What consitutes the proper Dark Elf setting and environment?

[Evil Ujio]

I am trying to piece together a loose idea for running a Dark Elf campaign, with a focus on the Underdark, far from the blasted lands of light... what would you expect to see or experience in such a dark world? What facets to you scream out "Drow" or Dark Elf?

Even fiction is useful as I am currently reading the War of the Spider Queen Series and own, on the last book, Plot & Poison A Guidebook to Drow

 

[billd91]

I am trying to piece together a loose idea for running a Dark Elf campaign, with a focus on the Underdark, far from the blasted lands of light... what would you expect to see or experience in such a dark world? What facets to you scream out "Drow" or Dark Elf?

Even fiction is useful as I am currently reading the War of the Spider Queen Series and own, on the last book, Plot & Poison A Guidebook to Drow

Read a couple of books in the Elric series, particularly Elric of Melnibone and Weird of the White Wolf. I always pattered certain elements of Drow society on Melniboneans, particularly the surgically-altered choirs.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Betrayal, corruption, decadence. Shocking depravity (be careful to not make it cartoonish, which is way too easy). A cavalier attitude toward the value of life when it's not drow, not the ruling religion and, possibly, not female.

At the same time, they're besieged on all sides by enemies both good and evil, and the evil tends to be vastly more alien. Sure, the drow are horrible and deserve to die, but compared to mind flayers, aboleth, kuo-toa and even derro, they're at least somewhat relatable.

 

[Ryltar]

As far as "official" books go, Homeland (book I of the DET) and the first two books of WotSQ portray Dark Elves best, in my opinion.

Also, consider reading "The Descent" by Jeff Long. It's a quasi-modern book, but it is a great inspiration both for designing the Underdark and making possible UD raiders appear scary.

Some of the d20 books out there that cover drow do exactly what Whizbang mentions - they try to make the drow alien by involving them in rituals and the like which are neither particularly Evil nor particularly alien, but just gross ... Try to avoid overtly gory descriptions - make the differences between Drow and (human, elf, whatever) society carry their own weight.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Using the concept borrowed from real life that different communities worship the same gods differently, I had my drow worship a version of Llolth who was a lot more like a Black Widow...and the females were cannibalistic...

 

[RangerWickett]

Are you running core D&D drow -- evil, spider-loving, charcoal black-skin with white hair, misanthropic -- and are you running Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk?

There is a huge amount of potential for dark elf games. A lot of people have a bit of a bitterness toward drow because they're "cliched," but that's just because of Drizzt being perpetually angsty. In my opinion, Salvatore did to drow what George Lucas did to jedi: he took some existing ideas, made them very cool, and then messed them up later down the line.

I don't think the jedi in the prequels are very interesting, because they're flat characters. But I love the concept of jedis, and Knights of the Old Republic is pretty cool. Just make sure that you don't retread things too much. Sure, if you're doing standard D&D drow, you need to have spider queen religious/political intrigue, cool fights with two weapons per warrior, sexy women who entice and threaten weaker men, and at least a bit of reflection on the nature of their society, and whether it's evil, or just very capitalistic.

 

[S'mon]

The drow are _capitalists_? *eek*

 

[MonsterMash]

The drow are _capitalists_? *eek*

Well they are evil!


IMC I do have Dark Elves, but they are pretty emphatically not Drow (no two weapon fighting, spider worship, etc).

 

[S'mon]

I have Drow, I use Warhammer Dark Elves & Melniboneans for inspiration probably more than Salvatore, though. Most of my 'Drow' are virtual albinos, and Lolth was slain in Q1 Queen of the Demonweb Pits so my drow culture is a bit different...

 

[Voadam]

I am trying to piece together a loose idea for running a Dark Elf campaign, with a focus on the Underdark, far from the blasted lands of light... what would you expect to see or experience in such a dark world? What facets to you scream out "Drow" or Dark Elf?

Matriarchy, cruelty, poison, magic, slavery, decadence, demonic influence, spider stuff.