DnD miniature maker WizKids has revealed two secret rare models that will be hidden in packs of the upcoming D&D Icons of the Realms: 50th anniversary booster boxes. The righteous Paladin and hellish Fiend are inspired by classic DnD artwork from the AD&D Player’s Handbook.
WizKids has already revealed most of the minis for the DnD 50th anniversary boosters, and they’re full of call backs to art from classic DnD books. The Fiend and Paladin were revealed on Tuesday at GAMA, the American games industry trade show.
These two figures are based on a piece of classic artwork called A Paladin in Hell, originally a piece of line art for the AD&D Player’s Handbook by Dave Sutherland, and later rendered in full color by Fred Fields for the cover of a high level adventure (also called A Paladin in Hell).
It’s a real retro classic with very little fantasy influence: rather than a 5e Paladin, this Paladin could be a late medieval European knight, albeit one with a bag of gold and a useful adventuring pouch strapped to his waist. The devil also predates the codification of hellish entities that entered DnD as the game’s aesthetic became more established, and looks like he jumped from a medieval woodcut print.
These two figures aren’t the only monsters in the 50th anniversary collection based on a Dave Sutherland creation. A large figure based on the red devil with a fireball and scimitar from the cover of the first edition Dungeon Master’s Guide is also part of the set, another Sutherland original.
The wealth of figures available today is a far cry from DnD’s origins. Models have always been part of the hobby, which grew out of miniature wargaming, but at the time there were no fantasy wargames and accordingly no fantasy figures on the market.
Some of the ad hoc models that Gary Gygax and other creators brought to games even created classic DnD monsters – the original design of the Owlbear is likely inspired by a deformed plastic children’s toy that Gygax found and thought looked appropriately monstrous.
If you already have a fat stack of minis for every DnD class and DnD race, check out our recommendations of the best DnD campaigns and DnD one shots, so you can get some use out of them!