Disguised Race [Archive] - Wizards Community

Disguised Race [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Malchius
07-02-07, 12:45 PM In the current D&D game I play, I have chose to play a Drow, but another player is a Wood Elf, even though I was playing the drow first my DM said I should avoid causing an argument, I have opted to disguising as a normal(high) elf, nobody has a good enough spot to see through my disguise except me but another player keeps calling me a drow in game and referring to some of my abilities. This is causing tension in game and furthermore he has no knowledges or skills that could identify me as such, what should I do? Is it fair to kill another character if it endangers my character, My DM would prefer me not to, however?
Rerecros
07-02-07, 12:51 PM Disguising yourself will only delay the inevitable.

Do you have a good alignment?
If you do, you might be mistrusted at first, but you could still probably earn the respect of a surface elf.

If you are non-good alignment, why are you hiding yourself from someone who should be your slave?
Malchius
07-02-07, 01:04 PM I am a Neutral good Io worshipping Ranger(I am a deepwyrm drow). I am only adventuring to rescue an NPC who happens to be a Singer of Concordance. The Wood-elf is of evil alignment who vowed to kill any drow on sight without mercy. The only other problem is a Chaotic good human battlesorcerer constantly accusing me of being a drow, I have been told not to kill any member of the party or I shall be penalised for doing so, however I fear that my character might die if I do not take action.
Rerecros
07-02-07, 01:09 PM lol, the drow in the party is the only non-jerk.

Problems tend to occur when one PC swears to eradicate the species of other PCs in the party. This will end in bloodshed and one or more of you will have to make a new character.
Archangel_James
07-02-07, 01:19 PM Tell the player to stop metagaming. If he won't stop, your character must assume that that character found out somehow and must be eliminated to protect your safety. When the player complains that you killed his character, calmly explain your reasoning and then say, "That's what you get for metagaming."

If you fear retaliation from your DM, make sure your DM hears your reasoning as well. If he's not willing to stop the other player's malicious metagaming, he has no right to target you for defending yourself.
Malchius
07-02-07, 01:21 PM Thanks, it seems the only person who doesn't care about me being a drow is the Lawful Evil Minotaur who doesn't know what a drow is, lol

edit: I have thought of using an elixor/elixir of love on the party members so they will like my character and hopefully not suspect him of anything but is there anyway to make this effect permanent?
Jagyr Ebonwood
07-02-07, 02:54 PM DM: Okay, guys, this is Jim, the new guy.
Group: Hi Jim!
Jim: Hi guys!
DM: Okay Jim, what kind of character would you like to play?
Jim: I don't know, what's everyone else playing?
Bob: I'm a minotaur.
Geoff: I'm a human battle sorceror
Malchius: I'm a good drow rang-
Jim: I'm gonna be an elven drow-killer!
Malchius: But...but...:uh-huh:
DM: Cool!
Malchius: But I-
DM: Don't be a jerk, Mal. You're character has to disguise himself otherwise you'll get killed by Jim.
Malchius: Fine [makes a really good disguise]
Geoff: I have absolutely no reason whatsoever to believe you're a drow because of your wonderful disguise skills, but I'm going to metagame and accuse you of being a drow anyway just to see if Jim kills you!
DM/Jim/Geoff: Unnecessary intra-party conflict! HUZZAH!
Bob: Sorry dude.
Malchius: :banghead:
Malchius
07-02-07, 03:28 PM Well I spoke to the DM and he said that if this metagaming continues that my character is allowed to take actions against the party and the chaotic good person is probably going to be penalized and for in and out-of game reasons.

The DM would have said no, but because I get Disguise Self and I bought the disguise skill so he rather persuaded me to play a secretive character.
Jagyr Ebonwood
07-02-07, 03:39 PM I see.

Well, my advice is to talk to both the elf player and the sorcerer player OOG.

Make the sorcerer understand the difference between IG and OOG.
Good luck.

Also try to reach an agreement with the elf player.
Having a disguised drow traveling with a dedicated drow-killer can make for a great story and RP, or it can lead to really upset players.

Make sure that you are both on the same page, that you don't want your PC to die, and he doesn't want to kill you PC (OOG, that is). Once you've reached that agreement, let the RPing commence!
Malchius
07-02-07, 03:45 PM The DM and I are faced with the same problem with the sorcerer player, we roleplay at his house and generally if we argue with him, he usually throws a hissy-fit, say's that he's been RPing for 18 years and then kicks us out of his house if we keep arguing.
Archangel_James
07-02-07, 04:07 PM The DM and I are faced with the same problem with the sorcerer player, we roleplay at his house and generally if we argue with him, he usually throws a hissy-fit, say's that he's been RPing for 18 years and then kicks us out of his house if we keep arguing.

So he's just a jerk. Kick him out of your game and play somewhere else.
Jagyr Ebonwood
07-02-07, 04:15 PM Seriously. Play somewhere else.
Ack
07-02-07, 04:24 PM I've been in situations like this. This guy will never let it go. If kicking him out of the game and playing somewhere else is not a good option, arrange with the GM to effectively "swap out" the character with a high elf character. Tell the other player OOC that this character is actually an elf...

... meanwhile, it's your drow character in another disguise :D

If he's the "character sheet peeker" type, use a fake sheet to throw him off.

If he can't keep secrets to himself, why let him know them?
Myree
07-08-07, 06:12 PM How about RPing an IG conversation like this:

Sorc: Hey, let the "Drow" do it. (or some such example)
Malchius (with a dagger to the sorc's throat): Look, that is it, you piece of vetauk. I've put up with your belittlements and idiotic bigotry long enough. The fact that you can't tell your guano from your brains should give you a clue you have no right trying to tell the difference between sub-races. So, you either apologize now and refrain from further ridiculous outbursts, or I'm going to gut you like that deer you scarfed down last night. I may not be a drow, but I can sure imagine how one would be treating YOU if he were standing here right now. Right, my wood-elf friend?

If that don't do something, follow-thru and deal with the IG and OOG repurcussions knowing that SOMETHING had to be done.
Callista
07-08-07, 06:30 PM Tell the player to stop metagaming. If he won't stop, your character must assume that that character found out somehow and must be eliminated to protect your safety. When the player complains that you killed his character, calmly explain your reasoning and then say, "That's what you get for metagaming."Wait, wait--his character is Good-aligned. There are other options than killing the other PC, and it isn't realistic for a Good character to immediately kill somebody like that. What's more likely is that he'll go somewhere else--go and complete his quest on his own, or with more accepting folks. That means making a new character, but realistically, so does killing your party member. Once you kill somebody, you'll be under suspcion, and they WILL find out you're drow, and they won't spare your life.

Two options:
1. Retire the character.
2. Talk to the others out of game. Then, in-game, reveal your race and face the wood elf who has threatened to kill all drow. You may have to fight him. If you do, and you win, don't kill him--that kind of mercy can easily win him over. (If you talk to them out of game, you might suggest this course of action--if you win, the wood elf player has a good reason to spare your life because you spared his. Remind him that evil characters CAN make friendships.)

All in all, if your fellow players will work with you, you can really take advantage of this situation. If they won't, you might need to change to a less controversial character.
kelvinaw273
07-09-07, 05:52 AM Well it sounds like you have some jerkish players in this game. As a DM I don't allow PC Drow for the simple reason they are not accepted by ANY race, not just surface elves. If I did, I wouldn't permit a drow-hating character from another player. That's like taking an Evil character after somebody has declared they are playing a Paladin.

Just rework the character as what they are disguised at, that will annoy the other player no end ...
J_Vhad
07-09-07, 09:38 AM First off, what is your disguise?
Most campaignes of any game I've been in that included a disguised character, the person with the disguise never actually did any thought on it other than "I rolled an (insert good god disguise roll) they don't know" and most of the people flowing with it.

There are other ways to notice your disguise than a simple spot roll.
A hooded cloak and gloves/mask that hides your skin? Ya, thats not suspicious.
Makeup to cover all your visible skin? Well there goes forever in the mornings geting ready. I know you're an elf, but that's still going to draw attention.
Burn victim all wrapped up in bandages? They've gotta come of sometime, and ya it's going to be suspicious that you were burned literally everywhere.

This doesn't tell them exactly what you are, but it is definately suspicious behaviour.

Also, if you are ever put out of action (unconcious) it WILL lead to discovery. When they try to stabilize you they will notice the black skin under the layers of disguise.

That said, what I do to metagamers in these situations is pretty simple. Just get together with the DM and talk to him. Have the PC metagaming that says you're a drow to start making will checks at a difficult DC, if he fails he thinks the person is a drow. Hence the metagaming becomes an ingame mental problem and no one trusts the metagamer's character anymore.
Malchius
07-09-07, 01:04 PM Well thanks everyone but it doesn't seem too much of a problem now, the Wood Elf player stopped playing with no reason to back it up, and the sorcerer got killed in a fight with a pack fiend, it was a fair fight but the DM wasn't happy anyway because he threatened to kill a Good Aligned NPC with no reason and manipulated The Minotaur into killing a surrendered creature.
esteigs
07-23-07, 04:08 PM ask your DM to let you be a szerkai (albino drow)
High Octane
07-24-07, 01:17 AM You played a good aligned drow ranger. Bad things were inevitable.
Malchius
07-24-07, 06:30 AM Atleast I don't use Scimitars, lol

We haven't got Drow of the Underdark but we may be getting it soon so if it suites my character I will ask to be an Albino Drow.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Malchius 07-02-07, 12:45 PM	In the current D&D game I play, I have chose to play a Drow, but another player is a Wood Elf, even though I was playing the drow first my DM said I should avoid causing an argument, I have opted to disguising as a normal(high) elf, nobody has a good enough spot to see through my disguise except me but another player keeps calling me a drow in game and referring to some of my abilities. This is causing tension in game and furthermore he has no knowledges or skills that could identify me as such, what should I do? Is it fair to kill another character if it endangers my character, My DM would prefer me not to, however?
Rerecros 07-02-07, 12:51 PM	Disguising yourself will only delay the inevitable. Do you have a good alignment? If you do, you might be mistrusted at first, but you could still probably earn the respect of a surface elf. If you are non-good alignment, why are you hiding yourself from someone who should be your slave?
Malchius 07-02-07, 01:04 PM	I am a Neutral good Io worshipping Ranger(I am a deepwyrm drow). I am only adventuring to rescue an NPC who happens to be a Singer of Concordance. The Wood-elf is of evil alignment who vowed to kill any drow on sight without mercy. The only other problem is a Chaotic good human battlesorcerer constantly accusing me of being a drow, I have been told not to kill any member of the party or I shall be penalised for doing so, however I fear that my character might die if I do not take action.
Rerecros 07-02-07, 01:09 PM	lol, the drow in the party is the only non-jerk. Problems tend to occur when one PC swears to eradicate the species of other PCs in the party. This will end in bloodshed and one or more of you will have to make a new character.
Archangel_James 07-02-07, 01:19 PM	Tell the player to stop metagaming. If he won't stop, your character must assume that that character found out somehow and must be eliminated to protect your safety. When the player complains that you killed his character, calmly explain your reasoning and then say, "That's what you get for metagaming." If you fear retaliation from your DM, make sure your DM hears your reasoning as well. If he's not willing to stop the other player's malicious metagaming, he has no right to target you for defending yourself.
Malchius 07-02-07, 01:21 PM	Thanks, it seems the only person who doesn't care about me being a drow is the Lawful Evil Minotaur who doesn't know what a drow is, lol edit: I have thought of using an elixor/elixir of love on the party members so they will like my character and hopefully not suspect him of anything but is there anyway to make this effect permanent?
Jagyr Ebonwood 07-02-07, 02:54 PM	DM: Okay, guys, this is Jim, the new guy. Group: Hi Jim! Jim: Hi guys! DM: Okay Jim, what kind of character would you like to play? Jim: I don't know, what's everyone else playing? Bob: I'm a minotaur. Geoff: I'm a human battle sorceror Malchius: I'm a good drow rang- Jim: I'm gonna be an elven drow-killer! Malchius: But...but...:uh-huh: DM: Cool! Malchius: But I- DM: Don't be a jerk, Mal. You're character has to disguise himself otherwise you'll get killed by Jim. Malchius: Fine [makes a really good disguise] Geoff: I have absolutely no reason whatsoever to believe you're a drow because of your wonderful disguise skills, but I'm going to metagame and accuse you of being a drow anyway just to see if Jim kills you! DM/Jim/Geoff: Unnecessary intra-party conflict! HUZZAH! Bob: Sorry dude. Malchius: :banghead:
Malchius 07-02-07, 03:28 PM	Well I spoke to the DM and he said that if this metagaming continues that my character is allowed to take actions against the party and the chaotic good person is probably going to be penalized and for in and out-of game reasons. The DM would have said no, but because I get Disguise Self and I bought the disguise skill so he rather persuaded me to play a secretive character.
Jagyr Ebonwood 07-02-07, 03:39 PM	I see. Well, my advice is to talk to both the elf player and the sorcerer player OOG. Make the sorcerer understand the difference between IG and OOG. Good luck. Also try to reach an agreement with the elf player. Having a disguised drow traveling with a dedicated drow-killer can make for a great story and RP, or it can lead to really upset players. Make sure that you are both on the same page, that you don't want your PC to die, and he doesn't want to kill you PC (OOG, that is). Once you've reached that agreement, let the RPing commence!
Malchius 07-02-07, 03:45 PM	The DM and I are faced with the same problem with the sorcerer player, we roleplay at his house and generally if we argue with him, he usually throws a hissy-fit, say's that he's been RPing for 18 years and then kicks us out of his house if we keep arguing.
Archangel_James 07-02-07, 04:07 PM	The DM and I are faced with the same problem with the sorcerer player, we roleplay at his house and generally if we argue with him, he usually throws a hissy-fit, say's that he's been RPing for 18 years and then kicks us out of his house if we keep arguing. So he's just a jerk. Kick him out of your game and play somewhere else.
Jagyr Ebonwood 07-02-07, 04:15 PM	Seriously. Play somewhere else.
Ack 07-02-07, 04:24 PM	I've been in situations like this. This guy will never let it go. If kicking him out of the game and playing somewhere else is not a good option, arrange with the GM to effectively "swap out" the character with a high elf character. Tell the other player OOC that this character is actually an elf... ... meanwhile, it's your drow character in another disguise :D If he's the "character sheet peeker" type, use a fake sheet to throw him off. If he can't keep secrets to himself, why let him know them?
Myree 07-08-07, 06:12 PM	How about RPing an IG conversation like this: Sorc: Hey, let the "Drow" do it. (or some such example) Malchius (with a dagger to the sorc's throat): Look, that is it, you piece of vetauk. I've put up with your belittlements and idiotic bigotry long enough. The fact that you can't tell your guano from your brains should give you a clue you have no right trying to tell the difference between sub-races. So, you either apologize now and refrain from further ridiculous outbursts, or I'm going to gut you like that deer you scarfed down last night. I may not be a drow, but I can sure imagine how one would be treating YOU if he were standing here right now. Right, my wood-elf friend? If that don't do something, follow-thru and deal with the IG and OOG repurcussions knowing that SOMETHING had to be done.
Callista 07-08-07, 06:30 PM	Tell the player to stop metagaming. If he won't stop, your character must assume that that character found out somehow and must be eliminated to protect your safety. When the player complains that you killed his character, calmly explain your reasoning and then say, "That's what you get for metagaming."Wait, wait--his character is Good-aligned. There are other options than killing the other PC, and it isn't realistic for a Good character to immediately kill somebody like that. What's more likely is that he'll go somewhere else--go and complete his quest on his own, or with more accepting folks. That means making a new character, but realistically, so does killing your party member. Once you kill somebody, you'll be under suspcion, and they WILL find out you're drow, and they won't spare your life. Two options: 1. Retire the character. 2. Talk to the others out of game. Then, in-game, reveal your race and face the wood elf who has threatened to kill all drow. You may have to fight him. If you do, and you win, don't kill him--that kind of mercy can easily win him over. (If you talk to them out of game, you might suggest this course of action--if you win, the wood elf player has a good reason to spare your life because you spared his. Remind him that evil characters CAN make friendships.) All in all, if your fellow players will work with you, you can really take advantage of this situation. If they won't, you might need to change to a less controversial character.
kelvinaw273 07-09-07, 05:52 AM	Well it sounds like you have some jerkish players in this game. As a DM I don't allow PC Drow for the simple reason they are not accepted by ANY race, not just surface elves. If I did, I wouldn't permit a drow-hating character from another player. That's like taking an Evil character after somebody has declared they are playing a Paladin. Just rework the character as what they are disguised at, that will annoy the other player no end ...
J_Vhad 07-09-07, 09:38 AM	First off, what is your disguise? Most campaignes of any game I've been in that included a disguised character, the person with the disguise never actually did any thought on it other than "I rolled an (insert good god disguise roll) they don't know" and most of the people flowing with it. There are other ways to notice your disguise than a simple spot roll. A hooded cloak and gloves/mask that hides your skin? Ya, thats not suspicious. Makeup to cover all your visible skin? Well there goes forever in the mornings geting ready. I know you're an elf, but that's still going to draw attention. Burn victim all wrapped up in bandages? They've gotta come of sometime, and ya it's going to be suspicious that you were burned literally everywhere. This doesn't tell them exactly what you are, but it is definately suspicious behaviour. Also, if you are ever put out of action (unconcious) it WILL lead to discovery. When they try to stabilize you they will notice the black skin under the layers of disguise. That said, what I do to metagamers in these situations is pretty simple. Just get together with the DM and talk to him. Have the PC metagaming that says you're a drow to start making will checks at a difficult DC, if he fails he thinks the person is a drow. Hence the metagaming becomes an ingame mental problem and no one trusts the metagamer's character anymore.
Malchius 07-09-07, 01:04 PM	Well thanks everyone but it doesn't seem too much of a problem now, the Wood Elf player stopped playing with no reason to back it up, and the sorcerer got killed in a fight with a pack fiend, it was a fair fight but the DM wasn't happy anyway because he threatened to kill a Good Aligned NPC with no reason and manipulated The Minotaur into killing a surrendered creature.
esteigs 07-23-07, 04:08 PM	ask your DM to let you be a szerkai (albino drow)
High Octane 07-24-07, 01:17 AM	You played a good aligned drow ranger. Bad things were inevitable.
Malchius 07-24-07, 06:30 AM	Atleast I don't use Scimitars, lol We haven't got Drow of the Underdark but we may be getting it soon so if it suites my character I will ask to be an Albino Drow.