Making the drow more alien

[ssampier]

Great ideas, what about a Nordic campaign?

Great ideas all around. I am in the same boat. I'm creating a new homebrew and I wanted to go with the basic idea of, "same, but different," D&D by the book, with a few twists thrown in for good measure. The campaign has some Viking/Scandinavian flavor, so I'd add credence to the "dark elf" of Nordic mythology. If I remember my mythology, Norse "dark elves" are were named because of their habitat, not the color of their skin. Demon-worshippers (giants) make sense, plus unique magic items and spells. Dark elves are rarely seen above surface since they are harmed by sunlight (say a penalty to stats and attack/saving throws).

{{SNIP}}
Step 4: Don't use many of the standard magic items and spells; invent tons of new (and highly weird) ones. Back in the day (I remember their first appearance with wonder too), they had demon staves, tentacle rods, wands of viscid globs, death lances- just about every Drow item was special and unique to their culture. Even their simple +1 weapons were weird- they would disintegrate in sunlight!

All of this comes from a Drizzt-hating, Greyhawk-loving Drow fanatic... with enough restraint not to use them unless it's very, very special. Like I said, I think I'm averaging about 1 session per 150 or thereabouts.

You are my hero.

 

[Perun]

I would state that you don't have to change the nature of the Drow at all to make them mysterious.

Instead, you need to change your GM role-playing skills.

Instead of telling the party that a drow killed their minion, tell the party that a minion was found dead. Never let the party see the stealthy drow.

The drow rely upon darkness and stealth and being unseen.

What they don't see and don't have a name for is far more mysterious than a known enemy.

Exactly! This is what our DM did to us recently. Imagine being in a dungeon, where your enemy knows the layout of the terrain and you don't, and he can spot you long before you can notice him (120 ft. darkvision works wonderfully like that ), and when you blast him with a fireball, nothing happens... he might be immune to fire, or have SR... his features are hidden under hood and cloak, and you have no idea what you're up against, except for the occasional reciprocal gyre or fireball coming from the darkness around you...

We were really impressed. And that's in a FR party that had it's share of drow PCs.

 

[megamania]

I run an Eberron campaign and had a few thoughts about how to do Drow.

I figured I could get away from spider motifs to begin with. Being evil was the next thing. Then I wanted to reintroduce the "creep" factor to the race.

That said I then looked into the history of elves and drow in Eberron. They were all slaves to giants and exposed to incredible levels of magic. This all ended when the Dal Quori invaded of the Dreaming Dark. Now the elves are free and the giants are barbariac or at least unsettled.

Sit, spin and repiece it together.

Drow are free and love theri freedom. They distrust everyone- especially anyone looking to use giant magic / tech to advance themselves. Instead of worshipping an CE spider goddess they may look up to ...the ones that freed them- the Quori!

What I am using is- Lose tribes that are the unspoken masters of the jungles- below AND above ground. They worship dream and the creatures of dreams that are ...well not really nice. Intruders are to be killed. Killed in such a way as to discourage further intrusions into their lands. Having been given high level magic but not the training in its use I have them using weird magic that seems more alive. This keeps the connection of elves and drow alive. The elves worship death is a strange way. They worship their oldest and keep them alive artifically. Nearly every drow item will be sentinent with the spirit of a drow family member.

I am looking to use the new Confrontaion elven faction as the mini's for them. They will be taller and the armor will have an organic feel to it.

Let the terror begin.

Oh- and how many will be Inspired carriers? Quite a few. In this I may keep the matronarch alive and only females are allowed to be a host. Oh the fun. To bad Xen'drix is 6 months away.

 

[Stone Angel]

We tend to run FR campaigns where the Drow are more common and "known" I suppose. One thing I did was have them use total silence. Only their hand code. During combat I would merely do hand gesture, then hand them a note saying what effect that they had just taken such as damage. Move a mini, hand another note...

Really un-nerved my players.


The Seraph of Earth and Stone

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Suffice to say, the drow hardly consider *themselves* as a subrace, now do they?

I think they do consider themselves a subrace of elves. And besides, their opinion doesn't really count for anything.

 

[Testament]

I run an Eberron campaign and had a few thoughts about how to do Drow.

I figured I could get away from spider motifs to begin with. Being evil was the next thing. Then I wanted to reintroduce the "creep" factor to the race.

That said I then looked into the history of elves and drow in Eberron. They were all slaves to giants and exposed to incredible levels of magic. This all ended when the Dal Quori invaded of the Dreaming Dark. Now the elves are free and the giants are barbariac or at least unsettled.

Sit, spin and repiece it together.

Drow are free and love theri freedom. They distrust everyone- especially anyone looking to use giant magic / tech to advance themselves. Instead of worshipping an CE spider goddess they may look up to ...the ones that freed them- the Quori!

What I am using is- Lose tribes that are the unspoken masters of the jungles- below AND above ground. They worship dream and the creatures of dreams that are ...well not really nice. Intruders are to be killed. Killed in such a way as to discourage further intrusions into their lands. Having been given high level magic but not the training in its use I have them using weird magic that seems more alive. This keeps the connection of elves and drow alive. The elves worship death is a strange way. They worship their oldest and keep them alive artifically. Nearly every drow item will be sentinent with the spirit of a drow family member.

7 Words:
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

 

[Voadam]

I played in a campaign where the "drow" were the drowesti elves, known by some as Melniboneans but that was confusing the race with inhabitants from their empire's capital city. They were a mix of drow elves and the melniboneans from Michael Moorecock's Elric series. They were tall and pale, magically advanced, decadent, evil and powerful.

I remember I played a good merchant prince sovereign of a culture that had broken away from them. When I visited their capital where I had trade relations one of their diplomats who hosted me served fried flumph. Not knowing what it was I ate it and enjoyed it. I later had a bard outcast drowesti join my house and work a bunch of politics for me.

 

[Garnfellow]

I think Mike Mearls's Vallorians from Legacy of the Dragons could be looted for many great ideas to make the drow more alien.

I'd do it myself, but I'm already using Vallorians as surrogates for the Lerara, a lost tribe of Suel in the Greyhawk setting.

 

[drnuncheon]

My drow are rare - when I ran Monte Cook's Queen of Lies, I replaced all of the non-named drow with other spiderlike monsters (arachnoloths, chitine, etc). Only the named drow remained - each one a powerful and unique 'Pure One'. Now I can have massive waves of semi-arachnid creatures if I want people to be able to hack and slash, backed up by the actual drow, who became a lot creepier.

J

 

[Desdichado]

IMC, I use the Thurn -- totally white, albino Fey who live in the inhospitable uplands of Barsoom.

Hey, Nifft; is your campaign called Barsoom too? Send me an email; I'm curious. jdyal at wowway dot com.