We Are Legion 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 Monstrous Pages series and examines broodlings.
This is an eleven-page PDF that is available from DriveThruRPG for $2.99 but was purchased at a reduced price during a sale. Around half a page is the cover image, a quarter of the page is the Credits and one page is ads.
The opening paragraphs state that history’s tragedies and disasters don’t need sinister conspiracies acting behind the scenes. This supplement provides details on the insectoid race and its plans, a conspiracy against mankind.
The Trouble With Gateway details a broodling’s scheme in Gateway in the Northern Reaches. How it has built up its reputation as a wealthy merchant wanting to benefit the community, and coerced people to act on its behalf, to provide it with a constant stream of the unwanted to eat.
Sinister Parasites explains how conspiracy theories arise, and how sinister patterns can be identified but, usually, that doesn’t mean a huge conspiracy. And that’s what the broodlings want you to think. When humans arose, faeries, as explained in Exquisite Agony and Terrible Beauty introduced death and made the Underworld for them, and set themselves up as gods.
Not all the humans appreciated their immortality being taken away. The Men of Gog in particular attacked the faeries and Titania, the Faerie Queen, called on her sister, Mymaridae, the Queen of Bees, for help. Mymaridae agreed, for a price, and created huge swarms of insects, gathered into smaller swarms called broodlings. The swarms attacked the Men of Gog and drove them back into the Desolation, but Mymaridae was killed by their leader during the process.
Nature of the Swarm has a d20 table of insects to comprise them, and explains that such swarms have little in common with any other creatures. They can also create an, imperfect, humanoid disguise by contracting the swarm. A d20 table has tells broodlings have that show they are not right. Broodlings, being hive creatures, are essentially immortal. They can also breed, with details given and a reference to the adventure A Mother’s Burden.
Patient Hatred explains that broodlings avoid direct confrontation; if a broodling is uncovered, that is because it wants to be uncovered. An Insidious Threat has a d20 table of broodling plots; their eventual goal is the elimination of mankind. They seek lairs, with a d20 table of these, and An Army of Slaves explains how they work through intermediaries, one who are given a choice; work for the broodling or be destroyed by having their secrets revealed.
Facing the Swarm explains how broodlings prepare to face enemies, using the dark, traps, minions and hidden rooms. Broodling stats from the Core Rulebook are duplicated, followed by ways of customising them. Elder broodlings are the very first, and have much knowledge. Feral ones are insentient and simply attack everything. Puppeteers can control other living creatures by invading their bodies. Venomous broodlings incorporate poisonous insects into their swarms. Blindings ones can blot out the light and target the eyes and mouths.
We Are Legion in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and, although comparatively short, has enough different sections that these would have been useful. Navigation could be better. The text maintains a two-column full colour format and appeared to be almost free of error. As well as the cover image, there are a couple of other colour images that appear to be custom. Presentation is very good.
This isn’t a collection of new monsters; instead, it’s enhancements and explanations for an existing one, the broodling. There are a few variants but the main aim seems to be to set the broodlings up as being behind complicated plots in the shadows aimed at destroying humanity. The Gateway plot at the beginning provides an example of one of these, and it could, with a bit of extra development, be used in game. How the broodlings came to be is useful background history, but possibly not relevant to characters; they might not be able to discover it. We Are Legion provides extra detail on an interesting, hidden, foe and it can be found by clicking here.
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