It's lonely in Menzoberranzan

[Gorwin]

Drow cost kismet so they are versed enough to read the helpfiles on drow behaviour. There are no fresh off the boat so to speak newbs that you find in waterdeep. But yeah I have the same problem. But we do them no favours by being nice. just fall back on the dogma.

[Aysa]

After some soul searching on an OOC level... I'm going to give a one strike policy. Discipline and correct. If the discipline did not take, then 'hostile negotiations' needs to take place.

[Gorwin]

lol your just awsome aysa.

[dolifer]

When I first made my drow (I'd read tons about them in the past) I thought, "Cool, so I'm going to make one of those rebellious don't-take-nothing-from-those-darn-priestesses sort of drow" (you know, a lot like you-know-who, 'cause everyone wants to play him, right?...).

The first time I ran into a priestess (around level 3 or so), I refused to kneel and openly disrespected her and her halfelf buddy. Well, the priestess sent me right to my death after taking my disobedience for what I thought to be much too long, and I've never spoken out against anyone, let alone a priestess, since then. It was a fun little bit of RP for me (and for her, I hope), and it taught me a valuable lesson: Things just got real...

When you first start out, as a human or moon elf or what have you, you can usually get away with certain things that you probably shouldn't, just because you *are* new at the game and so on. I don't mean to sound like I think that's a bad thing--it gives us all a chance to get used to things and whatnot. With 200 hours (usually more) under your belt, though, and especially choosing a race like drow, the player should probably know what he/she is getting into.

My opinion, then? Let 'em have it, Aysa! I like your one-strike policy--worked well for me, anyway--but if it were me, I probably wouldn't think twice about pkill (you know, after the OOC warning explaining such).

Meh, my ten cents, anyway...

[Rhangalas]

I did something similar. Several years ago I rolled the typical male Drow wizard who believed the arcane trumps divine power wielded by mortals. He was a Necromancer, so he was able to duplicate some clerical prayers - it added to his ego considerably.

Sszaghar stumbled upon a High Priestess around level 10 or so. He refused to pay homage and was summarily tortured: a process by which his entire face was flayed into a web-like scarification then a spider was burned into the center of the web/his forehead with acid.

He was later outed as a heretic and Velsharoon cultist, then executed...

Rebellious Drow are tricky to play.

[Ungtar]

I'm not sure why you'd even subject yourself to it.

I'm not a masochist. Getting my butt chewed (even in roleplay) by bossy evil women doesn't sound like a lot of fun.

[Aysa]

Unless you're the bossy woman.

[Ungtar]

Unless you're the bossy woman.

Yeah. That's probably the fun side.

[Althasizor]

There is also actual drow culture to take into consideration when determining whether or not to play a special race like the drow, such as the male's place in their society to maintain the purity of established canon. Personally I think it's much truer RP, and kinder to the game, to 'subject' yourself to the constraints of the special roleplay you chose at the cost of kismet.

+1 Rhang and bossy evil woman.

[Ungtar]

There is also actual drow culture to take into consideration when determining whether or not to play a special race like the drow, such as the male's place in their society to maintain the purity of established canon. Personally I think it's much truer RP, and kinder to the game, to 'subject' yourself to the constraints of the special roleplay you chose at the cost of kismet.

+1 Rhang and bossy evil woman.

Really?

I haven't seen a lot of merchants, shopkeepers, and beggars ... all of which are part of the canon.

Why don't you just admit that sometimes you like being bossed around?

I could play a legless, armless plague victim begging at the south gate and it would be true to the canon *AND* subject to constraints of special roleplay, but I don't think it would be a lot of fun past the first fifteen minutes.

In a roleplaying game, MOST of the time people play adventurers, which are sort of people on the outside of normal society. They aren't PART of the traditional society, they've left to seek adventure. That's what I find the most interesting to play. I realize that people like playing mothers, fathers, city guards, submissives, dominants, sexual aggressors, or what have you ... but I certainly don't. I want to be out there killing goblins, exploring the wilderness, and collecting treasure.

One of the many reasons I would not enjoy playing a male drow. To those of you who do want to do such a thing ... have at it!

[Aysa]

I want to be out there killing goblins, exploring the wilderness, and collecting treasure.

One of the many reasons I would not enjoy playing a male drow. To those of you who do want to do such a thing ... have at it!

Oh... but that is the fun side of being a Drow. Female Drow can exert their superiority and dominance upon the weaker (goblins, half-whatevers, kobolds) and the Male Drow can take out their frustrations upon the weaker folk, imagining that they're actually hitting the priestesses.

[Ungtar]

I want to be out there killing goblins, exploring the wilderness, and collecting treasure.

One of the many reasons I would not enjoy playing a male drow. To those of you who do want to do such a thing ... have at it!

Oh... but that is the fun side of being a Drow. Female Drow can exert their superiority and dominance upon the weaker (goblins, half-whatevers, kobolds) and the Male Drow can take out their frustrations upon the weaker folk, imagining that they're actually hitting the priestesses.

Yeah, a female drow doesn't have those limitations. She can be working towards furthering her own schemes and powers within her house.

A male drow could be subservient to his house, intending to become a master warrior in order to maintain his "usefulness" to the house. But yeah, if you don't like kowtowing then you probably wouldn't enjoy playing a male drow.

And drow, like goblins, don't seem to have a lot of places to go where they aren't going to be made to grovel or be pkilled.

[Ungtar]

All of this is also why I greatly love dwarves.

An elf mage says, "And that's my amazingly complicated backstory as to why I'm here killing goblins and my entire theological treatise on why my god says it's fine. How about you?"

A dwarf fighter raises his eyebrow and replies, "They're gobbos. Kill them and take their gold. Moradin approves."

[tiyari]

Okay, so. . . I'm new to even seeing some of these evil races being playable anywhere. I've never seen it before with orcs and goblins. I've seen off-shoots of drow, or drow-like races.

How does one play a drow? I've read the help files, and I think it's time to read them all over again. But what I'd like is a from-your-own-words response. You don't need to give specifics--I know that's not allowed--just some ideas of what would be acceptable, what wouldn't be, are they all evil, are they all into torture, those kinds of things.

I can read help files all day, but often for me it's ten times easier just talk with a player or two to get a larger picture of whatever is confusing or unknown to me.

Also, brief question. I don't think this warrants its own thread, but maybe so. I was surprised to see that dwarves cannot be paladins. On other games, quite a few others in fact, they seem to be the big thing. What's the FK reasoning/lore/whatever behind that?
PM me if you need to.

Back to drow. . . Could someone play a drow who wasn't into torture scenes? I have OOC reasons why I could never be the torturer, so I would like to know now before I even consider trying a drow someday.

Where could I learn more about orc and goblin culture? Drow? Genasi? Really any of these lesser-known races would be fascinating reads.

[Aysa]

How does one play a drow? I've read the help files, and I think it's time to read them all over again. But what I'd like is a from-your-own-words response. You don't need to give specifics--I know that's not allowed--just some ideas of what would be acceptable, what wouldn't be, are they all evil, are they all into torture, those kinds of things.

Back to drow. . . Could someone play a drow who wasn't into torture scenes? I have OOC reasons why I could never be the torturer, so I would like to know now before I even consider trying a drow someday.

Where could I learn more about orc and goblin culture? Drow? Genasi? Really any of these lesser-known races would be fascinating reads.

I just downloaded "Drow of the Underdark" PDF from doing a google search that is the 3.5 Sourcebook for playing Drow. This might help you formulate an idea of what to expect with the Drow.

Now, I can tell you from my own experiences playing a Drow is not all eating kittens (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD71ip1osM4), though there are certain elements that should be considered "canon".

1) Station is everything -- there is a pecking order in the Drow Culture. You know your place if you want to survive, and cater to those above you... and remind people below you that they are indeed below you, and need to stay there.

2) There is opportunity in the Dark -- when an opportunity presents itself to gain station, Drow take it. Station gives them power and control. If you become stagnant, you lose power and control. More people remind you that you are below them.

3) Those who survive are strong -- The Underdark is a dangerous place. The political realm of the Drow culture is just as dangerous. If you can survive these harsh environments, it means that you are strong. You're not celebrated because of your skills. You are celebrated because you used the blessings that Lolth gave you to survive the environment.

Tangent note: One of the fascinating things about Lolth dogma is that the clergy aren't there to help the poor, feed the hungry, and clothe the homeless. If you're weak, then you were meant to be wormfood and obviously, Lolth doesn't give you her blessings. No, the priestesses don't pray "Lolth, help me get through this"... they pray "Lolth, test my spirit so that I may prove to you that I'm worthy of your blessings".

With all this being said, does that mean I'm going to kill every Drow that I see? No... rule #3... In order for me to survive, I need my "family" and any alliances that I have established.

Does that mean I can't help other Drow? Think of it not as "helping", but rather as "investing". You are helping them with a LOT OF STRINGS attached. I'll give you 100 platinum so that you can get established, but you remember that House Baenre invested this in you... and in the near future, I will call upon you to do a favor. So understand a "free gift" is not free at all in the Drow culture. There are no acts of kindness. There is an agenda or a motive behind everything that's done.

Does that mean I need to torment and kill surface elves? Understand that the Drow were banished (*ahem* They made an exodus from the surface to get away from those back stabbing surface faeries) into the Underdark. These surface elves are claiming dominance over you when the Drow are the true Destiny of the elven race. They must die. Do you have to go all Game of Thrones on them? No. A quick death is rewarded just as much as a honey coated slit of the throat with an ornamental dagger. But they need to die.

PvP and PC sacrifices will happen. Good RP, though, should allow for a story to be told. A surface elf was sacrificed and killed... though his body was returned to the surface, so that a message could be delivered. That surface elf was since brought back to life. So the Drow got to be evil. And... a great story was/is/will be told from the experience.

I can go on and on... PM me for more help if you want.

[Harroghty]

Right now dwarfs cannot be paladins because there is not a good process for them to get there. It's been discussed with some builders, but a dwarf would not be a paladin like a human would be (i.e. not a knight per se) and I believe they need their own route before they are introduced.

[tiyari]

Very interesting reads, both of you. Thanks.
I don't understand the human/dwarf paladin thing, but I'll leave that for another topic. I would like to learn more about it, and many more things.

Aysa, thank you so much for all the explanation you gave. It sounds intriguing and like potential for loads of RP.
Sacrificing and such I understand if there is roleplay and a story being told. I've had hours of fun on another game or two playing the part of the tortured good priestess captured by the enemy for its own games and taunting. It was very well-played for the most part, and the one person I chose to RP with on several occasions was very good at making sure it was all consentual.
I appreciate that FK has that in the rules, that if a PVP situation comes up there needs to be an OOC warning to the PC that there could be PK.

Awesome. If and when I have more questions, I will definitely PM.

Is there a place on the forums where logs of significant RP are posted, or is that not allowed here? Just curious.

[dolifer]

Is there a place on the forums where logs of significant RP are posted, or is that not allowed here?

I'm not sure whether this is what you're looking for, but try viewtopic.php?f=1&t=17261. Lots of great RP!

[Larethiel]

Back to drow. . . Could someone play a drow who wasn't into torture scenes? I have OOC reasons why I could never be the torturer, so I would like to know now before I even consider trying a drow someday.

Seeing that sacrifices of surface races are not so common a subject of rp in the Underdark of FK, you will learn that the day-to-day life of a drow on FK is less violent than one would expect, it also differs based on the group or people a drow PC tends to hang out with, what he/she does and what their general interests are.

[Siria]

As a drow player who kind of favors her Tiefling as an evil character (yes.. burn me for that.. I deserve it) I just wanted to add my opinion.
I'm playing a male drow mage - and a commoner. He is terribly afraid of women and doesn't like them at all. He is not too shy about that around other males (dangerous, I know), but he will kneel to any female. He will do what they want no matter how much he dislikes it. He might get into trouble by not being able to answer or shaking or whatever, but he will obey. He dislikes women, but he's not stupid. In fact he is the smartest of all and the stupid nobles at Sorcere just don't see it, but that's another topic.
Sometimes it is difficult to play him. He is not very well trained and thus not very powerful. Meaning he has a huuuuuge problem in drow society. In fact, if a certain commoner and a certain noble hadn't invested in him, he'd probably long be dead. And knowing those two has its risks as well. Luckily for my poor drow he doesn't know half as much about his allies as I do - he'd probably have a heart attack.

So I guess what I want to say is: there are options for rp down there. Some players really take great efforts to make it a nice place to be. Well, as nice as a dark place like this can be. Don't give up. And for any drow players: if you see me on my other characters and want my drow: let me know. If I'm not in some other rp I can usually change to my drow (well, as soon as I can play again). Sometimes I jsut need my butt kicked so I play my drow again more often.