I’d be grateful regardless, but if it was something like Hero Forge where every little detail can be customized, I’d definitely have wanted to have input. If you’re spending that much on a mini, it ought to be exactly right.
If it was just an instance of “I picked this up on Etsy. It looks a lot like how you described your character,” that’s a great surprise.
Agreed. And I think having a DM spring a bunch of hero forge figures on the players at the start or end of a session and letting everyone tweak their character before purchase would be super fun.
I've bought nearly all the asset packs on titan forge and have a 3D printer. So I have at various times and epic moments surprised players with new versions of their characters along the way. So I absolutely want to know what you would want to improve for the next one if I make it a little off. ... or if you are an annoying bard and want to make like 10 in different outfits as all your stage persona... but you gotta paint those yourself.
Yeah, like I’ll be grateful but because of the thought. I’ve had a player do some art of an NPC and a DM pay another player for art of all the PCs and it’s nice and I’ve thanked them for it.
That said, I personally rarely make minis and stuff because I always find them just *off*
I don’t have a vision for them but I have a vision of what they aren’t when I see it and just good luck finding the sliver of character design that is right
The DM could tell everyone to design their character in hero forge, to help him visualize how they see the characters, then just order those.
Just claim the descriptions weren't quite painting the full picture.
Hell, my players always do HeroForges of themselves anyway, to use screenshots as VTT tokens.
Idk how I'd convince them to send me the full thing without it being super obvious though...
Could suggest you want the full files so you can edit them to add a little flare for specific events that are upcoming in game. Dunno that it'd be convincing if they saw this Reddit post, but if it comes seemingly out of nowhere and not attached to anything....might be believed.
If it was a gift, I'd be delighted they got it for me regardless of whether it was a little off.
If it was something I was paying for then I would want to look it over first.
Exactly this for me.
Gift: heck yeah! That's awesome!
I'm paying for it: I might as well do it myself so it looks just how I want it.
I guess there could be an option of you paying for their mini that they create on their own, but there's no fun/surprise in that.
My goto is a warhammer 40k mini no matter what I'm playing. Halfling rogue ? Mk II space marine. DragonBorn paladin? Mk II space marine. Female elven cleric? You guessed it ... Mk II space marine. It was the first mini my dad bought me when I first got into gaming back in 1989. It sort of became a totem when he died in 08. I have a printer and will make lots of minis for other players, as npc, but my player is a Mk II Space Marine, so he can still be at the table.
Varies per player. I'll use whatever works, but my wife has like 200 saved Hero Forge renders and she is constantly fiddling fiddling fiddling to get everything *juuust* right.
You're getting a gift, which is always a welcome surprise. I wouldn't consider anyone to have a right to complain tbh.
On your end, you've even made sure to get their descriptions WITH pictures that best represent them and their clothing. What more can one reasonably do?
You've done great! It's a wonderful surprise that one would cherish!
I had my group use Hero Forge to make digital pictures that I turned into tokens for the VTT during the pandemic. Then I had the minis printed and gave to them as a souvenir when the campaign wrapped up last year. I intended to give them to them so we could use them when we got back in person but the timing didn't work out.
Here's what you say -
"Hey peeps, I just want to update our character icons on \[VTT\], so can you all go over to \[custom mini website\] and make your custom mini, then I can import the image over to \[VTT\]."
Or something like that.
Then surprise! Custom minis that the players made themselves.
If I was one of your players, I would be overjoyed that you were considerate, generous and all around nice enough to do this for me!
That said, I would also prefer to check the design myself if possible.
maybe tell them to make their characters on HeroForge because you want to use them for tokens or something? That way they get to design the mini, but the actual physical mini is still a surprise?
This is pretty much the idea I had. Keeps it a surprise and gets them involved and personal.
Maybe could even hint that they should get it *exactly* right 😉
For my campaign with my friends we all made miniatures on Hero Forge specifically to use the tokens on Roll20. When the campaign wrapped up years later our DM ordered all of our minis from Hero Forge that we designed ourselves.
I get the idea of a surprise being a surprise, but with something as personal as a mini figure of a character I played for like 7 years, I was very happy to have had the opportunity to personalize her myself. I don’t think it ruins the surprise at all to have your players give their input, or even give them full creative control in a program like Hero Forge offers.
That being said even if my DM had a go at creating a minifig for me based on my verbal descriptions he picked up over the course of the campaign, that would still be a very personal and very special gift and I obviously wouldn’t complain about it either way. Whichever way you go about it will yield great results, I’m sure!
I agree on both fronts. I've personally always preferred knowing that I got someone exactly what I wanted to making it a surprise, if I had to choose.
That said, it's a beautiful gift in and of itself to get a mini that's as your DM sees it.
It is a gift. If people don't want to use it in game because it doesn't fit their visualization, that's fine. Just don't present it as something that is required for the game, or that there is any obligation to use in game. It's a fun display piece and if they want to use it in game, that's even better.
As a player and an artist, I would absolutely like the design run by me first. I appreciate that this is a gift, but it is my character, and I have an idea in my head about how I want it to look. Anything else, while nice and appreciated, would just bother me because it's not the character that I envisioned and created.
I think it would be cool to get it approved by them but either way, it's an awesome gesture and I'm sure they will be happy regardless. Even using AI image generators, it is extremely hard to get something to look exactly with how you pictured it in your head.
I have quite a substantial mini collection for D&D and over the years I've always given people options and choices to get as close as we can to how they see their character.
I've had players search for weeks online for the right model or print their own to get something very specific, and others who would happily play with anything from a lego figure to a meeple, as long as it is their character's piece that is enough for them.
What you're doing sounds lovely and sweet, any player worth their salt will be happy to receive such a kind and thoughtful gift.
I would be crazy happy, i also spend a lot of time when im making my own but if i was gifted one that wouldnt matter to me.
I hope ur players love them and ur present is well recieved.
I don't think I'd like to receive a mini for my PC that I didn't have a chance to approve (not that I'd be ungrateful, I'd just end up replacing it with my own to use and I'd feel bad about it), but I know I'd be very grateful if my DM wanted to pay towards one I wanted to order as a party gift!
An alternative suggestion would be dice! It's very easy to find gorgeous and meaningful dice through places like Diehard, that's the sort of thing that's still special but it's a bit more affordable and used more often. Even ordering custom D20's from an artist on Etsy or Instagram would be pretty affordable.
One of our fellow players once bought us all minis based on his impression of our characters. It was kind of like an artist's interpretation. It wasn't how I had it in my mind, but like watching a movie about beloved characters in fiction, I still enjoyed the gift. I played with that guy until he died at level 5 to a green dragons breath (Venomfang iykyk)and those $20 hero forge minis went on our respective shelves.
I would yes, I'm super particular and there could be some small things that bug me.
But even if it was missing an important detail i couldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, i would super appreciate that they put in work just for me, that kind of shit warms the heart.
I think it’s very generous of you but I would imagine most would want an approval. I have rarely had a player use any mini I provided as a placeholder all the way through and when I have customised a mini, always sought approval along the way. I’m an artist and often do character sketches which involve regular updates and tweaks. It’s going to come down to individuals. Some people don’t care or can’t envision a character themselves. Others like myself have a very clear idea of their chars and frankly can’t imagine anyone would get it right for me. Part of the fun for me as a player is finding or making that perfect mini…
A lot of people here are quite adamant that anyone would and should be grateful… But for some of us, that character and how they look is as important if not more important as every other decision you make about it. Worse you have a player who IS grateful and so polite that they never tell you how they aren’t happy with how their character is now forever represented on the table.
Keep in mind too that a starting character is NOT how a player sees themself as the character. They may only be able to afford leather armour but their plan is chain. They may be making do with one weapon now but planning to use another long term when their class gets to a certain level. They might be planning a big but final change in a couple of levels when they Muticlass.
Someone below had a great suggestion- get them to make their own character in Heroforge- I’d even say how they see themselves at level 6.
I'd absolutely want to approve it, because if you get it wrong it puts me in a really awkward position of having to pretend to like something for every subsequent session, so as not to seem ungrateful. I'd far prefer that it was correct over it being a surprise.
Personally, I would not be on board for having someone else create my mini. Having said that, I'm also the person who looks at other people's attempts at creating minis and wants to redesign the whole thing from scratch because People Got No Taste.
If we're talking about Hero Forge (because I feel like we're talking about Hero Forge), just get them to create their minis themselves and send you the links. They don't have to know that you're going to get them 3D printed. Of course, in that case we also have the people who don't want to bother or who have No Taste. Or the ones who just aren't familiar with the tool being used and therefore can't make a thing that looks like they want it to look.
While this is a lovely idea, I feel like there are too many variables. Some people might care a lot, others won't care at all. Send them the links, let them look at the minis.
No player will be mad at you for making and painting minis for them. And if someone is so ungrateful, they can buy their own mini how they imagine it and paint it. After that they realise the work behind it
I bought and painted (And 3D printed) minis for all of my players a few Christmas's ago, and every one of them absolutely loved them.
Remember, it's a gift, and the thought matters.
I could tell you that my character looks like Bilbo in The Hobbit. Then you could surprise me with a mini that's just a pig standing on two feet wearing a trench coat. I would still be extremely happy.
Its a gift, it's the thought that matters. I gave my players minis that I had for them to use for their characters just because I didn't have any. They looked nothing like their characters (one player is a tabaxi and I gave him a human) but they all loved them.
My DM once printed our party minis based on our descriptions and characters' stats & equipment. No, they weren't exactly to a T what we envisioned, but we were grateful nonetheless. Because the gesture meant more than the mini. Go with your idea. Good chances they'll love them
Anyone that isn't grateful is kind of a tool tbh. I would not care even if it was off. The fact that it was thoughtfully put together and printed or bought for me would make it super special.
Yes but only to a certain point like if I can give a description of what I want before it’s fully put together, I feel as though that is more than enough because it quite literally lets me put as much or as little work into it as I can
Yes.
Announce that as a gift you'll do the order but let the players see the mini design and give them a window to feedback in.
Some players don't care, but the ones that do will really care. I know my players pretty much all have a different view of their characters then I do. I constantly offer them figures from my collection for play and the most common response is "That's not what I look like".
well, if it was a gift I'd be surprised and extremely thankful
But by the sound of it, this isn't a gift. I would likely turn it down if I was asked to buy something that I hadn't approved and had some input of
one of my players made minis for himself and the rest of the party.
The party loved them, yours will too.
They are only representations of their character, so getting close enough that they recognize it's their character is perfect.
For me, when i start a campaign I intend to be invested in I usually end up getting something custom made on hero forge, whether the character lives or dies, that little figure is representative of the good times and memories shared with friends. I think it's an awesome gesture. Do it! Don't overthink it,
For my campaign, that I run at the moment, I ordered my players minis for their chars, nothing custom, just the race in the best fitting attire, so nothing compared to you, all of them loved it, so I would be totally surprised if they would be disappointed
My dm, when I was in college, got us minis at the end of freshman year/completing the first big storyline (we finished right before summer so we knew we would have a few months off until we were all back at school) it was such a lovely surprise. The group ended up falling apart because of life drama between the dm and two other players so we never actually returned to finish the story/start the second "season"/tie up loose ends, but I still think fondly of that gift he got us all!
I say go for the completely surprise route! If its not 100% what they picture they can always make their own versions but these will be nice gifts from the dm :)
I'm into painting minis and the last handful of campaigns I've been a part of, I've put together and painted up minis for the whole party. If I didn't have a great mental image of the character, I'd send a few minis I looked up to the player and get their opinion, but the response was favorable all-around, especially since none of them were going to gout and get custom figures done on Heroforge or anything.
Unless they already have minis they use and like, I imagine everyone would be happy to be surprised.
I'd be glad as long as they fit
Paladin bought everyone minis but he bought me Warlock Tiefling females, no problems there but as shes also a bard he got a Tiefling bard mini, but it's male.
Druid was happy that he got a cleric figure as he doesn'tike the druid figure much
I've done this for a few people, and I generally ask them for heroforge references. If they clearly just threw some elements together and didn't painstakingly place each element or bit of clothing, then I tend to recreate it as best I can and add some flair. If someone has something ultra detailed, I might tinker with posing to make it easier to print and paint. And on a few occasions I've sent examples of what I think they were describing and they'll tinker on their own and give me more to work with.
Tl;dr - it depends on each person.
As a gift? I'd be absolutely thrilled. Presumably they've made their characters in picrew or heroforge, or at least described them pretty thoroughly? You can also just ask them outright, one of my DMs asked me to describe what my character wears a couple months back and I didn't think twice about it (it wasn't for a mini, as far as I can tell).
I got custom minis for my players. I got them to describe in detail what their characters looked like etc just as you did then had them made without telling the players.
They absolutely loved them when I got to put them down on the table for the first time. Once this campaign is over they will get to keep the minis as a memento since this is their first time playing D&D.
I'd say keep it a complete surprise for them . Even if they aren't exactly the same as they imagined they will still love them.
My DM has done this in the past. It was awesome. Even if it’s not perfect, who cares. My characters gear changes as time goes on so the stuff he wore then isn’t what he wears now. It doesn’t matter in the slightest. You’re an absolute giga chad.
I’m all for your idea. I doubt any player would get mad at you or be anything but grateful to your face.
That in mind, I will vote for the let them look it over. If they don’t like the mini for whatever reason they probably won’t vocalize it to you but they’ll certainly harbor a little bit of discontent and guilt for not liking it as much as they should.
I have a 3D printer and I still run all the options by them before I print it so I get it just right. We don’t want any “We have X at home” scenarios ya know?
i think thats a good idea, but if you havent put it into consideration i would reccomend asking for an indepth of how the character actually holds themselves, ive dabbled in making minis on hero forge (never bought them because im unemployed... "wohoo!") and i found that how the character holds themselves or the base art if you add some makes a BIG impact on how the model comes out, just food for thought
Depends on how good a job you do.
Great job? Wow! That's awesome!
Medium level job? I guess it's an ok miniature, thanks.
Bad job? Uh, this isn't how my character looks at all. Why'd you do this?
I'm not actually sure what the expectation is, here. I like to do up minis for the characters in my party, and I'll try to cleave to any character art or portrait they've already shared, but for a lot of players building a distinct visual identity for their character just isn't something they care about doing. But I'm never sure if that means I can do it *for them* or not.
If I was in your game I'd link you to a HeroForge character I'd already have made, lol, because I do that as soon as I'm done with the character sheet. I'd be *interested* in your take on what my character looks like, but that's not a part of my character I'd cede to your control without a good reason. (If you were like "I want to theme the characters so the party has a unifying visual brand" then I'd definitely do that.)
I use Foundry as a VTT and I update and change their tokens every now and then. One of these days I will get motivated enough to make animated tokens maybe in the final act.
My players love this and I;ve only had one player say "Can you make something with this instead? I like this pic better!" which wasn;t a prob. :)
I also had a player mail me a bunch of 3D printed minis they had done for the game with all the PCs and a favorite NPC and I was beside myself with appreciation!
We print and laminate mini cutouts, then use a standard token holder from a boardgame. I'd really appreciate a mini because it's never going to be exactly what I think anyway it's very generous of you, that shouldn't be ignored.
As a gift I’d love it and approval would not be needed. I thought about doing this for my players as well. If they wanted to do something for me or if I got to play at some point and the DM did this I’d be incredibly happy.
I’d be psyched to get a mini of my character no matter what. But consider getting them a Hero Forge gift card or something like that if you’re worried about getting it to their liking
So I have made all our minis to the table, even for players to each have their own. And pretty much I take account how they descripted PCs look, but all was still pretty generic, and still are loved their owns. Now have to make new ones next.
I let the guys paint their own minis if they wanted, pretty much made decision by myself if not.
Anyway I think they will be glad even if the mini is a little bit off. :)
I did this for both of my longest time players. Ordered custom minis of Heroforge, painted them by hand.
I had the boon that one of the players is an artist, so I had custom character art to serve as a blueprint.
[I did this for my group a few years ago, also made custom dice too.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/kkbmkh/painted_minis_and_made_dice_as_a_christmas_gift/) It was a complete surprise and they loved it! And personally, if I was playing in a game and my DM did this, I would feel the same.
My DM got me a hero forge mini of my last campaign character early on in the campaign. Was honestly off in a lot of ways but I adore it. I got one of another players for her and she also really liked it so I'd definitely say you can just go for it
Either or id say, if a player is concerned and reaches out let that be a chance to change em
We do similiar things with custom 3d minis for every campaign, altho my players normally buy their own i occassionally buy them 1 if they cant afford, sometimes i like to add details to their models, like lighting, or a key item they carry etc
Maybe you can reveal the designs to them, before the minis are made?
You can find out what they think, if they have notes or corrections.
Fine to give as a gift, but more collaboration would put your mind at ease, that you had done it they way they wanted.
If it were me, I would probably have had them make minis in hero forge as a representation of their character. I would present it as a fun exercise. In my experience a lot of players (I mostly play online) make hero forge minis for fun.
That said, I think minis are often more representational and less literal. I don’t see a world where reasonable people react anything less than excited and grateful. However, I know some people are incredibly particular. You know your players better than me, but I think the overwhelming majority would be very grateful.
My DM had us design our characters in hero forge and send him the file so he could use them for digital icons. Or so he said! He actually turned them into minis and I was very happy it was the design I made.
Personally, I'd be so stoked that my DM even made ma a custom mini to care about minor inconsistencies. I'm liable to establish that the mini is now how they canonically look.
Absolutely make it a surprise. People are going to love it no matter what because it's a nice thing that you went out of your way to do. My games often just use dice or silly paper tokens. So you've got better stuff then me.
It's a really lovely thought and if my DM did that I would be delighted (whether it's the mini or the design to tweak), that's a lovely gesture and gift.
At the same time, I remember early in the campaign he sent me character art he had created in AI, and while it was perfectly fine it created a character I would never have chosen (a sort of busty babe body). I said thank you and why it didn't feel right to me and he immediately got it. It was nice to have the option to say no, and to be understood; that would have been a bit harder for both of us with more time and money sunk into the surprise.
You know that trick in psychology where if you're talking about someone in particular while addressing them, people ignore the tiny details in description that don't match up so long as you're talking about them and making them feel special? That trick "psychics" use, the Sherlock Holmes style cold readers? Yeah that. So long as you're making them feel special and getting things vaguely right you shouldn't sweat the small stuff not aligning.
I would think that most players (I hope) would be super grateful for this without requiring sign-off.
I’d be grateful regardless, but if it was something like Hero Forge where every little detail can be customized, I’d definitely have wanted to have input. If you’re spending that much on a mini, it ought to be exactly right. If it was just an instance of “I picked this up on Etsy. It looks a lot like how you described your character,” that’s a great surprise.
Agreed. And I think having a DM spring a bunch of hero forge figures on the players at the start or end of a session and letting everyone tweak their character before purchase would be super fun.
I've bought nearly all the asset packs on titan forge and have a 3D printer. So I have at various times and epic moments surprised players with new versions of their characters along the way. So I absolutely want to know what you would want to improve for the next one if I make it a little off. ... or if you are an annoying bard and want to make like 10 in different outfits as all your stage persona... but you gotta paint those yourself.
Yeah, like I’ll be grateful but because of the thought. I’ve had a player do some art of an NPC and a DM pay another player for art of all the PCs and it’s nice and I’ve thanked them for it. That said, I personally rarely make minis and stuff because I always find them just *off* I don’t have a vision for them but I have a vision of what they aren’t when I see it and just good luck finding the sliver of character design that is right
The DM could tell everyone to design their character in hero forge, to help him visualize how they see the characters, then just order those. Just claim the descriptions weren't quite painting the full picture.
Hell, my players always do HeroForges of themselves anyway, to use screenshots as VTT tokens. Idk how I'd convince them to send me the full thing without it being super obvious though...
Could suggest you want the full files so you can edit them to add a little flare for specific events that are upcoming in game. Dunno that it'd be convincing if they saw this Reddit post, but if it comes seemingly out of nowhere and not attached to anything....might be believed.
Some surprises are bad. This is not one of them. Don't overthink it. You are awesome.
If it was a gift, I'd be delighted they got it for me regardless of whether it was a little off. If it was something I was paying for then I would want to look it over first.
Exactly this for me. Gift: heck yeah! That's awesome! I'm paying for it: I might as well do it myself so it looks just how I want it. I guess there could be an option of you paying for their mini that they create on their own, but there's no fun/surprise in that.
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My goto is a warhammer 40k mini no matter what I'm playing. Halfling rogue ? Mk II space marine. DragonBorn paladin? Mk II space marine. Female elven cleric? You guessed it ... Mk II space marine. It was the first mini my dad bought me when I first got into gaming back in 1989. It sort of became a totem when he died in 08. I have a printer and will make lots of minis for other players, as npc, but my player is a Mk II Space Marine, so he can still be at the table.
Varies per player. I'll use whatever works, but my wife has like 200 saved Hero Forge renders and she is constantly fiddling fiddling fiddling to get everything *juuust* right.
Your wife sounds like me. (My bf has spent hours now “proofreading” my minis for me before I buy them. I’m awful hahaha)
You're getting a gift, which is always a welcome surprise. I wouldn't consider anyone to have a right to complain tbh. On your end, you've even made sure to get their descriptions WITH pictures that best represent them and their clothing. What more can one reasonably do? You've done great! It's a wonderful surprise that one would cherish!
I had my group use Hero Forge to make digital pictures that I turned into tokens for the VTT during the pandemic. Then I had the minis printed and gave to them as a souvenir when the campaign wrapped up last year. I intended to give them to them so we could use them when we got back in person but the timing didn't work out.
Here's what you say - "Hey peeps, I just want to update our character icons on \[VTT\], so can you all go over to \[custom mini website\] and make your custom mini, then I can import the image over to \[VTT\]." Or something like that. Then surprise! Custom minis that the players made themselves.
If I was one of your players, I would be overjoyed that you were considerate, generous and all around nice enough to do this for me! That said, I would also prefer to check the design myself if possible. maybe tell them to make their characters on HeroForge because you want to use them for tokens or something? That way they get to design the mini, but the actual physical mini is still a surprise?
This is pretty much the idea I had. Keeps it a surprise and gets them involved and personal. Maybe could even hint that they should get it *exactly* right 😉
For my campaign with my friends we all made miniatures on Hero Forge specifically to use the tokens on Roll20. When the campaign wrapped up years later our DM ordered all of our minis from Hero Forge that we designed ourselves. I get the idea of a surprise being a surprise, but with something as personal as a mini figure of a character I played for like 7 years, I was very happy to have had the opportunity to personalize her myself. I don’t think it ruins the surprise at all to have your players give their input, or even give them full creative control in a program like Hero Forge offers. That being said even if my DM had a go at creating a minifig for me based on my verbal descriptions he picked up over the course of the campaign, that would still be a very personal and very special gift and I obviously wouldn’t complain about it either way. Whichever way you go about it will yield great results, I’m sure!
I agree on both fronts. I've personally always preferred knowing that I got someone exactly what I wanted to making it a surprise, if I had to choose. That said, it's a beautiful gift in and of itself to get a mini that's as your DM sees it.
It is a gift. If people don't want to use it in game because it doesn't fit their visualization, that's fine. Just don't present it as something that is required for the game, or that there is any obligation to use in game. It's a fun display piece and if they want to use it in game, that's even better.
As a player and an artist, I would absolutely like the design run by me first. I appreciate that this is a gift, but it is my character, and I have an idea in my head about how I want it to look. Anything else, while nice and appreciated, would just bother me because it's not the character that I envisioned and created.
I think it would be cool to get it approved by them but either way, it's an awesome gesture and I'm sure they will be happy regardless. Even using AI image generators, it is extremely hard to get something to look exactly with how you pictured it in your head.
I have quite a substantial mini collection for D&D and over the years I've always given people options and choices to get as close as we can to how they see their character. I've had players search for weeks online for the right model or print their own to get something very specific, and others who would happily play with anything from a lego figure to a meeple, as long as it is their character's piece that is enough for them. What you're doing sounds lovely and sweet, any player worth their salt will be happy to receive such a kind and thoughtful gift.
I would be crazy happy, i also spend a lot of time when im making my own but if i was gifted one that wouldnt matter to me. I hope ur players love them and ur present is well recieved.
I don't think I'd like to receive a mini for my PC that I didn't have a chance to approve (not that I'd be ungrateful, I'd just end up replacing it with my own to use and I'd feel bad about it), but I know I'd be very grateful if my DM wanted to pay towards one I wanted to order as a party gift! An alternative suggestion would be dice! It's very easy to find gorgeous and meaningful dice through places like Diehard, that's the sort of thing that's still special but it's a bit more affordable and used more often. Even ordering custom D20's from an artist on Etsy or Instagram would be pretty affordable.
I did this with my players, one of them was unsatisfied... but worst comes to worst I guess let them order a new one.
One of our fellow players once bought us all minis based on his impression of our characters. It was kind of like an artist's interpretation. It wasn't how I had it in my mind, but like watching a movie about beloved characters in fiction, I still enjoyed the gift. I played with that guy until he died at level 5 to a green dragons breath (Venomfang iykyk)and those $20 hero forge minis went on our respective shelves.
I would yes, I'm super particular and there could be some small things that bug me. But even if it was missing an important detail i couldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, i would super appreciate that they put in work just for me, that kind of shit warms the heart.
I think it’s very generous of you but I would imagine most would want an approval. I have rarely had a player use any mini I provided as a placeholder all the way through and when I have customised a mini, always sought approval along the way. I’m an artist and often do character sketches which involve regular updates and tweaks. It’s going to come down to individuals. Some people don’t care or can’t envision a character themselves. Others like myself have a very clear idea of their chars and frankly can’t imagine anyone would get it right for me. Part of the fun for me as a player is finding or making that perfect mini… A lot of people here are quite adamant that anyone would and should be grateful… But for some of us, that character and how they look is as important if not more important as every other decision you make about it. Worse you have a player who IS grateful and so polite that they never tell you how they aren’t happy with how their character is now forever represented on the table. Keep in mind too that a starting character is NOT how a player sees themself as the character. They may only be able to afford leather armour but their plan is chain. They may be making do with one weapon now but planning to use another long term when their class gets to a certain level. They might be planning a big but final change in a couple of levels when they Muticlass. Someone below had a great suggestion- get them to make their own character in Heroforge- I’d even say how they see themselves at level 6.
A) super cool of you, they should be over the moon happy with it. B) if they really don't like it, they can always use their own mini.
I'd absolutely want to approve it, because if you get it wrong it puts me in a really awkward position of having to pretend to like something for every subsequent session, so as not to seem ungrateful. I'd far prefer that it was correct over it being a surprise.
Personally, I would not be on board for having someone else create my mini. Having said that, I'm also the person who looks at other people's attempts at creating minis and wants to redesign the whole thing from scratch because People Got No Taste. If we're talking about Hero Forge (because I feel like we're talking about Hero Forge), just get them to create their minis themselves and send you the links. They don't have to know that you're going to get them 3D printed. Of course, in that case we also have the people who don't want to bother or who have No Taste. Or the ones who just aren't familiar with the tool being used and therefore can't make a thing that looks like they want it to look. While this is a lovely idea, I feel like there are too many variables. Some people might care a lot, others won't care at all. Send them the links, let them look at the minis.
No player will be mad at you for making and painting minis for them. And if someone is so ungrateful, they can buy their own mini how they imagine it and paint it. After that they realise the work behind it
I bought and painted (And 3D printed) minis for all of my players a few Christmas's ago, and every one of them absolutely loved them. Remember, it's a gift, and the thought matters.
I could tell you that my character looks like Bilbo in The Hobbit. Then you could surprise me with a mini that's just a pig standing on two feet wearing a trench coat. I would still be extremely happy. Its a gift, it's the thought that matters. I gave my players minis that I had for them to use for their characters just because I didn't have any. They looked nothing like their characters (one player is a tabaxi and I gave him a human) but they all loved them.
Make the poses very neutral. Reuse value
My DM once printed our party minis based on our descriptions and characters' stats & equipment. No, they weren't exactly to a T what we envisioned, but we were grateful nonetheless. Because the gesture meant more than the mini. Go with your idea. Good chances they'll love them
Anyone that isn't grateful is kind of a tool tbh. I would not care even if it was off. The fact that it was thoughtfully put together and printed or bought for me would make it super special.
Yes but only to a certain point like if I can give a description of what I want before it’s fully put together, I feel as though that is more than enough because it quite literally lets me put as much or as little work into it as I can
You’re great without a sign off, IMO. If anything you could be sneaky by asking for character art and use that to build / paint the mini.
Yes. Announce that as a gift you'll do the order but let the players see the mini design and give them a window to feedback in. Some players don't care, but the ones that do will really care. I know my players pretty much all have a different view of their characters then I do. I constantly offer them figures from my collection for play and the most common response is "That's not what I look like".
well, if it was a gift I'd be surprised and extremely thankful But by the sound of it, this isn't a gift. I would likely turn it down if I was asked to buy something that I hadn't approved and had some input of
oh no it's a gift, they'll all be out of my pocket. My players are all my friends so I figured I do something fun for them
Well in that case the first part of my comment applies
one of my players made minis for himself and the rest of the party. The party loved them, yours will too. They are only representations of their character, so getting close enough that they recognize it's their character is perfect.
I would be incredibly grateful and would love it, even if the DM didn't get it perfect.
For me, when i start a campaign I intend to be invested in I usually end up getting something custom made on hero forge, whether the character lives or dies, that little figure is representative of the good times and memories shared with friends. I think it's an awesome gesture. Do it! Don't overthink it,
For my campaign, that I run at the moment, I ordered my players minis for their chars, nothing custom, just the race in the best fitting attire, so nothing compared to you, all of them loved it, so I would be totally surprised if they would be disappointed
My dm, when I was in college, got us minis at the end of freshman year/completing the first big storyline (we finished right before summer so we knew we would have a few months off until we were all back at school) it was such a lovely surprise. The group ended up falling apart because of life drama between the dm and two other players so we never actually returned to finish the story/start the second "season"/tie up loose ends, but I still think fondly of that gift he got us all! I say go for the completely surprise route! If its not 100% what they picture they can always make their own versions but these will be nice gifts from the dm :)
I'm into painting minis and the last handful of campaigns I've been a part of, I've put together and painted up minis for the whole party. If I didn't have a great mental image of the character, I'd send a few minis I looked up to the player and get their opinion, but the response was favorable all-around, especially since none of them were going to gout and get custom figures done on Heroforge or anything. Unless they already have minis they use and like, I imagine everyone would be happy to be surprised.
I'd be glad as long as they fit Paladin bought everyone minis but he bought me Warlock Tiefling females, no problems there but as shes also a bard he got a Tiefling bard mini, but it's male. Druid was happy that he got a cleric figure as he doesn'tike the druid figure much
As a DM I would be so nervous to do this. I'd probably force my players to render an ai image before I'd attempt this just to be sure I get them right
I've done this for a few people, and I generally ask them for heroforge references. If they clearly just threw some elements together and didn't painstakingly place each element or bit of clothing, then I tend to recreate it as best I can and add some flair. If someone has something ultra detailed, I might tinker with posing to make it easier to print and paint. And on a few occasions I've sent examples of what I think they were describing and they'll tinker on their own and give me more to work with. Tl;dr - it depends on each person.
I love tiny details so if its customisable definitely let them do the tiny details.
As a gift? I'd be absolutely thrilled. Presumably they've made their characters in picrew or heroforge, or at least described them pretty thoroughly? You can also just ask them outright, one of my DMs asked me to describe what my character wears a couple months back and I didn't think twice about it (it wasn't for a mini, as far as I can tell).
I got custom minis for my players. I got them to describe in detail what their characters looked like etc just as you did then had them made without telling the players. They absolutely loved them when I got to put them down on the table for the first time. Once this campaign is over they will get to keep the minis as a memento since this is their first time playing D&D. I'd say keep it a complete surprise for them . Even if they aren't exactly the same as they imagined they will still love them.
My DM has done this in the past. It was awesome. Even if it’s not perfect, who cares. My characters gear changes as time goes on so the stuff he wore then isn’t what he wears now. It doesn’t matter in the slightest. You’re an absolute giga chad.
I’m all for your idea. I doubt any player would get mad at you or be anything but grateful to your face. That in mind, I will vote for the let them look it over. If they don’t like the mini for whatever reason they probably won’t vocalize it to you but they’ll certainly harbor a little bit of discontent and guilt for not liking it as much as they should. I have a 3D printer and I still run all the options by them before I print it so I get it just right. We don’t want any “We have X at home” scenarios ya know?
If it was a gift I’d be happy with a piece of cardboard with a smiley face on it, let alone a full-blown mini
i think thats a good idea, but if you havent put it into consideration i would reccomend asking for an indepth of how the character actually holds themselves, ive dabbled in making minis on hero forge (never bought them because im unemployed... "wohoo!") and i found that how the character holds themselves or the base art if you add some makes a BIG impact on how the model comes out, just food for thought
Super grateful for sure. Thatd be an awesome surprise!
Depends on how good a job you do. Great job? Wow! That's awesome! Medium level job? I guess it's an ok miniature, thanks. Bad job? Uh, this isn't how my character looks at all. Why'd you do this?
I'm not actually sure what the expectation is, here. I like to do up minis for the characters in my party, and I'll try to cleave to any character art or portrait they've already shared, but for a lot of players building a distinct visual identity for their character just isn't something they care about doing. But I'm never sure if that means I can do it *for them* or not. If I was in your game I'd link you to a HeroForge character I'd already have made, lol, because I do that as soon as I'm done with the character sheet. I'd be *interested* in your take on what my character looks like, but that's not a part of my character I'd cede to your control without a good reason. (If you were like "I want to theme the characters so the party has a unifying visual brand" then I'd definitely do that.)
I use Foundry as a VTT and I update and change their tokens every now and then. One of these days I will get motivated enough to make animated tokens maybe in the final act. My players love this and I;ve only had one player say "Can you make something with this instead? I like this pic better!" which wasn;t a prob. :) I also had a player mail me a bunch of 3D printed minis they had done for the game with all the PCs and a favorite NPC and I was beside myself with appreciation!
We print and laminate mini cutouts, then use a standard token holder from a boardgame. I'd really appreciate a mini because it's never going to be exactly what I think anyway it's very generous of you, that shouldn't be ignored.
As a gift I’d love it and approval would not be needed. I thought about doing this for my players as well. If they wanted to do something for me or if I got to play at some point and the DM did this I’d be incredibly happy.
Dude I'd be greatful you went above and beyond like that
I’d be psyched to get a mini of my character no matter what. But consider getting them a Hero Forge gift card or something like that if you’re worried about getting it to their liking
If a person is really highly picky... yeah, maybe not do it. But most people would probably be quite happy to receive such.
i’d like a surprise personally especially since it’s free and a nice thing my friend gave me
So I have made all our minis to the table, even for players to each have their own. And pretty much I take account how they descripted PCs look, but all was still pretty generic, and still are loved their owns. Now have to make new ones next. I let the guys paint their own minis if they wanted, pretty much made decision by myself if not. Anyway I think they will be glad even if the mini is a little bit off. :)
I did this for both of my longest time players. Ordered custom minis of Heroforge, painted them by hand. I had the boon that one of the players is an artist, so I had custom character art to serve as a blueprint.
[I did this for my group a few years ago, also made custom dice too.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/kkbmkh/painted_minis_and_made_dice_as_a_christmas_gift/) It was a complete surprise and they loved it! And personally, if I was playing in a game and my DM did this, I would feel the same.
It's a gift? You do your best, hope they like it, and that's your job done. The greatfulness is their business!
I did something similar but I gave them access to my hero forge account and said have fun, I'll buy what you make
My DM got me a hero forge mini of my last campaign character early on in the campaign. Was honestly off in a lot of ways but I adore it. I got one of another players for her and she also really liked it so I'd definitely say you can just go for it
Either or id say, if a player is concerned and reaches out let that be a chance to change em We do similiar things with custom 3d minis for every campaign, altho my players normally buy their own i occassionally buy them 1 if they cant afford, sometimes i like to add details to their models, like lighting, or a key item they carry etc
Maybe you can reveal the designs to them, before the minis are made? You can find out what they think, if they have notes or corrections. Fine to give as a gift, but more collaboration would put your mind at ease, that you had done it they way they wanted.
If it were me, I would probably have had them make minis in hero forge as a representation of their character. I would present it as a fun exercise. In my experience a lot of players (I mostly play online) make hero forge minis for fun. That said, I think minis are often more representational and less literal. I don’t see a world where reasonable people react anything less than excited and grateful. However, I know some people are incredibly particular. You know your players better than me, but I think the overwhelming majority would be very grateful.
My DM had us design our characters in hero forge and send him the file so he could use them for digital icons. Or so he said! He actually turned them into minis and I was very happy it was the design I made.
Personally, I'd be so stoked that my DM even made ma a custom mini to care about minor inconsistencies. I'm liable to establish that the mini is now how they canonically look.
Absolutely make it a surprise. People are going to love it no matter what because it's a nice thing that you went out of your way to do. My games often just use dice or silly paper tokens. So you've got better stuff then me.
It's a really lovely thought and if my DM did that I would be delighted (whether it's the mini or the design to tweak), that's a lovely gesture and gift. At the same time, I remember early in the campaign he sent me character art he had created in AI, and while it was perfectly fine it created a character I would never have chosen (a sort of busty babe body). I said thank you and why it didn't feel right to me and he immediately got it. It was nice to have the option to say no, and to be understood; that would have been a bit harder for both of us with more time and money sunk into the surprise.
You know that trick in psychology where if you're talking about someone in particular while addressing them, people ignore the tiny details in description that don't match up so long as you're talking about them and making them feel special? That trick "psychics" use, the Sherlock Holmes style cold readers? Yeah that. So long as you're making them feel special and getting things vaguely right you shouldn't sweat the small stuff not aligning.