need help devloping a lawful-evil drow's personality [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTimePost
shadow_walker2.0

03-03-05, 04:34 PM
greatings all
I have just started playing a drow cheracter and I'm haveing troble devloping his personality any help would be grately apresheated.

Hear is some background info.
he's lawfull-evil, a monk going to be an assassin and his deity is that one in the Drow panthion that talks about equlity between Drow men and woman, he hates the church of Loth, and well that's it for now but any advice on playing a lawful-evil drow monk assassin of that one deity.

thanks in advance
Lord Karsus

03-04-05, 12:31 AM
greatings all
I have just started playing a drow cheracter and I'm haveing troble devloping his personality any help would be grately apresheated.

Hear is some background info.
he's lawfull-evil, a monk going to be an assassin and his deity is that one in the Drow panthion that talks about equlity between Drow men and woman, he hates the church of Loth, and well that's it for now but any advice on playing a lawful-evil drow monk assassin of that one deity.

thanks in advance

Well, Drow are normally not lawful, but OK, we can look past that...

As for that deity, I am having trouble placing him/her. The only person I can surmise you mean is Elliastree (Sp.), but she is a good-aligned deity and would not have assassins running around for her. Hey, maybe she might...

As for a character personality, that is all up to you. Think about their background, their current situation, and the such. Making a character personality is the best part of D&D, so have fun with it...
Slime Lord

03-04-05, 08:32 AM
Well, what could always be done is that a Cleric of Eliss (The only one I can imagine as well.) gives you a Key (Something I read in a novel.) which'll grant you safe passage to a Church or something if I remember correctly if you Drow character begins to consider loosing his currently deity.

I would imagine there would have to be a change in alignment of course, perhaps a Divine Intervention of sorts if Eliss deems you worthy enough, considering you (or your current deity) hates Lolth.

Considering your also an assassian, she (or a cleric/priestess) might request you to do certain jobs in the Underdark. Recruit, perhaps even try to kill Priestesses of Lolth if she thinks your up the task, things like that. I would imagine though Priestesses of Eliss would keep a very close eye on you.


That's just an idea if your character needs a Divine-Change of Heart. Could help with forming his personaility for changing for an Evil to Good deity can change your personaility greatly.
Lord Zeb

03-04-05, 01:25 PM
Sounds like a worshipper of Vhaeraun to me - but one that is more forgiving to drow females than some of the "men need to be the superior ones."

Either one can work as a worshipper of Vhaeraun.

Here's the big question - is this monk assassin in a city of Lolth worshippers?

If so, his personality is going to be subdued by the fact that he can't speak his mind freely. I'd imagine him fairly reserved, walking with a lean menace to his step. I'd also recommend dressing up like a noble or a wizard, to throw people off their game in terms of what to expect you to be able to do.

If he is in a more open city (not Lolth dominant), he may be a bit more open about his beliefs, and maybe even belong to a Vhaerunian temple and get his missions from there.

Hope that helps.

Zeb
Ziatyn Phoenixwolf

03-04-05, 03:00 PM
The thing that I have noticed is that he is a lawful follower of a Chaotic group of deities, and then if it were Eilis she is Chaotic Good so that would mean that your alignment is way past one step removed on both sides.
shadow_walker2.0

03-04-05, 03:35 PM
thanks guys all of these sound pritty good and they have goten my creative juices flowing as for the deity I belive that Lord Zeb placed the right name I do remember that he is chaotic evil and as for aligenment I'm thinking about just not being Lawful and not being a monk ( It's my first drow character and I don't yet know exactly how Drow stuff works) on a side note and slighty off topic one can any one suggest a good book that I can find lots of drow stuff I was thinking about getting underdark. Agine thanks for all the suggestions I got a good idea brewing in my head.
ContemporarySandman

03-04-05, 03:43 PM
The One step rule only is required for Clerics, Druids, Paladins, and anyone that requires Divine Magic. A Chaotic Good person can worship a Lawful Good Deity, they just cant receive Divine Magic from them until they change their alignment.

Example: Eilistraee is a Chaotic Good deity, but she is bound to have followers that are Lawful Neutral (As not all are Drow) Lawful Good, in alignment, and since the vast majority of followers are not clerics but Fighters, Commoners, nobles, warriors, wizards, sorcerers, etc. youll have a variance of alignments (except to an evil stand point).
Lord Karsus

03-04-05, 06:29 PM
thanks guys all of these sound pritty good and they have goten my creative juices flowing as for the deity I belive that Lord Zeb placed the right name I do remember that he is chaotic evil and as for aligenment I'm thinking about just not being Lawful and not being a monk ( It's my first drow character and I don't yet know exactly how Drow stuff works) on a side note and slighty off topic one can any one suggest a good book that I can find lots of drow stuff I was thinking about getting underdark. Agine thanks for all the suggestions I got a good idea brewing in my head.

Underdark is a good place to find FR Drow stuff. Another good source would be the 2e Drizzt's Guide to the Underdark. It rehashes basically the same stuff, but is smaller, and I think, more Drow-oriented than Underdark, which tries to cover all of the Underdark. City of the Spider Queen is also a good place for Drow info...
Ziatyn Phoenixwolf

03-04-05, 11:08 PM
Being a pstron deity does give some slack to the one step rule; however, it is still one step it is just one step one each side of the alignment so that a true neutral worshiper my have any patron. A true neutral deity may be the patron of any worshiper. To offer up prayers to a deity there is no alignment restriction, so no Eilis ( or any other FR elven/drow deity )does not have patron out to any lawful individuals.
Lord Karsus

03-05-05, 12:33 AM
Underdark is a good place to find FR Drow stuff. Another good source would be the 2e Drizzt's Guide to the Underdark. It rehashes basically the same stuff, but is smaller, and I think, more Drow-oriented than Underdark, which tries to cover all of the Underdark. City of the Spider Queen is also a good place for Drow info...

Heh, stupid me...I forgot:

Drow of the Underdark and Menzoberranzan
shadow_walker2.0

03-06-05, 06:48 PM
thanks lord karsus I'll be looking into them and studying up on Drow history and what not. as for the cheracter I've made him and his personality and used some of the suggestions you all posted, thanks for all the help with my first Drow.
The Arcanamach

03-06-05, 11:37 PM
Try to find a copy of 2e source book, Drow of the Underdoark. It has a wealth of info on playing drow. Reading Salvatore's novel, "Homeland," can really help you capture the flavor of drow society as can the War of the Spider Queen series.
shadow_walker2.0

03-07-05, 03:52 PM
thanks Arcnamach I'll look into some of thoses too.
Chiba_Monkey

03-07-05, 09:58 PM
Ok, I know you came up with this on your own, but I made a character ages ago who is EXACTLY what you're describing. He's a male drow monk who worships Vhaeraun. He eventually left the Underdark and became a rogue of sorts for awhile (although he did not multiclass until he gained assasin levels). He is a devout follower of The Masked Lord, and aids other drow in coming to the surface. He also never reneges on a contract. His name is Soldrin Teken'rae (Soldrin means "Nimble rogue" the House name means "Delvers in the Fell Powers")

Vhaeraun is the perfect deity for your character. Many Vhaeraunites hate the clergy of Lolth and try to bring about its downfall. Vhaeraun DOES have some female clerics and allows for some egalitarian rules regarding his clergy and followers, but his portfolio includes DROW MALES, and the majority of his clerics are male (this from 2nd ed. Drow of The Underdark). Just b/c Vhaeraun is ok with females doesn't mean all his followers are.

It's ok to be a lawful evil follower of a CE god. Only clerics MUST be within one step. It's just not likely that a lot of people have wildly differing alignments from their patrons (a CG fighter has little in common with Bane, for example). You may completely follow the tenents of your faith, but your LE alignment suggests only that you yourself are disciplined, or perhaps methodical in your mannerisms and actions.

My character had a black tatto of his deity's holy symbol (a mask w/ lenses) on his arm. It was black on his black skin, and could only be seen in a certain kind of light.

Hope this helped.

P.S.
It's really weird to see someone copy my idea almost exactly completely independent of knowing anything about my character.
shadow_walker2.0

03-08-05, 03:45 PM
I know exactly what you mean Chiba_monkey I can't count the number of times some one has copied something of mine and I don't even know who they are but if it makes you feel better after donig some reading up on the Drow I changed him to a NE fighter/rouge/assassin and I might pick up Devine seeker of Vhaeraun but that's not a deffent thing yet.
arrianna

03-10-05, 07:59 AM
I agree with Archanamach.

I really didn't understand the complexitites of Drow society until I took the time to read Homeland and the War of the Spider Queen. The game supplements do give a wealth of info, but they realy can't come close the the character development ideas in those novels. If you read quickly, you can plough through Homeland in a week or so.
shadow_walker2.0

03-10-05, 04:03 PM
thanks arrianna I well be picking those two up as soon as I get some cash. and I agree with both you and Archanamach when you say to game books don't discribe Drow society very.
arrianna

03-11-05, 08:47 AM
thanks arrianna I well be picking those two up as soon as I get some cash. and I agree with both you and Archanamach when you say to game books don't discribe Drow society very.


Go to the library. They're both on the bestseller list. No need to buy, just borrow!!

Can you tell I'm a teacher? Advocating libraries!!!
xnsdvd

03-14-05, 11:45 AM
lawful evil? well here's my true neutral character's personality. Just make him greedier and more selfish and I guess you'd get lawful evil...

The universe revolves around me. When I die , you all cease to exist. You're all actors in a little drama constructed in and by my mind to entertain me. The gods are merely there to fill gaps that my mind is too lazy to reason. There is no good or evil , only varying degrees of selfishness and stupidity. There is no right or wrong , only strength and weakness. Might makes right , majority wins. Right and truth are for the strong to decide.

he's a human fighter/rouge/wizard. seeks immortality. feels he can kill anything that gets in his way because without him the universe wont exist.
Lord Zeb

03-14-05, 12:58 PM
TN? Dude that description sounds NE or CE (with delusions of TN maybe) -- total anti-social "you don't exist" psychosis with no boundaries.

"So what if I tortured that young child? It was just a figment of my imagination, and so are you sheriff."


Just IMO
Krevon

03-14-05, 01:40 PM
Read the descriptions in the PHB. Remember, drow do not view themselves as evil. They view themselves as cunning. So obeying the literal doctrine of whatever orginization while follow your own ambitions is completely acceptable. And don't forget to kill slaves for fun!
shadow_walker2.0

03-15-05, 04:11 PM
thanks all but he is no longer lawful-evil monk/assassin now he is a nutral-evil fighter/rouge/devin seeker of vhaeraun.

oh and Arrianna thanks for that little bit of info it makes things so much easer.
shadow_walker2.0

03-15-05, 04:16 PM
oh and I have made a personality for him now all that's left is to study up on Drow culture but I think I know enough to get by for now but I would like to still delve deeper into the workings of Drow socitiy. let me know if you would like to hear what his personality is after all all of you gave the insperation I needed to make hm what he is.
sk600

03-15-05, 08:54 PM
I am starting to make a character who is, like the previous example, a LE drow monk. He is basically athiest, or at most agnostic, so that part doesnt matter much. For the back storry I am making him a minor cousin of one of the lesser houses in urdrek'thos (from underdark) sent to study in the monestary. Do you think a LE guy would follow the overriding Lloth inspired laws or work against them to institute the laws taught by the monks? I am making some assumptions based on the small amount of explainitory text in underdark, but it seems to me the two groups don't exactly get along? Thanks for any and all replies
arrianna

03-16-05, 12:22 AM
I am starting to make a character who is, like the previous example, a LE drow monk. He is basically athiest, or at most agnostic, so that part doesnt matter much. For the back storry I am making him a minor cousin of one of the lesser houses in urdrek'thos (from underdark) sent to study in the monestary. Do you think a LE guy would follow the overriding Lloth inspired laws or work against them to institute the laws taught by the monks? I am making some assumptions based on the small amount of explainitory text in underdark, but it seems to me the two groups don't exactly get along? Thanks for any and all replies

I personally think that any male drow that didn;t venerate Lloth and lived in a drow city would be hard pressed to be able to openly be an atheist or an agnostic. The priestesses would have him for lunch.

Atheism in the realms isn't really an option anyway. There is a manifestation of godly powers in the spells granted to clerics, paladins, druids, and rangers. To have an atheist or even an agnostic implies that there is a question about the existence of Gods. In the realms, there is no question. Remember the time of troubles?
arrianna

03-16-05, 12:23 AM
thanks all but he is no longer lawful-evil monk/assassin now he is a nutral-evil fighter/rouge/devin seeker of vhaeraun.

oh and Arrianna thanks for that little bit of info it makes things so much easer.

No prob. Did your local branch have one?
shadow_walker2.0

03-18-05, 05:55 PM
don't know I haven't been able to get down there lately I'll let you know if they don't so you can recomend another place to look. thanks agine