Editing Derro (section)

==[[Greyhawk]]==
[[File:Derro S4 3.jpg|thumb|right|Derro attacking the party in module S4]]
As the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth took place in the [[Greyhawk]] setting, and as Greyhawk-sans-serial-numbers was basically the default setting of 3e, one can consider the Oerthian Derro to be the "standard" derro for the first three editions of the game.

Derro are small, dwarf-like humanoids, standing around 4ft tall, with skin "the color of an iced-over lake" (white with bluish undertones), hair that is sickly pale yellow or tan, and creepy staring white eyes that lack visible pupils. Their features have certain traits of both [[human]]s and [[dwarves]]; in the 1993 Monstrous Manual, it's explicitly noted that they remind [[dwarves]] of [[human]]s and [[human]]s of [[dwarves]], whilst [[Dragon Magazine]] #241 would finally expand upon what that entails. The physical stature of a derro is predominantly [[human]], but with short, thick limbs and dexterous fingers, more like a [[dwarf]]. The head is somewhat disproportionate, seemingly oversized, with high foreheads, thick and hairless brows, and receding hairlines being common. A derro's face has a small and hairless chin (although males do grow moustaches, and often wear them long and thick), protruding cheekbones, small round ears, and distinctively egg-like eyes that are solid white in color.

The Monstrous Manual also describes them using [[human]] slaves as breeding stock. In issue #241 of [[Dragon Magazine]], it's finally explicitly stated that derro are the degenerate descendants of forced [[Half-Dwarf|human/dwarf interbreeding]], a project enacted by the [[Suel Imperium]] to create a superior strain of slave laborers. Weirdly, this same issue claims that derros mating with [[dwarves]] produce only sterile male derro of superior strength.

It... didn't work out well. Whilst the wrath of the angered gods [[Fortubo]] (who saw the use of the "dwur-rohoi" as a blasphemy of his principles), [[Moradin]] and [[Berronar Truesilver]] was certainly terrible, the truth of the matter is that derro spent generations as the Imperium's slaves, until it was destroyed in the Rain of Colorless Fire; thanks to their being hidden in deep subterranean mines, the derro survived this cataclysm, and indeed see it as a divine blessing that set their race free.

In AD&D, the derro are defined mostly by being evil; having been slaves their whole existence, their culture now revolves around their burning desire to attain power and vengeance, which to them is synonymous with the ability to inflict as much suffering, degradation and sorrow upon denizens of the surface as possible. They are ruthless, sadistic, abusive and violent, with a certain racial propensity towards aimless paranoia and mob mentalities. Their first great racial drive is to enslave, torture and murder their enemies, which is most everybody who isn't a derro, but especially surface races and humans in particular. Their second great racial drive is the pursuit of magical knowledge; unlike dwarves, they couldn't care less for gold, but magic? That's valuable to them - which may stem from their Suloise ancestry, or at least so surmises Dragon #241.

Such is their hatred of other races that derro regularly declare "Uniting Wars", which are massive, pointless conflicts in which derro rise up en-masse throughout the Underdark and attack ''everything'' around them that isn't another derro, battling until their numbers have been reduced to the point they have to give it up and go back to survival. The savants don't believe these Uniting Wars will ever actually ''succeed'', but they purge the weakest of their numbers and terrorize other races, and that's good enough justification to declare them, as far as they're concerned.

In 3rd edition, though, derro went from just being strongly inclined towards evil (like the [[duergar]] and the [[drow]]) and gained the trait of being absolutely batshit crazy as a race as well, with mental illness running rampant throughout their species. According to 3e's Monster Manual, this madness most commonly manifests as a combination of delusions of grandeur, sadism, and murderous impulses that they struggle to control.

Regardless of edition, derro live in violent tribal groups, which bow to the whims of the strongest derro present or else to the savants; derro [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|sorcerer]]-[[cleric]]s who wield potent magical abilities. Their loyalty to their savants is absolute; derro revert to fawning and cringing like abused slaves around those stronger than them anyway, but will leap to obey the most suicidal order a savant may give without the slightest hesitation. When fighting, they favor the use of daggers, light repeater-crossbows (usually stocked with poisoned quarrels), spiked bucklers, and a hooked shortspear that they use to drag victims from their feet.

The savants draw their power from a minor deity called [[Diirinka]], who is said to have ascended to deity-hood by stealing magical lore from [[Ilsensine]] and abandoning his twin brother [[Diinkarazan]] to the [[illithid]]-god's wrath. He is an uncaring god, and so long as they preach for the derro to fear and respect him, he lets them have free reign in their lives.

Derro are even more strongly allergic to sunlight than their drow and duergar neighbors; sunlight physically hurts them, burning their tainted flesh, and will actually kill them with prolonged exposure. Ironically, their ability to see in the dark is surprisingly poor; a mere 30ft Infravision in AD&D (which was misprinted as ''3''ft in the Mosntrous Manual!) and no darkvision at all in 3rd edition - instead, they compensate through their keen sense of hearing, which gives them the ability of Blind-Fighting in either edition.