There’s loads of traditional Dungeons & Dragons monsters that steal the limelight; dragons, beholders, demons, and so forth. However for the entire monsters that patrol the floor of our favourite D&D settings there are places just like the Underdark that function extra… distinctive creatures. Wizkids Underdark Expeditions pack not solely consists of a few of these creepy critters, but additionally options the primary glow-in-the-dark miniatures from Wizkids.
As is customary now Underdark Expeditions is on the market to buy in Blind Packing containers, every of which comprises 3 small or medium sized miniatures, and one massive or larger. These sizes relate to the stat block of the creature.
Be Positive To Look Up When Exploring The Underdark
Of the smallest miniatures I acquired from my eight blind packing containers there have been loads of duplicates on this class. A number of the monsters had been acquainted to me, whereas others I am going to must do some investigation earlier than I put them out on the desk for a low-level get together.
- Choker
- Darkmantle
- Gazer
- Big Centipede
- Big Rat x2
- Myconid Sprout x2
- Piercer x2
I used to be actually happy to get some Piercers and a Darkmantle collectively, as they’re canonically recognized to hunt collectively. These are unbelievable examples of an Underdark twist or one thing your get together would possibly know to count on. The Piercers tails are harking back to a stalagtight, these predators grasp from the ceilings of caves simply ready to drop. The Darkmantle hunts equally, it is miniature right here proven able to drop down and envelop the top of it is opponent.
For the extra humanoid creatures the Myconid Sprouts showcase their eerieness with an unnatural blue shade to them. Up shut you may make out the options of crossed arms and a face, however from a distance it’d even simply appear like set dressing to gamers at your desk.
Sadly for the dimensions the choker simply seems to be like a small inexperienced humanoid. A variety of the finer element, such because the mouth filled with sharp enamel, tentacle suckers on the ends of it is arms, or it is maliable cartilage physique actually come throughout for this little miniature.
Aberrant Horrors
The Medium creatures I pulled instantly take an additional flip from the usual into the creepy and eerie. From this I pulled:
- Babau
- Choldrith
- Deep Rothe
- Hearth Snake
- Grey Ooze
- Quaggoth
- Shadow
- Swarm of Bats
- Vampiric Mist
- Xorn
Beginning with the creatures which might be spins on what we’re accustomed to the Quaggoth hunches ahead in its stance, leering with it is lowered head. One among it is arms clenched right into a fist, whereas the opposite is poised to seize an adventurer. The Choldrith too has a powerful pose, reared up on it is hind (4) legs, with a dagger able to slash. These cursed spawn of Lolth rituals lead others in her methods, obeying solely her command.
Transferring even farther from the norm now we have creatures just like the Xorn and Babau. These are the sorts of creatures that defy conventional sense, trying like they’ve too many limbs, or not sufficient limbs, or simply limbs within the completely unsuitable place.
That is when your gamers will know that they are not in Waterdeep anymore. For the Xorn particularly the combination of too many limbs and the rocky texture throughout their physique present excellent element with underneath the sunshine. Regardless of the place you’re on the desk you can see how distinctive it’s.
For these with no type in any respect the Shadow does a very good job of being approach too darkish and exhibits simply slight humanoid figures. Not like the Choker who suffers from being too near a human type however inexperienced by making the shadow this ominous and looming type it takes it away from actuality and makes it one thing scarier to face.
For the Massive creatures I pulled:
- Barghest
- Carrion Crawler
- Drider
- Big Bat
- Hook Horror
- Umber Hulk
Right here the miniatures remained decidedly subterranean however moved additional away from the sorts of aberrant creatures that had been medium-sized. Making your approach by way of a system of caves you may possible run throughout creatures just like the Big Bat or Carrion Crawler. I’m extraordinarily impressed with the graceful leathery high quality of the bats wings, unfold out, which its beady eyes are targeted on a goal and enamel are bared.
Curiously, this is not the primary time Wizkids has included an Umberhulk of their expansions, the final one was obtainable in Spelljammer: Adventures in Area. What did shock me trying on the two is that every is posed in another way. Some slight adjustments to arm place, stance, and the place the top is popping. That is additionally true of the Drider from Underdark Expeditions and Vecna: Eve of Spoil.
It is good to have just a few minis of one thing, however even higher to have minis with variants to them, it does not appear like you are throwing down a military of clones and may also help fight really feel different.
Creatures That Go Glow In The Darkish
The final creatures to say are the glow-in-the-dark ones. From this set I bought the next creatures:
- Flumph x2
- Gasoline Spore
- Magma Mephit
- Oblex Spawn
- Venom Troll (This one I imagine is Glow In The Darkish, it’d simply be poisonous inexperienced in shade)
Proper off the bat, I do wish to say that whereas every of those are marketed as glow in the dead of night the mileage will certainly fluctuate. The Gasoline Spore and Oblex Spawn had been positively glowing after I locked myself in my lightless laundry room, a number of the paint across the again of the Venom Troll additionally glowed, however the Flumph and Magma Mephit did not give off any glow in the dead of night.
The opposite real query about that is… when are you going to be taking part in in a darkish sufficient house that you can overview your character sheet, run a session, plan fight, and still have a glow-in-the-dark be recognizable.
I believe the allure in these is that by merely taking a look at them you may inform from the semi-translucent inexperienced that they are glow-in-the-dark. The concept of them being glow-in-the-dark is nearly a greater repay than attending to see them in the dead of night.
Probably the most spectacular of those is the Gasoline Spore, this monster trying like a Beholder’s distant underdark cousin sits on an extremely detailed cloud of fuel, the semi-transparency lends rather well to the impact right here.
Wizkids Icons of the Realms Underdark Expeditions Assessment | Last Ideas
This set does function a very good variety of unusual and creepy creatures {that a} get together would possibly run afoul of within the Underdark. Followers of Lolth, unusual adaptive creatures, and even some (form of) glowing monsters.
From my mixture of attracts I did get numerous extra widespread creatures from caves or sewers but it surely additionally is sensible that not every thing goes to be a horror from the deep Underdark.
The glow-in-the-dark impact is enjoyable on paper, in observe it does not fairly have the impact you’d count on, perhaps if you happen to allow them to bake underneath a UV gentle for a bit earlier than drawing them out you may get a extra impactful reveal.
The miniatures for this overview had been supplied by Wizkids within the type of eight Underdark Expeditions blind packing containers. All images had been taken over the course of the overview.
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