Arcane Relic Shadowbox – LED-Ready Tabletop Display Diorama for DnD Mini

Arcane Relic Shadowbox – LED-Ready Tabletop Display Diorama

The scene depicts a ruined stone chamber framing oversized spell cards, a raised relic pedestal holding a glowing D20, and a 25 mm-base adventurer miniature mid-incantation. Integrated lighting channels allow LEDs to illuminate both the background wall and the D20 pedestal, adding depth, drama, and a subtle arcane glow that brings the scene to life.

Designed specifically for standard 25 mm (1 inch) miniature bases, the model cleanly accepts most common tabletop minis without modification. The layered layout creates strong visual depth while remaining easy to print, assemble, and customize.

This model is ideal as a character tribute, campaign keepsake, or gaming-room display piece, especially when paired with an acrylic shadowbox or display case.

Painting Guide (Dungeon Stone & Details)

Starting Point – Raw Print

Print the model in grey filament (light to medium grey works best).

• No primer required

• Layer lines help the wash settle naturally

• Ideal for display pieces that won’t be frequently handled

Wash – Establishing Depth

Apply a dark wash directly over the bare print.

Recommended wash colors:

• Black wash

• Dark brown wash – Burnt Umber

• Black + brown mix for warmer stone

Steps:

1. Flood the stone surfaces and let the wash flow into cracks

2. Wick away excess pooling with a clean brush or paper towel

3. Don’t worry if it looks messy at first—this step does most of the work

4. Allow to dry fully (20–30 minutes).

Dry Brush – Stone Highlights

Dry brushing brings the dungeon texture to life.

Steps:

1. Use a light grey or off-white paint

2. Load brush and wipe most paint off

3. Lightly brush across raised stone edges

Optional:

• Second dry brush with an even lighter tone for extra contrast

• A light matte clear coat can be applied if desired but is not required for display use.

• To add realism, lightly glaze or stipple small areas with a mossy green, warm brown or a subtle tan. Keep this very restrained—the LEDs will provide most of the visual interest.

Detail Painting

Paint any remaining elements:

• Pedestal accents

• Miniature base

• Ruin edges or trim

• Avoid overly bright colors so the lighting remains the focal point.

Final Touches

This is where you make the model your own. I've added some moss (coarse turf) and rubble (grey/brown ballast) anchored in place with some watered down mod-podge. These can all be purchased at you rlocal hobby store in the model train area. If you have questions on how to spice up your diorama, check out Boylei Hobby Time on Youtube.

LED Wiring Guide – Solid LEDs

This model supports two lighting zones using amber LEDs for a magical, torchlit feel. This wiring setup is beginner-friendly and requires only basic soldering skills.

Components Used

• 1× 5 mm amber LED – D20 pedestal

• 2× 3 mm amber LEDs – background wall

• 3×AA battery holder

• Toggle switch

• Appropriate resistors – 220 and 470 ohm

• Hookup wire (22–26 AWG)

• Heat shrink or electrical tape to isolate connections

• Hot glue or clear epoxy

LED Placement

The 5 mm LED for the D20 pedestal light. Use a 220 ohm resistor for current limiting (assuming amber LED). The two 3 mm LEDs for the rear wall channels. Use a 470 ohm resistor for current limiting (assuming amber LED).

Ensure the correct polarity:

Long leg = positive (+)

Short leg = negative (–)

Wiring Layout

All LEDs are wired in parallel, powered by the 3×AA battery pack, with the toggle switch inline on the positive lead. Use heat shrink or electrical tape to isolate connections.

Wiring flow:

• Battery (+) → Toggle Switch → Resistor → LED (+). Wire all LEDs in parallel, not one after the other (series).

• Battery (–) → LED (–)

Test Before Final Assembly

Before securing anything:

1. Insert batteries

2. Flip the toggle switch

3. Confirm all LEDs illuminate.

4. Fix polarity or solder issues now.

LEDs can be glued in place – the openings in the model are designed for a loose fit made for some hot glue to secure the lights.

Once confirmed:

1. Heat set the brass screw inserts into the base

2. Secure LEDs with hot glue or clear epoxy. Tip: A small dab of hot glue over the LED lens helps diffuse the light and soften hotspots.

3. Tuck wiring neatly

4. Mount battery holder where appropriate using hot glue or epoxy.

5. Place the figure and D20 onto their display locations. I use a mounting wax for this so I can remove them in the future if wanted.

LED Wiring Guide – Flickering Torches

If you choose to, you can add a small MCU to flicker the torches. You can use flickering LEDs, but I've always found these to be low quality. With a MCU, you can tweak the setting however you want!

I've repeated the steps from the solid LED design, with a few changes to add the flicker.

Components Used

• 1× 5 mm amber LED – D20 pedestal

• 2× 3 mm amber LEDs – background wall

• 3×AA battery holder

• Toggle switch

• ATTiny85 and (maybe) a socket for the chip

• Small piece of perfboard/PCB

• Appropriate resistors – 220 and 470 ohm

• Hookup wire (22–26 AWG)

• Heat shrink or electrical tape to isolate connections

• Hot glue or clear epoxy

LED Placement

The 5 mm LED for the D20 pedestal light. Use a 220 ohm resistor for current limiting (assuming amber LED). The two 3 mm LEDs for the rear wall channels. Use a 470 ohm
resistor for current limiting (assuming amber LED).

Wiring Layout

The 2 torch LEDs are wired through the ATTiny, in a current sink topology. Everything is powered by the 3×AA battery pack, with the toggle switch inline on the positive lead. Use heat shrink or electrical tape to isolate connections.

Pins 5 and 6 are the PWM pins for the ATTiny. Use a perfboard to connect the wires in the schematic shown below. Note the d20 LED will not flicker. It only glows.

Coding the ATTiny85

There’s come example code attached to this print. I will leave the actually flashing of the chip for you to ChatGPT your way through if you’re not familiar with the process. I use an Arduino Uno as a programmer, with DrAZZY’s core for the ATTiny.

Test Before Final Assembly

Before securing anything:

1. Insert batteries

2. Flip the toggle switch

3. Confirm all LEDs illuminate and that the flicker works as expected.

4. Fix polarity or solder issues now.

Final Assembly

LEDs can be glued in place – the openings in the model are designed for a loose fit made for some hot glue to secure the lights.

Once confirmed:

1. Heat set the brass screw inserts into the base

2. Secure LEDs with hot glue or clear epoxy. Tip: A small dab of hot glue over the LED lens helps diffuse the light and soften hotspots.

3. Find a good place to stash the perfboard and

4. Tuck wiring neatly

5. Mount battery holder and PCB where appropriate using hot glue or epoxy.

6. Place the figure and D20 onto their display locations. I use a mounting wax for this so I can remove them in the future if wanted.

Customizing:

You can extrude out a well for an acrylic shadowbox. I used a 6"x4"x6" case from collecting warehouse (https://www.collectingwarehouse.com/Acrylic-Box-Case-with-No-Base-6-x-4-x-6). Note: these are custom made, so each one has slightly different external dimensions. I've left some room in the model for you to add a slot for this to slide into.

There is ample room on the battery compartment to add some test if using multimaterial. Great addition for a keepsake.

The card holder and LEDs are optional. They're included in the diorama via a negative part in the slicer. Simple delete these negative parts to remove them.