Are we sick of the Drow yet?

[DragonLancer]

During 2nd ed we got so much detail on the Drow that they lost their magic and became old hat. I still use them, but they are not the mystery that they once were.

For the homebrew game I am designing, I am seriously thinking of having Dark Elves (not drow) as Fey who appear on the darkest nights to raid the real world for slaves and goods, and then retreating to the Faerie Realm before the light of the sun hits them.

Thats the best way to handle overly known monsters. Change them a little to surprise and scare the players.

 

[Desdichado]

They haven't been over-used in my neck of the woods. They still have some life yet.

 

[Zelgadas]

Personally, I have no problem with good drow, just as I have no problem with evil halflings. What I have a problem with is pigeon-holing of entire races. It irks me to no end that people think that a good drow is a cliche, simply because "drow are evil". The idea that an entire race is evil is, in my opinion, a much bigger cliche, and wholely unbelievable to boot. I can buy the idea of cultural tendencies (i.e., a drow from the underdark is likely to be evil, because of the environment in which he was raised), but I think the idea that drow are inherently evil is just plane silly. Personally, in my campaign, I plan on having the PCs run into entire communities of drow that don't want to slay them on sight because they're "good guys".

I guess my point is that, yes, an entire race of villains is a cliche, and is boring. Want to add some spice to drow? Add some moral ambiguity and some shades of gray. Add some variation in alignment. Do away with the players' ability to see a drow and think "enemy", because he might not be.

 

[Klaus]

I've had drow so infrequently in my years of roleplaying (I played an evil drow in a short-lived Rolesmaster game) that I haven't been jaded by them yet. Even good drow.

But Drizzt is SUCH a munchkin (his animal companion is a figurine of wondrous power... how much munchikinier can you get?)

 

[Ashrum the Black]

I haven't really used drow in any of my campaigns. This of course means I just had to add a drow knock off into my current one.

Drow make a great villian, but make for an "oh so angsty" player. If I want angst I play vampire, if I want heroic action and adventure I play D&D. So to me it is simple, drow are the villains, and the players just haven't moved anywhere near a drow villian.

-Ashrum

 

[jasper]

too much fiction of those evil goobers.
Too many ecology and different view points on those evil goobers. So if I change how they were created etc people complain and cite various source books, articles etc,
Too many different artists viewpoints. Are black with white hair, african americian, purple two eye paladin eaters etc.
Too many clones of Drizzle at Drow the two scimatar vegagomatic.

 

[Ryltar]

I voted #1 for a number of reasons. I love drow when they're played out the right way - as in scheming, backstabbing, and cruel. I hate drow when they're played out pseudo - as in "I want to be drow because they're so cool, but I'll play nice." There is room for exactly one Drizzt; copies make the concept feel overused. Drizzt rocks, though, as do most of the characters from WotSQ - I actually like them better now than in the G3 days. I can understand why some people might feel like there's a drow standing behind every corner, waiting to ambush them with angsty comments .

 

[Darth Shoju]

I've never really had a problem with Drizzt; I even liked him back in the day. I think I've been more saturated by drow sourcebooks, drow adventures, drow miniatures and drow novels (beyond the Drizzt ones, though he's also become a little too prolific for my tastes). Like a previous post says, there's been so many different views and sources on drow culture it's really done me in on them. Try developing other races, please (of course there are books doing that, but I'm thinking there's still room to cover other humanoid races).

 

[Henry]

Tired of Forgotten Realms style drow, who aren't nearly wicked and depraved enough for my tastes. Even my Forgotten Realms Drow are more like Greyhawk-style drow - much more wicked and efficient. For one thing, they win.

 

[Bran Blackbyrd]

I'm not sick of them, but then, I haven't had much exposure to them.

I don't read the FR novels.
I never bought an FR D&D book until 3E.
I've never played with anyone that wanted to play a drow.
Our group fought them in two whole skirmishes in one campaign in 2000. Staggering!

I have Dark Elves in my campaign world, but no drow. Mine have a totally different culture. Of course, since they're mine, they're cool.