Inajira's entry in Roots of Evil

[Mephisto of the FoS]

So, I have been searching the past few days for STL files usable for Ravenloft and found a "coyote necromancer" tat could be used for Inajira. The specific miniature comes also in 54mm so I 've been thinking of using it in the far future for Inajira's entrance in Roots of Evil. The picture made by Stephen Fabian shows him as a gigantic humanoid with a coyote head emerging from mist or smoke. My question is has anyone used that picture and how did you explain the arcanaloth's massive size? Is it just something that occurred in a flick of an eye? Has the fiend cast an illusion or enlarge spell on himself? What is/was your take on this?

[alhoon]

Arcanoloths are not massive sized, I think. They are medium creatures.

[Mephisto of the FoS]

Arcanoloths are not massive sized, I think. They are medium creatures.

Yes they are M size that's why I am asking. How did you use that illustration?

[KingCorn]

Never really used him before (haven't really played, more of a settings nerd), but how he uses it would depend on how you want to play up his ability to warp the Mists. Cause while he has no land-based powers thanks to his efforts not to get bound to the mists, he still has some ability to warp his Reality Wrinkle.
So if you want to play up his fiendish magic, most likely its just him making illusions (illusions even greater than the Fraternities just to show them who's boss). This showcases him as an ancient being with a better grasp of arcane knowledge than anyone in the world, and demonstrates the Yugoloth traits of bluffing. Yugoloths are knowtorious for there using rumors and assumption of power for manipulation.
But if you want to play up his inherent wrongness, then maybe he really is changing his size. He is demonstrating to those who think they understand the mists just how out of their depth they are by using his reality wrinkle to manipulate space itself. He manipulates the mists to be a giant jackleman monster, walks up menacingly like he's gonna crush you...then just shrinks down to his normal self. Why? To show you that he can.

[Mephisto of the FoS]

Cause while he has no land-based powers thanks to his efforts not to get bound to the mists, he still has some ability to warp his Reality Wrinkle...
He is demonstrating to those who think they understand the mists just how out of their depth they are by using his reality wrinkle to manipulate space itself. He manipulates the mists to be a giant jackleman monster, walks up menacingly like he's gonna crush you

Well the scene I m referring to occurs during the Grand Conjunction in Prime Material Barovia, so there are no Mists and no reality wrinkle.

...then just shrinks down to his normal self. Why? To show you that he can.

But this answers my question on what your take would be on this.

[alhoon]

While I have not paid much thought to it, I will agree that "he shows up as huge and then turns to medium, to establish some boundaries and flex his muscles so that there are no 'misunderstandings' " sounds good to me.
Personally, in Roots of Evil I think I went with "he was medium all along". If I had to use him as huge, I would call it an illusion.

I don't remember how Roots of Evil played out, it has been about 15 years that I played that, perhaps closer to 20. I remember that my players were not tempted by him nor they were particularly impressed. Unless I remember wrong... I should have gone with what KingCorn suggested. Size matters.