Help playing drizzt do'urden

[blake collier]

Hey there I'm a DM who is running a 5e game and the party I'm with has just fled the city of Athkatla, because of a war they themselves do not wish to be a part of, they have made it to the spine of the world mountain range, and the party is considered deserters from the battlefield so their former allied nation is sending hunters after them. However they are one or two sessions away from making it to the Icewind Dale. The party has only heard roumors about Ten Towns but two of my players know of Drizzt from the books and are hoping to meet him. I've never tried to role play as drizzt and all I know of him is he dule wields scimitars, is a drow ranger and has a figurine that turns into a black panther.

I was hoping to get tips for playing him as true as can be and wanting to know how to build him as a character incase he is met in combat or if the party talks him into joining them at least for a little while.

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[aco175]

2 answers- you can make him anything you want to fit your game and have you done a google search. I just saw several stat blocks and many choices for what you need. It also depends on if you need his stats for fighting or if he is just a NPC the characters meet. If he just shows up and interacts with them in one scene, than you do not need anything but a mini of a panther you move around the shadows of the table for suspense.

It could be cool for Drizzt to show up and need the PCs help on a side quest. He could be testing them for something larger or trying to see what kind of people they are and have them deal with orcs raiding farms or an undead burial mound. This may lead in to a larger mission he is collecting good parties for. Heck- you can even lend out some of his magic items, he has plenty.

 

[GlassJaw]

Oh boy. Time to make popcorn.

 

[Sacrosanct]

This is how you need to play him. Have him walk up to a tree and have the party tie you up to it. Then have said party use you for catapult target practice.


Oh wait, I'm not helping...

 

[blake collier]

Thanks

Those were some good ideas, what I looked up on him seems to be Ad&d and 3.0 3.5 stuff, or I just looked in the wrong places there are some chaotic players in the group but no evil ones so I'm hoping I won't need a stat block for fighting the party, I would hope to do like you said and have him give quest and such, but I planned his introduction by giving the players a challenge that is way above their cr, so if they don't run from the fight drizzt would come in and save them the party is 4 level 3 characters and I was thinking of making drizzt like level 10 or 12 so something that is a challenge for the party would be a cake walk for him and his panther.

 

[blake collier]

Also it just donned to me our party has a ranger beast master and he actually picked a panther as his animal companions so I see some shinanigans taking place with that

 

[the Jester]

...but I planned his introduction by giving the players a challenge that is way above their cr, so if they don't run from the fight drizzt would come in and save them...

I just need to interject here- this can be INTENSELY dissatisfying to some (many) players. Making them second fiddle to an npc, especially a "famous from the books" npc very strongly smells of making him a DMPC. I'd advise against it, even if that's not your intent (and it doesn't seem to be)- it is just too easy for it to come across that way even if you don't mean for it to.

"Suddenly this other guy shows up and saves your bacon!"

"Wait, I thought this game was about our characters."

 

[blake collier]

Ok I see what you mean well then maybe I won't do that

 

[gyor]

Ok I see what you mean well then maybe I won't do that

Ask your players opinions about the presence of famous characters bothers them or not in the game. As long as you don't use Drizzt to upstage the characters it will likely be fine. Those who truly love the Forgotten Realms usually love it's NPCs, which gives FR it's character.

Or perhaps you could have the character rescue Drizzt, whose wounded and needs help, the best of both worlds.

 

[blake collier]

Maybe a mix of both 2 of my party know about the FR and want nothing more then to meet the characters like drizzt. The other two are oblivious to them and could care less about famous people,