D&D 5E So what happens when a non Drow attempts to become a dryder?

[Mercule]

No matter which way I look at it, I just can't see a reason the designers chose to make becoming the image of your god a punishment.

Because elf-ladies are sexy-hot model babes and bloated spider things aren't. It's trite and cynical, but the simplest answer.

because lolths form is a curse from corellon which she can't break

IRL, many, many slurs become badges of pride. Not all, but a very good number. A valid result of Lolth's curse could be that even her attempts at venerating her new form are tainted. She may have tried to turn it into a reward, but can't get past it sterilizing the recipients, as well as removing their ability to work magic and giving them a bit of brain damage.

Either way, the "correct" answer, per implied setting (and Greyhawk/FR) to the original question would be "They don't. Ever." Those in charge of the ceremony wouldn't do it. You might as well ask what would happen if a Catholic priest baptized a dead iguana or a Rabbi conducted a Bar Mitzvah for a pig. The questions themselves are almost offensive to anyone in a position to act on them.

Should an outsider somehow get the ceremonial instructions and perform them, the answer takes one of three forms:

1) Lolth withholds her power. Nothing happens.

2) Everyone dies. Lolth's direct intervention is required for the ritual to work, so you're pretty much screwed.

3) The targets of the ritual become giant spiders, complete with the brains of giant spiders. No save is permitted. The effect is instantaneous, not permanent, so it can't be dispelled. Likewise, remove curse is no more effective than it would be on a drider. As a bonus, no form of resurrection or reincarnation will work because the target isn't dead. When they do die, these spells work as they would on a "normal" giant spider. Don't screw with Lolth.

Whatever you do in your home campaign is up to you. The above is what I see as being viable based on my understanding of canon.

 

[SkidAce]

Let it fail and have them die (or almost die) works if the characters are familiar with the standard story. They should have known better.

"IF" however, you have already changed the backstory for driders, AND communicated this with them already via RP or in story lore, then I like the "it works, roll on the madness table method".

 

[ExploderWizard]

Well technically only drow become driders. You see how it works? DRow + spIDER = Drider.

I suppose the DRagonborn could become a drider, but the eladrin would become an elider, and the dwarf would be a dwider.

 

[Azurewraith]

Well technically only drow become driders. You see how it works? DRow + spIDER = Drider.

I suppose the DRagonborn could become a drider, but the eladrin would become an elider, and the dwarf would be a dwider.

Oh I can imagine the Jonathan woss jokes there

 

[Azurewraith]

I don't want to outright kill them as they don't even know where they are let alone what's going on

 

[Mercule]

I don't want to outright kill them as they don't even know where they are let alone what's going on

Give them a notion that it's a death sentence. Let them perform a task for Lolth to avoid her wrath. Treat it as an over-sized geas spell.

 

[Maxperson]

Yeah. It confuses me as to why they are cursed. If they look like her, shouldn't they be revered by the Drow as embodiments of the evil of Lolth.

It's a curse for a few reasons. First, if it were a blessing, that would mean that all normal drow are failures in Lolth's eyes, which is a bad thing. Second, if it were a blessing and the vast majority of drow were not failures, the drow race would die out since they'd all be driders. Third, even though the goddess sometimes looks like a spider, she also had a drow form and when push comes to shove, she's an elven goddess, not a drider goddess. Drow is the preferred form for her followers.

She curses the failures to look like her secondary form of spider, making them at least useful.

 

[steeldragons]

Agonizing pain followed by death.

Because if being a drider is a reward, why would lolth choose non-drow? Especially non-allied non drow??

So no, no "cool" powers and the pcs learn that allowing this to happen was a foolish, fatal, idea.

100% this. Lolth isn't interested in anyone but the drow being "on top." Non-drow are not good for anything except slaves...if that. And the eldarin? Stricken dead from on high on sight.

Since you've altered your story/world to make driders the "chosen/blessed/hand picked of Lolth", no one but a drow of the highest level/caliber would even be considered.

These PCs deserve a lengthy painful [ergo entertaining for Lolth and any drow witnessing the event) death.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

It is a punishment, because Lolth has some self-loathing issues (it is even in her name). Beyond that, she isn't the most stable CE demon goddess, so it might be a punishment one day and a blessing the next, no matter what the priestesses (and lore) say....it could easily be that she is turning the party to driders because she heard someone say that only drow could become driders and thought "who dares tell me who I can turn into driders?"

I would have an intermediate step be that the party are polymorphed into drow (with all the changes to stats that entails), and a convenient NPC come by and let the PC's know what is going on.

 

[Sunseeker]

It really depends. Driders are a curse/blessing by Lolth. At least that's how official driders work.

If the process is an "agonizing" transformation then the simple answer is "con check". Perhaps the initial mutations are tolerable and won't cause death, but are painful enough to get their attention (maybe have them lose a little HP) and think twice about getting themselves transformed. Perhaps top it off with a "will check" since traditionally the transformation also drove the victim insane.

So start with low numbers and make them make regular saves. Each fail they lose say 5HP (that's pretty scary at level 3!). After the first 2-3 con saves, make them make a mental save (Int or Will) to not be driven insane IN ADDITION to more con saves. Each fail temporarily reduces their Int/Wis mod by 1, if their mod reaches 0, they go insane. (by insane I mean, no longer a player-character).

Have an NPC explain this to them (the NPC wants more driders) in a manner that perhaps does not fully cover how dangerous it is, maybe just little hints at "oh it killed my brother, but he was weak."

Since you're not having to worry about Lolth and inventing your own rules, I wouldn't worry about how Lolth usually does things.