Between Two Worlds by Robert J. Schwalb is a role playing game supplement published by Schwalb Entertainment for use with Shadow of the Demon Lord. This is part of the Victims of the Demon Lord series which focuses on various ancestries in more detail.
This is a 15 page PDF that is available from DriveThruRPG for $2.99 but was purchased at a greatly reduced price as part of a special bundle. Of the first page, around half is a colour illustration and a quarter is the Credits. The remainder of the supplement is content.
Victims of the Demon Lord explains that when the faeries withdrew to their hidden kingdoms, some remained behind. Some did so by choice, others, such as the goblins, were given no option. Finally there are the fauns, introduced in the Demon Lord’s Companion, who are mortals who lived too long amongst the faeries or were sired by them on mortals. Fauns are generally shunned or ostracised by both their parent races.
Lost and Abandoned explains that faeries reproduce infrequently, primarily because to do so they must donate a portion of their soul, a portion that never grows back. However, mortals that spend time in the hidden kingdoms can slowly transform into faeries, but this only works on infants and children. This is one reason why faeries abduct children; the other is for the tithe of souls demanded by Diabolus, as explained in Exquisite Agony.
However, some children also escape from the hidden kingdoms, but they have usually undergone a partial transformation by this point, becoming fauns. Most fauns are descended from other fauns; their children are always fauns, as only one parent needs to be a faun for it to breed true. Occasionally faerie and human intermingling also create a faun. All fauns display animalistic features; those who live in the mortal realms are the most human-looking whilst those who dwell in the hidden kingdoms are the most animalistic.
Life on the Edge explains that, with the ever-present threat of beastmen, some fauns – who also look part animal – tend to be killed by mistake. Those fauns who dwell in the hidden kingdoms are treated as lower on the scale than humans. As a result, fauns tend to dwell away from anyone. Fauns are justifiably slow to trust other races and lack the numbers to have many viable communities of their own. They are curious about humans and many fauns follow the Old Faith.
The relationship fauns have with other races is explained. They are treated best by the halflings, and both races like the other, but would like to belong with humans and faeries, something that rarely works.
Once the background is complete, Faun Characters provides advanced rules for making such. The basics are covered in the Demon Lord’s Companion but this provides more details on the Expert faun and a lot more tables, to determine such as birth, origin, family, appearance, background, setbacks, windfalls, possessions, professions, religion and more. Whereas the Companion only has six d20 and 3d6 tables, this supplement has 42 d6, 3d6 and d20 tables, allowing a much more detailed creation.
Finally, there are two new Expert paths, Hellion, mortal agents of Hell, and Satyr, fauns obsessed with feeding their appetites.
Between Two Worlds in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and, although relatively short, the sheer number of tables would have made them useful. Navigation could be better. The text maintains a two column format and appeared free of errors. There are a variety of full colour illustrations, up to half a page in size. Presentation is very good.
As the supplement explains, there is enough content in the Demon Lord’s Companion to create a faun. What this supplement does is allow a much more detailed creation of such. Should time be limited, then the basic creation method is perfectly fine. Should there be more time available, then this method allows for the creation of a much more detailed character – although given that Shadow of the Demon Lord is pretty deadly, that may not be wanted. Between Two Worlds is a nice expansion of the creation system for the faun and it can be found by clicking here.
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