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| Stefan Poag's comic about the Dero on Shaverton is an amazing read! |
Dero (Small/Medium Demihuman Abomination)
Frequency:Uncommon
No. Appearing: 1d6 (2d100 in lair)
Armor Class: 5 (14)
Hit Dice: 2d6
In Lair % 15
Treasure Type: I
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: Claw (1d4) Bite (1d4) or special
Special attacks:none
Special defenses: Immune to sleep and disease
Magic resistance: 20%
Intelligence: High to genius
Alignment: Neutral evil
Size: small to medium (4-6 feet in height)
Psionic ability:120
Attack/Defense modes: B,F/H (an alternate psionics systems might include Mind Blast or the equivalent)
(for DCC: Will Save -4, Fortitude Save +4, Reflex -2)
Dero are the degenerate scions of a once-great race of inter-dimensional beings who inhabited the Aereth. They are perverse, sadistic, and spiteful and work to bring civilization down wherever they are found. They often capture humans and demihumans to torture and murder, committing unspeakable depravities on their victims and casually discarding the remains. They each have Hide in Shadows, Move Silently, and Handle Poisons as a 2HD Thief
For every 5 Dero encountered, one will be of higher rank (+1 HD) and this larger specimen will carry d6 (1-2) a Telaug, (3-4) a Benray, or (5-6) a Stim Machine. Other magical items encountered as treasure will be of sophisticated technological nature whilst still providing standard magical effects. They enjoy using hateful pistols, whips, and jagged swords (sometimes poisoned!) to inflict the pain and suffering they relish. If a small group of more than 3 Dero are encountered, it is 60% likely they will have a human or demihuman captive or slave. Larger groups and lairs will always have a 20% proportional population of malnourished and mistreated victims in undergoing varying states of hard labor, torture, and other much worse depravities.
The Telaug is a device for projecting audio and visual stimuli, and for subtly manipulating victims' thought processes. A random selection of 1d4 illusionist spells of first to third level can be simulated via the use of the machine, as well as telepathic communication.
The Benray is a healing device that has 1-8 charges when found. 1 charge will replicate the effects of a potion of healing. 3 charges will bestow cure poison. 4 charges will bestow regeneration or cure disease. When the device is out of charges it is useless and grows dim.
The Stim Machine increases feelings of pleasure and pain, but in combat can be used to overwhelm a victim with temporary damage. If struck by the pale green ray of a stim machine, physical sensations will be nearly overwhelming and unless a save vs. death ray is made, all successful attacks will do triple damage that will heal immediately after combat ends. The Dero use this ray to subdue combatants and to magnify enjoyment of their own hedonist frenzies. Repeated use will cause insanity and physical degeneracy up to and including mutations. For this reason, Dero are highly variable in appearance and large groups will always have a small proportion of physically mutated variants (brightly colored skin, wings, multi-faceted eyes, elephantine trunks).
Interspace Activator: The Interspace Activator allows users - almost invariably the Dero, for they will seek out and destroy any non-Dero that acquires one - to come and go from the "Interspace" wherein the Dero commit their atrocities. When activated, a door, panel, or hatch will be suddenly found where none was before. This opening will allow access to a space between the spaces of dungeons, for example in the rocky vastnesses that make up walls and caverns. These spaces are dim, decrepit, nondescript, littered with spent technology and trash, and sometimes hold escaped victims and roving Dero on errands. In this way the Dero move amongst the populations of each age, causing havoc and unhappiness, occasionally admitting particularly greedy or perverted sentients into their conspiracy to acquire slaves and destabilize societies everywhere. The use of an Interspace Activator will not always provide non-Dero with stable recurring environments, and it is very likely (70%) that temporal fluctuations will cause aging (1-10 years) and/or disease in non-Dero users. Further, when found, the device will have 1-6 charges and running out of charges whilst in Interspace may cause stranding with no hope of release unless another device is captured. Note that a recharger is usually only found in large lairs of Dero. It is rumored that far, far below the surface of the planet, a vast city complex of Dero sports markets where humanoid flesh is purveyed and chambers wherein the downfall of races is plotted in darkness.
Find Stefan's comic here. Warning Not Work Safe, probably
Also, Stefan's website is here
More about Shaver here and also, be advised the ramblings of his lunatic mind (or maybe truths) influenced modern culture WAAAAAY more than you were previously aware. You're about to go down a rabbit hole if you're not careful.
