drows and duergar as "evil" races

[dame duergar]

I decided that in my next game campain, both the drows and duergar wouldn't be actually "evil" races, but certain groups that have been rejected by the mainstream groups of dwarves and elves. The drows have been rejected due to their beliefe in the elves' previous and ancient spider godess, instead in their later god, corelion larethian.
The duergar, however, have been exiled due to their mutany against the dwarven royal dinasty. In both cases, both races aren't evil for the sake of it, but are seeking for revenge on the races that rejected them.

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

How very hippy of you.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

In both cases, both races aren't evil for the sake of it, but are seeking for revenge on the races that rejected them.

Personally I prefer "adversary races" to "evil races" so both of these changes would improve a campaign from my perspective. I liked the What's New on drow that basicly mocked the entire concept of an intrinsicly and irredeemably evil race that somehow still manages to propogate itself and its society. If I was to have an evil race it would be solitary, superprecocial and probably insect based - maybe a nice tarantula wasp knock off.

 

[WayneLigon]

So, have you ditched alignment completely in your campaign? Have you revised other 'evil race' ideas, such as goblins, ogres, etc? Or are they simply more savage than 'evil'?

 

[Umbran]

How very hippy of you.

How very... grumpy of you, Celt. Great way to encourage a newcomer to our community. Mayhaps next time you might try, I dunno, asking a question or otherwise engaging in conversation, rather than getting snarky at folks who just joined, hm?


For example:

Dame Duergar, what seems more relevant to me is not the original cause of the split, but the actual behavior patterns of the people. As we see enough in our world, feuds often leave their original contexts behind. The first question isn't whether the drow are evil for the sake of being evil or for revenge - to first approximation, it's still evil. Some plot point may hinge on that history, but the fact that the drow were bad still hasn't changed.

Or has it? Do you posit drow that are actually fairly nice folk, who have been unfairly painted by bad press?

 

[painandgreed]

My personal take is that the demihuman races like elves and dwarves are more concerned with the law vrs chaos axis than the good vrs evil axis. The Drow and Duergar are the chaotic versions of the two, while the main races are considered lawful. Although many are evil as their society is an evil one, the society itself doesn't care that much and neutral and good exist within them as good versus evil is seen as a personal choice that one is allowed to decide for themselves so long as they remain within acceptable societal norms.

I was looking for something to set their societies apart from humand and felt to go back to the Basic D&D alignment system sort of.

IMC, the elves and dwarves were created to fight chaos by the natural order. The crime of the drow was that once they won, they suggested returning to a more neutral standing. They were deemed chaotic and the other elves sought to slay them all. The only drow power to surive was an otherwise unknown child goddess who had a thing for spiders. Thus the drow are explained as their only goddess is a essentially the god version of a emotionally damaged teenage cutter goth girl.

 

[Kyrail]

My personal take is that the demihuman races like elves and dwarves are more concerned with the law vrs chaos axis than the good vrs evil axis. The Drow and Duergar are the chaotic versions of the two...

Pretty sure Duergar are lawful evil normally though. Though you did say personal take.

 

[painandgreed]

Pretty sure Duergar are lawful evil normally though. Though you did say personal take.

Yep, changed anything I didn't like to suit my needs.

 

[Herobizkit]

IMXP I have only use alignment as an extremely loose description of a character concept rather than a damage modifier. As such, I completely love the OP's idea. Question is, how do the more traditionally "good" races view these "non-evil" races?