Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Messageboard Golem" data-source="post: 2010479" data-attributes="member: 18387">When it comes to roleplaying, it is often best to keep things simple. The Slayer's Guide series from Mongoose Publishing exemplifies this perfectly. Each of these 32 page booklets covers the physiology, psychology, habitat and society of a specific monstrous race from the d20 game material. This simple approach has creates a series of crisp and clearly written books, each of which gives players and game masters alike, an insight into the lives and motives of a variety of monstrous creatures and it is little wonder that the Slayer's Guides have been a successful and long running series. The Slayer's Guide to Derro turns the spot light on that underground menace, the Derro.Few campaigns that have ventured into the underground caverns or the vastness of the underdark have not encountered the Derro. These degenerate dwarves, with the pale complexions, a strong aversion to sunlight and terribly malicious attitude toward other creatures, and even their own people, have hounded, killed and slaughtered adventurers for years, throughout the many incarnation of the Dungeons and Dragons game. The slayer's guide to Derro does not re-invent these creatures but instead clearly outlines their many nuances and adds depth to their culture and society.The first chapter of the book, Derro Physiology, starts by describing the appearance of the Derro, with specifics for the male and female of the species and a few theories as to the origins of these dwarven variants, including the traditional human-dwarf crossbreeding that the Derro are themselves supposed to believe. The chapter moves onto such niceties as the Derro's diet and their life cycle with specific attention to the survival of the young in a society made up of totally selfish creatures that will not give the time of day to those that they consider weaker or inferior to them in anyway. The chapter than introduces two Derro variants or genetic aberrations, the Sun-bravers (able to withstand the light for a time) and shade-stalkers (with senses that make them more attuned to their environment in total darkness). These variants are not templates or separate races but instead outlined at Feats. There is the suggestion that the Derro as a whole are beginning to evolve beyond their allergy to sunlight. Finally, the chapter completes with a description of Derro psychology.Habitat, the second chapter, outlines how the Derro live and the Derro view f the world as being composed of the overearth (above ground) and the underdeeps (or underdark). The Derro are described as too weak to hold their own in either world and instead settling in the caves and abandoned mines that connect these two worlds, hoping to one day take both at their own domain. There is a description of Derro settlements and the chapter finishes by describing how the Derro go about moving their settlements when circumstances demand it. Derro Society describes the rigidly levelled society of the Derro, starting at the top with the Savants and the Sava council and moving on down through privileged sun-bravers and shade-stalkers, through the clerical persecutors with their masks, to the taskmasters that control the slaves, into the ill-considers works and warriors that make up the mass of each clan and finally the children, the women, the lame and slaves that are barely considered a part of the clan at all. There are descriptions of Derro technology, their approach to farming and slaves, discussion of their religion and their relation with other races.Methods of Warfare describes the approach the generally physically weaker Derro take to combat and describes the role of their Martial Leader, the Mandare in matters of warfare. The chapter introduces new poison, equipment and weapons for the wary Derro warrior to carry with him into the shadows and the laws that govern the sharing of spoils after war. The next chapter, Roleplaying with Derro provides a number of tips on introducing Derro and fleshing out their character during the game and than provides three Derro prestige classes, the Persecutors (The clerics of the Derro), the Savants (their wizards and leaders) and the Taskmasters that use whip and minor magics to keep the Derro slaves in line. The prestige classes are all well written and perfectly balanced and will make encounters with the Derro more dangerous and challenging. The chapter finishes with a selection of spells, all perfectly balanced and well written and all easily incorporated into the game without any effort at all. Scenario Hooks and Ideas outlines some story seeds for GMs interested in using Derro in their games. Finnus's Mine details a whole clan and their Mandare leader in full with guidelines and history for using the clan in any standard game world. Finally, the Derro Reference list outlines some basic stats for easy use during game when encountering average Derro.This book is short and well paced with a great deal of information crammed into an easy, convenient and relatively cheap book. Quickly perusing the pages stirs any number of ideas for Derro orientated adventures and will give a Game Master everything he needs to make the Derro more than a faceless menace for his players. The rules additions are all completely balanced and easily incorporated into the game and the background manages to be rich and detailed without contradicting any of the preconceptions the Game Master might have about how he wants his Derro to be. This is a well devised book that will slip seamlessly into any game where Derro are to be encountered in all their selfish and devious colours. . . a must purchase for any Game Master wanting to introduce Derro as a major adversary into his game.</blockquote>

Verification