361686-Sample.Pdf

Sample file Drider of the Underworld

Credits Contents Designer: Thilo Graf Drider of the Underworld 2 Editors: Jonathan G. Nelson, Tim Hibbetts Drider Traits 3 Graphic Designers: Justin Andrew Mason, Arach’tsala 5 Jensen Toperzer The Failed 6 Publisher: Jonathan G. Nelson Drider Feats 7 Cover Artist: Helge C. Balzer Blood Web Luthier 9 Interior Artists: Helge C. Balzer, Drider Monsters 10 Mates Laurentiu, Dean Spencer, Foot Soldiers of the Failed 10 Bryan Syme, Quico Vicens Drow Failed-Wrangler 13 Layout: Thomas Baumbach New Spells 15 Mrokatar 16

Special Thanks to Tim Hibbetts, for inspiring quite a few of the concepts herein.

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COPYRIGHT NOTICE including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, Open Game License v 1.0a, © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; . designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product SampleIdentity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content file Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) Drider of the Underworld © 2021, AAW Games LLC; Thilo Graf “Trademark” means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity. used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated Rise of the Drow Collector’s Edition © 2020, AAW Games; Thomas Baumbach, products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) 8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content Thilo Graf, Joshua Gullion, Jonathan G. Nelson, Stephen Yeardley. “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content. Occult Secrets of the Underworld © 2018, AAW Games, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game LLC; Thilo Graf and Jonathan G. Nelson. Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement. 9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may Underworld Races and Classes © 2017 AAW Games 2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized LLC; Designers: Thilo Graf and Mike Myler a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game End of License and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License. Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions 10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License. with every copy of the Open Game Content You distribute. Why is that? We do share the bodies of eight-legged magnificence as well as our dridric physiognomy. A big of the word, I know. I hope your feeble brain can process it. Drider Underworld But I digress. Was it my slaves’ faceted eyes that made Fear. I sense fear, and thus, wisdom, a modicum of them inadequate as triggers for your base desires? Their intellect behind those eyes desperate for the scourge slavering mandibles? The expression of abject pain and of light. I see your eyes, and the thoughts behind terror in their distorted faces? And yet, you call my them, dangling fat and rife like a fly, twitching magnificent form and them by the same appellation. nervously. You stare at me, Upperworlder, at the divinely exalted splendor of my form, and you shake You are pleasing on the eyes, Upperworlder. It in the carrion you wear on your feet. You obviously has been my decision to educate you while my understand the language of your superiors, and battle-slaves feast. Thereafter… we shall see. your spasmodic quivering amuses me—pray, do tell me, is it fear, poison, or both? It doesn’t matter.

I am what you ignorant Upperworlders call a drider, a being oftentimes besmirched by the word associated with surface-cattle, by being called “tauric”—strike this slur from your tongues, or I’ll gladly divest you of them. Painfully. We are dridric, the original form, as ordained by Our Queen of Poison and Shadow, blessed be her sacred name—and all other such creatures are but paltry imitations of our divinely-perfected shapes. You will not speak Her name aloud, not even think it, not ever again. I will know if you do. You will never call us by your disgusting Upperworlder appellation again and thus besmirch a form mirroring Her divine splendor. Have. You. Understood? Good.

Indubitably, you have noticed the perfection of my divinely-ordained form, mirroring Hers. Oh, how cute. Don’t deny it, Upperworlder. I have seen your ogling gaze while we fought, speaking of desire blended with revulsion and fear. You can’t fail to see the form of my torso, so akin to that of the unexalted drow. And yet, you have not bestowed the sameSample glances upon my battle-slaves. file

2 Dridric Predators Drider Names Unearthly grace, an intrinsic fear of our arachnid Some of my sisters choose to retain their old drow names, while bodies—we appear at once captivating and revolting others take on epithets that exult the glory of Our Queen, feared to many other races, our arachnid bodies massive in be Her name. Those dregs over there? “Cattle”, “slave”, or “you, bulk, yet agile and quick. Our humanoid torsos adhere scum” are the usual ways to call them, though some do elect to to proportions you expect from the drow, and yet, we grant them unique nicknames out of some weak sentimentality. strike you as more dangerous—because we are. Look That fine fellow hunched over your ally over there? Well, at me and tell me that you do not see transcendence. you can see why his mistress calls him “Svirf-Sucker”… We can navigate the caverns with the same ease as the grotesque forests of your blazing hellhole of a surface —Rhyshandra of the Bloody Webs, world. Oh, now, don’t be surprised. Of course, I’ve been legendary arach’tsala Blood Weaver up there. And of course, you haven’t heard. We leave no trace of our presence. And our incursions? So easy to blame on the arachnids that live in your twisted woods. But this is where your simplistic concepts fail you, Drider Traits Upperworlder. The myth, that wretched lie perpetuated by Your drider character has a variety of natural surface elves, that the dridric form is a punishment—it’s abilities, the result of a divine mandate and countless a half-truth befitting of the slyest poisoner of words. Look years of willing service or brutal slavery. at my battle-slaves—they are “The Failed”—they have stood before Our Queen, blessed be Her venom, and were Ability Score Increases. Your Constitution found wanting. Do I look “failed” to you? My perfect skin, score increases by 2. my curves seamlessly blending flesh and chitin, its black gleaming like a perfect onyx on a subterranean shore? Age. Drider are unnatural creatures, created by divine judgment and whims. Only adult drow are A Divided Race sent before their Queen of Poison and Shadow, but once transformed into drider form, they theoretically Oh, but there is more to us than meets your feeble eye. You live forever. Most drider fall in combat, though thought that drow are long-lived due to their elven blood? there are myths of a few of them being exalted Drow lives can be but the blink of an eye for a drider. We by their deity, ascending to a different form. live for as long as Our Queen sees fit to have us retain our mortal coil, perpetually unchanging, forever young Alignment. Drider tend to be just as backbiting, and resplendent. I see comprehension dawning. Yes, for malicious and elitist as the drow society from which all you know I might have already existed in this very they hail. However, transformation into drider shape form when even the remotest of your ape-like ancestors also seems to include a compulsion to obey orders. saw fit to scratch the muck from their primitive brows. I Drider are often chaotic and evil, but there also are might have killed your ancestors in battle millennia ago, many who take to their conditioning and transformation with these very same hands that have just crushed your with zealous glee, becoming sternly lawful in their allies. I am what is properly called “arach’tsala”—in your adherence to the capricious orders of their mistresses. disgusting, guttural tongue this means Handmaiden of Darkness. I am drider, yes, but I am not one of Size. A drider’s drow torso tends to be around these slobbering slaves. I am exalted, not Failed. 3 feet tall. The entire drider is between 6–7 feet tall while in their regular stance.

Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet. Ageless. You are immune to effects that alter or change Sampleyour physical age while you servefile your deity. This deity need not be the one who turned you into a drider. 3