A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement From Beyond this World

From Beyond this World by Bill Benham is a role playing game supplement published by Schwalb Entertainment for use with Shadow of the Demon Lord. This is part of the Monstrous Pages series that introduces new creatures or, in this case, further explores existing ones.

This is a seven page PDF that is available from DriveThruRPG for $1.99 but was purchased at the reduced price of $1.11 during a sale. Around half of the first page is an illustration and a quarter the Credits.

The introductory paragraphs talk about the monster in question, the reen, and how mutilated livestock, and people, show that they are operating in the area.

Origins Far-Flung explains that the reen are not from Urth. They take the form of a sphere-like metallic core with a single glowing eye with writhing tentacles attached. They are artificial in origin and have a penchant for dismantling machinery and living creatures.

The reen were created by empires on another planet that fused magic and machine. Now that planet has fallen under the Demon Lord’s shadow and the reen were created to find a new world for their creators to inhabit. The reen seek out information and are semi-sentient, willing to take apart an individual alive in order to accumulate more information. Reen are dispatched as single scouts but, when they find a world that might be suitable, they can create duplicates. Reen will create devices to communicate across space, take over a town to use as a base and prepare for an invasion – even if their creators may be long gone by now. Reen will improve their tactics on further encounters with previously encountered creatures.

Customising Reen has three modifications to the eye that reen can do, each with different functions. Next there are two sample reen, a normal one, a reen vivisector that specialises in dismantling creatures and a reen spellbreaker, designed to combat magic. Reen drones are sentient creatures that have had a reen control tumour implanted, as well as other useful implements. There are rules on creating these from existing creatures and three sample creatures to which this has been done.

From Beyond this World in Review

The PDF lacks bookmarks and doesn’t really need it at this length. Navigation is okay. The text maintains a two column full colour layout and ne rather glaring error was noted given that it is in the first page’s title – “Demon Lord” instead says “Demond Lord.” There are some full colour illustrations, some custom and one a reproduction of the reen’s illustration from the core book.

The reen are a different type of enemy from most that would be encountered. Not unintelligent but not intelligent to be reasoned with, nor would they have a reason to want to reason. They have been programmed with a goal and they will do whatever needs doing to achieve that goal. Reen are also more dangerous than they might initially seen, as they will self-destruct rather than be taken intact. There is also a potential adventure hook of a reen infestation to be dealt with, before they construct a portal to bring something through. From Beyond this World expands the reen into something with more depth, and danger, and it can be found by clicking here.