Duergar: I'm shocked - a flavour change I really like!

[Lackhand]

I don't like the change, but then again, live by the "change the fluff to fit your campaign", die by the "change the fluff to fit your campaign".

It doesn't make me insane or anything, it's just a bit of fluff I'll ignore.
Unless and until it becomes awesome. At which point I'll (sheepishly but opportunistically) change position on this quicker than a very quick thing, and yoink it for my game.

 

[Rechan]

I don't mind the change, but I honestly don't see how it makes any difference... or why someone would consider falling back on something as hoary as being demon or devil-tainted ambitious.

I don't really remember the last time I saw an original explanation for why some D&D race or nation was almost entirely evil - it's always the same stuff: Children of an evil god, corrupted by outsiders, exiled for their sins and forced to live someplace that made them twisted and vengeful, ruled by necromancers...

Here's one I can't remember seeing: they have no soul. That's it. They are utterly devoid of empathy, lacking in all but rudimentary emotions (fear, anger). A race of irredeemable sociopaths.

 

[kinem]

Drow are demon-corrupted elves with magical powers that live underground.

Duergar are devil-corrupted dwarves with magical powers that live underground.

How is that not more "the drow of the dwarves" than ever?

 

[TerraDave]

Its not that much a stretch, duergar have always been "giant dwarves" (and are not alone, sprigans have the same stchick, though they are not in the 3ed core rules), and the devil part fits their (past and current) lawful evil alignment.

Their main twist was that they where psionic. And given that they have promised psionics, I am a little surprised they didn't hold them back for the psionic stuff coming latter.

The derro can still be around, they have different powers, and are chaotic, so more "demonic". I guess we will see.

 

[Rechan]

Drow are demon-corrupted elves with magical powers that live underground.

I never got the impression the Drow were demon-corrupted. Lolth wasn't a demon, just a God that betrayed Corellan.

 

[Cam Banks]

Probably not existing any more. I honestly forget whether they even got a 3e writeup.

Page 49 of the Monster Manual?

Cheers,
Cam

 

[Imban]

You're kidding, right? ...right?

...whoops.

Here's one I can't remember seeing: they have no soul. That's it. They are utterly devoid of empathy, lacking in all but rudimentary emotions (fear, anger). A race of irredeemable sociopaths.

The Vasharan (I think) race from the Book of Vile Darkness were more or less humans with those exact traits, though I think the reason for their being weird was just a grudge against all of the gods that resulted in that sort of Pure Evil Society.

 

[Irda Ranger]

I like it as well. I never liked the whole "dwarves, except evil" that Duergar had going for them before. There's nothing that says that regular dwarves can't just be evil, and save you the trouble of an entire genetically distinct race. If you ARE going to have an entire, genetically distinct race, they ought to be really distinct.

At first I didn't like this change, but that's actually a really good point. I'm with you.

Looks like my duergar kingdom just became another dwarf kingdom - except evil!

 

[sckeener]

The derro can still be around, they have different powers, and are chaotic, so more "demonic".

I'm hoping they make the Derro more touched by the Far Realm. I'd like it if they were portrayed as the dwarves that dug too deep and stayed down too long.....

Dwarves that lost touch with everyone else for eons...trapped in their own minds....warp central...

 

[TerraDave]

I never got the impression the Drow were demon-corrupted. Lolth wasn't a demon, just a God that betrayed Corellan.

Going back to the source, and years and years of precedent


Loth=Demon

Correllan=nowhere to be found in the "sacred text" of the drow (or even the later FR heresies).