Once, there was legal worry about including creatures from the Cthulhu mythos in D&D. Now, the big guy has his own official D&D mini.
Time is a flat circle. History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes. A third platitude about how the more things change, the more they stay the same (which is incidentally the name of the very first little RPG flash-fiction I read, in the Shadowrun player’s handbook). Cthulhu is back in D&D in an official capacity.
It’s a little ironic, because at one point, there was famously a bit of a legal dustup owing to a slight miscommunication with the TSR higher-ups. As the story goes, James Ward, whom you might also recognize as Drawmij of instant summons fame, sought permission to include the pantheons of the Lovecraft Mythos and the gods of Elric of Melnibone from their respective rights-holders. Permission secured, a run of the book was printed, including everyone’s favorite squid-headed big guy, Cthulhu (among others).
And that would be the end of it, except Ward gave permission to the TSR Legal department, who, being a legal department, were worried because of the implications. Speaking with the higher-ups, they made the decision (with no input from Ward, who worked on Deities & Demigods) to remove those pantheons. But to this day, you can still find copies of the rare Deities & Demigods featuring Cthulhu and friends.
I mention all of this because, in a way, we’ve come full circle. Cthulhu has come back to D&D in an official capacity. Or he soon will. I guess it depends on how you look at it. But the newest Ravenloft book will feature Cthulhu, and of course, WizKids will have an Icons of the Realm miniature version of Cthulhu from D&D.
Cthulhu’s Back, In D&D Miniature Form
Yes, much like Alf returning to the forefront of the pop culture zeitgeist in POG form, Cthulhu is back in D&D form. WizKids has given him the Icons of the Realm treatment, which means a big miniature for a big boy. And boy, does he ever look like a D&D monster and also an eldritch horror.
I guess everyone’s getting their 5.5E glow-up these days. Maybe we will see the Melnibonean pantheon show up with swanky new artwork. At any rate, this miniature is big, weighing in at 160mm tall and standing on a Gargantuan 100mm base.
Kinds looks like a mugshot here. But, who’d arrest Cthulhu?
“Cthulhu has been — and inevitably will be once more — a threat to the entire multiverse, your tabletop included! For untold ages, the Dark Powers have bound this harbinger of madness. Unlike the other prisoners of the Domains of Dread, this ageless terror remains physically bound and can exert only a fraction of its terrible might. Cthulhu’s dreams slip beyond its prison, manipulating minds and orchestrating events to ensure its release and a new epoch of multiversal doom. Can your party even hope to confront this eldritch terror?”
Cthulhu is out for pre-order right now. Presumably because the stars aren’t right. But if you start aligning now, then you should be able to get your hands on the miniature by October, when shipping is expected. That’s also the appropriate season, somehow.
You know? June just feels a little too early for Ravenloft. But regardless, you can check out Cthulhu’s stats in the upcoming new book, where Cthulhu and Innsmouth both feature in the Demiplane of Dread.
Pre-order the Cthulhu miniature from the link below!
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