D&D General Escaping the Shadow of Drizzt

[Fauchard1520]

You want to play a drow. Unfortunately, your group have all read their RA Salvatore, and you can hear the scimitar jokes coming from a mile away. How do you roll up a drow who's so completely different from Drizzt that you're able to escape the onrushing flood of satire?

Comic for illustrative purposes.

 

[mortwatcher]

make a female drow

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Don't use scimitars, dual wield, or act emo.

 

[iserith]

I figure the jokes will happen no matter what I do, so I just lean into it with my masked rogue swashbuckler, Drizzorro the Fey Blade.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

make a female drow

Hello Viconia.

 

[Doug McCrae]

How do you roll up a drow who's... completely different from Drizzt?

By making them completely different from Drizzt.

 

[Retreater]

If it's distracting for your group, just don't play a drow. I don't like 'em either.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[aco175]

Give him one trait or gimmick that is taken over the top. What makes Jaraxle or Grumph different than Drizzt. It could be a big fancy hat, or a walking cane, or a way that he talks, or threatens people since he is not as nice as Drizzt and he is betting that the stupid northerners automatically like drow now since one lone drow was not so bad out of the whole race.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I’ve been fond of dark elves for a while. Before Drizzt, the first literary dark elf I remember was Dalamar. But honestly, I don’t know how long a shadow Drizzt casts these days. I haven’t seen a dual-wielding drow ranger copy in a long time. Are the kids even reading R.A. Salvatore?

One of my current characters, Lirien, is an optimistic drow illusionist that wears bright colors. Not a single scimitar, tragic backstory, or any brooding to him.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Fenris-77]

If you avoid rangering, dual scimitar wielding, and black panther befriending you should be fine. Maybe the latter two more than anything. That said, you could create an elderly, overweight, nearsighted, female Drow cleric of Knowledge and you'd still have to put up with Drizzt jokes, so there's that.

 

[jayoungr]

Play a caster?

 

[LordEntrails]

Be original? I mean is every dwarf Gimli? Is every ranger Aragorn?

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Raunalyn]

There is no escaping the Gary-Stu that is Drizzt. He is everywhere...he could be anyone. He might even be you and you don't know it. And, he will kill you with his lightning-fast speshul scimitars of Salvatore BadA$$dom (TM).

There is no escape...

 

[BookBarbarian]

Sure. Make a Heavy Weapon wielding Drow Barbarian.

Be the Drow Wulfgar. He was always the foil to Drizzt anyway. Strong where Drizzt was quick and impatient where Drizzt was patient. Edit: even flawed where Drizzt was so gary-stu'd.

 

[Dausuul]

Be original? I mean is every dwarf Gimli?

Well... yeah, pretty much.

 

[LordEntrails]

Is every ranger Aragorn?

Or Drizzt?

 

[Wiseblood]

Easy peasy, make a drow that acts like a drow.