D&D 5E Out of the Abyss - No Drizzt afterall?

[AntiStateQuixote]

This is the section I'm probably most exited about.

Get out of here.

 

[Remathilis]

Then it is not so much the concept of a Dritzzt template but a certain type of player we all run across from time to time - the "special snowflake" who always wants to shine and gets pissy if he or she doesn't? Then runs out of your campaign when the game is not a masturbatory power fantasy with your other PCs as minions, leaving you as DM with lose ends? We could say the same about someone wanting to play Legolas, Thrall, Elminster, Gandalf, or anything else as their inspiration. Separate the concept from the bad behavior.

This.

Drizzt is a template, like Raistlin (my god, talk about Mary Sue), Conan, Legolas, Tasselhoff, Sephiroth, and dozen's of other characters. Drizzt is a tad more overt because for many editions, Drow was usually an optional race and therefore needed DM permission (vs. Raistlin, where all you needed was a human wizard with an evil alignment). It also didn't help that drow were usually OP as a race. (Warforged were similarly OP and suffered just as much scorn by many DMs).

 

[77IM]

I am just glad we've all moved on from hating Elminster.

 

[SkidAce]

I think all the naysayers and doom callers that cried "WotC sucks and Drizzit will ruin everything, how can they be so stupid" should enter this thread and proclaim that they were wrong.

Just my two cents...

 

[Kinak]

Do people REALLY have those or is it like the stories where the infected spider bite starts spilling baby spiders? The only Drizzt clone I ever ran into was in 1987, actually BEFORE The Crystal Shard was published, and I don't think I've ever seen a dual wielding scimitar-equipped dark elf in my D&D games in 25 years. Not to say it's NEVER happened, but I just haven't seen it as a common occurrence. I've seen far more Housewives on the Bravo Channel than I have seen drow wielding scimitars.

Back in the 2e days (jr. high and high school for me), we had one player that played a straight knock off. Like... changed the first name and that was it. Was still a Do'Urden, even though we weren't in the Realms.

The IP infringement was a source of derision, but never really a huge deal. He eventually dropped the character after many years after failing an important mission beyond his ability to repair.

So, yeah, they're out there. But, if you know someone who insists on playing that character, it's like anybody else who only has one character. If the campaign isn't appropriate to that character, you just don't invite them.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[Mercule]

That there is the kicker though, isn't it? You may think it's perfectly reasonable to play a minotaur, but in my world, they aren't allowable PC races. What's reasonable is highly subjective

This. Players who don't want the GM to curate a world that interests them within reason really need to go the way of typewriters and VHS tapes.

 

[halfling rogue]

My group has almost always based PCs off of some kind of template and most didn't even think about it like that. All the dwarves ever played were essentially Gimli, etc. Even the guys that wanted to play a Dragonborn were basically Conan the Dragonbreath or Aragorn the Returning Draconian King.

 

[Remathilis]

My group has almost always based PCs off of some kind of template and most didn't even think about it like that. All the dwarves ever played were essentially Gimli, etc. Even the guys that wanted to play a Dragonborn were basically Conan the Dragonbreath or Aragorn the Returning Draconian King.

There is nothing new under the sun.

Most PCs end up being templated off some fictional character, consciously or unconsciously. I'm sure most of us can boil our PCs down and find the archetype (Conan, Raistlin, Elric, Gimli, Bilbo, Arthur, Robin Hood, etc...) To claim your tired of Drizzt clones but cool with Scottish-drinking-dwarf # 9521 or frail-brooding-amoral-wizard # 3345 is kinda a cop out.

 

[jrowland]

Yay! a bash/defend Drizz't thread!

My turn!

I personally don't care, in module, out of module, PC plays drizz't clone, whatever. I don't care. Its all fun and games anyway.

That said, I miss the "Evil of which we shall not name" aspect of Drow in the early days...you built up to the reveal of drow manipulation behind the scenes. In short, having drow appear was a surprise and a cause for players to gasp in fear. Now drow are just another race. That's ok (see above. I don't care, its all fun n games), but I do miss it. And more importantly to me, nothing has quite taken it's place.

For Warhammer fans, imagine if Skaven were just another race players could play. It's kinda like that.

I am only guessing, but I imagine a lot of people (grognards I suppose) feel the same way, and the whipping boy for that Drizz't. I made my peace with drow being "commonplace" and so never felt animosity toward Drizz't or Drizz't clone playing. Just finished Archmage last night, matter of fact.

I think we'll be seeing a lot of drow PCs in this campaign season, lol!

 

[lowkey13]

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