Dragon #298: The Drow issue

[Jesse Decker]

Dark elves are evil

Dragon #298 stresses that drow are evil. It gives DMs tools to make drow (or any race, if you're flexible with the ideas presented) interesting villains, and it gives players tools to fight against them. I'm guessing that Robin Laws' "Secret Life of the Drow" might even make good-aligned drow less common in some games, since it emphasizes how vile drow can get.

Long-time gamers should also enjoy that the Living Greyhawk section deals with the Vault of the Drow.

Those of you talking about seeing material on other Underdark races in Dragon, send those article proposals to dragon@wizards.com. I think Dragon can do a lot with other interesting monster races.

 

[Zarrock God of Evil]

I like Drow and look forward to the issue. My new favourite villain race is definitely The Shades though - the pictures alone are terrific. More Shades please!

-Zarrock

 

[Finkin Swiftfingers]

I look forward to the magazine full of drow information. Should be some good stuff in there.

 

[Bonedagger]

I don't mind the idea of elves. I don't mind the idea of evil elves either. But why can't it just be done through roleplay?

(Some times I can almost get the feeling that where humans have philsophies the other races have subraces)

 

[Xarlen]

I don't mind the idea of elves. I don't mind the idea of evil elves either. But why can't it just be done through roleplay?

(Some times I can almost get the feeling that where humans have philsophies the other races have subraces)

You got the last part right.

As to Evil Elves, I don't think they'd make a community.

 

[Bonedagger]

You got the last part right.

As to Evil Elves, I don't think they'd make a community.

So you don't think they could have a community in which they worship a specific evil god without turning into a different race?

 

[Xarlen]

I really don't think they'd have a Community to Begin with. Evil elves generally isn't the norm. A fully city of them? It'd likely have to be campaign spesific.

Then again, Mythologically speaking, the Drow used to be elves who just worshiped Lolth. And then during the Crown Wars, I think (Don't crucify me; I'm going off memory), Corellan layed the Smack upon Lolth, turned all of her followers Dark skinned, and made the light sting their eyes, to drive them into the underground. So, really, it was Mr. Big Bad Elfgod who changed them, not simply Worshiping Lolth.

Yes, this has little relevance to the conversation, but I just thought I'd toss that out there.

 

[Tonguez]

I really don't think they'd have a Community to Begin with. Evil elves generally isn't the norm. A fully city of them? It'd likely have to be campaign spesific.

Albeit that humans breed quicker than elves it wouldn't be too difficult for a small group of elven cultist (worshipping evil goddess) to have splintered off from normal elf society and begun their own. For instance there are just under 400 people descended from my grandparents (up to 6th generation now - my grandmother is 91)

I do find it really sad that subraces need to be created because game designers can't imagine cultures (thats the Anthropologist in me)

IMC there is a single Elf species with various cultures(forest, desert, mariner and mountain) and a related group of Aquatic elves (subrace)

Giants are members of a single race (using magic for differentiation)

Humans have various cultures and two subraces - aquatic and avian

Dragons are a single firebreathing race (colour adaption to habitat.) Any other 'breath weapon' is produced by magic not as a natural quality of Dragons
*Sea dragons and mystic dragons exist but are not True dragons

 

[Quickbeam]

I'm rather looking forward to the Drow issue of Dragon if only to help one of the players in my campaign who occasionally seems at a loss for how to roleplay his Drow PC.

 

[National Acrobat]

Useless for some but I am running a revised 3E campaign using G1-3, D1-3 and Q1 so this comes at a great time for me!