Daelkyr and Aberrations: Eberron's answer to the Zerg Swarm? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Daelkyr and Aberrations: Eberron's answer to the Zerg Swarm? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Romulus LoneWolf
12-24-04, 07:58 PM Something I thought about, while reading up on Aberrations in my various monster books, keeping in mind the origin of aberrations in the world of Eberron... Namely, the whole "crafting flesh creatures into slaves/living vehicules and weapons" deal. This would practically make them into D&D's version of the Zerg swarm, absorbing creatures and reshaping them into different forms..

Now I find myself looking at all the various Aberrations and imagining what role they would play in the Daelkyr's forces. Here are some ideas I had...

-Aboleths: commanders for the forces of a Daelkyr who wanted to control the seas of Eberron.
Linked with the Aboleths are:
-Chuuls: amphibious scouts for the Aboleths
-Skum: the workers and warriors of the aboleths
-Ixitxachitls: officers of the undersea armies, commanding Skum into battle

-Athach: just as the Dolgrim where made by crushing two goblins together, so where the Athachs were made by twisting ogres into different forms, to serve the Daelkyr armies as shock troops.

-Delvers: created to pierce through the earth, they are the latest creation of those Daelkyr who seek to conquer Eberron again, and are intended to help breach the way out of Khyber.

-Cloakers & Cloaker Lords: created by the Daelkyr to patrol the unending tunnels of Khyber, to find and ensnare possible slaves for their Daelkyr masters.

-Gibbering Mouthers: As the stock and trade of Daelkyr is terror and madness, it goes without saying they'd make creatures capable of spreading it.

-Gricks: Yet another creation designed by the Daelkyr since their imprisonnment in Khyber, designed to serve as guarding and attacking beasts.

-Naga: One perticular Daelkyr with an obsession with snakes created them, as powerful living weapons.

-Otyughs: Creatures designed to spread plagues, often made as siege-breakers. They continue performing their tasks uncontrolled, hiding in sewers..

-Phasm: A Daelkyr with a preference for subtlty and deception created these shapeshifters to serve as spies and saboteurs. Since the imprisonment of their masters, they have hidden amongst the people of Eberron.

-Rust Monsters: Designed to disarm enemy forces, they have proven to be quite dangerous to Warforged.

-Umber Hulks: Elite units, designed to confuse and decimate masses of enemy troopers.

-Will-O'-Wisps: Another weapon of terror and deception, by the Daelkyr who made the Phasms.

-Yuan-Ti: The Daelkyr who made the Naga also wanted a more versatile servitor race, so he also created the Yuan-Ti and their different casts.

And that's just using the Aberrations from the Monster Manual.. Looking through Monsters of Faerun, Fiend Folio and Monster Manual II and III, I get plenty of other ideas, like the Neogi, Driders and Ettercaps being made by a Daelkyr with a love of arachnids..
ydirbut
12-24-04, 09:25 PM -Yuan-Ti: The Daelkyr who made the Naga also wanted a more versatile servitor race, so he also created the Yuan-Ti and their different casts.

In one of the dragonshards, it mentions that the Yuan-ti are servants of the Silver Flame
Gurv
12-24-04, 09:38 PM In one of the dragonshards, it mentions that the Yuan-ti are servants of the Silver Flame
The shulassakar (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20040920a) are servants of the Silver Flame, and are related to the yuan-ti.

Despite their physical similarities, shulassakar and yuan-ti cultures have little in common. The shulassakar claim that the ancestors of the yuan-ti were chosen of the couatl who broke their vows to the flame and who have since slipped into decadence. As a result, the shulassakar despise the yuan-ti. If the yuan-ti shared these legends, they abandoned them long ago, and they have no interest in the shulassakar. Driven from Sarlona by the Inspired, the yuan-ti lurk in the shadows of Xen'drik and the shores of Argonnessen, plotting vengeance against the Lords of Riedra and searching for ways to use the Draconic Prophecy to gain power.
Romulus LoneWolf
12-24-04, 10:46 PM Well... The Shulassakar definetly sound like an interesting twist..

Now, this means I can either make Naga and Yuan-Ti into Fiend/Daelkyr corrupted versions of the Coualts and Shulassakar..

...Or, maybe the Shulassakar are Yuan-Ti (mutated Coualt/Human hybrids) who regained the good essence of their ancestors...
Shas'O
12-24-04, 11:12 PM If you want a psionic bent to the daelkyr, the Elan from the XPH could be humanoid Sleeper agents, made to be almost identical to the humans, atleast that is how I would put them in a campaign.
scaryfroman
12-25-04, 12:40 AM I never thought that D&D characters would ever have to fear the words: Zerg Rush! :D
Shas'O
12-25-04, 01:12 AM I never thought that D&D characters would ever have to fear the words: Zerg Rush! :D

Are you kidding? My most scariest D&D moment was when Me (Psywar 10) and a cleric, Psion, and Barbarian (all level 10) and about 20 level 2 warriors had to take on about 200 Goblins, first thing I said?

"ZERG RUSH! KEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKE! (at this point I ended, had to fill in the rest though) ^^ GG NO RE"

BTW, only me and the cleric survived, cause we fought back to back and played with Guerrilla warfare.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Romulus LoneWolf 12-24-04, 07:58 PM	Something I thought about, while reading up on Aberrations in my various monster books, keeping in mind the origin of aberrations in the world of Eberron... Namely, the whole "crafting flesh creatures into slaves/living vehicules and weapons" deal. This would practically make them into D&D's version of the Zerg swarm, absorbing creatures and reshaping them into different forms.. Now I find myself looking at all the various Aberrations and imagining what role they would play in the Daelkyr's forces. Here are some ideas I had... -Aboleths: commanders for the forces of a Daelkyr who wanted to control the seas of Eberron. Linked with the Aboleths are: -Chuuls: amphibious scouts for the Aboleths -Skum: the workers and warriors of the aboleths -Ixitxachitls: officers of the undersea armies, commanding Skum into battle -Athach: just as the Dolgrim where made by crushing two goblins together, so where the Athachs were made by twisting ogres into different forms, to serve the Daelkyr armies as shock troops. -Delvers: created to pierce through the earth, they are the latest creation of those Daelkyr who seek to conquer Eberron again, and are intended to help breach the way out of Khyber. -Cloakers & Cloaker Lords: created by the Daelkyr to patrol the unending tunnels of Khyber, to find and ensnare possible slaves for their Daelkyr masters. -Gibbering Mouthers: As the stock and trade of Daelkyr is terror and madness, it goes without saying they'd make creatures capable of spreading it. -Gricks: Yet another creation designed by the Daelkyr since their imprisonnment in Khyber, designed to serve as guarding and attacking beasts. -Naga: One perticular Daelkyr with an obsession with snakes created them, as powerful living weapons. -Otyughs: Creatures designed to spread plagues, often made as siege-breakers. They continue performing their tasks uncontrolled, hiding in sewers.. -Phasm: A Daelkyr with a preference for subtlty and deception created these shapeshifters to serve as spies and saboteurs. Since the imprisonment of their masters, they have hidden amongst the people of Eberron. -Rust Monsters: Designed to disarm enemy forces, they have proven to be quite dangerous to Warforged. -Umber Hulks: Elite units, designed to confuse and decimate masses of enemy troopers. -Will-O'-Wisps: Another weapon of terror and deception, by the Daelkyr who made the Phasms. -Yuan-Ti: The Daelkyr who made the Naga also wanted a more versatile servitor race, so he also created the Yuan-Ti and their different casts. And that's just using the Aberrations from the Monster Manual.. Looking through Monsters of Faerun, Fiend Folio and Monster Manual II and III, I get plenty of other ideas, like the Neogi, Driders and Ettercaps being made by a Daelkyr with a love of arachnids..
ydirbut 12-24-04, 09:25 PM	-Yuan-Ti: The Daelkyr who made the Naga also wanted a more versatile servitor race, so he also created the Yuan-Ti and their different casts. In one of the dragonshards, it mentions that the Yuan-ti are servants of the Silver Flame
Gurv 12-24-04, 09:38 PM	In one of the dragonshards, it mentions that the Yuan-ti are servants of the Silver Flame The shulassakar (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20040920a) are servants of the Silver Flame, and are related to the yuan-ti. Despite their physical similarities, shulassakar and yuan-ti cultures have little in common. The shulassakar claim that the ancestors of the yuan-ti were chosen of the couatl who broke their vows to the flame and who have since slipped into decadence. As a result, the shulassakar despise the yuan-ti. If the yuan-ti shared these legends, they abandoned them long ago, and they have no interest in the shulassakar. Driven from Sarlona by the Inspired, the yuan-ti lurk in the shadows of Xen'drik and the shores of Argonnessen, plotting vengeance against the Lords of Riedra and searching for ways to use the Draconic Prophecy to gain power.
Romulus LoneWolf 12-24-04, 10:46 PM	Well... The Shulassakar definetly sound like an interesting twist.. Now, this means I can either make Naga and Yuan-Ti into Fiend/Daelkyr corrupted versions of the Coualts and Shulassakar.. ...Or, maybe the Shulassakar are Yuan-Ti (mutated Coualt/Human hybrids) who regained the good essence of their ancestors...
Shas'O 12-24-04, 11:12 PM	If you want a psionic bent to the daelkyr, the Elan from the XPH could be humanoid Sleeper agents, made to be almost identical to the humans, atleast that is how I would put them in a campaign.
scaryfroman 12-25-04, 12:40 AM	I never thought that D&D characters would ever have to fear the words: Zerg Rush! :D
Shas'O 12-25-04, 01:12 AM	I never thought that D&D characters would ever have to fear the words: Zerg Rush! :D Are you kidding? My most scariest D&D moment was when Me (Psywar 10) and a cleric, Psion, and Barbarian (all level 10) and about 20 level 2 warriors had to take on about 200 Goblins, first thing I said? "ZERG RUSH! KEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKE! (at this point I ended, had to fill in the rest though) ^^ GG NO RE" BTW, only me and the cleric survived, cause we fought back to back and played with Guerrilla warfare.