Take A Look At The DUERGAR From SCAG

The D&D Extra Life campaign just passed $90,000 -- which means another preview from Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (which released last week in preferred stores, and will be available everywhere else from November 3rd). This time, we get a look at the Duergar entry! If they hit $100K, we get to see the hi-res labeled map of the northwest portion of Faerün, from Amn to Icewind Dale and the Moonshae Isles to the Dalelands.

Previous previews include the Preface, Contents Page, Greenflame Blade cantrip, and Urban Bounty Hunter, and the Mastermind, a new rogue archetype.

More on Extra Life here.

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[Kramodlog]

Hasn't that always been the duergar creation story?

Not in 1e's MMII, where they made their first appearance. Not in 2e's in the Complete Book of Dwarfs. It discribes them as being driven deeper underground because they worshipped an evil god. Illithid enslavement comes later, not sure when. It isn't in 3.5's psionic handbook. It is probably done to lazily explain their psionic abilities and their evilness.

 

[pukunui]

[MENTION=55961]goldomark[/MENTION]: As I mentioned above, it is in the 3e FRCS, so it might just be an FR thing.

 

[TerraDave]

Goldomark beat me to it.

In MMII they are evil psionic dwarves. No mention of mindflayers.

Mindflayer enslavement is an explicit and major part of the original backstory for both "Gith" races. It does seem kind of lamezy to use the same backstory for duergar.

 

[pukunui]

Here's what it says on page 11 of the FRCS: "Long ago, mind flayers conquered the strongholds of clan Duergar of the dwarven kingdom of Shanatar. After generations of enslavement and cruel experimentation at the hands of the illithids, the duergar rose against their masters and regained their freedom. They emerged as a new subrace of dwarf with limited mental powers."

Mindflayer enslavement is an explicit and major part of the original backstory for both "Gith" races. It does seem kind of lamezy to use the same backstory for duergar.

Why? Why can't the mind flayers have enslaved more than one race?

 

[TerraDave]

Here's what it says on page 11 of the FRCS: "Long ago, mind flayers conquered the strongholds of clan Duergar of the dwarven kingdom of Shanatar. After generations of enslavement and cruel experimentation at the hands of the illithids, the duergar rose against their masters and regained their freedom. They emerged as a new subrace of dwarf with limited mental powers."

Why? Why can't the mind flayers have enslaved more than one race?

Its basically the same background. Its not just both where enslaved, its that the idea was developed for one race, as a key concept for that race, then recycled for the other retroactively. Just because.

The original Githyanki write up does mention that the enslaved humans where used as a food source (for their brains!). At least thats one distinction. Dwarf brains must not taste very good.

 

[pukunui]

Meh. Doesn't really bother me.

 

[Celtavian]

[MENTION=55961]goldomark[/MENTION]: As I mentioned above, it is in the 3e FRCS, so it might just be an FR thing.

Yep. Part of the retrofit of the Mind Flayer empire that existed in ancient times.

 

[Kramodlog]

Why? Why can't the mind flayers have enslaved more than one race?

It isn't that they can't, its that it isn't very original. It is basically a copy/paste of the Gith's background. And this addition to their background wasn't necessary. Duergars already had their schtick. They were the evil psionic dwarfs. No need to tigh them to Illithids. If someone felt Duergars absolutely needed a change in background, I wonder why they didn't put more thought into it.

 

[gyor]

I'd point out the Derro were also Dwarves enslaved by the Illthids. But things progressed farther, they're not dwarves anymore,were as the Duergar are still dwarves, for all they're flaws, and can choose goodness, the Derro don't have a choice unless given one by a wish spell.

The Gith were food, the Duargar workers, and the the Derro and Grimlocks simply horrifying experiments.

 

[sstacks]

I was confused at first, but then I realized that the illustration actually depicts a gold dwarf. Good stuff!

No, no, those are the post-Sundering, post-Out of the Abyss Duergar. They've gone blingy.