D&D 5E Thoughts on playing Elf in Out of the Abyss [SPOILERS]

[tomBitonti]

Seems that most answers are of the sort to sidestep the question, that is, to say that Drow don't actually go into a blood rage at the sight of a non-drow elf and immediately try to kill them.

The best that I can think of that fits that requirement is that the drow actually did try to kill the PC. You could have it be that the PC was with a number of other Elf NPCs and the drow did their best to slaughter them, only, a few survived.

"The Matron surveyed the bloody feast hall. One of her daughters coupled with the new recruit amidst the bloodshed. Two veterans, satiated, leaned against a massive table while idly making artistic cuts in the now cooling corpses of the Lord and Lady of the hall."

"She motioned for slaves to come forward to take tokens for the temple. One of them returned, cringing, and gasped, 'Survivors, m'lady'."

"'Where?' she inquired, but already the slave had raced to the side of the hall where a throng of bodies lay."

"She smiled, and laughed a hideous, twisted laugh. 'See that they survive,' she crooned."

"The slave glanced back, momentarily shocked, then hurried to the survivors. Two could be saved. The third was quietly dispatched. The slave was glad that there had been three survivors. The Matron need never know of the third."

"The Matron called back to her personal retinue. 'My daughter has failed. Kill her consort. Bind her. Lolth will decide her fate. And we have extra sacrifices for the temple.'"

"The Matron left the hall, still laughing."

Thx!

TomB

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

This seems a lot of hand wringing into what should be a 5 minute introduction to get the real game started. It's the equivalent of watching a player hem and haw for hours over whether their 1920's flapper they themselves CREATED for a Call of Cthulhu adventure would actually go on the damn adventure in the first place. If you're a prospective elf player, and this is an issue for you, don't play an elf. If you arent an playing an elf, and someone else is, shut up and let this non-issue pass in a few minutes. At my table I think you'd get mobbed for starting the campaign by whining that someone else's character wasn't killed before the game began!

Everyone has offered many perfectly good reasons to not kill the elf on sight. If someone doesnt like those ideas, just ban elves. I'd prefer that to farting around for a session playing some throwaway guy to get my "real PC" or wasting a lot more time on a prologue that doesnt seem likely to even tie into the adventure path.

Maybe it's just my inner Danny Glover, but I'm getting too old for this... stuff. I've got work, family and a horde of other commitments jockeying for time, which doesnt leave a lot for exploring Melf the Elf's existential ennui over why he was left alive but the other elves were slain when there's raging demons that need butt kicking!

 

[CapnZapp]

Heh.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Anyway the players are the ones get to make up how they were captured

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Anyway the players are the ones get to make up how they were captured

If I played I'd be an insane nobleman who thinks he bought a thematic "drow prisoner" vacation package. He'll comment on how authentic the experience is, and why, you can barely even see the seams on that Demogorgon animatronic! The commitment to realism the actors have is top notch - why they even exolode when hit with my "lightning bolt"! And the Orcus encounter would make a great team building exercise for any corporate retreat! House Baerne's Underdark Getaway gets the full 5 stars!

 

[cmad1977]

This seems a lot of hand wringing into what should be a 5 minute introduction to get the real game started. It's the equivalent of watching a player hem and haw for hours over whether their 1920's flapper they themselves CREATED for a Call of Cthulhu adventure would actually go on the damn adventure in the first place. If you're a prospective elf player, and this is an issue for you, don't play an elf. If you arent an playing an elf, and someone else is, shut up and let this non-issue pass in a few minutes. At my table I think you'd get mobbed for starting the campaign by whining that someone else's character wasn't killed before the game began!

Everyone has offered many perfectly good reasons to not kill the elf on sight. If someone doesnt like those ideas, just ban elves. I'd prefer that to farting around for a session playing some throwaway guy to get my "real PC" or wasting a lot more time on a prologue that doesnt seem likely to even tie into the adventure path.

Maybe it's just my inner Danny Glover, but I'm getting too old for this... stuff. I've got work, family and a horde of other commitments jockeying for time, which doesnt leave a lot for exploring Melf the Elf's existential ennui over why he was left alive but the other elves were slain when there's raging demons that need butt kicking!

Yes this is a non issue

 

[Celtavian]

Yes this is a non issue

It is not a non-issue for DMs that want to play the drow in an authentic fashion. For DMs that don't care about authenticity, it's a non-issue.

It's not an impossible scenario either. It takes a little more thought how to convey the drow as hating elves and treating them differently than other prisoners.

 

[tomBitonti]

Really, it depends on the focus of the campaign, based on the combined interests of the players and GM.

For some groups, the detail is important. And, it provides a hook for the group to imagine their particular world.

For other groups, its a minor detail, and can be addressed quickly and set aside.

A group can and should make a detail such as this as big or as little as they want. Each group defines what is fun in their game.

Thx!

TomB

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

The drow have been driven mad by the demon mist business, right?
So they're acting strangely, right?
Er.
Problem solved avec slight clue that All Is Not What It Seems.

 

[Shadowdweller00]

It is not a non-issue for DMs that want to play the drow in an authentic fashion. For DMs that don't care about authenticity, it's a non-issue.

Of course, there are also those of us who consider insistence upon "automatically-kill-on-sight" behavior to be two-dimensional, caricaturish, and/or a crutch for generally poor GMing skills rather than "authentic". Special hatred and "single-out-surface elves" =/= kill on sight.