Wednesday, July 2, 2014

What I see when I think Drow

I've never used the Drow before in a game, but I think that will be coming to an end soon. There is something appealing about a sneaky, subterranean race that is completely, irredeemably evil and aren't mindless hulking monsters.

The main reason why I've avoided the Drow has been their infamous skin tone. While I acknowledge that there is an implication in having the skin of super-evil and ruthless villain race be dark, I have a less noble reason for not liking their jet-black skin. I think it's stupid.

I realize that the black skin of the Drow is supposed to come from some sort of curse or corruption from worshiping a goddess who is no good for them, but it's not nearly as creepy as the natural skin tone of a truly subterranean race: pure white. Not only does this make more biological scene (especially to players who are not well-versed in D&D lore) but I think it also makes them much more frightning and otherworldly.

Below are some examples of what goes through my head when I think of the Drow.






God, those are some creepy, pale badasses.

In researching evil albinos I came across a D&D supplement for a race called the Shadow Elves. From what I can tell, they are a watered-down Drow with white skin and hair. At least someone at TSR toyed with the idea of truly subterranean elves, but without the ingrained evil, the Shadow Elves lack a lot of the sex appeal of the Drow.

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