Category Archives: Reaper Miniatures

Reaper Bones 77672: Dire Boar (D&D Monster Manual 87: Snort, Hellboar) (Monster MAYhem ’23)

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Reaper Bones 77672: Dire Boar D&D Dungeons and Dragons Monster, Athrogate's Snort, Hellboar miniature

Today we have the second model in my “piggy” trilogy of models. A Dire Boar from Reaper’s Bones line. I’ve had this thing sitting around for a few years now, with a vague plan to probably paint it for one of these Monster MayHem ’23 painting challenges, but also with no real urgency to spend even the small amount of time needed on it.

Reaper Bones 77672: Dire Boar D&D Dungeons and Dragons Monster, Athrogate's Snort, Hellboar miniature

With us currently playing through the D&D Adventure System Drizzt Boardgame presently, and the character Athrogate having a summonable boar called Snort, I picked up a pair of Wizkids Wild Boar recently to replace the card token in the game. Now, I’ll admit I really wasn’t fully paying attention, as it turns out that Athrogate’s boar Snort is a summonable Hellboar, and the card token’s footprint is equivalent to a 50mm base. I didn’t find either of these things out though, until I was writing up the text for the board the other day.

Reaper Bones 77672: Dire Boar D&D Dungeons and Dragons Monster, Athrogate's Snort, Hellboar miniature

Sooo.. that meant finding the Reaper boar. Mold-lining/basing/prepping/priming and then quickly getting it painted. And now, having gotten it finished last night and also having polayed the second-last of the Drizzt missions last night, we’ll have Snort painted and ready for the final mission! While it’s unlikely that we’ll play through this boardgame campaign ever again, there is future use for these figures and components via the cross-compatability between each boxed game so you can make your own adventures with any combination of heroes and monsters as well as the recently-released Ghosts of Saltmarsh campaign expansion. So either way, even after the last game of the Drizzt campaign that will have been played less than 24 hours before this post goes up, Snort should see a table top again one day in the future…

Reaper Bones 44098: Chaos Toad Savage (D&D Monster Manual 85: Not-Slaad) (Monster MAYhem ’23)

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Reaper Bones 44098: Chaos Toad Savage (D&D Monster Manual 84: Not-Slaad)

What the actual Frog is this thing? Well, aside from being my first submission for the Monster MayHem ’23 painting challenge, it’s something called a Chaos Toad Savage. In response, you might say something like this:

Firstly, dumbass. I can read. I saw that name up top in the header of the post.

Secondly. That doesn’t exactly explain what the hell a “Chaos Toad Savage” really is. Or does. Or why. Where it fits in. Or to what. Capiche?

Reaper Bones 44098: Chaos Toad Savage (D&D Monster Manual 84: Not-Slaad)

Well, I mean.. it’s a Reaper model, innit? We all know that Reaper produces several genres of models – Sci-Fi/Chronopia, Modern, Licenced Pathfinder Fantasy, “Generic” Fantasy – leaning hard into “Not-D&D” models, and then batshit random models.

Reaper Bones 44098: Chaos Toad Savage (D&D Monster Manual 84: Not-Slaad)

I figure that this thing fits into one of the last two of those categories. Given it’s rather large size, I don’t feel like it’s a “Were-Toad”, and I can’t seem to find something like a “Dire Toad” in D&D. If any of the more D&D-knowledgable readers out there recognise what this thing is supposed to be, please speak up and I’ll adjust the post! 🙂

edit – thanks to reader Xander for pointing out that the model is most likely a “Slaad” proxy – which is kinda embarassing for me – not because I know much about D&D but because I have a couple of unpainted Slaad models here, one of which is even next to the painting desk. Thanks again, Xander! 🙂

Reaper Bones 44098: Chaos Toad Savage (D&D Monster Manual 84: Not-Slaad)

As far as the painting, this model was originally assembled, based and spray-primed over a year ago for this very challenge, though the 2022 edition. So a few days ago I decided to get rid of the thing by painting it out of the plastic storage tub and off the desk. I took a look at some pics of toads and settled on the kind of mottled look. Not bad for a first attempt at something like that, though I can see where I’d do some of it differently next time.

Reaper Bones 44098: Chaos Toad Savage (D&D Monster Manual 84: Not-Slaad), Reaper Miniatures 50153 Berkeley Zombie Survivor

Which is really the biggest use (for me) of these random models – low-stress experimentation of new ideas and techniques and patterns. What will I actually use this thing for? Uh… the best thing I can think of is as “something Nurgle” in either Sigmar or 40k.