Why does everyone hate drow?

[punkorange]

Is it just that they are overused?

Me and a friend were thinking of running a drow campaign where all of the players were drow, how do you think that would work out and what are some of the things we would need to do to make it work out fun.

 

[Viashimo]

I personally don't hate drow and of all those I play with they don't specifically hate drow. Sometimes they seem a little overused, but that's not really any reason to hate them.

To me, most of the hatred towards drow stems from the fact people like to make Drizzt rip-offs and some people just hate playing evil characters. Playing an all-drow campaign could be really cool, especially within in drow culture.

Drow, in my perspective, are all the same evil. Not saying half of them are good or anything, you just get different shades of evil inside a drow city, and alignment could become more of a roleplaying issue since everyone is evil - but not all the same villanous evil.

I'd say running a drow campaign would take more roleplaying than some people appreciate in a standard D&D campaign, because the differences aren't so black and white. Culture, perspectives, and hierarchy would probably be my focuses in a drow campaign. You can also have the drow move as a co-ordinated group (eg. hunting a band of mindflayers, or a raiding party to a nearby village/city whether underground or not). Conspiracies and plots would abound, as might be expected. Playing a drow campaign, for me is like playing a campaign in a royal court: everyone has the same public face but is working behind the scenes to further their own ends.

No problems, and really cool.

Viashimo

 

[GlassJaw]

Aside from the fact that they have been the subject of countless novels, modules, and epic-campaign arcs (i.e. overused), they are just plain annoying IMO.

I ran half of the City of Spider Queen and it just wore my group out. Every battle was filled with spell resistance checks, dealing with darkness, drow poison, etc. They just aren't fun.

 

[Melkor]

I think people are just tired of the cliche.

 

[Hairfoot]

most of the hatred towards drow stems from the fact people like to make Drizzt rip-offs

Bingo.

 

[Sundragon2012]

I think it isn't the race so much as the kewl, sexy evilness that has been done to death in novels and in some campaigns. Drow can be excellent villians or PCs I suppose but I think you are going to have to avoid some cliches if your players are a bit jaded to the race.

For example, your drow do not have to worship a "Spider Queen" or have pet arachnids, they could be more feylike in the classical sense. Think unseelie court evil, the kind of darkness that haunts ancient elven woods as opposed to the underdark. Maybe they like it underground but they also corrupt forests and blanket them in shadows. They are elves after all and there is no reason that they couldn't retain their woodsy nature.

Give them some depth and some motivation and have the females be more than just ebony skinned dominatixes who are the fulfillment of the hidden fantasies of seemingly many folks. Maybe your drown are egalitarian and base their culture on power alone and not gender. Maybe your drow are a mysoginistic patriarchy that crushes females under foot.

Just a couple thoughts to add some new flavor to an overused race that still has merit if done properly and in a cliche-busting fashion.


Chris

 

[Wormwood]

In the early days of 1st edition, the Drow were frightening and mysterious. After UA, anyone could play them...and we did. Everyone had a drow character long before Drizzt was a twinkle in Salvatore's eye.

As for Drizzt, he is arguably the only D&D icon to cross over out into general fantasy fandom. TSR saw this and decided to milk him dry, hoping to lure new players into the game.

Therefore, the geek cognoscenti backlash was inevitable.

 

[Sundragon2012]

Therefore, the geek cognoscenti backlash was inevitable.

 

[ForceUser]

Is it just that they are overused?

Yes. I'm sick of hearing about them. Contrary to what the fanbois think, they ain't all that. They're just another entry in the Monster Manual to me.

 

[Sleepy Voiced]

I think it must be the overexposure. I myself don't have a problem with drow, and I attribute that to the fact that over 20 or so years of gaming they have never really been used in any games I have participated in. On top of that, I'm not into the Realms, so haven't really been on the Driz'zt front lines.
Just this last week I got Fane of the Drow and Paizo's Dark Elf Sanctum, and I think my interest is just now being piqued by drow.
One of my personal peeves, that I have associated with the drow, is the race+animal theme thing. The whole "All Spiders, All the Time" theme. I would keep the whole Lolth thing, but it just doesn't seem believable that the only thing in their culture is spiders.