Character Collectibles & The Commission Curse - HullaBailu

If you’re a player of TTRPGs, whether new and learning or years into a campaign that now kinda occupies half of your brain, you’ll probably have heard of ‘The Curse’ - that as soon as you specifically buy, create, or commission something inspired by your character, whether art, dice, or otherwise, you have unintentionally sent them towards their demise.

Now, obviously, there is no proof nor science behind this. The more superstitiously inclined of you may prefer to err on the side of caution, and for that I quite honestly commend you for your self restraint. I, however, have commissioned character-themed dice, made art of my characters, and received gifts crafted with my characters in mind. I’ve yet to have a character die, so all seems well, right?

With that in mind, I am here to persuade you that curse or no curse, you put too much effort into creating your beloved PCs - writing backstories, agonising over aesthetic details, practicing their accent in the mirror when you’re home alone - to not shower them in themed goodies of every variety. But what, you ask, can I spend my hard-earned coin upon? Fret no more, I am here to answer.

 

Dice!

Let’s start with everyone’s favourite shiny maths rocks. You only need to dip your toe into the handmade dice world to find gorgeous click clacks in every colour combination you can dream of, but why not go one step further and commission a passionate creator to make the ✨perfect ✨ set inspired by your character.

 

Dark Sky Dice

The first picture here is my very own commissioned set from DarkSkyDice for my Dungeons & Dragons wizard, and yes I’m obsessed with them. Sarah worked with me from start to finish on these, making sure I was happy with every aspect from the resin colour and level of sparkle, to the star inclusions and the ink colour. They’re 9-piece sets, including 2 d20s and a d2 coin, and finished to perfection (and I know she's working on some new shapes and systems... daggerheart, anyone?)

A hand holding a 9-piece polyhedral purple and gold dice setA closeup image of sparkly pink resin diceA closeup image of cyan polyhedral dice with glitter

Jodie's Dice Farm

Got a character with an edgy side - goth rogue, dark warlock, or maybe you need dice for your kindred in Vampire the Masquerade? Creating a variety of unique gothic accessories, Jodie's dice are not only gorgeous but eco-friendly too, made from jesmonite (aka faux stone) instead of resin. Jodie takes commissions for all kinds of dice sets on her website - go on, get that custom chonk d20 you've been dreaming of.

A comparison image of purple and green vampire the masquerade dice in someone's hand and a diagonal line splitting the initial sketch of the diceA 7 piece set of black polyhedral jesmonite dice with teal numbers on a black backgroundA 7 piece set of jesmonite polyhedral dice in all black, with black numbers, on a black background

 

Dice trays & table accessories

You've got your custom dice, now you need... something to roll them in? Somewhere to store them... a notebook, HP tracker, obviously a pencil to write with. Why not make everything character themed:

 

Bindwood Gaming

Home of gorgeous handmade dice trays with all the engraving designs you can think of in a variety of colours, AND you can choose the size and wood stain colour. Roll your dice in style and obviously you'll never fail an attack roll or saving throw again.

A wooden hexagonal dice tray with a mushroom engraving on brown faux leatherAn image of 5 hexagonal dice trays decreasing in size with different coloured engraved faux leatherA hexagonal dice tray with blue faux leather engraved with a bee, surrounded by dice

Four Score Woodwork

Is your character a classy bish? Whether their vibe is more purpleheart or 'limba & sapele' (no, I don't know wood but these are real terms from FSW's website!), here you are bound to find an elegant, expertly crafted wooden dice vault to keep your shinies protected and cherished, as they should be. And should you fancy a dice tower or even GM screen to match, you're in luck, as Pete makes those too!

A long limba and sapele wood dice vault on a white backgroundA two row purpleheart wooden dice vault on a background of dark wooden tableA curly maple wooden dice vault on a white background

CriticalQueer

HP, spellslot, and other trackers are so helpful at the game table - both for saving space, ink, and your emotions when you make yet another hole in your character sheet, furiously erasing your HP in the middle of combat. What if I told you you can put your character ON a tracker? Well, CriticalQueer's got you sorted with Custom Art TTRPG HP trackers, and more!
A circular, engraved HP tracker with text 'Custom art life tracker' and 'Your character here'A lasercut arrow tracker3 different coloured spell slot trackers with 6-sided-dice in the slots.

Wearables/cosplay

There are far too many gorgeous creators here to feature everyone and write about them all, so here are some of my recent favourites to check out for ears, tiaras, and more!


DarkSkyDice - stunning dice flower crowns made with handmade resin dice. So many gorgeous colour combinations and the perfect nerdy addition to an outfit. 
TheGreenCanvasArt - wire elf ear cuffs and tiaras, all handmade with no glue and a beautiful alternative to the classic flesh-toned elf ears. I just commissioned a pair in yellow!
Sky Guardian Creations - intricately patterned leather pouches, collars, bracelets and other accessories, and open to commissions (via the website contact section or instagram message)!
HullaBailu (#selfpromo) - whimsical mushroom hats, cottage core hair charms, tote bags and more, and just ask me if you're interested in commissioning something bespoke!
MorningstarMakesRPG - sustainably crafted wearable horns adorned with charms, painted to a variety of fantasy-appropriate themes (also worm horns which are incredible) and attached to a headband for incredibly easy wearing!


A blonde woman wearing glasses and a black and purple flower crown with handmade black resin dice in itA person's left ear wearing a handmade wire ear cuff with lilac gemsA handmade engraved leather pouch on a white backgroundA woman with red and white spotty mushroom makeup wearing a black and white crocheted mushroom hatA set of black and blue segmented horns with star and chain embellishments on a headband


Miscellaneous Treasures

And it's not limited to costume pieces and functional tabletop thingumajigs - why not add a bit of your character to your home decor, your everyday life, your morning coffee?

ChaosCurios - Beautifully fragranced Dungeons & Dragons class inspired candles, some of each even include a full set of metal polyhedral dice!
OldTownCeramics - Handmade ceramic mugs & homeware, with commissions available to craft your perfect character themed drinking vessel
ArtByDungeon - Stunning character commission art, from portraits to full illustrations in glorious colour
OctoJelly Crochet Studio - Handcrafted crochet plushies and dice-bags, with commissions available for your perfect colour combo

A pink 'sorcerer' candle with black dice in the top on a white backgroundA champagne glazed ceramic mug with foiled gold leavesA colour illustration of a green goblin character with fangs, pointy ears and red hairA rainbow and black crochet dicebag with ribbon drawstrings

 

So that's that! Of course, there's plenty more you could find or commission for your TTRPG character - wearable pieces like dresses, armour or jewellery; dice towers; plushies; fragrances. You name it, a small business out there probably already makes it! Make sure to go and give those featured some love, and let me know if you've got something for your character that deserves a shoutout!

 


 

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