It feel like genius of the Coast has been swear a fiddling too much on their demon lords as the Big Bads in their escapade and campaigns the last few years . Demon fatigue — it ’s a thing ! But if you ’re go to wedge with the demon theme , then what the pit — expend all of the monster . And that ’s exactly what WotC is doing for D&D ’s forthcoming passion of Demons storyline , which is like a infernal All - Star Game , as Demogorgon , Orcus , Lolth , Juiblex , Zuggtmoy , Grazz’t and more invade the Underdark realm of the Drow .
cult of Demons ’ storyline takes place across video secret plan , in - memory role - bring games , and novel , and since it takes place in the Forgotten Realms , it involves everyone ’s preferred good - guy dark elf , Drizzt . They made an animated trailer for it , which is actually passably cool .
The other interesting thing about Out of the Abyss is that the designers have shaken up the champagne bottle a bit . In other interviews I ’ve seen it describe as turning the Underdark ( the vast ulterior kingdom that lies beneath the Forgotten Realms ) into an Alice in Wonderland sort of place , and that seems to be a very apt description . Despite the focus on daimon lords , Out of the Abyss is infused with flightiness . There are outlandish graphic symbol , wonderful landmark , and a creeping madness , but the overall feel is more Labyrinth than Lovecraft . Not that it ’s a silly adventure ( you commence off enslaved by drow ) , but there are dwarves who crave flapjack .
To serve create that standard atmosphere of wonder and amazement , the cultures that live on in the Underdark were given much more detail and care . The drow are the most familiar , and even they ’ve been redesigned to some extent . The forever creepy-crawly illithid have become much , much creepy , since the monster lord Orcus has made them crave undeath . Liches are bad . Illithid , also bad . Illithiliches ? Super spoilt .
In the construct art above and below , you ’ll see details on Underdark architecture and even each race ’s clothing elan . I talked with Chris Perkins ( whom you may also bang as the Dungeon Master for the live D&D shows at PAX ) about the design process , pancakes , and spider skin cloaks ( for the record , I recollect he ’s lying about Snuffleupagus . You ’ll see ) .
io9 : I ’d like to concentre on the judgment - flayer , which have always seemed like one of D&D ’s truly original goliath . There ’s not much case law for them in classic fantasy fiction , although they are certainly a morsel Lovecraftian . Where do you see illithid in the D&D monster hierarchy ? What influences do you think inspired their earlier iterations ?
Chris Perkins : Gary Gygax , co - creator of Dungeons & Dragons , name H.P. Lovecraft as one of his biggest influence . My guess is that the mind flayers we ’ve come to know and love are Lovecraft - inspired world . However , the fiend did n’t become a genuine icon of the game until the expiration of The Illithiad , which shed a hatful of ignitor on the mysterious race . They ’re malevolent masterminds who feast on humanoid brains , and that ’s pretty terrific , and they like to enslave other creatures . They embody a lot of thing that terrify the human imagination , and I think that ’s why they ’ve become as iconic to D&D as flying lizard , beholders , and drow .
To really flesh out the illithid as baddie , it appear you ’ve explored their culture and their alien direction of thinking in a much rich way than ever done before . What ’s newfangled about mind - flayers these days ? How does their new cultural focus on undeath exchange their ways of interacting with other race ?
Perkins : One of the best thing that came out of our Rage of Demons story meetings was the impression of Orcus , the Demon Prince of Undeath , “ save ” a judgement flayer enclave whose sr. brainiac , Cyrog , has died . Orcus repair the dead sr. brain and employ it to telepathically compel the mind flayers to encompass undeath , because the only thing shuddery than a rabble of mind flayers is a syndicate of undead mind flayers . That ’s what Orcus does : he eradicate biography and replaces it with the living dead . What does this mean for Cyrog , its judgment flayer thralls , and their neighbor ? That ’s the fully grown head .
We had a couple construct artists make some interesting mind flayer imagery . I especially liked the concepts for the illithid brain urns — vessels the brain flayers use to salt away and leech juice from harvest humanoid brains .
I love the focus here on learning about a race of creatures through their computer architecture . No more monsters living in plain 30 ’ x 30 ’ rooms connected by 10 - foot corridors ! What are some resources you ’d recommend to thespian and DMs who require to explore and incorporate the approximation of unlike types of architecture into their cause ?
Perkins : typewrite the set phrase “ weird fantasy architecture ” into any net search engine , and you ’ll discover all form of crazy architectural ideas . The heavy part is finding the complete architectural idea for the architect of your dungeon . A dungeon is an annexe of its creator ’s personality . If I ’m creating a donjon that was built by dwarf , there might be faucets in the wall that dispense beer , a fount craft to look like a frothing ale mug , or trapezoidal alcoves displaying the anvils of long - lost dwarven kinship group . If your “ dungeon ” is a wizard ’s tower or mansion , it might have a lightning dash - regulate weather vane , windows that appear only when the proper command words are utter , and magical portraits of the wizard that can in reality honk spells at intruders .
It ’s great to see the lesser have sex deep races , the derro and svirfneblin , get some attention . Can you recount me a niggling more about the Circle of Savants ? And what ’s up with the Gray Ghosts ’ thing with pancakes ?
Perkins : Derro and cryptical dwarf ( svirfneblin ) get a circumstances of attention in Out of the Abyss . The derro are particular fun because they are deeply blemished creature . First , they ’re insane . Second , they ’ve invented an entire history of their race that ’s entirely bogus . Their news report is compelling because it ’s so tragic and miserable . The derro , in fact , were once dwarves that the mind flayers enslaved and corrupted . They ’re basically sick , libertine dwarves . However , rather than face this realism , they ’ve invented all sorts of screwball myths about their origins , their gods , and their fate .
The Gray Ghosts is basically a gang of derro cutthroat . The fact that they like pancakes is something we hear during our research . This weird bit of traditional knowledge was present in an earlier biz edition . At first we think , “ That makes no sense . you could make flapjack in the Underdark ! ” Then we cerebrate , “ Well , if anyone can get pancakes in the Underdark , it ’s probably these lunatics . ”
What is the current nation of the drow matriarchy ? Drow culture endures sweeping change from time to time , but the fair sex always make out out on top .
Perkins : The drow matriarchy is put to the trial in furore of Demons . The report begins with a single disenfranchised male drow casting a spell that harnesses the power of the faerzress ( the ambient magical radiation of the Underdark ) and opens the head gate to the Abyss . This drow is Gromph Baenre , the Archmage of Menzoberranzan , arguably the most knock-down male drow spellcaster in the Forgotten Realms , yet he feels subjugated and betrayed by Lolth and her priestesses . His sis , Quenthel Baenre , pushes him a turn too far . However , she ’s no pushover herself . In fact , she catch the diabolic encroachment as an opportunity to flush the Underdark of its dregs , within drow society and without . Consequently , she does n’t eat away when Demogorgon rampages through Menzoberranzan . As far as she ’s concerned , everything that come about is part of Lolth ’s grand outline , and in this case , she ’s right .
The drow are iconic D&D villains , and their matriarchal society is part of their marrow identity . We ’re not looking to fundamentally change that , so do n’t expect drow males to supplant their distaff victor any time before long .
What does wear a cloak made from giant wanderer hide feel like ?
Perkins : It ’s like being hugged by Mister Snuffleupagus .
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