D&D 5E Tasha's Drow Art and the Future of Their Depictions in D&D

[Ruin Explorer]

I hope to see lots of cosplay of that and hopefullly never a cosplay of Drizzt do Urden from the cover of Drizzt do Urdens Guide to the Underdark shudders. Or every single person on the NPC cards in the Menzoberranzan Boxed set. shudders even more

God I'd forgotten about those - thanks for re-traumatizing me mate!

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Drow art has varied over the ages, I for one am glad that make Drow males no longer have Porno Mustaches.

Whoawhoa, what's that?! Where did you see this?! You need to post a picture when you drop bombs like that!

DM-decree, now all drows, male or female, have white porn-staches to go with their silky hairs!

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I’m pretty sure D&D elves do canonically range the full gamut of human skin colors.

Depends on the edition and/or setting.

I'd suggest there was an underlying assumption that all races are pale-skinned, because looking through some 2E material (PHB, Complete Book of Elves), it's only when a race is not pale-skinned that it's specified. For example, in the PHB, no racial skin tones are specified except the "dark tan" skin of Gnomes, and the "ruddy cheeks" of Dwarves (weird flex but okay). In the CBoE, Drow are specified to have dark skin (in the "full racist" creation story it offers as), but High Elves, whilst their eyes and hair are specified, their skin is not, for example.

But you could read this either way - either it's mildly subversive, and even in 2E, the writers wanted to allow us to have dark-skinned hobbitses or whatever, or they're just assuming everyone is white and not even thinking about it. I tend to think the latter, but...

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Whoawhoa, what's that?! Where did you see this?! You need to post a picture when you drop bombs like that!

DM-decree, now all drows, male or female, have white porn-staches to go with their silky hairs!

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Wow, just wow.

 

[Umbran]

I've always said that it would make more sense for a subterranean race to have pale, if not translucent white skin.

I am good with the new art direction, but I hate this argument for it.

The pale skin is reasonable for a world with Darwinian evolution for a species that's been in an unlit environment for a time on the evolutionary timescale. Which makes it a poor rationale in a world of created species and histories on the order of 10K years.

 

[SkidAce]

Hey some of us rock that 'stash on a daily basis....what's your point?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I am good with the new art direction, but I hate this argument for it.

The pale skin is reasonable for a world with Darwinian evolution for a species that's been in an unlit environment for a time on the evolutionary timescale. Which makes it a poor rationale in a world of created species and histories on the order of 10K years.

But because we have seen it in the real world, people still associate a lack of colour with subterranean dwellers.

 

[Laurefindel]

Anyone who’s upset by this is weird.

There's nothing weird about being upset when something we think looks good (aesthetically) is changed. Nothing weird about having personal taste in aesthetics. For example, I liked the Klingons on TNG better than those of discovery, and the change did upset me a little. There's a difference between being upset and "you RUINED D&D and all my childhood!" kindda ragequit statement

Now, there's an important underlying political/societal statement that goes with this particular subject that cannot be avoided, but disagreeing with it is not "weird".

 

[Charlaquin]

Depends on the edition and/or setting.

I'd suggest there was an underlying assumption that all races are pale-skinned, because looking through some 2E material (PHB, Complete Book of Elves), it's only when a race is not pale-skinned that it's specified. For example, in the PHB, no racial skin tones are specified except the "dark tan" skin of Gnomes, and the "ruddy cheeks" of Dwarves (weird flex but okay). In the CBoE, Drow are specified to have dark skin (in the "full racist" creation story it offers as), but High Elves, whilst their eyes and hair are specified, their skin is not, for example.

But you could read this either way - either it's mildly subversive, and even in 2E, the writers wanted to allow us to have dark-skinned hobbitses or whatever, or they're just assuming everyone is white and not even thinking about it. I tend to think the latter, but...

I could have sworn most of the PHB race entries mentioned running the same range of skin tones as humans... Maybe I’m thinking of 4e though.