Derro are a degenerate race of dwarven stature. They have been skulking in the Underdark for ages, but they were discovered by the mind flayers only five centuries ago, and by the drow but shortly before that. The derro have made a name for themselves by their marked cruelty. It is said that a derro lives for just two things: to witness the slow, humiliating death of surface demihumans, and especially humans; and the perversion of knowledge to their own dark ends.
Derro are short, with skin the color of an iced over lake (white, with bluish undertones), sickly, pale yellow or tan hair (always straight), and staring eyes that have no pupils. Their features remind dwarves of humans, and vice versa. Derro have rough skin, spotted with short coarse tufts of hair. Most derro wear a loose costume woven from the hair of underground creatures and dyed deep red or brown. Their armor is leather, studded in copper and brass. Leaders wear tougher, kather armors, made from the hides of beasts far more rugged than cattle.
Combat: Derro are one of the most dexterous of humanoid races. Normally, a derro party is well-equipped with weapons and spells. All derro carry small, ornamental blades, called secari, which can be treated as daggers, but most use other weapons as well.
Half of all encountered derro carry a repeating light crossbow (12 yard maximum range, two shots each round, six-bolt capacity). Derro crossbowman usually coat their bolts with poison. If a derro wants to simply bring down his prey, he uses a poison that causes. If he desires to prolong his target's suffering, he uses a poison that has the same effects as a ray of enfeeblement spell.
Twenty-five percent of derro carry a hook-fauchard, a long pole arm that causes impaling damage and can pull a man-sized or smaller creature off-balance 25% of the time.
Fifteen percent of derro use only a spiked buckler. This is a small shield. It is armed with a central spike, which can be wielded as a second weapon. The derro will also have a hooked aklys, a short, heavy club that can be thrown. It is attached to a thick leather thong so that it can be retrieved. Thanks to the hook, the aklys also pulls an opponent off-balance. These derro are considered brave by their fellows; they are awarded the rarer, heavier armors.
The remaining 10% of the derro are the sons and daughters of derro leaders. They are given heavier armor and trained in the use of the spear and the military pick. They use bucklers (sans spikes) when not using the spear with both hands.
If 20 or more are encountered, they are accompanied by a savant and two students. Savant derro are able to use any sort of magical item or weapon. Savants know 9 of the following spells, learned at random: affect normal fires, anti-magic shell, blink, cloudkill, ESP hypnotic pattern, ice storm, invisibility, levitate, light, lightning bolt, minor creation, paralyzation, repulsion, shadow magic, spider climb, ventriloquism, wall of fog, wall of force. Savants carry two or three useful magical items. Typical magical items are any potion, any scroll, rings of fire resistance, invisibility, protection, and spell storing, any wand, studded leather armor, shields, weapons, bracers of defense, brooches of shielding, cloaks of protection, and so on. Savants can instinctively comprehend languages and read magic (as the spells).
Savants are capable of acting as sages in one to three areas of study. Derro raids are often inspired by a savant's research.
Student savants know only 1-3 spells, they know only one field of study, and one minor magical item.
In combat, derro fight cunningly, with good tactics. They keep spellcasters from effectively using magic, and inflict minor wounds until they eventually kill their opponents. Savants use their powers to confuse and frustrate, rather than to simply kill. Derro have poor infravision (30-foot range) but keen hearing.
Habitat/Society: Derro live in large underground complexes, nearer the surface than the kuo-toans and drow, but deeper than goblins and trolls. They never expose themselves to direct sunlight; it nauseates them. Sunlight will kill a derro if he is exposed to it for several days. Still, derro do visit the surface at night, raiding for humans or carrying out a savant's plans.
Derro are never encountered singly. From their combat tactics to their choice of spells, derro demonstrate a mob mentality. A lone derro is a desperate derro, seeking at all costs to return to his home.
Derro lairs always have 42 normal derro, plus leaders. The members of the lair are led by the resident savants (1-3 in number) and their apprentices (2-5 students). Derro obey without question the puzzling, even suicidal, dictates from their savant leaders.
Derro do not appear to worship any powers, but the savants treasure knowledge and the rest seem to worship the savants.
Derro usually scour their territory for magical items, stealing them, or, if necessary, purchasing them from more powerful creatures. Derro do not share the love of gold common to their dwarven relatives, and they have been known to pay exorbitant prices for a few potions or for a magical item with a missing command word.
Every 20 years or so, the derro mount an all-out war against the other creatures of the Underdark. This is known as the Uniting War, and no savant really expects it to be won. The War is a means of winnowing out the weakest of the derro lairs, a focal point for racial identity, and a chance to really create some terror in the Underdark. It also serves the purpose of starting rumors. Humans will certainly hear that a war is being fought in the Underdark, and they will send hundreds of scouting and adventuring parties to the underground to investigate. The derro welcome this new source of slaves.
Ecology: Derro can live on a diet of underground fungi, but use it only for spice. They seek out other sustenance whenever possible. A derro hunting party usually pursues large, dangerous prey that will feed an entire lair, rather than smaller, simpler food. The derro tendency to torment prey also holds when for hunting food. They also raid other races for food.
Duergar, or gray dwarves, are a malevolent breed that exist at extreme depths underground. Duergar may be fighters, priests, thieves, or multi-classed fighter/priests, fighter/thieves, or priest/thieves. Thieves are proficient in the use of poison.
Duergar appear to be emaciated, nasty-looking dwarves. Their complexions and hair range from medium to dark gray. They prefer drab clothing designed to blend into their environment. In their lairs, they may wear jewelry, although such pieces are kept dull.
Duergar have infravision to 120 feet. They speak the duergar dialect of the dwarven tongue, "undercommon" (the trading language of subterranean cultures), and the silent speech employed by some subterranean creatures. Intelligent duergar may speak other languages as well.
Combat:
There are noncombatant, duergar children equal to 10% of the total number of duergar fighters encountered.
The duergar's are immune to paralysis, illusion/phantasm spells and poisons. All duergar possess innate magical abilities of enlargement and invisibility. Duergar can use enlargement to either grow or shrink themselves, as well as anything they are wearing or carrying.
There is a 10% chance that any duergar are accompanied by 8 giant steeders, used as mounts.
Habitat Society: Duergar society is similar to that of other dwarven cultures, although life is much harsher because of the hostile environment deep underground. They do not venture to the surface except at night or on gloomy days. Duergar life spans can reach 400 years.
