Previewing The Dungeons & Dragons Classic Collection K-N

Welcome to the table,

“The scabrous touch of a mummy inflicts a rotting disease on any hit. The disease will be fatal in 1-6 months, and each month it progresses the diseased creature loses 2 points of charisma permanently.”

That passage right there struck absolute fear into the heart of a small child clutching a handful of six-sided dice as visions of my half-elf adventure was struck by the gnarled hand of a shambling mummy who had surprised him from the shadows of a dimly lit crypt.

For the next few weeks, as we tried to get out of the temple we had found ourselves trapped in, the storyteller found ways to fill our downtime with new revelations about the ravages that the mummy rot was heaping upon my character’s every withering body.

This moment in gaming for me has always been one of the most memorable because what could be considered by some as a simple creature was able to evoke such looming dread and make such an impact on the narrative of the game in such a powerful way. The ability to deliver such memorable experiences at the table is why the mummy, along with others like the minotaur, mind flayer, and naga, are considered classics.

Speaking of always delivering memorable moments, WizKids has a new Classic Collection of Monsters set that’s currently ready for Pre-Order.

The upcoming Classic Collection of Monsters K-N not only has the horrifying mummy, but also comes with a kobold, lich, lizardfolk, mind flayer, merfolk, and a naga. All of them are in their classic art incarnations, rendered in brilliant tabletop glory, and packaged in one of the beautifully designed classic collection clamshell cases. The display window and spine fits perfectly alongside your other vintage D&D books, adding a little extra dash of style to your shelf situation.

The mummy from this collection is nothing short of spectacular as it pushes its way out of a stylized sarcophagus, tugging at ancient dust and webbing as mystical mist pours out around its bandaged feet.  The rendering alone has me so excited for this mini. I can think of ten ways I am going to worry my players with this shuffling shambler and its diseased dusted fingers.

The lizardfolk mini is also shaping up to be a standout of the set as upon seeing it I was immediately transported back to hunting through second-hand stores and antique shops looking for a copy of the classic AD&D adventure Danger at Dunwater. This mini looks like it leaped directly from the cover art on the back of the mod and into brilliant three-dimensional detail.

Each one of these Classic Collections seems to elevate what they offer making these by far some of my favorite current TTRPG collectibles, and for the price you pay for these pre-painted beauties and the display case they come in, you are truly getting a bargain on these fearsome figures.

Until next time, my half-elf did not survive, when he reached for a scroll he thought had a cure disease spell on it, he triggered a pit trap and fell into a cave full of venomous snakes that made quick work of him. We found a mummy version of him many years later when another party run by the same Storyteller had us adventuring through Ravenloft.