Modern Fantasy: Anti-Magic S.W.A.T.
Heya there! I'm Kahlil , I've recently graduated from CG Spectrum's Concept Art and Illustration Course. I intended the Anti-Mage SWAT to be one of my main portfolio projects for job applications. I will still add more pieces to this project in the future because i have so much more to show.
Welcome to the Modern Fantasy. A world where all your favorite fantasy tropes have been given new life, leaving the Medieval Age behind and entering the Modern Era.
For this project, we follow the stories of the Anti-Magic S.W.A.T. as they tackle new and dynamic threats as powerful mages find themselves entwined in criminal society. In the old era, military mages could level battlefields, and now they are just as threatening in the modern day. When the regular police are overwhelmed and are unable to deal with the dangerous threat of magecraft, the Anti-Magic S.W.A.T. Team is deployed to level the playing field.
CHARACTERS
For the Dwarf Anti-Magic S.W.A.T Captain Stonecuttyr, I designed him to look heavily armored, heavy, stout and slow (much like your standard fantasy Dwarf). I also took into consideration other things he might need as an operator like the magazine pouches for his modified M249, glowsticks, pouches for his deployable gas, a dump pouch, an AFAK (Advanced First Aid Kid), zip-ties, a tac watch, and a Five-Seven sidearm.
The helmet was a unique problem and solution in this design. I wanted him to look like a Dwarf even when fully armored. He had to have a gas mask since gas grenades are an integral part of his kit. And lastly as a dwarf he has to have a beard. To solve all of this I designed a helmet with a gasmask that can house his beard and also looks like a beard from the outside. Ultimately I chose a simple beard guard shape with removable gas mask filters. I also placed a cut in the neck guard so he can easily articulate his head and look left and right. Additionally a placed a helmet mounted dual flashlight system and standard helmet mounted earpro with a helmet mounted radio system.
The most unique part of his basic design would be his beard bedazzling. I designed it to look like medals and commendations or even class rings to be worn as beard jewelry instead of patches and pins. That fits the dwarf aesthetic quite well alongside the modern timeline.
Props
The ballistic shield was designed with actual functionality in mind, it has and adjustable swivel based handle alongside a velcro mounted arm pad. The system also includes a wiring system for a push-button frontal strobe and a bulletproof viewing window for situational awareness . It also features 4 ambidextrous gun rests for mounted stability at any engagement angle. Furthermore its curved wings gives the user more impact dispersal and improved protection.
The gun and grenade design are highly dependent on the new element I would like to introduce to this world called Nullstone. A material created by quickly and forcefully depleting a magic filled Mage stone (which occurs in the world naturally). The idea is to create something akin to the real world depleted uranium round, where the Nullstone bullets and powder has the additional advantage of interfering with the mages ability to use magic.
The gun itself is a fantasy version of a stubby M249 chambered in 12GA which is so absurd and unwieldy that only a Dwarf could use it. The gas grenade is also modeled after a real life CS gas grenade with a rune carved into it which blasts the contents of the grenade out with a magical wind.
Vehicles
The Hippo and The Turtle are armored personnel vehicles designed to fit our various fantasy races. Like Dwarf seating, a Harpee nest on top and regular infantry seating. The Turtle is unique in its ability to shut its front armor to perform ramming maneuvers on weak walls, it features an outside camera to allow the driver to still see during turtle mode. It also has retractable stairs from the inner compartment allowing operators to use the appropriately angled front armor as a ramp to access areas from the second floor.
Environments
Being a part of the Anti-Magic S.W.A.T comes with certain perks. Capt. Stoncuttyr's private barracks is built into the basement of the S.W.A.T headquarters. It features all the amenities for comfortable living while being on call for the job. Additionally it has a rapid ascent elevator to facilitate speedy deployment during times of emergency. Lastly, it features a tiny hidden room allowing the Capt to store his prized possessions like his family heirloom, the ancestral Dwarven war hammer.
I designed the space to feel like a video game home base where you can interact with the stations that have a blue light which lets you customize your weapons, switch armor, look at missions, check the news or upgrade your character etc.
It being underground with an elevator was a very early part of the design, I wanted to appeal to the "underground in the mountain" feel of the dwarves so I gave it a very rough industrial look. I also thought it would be a cool visual to see the character lifted up by the elevator platform in full gear ready to go.
The Nullstone manufacturing facility is meant to resemble a magic version of the production of depleted uranium bullets, as well as enriched uranium. The idea was that magic is forcefully removed from one mage stone and forced into another, that way the empty mage stone turns into the anti magic nullstone which which would by its nature violently rip magic away from the surrounding area until it fills up with magic and becomes stable again. On the other hand, the supercharged magestone can be manufactured to be a highly potent magical explosive for magical bullets, bombs or just as a power source. This idea adds an interesting plot point of terrorists getting ahold of enriched magestone creating a high stakes bomb crisis for our swat team.
Key Moments
The powdered Nullstone in the Anti-Mage gas violently rips magic away from the bodies of the mages when inhaled. This leads to magic exhaustion presenting as simultaneous sensations extreme hunger, extreme thirst, and asphyxiation. These sensations overwhelm the mage or any individual with high internal magic levels and renders them unable to fight. Combatants who inhale the substance will typically cough violently as the body attempts to remove the substance from the lungs. The effect of this substance is temporary and non lethal. Typically the Anti-Magic S.W.A.T team members have little to no internal magic levels or have trained in deprived magic conditions allowing them to fight in the presence of Nullstone.
Many thanks to my mentor Sir Bernie Kang as well as Sir Humza Khan and all of the other folks at my school CG Spectrum. I never would have gotten here without all their feedback and support . Big cheers!
Other projects
The following are other projects i have made that are not related to the Anti-Magic S.W.A.T Team
Halloween Weapon Design
This was a Halloween themed weapon designed that I had designed for a school competition at CG spectrum. I ended up winning a few prizes from this competition thanks to this design.
The brief for this competition was to create a Halloween themed weapon design. I personally wanted to avoid any boring "stick a pumpkin on a sword" designs so i decided to go deeper into the concept and found a truly Halloween-y tradition, "TP-ing" somebody's house when they don't give candy for trick or treat. So the idea i went for was to create a toilet paper launcher with the aesthetics of what a couple of creative teens can come up with in their garage, using materials they can find in their house or in their local hardware store.
Unfortunate Catch Key Moment
A key moment i made for an assignment for CG Spectrum. The scene features a fisherman reporting an unusual catch to the local merchant, who is interested in the rumors of the strange creature.
The general theme of the thumbnails was that it had to be all "Merchant" related
Thank you for taking a look at my work!
I hope to create much more fun and interesting things into the future.Again many thanks to CG Spectrum and its community as well as my Mentor Sir Bernie Kang and sir Humza Khan.
Cheers everybody!
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