In 'Hametsu' there are a wide assortment of villains with which the heroes have to overcome, ranging from the Oni, to the fearsome 'Bosses' and over-the-top 'Raid Bosses'. The lowliest of the low are the Lesser Oni. These are essentially the luckless mooks within the game's monster hierarchy. Individually they are fairly easy to dispatch, but if encountered in a mob (which invariably they are) they can be quite dangerous to an incautious adventurer.
The Hametsu figures from Black Site Studio are beautifully designed, but I find the cost of shipping to Canada is prohibitive. So begun the long process of looking for viable 3d proxies online (two of the heroes were in my previous post originated as stl files). During my search I came across a series of models from Sharedog Miniatures depicting Japanese water spirits called Kappa, which I think will make fun Lesser Oni for the game.
In doing a bit of research I found that Kappa have a shallow depression on the top of their heads which holds a small pool of water. If this water is spilled, or dries up, it makes them weak and sluggish. Yes, how wonderfully odd! The list of defensive measures to ward against Kappa is quite lengthy (and rudely funny), so I suggest you look them up for a laugh if you have a moment.
I decided to give my Kappa a sort of tree frog look, so I used blends of vibrant Citadel Contrast and Vallejo Xpress paints over a white basecoat. Overall I'm happy enough with the effect and they should stand out well on the tabletop.
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For those who are wondering, the yellow on the front base edge denotes their arc of vision, which is a big deal in 'Hametsu' which is all about keeping out of sight and timely ambushes. I chose the bright yellow as I'm planning on gaming with these online and I hope the colour will help with on-screen identification.
Thanks for dropping in for a look!
- Curt
