As promised in first and second parts of this series, today we will be looking at how to deck out your D&D (or other TTRPG) characters using LEGO elements to showcase spell effects, animal companions, and wild shape forms. As always, these options are limited by your creativity and your collection, so your mileage may vary, but hopefully you’ll find some inspiration along the way.
Creatures and Wild Shape Forms
Druids, Rangers, Warlocks, and Wizards all have basic features which give them a creature to control (or let them turn themselves or someone else into a creature). For these classes, we can dip into the ever-growing collection of LEGO animals and monsters to represent our characters and their abilities. Looking through my collection, which is still pretty limited, I have snakes, cats, birds, crabs, owls, monkeys, rabbits, frogs, sharks, horses, rats, dogs, chickens, and even quasits and imps. Whether these might represent a polymorphed creature, a druid’s wild shape, or our characters’ mount or companions, making generous use of the LEGO elements available will expand your representation at the table. As time goes on, more and more creatures are turning up in unexpected builds, such as the LEGO cherry tree kit, which uses oodles of bright pink frogs.
Spell Effects
One of my biggest pet peeves with store-bought and 3d-printed miniatures is the lack of ability to customize my characters’ spells. I want my ranger to be able to cast thorn whip and lightning arrow. I want my flying character to be above the ground. Heck, I want my enchanted sword to look like something other than a mundane sword. Thanks to the many decorative elements released by LEGO over time, we can have all this and so, so much more.
Versatility
Most LEGO elements can connect to a minifigure’s hands, so nearly anything can be a spell effect, from specialized transparent pieces to traditional brick elements. Good candidates for spell effects include topiary and environmental details, elements which allow us to connect multiple disparate pieces together, and architectural and decor pieces, such as columns, webs, tree trunks, etc. If you can put it in your character’s hand, it might be the start, middle, or end effect of a spell. Remember, LEGO is designed to be modular, so if you have any two pieces that can’t connect, odds are that there’s a piece out there that can connect them.
Sourcing
Many of the elements I’ve discussed in this series are difficult to come by, but few are impossible. Whether you’re ordering through Pick-a-Brick, Ebay, or Amazon, we can search the internet for options any time. If you’re willing to put in the time to visit toy resale shops, thrift stores, and more niche internet shops, you can find a huge variety of options available, though it’s much harder to look for the “perfect piece” for your build this way. Finally, don’t be afraid of remixing other LEGO products, such as LEGO Friends, LEGO Technic, and even old LEGO Bionicle sets. Many of these elements look more specialized than they are, and can still be remixed with other LEGO products for unique pieces.
If you’re trying to build a single ideal minifigure, I would suggest checking out the various LEGO kits and blind packs to see if LEGO has already done most of the work for you. With such a long history and a focus of diversity, you may well be able to find a pre-designed miniature which ticks 90% of your design preferences, simplifying the overall process. Even if you can’t find that exact minifigure for purchase, you can reach out to other LEGO fans to find the correct name or description for the pieces, which makes it much easier to source the individual pieces, if needed.
TL;DR
Whether you’ve joined us after reading Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, or have started here, I hope you’ve found some inspiration for designing your own tabletop game miniatures using LEGO elements. If you don’t think LEGO is the best option for you, check out our post on How to Choose the Perfect Dungeons and Dragons Mini. Happy building, and may all of your crits be successes.
Disclaimer: LEGO has previously provided some of the elements featured in this post for evaluation and review purposes. This article is not sponsored or endorsed by LEGO. All opinions, images, and suggestions are generated independently by the author. Links in this post may contain affiliate codes which support the author at no additional cost to you.
