Thursday 19 November 2015

Rogue Quest Level Nine : The Druid


I'm reaching the end of this little journey in the future dungeoneering Axiom and I wanted to explore as this is the 5th out of 6 models I'm about to present you. This new entry is the druid. The druid was introduced as a subclass of clerics with specifities that made him a little more characterful. 
To represent that kind of character in the grim darkness of the far future and especially in the depths of the underhives. Thing is, I actually didn't pick the class first but the model, I was considering doing a cleric as it's a type of characters I fancy but I couldn't find any suitable model (Alex did find a very good model though). That's when I fell upon this confrontation dogskin (who would be replaced by ratskins in Necromunda) which I 'd had for some time without knowing what to do of it.


Like many confrontation models, this one is very small and delicate and if you look closely the base somehow seems a bit too large while the arms are also slightly too big for the model. With thiselement and the fact he's wearing a dog pelt, I knew I could use him for something really nice. I gave him a unassured pose on purpose to show combat with guns is not necessarily is forte. The druid's power lies somewhere else...






Though having him change into different animal forms seemed a tas out of place in the Rogue Trader setting, it seemed to me having a character able to control all sorts of animals could be pretty fun !
The pelt, the link with animals, this was all leading me to something most of us are familiar with :


All this lead me to visually link my model with native americans by giving my character a matt skin used to the sun and by giving him face paints. To act as a contrats, I gave him a pair of blue jeans and painted his shoes as some (once) cool pair of runners. The orange clothe is here to link the model with others of the group and to add as a contrast to the blues.

It felt somehow better to me than going along the crazy hobbo look you could see in White Dwarf for those :

By Martin McKenna
Below you can admire the underhive druid along his little helpers :


First are the classics with a pair of rats. I had no choice but to have rats really, they're iconic and they will be perfect to add atmosphere in any game. They're the sort of creatures you kill by buckets at the start of games (ever played Fallout ?) and they're the sort of creatures that travel in cargo tanks across the whole galaxy. Their ability to spread disease and find food is unrivaled. Models are plastics taken from GW undead kits.
Then I had a dog from the brettonian kit which was still waiting for some paint, what better occasion than this ! The dog is the perfect companion for any adventurer and its ability to wake everyone by barking and to lick his own anus for hours are unrivaled in the whole galaxy.


"Erm, dude, there are more and more rats, maybe we should have brought a druid with us..."


Then we have some more exotic creatures...


First on the left, we have the Vermilepus. The creature could easily be seen as a mix between a hare and a anteater if it wasn't for its outrageous colours but the vermilepus is actually a far more sinister animal. It has the ability to slow time around. This ability enables him to flee dangers (predators rarely manage to reach a vermilepus) and to hunt preys as the vermilepus is not subject to the statis it creates. It is said a flock of those could literally freeze time for good. Hopefully, this rare creature is not one you can encounter that easily. (Model from Colony 87)
Second from the left is the Scaranzee. This cute looking creature is actually quite annoying for locals on planets infested by them. It's not particularly dangerous by itself but it has the tiresome habit to jump right in front of any creature to scare them. The fact it screams and has reddish tears falling constantly and looking like blood doesn't help one bit to make the creature any friendlier... (Model from the wargames Foundry).

Third from the left (and right) is Felis Flyus aka flying cat. It is a creature that naturally brings incredible luck to its owner and it is also an excellent scout due to its ability to fly and its natural hunting skills. Good druids wil lmanage to create a psychical bond with those to scout areas. Luckily enough it seems I've found a model that resembles my very own cat (yes, the one that pissed on my Space Fleet box) (Model originally from Beastface miniatures)
.

Fourth from the left is the manticat, a silly experiment from drunkend scientists who dared each other to breed as many species into one. It looks like a line proved viable enough to last and you can sometimes see those mixes of rat, cat, human and goat hunting insects or trash. (model from BoltThrower miniatures)

Last of the line is the dreaded Acecargot, a weird creature which leaves a gross acid mucus behind it which dissolves pretty much everything. Some planets have been wiped by those and once it has started to spreadn only the exterminatus can solve the problem.
Archives from the Ordo Xenos indicate that this creature could come from the terran "snail". Very little is known about it but the fact is the archaic form was even more dangerous as archaic forms were the size of a human and able to fight with fully armoured knights :



So here we are with the 5 adventurers who will soon roam through tunnels and dark alleys...
Paladin, druid, fighter, wizard and barbarian.
I'm not exactly sure what will be displayed here next but I know for sure I have plenty of "work" to do before the end of this year so that means pleny of painted things to come !

25 comments:

  1. i SO want to play with those. That's an awesome bunch of silly heroes. Anyway, great catch for the "historical" snail vs knight painting ^^ and the rat dude is awesome too!

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    1. Cheers mec !
      I'm pretty sure we will manage something sooner rather than later ;)

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  2. Not a great fan of the skin tone but the miniature is great and the beasts are awesome ! That suits perfectly the "druidification" of the mini ! Felis Flykus is particularly awesome !

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    1. Cheers ! The skintone is probably not realistic if that's what puzzles you but I find to make skintones work, I need to push them and for this one I wanted a leathery tone. Maybe the hue is not the most appropriate, I'll try and find some other tones to test ;)

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    2. It's just a matter of taste on my behalf. Don't worry, I like the mini a lot. Nice to see Rogue Quest coming to life !

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  3. Great use for the dogskin gangerJB - he looks perfect as a shamanistic / skin changer type. I like the red trainers too - he reminds me of Teen Wolf!

    His little group of helpers are a lot of fun (did you miss out the little armadillo?). The vermilepus has a pretty sinister mode of operation, and a suitable exotic paint scheme to match.

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    1. Ho damn I missed the Warmadillo ! A creatuire that defends itself by exploding, killing all creatures in the vicinity (and himself obviously).
      I'm glad I could manage to get 2 of your models in the mix ;)

      Thanks !

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  4. Great stuff JB. I had not seen that crazy hobo illustration before.

    When do you think they will see actiion on the gaming table?

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    1. Thanks ! The illustration is taken from WD but as far as I know, it is the only one depicting a dogskin ganger.
      My buddy James is actually playtesting the Rogue Quest rules so as soon as I'll have a complete group, I'll try and find some partner to use them properly. I'd like to have some scenery done beforehand but maybe I can just playtest in a less formal manner first. I'll keep you updated anyway ;)

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  5. Thats a great post JB, fab. The snail vs knight image is the icing on an already considerably savoury cake.

    I have that Dogskin model, but never knew what to do with it. Thats a great idea. The creatures are just brilliant.

    The monkey really looks well suited to the Mimic entry in the RT bestiary.

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    1. Cheers Paul, I've been considering trading that model for long but now I've painted this one I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some others, I love the frail look of them for some reason, I wouldn't get anywhere near the later ratskins on the other hand.
      I was kind of hoping you'd like seeing critters all around ;)

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  6. Very nice JB, love the character and all the little beasts! Question for you, can you fire me a copy of the playtest rules when you get them? I'd love to be involved

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    1. Cheers Alex !
      I haven't got anything back and haven't taken the time to psend much time on them myslef but we'll share the fruit of our thoughts and efforts for sure ;)

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  7. Replies
    1. Well he's not exactly putting a lot of conviction in the shooting ^^

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  8. Nice work on bringing the "druid" into 40k, and I think this figure is much better than the official Necromunda beastcaller types.

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    1. Oh yes, necromunda has all the good and wrong side of 2nd ed and some models are a bit over the top for me. I like a bit of humanity in some of my models !

      Cheers.

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  9. Fantastic work. Really like the selection of creatures. I really love that piece of artwork by Martin McKenna such a characterful piece.

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    1. Yes, though I tend to prefer my dogskins with another interpretation, I really love those McKenna illustrations as well.
      Thanks a lot !

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  10. Nice little touch with the sneaker treads JB :)

    I like the little crazy creatures too, should add a lot of fun to a games I reckon.

    Cheers buddy.

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    1. I think even has a decoration, rats can be cool in a game, a good GM will use the opportunity to do a little more though ;)

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  11. I already told you on the forums, but I find this group quite inspirational. The druid himself looks up to the job, but the fauna you chose... oh, they are the real deal! Love them!

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    1. Chers buddy ! I hope the final entry will close this little project nicely and will keep the same vibe !

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  12. I'm a fan of your group shots. It shows that you are thinking of the whole even as you paint the individual pieces.

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    1. Thanks, I'm really glad you notice that ! Since I knoew the model I selected were very diffreent in style, I had to have a narrowed way of painting them to be sure they fit together. Doing that without giving them a uniform requires a little effort that is rewarding though.

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