Because of its wargaming roots, Dungeons & Dragons has always involved miniatures in some way. While some people prefer so-called theater of the mind exploration and combat, others prefer to use miniatures so that they have a tactile way to interact with the game world. There are a lot of officially licensed miniatures out there, from pre-painted sets representing the newest adventure books to unpainted kits players have to assemble themselves.
Like everything else regarding DnD, the community has made some fantastic designs of their own. The number of unofficial DnD miniatures available is staggering. Whether they’re bespoke, handmade creations from a talented sculptor or designed online by the players themselves and 3D printed at home, the quality of some third-party DnD miniatures rivals anything officially licensed.
Every D&D Book Releasing In 2024
Dungeons & Dragons has multiple new books to look forward to in 2024 as it celebrates its 50th anniversary, including new adventures and core updates.
10 Skinny Minis Are An Alternative To Traditional Miniatures
2D Acrylic Minis With Hand-Drawn Art
Skinny Minis is a different kind of miniatures company. Instead of providing plastic or resin models for players to paint, they offer high-quality two-dimensional models that feature hand-drawn art on the front and back of an acrylic standee. Every month, members can vote on what set the artists will draw and design next. Many of the sets are based on official DnD 5e adventures, like The Wild Beyond the Witchlight and Spelljammer: Adventures in Space, while others are original or themed sets of dragons, angels, demons, undead, and more. Skinny Minis are a much more affordable option for many people, where a set of these costs as much as some individual 3D models.
9 Schlossbaur Makes 3D Printable Mini Designs
Highly Detailed & Grotesque Monsters
Thingiverse user Schlossbaur has created some creepy and detailed DnD miniatures. Their library of 3D-printable files is huge, but they’re not available to purchase physical ones. They are all entirely free to download and print, though. Sometimes it’s hard to find unofficial DnD miniatures because the names are trademarked, so it’s a good idea to search for terms like “mind slayer” or “eye tyrant” if searching for mind flayers or beholders doesn’t bring up results. Many of Schlossbaur’s are named well enough to easily be found. The necromancer mind flayer is particularly grotesque.
10 Coolest Unofficial Classes And Subclasses For D&D 5e
The Dungeons & Dragons community has created some powerful yet balanced classes and subclasses to expand the character options 5e players have.
8 PrintableHeroes Makes Having Whole Mini Sets Easy
Print-&-Play Hand-Drawn Paper Minis
Patreon creator PrintableHeroes takes the idea of 2D minis and makes them even more accessible to players. These unofficial DnD minis are meant to be printed at home, cut out, and then glued together. It is easy to have an entire session’s worth of miniatures ready to go in under an hour. The Patreon is regularly updated, the creator is very active and responsive, and there are a number of free miniatures they provide for players to download.
The releases sometimes follow DnD 5e storylines, too. For instance, a whole line of them was created for the D&D Beyond-exclusive Spelljammer Academy, which otherwise received very little support despite being a very fun intro to the setting. The art is very stylized, which may or may not work for some people, but the style is consistent, meaning that players won’t have a set of mismatched minis and be able to maintain the same tone for their games throughout.
7 Comet Lord Miniatures Are Versatile D&D Pieces
Detailed & Easy-To-Print Minis
Comet Lord Miniatures on MyMiniFactory has a store of very detailed models that are easy to print. They often come with multiple poses and interchangeable parts, such as weapons, heads, helmets, scatter terrain, and more. The designs are definitely made for resin printers, but well-tuned filament machines can get it done. Many of the minis from Comet Lord are science-fantasy flavored, lending themselves well to a Spelljammer campaign, though there are plenty of traditional Dungeons & Dragons monsters with fantastic, unofficial sculpts available.
D&D Spelljammer: Best New Monsters
The new Spelljammer campaign setting for D&D 5e has introduced some awesome and terrifying new monsters to the game that provide new opportunities.
6 Titan Forge Miniatures Are Printable & Purchasable
Highly Detailed Player Character Minis
Titan Forge Miniatures on MyMiniFactory create some of the highest quality player character minis out there. The sculpts are highly detailed, covering the wide range of available DnD races and classes that players can choose from. The designs aren’t generally free, but they’re affordable and users can get discounts if they subscribe to Titan Forge’s monthly release schedule. In addition to the 3D printable files, users can buy physical versions of the Titan Forge miniatures, too, through their store on Only Games.
5 Lord Of The Print Creates Faithful D&D Minis
Highly Detailed Monsters Made For Resin Printers
3D sculptor Lord of the Print is well known in the DnD miniatures community for making incredibly detailed monsters for tabletop use. The dragons the studio puts out are second-to-none, and they are so detailed that they are often used as models in miniature painting competitions. The files are so detailed that a resin printer is recommended, but there is the option to purchase physical versions through Only Games, too. Unlike many artists and unofficial minis, a lot of the sculpts from Lord of the Print are based on actual DnD artwork.
7 Coolest Unofficial Homebrew Rules Supplements for D&D 5e
The D&D community has created entirely new rulesets for 5e to either enhance or replace official systems, and many are free to download and use.
4 Reaper Miniatures Have Enough Variety For Any Campaign
Learn To Paint On Great Minis
Reaper Miniatures is known for its wide array of miniatures that cover the gamut of DnD monsters and player characters. From unofficial DnD races like bearfolk to pretty much the entire Monster Manual, Reaper probably has a miniature for it. That mini will be well-sculpted and printed in either high-quality plastic, resin, or even metal. The Reaper Bones line is probably the most popular of Reaper Miniatures’ products, and it even has its own line of paints, with a solid learn-to-paint kit that comes with cool minis and all the basic paints to get started.
3 HeroForge Lets You Create Your Own Minis
Fully Customizable Miniatures Platform With Color
HeroForge is one of the better-known platforms for unofficial DnD minis. Players can use the website to piece together any kind of miniature they want to use at the table. Then, they can download a 3D printable STL file or purchase a physical mini. The coolest part about HeroForge is that players can also add color to their models using the website, completely customizing how they look, and then buy a digitally painted mini from HeroForge or even a 2D standee similar to Skinny Minis.
Official DnD miniatures can’t always quite capture the essence of a character, NPC, or monster. HeroForge is one of the best ways to bring them to life exactly as they should be. The main critique for HeroForge is that the designs are more cartoonish and less detailed than some other DIY platforms.
2 Eldritch Foundry Has Detailed Custom Minis
Fully Customizable Miniatures Platform
Eldritch Foundry is a fantastic platform where players can design any kind of unofficial DnD mini they want. The models are incredibly detailed and come printed in high-quality, tough resin that looks every bit as crisp in person as they do on the screen. Users can also opt for a downloadable STL file to print the mini as often as they want. These STLs print solidly on both FDM and resin printers.
Additionally, Eldritch Foundry includes mounts users can add to the minis. There are options for horses, worgs, cyberpunk jetbikes and monowheels, and a giant spider. Eldritch Foundry adds new items and options regularly, but the one downside is that there is no option to order a pre-painted miniature. The resin miniatures from Eldritch Foundry feel a bit more solid and higher quality than the plastic ones from Hero Forge.
1 Ginny Di Cosplay Minis
Full-Color Miniatures Based On Ginny Di Cosplay
Ginny Di is one of the most popular Dungeons & Dragons content creators around. Her content often has her in cosplay of any number of her original characters or even Jester from Critical Role. Now, these original characters are available to purchase from Only Games. These resin miniatures come as a set of five, and have been digitally colored. Because they’re digitally painted and printed in that color, rather than being done by hand, the minis might be a little more muted than some players like, but that’s more than made up for by the quality of the sculpts and the accuracy that digital coloring offers over mass-produced analog painting.
Sources: Thingiverse (Schlossbaur), Only Games (Ginny Di, Lord of the Print, Titan Forge Miniatures) MyMiniFactory (Titan Forge Miniatures, Lord of the Print, Comet Lord Miniatures) Reaper Miniatures, Patreon (PrintableHeroes), Hero Forge, Eldritch Foundry, Skinny Minis
Dungeons and Dragons
Dungeons and Dragons is a popular tabletop game originally invented in 1974 by Ernest Gary Gygax and David Arneson. The fantasy role-playing game brings together players for a campaign with various components, including abilities, races, character classes, monsters, and treasures. The game has drastically expanded since the ’70s, with numerous updated box sets and expansions.
- Franchise
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Original Release Date
- 1974-00-00
- Publisher
- TSR Inc. , Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
- E. Gary Gygax , Dave Arneson
- Player Count
- 2-7 Players
