Elder Evils: Do The Worm!
Okay, so I've been hard on Wizards of the Coast the last couple of days, but mainly because they're big boys and they can take it. But, since you only get points for things you like, looking on the bright side of things reveals that the cover of Elder Evils, WotC's big book of world-ending villains to kill the hell out of your 3E campaign, has slipped onto the internet. And best of all, there in all his wormy wrath is Kyuss (the deity, not the band). If you're not familiar with the Worm that Walks, he's the father of some of D&D's scariest undead, the spawn of Kyuss; the demigod of corruption and undead naughtiness; and the main villain of Dungeon magazine's Age of Worms Adventure Path—probably the most epic story to be told in third edition D&D.
There's a discussion about the book where a few authors chime in on ENworld, as well as several misreadings of the book's title as "Elder Elvis."
So, say what you will about WotC and the 3E end times, but if I get to customize my own end of the world, I'm going to make the apocalypse squirm!
Lectric Lich
Posted to Roleplaying Games on 25 October 2007
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Other stuff like this: dungeon, elder evils, end times, enworld, squirm, wotc
GREAT BOOK!
Some highlights: First, the IMO three best Elder Evils (excluding Leviathan, a nifty one from RL mythology):
Ragnorra is an Elder Evil associated with life and positive energy, not death; only the undead need fear outright destruction... though such may be preferable. She can provide a Zerg-style feeling a la Starcraft. The concept of Worldskins and Skincasting is loosely "fleshed out," if you will, usable both by enemies and by mutated PCs.
Kyuss is back, though touched on only briefly. Fans of the Age of Worms will no doubt be glad to see him in hardcover form, though I wish they provided at least a few of the monsters from the Dungeon magazine here.
Atropus, the World Born Dead, combines the impetus for Romero style "Zombipocalypse" with an antagonist reminiscent of the Fifth Element. We see the (AFAIK) first and only Ur-Priest villain in this segment, and rules for braving the stellar hazards of Atropus's moon-like surface.
And Sertruous, the First Heretic, a surprisingly sympathetic obyrith lord, credited with being the one who first shared the secret that clerics do not require gods. Both he, and the fallen angel that once killed and now serves him, bear a closer resemblance to Lucifer than the stereotypical "I'm red, I'm evil, gimme your soul" Asmodeus, and the fallen angel can be used as a simple, easily extrapolated template.
Second, Signs and Malefic Properties: While the Elder Evils themselves can generally be steamrolled by 4 level 20 player characters or a Great Wyrm Gold Dragon, their Signs allow them to in some cases enact the Total World Kill, or sometimes simply wreak great havoc. Signs are versatile enough to fit just about any deity, force, or concept -- DMs into role reversal can easily create Signs for Elder forces of light or healing. Malefic Properties are a more intentional power, similar to Salient Divine Abilities. Some allow the Elder Evil to give many people a bad day at once; others simply insulate it from the meddling of gods and their servants.
And finally, the new feats. Those who have used the Book of Exalted Deeds will notice that evil characters lack comparative options, other than the mostly unusable feats in the BoVD. Vile characters now, however, have a great deal of new options, including expansions for vile speech and willing deformity.
Another option, probably more appealing to NPCs, is the ability to gain additional vile feats by swearing allegiance to an Elder Evil. One feat gives the servant the ability to call upon his master and gain either a massive bonus or some HP damage; another grants minimized damage against Evil spells (useful to protect a DM's investment in "Evil vs Evil" scenarios) as well as granting huge protection against divine magic depending on the Sign of the master.
All in all, a great book. If "Ancient Baatorians," "Obyrith Lords," "Fallen Angels," and/or "the Deceased Creator Of The Universe Now Risen To Undo His Sacrifice" sound appealing to use in your game sometime, give it a read!