Good Drow

[Redleg06]

Random Post.

 

[psychophipps]

The issue at hand, at least from my veiwpoint, is "relative culture". If your entire society is based on certain precepts, the chances of you deviating from it in a massive way are slim to none unless some huge life-changing event turns you away from it somehow.
To wit, if you spend your entire existance as a Drow, the chances of you randomly acting within the usual Drow societal norms in a manner that 1) won't get you killed by someone who realises that you're an idiot or 2) get you dragged into the local temple of Lolth for heresy(which just so happens to closely reasemble #1) are really, REALLY slim with an alignment of something-Good. All of the rituals, societal actions, and usual interactions (like that dagger interacting with your back) would sicken you and your revulsion would be obvious to all but the most dense of beings. Add to this the generally overly-cautious, Machivellian nature of the Drow society and the fact that "childhood" lasts well into the fives of decades and you soon find yourself in the situation of #1 and/or #2 above.
Granted, you can have an epiphany(sp?) and other such random reactions to your surroundings which would prompt you to bail from the said society, but leading a "normal life" or anything reasembling it would be pretty much impossible.
This said, while PCs are supposed to be exceptional and "interesting" the Good Drow is a cliche' that should be stomped upon with the biggest cork boots that you can manage on General Principle.

In other words, "Hell no, fangeek!"
Mark(psycho)Phipps( HAHAHA! )

Proud player of Brock Tyrsblade, Fighter - 4/Cleric of Tyr - 4 with a Divine Helm of True Seeing.

 

[Dinkeldog]

But then it's strange how the Elves always live in a good culture (Drow excepted), and the Orcs always live in an evil one, regardless of which game world they're in.

Are you seriously suggesting this is just 'coincidence'?

Orcs aren't necessarily evil in either Shadowrun or Earthdawn.

 

[Tsyr]

But then it's strange how the Elves always live in a good culture (Drow excepted), and the Orcs always live in an evil one, regardless of which game world they're in.

Are you seriously suggesting this is just 'coincidence'?

It's coincidence either way. Since your so called "genetic alignment" wouldn't be constant between universes either, because they aren't the same species. (Despite what that stupid book back in 2E said, all elves did NOT come from one species). So I find it as likely that all drow randomly choose to form an evil society as I do that all drow are geneticly evil. Since we are talking about two completely different races that just happen to be very similar.

 

[Stormwing]

Quoting FredDelles ; 1. "Strict" high fantasy, where alignment and ideals are almost inherent (LotR, Dragonlance, perhaps the "Old Grey Box" version of FR)

But dragonlance isn´t really that "strict" in racial alignments and ideals not easily limited to one race. While it is "high fantasy" in the sense of being epic , there are gray areas and no easy answers . Since the whole thing was based on the "Chronicals" by Weis&Hickman, i´m refering to them for examples. The whole race of elves ,while being lawfull good ,is depicted as a bunch of arrogant, self-righteous, rassistic isolationists.
The Knight of Solomnia, the upholders of Law and order, are reactionary pricks, who wouldn´t change their underwear if there isn´t a passage in the measure.

In "strict" high fantasy, drow are evil to the core and there's no getting around it.

Since there are no drows on krynn ,i have to use other races for examples,to dissprove your point from the otherside. So it shouldn´t be possible ,for an elf to be evil. But Dalamar isn´t called the "dark elf" for nothing.
And Kaz, the minotaur didn´t share the traditional morals of hid race either.

 

[Bartholomew Fair]

But then it's strange how the Elves always live in a good culture (Drow excepted), and the Orcs always live in an evil one, regardless of which game world they're in.

Doesn't the Forgotten Realms have the Ondonti: peaceful Orcs persecuted by the nearby humans?

And don't forget Mystara, where an enclave of friendly Orcs live smack dab in the middle of Alfheim, the Elven kingdom.

If we want to get away from Orcs and look at "humanoids" in general, aren't there Goblin nations in Birthright that get along just fine with their human neighbors?

 

[Bartholomew Fair]

Since there are no drows on krynn...

That's not entirely true -- Drow may not be native to Krynn but thanks to the Dragonlance module DLS4 "Wild Elves" the Drow are definitely there...

 

[Tsyr]

But then it's strange how the Elves always live in a good culture (Drow excepted), and the Orcs always live in an evil one, regardless of which game world they're in.

Races DO differ between game worlds, though. Not ALWAYS, but they do.

Athasian Elves, anyone?

Or Athasian Halflings, for that matter?

The elves of Loream are closer to Lawful Neutral or Evil...

Loream dwarves are sorta chaotic neutral...

The Kagonesti Elves in Dragonlance are neutral isolationists... for that matter, so are the wild elves in Forgotten Realms, I think.

And then there are the Deuregar... and another type of evil-ish dwarf in Dragonlance with a slightly different name...

I think the real reason they often seem so similar is a meta-game one... people LIKE them that way, so publishers MAKE them that way. Not genetics or anything. Since, well, they aren't the same species or anything.

 

[WattsHumphrey]

All I can really say about good Drow is that if you want to use them in a game... be careful.

We're playing CotSQ and the GM introduced a TN drow as a PC the second game. He was disguised using a hat of disguise as a Human so that we wouldn't be ticked off at him right away.

This wouldn't be much of a problem but I cast true seeing to look for something else and got a good look at him. I'm playing a Cleric of Shevarash. Dogma: Kill drow. all drow. now. quickly. painfully.

Killing him was not my best moment.

GM's... be careful with Drow. Perhaps not everyone'd kill them right off, but a decent number of people should, and that will cause a lot of problems.

 

[Redleg06]

Orcs aren't necessarily evil in either Shadowrun or Earthdawn.

Earthdawn? You're kidding right...?