Drow Campaign

[Aberzanzorax]

I'll soon be running a campaign in which the drow wage war on the surface world. (It's Mongoose's Drow War Trilogy, if you're familiar).

Any advice or ideas from you folks, particularly from people who have had campaigns focusing on Drow as villians in the past?

 

[The_Gneech]

1) Make 'em sneaky. Indulge your inner rat-bastige.

2) Don't play up the "dominatrix" bit. It doesn't make the villains sinister so much as make the players giggle.

3) If 3.x/Pathfinder: Put a wand of restoration into the treasure somewhere. Between drow and their spiders, poison happens a lot.

4) Make lots of use of servitor races. Drow have orc, hobgoblin, troll slaves and more. This can add some much-needed variety into encounters.

5) Remember that on a fundamental level, drow are still elves. They take the long view of things and make elaborate, long-term plans. They also love beautiful things, even if it's "darkly beautiful" instead of "beauty of nature" or "intricately beautiful."

Hope this helps! I'm using drow as a major source of baddies for my current game as well, so I'd be interested to hear how it goes.

-The Gneech

 

[roguerouge]

Take a look at the Paizo campaign path on drow, Second Darkness. The third or fourth adventure has a section on flesh-crafting that you want to get your hands on. The idea of being captured will have your players filled with ick.

 

[catsclaw227]

I'll soon be running a campaign in which the drow wage war on the surface world. (It's Mongoose's Drow War Trilogy, if you're familiar).

Any advice or ideas from you folks, particularly from people who have had campaigns focusing on Drow as villians in the past?

I ran the first two books of this series. It plays really well, but you need to tweak a few things.

The original maps really suck. I made my own map of Chillhame, with possible routes the PCs can take to warn the locals until the big battle in Saragost.

About the Drow of Ashfar... do NOT play them like a typical D&D Drow, they are not FR Drow, they are unique. Think flamboyant Nazis. Decadent and Lawful. Try to understand the background of She.

Also, it's not important to know about the other parts of the world that much, since the PCs are "transported" there by the gods and are Starborn.

The PCs should be able to learn about the Gods of Ashfar from the local clergy in Bronce.

When you ask the PCs to choose a Sign at character Creation time, don't show them the benefits, just show the descriptions. This will prevent unnecessary min/maxing.

Early Game:
The initial encounters are really there just to get the PCs down into the mine to discover the invasion. They work fine, and are good to get the party set up as people that can be trusted. This is important once they start going south...

Play up "Jim's Boys" in the beginning, they are important to helping the PCs be heros in the early adventure.

The adventure in the mine needs to feel a bit rushed too, as the rains are filling up parts of the mine, so there may be some harried combats and quick running around.

The race south is fun, but I gave them a few moments to slow down in Lower Scumsgrove and Hockton Barrow. There are some good times to be had there, so let the PCs jump off the beaten path a bit. For Example, I gave them a gang as rivals in Lower Scumsgrove that ended up joining the forces of evil and later met them again in Saragost.

I have some handouts for the players (like a summary of the gods, the note found on the Drow at Hockton Barrow, etc). Let me know if you want them.

What system are you using to run this? 3.5? 4e?

 

[Aberzanzorax]

VERY HELPFUL ALL!

I'm doing as minimal updates as possible from the original, but the players are using pathfinder....and the pathfinder core and bestiary ONLY.


Returing to the roots of "one main class"....


I have basically all the 3pp and WotC drow books, so I can utilize those, as well as the 2nd edtion versions thereof.

I would LOVE to have additional resources. I've downloaded the maps from mongoose, but other vignettes/side treks would be welcome, and really any inspiration.

While I am using the Drow War Trilogy, it's open ended enough, and I want to sandbox if I can, so really, any/all suggestions are VERY welcome.

 

[Herobizkit]

The late Gygax originally created Drow as a perverted, twisted race with absolutely no redeeming qualities. They were intended to be the Evil of Evils, rivaled only by demons and devils in their depravity.

To this end, rather than playing them as "evil Elves", how about running them as Evil Fey creatures? Have them be creatures of Shadow, melting in and out of view, harrying the PCs, slowly ticking away theit health and, should they be defeated, have them dragged back to a Dark Elf community and... well... check out the Book of Vile Darkness for some twisted ideas. These Dark Elves should be sociopaths of the worst kind.

 

[Lidgar]

In the spirit of Gary's drow, I give my drow a standard +2 enchantment to most of their items when in the Underdark - a bonus that dissipates in sunlight. High AC drow with nasty melee weapons are fun. I don't sweat game/treasure "balance" much in my campaigns, so this approach may not appeal to all (most of my campaign are low magic, so these items are more magnified).
The comment on using minions is a good one - bugbears, trolls, outsiders, and undead in particular. Also, having betrayals occur mid-combat can really drive home the point of the viscousness of their society. Lastly, I favor ambush and hit and run tactics - I typically do not have them fight to death unless pushed by a high ranking cleric. Once again, use betrayals to cover their escape or spare their own skin.

 

[The_Gneech]

Here, have an arcane guard.

What Was I Saying...? - "I'd Like Four Superfluous Levels of Wizard, Please"

-The Gneech

 

[Herobizkit]

Here, have an arcane guard.

I read your blog, and it seems like Pathfinder has exactly the same issues as its source material: too many stats.

For your Drow "warrior," "elite warrior," and "arcane guard", I would have "borrowed" the NPC Warrior, Barbarian, and Duskblade. (In the Duskblade's case, it looks like you borrowed the class ability for your arcane guard, which is cool beans).

Barbarian? Sure, for more HP and damage. How many tricks does a "fighter" need to "hack PC until dead"?

 

[Aberzanzorax]

I read the blog as well. I liked it.