#derro

[oldschoolfrp]

The party encounters ogres, duergar, and derro at "The Chasm Bridge" deep in the Underdark (Roger Raupp art for Desmond P Varady's AD&D adventure in a special Dungeon adventure section of Dragon magazine 131, March 1988)

[quasar-kaiser]

So you know how 50% of the Underdark races in dnd are "they are a joyless people who do not do anything for fun ever"? What if that's just a stereotype from the surface

You know how a lot of the western world says Russians never smile? I feel like the Underdark has a similar situation, where smiling for no reason is seen as rude and non-professional, almost mocking - and as a result the surface, where smiling is polite, thinks they must be joyless and depressed

(worldbuilding rant incoming)

While duergar may not put as much elaborate unnecessary detail in their craft as surface dwarves they find enjoyment in it nonetheless, perhaps their art is less in the making of the weapons and more in the use of the weapons. Maybe they have duels as an art form! The sheer skill of their craft is the art.

And I cannot stress enough. They know what happiness is. Their society is just built on rational thinking over emotion.

(also I can absolutely see them practice something similar to traditional chinese fire dances - I don't know what they're called but they're cool)

Where svirfneblin may be a lot shyer, they certainly haven't lost their gnomish whimsy, though communicate this in more subtle ways because survival is a higher priority. Surface gnomes think of them as pessimistic/cynical/depressed but in reality they're just more realistic and grounded, and y'know. not super trusting of strangers.

They're introverts who do think community is very important for them and they find strengthening bonds with leisure vital for their social ecosystem. It's just that they have internal adhd, not external adhd (they'd rather have game nights than dance nights). And art IS important to them. Just less so than surface gnomes because. well. survival.

Also deep gnome males aren't all bald. Some are, sure, but mostly those who often leave their settlements for trade or other reasons actually shave their hair off! Gender does not matter and you'll probably find a lot of bald female gnomes too. This is because their bald head can more easily sense changes in the air currents around them, and it therefore allows them to react quicker in the face of unseen danger. It's something these guys have learned can be the difference between life and death.

But that's why the surface folk, and even the majority of the underdark races who aren't gnomes, just think svirfneblin are bald

I'd add something about the drow but tbh their society is REALLY fleshed out so I don't have much to add. ... and also as fascinating as they are, I'm honestly also just more interested in the other societies of the underdark

Derro just don't have any concept of social cues. At all. They're all wildly autistic. Their culture also involves a lot of substance usage, and that combined with their many quirks gives them the insane reputation they currently have. Sure they don't trust anybody but one of their own (due to the whole being left behind as mind flayer slaves thing) but while there are derro groups out there who absolutely take a lot of pride in killing as much as they possibly can, those are extremists and shouldn't be used to judge Derro society as a whole. They're a paranoid people, and the prejudice against them honestly only makes them worse and behave more extreme.

It's a similar situation for Kuo-toa. Their appearance is weird, their culture is weird, so they must be insane, right? Yeah no they're just different. Other races can't really keep up with them, so they're branded as crazy. Of course they also worship gods that the others don't know, saying the fishfolk invented the gods themselves, but I personally think gods will start to exist when they have people who worship them. Therefore, technically, almost everybody has invented their gods themselves. It's just that the Kuo-toa god doesn't align with their known pantheon and people are afraid of what they don't know and label it insane.

(also personally I headcanon the Kuo-toans as one of the not evil races of the underdark cause come on man we have enough slavers. can we please have chill stoner fish instead)

Illithid culture is probably the one society that lines up most with their stereotype. They're a cruel people, as they actually can taste the emotions and think of them as... a good seasoning, I suppose. Not to mention they absolutely believe they are the superior people, and everybody else is a threat, a thrall, a meal, or a future illithid.

The reason this is the case is the Elder Brain. Mind flayer society isn't a true hivemind, the elder brain doesn't think for them and they're their own person, it's just that each and every one has been indoctrinated into this line of thinking from birth as it is vital for the Elder Brain's survival. Illithids are a brainwashed cult worshipping their Elder Brain like a god. The Brain can psionically control its subjects to a degree, but much rather has them already do whatever it wants without having to force them. It does absolutely directly control them when it feels it's necessary, though.

Illithids do truly think they're doing the right thing by changing the races around them into one of their own, they think it is a kindness, a gift, a blessing to lift the primitive humanoids into the advanced and obviously superior psionic society of the illithid.

But, if a mind flayer breaks away from its Elder Brain for any reason, they have the potential to start seeing that their worldview is fundamentally flawed. They don't have much of a capacity for natural empathy, but if they want to, they can learn how to mimic it. An illithid could potentially become a very kind person if given the chance to.

... Though, if you see a mind flayer - probably best to not let your guard down regardless. Unfortunately the kind ones are very much the exception.

(disclaimer: I have not gotten through the entirety of bg3 and have no knowledge on what illithids are like there. maybe this entire section will change if I ever finish the game, who knows? Don't spoil anything though please thanks)

[desertdruidcrafts]

A new derro variant and the rest of the MM drow redrawn at last.

[dailycharacteroption]

Retrograde Revision 6: Black-Blooded Oracle

(art by lordstevie1 on DeviantArt)

Gaining power from a corrupting source is a long-running trope in fiction, particularly anime, but it’s actually somewhat uncommon in ttrpgs except as a flavor and fluff thing.

Today’s subject is a bit of an exception in that while it is mostly fluff in how it affects the character, being up to the GM and player in how that affects their character arc, there are mechanical changes as well.

And that’s where we begin talking about the Black Blood of Orv. Welling up from the Orvian vault known as the Well of Black Blood (as well as a rare few cases where it reaches the surface, mostly in the icy Crown of the World. This goopy black substance saps the heat from most life forms, but aberrant creatures are seemingly immune, and the undead are often empowered by it.

While the exact origin and purpose of the black blood is not known as of yet, it’s taint can be felt, lingering in the lineage of those exposed for generations, only to manifest later in those that have the potential for magic in their blood. Alternatively, those already possessing the spark might be surprised to find the blood seeks them out when they get close enough, absorbing and changing them as well.

This implies that the black blood is or at least behaves as if it were alive, and seeks out magical hosts, though it is unclear for what purpose.

In divine casters, this typically manifests as oracles who are marked by the black blood, still gaining their power from the divine, but with the foul substance twisting it’s nature slightly. Is it a parasite leeching off of magical and divine energy, or some sort of symbiote empowering the host to better spread itself? Who can say.

What can be said is that these mystics sports some unnerving powers they can leverage in and out of combat, but which make themselves feel unnatural to others.

While the oracle retains their mystery, all marked by the black blood manifest the same curse, which is the taint of the black blood itself. With it, their bodies respond to positive and negative energy as if undead, limiting how they can heal themselves. Furthermore, their lower body temperature makes them somewhat clumsy with tasks that require fine motor skills. In exchange however, they are totally immune to the black blood itself, and also gain a natural resistance to cold that grows with them until finally they become totally immune.

They also get a trio of new revelations they can choose to take, the first one causing them to reflexively spray black blood when wounded with a cutting or piercing weapon, coating either the attacker or another nearby foe with the icy blood as it saps the life from them.

Another allows them to draw upon the power of the black blood to potentially resist various debilitating effects that the undead are normally immune to.

Finally, some become adapted to the dark, their eyes able to see in the darkness.

Ultimately, this archetype is a fairly simple one, replacing the curse and giving a short list of revelations you might consider incorporating into your build. The curse will alter how you play the character though, requiring positive-aligned oracles to also take inflict spells to be able to heal themselves, mirroring the challenges often faced by dhampir and the like.

How these characters deal with the taint of the black blood can vary a lot, and in turn help define their character. Do they worry about the split influence between the divine and this substance? Do they come to think of it as also divine as well?

Not all black blood is cold. The tribal Chokeburners are a clan ruled by fire oracles that bathe daily in the tainted sludge of the tar pits, said to be the black blood of Cuvas Gurrut, demon lord of volcanoes. Their demands for virgin sacrifices to their foul god are often met by raids on neighboring tribes, as their mastery of poison, fire, and smoke are feared just as much as the threats of their god’s wrath.

There is one tower of the royal palace of Alfiin, land of the elves, that remains under constant guard, with only blind servants being allowed inside. No one will say why this is, but certain heretical accounts refer to the king having a daughter who was never seen again after she began weeping black tears at her mother’s funeral procession.

The underground caravan of Deeptrek was once famous for being a place where outcasts from various cultures could come together in peace. Sane Derro, lazy duergar, and even drow whom believe in gender equality and kindness. However, that was a long time ago. One of these wicked societies called to their foul gods to smite this wandering symbol of hope in the dark, drowning them in a flood of black blood. Now the caravan still wanders as an horde of black-stained undead, as well as the shepherds of this flock, a collection of dark-blooded oracles changed by the flood.

[rowan-of-waterdeep]

Daily Wyll!

Wyll: What's wrong – is the plant getting to you? You look sicker than a drunk derro.

About Derros

So this line threw me for a SIX the first time I heard it, because "derro" is NOT a nice word in Australia.

... And then I read the lore on derros in Forgotten Realms, and was like:

Chidi: Okay, but that's worse. I mean, you, you get how that's worse, right?

According to the duergar, the derro are descended from dwarves of a clan that was left behind when the others escaped the mind flayers' rule. They eventually also got away, but not before becoming demented and contorted. The derro tell their own story of flight and survival in the Underdark, and the mind flayers aren't always the enemy. Laduguer and Deep Duerra don't feature in their mythic history. Instead they tell of two brothers, Diirinka and Diinkarazan, and of how Diirinka cleverly betrayed his sibling so that he could steal magical power from the evil they escaped.

Derro

Eye-watering levels of ableism aside (🤯), Wyll's reference to sicker than a drunk derro might refer to the effects of alcohol on duergar, and how it makes them dream of their ancestors' captivity by mind flayers.

[twilightofthesandwiches]

Which Edition of D&D had the best design/artwork of a Derro?

First Edition

Second Edition

Third Edition

Fourth Edition

Fifth Edition

Voting ended onMar 15

[baldursgateconceptart]

Derro and Duergar

Art for Monstrous Manual 2e

Art by Jeff Butler

[miss-dhalgren]

Visibility-Minded Cave Delver.