I think the prep work is reasonably lateral. The vert color technique would allow much more freedom, more irregularities. The other approaches will generate a uniform thickness. I would anticipate impurities from hand painted strokes to become more noticeable when clamping values, especially with something ornate in mind.
I'd put my money on something related to Unreal Tournament, but hopefully whatever it is allows enough freedom to let people be unique with their creations.
LOL I took some "artistic freedom" with the backside. I found the references to be boring. Thanks for the background on Beholders/TSR/Wizards and the compliment!