User:SpockMonkey/Sandbox
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| Stormwrack | |
 cover of Book of Vile Darkness |
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| Author | Baker, Carriker, Joseph D., Clarke-Wilkes, Jennifer |
|---|---|
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
| Publisher | Paizo Publishing |
| Publication date | August 2005 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 224 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-7869-3689-4 |
Stormwrack (also sometimes mistakenly written as or called "Stormwracked") by Richard Baker, Joseph D. Carriker, Jennifer Clarke-Wilkes, is a supplemental source-book for the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game published in 2005.
It is one in a series of five source-books for the game which deal with particular environments, as to give adventures set in such environments more depth. Sandstorm and Frostburn dealt with desert/waste and arctic environments, Cityscape and Dungeonscape dealt with city/dungeon environments, while Stormwrack deals with ocean/sea/water/aquatic environments.
The book has detailed information and descriptions on various types of both realistic and fantastical watery environments, including underwater, the open ocean, ships, coral reefs, grottos, swamps and such. Watery hazards such as waves, storms, exposure, rain and the like are deeply explored.
Several new sea-affiliated races, the darfellan, the aventi are introduced. Old races, such as the hadozee (a yazarian-like race from the Spelljammer setting) and kopru (originally from Isle of Dread are given new details. Sea elves are given detailed rules on how to use them as player characters.
There are new prestige classes, new magic items, new spells, new monsters, and various other rules additions. Finally, a few pre-made adventures are included at the end, set in aquatic/coastal environments, for players to test the new content on.
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| Dungeons & Dragons creature | |
|---|---|
| Kopru | |
| Alignment | Evil |
| Type | Monstrous Humanoid |
| Subtype | Aquatic |
| Source books | The Isle of Dread (1981), Creature Catalog (1986), Monster Manual II (2002) |
| First appearance | X-1: The Isle of Dread, by David Cook and Tom Moldvay, 1981 |
| Image | Wizards.com image |
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, the kopru are an evil race of amphibious, mind-controlling creatures. They are classified as monstrous humanoids, with the aquatic subtype.
Contents |
[edit] Creative origins
The kopru first appeared in module X-1: The Isle of Dread, written by David Cook and Tom Moldvay (ISBN 978-0394514260, ISBN 0394514262) in 1981. The creature has since appeared in several other books. The most recent version of the kopru can be found in the Monster Manual II, published by Wizards of the Coast (ISBN 978-0786928736, ISBN 0786928735). The kopru is considered a "Product Identity" by Wizards of the Coast and as such is not released under its Open Gaming License.
[edit] Ecology
Kopru have supernatural mental powers, which they use primarily to control and manipulate other creatures. In earlier versions this ability was described as a more powerful charm person effect, which had an indefinite duration. More recent versions of the kopru describe this mind-controlling ability as a psionic power.
[edit] Environment
Kopru typically dwell in extremely hot and watery environments, such as hot springs or hydrothermal vents.
[edit] Physical characteristics
Kopru are amphibious, reptilian creatures with smooth, hairless bodies. Their upper body is roughly humanoid, with a head and two arms, whilst their lower body is eel-like and with the tail breaking into three fluke-like segments, each tipped with a claw. Their hands are webbed, and also with sharp claws. Small spikes also protrude from their shoulders and elbows. They have bulging, fish-like eyes and a tentacled, sphincter-like mouth.
The expansion of kopru society is severely limited by their need for extremely hot, wet environments (such as volcanic hot springs). As a result, their civilization has been in a state of slow decline for many years.
[edit] Society
In the original module, the alignment of the kopru is described as "Chaotic." Of their behavior and beliefs, it is said that "while they do not truly hate all men, they view most humans as nothing but brutes to be used, played with, and controlled." A more recent version listed in Monster Manual II states that the kopru's alignment is "always chaotic evil." Their society is described as being "matriarchal and savage."
The same source stated that the kopru once controlled a great empire on a remote volcanic island chain called the Thanegioth Archipelago. The kopru thrived in the hot geysers and mud springs that could be found there, and eventually enslaved the native human population with their mind-controlling powers. With the humans under their control, they built a large temple for themselves on the largest island, the Isle of Dread. There, the enthralled humans served and worshipped them as gods for many years.
Eventually, and for reasons not explained in the module, the humans revolted against the kopru and fled many miles across the island to a small peninsula. The kopru did not pursue them, presumably because they were unable to survive for any length of time outside of their boiling mud geysers. Thus their empire crumbled, and their great temple fell into ruin.
In the description of an online web enhancement for "Stormwrack", a 2006 hardcover rulebook in which they are prominently featured, author Darrin Drader writes:
A race of cruel undersea creatures called the kopru once conquered a vast expanse of territory and established a huge, underwater empire. Since the demise of their civilization thousands of years ago, their race has steadily declined, until it became a mere shadow of its former self. While most of the kopru have succumbed to their monstrous natures and degenerated into barbarism, a few kopru matrons remember the tales of their race's former glory and seek to restore the golden age of the kopru empire. Most avoid their ancestral ruins because of the powerful magical safeguards placed there by the conquering elves to bar access to those sites, but recent raids in the area of a ruined kopru city suggest that one matron may have found a way around them and begun rebuilding the once-great Kopru Empire.
[edit] References
- Bonny, Ed, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Skip Williams, and Steve Winter. Monster Manual II (Wizards of the Coast, 2002).
- Cook, David, and Tom Moldvay. The Isle of Dread (TSR, 1981).
- Holian, Gary. "Exploring the Isle of Dread." Dungeon #114 (Paizo Publishing, 2004).
- Leati, Tito. "The Ecology of the Kopru." Dragon #354 (Paizo Publishing, 2007).
- Vaughan, Greg A. "Torrents of Dread." Dungeon #114 (Paizo Publishing, 2004).
- Drader, Darrin. Stormwrack, (Paizo Publishing, 2006).
