Homemade counters

[Mr. Kaze]

How to build a stand up paper mini with Photoshop

Photoshop instructions that work for me to make stand-up minis...

1 - Open your image in Photoshop (scanning, PrtScn + Paste, or just save + open).
2 - Crop your image to just the vital bit that you want to use to make your players really really nervous about the fight. Typically, I go for roughly a 3:4 width/height ratio, but it depends on the creature.
3 - Go into Image Properties and set the image DPI to 300, then resize the image to be the correct number of inches for its size category wide. Then shave off a bit (.1-.2 inches) as it's easier to fit on the grid that way without losing anything from its size.
4 - Select all (Ctrl-A) and copy it into the clipboard (Ctrl-C)
5 - Go into the Canvas properties. Double the canvas height, anchoring your image to the top center or bottom center of the canvas.
6 - Paste the copy you got in step 4 back onto your now double-sized canvas. Adjust it into the blank space you created in step 5.
7 - Rotate the new layer (that you created with the paste in step 6) 180 degrees. You've now got the front & back of your standup paper mini.
8 - Go back into Canvas properties, leave the image anchored to the middle of the canvas and add 2 inches for every size category of the creature, shaving off .1-.2 inches (per step 3) to keep it square. You can now see that you've got tabbies that you can paperclip/tape/glue together after you prit it out.
9 - Flatten your canvas. (Ctrl-E, I think).
10 - Select all (Ctrl-A) and then adjust the selection (it's under "Select -> Adjust" if I remember right) to get a "Border" on the counter.
11 - Pick a color that's not too awful and paint in the border so you know where to cut.

You've now got your mini. Save the file if you want to use it repeatedly. Then increase the canvas size to ~6x9" and copy and paste your fold-up minis on it so that you're not wasting paper by printing out just one mini at a time.

If you've got decent Photoshop skills (or mastery of the "undo" feature), I strongly encourage you to try out adjusting color, balance, levels, and applying filters -- AlienSkin Eye Candy has some nice effects like "Smoke" for summoned creatures.

Hope it helps! (It certainly helps my PCs visualize what they're up against exactly as I want them to.)
::Kaze

 

[der_kluge]

There is a toy store in town where I live that sells really cheap, made in China, plastic figurines. I go there occasionally and scour their shelves to see what I can buy that works in my game.

Mummies

These make great Slaad, or giant frogs.

Giant snakes, alligators, and other assorted critters.

Monstrous Spiders

Carrion Crawlers

Beholders!

They have other stuff, as well. For some of them (like the beholders), I bought a 10'x10' square base at my FLGS, and glued the ball onto it.

And the best part is - this stuff is dirt cheap. I got a dozen beholders (woe upon any party of mine that meets that many), for under $2. I gave a bunch to my wife, though, who uses them for child therapy.

 

[Voadam]

Poker Chips (multiple colors but all the same size)

Coins (pennies are good as a different color from nickels or quarters, etc.)

Playing cards with a neat back picture/pattern cut to size.

 

[Henry]

Here's another suggestion:

If you are worth a darn at modeling, use Sculpey. It's available in any arts & crafts store, and likely even Targets and Wal-Marts. You sculpt it, bake it, and it's as hard as any ceramic, or softer resin. It comes in quite a few colors, and accepts paints and marker well, so you could even number it. Probably better than the wax/cotton substrate idea.