A Drow by a different name [Archive] - Wizards Community

A Drow by a different name [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
bob the bard
09-16-04, 05:18 PM I want to make some of the elves in my campaign world different, but I basically want to use drow, I know how my players would react to the first siting of a drow, so I'm making them look different. They will look like regular elves and not have the aversion to sunlight, but still have all the abilities of a drow. I'm curious tho if these alterations would up the CR from 1 to 2. It's just removing the aversion to sunlight and making them look and act different so my players won't know what they are.(also I'm planning this to be a purely NPC race).
Aramil_silverwind
09-16-04, 06:37 PM Sounds like a great way to stop Pcs from meta-gaming. Give it a shot, I'm almost certain that it will work out for the better.
Wayward Son
09-17-04, 09:33 AM I would up the CR a notch for removing their main weakness, but otherwise it's a great plan. Reminds me of a Dragon editorial years back where Roger Moore talked about changing the description and name of standard monsters just to throw off the players (who had become set in their routine for each monster, having learned it's weaknesses). The players were dumbfounded and had a great time trying to learn how to hurt these "new" critters.
Lxarth
09-17-04, 09:37 AM Another thing you have to remember is that Drow (to me) are like the boogy-man. So people are going to know about them.
Aki Warren
09-17-04, 11:33 AM I did the same for my campigian as well. I called them the druchii, from warhammer. I like the name it rolls off the tongue...and the fact I'm a member of druchii.net

Your doing something awesome, changing the monsters to fit your campigian is really really sweet
Talisman
09-17-04, 11:34 AM If you drop the light sensitivity but also lose the superior darkvision (give 'em normal low-light vision), that might warrant keeping the CR the same. And possibly drop the darkness spell-like ability, since it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a non-dark-loving race.
Perseus
09-17-04, 01:04 PM In FR the drow were originally the Illithyri if I remember correctly. I probably mispelled it. They lived above ground.
I'd suggest dropping their spell resistance to keep the CR lower and because it supposedly was the result of exposure to underground radiations of some sort of magic that gave it to them...just a thought..
PaladinSix
09-17-04, 01:15 PM If you drop the light sensitivity but also lose the superior darkvision (give 'em normal low-light vision), that might warrant keeping the CR the same.

Thats what I did for my campaign. I call them shadow elves, and they are basically drow (except very pale instead of dark-skinned) and they aren't subterranean.
Thelandrach
09-17-04, 02:35 PM Elves can be evil all by themselves, you know. They don't have to be Drow before they can be the bad guys.
FrostyObsitnic
09-17-04, 04:22 PM You could just go the completely opposite direction and give the modified drow REALLY pale skin (like twice as pale as a normal elf). It makes sense, since if they make their homes underground they would probably have light skin from lack of sunlight, not really really dark skin.
Cravensson
09-17-04, 04:45 PM You could just go the completely opposite direction and give the modified drow REALLY pale skin (like twice as pale as a normal elf). It makes sense, since if they make their homes underground they would probably have light skin from lack of sunlight, not really really dark skin.

I think the Drow's black skin was supposed to be some kind of a curse because they betrayed the Elven gods, not because they lived under ground.
FrostyObsitnic
09-17-04, 04:48 PM It still doesnt make sense... A race able to hold its own against it's lightwalking counterparts, but unable to thwart a simple color-changing curse? Even the fact that they live underground would counter that...

Plus, what a great punishment :-/

"You have betrayed us, and have chosen to walk the path of darkness! Shame on you! HAHA! Now you're black!"

Seriously, that's rediculous.
Talisman
09-18-04, 12:47 PM To the best of my recollection the drow were always dark of skin. In ancient times when they betrayed the fair elves (and Lolth betrayed the other elven gods), there was a great war, which Lolth and the drow lost. The drow were banished beneath the earth, from whence came their SR and funky powers; however, they were always black.
CzarGarrett
09-18-04, 01:14 PM Screw them up. Have a bunch of Half-Elf sorcerers from a tropical region. Make it so their human side was black and they are very dark skinned.

Confuse the holy crap out of them with that. Or at least it worked once with me.
FriendoftheDork
09-18-04, 02:30 PM what exactly about drow do you like if not their black skin, weakness to light? Is it elves with extra spell like abilities you like? Or is it elves with SR? or is it just evil elves? The latter is doable without using drow at all, just use wild elves that hates humans or such.

In any case, removing light blindness do not up CR with 1 IMO. Basically you're just giving them an extra feat (daylight adaption) for free.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
bob the bard 09-16-04, 05:18 PM	I want to make some of the elves in my campaign world different, but I basically want to use drow, I know how my players would react to the first siting of a drow, so I'm making them look different. They will look like regular elves and not have the aversion to sunlight, but still have all the abilities of a drow. I'm curious tho if these alterations would up the CR from 1 to 2. It's just removing the aversion to sunlight and making them look and act different so my players won't know what they are.(also I'm planning this to be a purely NPC race).
Aramil_silverwind 09-16-04, 06:37 PM	Sounds like a great way to stop Pcs from meta-gaming. Give it a shot, I'm almost certain that it will work out for the better.
Wayward Son 09-17-04, 09:33 AM	I would up the CR a notch for removing their main weakness, but otherwise it's a great plan. Reminds me of a Dragon editorial years back where Roger Moore talked about changing the description and name of standard monsters just to throw off the players (who had become set in their routine for each monster, having learned it's weaknesses). The players were dumbfounded and had a great time trying to learn how to hurt these "new" critters.
Lxarth 09-17-04, 09:37 AM	Another thing you have to remember is that Drow (to me) are like the boogy-man. So people are going to know about them.
Aki Warren 09-17-04, 11:33 AM	I did the same for my campigian as well. I called them the druchii, from warhammer. I like the name it rolls off the tongue...and the fact I'm a member of druchii.net Your doing something awesome, changing the monsters to fit your campigian is really really sweet
Talisman 09-17-04, 11:34 AM	If you drop the light sensitivity but also lose the superior darkvision (give 'em normal low-light vision), that might warrant keeping the CR the same. And possibly drop the darkness spell-like ability, since it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a non-dark-loving race.
Perseus 09-17-04, 01:04 PM	In FR the drow were originally the Illithyri if I remember correctly. I probably mispelled it. They lived above ground. I'd suggest dropping their spell resistance to keep the CR lower and because it supposedly was the result of exposure to underground radiations of some sort of magic that gave it to them...just a thought..
PaladinSix 09-17-04, 01:15 PM	If you drop the light sensitivity but also lose the superior darkvision (give 'em normal low-light vision), that might warrant keeping the CR the same. Thats what I did for my campaign. I call them shadow elves, and they are basically drow (except very pale instead of dark-skinned) and they aren't subterranean.
Thelandrach 09-17-04, 02:35 PM	Elves can be evil all by themselves, you know. They don't have to be Drow before they can be the bad guys.
FrostyObsitnic 09-17-04, 04:22 PM	You could just go the completely opposite direction and give the modified drow REALLY pale skin (like twice as pale as a normal elf). It makes sense, since if they make their homes underground they would probably have light skin from lack of sunlight, not really really dark skin.
Cravensson 09-17-04, 04:45 PM	You could just go the completely opposite direction and give the modified drow REALLY pale skin (like twice as pale as a normal elf). It makes sense, since if they make their homes underground they would probably have light skin from lack of sunlight, not really really dark skin. I think the Drow's black skin was supposed to be some kind of a curse because they betrayed the Elven gods, not because they lived under ground.
FrostyObsitnic 09-17-04, 04:48 PM	It still doesnt make sense... A race able to hold its own against it's lightwalking counterparts, but unable to thwart a simple color-changing curse? Even the fact that they live underground would counter that... Plus, what a great punishment :-/ "You have betrayed us, and have chosen to walk the path of darkness! Shame on you! HAHA! Now you're black!" Seriously, that's rediculous.
Talisman 09-18-04, 12:47 PM	To the best of my recollection the drow were always dark of skin. In ancient times when they betrayed the fair elves (and Lolth betrayed the other elven gods), there was a great war, which Lolth and the drow lost. The drow were banished beneath the earth, from whence came their SR and funky powers; however, they were always black.
CzarGarrett 09-18-04, 01:14 PM	Screw them up. Have a bunch of Half-Elf sorcerers from a tropical region. Make it so their human side was black and they are very dark skinned. Confuse the holy crap out of them with that. Or at least it worked once with me.
FriendoftheDork 09-18-04, 02:30 PM	what exactly about drow do you like if not their black skin, weakness to light? Is it elves with extra spell like abilities you like? Or is it elves with SR? or is it just evil elves? The latter is doable without using drow at all, just use wild elves that hates humans or such. In any case, removing light blindness do not up CR with 1 IMO. Basically you're just giving them an extra feat (daylight adaption) for free.