Slayer's Guide to Scorpionfolk, The

What are Scorpion Folk and where do they come from, this is a question that many have asked, what is know is that they are savage and destructive. But who are they really, how can they be so savage and yet still exist surely they would all have killed one another in an orgy of violence; so there must be more to the scorpion folk than meets the eye.

The Slayers Guide to Scorpion Folk will lift the veil that obscures these fascinating and dangerous creatures from mortal ken.

The first travelers normally know that they are the targets of a Scorpion Folk raid is when they are faced with the awesome and terrifying vision of these huge creatures charging them. Somewhat akin to Centaurs these creatures appear to be the blending of two forms, that of a monstrous scorpion some 10ft in length with a human upper torso. The skin tone matches that of their scorpion cousins, being dull grey or light brown, the colors of the rock or sand in which they make their homes. Bearing down on their prey with lance to hand and claws and stinger twitching the Folk make short work of their targets taking what they will, food valuables and other treasure. Most caravan routes through the hot barren lands avoid known hot spots of Scorpion Folk activity, but it is not always possible to gauge where they will hit. It is much safer to find routes around than to venture into the known haunts of the Folk, they acknowledge no authority or boundaries other than their own. Only the most powerful and well armed expeditions venture into the stomping grounds of the Folk, and then only at great need.

Often portrayed as mindless savages the Folk have had a bad press, insular and tribal in nature little is known about their origins, their society and their very nature. This Slayers Guide will open the book on their coming and goings and try and allow players the option of peaceful communication rather than outright war. The normal reaction of a PC seeing a band of Folk traveling is to hide, and hope to remain unnoticed, or fight if they are discovered. This book aims to give another option to the player, for who is best to provide information to the adventuring group than the very people who live of the land. For the Folk are a people make no mistake about that they have a society, a culture, and a way of life, alien though it may be, they act in a logical and predictable fashion. Understanding these rules could save player characters unnecessary combat and the casualties these combat will inevitably bring.

This series of supplements, designed for use in all fantasy-based D20 game systems, takes an exhaustive look at specific monster races, detailing their beliefs, society and methods of warfare. Typically, these will be races all but ignored by Games Masters and players alike who pay heed as countless thousands get slaughtered during the acquisition of new levels and magic items.

Each Slayer's Guide features a single race, in this case the Scorpion Folk. Within these pages you will find a large amount of information on Scorpion Folk physiology, habitat and society, giving you a deeper level of understanding on how this race exists and interacts with the rest of the world. Scorpion Folk do not fit in to polite society but they make excellent challenges for player characters to face. Inhuman for the most part they are difficult to role play for either GM or players. From this book players will learn how to approach Scorpion Folk tribes safely and how to defend themselves if necessary. Games Masters are presented with guidelines on how to introduce this race into their existing campaigns. They will also benefit from material demonstrating how to actually portray Scorpion Folks to their players, thus giving their campaigns and scenarios even greater depth than before. For the truly ambitious, rules are given for using Scorpion Folks as player characters.