Raised Dead and Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG

Hi folks,

Last Monday our 5th Hangout session of Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG took place. Because of Real Life©, I’m more than ever running against the clock, without time for games or this blog, so running a 1-hour online game session was a blast for me (I probably gained back +3d6 Sanity).

I’m trying to run DCCRPG with a very loose and – I hope – Old School approach. The second goal is easily achievable by the rules of game alone. They’re so few (and funny) that rarely intrude in the game, making most players really pay attention to the adventure. My loose approach to this campaign is basically that we play if we get 3 players, it doesn’t matter which ones. Couldn’t come this week? If you show up for the next game you play, no fuss. Want to try only one session? Easy, here are 4 0-level players, enjoy! [Evil laugh heard in the background]

I have 4 players so far – with 2 others thinking about joining. We already got a game session with 22 characters “on screen” (between PCs and hirelings). The dynamics of running more than 1 PC are amazingly fun and I’m considering using in other games (and systems).

My players are still exploring the Chaos ruins from the Sailors on the Starless Sea. After a first attempt to breach the fallen fortress, they retreated to their home base to recover (a.k.a. Level Up). They managed to save a few prisoners, two of which became new fanatical followers (a pair of crazy ladies called Helga and Brigitte, already converted to the teachings of Azi Dahaka, Our Serpent Lord).

I wanted for the dungeon (and the game in general) to feel alive and dynamic, so I plotted what would happen during the one week and a half that the party was away from the ruins. They managed to slew quite a few beastmen, including the minotaur champion. Because of that, the Master of the Citadel was aware of them, so I decided on two plans for the bad guys: first, they raided another village to get more beastman stock; second, the Master executed a eldritch ritual to summon a “Seed of the Great Old Ones” and threw it against the party. What was this seed? A Cthulhoid aberration that was awaken from the Depths and started to dig after the party. In other words, I used the short set piece Tales of the Scarecrow, from the awesome Lamentations of the Flame Princess.

While traveling to the Chaos ruins the party found a mysterious farm, where the Seed awaited for them. After a harrowing encounter, and few deaths, the players managed to escape, taking with them two dangerous magic items (The Sword Which Is Uncertain and the creepy grimoire Malleus Deus) and a lone survivor (and unknown to the players, also a recently transformed ghoul-like creature). The group eventually learned about the survivor’s weird behavior and left him on the road (with, of course, will ensure lots of encounters in the future, as our ghoul NPC will hunt the party to get his magic sword back).

Arriving at the Chaos citadel during the sunset, the party found a new beastmen mob leaving the place to raid the region. Evading the creatures they were attacked by the ruins’ new guardian – a harpy-like monster. They put it down with lots of quarrels, but not before the hag cleaved open the party’s dwarf head. [And I wrote this entire blog entry just because of what happened next…]

Righter after combat, the party’s zealot (Chaotic cleric) of Azi Dahaka told me that he would try to raise the dwarf from the dead using a Divine Aid check. I warned him about the dangers, but he rolled anyway. The player rolled a 12 and burned all his Luck to get a 17. Then the party’s halfling burned a ton of Luck raising the check to amazing 25!

DCCRPG treats coming back from the dead as something unique – usually the plot of an entire adventure. What should I do? The idea was crazy and opened a dangerous precedent, but it was also something thrilling and fun. Besides, the players really put their resources on it. So I decided to do a raise dead they would love but eventually regret. After a gruesome ritual (the zealot PC described how he used harpy blood to channel the Powers of Chaos etc., it was awesome!), a pallid and corpse-like dwarf stood up, with a horrid scar across his jaw (the harpy took it out when she killed him). I aged the zealot prematurely (taking a few points of Strength and Stamina) and also drained a few points from the dwarf (which resulted in a funny situation… he now has Intelligence 3 and is role-played, basically, like Solomon Grundy). Finally – and without the party knowing it – I linked the life force of the zealot to the poor dwarf, just to let things more evil amusing.

Of course, in addition to all that, now our lord Azi Dahaka demands a special quest from his ambitious zealot… maybe face the dreaded People of the Pit?

P.S.: A side commentary… the zealot PC now has an accumulated disapproval range of 11 on his divine powers and the party is still at the dungeon’s door. Checking the Divine Disapproval Table I was expecting apocalyptical consequences if such player attempted any spellcasting (after all he can roll 11d4 of divine wrath). I was disappointed with the results. Most are just ‘meh’ and won’t trouble the player at all I guess. So I’m thinking to creatre a personalized Disapproval Table for my Azi Dahaka cleric (or just to create a few 20+ effects). If I can accomplish this I’ll post the table here.

On DCCRPG and Dwarves

The dwarven ability of smelling gold and gems is one of the most simple but flavor ideas for a d20 fantasy race in a long time and one of the many reasons why I think DCCRPG rocks. It’s not only original (with a mythic feeling) but totally unworried with game balance issues (like the excellent poison immunity of D&D Next dwarves; this trait does provided various interesting consequences in regard to dwarven society, from cuisine to social relations with other races… a pity it didn’t survived the “playtest”).

At my DCCRPG Hangout games, one of my players just got 2 0-level dwarves characters (a blacksmith and a stonemason). Both characters are now 1^st-level Dwarves and while the notion of playing 2 dwarven brothers is cool I wish to give my player a little variety. So, here’s idea: I want to give the “smelling gold and gems” stuff for just one of the brothers; the other will get his own unique dwarven trick. I’m looking from something equally flavorful and “system neutral”. Here’s what I cooked so far:

• Talk to Burrowing Animals and Beasts: simple and can provide ample roleplay opportunities. Maybe I should include earth elementals (although I’m afraid this could be really unbalanced… if you doubt, go read DCCRPG’s The People of the Pit).
• Smell Dweomers and Spellslingers: the dwarf can “smell” the presence of the various types of spells, incantations and cantraps. He can also “smell” the chaotic miasma usually surrounding spellslingers (the more corrupt the caster, the strongest the odor). Icon magic (i.e. clerics) doesn’t smell.
• Language of Doors and Portals: the dwarf can “talk” with doors, gates, portcullis and similar structures. This thing can either work like Tolkenian dwarves and their “secret door spells”, like a knock spell (ignoring corruption) or in a weirder fashion, where the dwarves really must talk, cajole or threaten doors and portals (a Personality or Luck check maybe).
• Lore of Weapons, Armors and Tools: this dwarf not only knows a lot about any manufactured items, identifying their basic traits, origins and crafters, but can also “talk” to them when nobody is watching. This works almost like psychometry. [Yes, if anybody is watching this ability it doesn’t work. A cruel GM can even “suppress” the racial power for a full day if the dwarf is caught on the act, “talking” with his warhammer. I don’t want dwarven PCs to craft magic items so this is as close as I’m gonna let them get to that famous archetype.]
• Water Cursed: there’s an old lineages of dwarves that is instantly turned to stone if completely submersed in water. They can only revert to normal if three drops of molten silver are poured upon them. These dwarves however are immune to thirst (but they love ale) or poisons, and can’t drown (they’re petrified!).  [OK, this one is a very radical option. I stole part of it from a dwarven subraces of an old and awesome free brazilian RPG called Vikings!, written by Tiago Quintana]

DCCRPG and The Thing From The Pit

I’m running my first Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG via Google Hangout. I became a fan of DCCRPG during their Beta open tests due to the amazing art and tone; the fact that the rules are fun and engaging is just a bonus.

DCCRPG is the perfect game for me right now, because it isn’t so “dry” as OD&D or other retroclones (my players are all “D&D 3^rd generation”) and not as complex as Pathfinder (or Fantasy Craft). The rules for 0-level PCs and the Funnel are also sadistically fun to run. It’s the kind of game that I can easily play via Hangout (Savage Worlds and FATE, for example, are better run while using physical components, like cards and chips). I supplement our online games with Roll20 and the Purple Sorcerer. Finally, the major selling point of DCCRPG are the adventures – they’re short, fun, direct to the point and very easy to adapt. For a 2-hour session I believe they represent the perfect sweet spot.

The first adventure we played through was “The Portal Under the Stars”, from the DCCRPG Rulebook. I had 3 players running 12 0-level characters. It was a blood bath, with plenty of hilarious moments and lots of tension. The PCs managed to reach the room of the demon snake, finish here, before deciding to get the hell out of there. Ah, on the way out they also managed to break the magic statue’s arm (plunder!). The high point of the adventure – for D&D 3^rd players like them – was using their dead comrades’ corpses to activate potential traps (ah… Old School gameplay, how can you not love it?). 2-hours of delving resulted in 9 deaths.

A few weeks ago, we started “Sailors of the Starless Sea”. Its events are happening one year after the Portal under the Stars. Our 3 surviving PCs (a warrior, a wizard and a halfling) recruited 12 fools from their home village and went to sack the forbidden ruins described in that module (but not before being exiled from town by the local ruling council on numerous charges, like “consorting with Chaotic forces”, “disturbance of the peace”, “illegal abandon of Guild duties”, “illegitimate conscription of lawful citizens” etc.).

And so we started “Sailors”. After surviving the vine horrors at the road, the party decided to avoid the ruined keep’s gate and went to investigate the walls. While engaged in such recon, they met with a few beastmen and their new prisoners (0-level PCs of our new player). After a fight and a few casualties, the now 19-strong company delved in the chaos fortress through a recent breach in the wall (caused in part by the group’s unsafe meddlings). Built below the wall, they found the mausoleum of one of the chaos champions, but were driven off by supernatural cold. Inside the courtyard they found the awful well of souls. At this point I took advantage of DCCRPG’s fresh approach to monsters and used Raggi’s famous Random Esoteric Creature Generator. This book is a wonderful resource for creating really weird and unexpected creatures. By following its tables I created “The Thing from the Pit”, a giant extraplanar levitating reptilian horror that inhabited the well of souls. The monster, as rolled, was pretty strong (6 HD) for a 0- and 1^st-level group, so I was expecting a general retreat after a few deaths. To my surprise, the party’s 0-level shaman managed to roll a natural 20 on his “supplication skill” check. The Thing from the Pit was so happy with this proper homage that let the party go, but not before “blessing” the fool human supplicant (I rolled the major corruption table). I’m now excited to see this 0-level PC turning into the group’s preeminent chaotic Cleric. DCCRPG Funnel rocks! We finished our third session just after the party defeated the keep’s minotaur champion and found some prisoners. After that, they decided to retreat and fight another day.

My players so far are loving the body-count aspect of DCCRPG and the radically different feel of their characters. They aren’t heroes trying to save the world or vanilla adventurers, but scoundrels looking for gold, glory and dark secrets. Most of the PCs look like brigands or mercenaries, with the remaining are heretics and dark arcanists. After all, that the party’s only wizard learned his craft from Azi Dahaka, Demon Prince of Storms and Wastelands (thanks to a certain demon snake’s magic horn from the Portal Under the Stars) and the aforementioned 0-level shaman is now “officially” blessed by the Chaotic Powers and has cloven hoofs.

Bonus stuff for you appreciation: “The Thing from the Pit”

(DCCRPG Stats)

Init -2; Atk bite +4 melee (2d6); AC 19; HD 6d6+6; MV 50’ (levitating); Act 1d20; SP infravision 60’, spikes (1d6 + 3 Agility drain); SV Fort +6, Ref -2, Will +4; AL C.

This humanoid creature is approximately 9 ft. tall, with a demonic avian horned head and striped scales (of sable and ivory-like coloration) covering its body. Its eyes are beautiful night-like pits, where strange stars and constellations can be seen.

The Thing from the Pit has retractable spines covering his entire rock-hard epidermis, which seems to be constantly drenched in ooze-like pulsating blood. Creatures attacking the Thing at close range suffer 1d6 of damage per attack from its spikes and lose 3 points of Agility from its poisonous ooze-like blood (character using spears and polearms don’t suffer damage).

The Thing from the Pit attacks preferably Lawful spirits and untainted humans. It will spare chaos spawn and servants of the Chaotic Powers, if properly placated.

(And now, just “for fun”… Pathfinder Stats)

CR 8 (4.800 XP)

Chaotic Evil Large Outsider (Demon)

Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., true seeing.; Perception +12

DEFENSE

AC 20, touch 11, flat-footed 18 (+9 natural, +2 Dex, -1 size)

HD 70 (7d10+35); regeneration 5 (holy or [Law] effects)

Fort +10, Ref +7, Will +5

Immune DR 5/adamantine

OFFENSE

Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (perfect)

Melee bite +12 (2d6+7), 2 claws +7 (1d6+2)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

Special Attack Poisonous ooze

STATISTICS

Str 21, Dex 14, Con 20, Int 9, Wis 16, Cha 7

Base Atk +7; CMB +13; CMD 25

Feats Awareness, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (bite)

Skills Intimidate +8, Fly +16, Knowledge (planes) +9, Perception +12, Sense Motive +10, Stealth +8

Languages Abyssal

Special Qualities Spikes, true seeing, susceptible to turn

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Spikes (Ex): The Thing from the Pit has numerous iron-like spikes protuberating from its body (like porcupine). Attacks using melee weapons without reach (or natural weapons) that hit the Thing also deal 1d8 points of piercing damage to the attacker (besides poisoning them, see below).

Poisonous ooze (Ex) spikes and oozing skin — contact; save Fort DC 18, frequency 1/round for 6 rounds, effect 1d4 Con, cure 2 consecutive saves.

True Seeing (Su) The Thing from the Pit constantly sees the supernal and nether realms of reality, including the petty dweomers employed by mortals.  Treat this as a constant true seeing with a caster level of 20.

Chaotic benediction (Su) The Thing from the Pit can “bless” with chaotic essence one willing Humanoid (just once per creature). The “anointed” gains a sign of the Abyss (check here, here or here) and also a random power: either a bonus feat accessible at 1-5^th levels, a universal monster ability or attack (from a CR 5 or less creature), a 1-5^rd arcane spell (1d3 times per day) or a 1-3^rd divine spells (once per day) are my suggestions.

ECOLOGY

Environment unique

Organization unique

Treasure none

DESCRIPTION

The Thing from the Pit is an emissary of the Abyss or probably the result of a botched summon or binding spell. It’s not a fully living thing or independent spirit, but just the extension of something much bigger, vaster and older – either a demon lord or the Abyss itself. Everything that it sees or experiences is also registered by its master. The Thing from the Pit can be seen as merely a more powerful version of arcane eye.

One of the proofs of the Thing’s uncanny origins is its chaotic benediction, which allows the creature to “bless” and empowers a willing Chaotic humanoid. Although the process doesn’t affect the creature’s will, many sage believe this “blessed” individuals are now new “sensory channels” for the Thing’s mysterious abyssal lord.

Bestiarum vocabulum – K’ell Hunter

No, this blog isn’t dead (but my free time surely is). Anyway, I’ve (finally!) managed to finish the wonderful Malazan Book of the Fallen decalogy just a few months ago. And yes, this fantasy series is amazing! (it also demands a lot of time, curiosity and patience). Erikson blended High Fantasy and Sword & Sorcery tropes in a unique way with various and interesting twists – like the amazing time scales, the anthropological approach and the total disregard for heroic/villainous convections…

SPOILER ALERT!!! [beginning]

…Actually, one can argue that Erikson both succeeds and fails dramatically (no pun intended) at the series’ climax. Generally, through the various novels, it’s hard to say that a certain character is evil or good. From the cruelest deities (like Soliel) to the most moral-driven characters (like Mappo), Erikson pulls amazing and unexpected perspectives (and let’s not even get into more complex things like Sandalath, Draconus etc.). In other words, I was a little disappointed with the Forkrul Assail at the end. While Erikson does gives us a good insight at their alien mindset in Reaper’s Gale, the Assails as shown in the 10th book are mostly your usual racist villainous bastards (even with monologues and doomsday-weapon schemes). I was expecting a little more (yeah, I’m spoiled… blame Erikson). However, you have to congratulate the man for the awesome and unique twist surrounding the Crippled God plot. After that, I’m must say that I couldn’t care less about the Assails’ characterization. What Erikson did was incredible. Think about it – it was like reading Lord of the Rings and learning, at the end, that Sauron was actually the victim and that the Fellowship’s mission was to redeem/save him! Oh, my campaigns will become really crazy now

SPOILER ALERT!!! [end]

I still intent to post stuff on this tower, however, due to my latest schedule I’ll probably post just once or (hopefully) twice per month. Although my blogging has been failing me, my games are still going strong, thanks Crom! (…and I must confess that between keeping a blog and gaming I much prefer the later, sorry). Our Curse of the Crimson Throne is reading to its long awaited end (we’re hopefully finishing Skeletons of Scarwall this weekend) and tomorrow I’m running my second Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG (via Google Hangout). If things keep going this good, I’m hoping to play a little Numenera and to run a short FATE-powered Pacific Rim game in October.

Bestiarum vocabulum – K’ell Hunter 

“How to describe such a demonic entity? When upright, it would have balanced on two hugely muscled hind legs, reminiscent to that of a shaba, the flightless bird found on the isles of the Draconean Archipelago, yet in comparison much larger here. The hip level of the fiend, when standing, would have been at a man’s eye level. Long-tailed, the weight of the fiend’s torso evenly balanced by its hips, thrusting the long neck and head far forward, the spine made horizontal. Two long forelimbs, thickly bound in muscle and hardened scales providing natural armour, ended, not in grasping talons or hands, but enormous swords, iron-bladed, that seemed fused, metal to bone, with the wrists. The head was snouted, like that of a crocodile, such as those found in the mud of the southern shoreline of the Bluerose Sea, yet again, here much larger. Desiccation had peeled the lips back to reveal jagged rows of fangs, each one dagger-long. The eyes, clouded with approaching death, were nonetheless uncanny and alien to our senses. The Atri-Preda, bold as ever, strode forward to deliver the fiend from its suffering, with a sword thrust into the soft tissue of its throat. With this fatal wound, the fiend loosed a death cry that struck us with pain, for the sound it voiced was beyond our range of hearing, yet it burst in our skulls with such ferocity that blood was driven from our nostrils, eyes and ears".

- Factor Breneda Anict

(Expedition into the Wildland - Official Annals of Pufanan Ibyris)

K'ell Hunter by ~jeanfverreault

K’ell Hunter                                                              CR 9 (6,400 XP)
N Large Dragon (K’Chain Che’Malle)
Init +12; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, termorsense 30ft.; Perception +20

DEFENSE
AC 29, touch 17, flat-footed 21 (+8 adamantine fused-armor, +8 Dex, +4 natural, -1 size)
HD 96 (7d12+49)
Fort +12, Ref +13, Will +7 (+9)
Immune sleep, paralysis DR 3/-

OFFENSE
Speed 90 ft.
Melee 2 adamantine fused-swords +2 keen +15 (2d6+7 17-20/x2), bite +9 (1d8+5), 1 foreclaws (1d6+2)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attack Rake (2 fuse-swords, 3d6+9 and 1d6 bleed).

STATISTICS
Str 21, Dex 27, Con 25, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 11
Base Atk +7; CMB +13; CMD 31
Feats Improved Initiative, Mobility (B), Spring Attack (B), Endurance, Weapon Focus (Fused-swords), Spirited Charge*
*K’ell Hunter can use this feat to deal double damage in a charge.
Skills Acrobatics +20, Intimidate +10, Linguistics +7, Perception +20, Sense Motive +11, Stealth +25, Survival +16, Swim +15, Use Magic Device +10.
Racial Modifiers +8 Acrobatics, +8 Perception, +8 Stealth
Languages Forkrul Assail, Aboleth, Aklo, Jaghut, Draconic
Special Qualities Camouflage, Darkvision, Evasion, Fused-Armoury, Low-light vision, Scent (double range), Sweat Magic, Tremorsense 30 ft.

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Sweat Magic: K’Chain Che’Malle dominates one of the oldest forms of dweomercraft – sweat magic. Through this esoteric pheromonic control, K’ell Hunters can accomplish the following supernal feats.
Pheromonic Telepathy (Su): K’Chain Che’Malle can communicate telepathically. Establishing the bond requires close proximity, but once linked the K’Chain can keep communication if within 100 miles of each other (stronger K’Chain can keep this rapport even through greater distances). K’Chain can extend this bond to other willing living creates, but this is extremely rare. A K’ell Hunter can use a standard action to share telepathically any of his senses.
Battle Senses (Su): while within 30 ft. of each other, no bonded K’ell Hunter can be flanked or be surprised unless all other bonded Hunters are also flanked/surprised.
Pheromonic Charms (Sp): the K’ell Hunter can, as full-round action, expand their pheromones to induce strong emotions on all living targets within 30 ft. This simulates the effects of one of the following spells: battle trance, calm emotions, crushing despair, fear, good hope, rage and remove fear. A K’ell Hunter can only keep one pheromonic charm in effect. If beneficial, the pheromone can affect other K’Chain. These spell-like abilities are based on Constitution and have a caster level equal to the K’Chain’s HD.
One Mind (Ex): While bonded with other K’Chain Che’Malle and within 30 ft. of each other, a K’ell Hunter gains a +2 racial bonus to Will saves.
No Scent (Ex): K’Chain Che’Malle can use this old magic to suppress their natural scent.
Predator’s Mark (Ex): K’Chain Che’Malle natural scent induces the panicked condition on all creatures of the animal type.
Camouflage (Ex): K’ell Hunters can change their scale’s color to better blend with their environment. They can use this ability to disappear even in wide plains and deserts. Through arcane methods still unknown to human alchemists, they can also camouflage their adamantine fused-armor. K’ell Hunters can hide in plain sight but they must remain still.
Fused-Armory (Ex): K’ell Hunter are equipped with alchemically and molecular fused adamantine blades and armor. These items are treated both as normal and natural weapons and armors for the purpose of spells and effects. They can’t be disarmed but are susceptible to sunder maneuvers. The adamantine plates don’t inflict armor penalty or reduce their wearers’ astonishing speed.

ECOLOGY
Environment any
Organization triplet or army (50+)
Treasure none

DESCRIPTION

The Dragon’s Firtborn. The alien K’Chain Che’Malle claim to be the oldest civilization on many worlds, born from the primordial crucible of Dragonkind. True Dragons deny such claim, but remain skeptically silent on the matter. Although other Elder Races claim to be oldest, like the Aboleth, they also acknowledge that the K’Chain have reached astonishing levels of dweomercraft and science, specially through the arcane of lore of Kaschan. The few sages that are aware of the Elder Races argue that K’Chain probably came from another world in the Void or even from an alternate material plane.

K’Chain Che’Malle are a caste-based draconian Elder Race whose main civilization fell millennia before the first hominids begin walking over the Material Plane. Their control over the most ancient forms of dweomercraft, alchemly, science and physics are still unsuppressed and enabled the Elder Race to once cover most continents and many planets in large stone and mechanical metropolis. The K’Chain lore – Kaschan – is still erroneously called “sorcery” by the Younger Race. It actually works a lot more like an advance and extremely arcane form of science. K’Chain Che’Malle cities are usually vertical constructs of titanic proportions (built in the form of their dragon gods) and filled with extensive machinery, complex alchemical vats and pipelines, old pheromonic protocols and arcane dimensional principles. The fundamental forces of the planes were easily manipulated by the K’Chain, enabling the constructing of portals, flying citadels, voidships and many others wonders. Their notion of science, however, is closer to the Aboleth’s and the Mi-Go’s view of the cosmos. A primitive younger culture, trying to explain Kaschan, came with this superstition view of one of their greatest feats:

‘Kaschan sorcery is born of sounds our ears cannot hear, formed into words that loosen the bindings that hold all matter together, that hold it to the ground. Sounds that bend and stretch light, as a tidal inflow up a river is drawn apart at the moment of turning. With this sorcery, they fashioned fortresses of stone that rode the sky like clouds. With this sorcery, they turned Darkness in upon itself with a hunger none who came too close could defy, an all devouring hunger that fed first and foremost upon itself.’

The K’Chain are ruled by Matrons, ancient draconic hive queens, with potent mental abilities and unfathomable intellects, who pass their accumulated knowledge and experiences genetically. During the zenith of their rule, the Matrons could create new castes whenever necessary. Ancient texts suggests the following base castes: the machinery-fixing drones, the heavy legions of the Ve’Gath soldiers, the towering J’an Sentinels (the Matron’s bodyguards) and the terrible Shi’Gal Assassins, capable of bringing down dragons (and mortal armies). 

K'ell hunters form the K'Chain Che'Malle light infantary and perform scout service to their Matrons and Nests. They look like large bipedal lizards, whose forearms terminate in enormous blades. Their height is twice that of a man. Their lifespan is approximately 1,000 years, although they appear to be able to hibernate for longer periods. A sleeping K’Chain Che’Malle nest is a menace to an entire continent (or world), although the Elder Race is just alien, not necessarily evil.

Like the Aboleth, the K’Chain Che’Malle find the concept of worship and religion strange. However, they somehow venerate or pay intellectual respect to their dragon forebearers. In fact, the last bastions of K’Chain in the world are heavily debating if religion is the reason why the Younger Races are rising. A few (deranged) Matrons are even kidnapping those in touch with divine forces, in order to better “investigate” the matter.

New (weird) kids on the block.

One car say (generalizing a lot) that Tiste Andii are what would happen with Tolkien immortal elves driving mad – as a culture – by ennui. Jaghut (depending on who’s talking) are either the most amazing (and cool) ogre magi reskinning or a twist of Melnibonean’s proportions of the orc archetype. Forkrul Assails are – as already mentioned –Neutral-obsessed genocidal racists ready to be used in any D&D game as villains. However, the K’Chain Che’Malle are really their own things. Erikson outdid himself with these guys. After all, you get a lot of them: original lizardmen or workable “dragonmen” race, caste-based, sweat magic, a hivemind that plays with genetics on a fantasy level, giant vertical Dragon-cities, flying mountains and non-Euclidian (a.k.a. Lovecraftian) magic and technology. How about that?