Drow and Darkness

I love the drow race for a variety of reasons.  First off, you always know what you get: evil.  What’s more, drow are supposed to be something that give all surface dwellers the willies, so any appearance of drow villains is a good opportunity as a DM to push the envelope of depravity.  I mean, in the canon material about drow, they engage in infanticide, fratricide, live sacrifice, sexual congress with demons, child abuse, drug abuse, mass murder, and worship of a demonic deity.  And that’s all in ONE book!

In games or fiction set among drow civilizations, it allows a bit of moral flexibility for the players/author.  When NO ONE is a good guy, then the “heroes” can do evil things and still have the support of the audience.  It allows for a very different kind of game (or book) and is one I thoroughly enjoy from time to time.

But the greatest joy of throwing drow into a game is when they betray the PC’s. You present them as an outcast, on the run from their own civilization for their refusal to be evil.  Or a renegade, raised outside of the vile drow cities, and brought up among peace loving folk.  Or even as a sympathetic villain, someone who didn’t want to become what they are, and would reform if given half a chance.

The greatest part about the above scenarios is this:  the PC’s fall for it.  EVERY TIME.  I don’t know why.  I myself fall for it.  I can’t explain it, but I love it.  Every game I have, I present a drow NPC with a sob story/sympathetic tale.  It’s  like a little mini-game, where the DM has to go to ever-increasing extremes to put one over on the players.  And they buy it.  Oh, do they buy it.

Now, I’m not one of those DM’s who enjoys screwing his players over.  If you tell me you want to pursue a prestige class that requires specific events befalling you, I will do my best to make sure that they do.  If you want to find a specific magic item or spell, I will make the opportunity available.  I want the players to have a part in building their own story.

But I just can’t resist the temptation to throw in the drow betrayal every so often.  Sometimes I think it is just a quest to one-up my own past achievements, but that might be me just spitballing.

While we are on the subject of drow, I thought I would make a specific note of my one real complaint about them:  in all the source material, it makes a big deal out of how they use Darkness extensively in combat.  I try and keep with that when using them in my games, but the spell is so often more hassle then it’s worth, with so many gray areas in its adjudication.  For instance, how does someone determine the difference between friend and foe?  How can you tell if the things around your feet are the result of Entangle or Evard’s Black Tentacles?  To solve these and most other Darkness-related conundrums, I usually default to the Wisdom check.  Set a DC, make ‘em roll.  If they fail, they can’t discern what they want to know.  If they fail by 5 or more, then they draw a false conclusion.

Quotes from last game

Spring: “I hate you so much.”

Phil: “I want to kick you in the balls.”

Me: “I’m sorry guys–”

Phil: “Bullshit!  You are not.  Don’t speak those lies!”

Me: “Bwahahahaha!  I’m not sorry a bit!”  …dissolves into maniacal laughter…

All in all, drow?  Totally worth it.