A drow in disguise

[Hexer]

I'm playing around with character ideas and one thing that came to mind is a generally assassin-like char that I would like to be a drow.

Now the thing is that I know at least one of the people who usually DM our games will probably make playing a drow pretty difficult in regards to NPC reactions and so on. Of course this will also depend on the setting but you get the idea.
We'd be playing 3.5

So what would be some good and creative ways of dealing with that?
Hoods and masks would be an obvious option of course but always being cloaked like that would raise suspicion all by itself so I think its a quite limited option. There are disguise spells of course though I have to admit I dont know my way around D&D magic very well so far. Another option would be something like using makeup and the bluff skill to pass as an elf.

Thinking about it I could even try to pull off not revealing the chars true (racial) nature to the rest of the party, maybe until some fitting point in the story.

What are your thoughts on this? I'm asking this in terms of RP as well as game mechanics.

 

[parinho7]

Alter Self :: d20srd.org
it is also an assassin spell

 

[Hexer]

Alter Self :: d20srd.org
it is also an assassin spell

Looks pretty much perfect but only for short periods of time of course (10min per level)

 

[Kadajko]

Looks pretty much perfect but only for short periods of time of course (10min per level)

How about a house rule for easy disguise? 24 hours instead of 10 min, if you remain completely the same except with elf skin color. I mean that would be easier than taking form of a different creature.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

The classic Hat of Disguise?

Claim to be an elf with a wicked tan?

 

[Hexer]

Claim to be an elf with a wicked tan?

"a drow! A DROW!!!"
"nooooooo! I just came back from holidays and my 'friends' found it funny to just leave me when I fell asleep at the beach.... for 3 weeks..... erm....." *runs and hides*

 

[Greenfield]

I know this is crazy, like way out of left field kind of thinking, but...

Have you considered the Disguise skill? It's in class for both Rogue and Assassin, has no spell duration to worry about and won't set off Detect Magic spells.

Save Disguise Self for those times when circumstance damages your disguise, and you need to cover until you can re-apply the makeup.

Besides, wearing a hood and gloves is all well and good, until that is the party Cleric has to do a Heal check on you for a major wound and sees the skin under the torn clothing.

Realistically (yeah, I know, odd word to use when talking D&D), there's no way to keep that secret from your party. They're going to see you when you're up, down, eating a meal, taking a dump, asleep and awake, caught in the rain or bleeding out on the ground.

Save the Bluff skill for the sob story about how you're being hunted by the "Order of the Fang", as all Drow defectors are, which is why you need to be an adventurer: So you can keep moving.

 

[Hexer]

Lol most probably.... you're absolutely right!

About the sob story, I still need to read some more drow background stuff but I thought about making this char a whorshipper of Zinzerena who is also an assassin deity but also a kind of rebel in the drow pantheon.

 

[Grogg of the North]

I played a drow wizard with a hat of disguise. I usually portrayed myself as a half-elf and if any elves thought my dialect was "off" I just said that I was raised by humans that taught me the best they could.

Otherwise, no one really gave me a problem about my race. Though that could have been the iron golem I was riding around on too.