Dungeons & Delvers: Terovicians
I forget why, but for some reason the theme for the seventh issue of Appendix D ended up mostly being sci-fi stuff (a 5-level spellsword class was added basically last minute). I'm pretty sure it had something to do with Kyrinn S Eis asking for aliens and spaceships, and since we're working on a post-apocalyptic stand-alone RPG I figured why not just include content from that to round things out.
I do know that at some point she specifically requested an alien with eyestalks; I wanted to avoid just doing humanoids-but-with-funny-nose-ridges, six fingers, longer limbs, and similarly tweaks to the human form. I can understand why you'd normally want to stay with humanoids--for starters they're easier to relate to, and don't have to worry too much about what they can use/wear--I just think it's kind of lazy and would prefer to leave that as a fallback.
After a bunch of research (mostly on what sort of creatures have eyestalks, and why) I settled on a design that was a cross between a crab and starfish, but with numerous tiny, retractable tentacles on its underside that it could use for fine manipulation.
Mechanically they can't move fast on land (but can swim at normal speed and climb), their shell gives them a bit of added protection, and their numerous limbs give them an edge when trying to grab something, escaping a grab, avoid dropping stuff, and being pushed around. Their stat mods make them decent clerics, though since one optional mod is Dexterity I think it would be pretty funny to see one as a ranger or even a rogue.
The Appendix D illo is a kind of boring profile: since they're free additions to Black Book we don't usually do custom art for them (if we ever do real zine stuff that we charge for, they'll have new art). I really just added it because I wanted to make it a bit clearer just what the hell they look like, plus I wasn't sure if anyone would even like them because they're pretty fucking weird.
But for some reason today I had the urge to illustrate one in a more dynamic pose, and also to show how they might wear something like armor. So, here's some B&W concept art for a terovician fighter, or maybe cleric (they do get +1 Wisdom by default).
He's decked out in some scale sleeves and a big-ass helmet, which I suppose would fall somewhere between scale armor and plate, so let's just say AC 14 and DR 4. I tried to make the small tentacles more visible, and I'm debating whether they would carry packs and sacks beneath their body (just kind of hanging there), or tie it all up on top of its head. Maybe something like saddlebags draped over the side?
Oh and here's a small PDF with a 5-level terovician racial class in case you want to give that a shot.
You can now get a physical copy of Dungeons & Delvers: Black Book in whatever format you want! We've also released the first big supplement for it, Appendix D, so pick that up if you want more of everything.
We've added the seventh issue of the Appendix D zine to Black Book (for free to boot). This one has aliens, robots, the nomad and spelllsword classes, spacecraft, energy weapons, and more!
Our latest Dungeon World class, The Apothecary, is now available. Next up is The Ranger.
Dwarven Vault is our sixth 10+ Treasures volume. If you're interested in thirty dwarven magic items (including an eye that lets you shoot lasers) and nearly a dozen new bits of dungeon gear, check it out!
Just released our second adventure for A Sundered World, The Golden Spiral. If a snail-themed dungeon crawl is your oddly-specific thing, check it out!
By fan demand, we've mashed all of our 10+ Treasure volumes into one big magic item book, making it cheaper and more convenient to buy in print (which you can now do).
I do know that at some point she specifically requested an alien with eyestalks; I wanted to avoid just doing humanoids-but-with-funny-nose-ridges, six fingers, longer limbs, and similarly tweaks to the human form. I can understand why you'd normally want to stay with humanoids--for starters they're easier to relate to, and don't have to worry too much about what they can use/wear--I just think it's kind of lazy and would prefer to leave that as a fallback.
After a bunch of research (mostly on what sort of creatures have eyestalks, and why) I settled on a design that was a cross between a crab and starfish, but with numerous tiny, retractable tentacles on its underside that it could use for fine manipulation.
Mechanically they can't move fast on land (but can swim at normal speed and climb), their shell gives them a bit of added protection, and their numerous limbs give them an edge when trying to grab something, escaping a grab, avoid dropping stuff, and being pushed around. Their stat mods make them decent clerics, though since one optional mod is Dexterity I think it would be pretty funny to see one as a ranger or even a rogue.
The Appendix D illo is a kind of boring profile: since they're free additions to Black Book we don't usually do custom art for them (if we ever do real zine stuff that we charge for, they'll have new art). I really just added it because I wanted to make it a bit clearer just what the hell they look like, plus I wasn't sure if anyone would even like them because they're pretty fucking weird.
But for some reason today I had the urge to illustrate one in a more dynamic pose, and also to show how they might wear something like armor. So, here's some B&W concept art for a terovician fighter, or maybe cleric (they do get +1 Wisdom by default).
He's decked out in some scale sleeves and a big-ass helmet, which I suppose would fall somewhere between scale armor and plate, so let's just say AC 14 and DR 4. I tried to make the small tentacles more visible, and I'm debating whether they would carry packs and sacks beneath their body (just kind of hanging there), or tie it all up on top of its head. Maybe something like saddlebags draped over the side?
Oh and here's a small PDF with a 5-level terovician racial class in case you want to give that a shot.
Announcements
You can now get a physical copy of Dungeons & Delvers: Black Book in whatever format you want! We've also released the first big supplement for it, Appendix D, so pick that up if you want more of everything.We've added the seventh issue of the Appendix D zine to Black Book (for free to boot). This one has aliens, robots, the nomad and spelllsword classes, spacecraft, energy weapons, and more!
Our latest Dungeon World class, The Apothecary, is now available. Next up is The Ranger.
Dwarven Vault is our sixth 10+ Treasures volume. If you're interested in thirty dwarven magic items (including an eye that lets you shoot lasers) and nearly a dozen new bits of dungeon gear, check it out!
Just released our second adventure for A Sundered World, The Golden Spiral. If a snail-themed dungeon crawl is your oddly-specific thing, check it out!
By fan demand, we've mashed all of our 10+ Treasure volumes into one big magic item book, making it cheaper and more convenient to buy in print (which you can now do).
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