Wizkids D&D Icons of the Realms: Journeys Through The Radiant Citadel Review - A Finely Curated Collection

2022 for Dungeons & Dragons brought with it the continued expansion of the known realms of 5th Edition. Journeys Through The Radiant Citadel introduced a variety of colorful worlds and now Wizkids has also released a collection of colorful characters to bring to your games.

The D&D Icons of the Realms: Journeys Through The Radiant Citadel box comes with eight pre-painted miniatures. The creatures included are not only varied in their types, but also in where they come from, what size they are, and how much of a challenge they'll be to your party.

The miniatures included in this box include:

• Wynling (CR ½)
• Aurumvorax Den Leader (CR 4)
• Tlacatecolo (CR 5)
• Haint (CR 7)
• Whistler (CR 9)
• Tlexolotl (CR 10)
• Riverine (CR 12)
• Pari (CR 13)

Starting with the smallest of the group the Wynling is a small fey-winged panda-like creature. Elevated on a semi-transparent stand the Wynling is in full flight. Some features such as his small paws and face are obstructed as the mini is facing completely down so expect it to be picked up and passed around the table.

The Pari is a mini that I'm conflicted about. It's depicted as a blue-skinned angelic being with four deep red wings protruding out of its back. So much of this mini is perfect from the raised mace, to the gold armor, and flowing robes but for some strange reason one pair of wings is detachable.

Removable parts aren't uncommon in Wizkids miniatures, where it makes sense, but for the Pari the removable wings are cosmetic only and where it connects is also extremely small and barely holds. In trying to get photos of it with its wings on it's been incredibly difficult.

Nothing is stopping me from applying a quick dab of super glue to fix it in place, but it's just strange that it's not connected in the first place.

The Whisper is another mini that's worth focusing in on. This lanky figure looks like it's something straight out of a Guillermo Del Toro movie complete with gangly proportions and disturbing facial elements.

Incredible work has been done to represent their "Blurred Form" which mechanically means all attacks against it are at a disadvantage but is represented as the figure being in a "state of perpetual physical uncertainty."

Here the mini has three painted faces with transparent stretched plastic between them. It's immediately clear that it's vibrating out of space with this design.

Not only is each miniature a good pick for its distinct look, be it cute, creepy, or powerful, but each has unique features that allow them to be worked into your stories as important encounters.

Some cool mechanics tied to these creatures are Tlacatecolo's Plague Winds which allow it to poison your party with a chance to add exhaustion with each hour until they can make the save in sunlight. Another is the Pari and its ability to "attempt to flood the mind of one creature with visions of the future" allowing for a narrative opening mid-combat too.

D&D Icons of the Realms: Journeys Through The Radiant Citadel Review | Final Thoughts

From the outside receiving this Boxed Set I thought it was just a fun collection of some strange creatures that appear in Journeys Through The Radiant Citadel, but I was so wrong. After examining each of the minis and their stat blocks it's so clear how cleverly curated these creatures are.

As a DM it would be so easy to use the framework of the Radiant Citadel to create exciting encounters for all of these creatures that would serve as memorable combat for the players. From the low CR Wynling that could frustrate your low-level players up to the winged Pari.

I do still have to question why the Pari has detachable wings though…

The D&D Icons of the Realms: Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel box set is available to purchase in local game stores and online.

The Wizkids D&D Icons of the Realms: Journeys Through The Radiant Citadel used in the creation of this review were provided by Wizkids.