The Underdark

The Drow of the Underdark

INTRODUCTION

Here is a list of some of the Cinema 6 Role Playing Game material I made for the con, and a quick review, for anyone that enjoys the system or other OpenD6 derivatives like Mini Six, C6, Fantasy 6, etc.

The game went pretty well as all the players started as Drow in the same House Baenre. They were ordered by their Matron Mother to deal with an overgrown enclave of Mushrooms that had been attacking their trade caravans to neighboring Underdark population centers. It was some pretty nice hack and slash with a little backstabbing (as expected from the Drow). One player decided to tell the Matron Mother that only a few goods were recovered from the Mushrooms when in fact a few thousand gold were still in tact. He kept it, and they beat the one party member who protested. Here is the YouTube video of the convention. I had to charge my Droid mid play but we played some Tech of the Dead, took a break with C6, and then finished up Tech of the Dead (8 hours later). I have to say after my first public test the system held up very well and proved to be quickly customized to suite my needs, and more. Excellent work WNG.

YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYVz_MpVAUE

NEW SPECIES

FAERUN, DROW

HISTORICAL DATA The drow were forced underground in what is now known as the Underdark after the great war amongst the elves, a vast system of caverns and tunnels spanning much of the continent. The drow live in city-states in the Underdark, becoming one of the most powerful races therein. The drow are well adapted to seeing in the dark, and they loathe, are terrified of, and are easily blinded by the light of the surface. Some magic weapons, armor, and various other items of the drow disintegrate on contact with sunlight.

DESCRIPTION Drow characters are extremely intelligent, charismatic (high persona) and dexterous, but share surface elves' comparative frailty and slight frames. Females tend to be bigger and stronger than males. Drow are characterized by white or silver hair and obsidian black skin. Their eyes are red (or rarely gray, violet, or yellow) in darkness and green in normal light. Drow have several kinds of innate spell powers and spell resistance. This is balanced by their weakness in daylight. Also, drow weapons and armor (usually made of adamantite or another metal unique to the Underdark) slowly lose their magical properties if exposed to the sun. Drow also employ the unusual hand crossbow, firing small, though very lethal, darts.

RACIAL TRAITS

BANISHED, Cost: 5, Requires Curse of the Spider Queen Some Drow have been banished, or otherwise escaped, to the surface world. After a great deal of adjustment they lose their natural fear of light and become accustomed to the sun.

(Removes the effect of exposure to sunlight or bright light from the Curse of the Spider Queen Racial Ability)

CURSE OF THE SPIDER QUEEN, Cost: 5, must be taken at Character Creation. Abrupt exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or a daylight spell) blinds Drow, and prevents them from being effective. Beings servents of the Spider Goddess does have it's advantages as she has bestowed upon their race the power to suck the light from the world, and see in the dark places that other races dare not tread.

(-1D to all actions in sunlight or very bright light) (Can use the magical ability Darken at will) (Can see 120ft in complete darkness)

CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONS

Drow society is primarily matriarchal, with priestesses of their evil spider goddess Lolth in the highest seats of power. Males are considered inferior to females within drow society, and while some males may be respected if they are powerful wizards, they are never allowed to rule. The drow sometimes use their dark arts to turn humanoid slaves into living sculptures.

Drow society is based upon violence, murder, cunning, and the philosophy that only the strong survive (though in Drow tongue, a quirk of the language creates a reversal of cause-and-effect; more correctly, it can be translated as "those who survive are strong"). Hence, most Drow plot endlessly to murder or otherwise incapacitate their rivals and enemy Drow using deceit and betrayal. Drow, particularly in higher positions, are constantly wary of assassins and the like. One of the quirks of this constant infighting is the relatively short lifespan of the average Drow. While being just as long lived as their surface cousins, living as long as a thousand years; you are very unlikely to meet an elderly Drow. Consequently, they are the only race of Elves that matches the fertility of 'lesser' races, such as humans. Their society, as a whole, is seemingly nonviable. The only reason they do not murder themselves to extinction is by the will of Lolth, working primarily through her clergy. Lolth does not tolerate any Drow that threaten to bring down her society, and the clergy make certain that perpetrators cease their destructive actions by either threatening or killing them, depending on her mood and how likely it is to be a successful deterrent.

There are exceptions to the rule, of course. Some communities of drow worship other gods (like Vhaeraun or Eilistraee), and thus, their hierarchy changes, reverses the roles of males and females, or *even approaching something like a workable, progressive society. Most drow societies hate surface elves, but will wage war with almost any surface race and other subterranean races, such as mind flayers, svirfneblin, duergar, kuo-toa, dwarves, and orcs, for spoils and territory.

NEW SKILL

Language Specialty: Drow Sign Language (Can communicate in the silent language of the Drow)

Flora and Fauna

MUSHROOM

Types: Walker, and Guardian Species: Fungus Creature Descriptions: The Mushrooms are tall lumbering fungus creatures. They are barely sentient and seek only to procreate. Their lives, sometimes thousands of years, are spent growing and feeding on decaying matter in the Underdark.

Walker Hit Points: 34 Initiative: 2d Move: 5 Cinema Points: 2 Cinema Point Value: 2 (Walkers) Dexterity: 2d Brawl 2d, Dodge 2d, Melee 3d Intellect: 1d Survival 1d. Strength: 3d Lift 1d, Grapple 2d, Push-Pull 1d, Stamina 2d. Aptitude: 1d Persona: 1d Intimidation 1d, Willpower 1d. Equipment: None

Special Abilities: Spore Cloud (At Will): Mushroom Walkers and Guardians are able to use their reproductive spores as a means of defense. At will they may emit a cloud of spores in a 20ft radius that causes their enemies to suffer -1 on all rolls. Mushroom Walkers, and Mushroom Guardians are immune to the effect of the spores.

Mushroom Walkers are intelligent, slightly luminescent, beings that live in the Underdark in close proximity to Menzoberranzan. They are the nurse maidens of the growing fungus fields. They pollinate their groves for reproduction and after long periods of famine or war are known to become grossly overpopulated and a danger to travelers. They are omnivorous and will eat nearly anything.

MUSHROOM GUARDIAN

Hit Points: 100 Initiative: 2d Move: 7 Cinema Points: 3 Cinema Point Value: 4 (Shock Troopers) Dexterity: 3d Archery 2d, Brawl 4d, Dodge 3d, Melee 4d, Running 2d. Intellect: 2d Creatures 2d, Survival 2d. Strength: 6d Lift 2d, Grapple 3d, Push-Pull 2d, Stamina 3d. Aptitude: 1d Persona: 3d Command 2d, Intimidation 2d, Willpower 3d. Equipment: None

Special Abilities: Spore Cloud (At Will): Mushroom Walkers and Guardians are able to use their reproductive spores as a means of defense. At will they may emit a cloud of spores in a 20ft radious that causes their enemies to suffer -1 on all rolls. Mushroom Walkers, and Mushroom Guardians are immune to the effect of the spores.

The much larger kin of the Mushroom Walker. These Mushroom beings have lived for centuries and guard the enclaves where their people make their homes.