Drow Help [Archive] - Wizards Community - Pages Merged by Solauren

Drow Help [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Anuvrix
03-26-07, 12:33 PM I am creating a world of my own, it is a world where the Underground races have pretty much dominated. The players all start out as pretty much the last living descendents of 3 diff great Drow houses.

Baenrith-> very prideful, inbred, mutations and infertility slowly killed them off.
Ainre-> anihilated for psionic tendencies, during a mindflayer war.
Vinrith-> Dissapeared for no apparent reason.

the slave trade is the dominant trade in the world, humans and aboveground races are sold and bought. there are 60 known houses (not including the 3 aforementioned), each one is a city of at least 3000 people. The drow are the main race.

there is currently an upheaving going on in the power of the houses, the Greatest 8 houses are all allies now, and are weeding out the smaller houses (the great 8 have a total of 229k soldiers altogether).

there are local slave pits, and mindflayers have made peace with the drow. dwarves are not trading slaves, and stand as the major obstacle in total world conquest by the drow.

(not finished yet)
GoriceXII
03-26-07, 01:33 PM Very interesting. What is it that you need help with though?
Sir Loin of Beef
03-26-07, 06:14 PM I like what you have done so far and I also like your use of names. I am not so sure if I am sold on the idea of the 8 most powerful Houses united however. As a chaotic evil race that does not seem likely, or if it should happen it probably would not last for very long before the backstabbing and in-fighting begins again. That is just my thought.

I do think the idea of the humans up on the surface being enslaved by the creatures of the Underdark being an interesting idea though.
Anuvrix
03-27-07, 01:02 PM I hadnt quite yet posted all of it yet, so here it goes:

the 8 largest houses are only united for each of their own personal gain, they are all trying to conquer the smaller houses but know that the smaller houses have enough power to take the bigs ones out one at a time.

The underground area where all of the houses are is a mile high circular cavern, almost 200 miles wide, and entire underground continent. with a huge lake in the center, with six or seven huge rivers running out of it.

the western side is all mountainous(stalagmites and stalagtites) the eastern side is relatively flat and smooth.

One of the larger houses has already taken outn some of the smaller houses.
thats all i have at the moment, im looking for plot hooks and adventure ideas.
Prator_the_Legendary
03-27-07, 09:47 PM Vinrith, the house that vanished, is a plot-hook/adventure unto itself. When did it disappear? Does anyone know why? Or how? Or where? Or what was going on with it just before it went? Your PCs can investigate this.

For low levels, the PCs can do odd jobs for whatever house patronizes them: Go kill the kobolds stealing from the mushroom farms, take out a hit on the person who ticked off a priestess, escort a cargo of slaves to another drow city, etc.
Anuvrix
03-28-07, 12:11 PM The PCs have already determined themselves to be the 'good guys'. They want to work with the Dwarves (the only real threat to the drow take over) agianst slaving and other drow.

The whole working with the dwarves is the start idea for the first campaign.
the dissapearing house is a much darker and tougher route.
the PCs are pretty much the last of their houses, aside from a few others (that are all smart enough to remain in hiding).
Anuvrix
03-29-07, 12:17 PM One of the PCs is a ranger, one is a psychomancer(custom made class), and the last one is undecided.

Most of the people in the towns hate any person from any other town, and fights are common. Two of the three want to be in the biggest of the Great 8 cities, Pollux. (many of the cities are named after constellations or stars-their own starry sky)
Sylvaroth
03-29-07, 02:27 PM May I suggest three things:

To give the whole setting an even more endtime-like feeling, one reason for the world domination of the underdark races, apart from the obvious power of races such as the drow and illithids, could be the fading of the world's star.
Maybe the underdark races manipulated it (house Vinrith?), maybe it is just dying of old age.
In any case the world will become a lot darker, colder and grimmer, thus making it easier for races with light blindness to start the invasion of the world above.
Take a look at my Tharsūnian Dwarves, which originated on a planet that circled a fading sun. Use them for your dwarven empire.
The eight great houses of the drow compared to each other are equal in power (if not in resources), so each could be destroyed if any number of the other great houses decided to join forces against them. Since they share certain interests, however, they prefer to keep a stalemate unless an opportunity arises that changes this situation. (that's where your players could be involved at high to very-high levels)
The higher number of smaller houses (lower class/workers), totaled up being equal in power to one or even all of the 'Great Eight' (the aristocracy), are simply too caught up in their little schemes and fights to ultimately rise against their rulers. (this is where your players could be at low to mid levels)
One unbalancing factor are the illithids. While the power of the smaller houses and the Great Eight might be roughly equal, the support of the mind flayers and their minions might turn the scales in favor of one or the other. (mid to high levels)
One other factor are these minions and slaves. Imagine the enslaved races start an uprising based on the model of the slave revolt that destroyed the illithid empire ultimately resulting in the schism of the humanoid races into githzerai and githyanki. (her are your very-high to epic level characters as leaders of a whole world worth of followers > possibly attaining godhood upon freeing the world of the underworld races, resp. sealing them in the underworld a la Eberron's Kyber)

Btw.
Ranger > Free Races
Psychomancer > Illithids, aboleths, etc.
Undecided > Dwarves and/or Drow
Yakman
03-29-07, 02:41 PM I've always questioned the wisdom of the 'Underdark Threat' on a number of points:

1) Caves are sterile places--there's life, but not a lot of it. While the drow might be able to have cities, they are going to be few and far between--and nowhere near the total population of the surface races
2) Surface races are going to be bigger and stronger than underdark ones--they have more room and food to grow.
3) The light penalty assigned to the underdark races is crippling--while the surface races cannot see in the dark... Essentially, in a war, it's an automatic stalemate.

That being said, it's an interesting campaign idea (barring the fact that the drow in general are overplayed).

I wouldn't restrict myself by setting out numbers for the sizes of the houses at gamestart. Just make general assumptions--very strong, strong, medium, weak, pitiful--of each house.

I would also make it so that the drow do not rule directly on the surface--they rule by proxy/half breed. This sets up an inherent power battle between the governors on the surface and the Houses below. What keeps the Houses in power is the threat of assassination, the promise of promotion, and the varying religious leaders. But some of the governors are more independent of others--and some are prodigies of houses that are on the edge of extermination below...

Moreover, the drow position is tenuous--they have to deal not only with the restive surface populations and the defiant dwarven clans, but also with foes from beneath--aboleths, kuo-toa, mindflayers, duergar, etc..

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Anuvrix 03-26-07, 12:33 PM	I am creating a world of my own, it is a world where the Underground races have pretty much dominated. The players all start out as pretty much the last living descendents of 3 diff great Drow houses. Baenrith-> very prideful, inbred, mutations and infertility slowly killed them off. Ainre-> anihilated for psionic tendencies, during a mindflayer war. Vinrith-> Dissapeared for no apparent reason. the slave trade is the dominant trade in the world, humans and aboveground races are sold and bought. there are 60 known houses (not including the 3 aforementioned), each one is a city of at least 3000 people. The drow are the main race. there is currently an upheaving going on in the power of the houses, the Greatest 8 houses are all allies now, and are weeding out the smaller houses (the great 8 have a total of 229k soldiers altogether). there are local slave pits, and mindflayers have made peace with the drow. dwarves are not trading slaves, and stand as the major obstacle in total world conquest by the drow. (not finished yet)
GoriceXII 03-26-07, 01:33 PM	Very interesting. What is it that you need help with though?
Sir Loin of Beef 03-26-07, 06:14 PM	I like what you have done so far and I also like your use of names. I am not so sure if I am sold on the idea of the 8 most powerful Houses united however. As a chaotic evil race that does not seem likely, or if it should happen it probably would not last for very long before the backstabbing and in-fighting begins again. That is just my thought. I do think the idea of the humans up on the surface being enslaved by the creatures of the Underdark being an interesting idea though.
Anuvrix 03-27-07, 01:02 PM	I hadnt quite yet posted all of it yet, so here it goes: the 8 largest houses are only united for each of their own personal gain, they are all trying to conquer the smaller houses but know that the smaller houses have enough power to take the bigs ones out one at a time. The underground area where all of the houses are is a mile high circular cavern, almost 200 miles wide, and entire underground continent. with a huge lake in the center, with six or seven huge rivers running out of it. the western side is all mountainous(stalagmites and stalagtites) the eastern side is relatively flat and smooth. One of the larger houses has already taken outn some of the smaller houses. thats all i have at the moment, im looking for plot hooks and adventure ideas.
Prator_the_Legendary 03-27-07, 09:47 PM	Vinrith, the house that vanished, is a plot-hook/adventure unto itself. When did it disappear? Does anyone know why? Or how? Or where? Or what was going on with it just before it went? Your PCs can investigate this. For low levels, the PCs can do odd jobs for whatever house patronizes them: Go kill the kobolds stealing from the mushroom farms, take out a hit on the person who ticked off a priestess, escort a cargo of slaves to another drow city, etc.
Anuvrix 03-28-07, 12:11 PM	The PCs have already determined themselves to be the 'good guys'. They want to work with the Dwarves (the only real threat to the drow take over) agianst slaving and other drow. The whole working with the dwarves is the start idea for the first campaign. the dissapearing house is a much darker and tougher route. the PCs are pretty much the last of their houses, aside from a few others (that are all smart enough to remain in hiding).
Anuvrix 03-29-07, 12:17 PM	One of the PCs is a ranger, one is a psychomancer(custom made class), and the last one is undecided. Most of the people in the towns hate any person from any other town, and fights are common. Two of the three want to be in the biggest of the Great 8 cities, Pollux. (many of the cities are named after constellations or stars-their own starry sky)
Sylvaroth 03-29-07, 02:27 PM	May I suggest three things: To give the whole setting an even more endtime-like feeling, one reason for the world domination of the underdark races, apart from the obvious power of races such as the drow and illithids, could be the fading of the world's star. Maybe the underdark races manipulated it (house Vinrith?), maybe it is just dying of old age. In any case the world will become a lot darker, colder and grimmer, thus making it easier for races with light blindness to start the invasion of the world above. Take a look at my Tharsūnian Dwarves, which originated on a planet that circled a fading sun. Use them for your dwarven empire. The eight great houses of the drow compared to each other are equal in power (if not in resources), so each could be destroyed if any number of the other great houses decided to join forces against them. Since they share certain interests, however, they prefer to keep a stalemate unless an opportunity arises that changes this situation. (that's where your players could be involved at high to very-high levels) The higher number of smaller houses (lower class/workers), totaled up being equal in power to one or even all of the 'Great Eight' (the aristocracy), are simply too caught up in their little schemes and fights to ultimately rise against their rulers. (this is where your players could be at low to mid levels) One unbalancing factor are the illithids. While the power of the smaller houses and the Great Eight might be roughly equal, the support of the mind flayers and their minions might turn the scales in favor of one or the other. (mid to high levels) One other factor are these minions and slaves. Imagine the enslaved races start an uprising based on the model of the slave revolt that destroyed the illithid empire ultimately resulting in the schism of the humanoid races into githzerai and githyanki. (her are your very-high to epic level characters as leaders of a whole world worth of followers > possibly attaining godhood upon freeing the world of the underworld races, resp. sealing them in the underworld a la Eberron's Kyber) Btw. Ranger > Free Races Psychomancer > Illithids, aboleths, etc. Undecided > Dwarves and/or Drow
Yakman 03-29-07, 02:41 PM	I've always questioned the wisdom of the 'Underdark Threat' on a number of points: 1) Caves are sterile places--there's life, but not a lot of it. While the drow might be able to have cities, they are going to be few and far between--and nowhere near the total population of the surface races 2) Surface races are going to be bigger and stronger than underdark ones--they have more room and food to grow. 3) The light penalty assigned to the underdark races is crippling--while the surface races cannot see in the dark... Essentially, in a war, it's an automatic stalemate. That being said, it's an interesting campaign idea (barring the fact that the drow in general are overplayed). I wouldn't restrict myself by setting out numbers for the sizes of the houses at gamestart. Just make general assumptions--very strong, strong, medium, weak, pitiful--of each house. I would also make it so that the drow do not rule directly on the surface--they rule by proxy/half breed. This sets up an inherent power battle between the governors on the surface and the Houses below. What keeps the Houses in power is the threat of assassination, the promise of promotion, and the varying religious leaders. But some of the governors are more independent of others--and some are prodigies of houses that are on the edge of extermination below... Moreover, the drow position is tenuous--they have to deal not only with the restive surface populations and the defiant dwarven clans, but also with foes from beneath--aboleths, kuo-toa, mindflayers, duergar, etc..