Am I the only one getting sick of hearing that goody-good Drow's name in the entire D&D universe? Not only has Drizzt become cliche, his legacy has encouraged 25 bazillion fans to copycat his cliche, so everyone knows at least several D&D players who love to roleplay Drow goody-good characters. As if that was the norm. 
Please WotC.... it's time to retire Drizzt from the Forgotten Realms hero-worship. Even Elminster doesn't have 3 or 4 WotC-licensed boardgames named after him. On eBay I could easily find 5 or 6 versions of Drizzt painted (plastic) D&D miniatures. And one of them is part of a mini set that sells for around $125. So much Drizzt worship.... ick.
We are in the 5th Edition now. Time to turn a new leaf. The Realms needs a new batch of heroes. Introduce some fresh new faces for this new era of D&D. Stop it with the cash-grab by re-hashing Drizzt over and over again.
Apologies to Salvatore, as he is clearly a talented writer. But Drizzt has been done to death.
Why does an elf have a bow and a sword and a dwarf an axe or a hammer? Probably Legolas and Gimmly. Why are elves and dwarves expected to be good? Probably Legolas and Gimmly. Drizzt just became the male drow identify in the same way Legolas and Gimly are the elven and dwarven ones.
There's no difference between playing a good-aligned drow with 2 scimitars than playing a sruffy bearded dwarf with a 2-handed axe. They're both clichés. I don't think it would be a good idea to rid D&D of all its clichés because those clichés are what give D&D its identity.
The latest Drizzt books have been quite meh even if you like the Drizt books. That might take care of itself.
moonbeast wrote:
I'd like to see a neutrally aligned, female, non-dual wielding drow character come to the fore, if for no other reason that to show that drow aren't either Pure Evil™ or Drizzt Clones™. I'd really love to be able to hear that someone wants to play a drow without it meaning they want to play a Drizzt clone. Drizzt himself is cool, and the character build(s) are also nice, but where's the variety?
Of course, "where's the variety" also applies to the other races, like where's the clumsy elves, the eloquent dwarves, and the soft hearted half-orcs?
Oriet wrote:
moonbeast wrote:
moonbeast wrote:
You know, to be honest- I used to think like this, and partially still do. I've read through the entire Legend of Drizz't, up to the newest released novel. I have grown tired of hearing a person say they want to play a "Dual-Wielding Drow Ranger" over and over. The fact is though, that Drizz't, like the most of the iconic Forgotten Realm's heroes have been around for almost 30 years. If we were to say that we want people to stop copying Drizz't- We would have to say the same about Bruenor Battlehammer (Mountain Dwarf Fighter with a Battle-axe), Cattie-Brie (Human Fighter with Archery fighting style), Wulfgar (Human Barbarian with a Warhammer), Regis (Stout Halfling Rogue with a Mace), Cadderly Bonaduce (Human Cleric with a Hand Crossbow and Bo Staff), Danica Maupoissant (Human Monk with Daggers), Ivan Bouldershoulder (Hill Dwarf with Greataxe), and Pickel Bouldershoulder (Dwarven Druid with Greatclub).
I know I have only listed a few of R. A. Salvatore's characters, and he has hundreds more that encompass almost every class.
The thing we often forget, even if Dungeons & Dragons is at it's 5th Edition-- the Forgotten Realms, specifically Abeir-Toril, is 1450+ years old by Dale's Reckoning.
Nevertheless- I have played quite a few Drow Characters. Majority of them started out Chaotic Evil and Chaotic Neutral. Through-out the adventure, they had Allignment shifts, some for the better, other's for the worse. If you get tired of it though, do what I've done as a DM. Force the character to either come up with something more than a cookie cutter backstory, or do a pre-gen for the entire table and let them choose which they play.
I've got an entire binder, full of Pre-Gen's for games. Simple, quickbuild Pre-Gens of all classes and all races.
Echamil wrote:
MechaPilot wrote:
Echamil wrote:
You know, I thought that killing most of the Companions was a great move - solo Drizzt adventures where you can really play up the fact that, "yes, he is a drow and people hate drow" a tonne are much more interesting. Drizzt himself has potential to be a really, really interesting character - the prequel books about him first coming to the surface are great proof of that - but his ridiculous level of combat prowess and lack of significant mental/emotional challenges make him harder to relate to. The Companions were a bit of a buffer for him against the hatred the world has for drow - remove them, and Drizzt has a challenge he can't take down with his swords.
So, yeah - Drizzt as a concept is really neat and has huge potential, but by downplaying over time the fact that he is a drow and that people will hate and fear him for it has led to the rise of Drizzt-clones, nd nobody likes those. And while there is so much ground for self-doubt and emotional struggle, it's rarely used in most of the books.
Tone down Drizzt's combat prowess, remove the Companions as the reliable protective buffer against the hatred of others for drow, and send him out on his own. If nothing else, it'll shake the series up.
joeburgos wrote:
Oriet wrote:
joeburgos wrote:
moonbeast wrote:
FFSAA wrote:
I just cant play FR at all anymore. Just too much of the same, seen it all before.
I'd rather make my own world from scratch, maybe borrowing bit and pieces of FR.
JohnLynch wrote:
JohnLynch wrote:
cowleymen wrote:
Zardnaar wrote:
Zardnaar wrote:
Reius wrote:
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
Reius wrote:
Reius wrote:
CCS wrote:
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
JohnLynch wrote:
I used to be the guy that sighed and hated it when someone would show up and play a Drow with 2 scimitars. I still don't like it. But as long as the person is having fun and I have someone to play with I don't care anymore. Me and several other players find these guys amusing.
My new lore bard for AL, Isaac Jaymes Bartles™ is going to be a half-elf that's half-Turami and half-drow. It's never specified in the PHB what subrace half-elves come from on the elven side, so it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility for a Turami barmaid to have an one day stand with a drow passing through just before dawn. To avoid the prejudice that comes from his drow lineage, he's adopted a more human persona to gain acceptance into the Guild of Libations. His goal is to create a beverage that will be loved by all and sold in every tavern and inn across the Forgotten Realms. No one besides him knows his real name, as that secret died with his mother.
I also have an idea for half-drow artificer as an homage to Tuvok. That will take a little bit to figure out.
Know who pull it off better?
The Dunmer, Elder Scroll's Dark Elves who live in the volcanic land of Morrowind. Cause after being cursed by Azura, Sotha Sil prompty showed up to explain that this is their gift and you know what, nuts to the Daedra, worship the Tribunal (And slightly ignore the fact we just managed to wipe an entire race out of existance). The ending of the words is ALMSIVI.
And then later Vivec sort of pretty much prevented Azura from being able to spawn in Nirn
Xaspian wrote:
JohnLynch wrote:
CCS wrote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%B6kk%C3%A1lfar_and_Lj%C3%B3s%C3%A1lfar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svart%C3%A1lfar
As for the D&D curse... wasn't there something from TSR about Lolth being turned into a spider (black widow, for trying to kill Corellian) and as such the drow were made black to reflect being aligned with Lolth?
moonbeast wrote:
JohnLynch wrote:
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
JohnLynch wrote:
Oriet wrote:
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
JohnLynch wrote:
Personally:
If nobody else at the table mentions Drizzt, I won't either. I'm here to tell my/our characters' story, not his.
If another player wants to introduce Drizzt into our campaign, I will suggest to our DM that we get a letter from That Famous Fellow saying nice things about our deeds and encouraging us to continue; p.s. he is flattered that somebody finds him to be an inspiration. (I suspect that the point of bringing Drizzt into a campaign is so he can win all the fights for us; a cardboard-cutout use of the guy.)
BRJN wrote:
In my ongoing FR campaign of over 20 years, Drizzt is currently working as rough trade on the streets of Calimport.
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
FFSAA wrote:
moonbeast wrote:
Gunthar wrote:
moonbeast wrote:
Shasarak wrote:
Reius wrote:
I prefer less explanations on specific reasons on why races have certain physical traits or mannerisms. It provides more opportunities as a DM to add my own. I am all for explaning a culture or political faction as it applies to a certain setting. But since FR is the flagship, and 5E is a retro game, then expect Drizzt or some derivative (like the skywalker family in star wars) to make an appearance.
SleepsInTraffic wrote:
JohnLynch wrote:
Gnarl wrote:
Gunthar wrote:
SleepsInTraffic wrote:
Farmer42 wrote:
Gnarl wrote:
cowleymen wrote:
One of the best aspects of Baldur's Gate, the computer game, is there's a bug in the program that actually allows you to basically auto-kill him. Even though he's so incredibly tough that it should be impossible.
SleepsInTraffic wrote:
Mephi1234 wrote:
Jeebus...when did Al Sharpton start posting here?
Synjin wrote:
moonbeast wrote:
I'd be happy if they retired Drizzt and never mentioned or wrote about him again. I know they have too much invested in the Forgotten Realms to do so, but I'd be happy if they retired the entire setting. It feels like we've been swimming in the same pool for 30 years now.
Direach wrote:
Mephi1234 wrote:
joeburgos wrote:
moonbeast wrote:
JackOfAllTirades wrote:
Most people keep forgetting about Elistraee, the drow goddess of good, which is a perfectly viable non-drizzt way of drow capable of being good. And with the sundering, she is back in action. If you really have a problem with drow drizzt players, maybe research her a little bit and nudge the players with that concept.
CCS wrote:
So it turns out he's not even in this adveture....did anyone ever bother to mention that pretty crucial fact?
Mistwell wrote:
JackOfAllTirades wrote:
Brock_Landers wrote:
Well said Mistwell and MonsterEnvy, well said!
JackOfAllTirades wrote:
With all the DnD games i've played, conventions visited, online and single player games and now the AL....
I think the only place i've even seen Drow Rangers played was the Neverwinter MMO and that's it. And in the MMO it's 4th edition and the MMO no sunlight sensitivity.
In 5th Edition both Drow and Rangers seem to be suboptimal choices so you don't see much of either one much less combined.
If you want to make a Drizzt clone in this edition you need to make a beastmaster ranger to get your panther, although Drizzt's is a figururine. (Suboptimal; some say the worst subclass of the worst class.) Dual weilding scimitars (Suboptimal fighting style out of all of your options) and Drow (Some say the worst race, due to sunlight sensitivity. and not the most optimal for rangers.
either.)
Now if you can survive long enough to get your fire and ice weapons you might be good. But in this edition surviving your first three levels is the real challenge. 5th has the unexpected effect of curbing drizzt clones.
Mistwell wrote:
Not sure why there's any extreme responce - he's just another character. What's the prob?
Fairly indifferent to him myself.
I wouldn't say nobody likes Drizzt.
I played some D&D with my two nephews this summer, and the 9 year old loves Drizzt.
So...yeah. That pretty much sums it up.
Elfcrusher wrote:
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
Shasarak wrote:
I've never really understood people who get so wrapped up in either direction about a particular character/band/whatever. When I first encountered Drizz't as a concept, I read a couple of the books and thought to myself, "Okay, whatever... I can make a much more interesting character than this". And I did - I took the dual-wielding drow ranger "archetype" and made a female drow ranger with two longswords who was a sword-dancer of Eilistraee. She didn't really give a damn about drow society or the surface world, she just lived on the surface part-time because she was a wanderer and poet by nature and liked to see new places. When she wasn't adventuring, she'd sign on as a town constable, caravan guard or as a mercenary with a reputable company as a way to establish herself as not being a threat - she was basically a sword-swinging Wyatt Earp. If people had issues with her race, she'd just look them square in the eye and tell them she was the best swordman they were ever going to meet, so why wouldn't they want to hire her to work for them? (Just to be contrary, though, I wrote a bit into her personality that she'd known Drizz't both before and after he left the Underdark and although they were were on civil terms she had always kind of thought he was a bit of an emo wanker, lol.)
I think it's great that the author is getting paid to write his personal Mary Sue character as the savior of the universe... But much like how I view Nickelback, humming along while the music's playing and then not sparing a single thought for them when it's not, unless Drizz't actually shows up in the adventure I'm playing in or running I only ever think about him when his name shows up in a forum post or something. I'd hapily write him into a campaign if my players wanted to interact with him, and wouldn't have a problem with a player bringing a similar concept to the table (although I might ask them about why they did so without making preemptive judgements).
BRJN wrote:
Granville7482 wrote:
I like to imagine Drizzt's player finding twinkle broken and having a rage quit over it.
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
MonsterEnvy wrote:
FuelDrop wrote:
Does Drizzt from the novels actually have a personality? I mean, he's got a backstory and he's a badass...but what's his character? I never detected any. His companions (Regis, Wulfgar, Bruenor, and....god the last one has the WORST name ever, I can't even type it) may be 1 dimensional charicatures of their types (Bruenor talks with a Scottish accent and likes beer! How clever!) but at least they have some personality. Drizzt? I seriously can't think of one personality trait.
Elfcrusher wrote:
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
Granville7482 wrote:
The only thing I have against Drizzt is it makes Drow a common experience, where I prefer the novelty and/or mystery of dark elfs. I had the same problem when Tasslehoff created all the kender knockoffs after Dragonlance. I am sure I would feel the same if another iconic character appeared in novels, media, or other outlets that took something in the game and shoved in my face all the time.
Elfcrusher wrote:
Elfcrusher wrote:
Elfcrusher wrote:
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
Elfcrusher wrote:
Mistwell wrote:
I never read a Drizzt book and I don't remember any of my real life roleplaying friends mentioning him. Judging from the pictures he seems a little too EMO for me. I prefer rangers to be more akin to North American trappers than underground dwellers. IMHO they should be defined by a closeness to nature rather than a favorite enemy, but each to his own.
But if wizards needs a face for their advertisement material, he may be a good choice. Whatever sells the game... 
The only Drizzt books I've read are the Neverwinter trilogy. Because I wanted to see somebody else handling the material in the 4e Neverwinter Campaign Setting.
You have to wonder about the INT score of somebody who gets the pickup line, "I've killed off my last dozen lovers, wanna be (un)Lucky Number Thirteen?" (Dahlia, condensing several pages worth of chatter) and thinks about "Yes" as a possible answer to the proposition.
...I'll write you a DnD novel.
It'll have a Goliath rogue/Warlock as its main character. He'll get up to shenanigans with some Kenku who take him in after being exhiled by his tribe. He'll help them terrorize a city.
There'll be a blind minotaur in a hedge maze, a lich obsessed with finding the end of the abyss, a fraternity of dragonslayers funded entirely by a dragon, and the accidental summoning-and-murdering of a Deva or lesser Celestial and a shoddy cover-up. there might even be a train robbing scene, I don't know.
It'll have nothing to do with any of the pre-existing IP WotC owns, though, so it'll be Driz'zt free.
Orethalion wrote:
Brock_Landers wrote:
Azzy1974 wrote:
Uchawi wrote:
joeburgos wrote:
Azzy1974 wrote:
halvgrim wrote:
Brock_Landers wrote:
I think 'confused about the morality of the world' is basically the majority of Drizzt's personality.
I'd love to see D&D go back to some of it's older icon like Strong Heart and War Duke. As of now though, in our hearts we all know that Jim Darkmagic represents the game better than Drittz ever will. Drittz sounds more like a brand of spray cheese anyway. 
BryanLeeDavidson wrote:
All of their settings have been in the FR so far for 5th edition. Once we move onto other settings like Eberron, I think it will drop out.
Though I was a bit displeased to see literally Driz'zt as the main picture for elves in the PHB. It's like saying "Let's not beat around the bush. You want to play as Driz'zt, so here's the section that tells you how to start building your dual-weilding drow ranger... and some other types of elves too."
Saying Driz'zt is a good representation of the drow would be like saying Jar Jar Binks is a good representation of the stoic warrior race of gungans. He's just the most famous, and both characters are such rare cases that they were BOTH banished from their respective societies for rejecting the norm.
Sure, I minor gripe and I'm likely over-reacting, but I get what you're saying. Drow as players should be like once every other blue moon, and because of very particular circumstances that deviates from the vast majority norm. While wood elves on the otherhand are VERY common, almost as common as humans outside of human cities (typically). Yet there they are under common races (the section of the book that indicates to new players that the DM should be allowing all of these races unless specifically stated otherwise, as opposed to the "less common" races such as gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs, etc.). They should have put them in the uncommon races section, but I guess they were trying to simplify it, then somewhere in production they just embraced it and put Driz'zt as the main elf pic.
Oh well, I usually tell people they can't play a drow unless the reasoning is original, compelling, and makes sense. If they want to make a drow ranger, I specifically tell them to make some things about him that makes him not Driz'zt. If they hesitate, I tell them to go back to the drawing board. ;)
Azzy1974 wrote:
Middle Earth it ain't.
Irennan wrote:
Azzy1974 wrote:
I miss Gord the Rogue.
Mistwell wrote:
Azzy1974 wrote:
Mecheon wrote:
Irennan wrote:
Mecheon wrote:
It's funny how many of these threads fork into a competition to see who can "remember" the oldest bit of D&D trivia.
The NPC I really miss is Gurgin the Warrior. That was the first D&D character Gary ever created, which he scribbled on a yellow steno pad and quickly threw away, but I pulled it from the trash because I knew history had been made. I had to fight Dave for it. That first version only had Strength and Wisdom for stats, and hit points were called "Meat".
True story.
It's a little cute that Drizzt is still relevant. I remember fondly when Raistlin (DL) was on the cusp of taking over the world circa late 80s, early 90s. He's but an afterthought now.
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
Irennan wrote:
Mecheon wrote:
I prefer them as the original demon-worshipers, not just Lolth-devotees.
Azzy1974 wrote:
Drizzt jumped Sekolah 5 years ago.
DemoMonkey wrote:
DemoMonkey wrote:
Azzy1974 wrote:
This thread was way more interesting when it consisted primarily of mocking Drizzt.
Drow theology...not so much.
Elfcrusher wrote:
Elfcrusher wrote:
Oriet wrote:
I'd be interested to hear if there is a D&D Player that has experience playing (as well as role-playing) a Drow character as an actual Chaotic Evil character (with equally evil profession like assassin, thief, evil warlock, evil cleric, etc). If that means doing Drow-ish things, like acting cruel, evil, power-hungry, scheming, and generally a vicious demon-worshipping SOB (which even the other Party Members are very leery of), assassinating Paladin PCs or NPCS, then even more accurate and true to the race. And that means groping all the pretty barmaids in Waterdeep, and then ordering the finest ale in the tavern and not paying for it, and of course if the barkeep demands payment the Drow character threatens to burn the tavern down if barkeep doesn't shut up. And then going out in the streets and kicking the stray dogs just for fun, maybe even skewering them just for fun (like Drow kids used to sadistically do cruel things to their pets).
I'm guessing any Player that has tried playing an "authentic Drow from Menzoberranzan" (Lolth is the character's deity, NE/CE is the alignment) probably lasts only a couple sessions until the DM kicks him out of the game. Still, if someone has actually tried doing this I'd be interested in hearing the trainwreck stories. 
moonbeast wrote:
Aavarius wrote:
Irennan wrote:
moonbeast wrote: