most promptly.

IAmElemental Action Figures for Girls by IAmElemental (June 2014): This Kickstarter produced a series of superhero action figures designed to appeal to, and empower, young girls. My wife and I appreciated the project's reaction to the over-genderizing of children's toys, and backed it for a full set of the Series 1 toys. This past Christmas, we gave the set to our two children (a girl, 11, and boy, 10) to share, and they both seem to enjoy these toys equally. 

Iron Atlas: Digital Miniatures System for Roleplaying Games by by Lifeform Entertainment, LLC (July 2014): This is the one and only Kickstarter that I've pledged to that did not successfully fund. I was not nearly as invested in this one as most of the RPG books in this list, so was not heartbroken by its failure,

Epyllion, a Dragon Epic RPG by Marissa Kelly (May 2015): This premise of this rules-light RPG could be summarized as "My Little Pony, but with dragons." My children are obsessed with both of those things, so this Kickstarter was an easy sell for our household. The game is very close to completion: a PDF preview (with the full text but without the final editing pass or art) has just been released to backers.

Blue Rose: The AGE Roleplaying Game of Romantic Fantasy by Nicole Lindroos of Green Ronin (July 2015): I enjoyed the original True20 Blue Rose RPG, though I never had much opportunity to play it. The setting is based on the "romantic fantasy" of writers such as Tamora Pierce and Mercedes Lackey. As such, it was controversial for its inclusion of characters of sexuality and gender minorities. Green Ronin felt that the current state of LGBT politics, as well as the release of their Fantasy AGE game, made the time right for a new edition of Blue Rose, using those new rules. I'm intrigued by Fantasy AGE, and the tropes of Blue Rose match my children's (especially my daughter's!) tastes in fantasy quite well, so I look forward to trying out the new game with them. It's scheduled for release this summer.

A Natural History of the Fantastic by Christopher Stoll (July 2015): This art book is a bestiary of classic fantasy creatures, much in the style of Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials. The author/artist gives his own unique twist on each creature, which frequently prompted me to think about how to adapt the material to use in an RPG. (I may do some of that in future columns, once the promised concept sketchbook reward is available.)

Spirit Island by GreaterThanGames (October 2015): This boardgame was created by a good friend of mine, Eric Reuss. My wife and I helped playtest an early version of the game, so we are very much looking forward to seeing and playing the final, polished version. (As an aside, I highly recommend Eric's game Fealty, published by Asmadi Games.)

The Feminomicon by Christopher Stoll (March 2016): This sequel to A Natural History of the Fantastic addresses female gods and monsters, presented in a format inspired by the fictional Necronomicon. The book is currently in production.

Book of the Righteous for Fifth Edition by Chris Pramas: Green Ronin Publishing (May 2016): The original Book of the Righteous, for D&D Third Edition, provided a highly detailed pantheon of gods, including full details on each god's mythology, religious organizations, and relationships to other priesthoods. It follows Green Ronin's modular approach toward gaming supplements, allowing GMs to drop as much or as little as they wish into their own campaigns, regardless of setting. The new book will update the mechanics to Fifth Edition, as well as expanding on the background information. I usually prefer to build my own worlds and cosmologies, so I never bought the original book, but have regretted that from time to time since. The new book will provide a wealth of new material for Fifth Edition, with new options for many classes besides just clerics. I have recently started exploring the new edition, so very much look forward to adding this to my (currently quite small) collection for it.

In conclusion, the Kickstarters that I've been most excited about involve games by people whose past work I enjoy a great deal, and who I want to see continue to make incredible stuff. I would love to have the freedom to pledge money to a wider spectrum of projects, in order to expand my horizons even further and encourage more new creators. But for now, my limited budget demands that I save it for projects that I can be confident about investing in from the beginning. So, for starters, expect to see Green Ronin continue to dominate my list of backed Kickstarters.

Creatures of Freeport: Plague Wraith

The plague wraith was originally introduced in "Focus on Freeport #8: An Unwelcome Guest." In this column, I present a straightforward conversion of that v.3.0 stat block to Pathfinder, then provide a much more dangerous alternate build using a template from the Advanced Bestiary. I then update the detect disease spell to Pathfinder.

Plague Wraith

This creature has a vaguely humanoid form outlined in greenish mist. Its only definite features are a pair of glowing pinpoints where eyes should be. 

PLAGUE WRAITH (CR 5)

XP 1,600
CE Medium undead (incorporeal)
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., sense disease; Perception +11
Aura unnatural aura (30 ft.)

Defense
AC 16, touch 16, flat-footed 13 (+3 deflection, +3 Dex)
hp 45 (6d8+18)
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +7
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +2, incoporeal; Immune undead traits
Weaknesses sunlight powerlessness, vulnerable to remove disease

Offense
Speed fly 60 ft. (good)
Melee incorporeal touch +7 (1d4 negative energy plus disease)
Special Attacks disease
Statistics

Str --, Dex 16, Con --, Int 15, Wis 14, Cha 16
Base Atk +4; CMB +7; CMD 20
Feats Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative
Skills Fly +7, Intimidate +12, Knowledge (humanoids, planes) +8, Perception +11, Sense Motive +11, Stealth +12
Languages Abyssal, Common

Ecology

Environment any land or undeground

Organization solitary or gang (2-5)

Treasure none

Special Abilities

Disease (Su) Wraith Plague; Incorporeal touch--injury; save Fort DC 16; onset 1 day; frequency 1/day; effect 1d6 Con drain; cure --. A humanoid who dies from Constituion drain rises as a plague wraith after 1d4 days. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Sense Disease (Su) A plague wraith can sense disease in any humanoid, and will not attack those already suffering from any kind of illness. Sense disease is a free action for the plague wraith.

Sunlight Powerlessness (Ex) A plague wraith caught in sunlight cannot attack and is staggered.

Unnatural Aura (Su) Animals do not willingly approach within 30 feet of a plague wraith, unless a master makes a DC 25 Handle Animal, Ride, or wild empathy check.

Vulnerable to Remove Disease (Ex) A plague wraith is vulnerable to the remove disease spell. A caster must hit the plague wraith with a touch attack. If the plague wraith fails its save, it is destroyed. Note that the plague wraith’s normal immunity to effects that require Fortitude saves does not apply.

The alternative stat block below was created by adding the plague-bearer template (Advanced Bestiary 220) to a standard wraith (Bestiary 281). This template makes the resulting creature much more dangerous because it combines all of the regular wraith's powers with multiple disease vectors. 

PLAGUE-BEARER WRAITH (CR 7)

XP 3,200
LE Medium undead (incorporeal)
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., lifesense; Perception +10
Aura disease cloud (30 ft., bubonic plague, mind fire, DC 20), unnatural aura (30 ft.)

Defense
AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed 13 (+5 deflection, +3 Dex)
hp 62 (5d8+40)
Fort +9, Ref +4, Will +6
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +2, incoporeal; Immune undead traits
Weaknesses sunlight powerlessness

Offense
Speed fly 60 ft. (good)
Melee incorporeal touch +6 (1d6 negative energy plus 1d6 Con drain and disease)
Special Attacks create spawn, disease (filfth fever, leprosy, DC 20)
Statistics

Str --, Dex 16, Con --, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 27
Base Atk +3; CMB +6; CMD 21
Feats Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative
Skills Diplomacy +13, Fly +7, Intimidate +16, Knowledge (planes) +7, Perception +10, Sense Motive +10, Stealth +11
Languages Common, Infernal
SQ carrier, diseased flesh (blinding sickness, DC 20), quick incubation

Ecology

Environment any 

Organization solitary, pair, gang (3-6), or pack (7-12)

Treasure none

Special Abilities

Carrier (Ex) See the plague-bearer template (Advanced Bestiary 220)

Constitution Drain (Su) Creatures hit by a plague-bearer wraith's touch attack must succeed on a DC 20 Fortitude save or take 1d6 points of Constitution drain. On each successful attack, the plague-bearer wraith gains 5 temporary hit points. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Create Spawn (Su) A humanoid slain by a plague-bearer wraith becomes a plague-bearer wraith in 1d4 rounds. These spawn are less powerful than typical plague-bearer wraiths, and suffer a -2 penalty on all d20 rolls and checks, receive -2 hp per HD, and only drain 1d2 points of Constitution on a touch. Spawn are under the command of the plague-bearer wraith that created them until its death, at which point they lose their spawn penalties and become free-willed plague-bearer wraiths. They do not possess any of the abilities that they had in life.

Disease (Ex) See the plague-bearer template (Advanced Bestiary 220)

Disease Cloud (Ex) See the plague-bearer template (Advanced Bestiary 220)

Diseased Flesh (Ex) See the plague-bearer template (Advanced Bestiary 220)

Lifesense (Su) A plague-bearer wraith notices and locates living creatures within 60 feet, just as if it possessed the blindsight ability.

Quick Incubation (Ex) See the plague-bearer template (Advanced Bestiary 220)

Sunlight Powerlessness (Ex) A plague-bearer wraith caught in sunlight cannot attack and is staggered.

Unnatural Aura (Su) Animals do not willingly approach within 30 feet of a plague-bearer wraith, unless a master makes a DC 25 Handle Animal, Ride, or wild empathy check.

And finally, here is a Pathfinder conversion for the new spell that appears in "An Unwelcome Guest."

DETECT DISEASE

School divination; Level cleric/oracle 0, druid 0, inquisitor 0, paladin 1, ranger 1, shaman 0, witch 0

Casting

Casting Time 1 action

Components V, S  

Effect

Range Close (25 ft + 5 ft / 2 levels) 

Target or Area one creature, one object, or a 5-ft cube 

Duration Instantaneous 

Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You determine whether or not a creature, object, or area is diseased or is a carrier of a disease. You can determine the exact type of disease with a successful Heal check (DC 20). The spell can penetrate barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt block it.

Building the Bestiary #5: Tiny Creatures

Dragon crests from Castle knights'
helmets, mounted on radar dishes.

The D&D Monster Manual and Pathfinder Bestiary both include large numbers of creatures of size Small, Tiny, or even smaller. In a typical campaign, these smaller monsters tend to fall into a few broad categories: familiars; vermin; swarms; and fey.

Small creatures take up a 5-foot space, which is a 1-inch square on the battle map. Creatures of this size can be placed on the same 2x2 or 2x3 plate bases as Small and Medium humanoids.

Tiny creatures have a space of 2-1/2 feet, or 1/2 inch on the map, while smaller sizes take up even less space. Figures this small need a base mostly to prevent the miniature from getting lost or accidentally knocked or blown across the board. There is no plate that is the perfect size (1-1/2 studs) for Tiny creatures, so I usually use a 2x2 plate, jumper plate, or radar dish.

Familiars

Tiny animals rarely pose any serious threat, even to a 1st-level party. Because of this, individual animals rarely need a stat block or a miniature unless they appear as a spellcaster's familiar. In fact, the Pathfinder Bestiary collects these small, weak creatures under the "Familiars" heading for this very reason.

The LEGO Group has produced a vast number of animal pieces, most of which--especially the smaller ones--are a single part. The Friends theme has expanded upon this selection more than almost any other theme, both by adding cutesy versions of existing animals (like dogs, cats, and parrots) and by offering all-new creatures (such as hedgehogs, squirrels, and penguins).

LEGO animals exist for the following standard choices for familiars: bat, cat, monkey (chimpanzee), owl, rat, viper (snake), and toad (frog). For hawks, use the classic bird figure; for ravens, use that bird or the newer crow (from the Tonto and scarecrow minifigures).

For a lizard, you can use Pascal (the chameleon from Tangled), a baby T-Rex (from old dinosaur sets), or a dragon crest (from Castle knight helmets). Lacking those options, the photo below shows one example of a built lizard, using a 1x4 plate, two 1x2 jumper plates, and a 1x1 slope plate.  

For a weasel, you can use a rat or a skunk, but neither is ideal. The ferret in the photo above is built with two 1x2 and one 1x1 plates, a 1x1 round brick, and a small antenna.

For other small animals, you'll need to get creative. Just a few well-chosen pieces can evoke a specific animal, like the rabbit, squirrel, and turtle shown below.

Vermin

Spiders and scorpions are common parts available in many LEGO sets; these animals can be used to represent almost any vermin of Small size or smaller. Ants are also available, but harder to find because they appeared in very few sets (most recently, the Marvel Ant-Man set).

The Pharaoh's Quest theme introduced shields shaped like scarabs, which make excellent miniatures for beetles. More recently, the Friends theme introduced special 1x1 pieces shapes like ladybugs and butterflies, which can be used for smaller beetles and flying insects, respectively. (These parts are small enough that you'll definitely want to mount them on bases.) Sets with a seaside theme may contain crabs or clams, both of which are classified as vermin in d20.

A few examples of brick-built vermin are shown below, using a variety of small parts.

Two scorpions, a spider, and a leech

Swarms

In d20 games, a swarm has a space of 10 feet. The easiest way to represent a swarm is with separate miniatures for each of the four 5-foot squares. LEGO animals for the most common swarms (bats, rats, and spiders) are almost always in production, so the easiest method is to use one animal figure per square. Bases are optional for rats and spiders, but the bats will need them to stay upright. If you need more than one swarm for an encounter, use different-colored animals or bases for each separate swarm.

For other swarms, use the suggestions under Familiars and Vermin above to build miniatures for each square.

(In D&D Fifth Edition, most swarms are Medium, so you'll only need a single one-square miniature per swarm.)

Fey

For mostly humanoid fey of Small and Medium size, you can use regular minifigures to build the miniatures. The Minifigures theme has included leprechauns, winged fairies, gnomes, and fauns, and similar fey can be built using dwarves, elves,  or hobbits as a starting point. The LEGO Elves theme, with its slender minidolls and colorful hair, can be a useful source of parts for nature spirits such as nymphs, dryads, and sylphs.

Smaller races require other methods. Microfigures from LEGO Games such as Heroica, Minotaurus, Ninjago, or The Hobbit work well as tiny fey, as do the trophy bricks that resemble miniature minifigures. Both of these types of part will need bases for stability.

You can also build small humanoid races using bricks and plates. The simplest Tiny miniature uses one or two 1x1 bricks or cylinders for a body, with a 1x1 round brick or plate for a head. A travis brick (a 1x1 brick with studs on four sides) allows the addition of arms (using small plates) or wings (using feather accessories). Insert a plate with a clip to allow the miniature to hold a small weapon. The photos below show examples of these techniques.

That's all for this column. Please take the time to give me some feedback about this series in the comments. Let me know what you like about these articles, where you think they need more work, and what kinds of monsters you want to see me cover in future installments.

Heroes of Freeport: Janica Flamefist

One of the distinguishing features of D&D Third Edition artwork was the use of iconic characters--examples of typical members of a given class or race. Besides giving a more unified look to the game's' artwork, these characters also appeared in examples of play in the rules, and served as pregenerated characters for many adventures. The Pathfinder RPG has its own stable of iconic characters, created for the same purposes. Versions of these iconic characters at 1st, 7th, and 12th level, along with some backstory and favorite tactics can be found in the Pathfinder SRD and in the NPC Codex.

Green Ronin used this idea in their Freeport setting. The four pregenerated characters in Death in Freeport (who I've converted to a number of other systems in this blog) appear in other illustrations for that book, and other products since then. The Pathfinder edition of Freeport: The City of Adventure (FCA) makes use of this idea as well, presenting portraits of iconic characters for the freebooter, monster slayer, and noble classes as well as many of the new archetypes. Earlier this week, Green Ronin provided some additional background about one of these new characters, in a blog post titled, "Ronin Round Table: Heroes of Freeport: Janica Flamefist." That article gives no statistics for Janica, so I have taken the liberty of devising a 1st-level stat block for her, so that she can be used as a PC for "The Ironjack Legacy" (in FCA) or Return to Freeport Part One: Curse of the Brine Witch, both of which are designed for 1st-level.. (Design notes follow the stat block.)

*****

JANICA FLAMEFIST (CR 1/2)

XP 200
Female azhari monster slayer 1 (FCA 356, 370)
LN Medium outsider (native)
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +6

Defense
AC 15, touch 10, flat-footed 15 (+5 armor)
hp 12 (1d10+2)
Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +3; +2 vs. fire spells and spell-likes
Weaknesses vulnerability to cold

Offense
Speed 20 ft. (base 30 ft.)
Melee falchion +3 (2d4+3/18-20)
Ranged light crossbow +1 (1d8/19-20)
Special Attacks turn undead (1/day, DC 11)

Statistics
Str 15, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 12
Base Atk +1; CMB +3; CMD 13
Feats Power Attack
Skills Acrobatics -2, Climb +4, Knowledge (religuion) +5, Knowledge (all others, for monster lore), Perception +6. Survival +5 6 to get along in the wild); Racial Modifiers +2 Acrobatics, +2 Climb, +2 Profession (sailor)
Languages Azharan, Common, Draconic
Traits frontier-forged, tactician (Utlimate Campaign)
SQ might of the efreet (1/day), monster lore (+0), monster specialist (novice undead slayer)
Combat Gear holy water; Other Gear scale mail, falchion, light crossbow and 10 bolts, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, trail ratuons (5 days), traveler's outfit, waterskin, whetstone, wooden holy symbol (Eternal Flame), 61 gp

*****

When building Janica, I tried to embody her race and class as best I could. I used the elite array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) for her stats for simplicity's sake. Her background indicates that undead are her chosen foe; the "Flamefist" epithet refers to the visual manifestation of her turn undead ability 

A first level character cannot afford masterwork weapons, so sadly, her uncle's blade has no unusual qualities. The "Heroes of Freeport" blog post is unclear about whether this falchion is supposed to be azhari-sized or efreet-sized. I chose to have it be her own size, also for simplicity, and so that she's not stealing the schtick of the iconic Pathfinder barbarian Amiri, who wields a Large greatsword.

At higher levels, Janica will continue to train as an undead slayer, but will eventually branch out into other creature types depending on what other monsters she faces during her career.

I'm hoping that we'll see similar write-ups for other characters, such as the freebooter featured on the cover and page 365. If and when we do, I will almost certainly devise stat blocks for them, too--unless Green Ronin beats me to it.

Building the Bestiary #4: Undead

Undead are a staple of most fantasy role-playing games, so GMs of this genres are going to need some undead miniatures eventually. Even in a low-level game, the players can expect to meet weak undead like skeletons and zombies very early in their careers. Fortunately, the LEGO Group has released a good variety of these monsters over the years, and other kinds of D&D or Pathfinder undead can easily be built or approximated with other minifigures and parts.

Skeletons and Ghosts

The most readily available LEGO undead are skeletons and ghosts, which first appeared in Castle sets and have been featured in various forms in many other themes since then. Some version of these two monsters are almost always in production in one theme or another.

Skeletons, and droids as quadruped skeletons

Skeletons: Basic skeletons can be found in many Castle and Pirate sets, and occasionally in other themes, such as Pirates of the Caribbean. (Even Star Wars and Lord of the Rings sets have included skeletons, in the Rancor Pit and Mines of Moria, respectively.) The Ninjago theme introduced several skeleton characters with individual looks and personalities. More recently, the Minecraft theme offers its own variety of block-headed skeletons, and Minifigures Series 14; Monsters! included a normal guy in a skeleton costume.

Some sets have included skeletal horses, in both white and black, and the LEGO Cuusoo Research Institute included a brick-built dinosaur skeleton. The Ninjago LEGO game included skeleton microfigures, perfect for smaller reanimated corpses such as kobolds or goblins.

The skeleton of a dog, wolf, or similar-sized quadruped is easy to make: take a Star Wars soldier-droid, remove its weapon and backpack, and bend it down onto all fours (see the photo).

Peeves (Harry Potter) and classic ghost (Castle)

Ghost: The original "white sheet"-type ghost minifigure first appeared in the Castle theme, Modified versions of this classic form appeared in the Monster Fighters and LEGO Movie themes. New types of ghosts have appeared in Harry Potter (Peeves the poltergeist), Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (Army of the Dead and the Witch-King), Spongebob Squarepants (The Flying Dutchman), Ninjago (spirit warriors and tiny demonic ghosts), and Ghostbusters (Slimer and related ghosts). The Spectre and Banshee in Minifigures Series 14 use the transparent ectoplasmic lower body piece that first appeared in Ninjago. Dementors (Harry Potter) aren't technically ghosts, but can serve as such.

Example of a custom-built ghost

If you lack any of these ghostly characters, a skeleton head on a white body works well (as will other white heads such as Asajj Ventriss or the Minifigures geisha and mime). For the ghosts of creatures that are not Medium humanoids, build the model in a uniform white, light gray, or transparent colors to show that it's incorporeal.

Mummies, Vampires, and Zombies

The other types of undead that have appeared in LEGO form include mummies, vampires, and zombies.

Mummy: The first LEGO mummies appeared in the Adventurers and LEGO Studios sets. The Pharaoh's Quest theme included a variety of mummies--even winged ones! More recently, Monster Fighters and Minifigures Series 3 and 14 have each included a mummy. Mummy microfigures appeared in the LEGO Games Ramses Pyramid and Ramses Return.

Snape and  vampire

Vampire: Vampires have appeared in LEGO Studios, Monster Fighters (along with a Vampire Bride), and Minifigures Series 2. Monster Fighters also included humanoid Vampire Bats, reissued with a color change for Minifigures Series 8. The LEGO Heroica game Ilrion features a vampire microfigure and a brick-built vampire bat. The Spider Lady from Minifigures Series 14 is obviously a vampire as well, and pasty, black-clad Professor Snape (Harry Potter) makes a decent vampire as well.

Zombie: The first LEGO zombie appeared in Minifigures Series 1, followed soon after by some zombie crewmen in the Pirates of the Caribbean theme. The Monster Fighters theme offered additional zombies, and more recently, Minifigures Series 14; Monsters! included three new zombies (pirate, businessman, and cheerleader). There is also an alien Geonosian Zombie in the Star Wars theme,

Zombie crewmen (Pirates of the Caribbean)

If you don't own any LEGO zombies, look for minifigure body parts printed with torn clothing, cuts and bruises, and dirt and blood stains. The various Frankenstein's Monsters (Monster Fighters and Minifigures) would make good zombies, though you may wish to remove the brow/hair piece to denote that they are zombies, not flesh golems.

Other Undead

Fantasy RPGs include many more kinds of undead that haven't appeared in LEGO form. I will give a few suggestions here for how to build figures for them, but I'm limiting the list to those found in the D&D Monster Manual and first Pathfinder Bestiary.

Incorporeal Undead: Most incorporeal undead, such as spectres, can use the same suggestions above for ghosts. (See also the brick-built apparitions in the photo at the top of this column.)

For shadows, allips, and wraiths, you'll need a darker minifigure. A Ringwraith is an ideal choice here, but any all-black minifigure (preferably with little or no printing) will do nicely, as will a Dementor.

Custom-built devourer

Devourer: These undead are Large, so use the techniques discussed in the Giants installment of this series to modify a minifigure or build a new model. For the soul trapped in the monster's chest cavity, try to find a tile with a face or body on it, and attach it to the devourer with a SNOT ("studs not on top") brick. (The tile shown in the photo here is a specimen from an old Space set.) If you can build a microfigure into the creature's torso, that might be even creepier!

Ghoul: The best matches that I've found for ghouls are zombies and Gollum. The latter captures the ghoul's emaciated, hunched, predatory look quite well!

Lich: Minifigures such as the Witch-King (Hobbit) or Emperor Palpatine (Star Wars) can be used as-is for a lich. Lacking those, use a skeleton, zombie, or mummy, but give it sorcerer's robes, Pharaoh's regalia, or other suitably arcane and sinister gear to make it obvious that this is a much more dangerous foe.

Mohrg (modified skeleton)

Mohrg: Start with a skeleton minifigure. Use one of the L-shaped collars used to attach bricks to the back of a minifigure to attach a tendril or tentacle representing the monster's tongue attack, as shown in the photo. Alternately, attach the appendage to the stud on top of the skull, or to one of the hands.

Wight: A wight is similar to a zombie or mummy in that it's a corporeal husk of a body. Either of those monsters will do, but I prefer black minifigures with scary heads, such as Darth Maul (Star Wars), Lord Garmadon or the Stone Army (Ninjago). Garmadon has the added benefit of being bony without being a skeleton.

I may tackle additional undead monsters in future columns, but that's all for this installment. I hope these suggestions inspire your designs for your own games!

Advanced Bestiary: Clockwork Formian

Formian society is built around the orderly preservation and expansion of the hive and its queen. (See Bestiary 4 108.) The uncanny coordination possible through the hive mind makes each formian appear to be like a single cog in an immense and highly complex machine.

Clockwork formians take this impression to the next level: they are not bred for the welfare of the hive, but are literally built for it. Being clockworks (see the clockwork template, Advanced Bestiary 55), these creatures lack the full intelligence and initiative of normal formians. This simply makes them more rigidly adhere to the race's obsession with order.

The hive's queen is essentially a living computer and factory. Her underlings build the metal exoskeletons for each new formian, while she produces and installs the magical mechanisms that animate these shells under her control.

Clockwork formians are quite rare on the Material Plane, but are rumored to have originated on a strongly lawful-aligned Outer Plane composed entirely of massive machinery. (If the GM decides that they are native to such a plane, then add the extraplanar subtype when they encountered elsewhere.)

Stat blocks for clockwork formian workers, warriors, and taskmasters appear below.


CLOCKWORK FORMIAN WORKER (CR 1)

XP 400
LN Small construct (clockwork)
Init +6 (+10 with hive mind); Senses blindsense 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, hive mind; Perception -1 (+3 with hive mind)

Defense
AC 17, touch 16, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +3 dodge, +1 natural, +1 size)
hp 15 (1d10+10)
Fort +0, Ref +4, Will -1
Defensive Abilities ; DR 5/adamantine; Immune construct traits; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10, sonic 10
Weaknesses metal body, vulnerability to electricity

Offense
Speed 40 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Melee bite +4 (1d6+3)

Statistics
Str 17, Dex 14, Con --, Int 4, Wis 8, Cha 3
Base Atk +1; CMB +3; CMD 15 (19 vs. trip)
Feats Dodge[B], Improved Initiative[B], Lightning Reflexes[B], Skill Focus (Profession [miner])
Skills Craft (clockwork) +2, Disable Device +7, Perception -1 (+3 with hive mind), Profession (miner) +5, Stealth +1
Languages Common, telepathy 60 ft.
SQ able assistant, created mind, creator bond (hive queen), difficult to create, formian traits, peerless bearer, swift reactions, winding

Ecology

Environment warm or temperate land or underground

Organization solitary, work crew (6-12 plus 1 taskmaster), band (3-15 plus 5-8 warriors and 1 taskmaster)

Treasure incidental (occasionally a 10-50 gp gem embedded into a worker's carapace)

Special Abilities
Able Assistant (Ex) When a formian worker succeeds at an aid another check or attack roll that aids another hive mate within its telepathy range, it grants a +4 bonus to the skill check, on the attack roll, or to AC instead of the normal +4.
Created Mind (Ex) A clockwork formian only accepts commands from its creator (the hive's queen) or designated surrogate (a higher-ranked formian within the hive mind). It can act independent of any commands that are given to it. If it wishes to directly disobey a command, the clockwork needs to make a successful Will save (DC 20). On a failed save, the clockwork follows the command to the best of its ability as if under a command spell. If a command would destroy the clockwork formian or otherwise cause it harm, it gets a second Will save (DC 15) immediately after the first.
Once a clockwork formian's creator dies or frees it, the clockwork becomes an independent creature. A free clockwork no longer follows any other creature's command unless magically compelled. A clockwork typically continues to perform the last tasks it was command to complete; however, it may still act independently outside its last commands.
Creator Bond (Ex) A clockwork formian can instinctively detect the location of its creator (the hive's queen) within 100 ft., regardless of magical and natural barriers. Within this range, the clockwork gains a +10 circumstance bonus vs. Bluff and Disguise checks, and any other effect made to impersonate the clockwork's creator. [Note that the formians' hive mind usually makes this quality superfluous.]
Difficult to Create (Ex) See the clockwork subtype.
Peerless Bearer (Ex) Workers have a +5 racial bonus to Strength when calculating the effects of encumbrance.
Swift Reactions (Ex) See the clockwork subtype.
Winding (Ex) See the clockwork subtype.

CLOCKWORK FORMIAN WARRIOR (CR 4)

XP 1,200
LN Medium construct (clockwork)
Init +9 (+13 with hive mind); Senses blindsense 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, hive mind; Perception +3 (+7 with hive mind)

Defense
AC 24, touch 18, flat-footed 16 (+5 Dex, +3 dodge, +6 natural)
hp 42 (4d10+20)
Fort +1, Ref +8, Will +0
DR 5/adamantine; Immune construct traits; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10, sonic 10
Weaknesses metal body, vulnerability to electricity

Offense
Speed 40 ft.
Melee sting +8 (1d4+4 plus poison), 2 claws +8 (1d4+4 plus grab)
Ranged javelin +9 (1d6+4 plus poison)
Special Attacks deadly grasp, poison
Statistics

Str 18, Dex 21, Con --, Int 5, Wis 8, Cha 6
Base Atk +4; CMB +8 (+12 grapple); CMD 23 (27 vs. trip)
Feats Dodge[B], Improved Initiative[B], Lightning Reflexes[B], Skill Focus (Acrobatics), Step Up
Skills Acrobatics +12 (+16 jumping), Craft (clockwork) +2, Disable Device +10, Perception +3 (+7 with hive mind), Stealth +4
Languages Common, telepathy 60 ft.
SQ coordinate, created mind, creator bond (hive queen), difficult to create, formian traits, swift reactions, winding

Ecology

Environment warm or temperate land or underground

Organization solitary, pair, band (3-15 plus 5-8 warriors and 1 taskmaster), or patrol (3-12)

Treasure incidental (6 javelins, other treasure)

Special Abilities
Coordinate (Su) Once a formian warrior has acted in combat, all allied formians within the hive mind are no longer considered flat-footed. When a formian warrior attacks a creature in melee, allied formians gain a +2 insight bonus on melee attack rolls against that creature until the start of the warrior's next turn.
Created Mind (Ex) See the Clockwork Formian Worker (above).
Creator Bond (Ex) See the Clockwork Formian Worker (above).
Deadly Grasp (Ex) When a formian warrior has a foe grappled, it deals sting damage when it succeeds at a grapple check to damage its opponent.
Difficult to Create (Ex) See the clockwork subtype.
Poison (Ex) Javelin or sting--injury; Fort DC 12; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Dex; cure 1 save.
Swift Reactions (Ex) See the clockwork subtype.
Winding (Ex) See the clockwork subtype.

CLOCKWORK FORMIAN TASKMASTER (CR 8)

XP 4,800
LN Medium construct (clockwork)
Init +8 (+12 with hive mind); Senses blindsense 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, hive mind; Perception +7 (+11 with hive mind)

Defense
AC 30, touch 17, flat-footed 23 (+4 Dex, +3 dodge, +13 natural)
hp 75 (10d10+20)
Fort +3, Ref +9, Will +5
DR 10/adamantine; Immune construct traits; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10, sonic 10
Weaknesses metal body, vulnerability to electricity

Offense
Speed 40 ft.
Melee sting +15 (1d4+5 plus poison), 2 claws +15 (1d4+5)
Ranged dart +14/+9 (1d4+5)
Special Attacks poison
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th; concentration +11)
3/day--detect thoughts (DC 13), sending (to the hive queen only)
Bard Spells Known (CL 7th; concentration +8)
3rd (1)--confusion (DC 15), good hope
2nd (3)--heroism, invisibility, sound burst (DC 13), suggestion (DC 14)
1st (5)--charm person (DC 13), comprehend languages, cure light wounds, hideous laughter (DC 13), silent image (DC 12)
0 (at will)--dancing lights, daze (DC 12), detect magic, mending, messages, prestidigitation

Statistics
Str 21, Dex 18, Con --, Int 7, Wis 14, Cha 13
Base Atk +10; CMB +15; CMD 29 (33 vs. trip)
Feats Combat Casting, Dodge[B], Improved Initiative[B], Lightning Reflexes[B], Point Blank Shot, Quick Draw, Rapid Shot, Spell Focus (enchantment)
Skills Bluff +6, Climb +9, Craft (clockwork) +6, Diplomacy +6, Disable Device +10, Perception +7 (+11 with hive mind), Sense Motive +7, Stealth -1
Languages Common, telepathy 60 ft.
SQ created mind, creator bond (hive queen), difficult to create, formian traits, mental motivator, swift reactions, winding

Ecology

Environment warm or temperate land or underground

Organization solitary, work crew (1 plus 6-12 workers), band (1 plus 3-15 workers and 5-8 warriors), embassy (2-6)

Treasure incidental (10 darts, other treasure)

Special Abilities
Created Mind (Ex) See the Clockwork Formian Worker (above).
Creator Bond (Ex) See the Clockwork Formian Worker (above).
Difficult to Create (Ex) See the clockwork subtype.
Mental Motivator (Su) A formian taskmaster can inspire competence or inspire courage as a 7th-level bard (typically 17 rounds/day). The taskmaster's performance is purely mental and and only affects formians from its own hive mind within range.
Poison (Ex) Sting--injury; Fort DC 15; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d4 Dex; cure 2 consecutive saves.
Swift Reactions (Ex) See the clockwork subtype.
Winding (Ex) See the clockwork subtype.

Building the Bestiary #3: Giants

Minifigure scale is suitable for Small and Medium humanoids, but larger creatures such as giants require other solutions. But before I talk about how to acquire or build the models themselves, I want to discuss how to denote size categories when working with LEGO bricks.

Size Categories

If you play D&D or Pathfinder, creatures larger than Medium size take up more than one 5-foot square on the battle map. In most cases, you will want to put your model on an appropriately-sized base in order to clearly mark what space it occupies. A round base is often preferable to a square one, so that you can easily turn the model without any corners sticking out into other squares. (However, given the nature of LEGO bricks, squares and rectangles are much easier to find!)

Girallon (modified Yeti minifigure)

Studs are spaced three to an inch, so a Small or Medium creature takes up a 3x3-stud space, Large creatures 6x6, Huge 9x9, Gargantuan 12x12, and Colossal 18x18 (or more). You don't need to match those dimensions exactly; just make sure you don't exceed them, and that you center your model in its space on the map. I use 2x2 or 2x3 plates as bases for Small and Medium creatures, as both those sizes are plentiful and fit inside a 1" square. I prefer a 6x6 round plate or radar dish for Large creatures, but a 4x4 or 4x6 plate also serves well. I typically use 8x8 square plates (or four 4x4 quarter-circles) for Huge creatures, and 10x10 octagonal plates for Gargantuan ones. For a Colossal creature, you will need a 16x16 or larger base, which you can build out of smaller plates if necessary.

I find it useful to have a few extra Large and Huge bases handy during play so that I can place them under miniatures that don't already have a standard-sized base. For example, I own a number of plastic animal toys that I use for creatures of which I don't own LEGO versions, so I'll put the toy on top of a LEGO plate to show its proper size category. Also, if a creature changes size during an encounter, I can put its miniature on a different sized base to show that.

Giant troll (Castle)

Big Figures

Over the years, a number of oversized characters have been produced for various LEGO themes. The more-or-less humanoid characters of this type include:

• Adventurers: Jun-Chi (a lion-dog spirit), Tygurah (a tiger deity), Yeti.
• Castle: Giant Troll.
• Harry Potter: Hagrid (near minifigure scale), Troll.
• Legends of Chima: Mungus (Mammoth Tribe).
• The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit: Cave Troll, Goblin King.
• Ninjago: Dogshank (giant pirate).
• Power Miners: Eruptor, Geolix, Tremorex (three rock monsters).
• Rock Raiders: Rock Monster.
• Star Wars: Rancor, Wampa.
• Superheroes: Darkseid, Gorilla Grodd, Hulk, Green Goblin, Thanos. 
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Dogpound, Leatherhead.

Using one of these "Big Figures" gives you a well-defined large character, but they are usually only available as part of larger sets, and those sets tend to only be available through retail for a year or two at most. Many of these figures are available through websites such as Bricklink, where you can expect to pay anywhere from $5-$10 for a smaller, more common character, up to $35+ for a Rancor. Another drawback of these figures is that they have few parts for their size, and few free studs, so are hard to customize. Also, most of them are very specific licensed characters, which may be distracting if you want to use them to represent other monsters. For example, my pair of Harry Potter trolls see frequent use as ogres and giants, but my Hulk is a little too, well, Hulk-ish for that.

A related option is using Duplo figures for giants. These characters are a good scale for depicting Large humanoids, but are rather more silly-looking than scary. Also, unless you buy them individually through a reseller, you will end up with several oversized bricks as well. Duplo bricks are fully compatible with regular LEGO bricks (being exactly twice their dimensions) but they aren't nearly as useful for small-scale models. 

Ogre (modified minifigure)

Modified Minifigures

If Big Figures are out of your price range or don't cover the monster you need, then you'll need to build your own model. The easiest way of doing this is to modify a minifigure to make it a little bigger, then put it on a base appropriate to its size category. 

Some of the collectible Minifigures, such as the Minotaur, Cyclops, and Frankenstein's Monster, already represent creatures that would be larger than human-scale in D&D or Pathfinder. You can simply put these minifigures on a larger base to indicate their true size. (The 3x4 plate that comes with each one will serve well enough for this.)

You can also make a minifigure taller by standing it on two 1x1 bricks, and taller yet by inserting a 1x2 brick between the torso and legs (as was done for the ogre shown here). These changes leave the arms rather short in proportion to the rest of the body, but a larger weapon can help offset that.

Building from Scratch

The other option is to build a custom model yourself. The photo below shows two Large giant models, one very simple and the other more advanced, with a minifigure for scale. The one on the left is just a stack of bricks with an antenna for a weapon. (If you lack cylinders and slope bricks, simply replace them with standard bricks.) The result is rather crude, but conveys the creature's size and general humanoid shape.

The giant on the right is more detailed, with a few articulated joints allowing it to be posed. The next photo shows the subassemblies better. The right leg uses a slope brick to extend forward, as if taking a step. The shoulders are 1x1 bricks with a stud on one side. (You can also use "headlight" bricks, but you'll need to stick 1x1 plates over the recessed side-studs in order to attach the arms.) A 1x2 jumper plate provides a centered stud for attaching the head. 

Each arm is a hinged plate, with 1x1 and 1x2 plates giving extra thickness. The hands are 1x1 plates with side-clips, allowing the giant to hold minifigure accessories. The head is a stack of 1x2 and 2x2 plates, with two 1x1 round plates for eyes. You could also use a 2x2 cylinder brick for the head (like the simpler giant above) or a minifigure head.

Experiment with different colors and pieces to change this base model into the kind of giant you need: brown and tan bricks for ogres and hill giants, green for trolls, gray for stone giants, white and blue for frost giants, red for fire giants, etc., with contrasting colors for clothing and armor. Bricks with side-studs can be used to attach additional plates and tiles for hair, beards, or armor, or simply to add bulk to the torso.

Other Large Humanoids

And finally, these various methods for providing giant miniatures can also be used for other large monsters with a generally humanoid shape: golems, minotaurs, devourers, genies, dire apes, and many celestials and fiends. Future columns will show examples of some of these creatures.