D&D 5E New Drow cultures coming in Starlight Enclave, the Lorendrow and the Aevendrow

[Scribe]

That’s not my beef. If it’s yours, by all means, go off about it.

Just poking fun. These subcultures are clearly just being pushed to 'not all drow' as you have been saying. Its just unnecessary at this point, and easily ignored while not addressing the root issue.

Its Wizards trying to have it both ways.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Drow were already a subrace. We’re not getting more varied drow, we’re getting two other, different subraces that we’re being informed count as drow too because it’s in their name.

If drow are so culturally varied as you suggest here, why did they need to be changed in the first place? What is this change meant to actually fix?

If you believe subraces are cultures, it was already cultural. Drow are a subrace of elves.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think these new subraces are a bad addition to the lore. I just don’t think they actually address the problems with the drow. Because the only thing this changes about them is adding Unu in front of their name.

They may be part of a Drow Variant race that is a race instead of an Elven subrace, like how the new Dragonborn seem to be more seperate Dragonborn races then subraces, with each type of Dragonborn's dragon ancestor functioning as subraces for Metallic, Chromatic, and Gem Dragonborn.

Or it could be like Eladarin who had subraces within the subrace (Spring, Summer, Winter, Autumn).

 

[Remathilis]

I wager these new drow groups will be handled similar to Eberron: no stat changes, but cultural notes

Three distinct drow cultures formed after the fall of the giants. The most numerous are the Vulkoori, hunters dedicated to a scorpion god called Vulkoor. They hunt giants and other dangers in their lands. Led by powerful druids and wizards, the Sulatar cling to traditions of elemental shaping that date back to the Age of Giants. They live in a handful of obsidian cities across Xen'drik, and believe that they are destined to cleanse the world in a fiery apocalypse. Finally, the Umbragen are descended from drow who fled into the depths of the earth when the giant civilization fell. They wield sophisticated magic in their unceasing battles against the daelkyr and the other aberrations of the underworld.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I wager these new drow groups will be handled similar to Eberron: no stat changes, but cultural notes

Perhaps, but I don't think so because at minimum they want an excuse to dump Sunlight Sensitivity for Drow

 

[Mirtek]

Subraces allow to have Drow without sunlight sensitivity or darkness spell and maybe with only regular elven darkvision. Its all speculation on are they just cultures or subraces until we see a Drow subrace UA come out or a book.

But drow are already an elven subrace, one of a large number of elven subrace. Making sub-subraces now?

What's next? Aquatic drow (no, we're totally not Sea Elves) and maybe winged drow (no we're totally not Avariel).

 

[Ruin Explorer]

So instead of making drow culture more varied, they’re making more elf subraces? :/

Sounds like D&D to me! I am laughing IRL this is amazing.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

But drow are already an elven subrace, one of a large number of elven subrace. Making sub-subraces now?

What's next? Aquatic drow (no, we're totally not Sea Elves) and maybe winged drow (no we're totally not Avariel).

And Eladarin were also a subrace, one that got Winter, Spring, and Autumn. How they build races in 5e has radically changed. And I would not dismiss the possibility of aquatic drow in the future.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Perhaps, but I don't think so because at minimum they want an excuse to dump Sunlight Sensitivity for Drow

Don't we all. It's not a good way to "balance" Drow given that there are plenty of races on-par with or more outrageous than Drow (by some margin) who have no "balancing" factors. Just cut their infravision to 60' and you're good.

 

[Zardnaar]

Funny thing is I'm running a Drow game where the PCs are tracking down refugees in the Underdark.

I have three non Lolthite factions.

The Hidden.

Drow who survived the Fall of Maerimydra. They are hiding in the Underdark in various secure locations. They're low on food and are living rough.

The Ferals.

Drow who have gone feral. They're basically Barbarians.

The Transcended.

Haven't thought about this faction to much but the other Drow think they're odd.

Lolthite Drow are around and but they're rate. It's kind of a follow up to the War if the Spider Queen and the few survivors around Szith Morcane.

 

[Faolyn]

I thought the problem was the idea that an entire race is inherently evil. There are obviously multiple ways to solve that-- e.g., a) alter existing lore about drow society to make that society more nuanced or b) create other drow societies that implicitly show that drow are not inherently evil.

I don't have a strong opinion about which approach is better. (I would probably prefer more nuanced drow society as I think it would be more interesting, but I also see the value in keeping some of the scariest villains in D&D as villainous as possible). But I think either approach does in fact fix the main problem that WotC was identifying-- representing an entire people as inherently evil or lesser in a way that is reminiscent of the way real world racism has treated some peoples in the past. Putting the 'evil' in the culture (via an evil goddess) rather than in the people themselves.

I suspect you are referring to other issues that hadn't occurred to me. So I'm curious.

AD

Butting in... are these new drows (sub)races or are they just nationalities?

I don't think anyone would mind if there was a country or city-state of drow that were Always Evil. Because then that's just a society. It's easy to imagine a nation with a compulsory state religion that happens to focus on an evil god.

But if the Udadrow are a subrace, with different traits, then all they did is go from Always Evil drow to Always Evil udadrow.