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Review of Rage of Demons: Zuggtmoy, Graz'zt
Blurb from the publisher: 'Zuggtmoy's only desire is to infect and control living creatures, bending them to her will and using them to spread her spores.
Zuggtmoy's cultists follow her unwittingly. Most are fungi-infused to some degree, whether through inhaling her mind-controlling spores or being transformed to the point where flesh and fungus become one. Such cultists are walking fungal extensions of Zuggtmoy's will.
Zuggtmoy contains six resin pieces.
The appearance of Graz'zt, the Dark Prince, is a warning that not all beautiful things are good. Standing nearly nine feet tall, Graz'zt strikes the perfect figure of untamed desire, every plane and curve of his body, every glance of his burning eyes, promising a mixture of pleasure and pain. A subtle wrongness pervades his beauty, from the cruel cast of his features to the six fingers on each hand and six toes one each foot. Graz'zt can also transform himself at will, appearing in any humanoid form that pleases him, or his onlookers, all equally tempting in their own ways.
Graz'zt contains three resin pieces.'
What you get: This is a thematic review of two out of the four miniature sets that were released by Gale Force Nine for D&D 5th edition's Rage of Demons. Like all Gale Force Nine's minis, they are part of their D&D Collector's Series. We had already visited Orcus from the same line together - that monstrosity was big enough to deserve his own review.
The two miniature sets are the following. Each set can be purchased separately. No set is a prerequisite for the other.
71046 - Zuggtmoy, 6 parts base included, EUR 25 or USD 25 or GBP 20
71047 - Graz'zt, 3 parts base included, EUR 25 or USD 25 or GBP 20
The 90 mm-tall Zuggtmoy, the Demon Queen of Fungi, is literally a cluster of fungi in a form that ultimately resembles a human-like being. There is no chance of her being confused with a human at any point, taking into account that her head is in reality the lower side of her cap. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of protrusions and spore-like stigmata on her body. Her arms mostly resemble the legs of a chicken while two thin tentacles flow freely to the ground. The figure does not have any legs; if she does, they are well-hidden behind layer upon layer of mushroom gills.
The 40 mm-tall Graz'zt is the poster boy for lust, with a physique that resembles that of Olympic athletes. He is as ripped as a demon can be. His clothes are a cross between what one would expect to see on a half-naked Roman emperor, a Scottish highlander, and an s/m dominator, studded leather kilt and all. He wields a curved blade that looks conspicuously demonic in nature.
The strong points: I cannot hide the nostalgia factor when it comes to these two minis. Both Zuggtmoy and Graz'zt have been part of D&D's lore from the time I entered into the game. I still remember Graz'zt and Iggwilv being the parents of Iuz, the literal Anti-Christ in Greyhawk; that fact alone, and irrespective of any appearance in the present edition, is a very strong incentive to purchase the stunning six-fingered demon. I wouldn't go for blue as his main body colour no matter how he is depicted. I feel that a dark grey or light brown tone, something that brings him closer to a satyr, is more appropriate. His alias is the Ebon Lord; colours on that range would also be prime contenders, as long as one can also bring out the details of his ripped body.
Zuggtmoy on the other hand is truly an alien demon. Were she weirder than what she actually is, she could have passed as a Call of Cthulhu entity. The chicken arms are admittedly campy, the rest however is weird and disgusting. She needs colours that are close enough to skin tones yet which include a certain degree of quaintness. This should be sickly, disturbing skin, something you don't want on you. The serving suggestion works well, because every colour used on her gives an impression of a different skin illness or rash. If you are out of inspiration just google gruesome rashes, enjoy the panorama, and start painting.
I haven't finished the process of painting the miniatures; that would have stalled the review a lot. Up to now the material behaved very well to my clumsy cleaning, cutting, priming, partial gluing and partial painting (with all the intermediary steps).
The weak points: Just like the other miniatures of the same size in the series, I find it very hard to understand how any of these minis has reached the EUR 25 mark. They have tons of details, they depict iconic characters, they are strongly nostalgic, but... EUR 25? Shop around for a better deal than the MSRP, and you are bound to find it. Like other small-sized minis in the Collector's Series, it would have made more sense if these miniatures were sold together for a fairer deal.
I am rather disappointed by the return of the product's print run on the product itself. I get the collector's aspect of the hobby. These two minis however should be fielded against a horde of heroes that has ventured that far with the exclusive aim of defeating them. Even if 1500 is what a prudent publisher would have marketed in a non-exclusive edition, I would have felt more comfortable if that number was not mentioned somewhere.
I don't have anything negative to say about the design or casting of these minis. There was practically no flash whatsoever on them, even though you will need to do some really attentive cutting and gluing. Zuggtmoy's arms are extremely thin, and attaching them to her body is nowhere near obvious. When it comes to painting difficulty, Zuggtmoy is again the hardest one to adequately treat at the level she deserves. The more fluidly you can make one sickly skin tone evolve into another, the more successful you will be.
Conclusion: Zuggtmoy and Graz'zt are iconic characters, and I am glad they received the Collector's Series treatment. Be if for nostalgia, for what they do in Rage of Demons, or even because their aesthetics fit your campaign, these are cool minis to invest in.
To find out more about Rage of Demons, Zuggtmoy and Graz'zt, as well as the D&D Collector's Series, visit GF9's website at http://www.gf9.com.
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