What They Don't Tell You About Lolth's Drow - D&D

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SOURCES

Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd Edition
Drow of the Underdark
Demihuman Deities
Faiths and Pantheons
Dungeon Master's Guide 5e
Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide 4e
Player's Guide to Faerun 3e
Races of Faerun
Menzoberranzan - City of Intrigue 4e
Fiendish Codex I - Hordes of the Abyss
Dungeon Magazine #204 - Denizens of the Demonweb
Mordenkainen Tome of Foes

[randomguy-tgok]

So status in Drow society determines how skimpy your clothing is allowed to be?

That makes Ellistraee's "Get naked lol" even more of a power move than it first seems.

[tyrant-den]

I always liked the idea that Drizzt has Lolth's favor, as she appreciates the chaos he brings to her people, and has passed her every test.

[cm]

"these tests are also random" just imagining one of the matron mothers in the middle of a council meeting swarmed by spiders like "goddamnit this is not a good time"

[flibbernodgets]

I love the drow so much! They're messy and weird and bring up uncomfortable topics, and really enable my favorite thing about roleplaying, which is trying to think like someone from a very different upbringing. How would I act if I were brought up in such a cutthroat society?

People who haven't had much contact with cultures other than their own fail to realize how strong an influence it is on us. Culture determines what you value, what makes you laugh, what stresses you out and what comforts you. Even if you were good-natured at heart, you would probably miss watching slapstick routines wherein slaves are dismembered and must fight each other with their own detached limbs if that's the sort of thing you grew up doing for entertainment.

Most importantly, keeping the drow so evil by baseline allows for the demonstration of a crucial component of goodness: that it is easy to be a saint in paradise. It's easy to do good when everyone agrees what good is, but when you're thr only one in your society with a working moral compass it is infinitely harder to do what you know is right. Furthermore, if you are good despite your natural inclination towards anger, hatred, and cruelty, that is far more impressive than if it came naturally to you. You may not win over your nature all the time, but the struggle to do what is right despite others and despite yourself is a powerful story to tell.

[CobaltContrast]

MrRex: you can only worship Lolth
Eilistraee, hold my clothes.

[MythosTheSophist]

Here's something to remember about Drow:
Elves, like humans, are born broken. An Elf was only complete at the dawn of time, when it was free and perfect with Corelon. Drow are still Elves, but Lolth took their pieces and twisted them.
There was a time, before the Crown Wars when they were just lost, now they are banished to the deepest darkness of the world, having lost their connection to the light and to the weave.
In a way, the surface Elves are not wrong comparing the Drow to Humans. A surface Elf will claim it was born perfect, but a Human or a Drow will admit on being broken and some will even try to put themselves back together.

That's why Eilistraee is a Good Goddess, because she promises:
_I will put you back together._

[tyrant-den]

"-the kobalds who are dominated by Kurtalmak, and he alone."
Me, making _another_ Kobald cleric of Tiamat: "Whatever you say, bud."

[greylithwolf]

I like to lean toward the second iteration of the nature vs nurture option primarily because Lolth influences the drow rather than create them. Gruumsh creates orcs, so it makes sense that they are pure evil. Drow should be more susceptible to nurture.

[clericofchaos]

She may be one of the most evil creatures in D&D, but damn can she cook! Her Cipollate con Pancetta is the best in the multiverse. That's the real reason she has followers.

[demoulius]

Drow are such an interesting race in D&D. Whenever people compare them to real life groups of people they have absolutely no idea what theyre talking about.

[zyztem]

It is interesting if you think about Drizzit, the most famous good drow, and his character flaws. They are almost exactly as you listed in this video.
Drizzit is prideful, prone to anger, he enjoys combat, and he always welcome good challenges.
He doesn't often feel sympathy for the adversary he kills, when he does, it is more of a logical "maybe they are redeemable", not "I feel bad because he suffered/died".
He needs to constantly reminds himself that his companion are his equal, yet he still ignores their opinions and strikes out on his own all the time. (at least in the first few books)
He even has that constant anger towards himself for "not doing good enough", and seems to never be able to truly settle down.

[honestgoblinproductions]

"drow can't be good"
*Points at the ranger with two scimitars and a panther brooding in the corner*

[mccluskersgaming]

I would like to hear about Torog "The Crawling King" that would be a interesting one and the rest of the demon lords

[alexmoliere]

"If you're not cheating, you're not trying hard enough."

[christophercotto]

Brings me back to when I was playing a skeleton sorcerer [18th level] in 3.5 and our group just got finished fighting a drow high priestess and her helpers to save some captives from becoming thr next sacrifice. DM told me to make a perception check then said I was the only one that noticed the giant spider shadow with smirking lips.

Skeleton status: *rattled*

[Taygon]

The whole "Just because they are ambitious, prideful, self-aggrandizing, quick to anger and most of all feel superior to everyone else does not mean that they are evil" is very interesting.

You can have a Drow with all of those traits to the nth degree and still have a devout follower of Eilistraee.

They are ambitious - To free Drow from Lolth

They are prideful - Of their willpower to not just reject, but fight against Lolth

They are self-aggrandizing - Because they must always be a shining example of what a Drow can enjoy on the surface

They are quick to anger - When they see a sentient being in chains

They feel superior to everyone else - Because who wouldn't when your morals are antithetical to those you fight?

[WeaponizedStrumpet]

I've only played a drow once and I sort of went with the plotting and scheming being inate to them but playing her as chaotic good, she mostly had plots and schemes for pranks on the rest of the party. Man, I miss her.

[XTestament]

I mean considering that we've got the priestesses of Eilistraee who as you've stated before sings to the drow to lead them to her and away from her mother and those who decide to follow her, are well... good thus, there are good drow with their mission dictated by Eilistraee to try and save the other drow from Lolth while also doing good deeds, so to say "All Drows are inherently evil" would go against everything Eilistraee does in regards to this matter.

[johnpaulcross]

Oh baby time to learn about the evil elven dommy mommy

[plops]

Lloth probably keeps the drow fighting each other as self-preservation. The dark elves are enough of a threat that if they try to expand too aggressively especially if that included allying with things like demons or ilithids, they would attract the attention of enough goodly forces that they might get wiped out. So she keeps them fighting each other