Drizzt The Drow

[Vraille Darkfang]

Well,

In 2nd ed he had this whole wierd Switch Classes thing. (something about being a 20 something fighter, learning all his ranger skills, then becoming a 16th level ranger). If you'd look at the XP total, Rangers required more to go up in level than fighters. Also some pretty harsh penalties to anyone who changed alignment.

In game terms.

Drizzt was was raised in the CE Drow society. He never really fit in. he was CE with Nuetral Tendencies. The longer he lived with the Drow the more prominent the Nuetral Tendencies. He eventually left for the Underdark where he became fully CN.

He eventually made it to the surface where he got more and more Good Tendencies, til where he became CG.

As for Drow haters. This helped build the game. Salvatore's book bought who knows how many people into the hobby. I've never understood teh immense hate he generates.

Now, players trying to be dual-wielding Drow Rangers in my game? Those? Those get annoying.

 

[Dark Jezter]

Ugh...why can't a single rpg forum exist for a day without some Drizzt-gasms going on?

10 years ago, he was cool.

5 years ago, he was played out.

Last year, he was annoying.

Now, he inspires rage on a plane equal to a lvl 20 Orcish Eye of Grumsh/Frenzied Berserker with a bad case of hemmorhoids and a lack of Ritalin.

Please, let all the good drow die...let them die...let them die...

Bwah?! There are hardly any Drizzt-gasms that happen on this forum. Mainly because on EN World, the Drizzt Haters Bandwagon is a very large and vocal one.

It's far more common on EN World to see people complaining about Drizzt and R.A. Salvatore than praising them.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Friends, EN WOrlders, countrymen!

I come to bury Drizzt, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after, the good is oft interred with their bones.
So let it be with Drizzt.The noble Salvatore
Hath told you Drizzt was all that:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Drizzt answered it….

He hath brought many evil creatures to justice,
Whose stories did many royalties fill:
Did this in Drizzt seem presumptuous?
When that the poor have cried, Drizzt hath wept:
Drow should be made of sterner stuff.

I speak not to disprove what EN Worlders speak,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love Drizzt once, not without cause:
What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?
O judgement! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And gamers have lost their reason…. Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Drizzt,
And I must pause till it come back to me ... NOT!

 

[was]

-I've always liked Drizzt and Mr. Salvatore's writings. That being said, I've never had the urge to run a copycat character of him. I think the fuss over the character arises from the number of people who want to play Drizzt clones. There seem to be good Drow everywhere now.
-I liked it better when Drow were mysterious, evil, nightmarish creatures. I think the plethora of material done on them following the books has reduced the aura of mystery about them that made them so terrifying. In my opinion, the large number of 'good' drow characters that I've seen played only further diminishes their menacing image. What made Drizzt so special and memorable is that he was the exception to the rule tht Drow are evil, period. If you put a large number of non-evil drow out there, he becomes nothing special.

 

[Dark Jezter]

-I've always liked Drizzt and Mr. Salvatore's writings. That being said, I've never had the urge to run a copycat character of him. I think the fuss over the character arises from the number of people who want to play Drizzt clones. There seem to be good Drow everywhere now.

Except the thing is, I've seen the label "Drizzt Clone" or "Drizzt Wannabe" thrown around even in reference to characters who don't have very much in common with Drizzt at all. I've seen those terms used to describe:

Any good-aligned drow.
Any surface-dwelling drow.
Any drow PC period.
Any character that fights with a scimitar (or scimitars).
Any character that dual-wields.
Any character that has a large cat as an animal companion.
Any character that is a ranger.

-I liked it better when Drow were mysterious, evil, nightmarish creatures. I think the plethora of material done on them following the books has reduced the aura of mystery about them that made them so terrifying. In my opinion, the large number of 'good' drow characters that I've seen played only further diminishes their menacing image. What made Drizzt so special and memorable is that he was the exception to the rule tht Drow are evil, period. If you put a large number of non-evil drow out there, he becomes nothing special.

I do agree with this one. Drow were a lot more tolerable when they were mysterious and evil. But following the success of the first couple of Drizzt novels, TSR started releasing a whole deluge of novels and suppliments about the drow (WotC did this as well). So a race that was initially cool and unique instead became overexposed and cliche.

It also dosen't help much that, at least in the Forgotten Realms, good-aligned drow are starting to pop up all over the place. When R.A. Salvatore created Drizzt, it was very clear that Drizzt was a unique speciman: one of the only good members of a race known for its cruelty and evil. But now there's a freakin' deity for good drow.

 

[JVisgaitis]

Bah. Thanks fo UNearthed Arcana, we were playing Drow before Drizzt was a twinkle in Bob Salvatore's eye.

Of course, it never occured to us to play a *good* drow.

One of my first characters way back then was a chaotic good dark elf cavalier named Thalaric. Those were the days...

 

[was]

Except the thing is, I've seen the label "Drizzt Clone" or "Drizzt Wannabe" thrown around even in reference to characters who don't have very much in common with Drizzt at all. I've seen those terms used to describe:

Any good-aligned drow.
Any surface-dwelling drow.
Any drow PC period.
Any character that fights with a scimitar (or scimitars).
Any character that dual-wields.
Any character that has a large cat as an animal companion.
Any character that is a ranger.

My biggest complaint is that, regardless of class or fighting style of the drow pc in question, they all seem to share the same character background. It shows no creativity. That's like making all barbarians characters like Wulfgar, or all dwarven characters kings who had been driven from their original homes like Bruenor.

 

[Oryan77]

Talk smack all you want about Drizzt, he's still an interesting character to read about. Now I will be upset once people start bashing Jarlaxle. Luckily no one makes swashbuckling rogue drow decked out in magic items as PC's...but if this catches on I'll riot.

Stick to your duel wielding good drow PCs...long live Jarlaxle!

 

[William Ronald]

I think that the drow might benefit if they are defined as a series of different cultures, who may have certain common traits (stats) but different take on things. This would allow greater variablity in encounters, and add some mystery. Humans have a variety of cultures, and I don't see why non-humans would not as well. (In the Realms, human kingdoms run the gamut from Cormyr to Thay in terms of outlooks.) For example, Eberron has redefined the drow of that setting as a savage surface race. Similarly, there are ways to make the drow mysterious and evil -- or any other traits that you want -- by working off of different concepts.

I have seen a few drow PCs, but many of these were BEFORE Drizzt was ever mentioned. Two of them were neutral priestesses of an earth deity (which is a logical type of deity for underground races to worship) who ran afould of the enemies of their families enemies. They eventually set up shop in a trade city, helped take it over, and sent trade goods to their families -- in exchange for materials from the Underdark.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I have 3 major Drow PCs, all non-evils, dating back to 1Ed AD&D, well before the D-man ever saw publication. The first was a Druid/Ranger/Magic User with a longsword & staff (for spells, not melee), the second was his brother, a Ftr/Mu who had a Bastard Sword, Gauntlets of Ogre Power & a Giant Strength Belt (remember, this is 1Ed), and the 3rd was a Ftr/Mu/Th with dual Katars of Speed (slightly larger than normal, too.). Not a one owes a BIT to Drizzt in terms of conception or style. (The first one's 3Ed conversion does, however, now wield a scimitar due to stricter rules about Druids).

I have never read the D&D novels, but I have heard of Drizzt. I kind of have a whoopdefreakin'do attitude towards the character, but appreciate how it has caused an expansion in the game material related to drow.

So, even though I don't buy or read or even reccomend the books, Long Live Drizzt!