We have a DND party of 6 and I am a Drow Rogue. We also have a half-elf and a high-elf in the party. In our last session, some players pointed out that we would never get along and be in the same party so I am looking for some advice to bring back next week where we can all get along and work together. Any suggestions? Creativity is encouraged!
Thanks!
Note: we also have a Paladin and she refuses to let me use poison or kill anything sneakily without engaging first or verifying target(s) are pure evil, lol. I'm fine with this and negotiated that I can use poison if we agree the enemy is evil.
I don't want to bring conflict, and am trying to find common ground to work together and minimize the internal conflict in the party.
For me, I would handle it through character development within the game. Not knowing what your character's backstory is, here are some suggestions:
-If you knew your parents, maybe their Drow lifestyle didn't suit you and that is why you went topside to become an adventurer. -If you didn't know your parents, maybe you were abandoned and know nothing of Drow customs and lifestyle, as you were raised away from their influence.
For either of those basic outlines, you can have your character talk to the other elves and help them see that you are not a 'Drow-Drow', and maybe you will all get along.
Just a suggestion :)
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Breathe, dragons; sing of the First World, forged out of chaos and painted with beauty. Sing of Bahamut, the Platinum, molding the shape of the mountains and rivers; Sing too of Chromatic Tiamat, painting all over the infinite canvas. Partnered, they woke in the darkness; partnered, they labored in acts of creation.
time to do the big lore dump, "Seldarine Drow", as long as you are a Seldarine then no issues here. The basics is a Seldarine Drow is not a worshipper of Loth, and generally follows the Wider Seldarine Pantheon, who Loth is a part of but not the only deity. Loth Drow do not recognize any deity other than Loth.
While most of the Seldarine Pantheon fell to Loth long ago, several members are still active, and who's followers still exist.
Eilistraee - Chaotic Good - Life, Nature, Light - She is the creator of Magic Missiles, and Bladedancers. In my opinion the single best deity in D&D.
The rest of these Deities are not good aligned but still can work.
Zinzerena - Chaotic Neutral - Assassination, illusion, lies - She's a Trickster Goddess, she has a huge issue with Loth because Loth Killed her and took some of her portfolio, when she came back she no longer supports Loth. She is a good fit for Rogues and Thieves who want to throw off their oppressors, ie Male Drow who escape Menzoberranzan.
Vhaeraun - Chaotic Evil - Arrogance, Assassins, Drow Males, Surface Raids, Thievery - While he is less a good Choice for a Player Character being as he still supports Loth, he is the Semi-Officially Allowed Male God of the Drow. I can see a Male Rogue player who still worships him after escaping Menzoberranzan.
Now a huge key, and a bit on the Open Society of the Surface Seldarine Drow, who most player characters would be a part of. Eilistraee has Cleric Missionaries helping people across Toril trying to save Drow reputation, and to help free Drow still being oppressed in Menzoberranzan. (Seriously cool deep dive on this lore) but the main take away Elves and Half-Elves would be aware of the Seldarine reputation, as they brought Magic Missiles to Wizards and casters everywhere. They taught other Elves to be Bladesingers, they have a huge reputation of helping people in need.
So even if this is not your backstory, it's a story your character can lean on to help gain good will.
Note Most of these clerics were Woman, not all were born women. (One of the reasons I love Eilistraee as she is also a patron of Trans Women.) Recently Eilistraee has opened up to having Male Clerics when she realized that Women only was because of her mother, and she rejects all things Loth.
Assuming you're in the Forgotten Realms, the fact that you were getting along in a party is a strong indicator that you can, in fact, get along.
Lore does not control how individual characters behave. You may want to chat with the other players and discuss your shared history/goals, but you can also just agree that you have reached an understanding, even if you never bother to figure out exactly what.
(If you're not in the FR, the lore may be completely different.)
But, ultimately, if your character isn't behaving like "stereotypical evil drow", there's no reason they can't get along. (And if you are, it's your behavior that's the source of any problems that come up.)
Without knowing much about the world you are playing in, character/party backstories, reasons for your party to have come together, etc, here are my two cents:
It is not required for players to play racist characters. Pretty simple, right? But that is really what it boils down to. There isn't really a reason that the other characters should have a problem with your character simply because they are a Drow. If they had an issue with you being a follower of a particular deity, like Lolth for example, then that is where you address the issue. You could either hide your chosen deity from the others (in general your deity might not come up a lot as a Rogue, unless you make it a point to worship them), or you could discuss your chosen religion with the party in an attempt to find common ground.
If they have an issue with the particular culture you grew up in (say the harsh matriarchal structure of Drow society as depicted in Baldur's Gate 3), then those are things that can be addressed. Did you try to escape from that culture? Maybe your character is born male and doesn't want to be treated as a second-class citizen so they left. Or they are a female and didn't like the cut-throat nature of society so they left. Etc. In either of these cases, your character might be seen as sympathetic by the other members of the party, in which there would be no problem. If instead you lean into a harsh matriarchal outlook on life and express that to the party, then you all would need to compromise and find middle-ground with which to work with each other.
If nothing about Drow culture or your upbringing, etc come up in the campaign, then what reasons would the other party members have to not work with your character because they are Drow. As a DM I don't generally allow my players to portray racist characters, especially against other party members. That is simply a dynamic I don't want at my table (this is not true at all tables, so YMMV). Personally I find the "my character wouldn't work with your character because our races are at odds with each other" to be very lazy. If their characters have a problem with a specific aspect of Drow culture you are portraying, then that is the point of discussion/growth. If it is just "I'm a high elf and you are Drow and we hate each other because racism" then honestly unless they want their character to work to overcome their racism, there isn't much to be done.
We have a DND party of 6 and I am a Drow Rogue. We also have a half-elf and a high-elf in the party. In our last session, some players pointed out that we would never get along and be in the same party so I am looking for some advice to bring back next week where we can all get along and work together. Any suggestions? Creativity is encouraged!
Thanks!
Note: we also have a Paladin and she refuses to let me use poison or kill anything sneakily without engaging first or verifying target(s) are pure evil, lol. I'm fine with this and negotiated that I can use poison if we agree the enemy is evil.
I don't want to bring conflict, and am trying to find common ground to work together and minimize the internal conflict in the party.
Everyone has this same obligation. Every player should be looking for reasons/excuses/justification FOR working with your Drow instead of "well, my character wouldn't ever" reasoning.
How you can get along is by getting cooperative and respectful to each others, like any other Species would.
Bringing up issues where there's none means it's a forced interpretation. Even if the DM say in his campaign such people don't usually get along, nothing should prevent player characters from being. In the end, they chose to play such characters and unless they decide to not get along for whatever reasons, nothing should force them to.
We have a DND party of 6 and I am a Drow Rogue. We also have a half-elf and a high-elf in the party. In our last session, some players pointed out that we would never get along and be in the same party so I am looking for some advice to bring back next week where we can all get along and work together. Any suggestions? Creativity is encouraged!
Thanks!
Note: we also have a Paladin and she refuses to let me use poison or kill anything sneakily without engaging first or verifying target(s) are pure evil, lol. I'm fine with this and negotiated that I can use poison if we agree the enemy is evil.
I don't want to bring conflict, and am trying to find common ground to work together and minimize the internal conflict in the party.
Well first of all there are no Half Elves anymore, in the core PHB. Second, you are not your character. Just because natively/culturally species may not get along, doesn't mean it applies to PC's, nor should it be a requirement. Besides, there's nothing in the Elven Bestiary that says there is any strife among Elven types.
We have a DND party of 6 and I am a Drow Rogue. We also have a half-elf and a high-elf in the party. In our last session, some players pointed out that we would never get along and be in the same party so I am looking for some advice to bring back next week where we can all get along and work together. Any suggestions? Creativity is encouraged!
Thanks!
Note: we also have a Paladin and she refuses to let me use poison or kill anything sneakily without engaging first or verifying target(s) are pure evil, lol. I'm fine with this and negotiated that I can use poison if we agree the enemy is evil.
I don't want to bring conflict, and am trying to find common ground to work together and minimize the internal conflict in the party.
Well first of all there are no Half Elves anymore, in the core PHB.
-If you knew your parents, maybe their Drow lifestyle didn't suit you and that is why you went topside to become an adventurer. -If you didn't know your parents, maybe you were abandoned and know nothing of Drow customs and lifestyle, as you were raised away from their influence.
Great ideas. I don't currently have a backstory so I guess I can go down any path! Thanks
"Seldarine Drow", as long as you are a Seldarine then no issues here. The basics is a Seldarine Drow is not a worshipper of Loth, and generally follows the Wider Seldarine Pantheon.
Eilistraee - Chaotic Good - Life, Nature, Light - She is the creator of Magic Missiles, and Bladedancers. In my opinion the single best deity in D&D.
a bit on the Open Society of the Surface Seldarine Drow, who most player characters would be a part of. Eilistraee has Cleric Missionaries helping people across Toril trying to save Drow reputation, and to help free Drow still being oppressed in Menzoberranzan. (Seriously cool deep dive on this lore) but the main take away Elves and Half-Elves would be aware of the Seldarine reputation, as they brought Magic Missiles to Wizards and casters everywhere. They taught other Elves to be Bladesingers, they have a huge reputation of helping people in need.
So even if this is not your backstory, it's a story your character can lean on to help gain good will.
Note Most of these clerics were Woman
Love it! I think I just became a Seldarine, follower of Eilistraee! Thanks! Also, I'm a female Drow!
Assuming you're in the Forgotten Realms, the fact that you were getting along in a party is a strong indicator that you can, in fact, get along.
Lore does not control how individual characters behave. You may want to chat with the other players and discuss your shared history/goals, but you can also just agree that you have reached an understanding, even if you never bother to figure out exactly what.
But, ultimately, if your character isn't behaving like "stereotypical evil drow", there's no reason they can't get along. (And if you are, it's your behavior that's the source of any problems that come up.)
The high elf and half-elf are new to the party, so we don't have a history yet of "getting along", per se. I don't know if we're in the FR. We are in the DM's world. They may have ties to the FR or not? I'm not super familiar with lore and deities and existing histories. My behavior is one of cooperation and not being evil even though I like to sneak and kill my enemies as a Rogue.
It is not required for players to play racist characters. Pretty simple, right? But that is really what it boils down to. There isn't really a reason that the other characters should have a problem with your character simply because they are a Drow. If they had an issue with you being a follower of a particular deity, like Lolth for example, then that is where you address the issue. You could either hide your chosen deity from the others (in general your deity might not come up a lot as a Rogue, unless you make it a point to worship them), or you could discuss your chosen religion with the party in an attempt to find common ground.
If they have an issue with the particular culture you grew up in (say the harsh matriarchal structure of Drow society as depicted in Baldur's Gate 3), then those are things that can be addressed. Did you try to escape from that culture? Maybe your character is born male and doesn't want to be treated as a second-class citizen so they left. Or they are a female and didn't like the cut-throat nature of society so they left. Etc. In either of these cases, your character might be seen as sympathetic by the other members of the party, in which there would be no problem. If instead you lean into a harsh matriarchal outlook on life and express that to the party, then you all would need to compromise and find middle-ground with which to work with each other.
If nothing about Drow culture or your upbringing, etc come up in the campaign, then what reasons would the other party members have to not work with your character because they are Drow. As a DM I don't generally allow my players to portray racist characters, especially against other party members. That is simply a dynamic I don't want at my table (this is not true at all tables, so YMMV). Personally I find the "my character wouldn't work with your character because our races are at odds with each other" to be very lazy. If their characters have a problem with a specific aspect of Drow culture you are portraying, then that is the point of discussion/growth. If it is just "I'm a high elf and you are Drow and we hate each other because racism" then honestly unless they want their character to work to overcome their racism, there isn't much to be done.
I'm a lvl 4 (almost 5) female Drow rogue with no defined backstory or chosen deity... yet - the comments here will help me create one though, hehe! But I play her to be cooperative and helpful with the group, while sneak attacking and trying to stealth and hide. The elf and half-elf are new to this campaign and I think we do share a goal to explore and discover, but that will be discussed. I told them my alignment is not evil. I fall in the neutral chaotic good quadrant. But I can see their perspective. It's like wanting a lion and lamb to work together. Or an alligator and a dog. I like your directive to talk it out and grow. Thanks
Everyone has this same obligation. Every player should be looking for reasons/excuses/justification FOR working with your Drow instead of "well, my character wouldn't ever" reasoning.
I hope so. But I also see the perspective that it would be hard for a lion to work with a lamb, or an alligator with a dog, or whatever. I think I can try to earn their trust with positive helpful behavior and discussion.
How you can get along is by getting cooperative and respectful to each others, like any other Species would.
Bringing up issues where there's none means it's a forced interpretation. Even if the DM say in his campaign such people don't usually get along, nothing should prevent player characters from being. In the end, they chose to play such characters and unless they decide to not get along for whatever reasons, nothing should force them to.
Yeah, but the campaign won't really work if they choose to not get along. Or maybe it would and I just need to watch my back and try to earn their trust. ;-)
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Thanks everyone! Just to recap, I'm a female Drow rogue and I don't currently have a backstory or declared deity yet. But there are some good ideas here for me to adopt and discuss with the party as we try to work through any issues they may have. I did it with the Paladin and my poisons, so now I can do it with the elves.
Well first of all there are no Half Elves anymore, in the core PHB. Second, you are not your character. Just because natively/culturally species may not get along, doesn't mean it applies to PC's, nor should it be a requirement. Besides, there's nothing in the Elven Bestiary that says there is any strife among Elven types.
We are playing 2024 rules, but I'm not versed enough in the history to know about the half-species. I thought 2024 was supposed to be fully backwards compatible?
I did just see this though after a quick Google search:
<published 7 days ago>
...the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons book, Eberron: Forge of the Artificer, and the product page has given us a glimpse of the content inside. The new book features five revised species – one of which is the Khoravar, an Eberron-specific type of Half-Elf.
The Khoravar are technically distinct from the Half-Elves of the Forgotten Realms setting. They were apparently originally descended from humans and elves.
A preview page from the book refers to the Khoravar as "Eberron folk who are sometimes called Half-Elves".
anyhow... I don't know the details about how this person made their character.
Oh, well you can still play as a half elf IIRC, it's just mechanically identical to either a human, or an elf. Also, about backwards compatibility, you could technically use an old species, but I don't think it would be very well balanced.
Just as an example. I played a very close-minded Sorcerer who hadn't been around other races generally. At the start of the campaign my sorcerer was very distrustful of some other party members, but grew to call them comrades. If your players don't do something like this, they are the problem NOT their characters.
We have a DND party of 6 and I am a Drow Rogue. We also have a half-elf and a high-elf in the party. In our last session, some players pointed out that we would never get along and be in the same party so I am looking for some advice to bring back next week where we can all get along and work together. Any suggestions? Creativity is encouraged!
Thanks!
Note: we also have a Paladin and she refuses to let me use poison or kill anything sneakily without engaging first or verifying target(s) are pure evil, lol. I'm fine with this and negotiated that I can use poison if we agree the enemy is evil.
I don't want to bring conflict, and am trying to find common ground to work together and minimize the internal conflict in the party.
Have them face the Elf Eater from Moonshae Islands (FR). Let them escape and that should get them to stick together
Yeah, but the campaign won't really work if they choose to not get along. Or maybe it would and I just need to watch my back and try to earn their trust. ;-)
If you need to get along for the campaign to work, then, you have your answer, you must get along. Distrust and conflict run the risk of compromising the campaign if not be constant source of distraction.
Now there's some table that thrives with that, but it's not for everyone is all i can say.
Oh, well you can still play as a half elf IIRC, it's just mechanically identical to either a human, or an elf. Also, about backwards compatibility, you could technically use an old species, but I don't think it would be very well balanced.
Actually easy not problems or Balance issues at all.
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Half-Elf Traits
Your half-elf character has some qualities in common with elves and some that are unique to half-elves.
Ability Score Increase
Your Charisma score increases by 2, and two other ability scores of your choice increase by 1. <- Replaced by 2024 rules
Age
Half-elves mature at the same rate humans do and reach adulthood around the age of 20. They live much longer than humans, however, often exceeding 180 years.
Size
Half-elves are about the same size as humans, ranging from 5 to 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet. <- Everyone is now 30ft
Darkvision
Thanks to your elf blood, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. <- most species have this.
Fey Ancestry
You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep. <-Elves have this.
Skill Versatility
You gain proficiency in two skills of your choice. <- moved to Background traits
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common, Elvish, and one extra language of your choice. <-Normal.
the next part is where things get spicy, which type of elf heritage?
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Some half-elves in Faerûn have a racial trait in place of the Skill Versatility trait. If your DM allows it, your half-elf character can forgo Skill Versatility and instead take the elf trait Keen Senses or a trait based on your elf parentage.
Aquatic Heritage
A half-elf of aquatic heritage can forgo Skill Versatility and instead choose a swimming speed of 30 feet.
Drow Half-Elf
Some half-elves in Faerûn have a racial trait in place of the Skill Versatility trait. If your DM allows it, your half-elf character can forgo Skill Versatility and instead take a trait based on your elf parentage.
Drow Magic
A half-elf of drow descent can forgo Skill Versatility and instead choose the drow’s Drow Magic:
You know the dancing lights cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the faerie fire spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the darkness spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
High Half-Elf
Some half-elves in Faerûn have a racial trait in place of the Skill Versatility trait. If your DM allows it, your half-elf character can forgo Skill Versatility and instead take a trait based on your elf parentage.
High Elf Descent
A half-elf of moon elf or sun elf descent can forego Skill Versatility and instead choose the high elf’s Elf Weapon Training or Cantrip.
Mark of Detection Half-Elf
If you want a wall of muscle to get between you and a blade, go to House Deneith. If you want someone to anticipate the threat and make sure you aren’t even in the room with whoever’s holding that blade, that’s what we do.
—Baron Trelib d’Medani
The Mark of Detection is an inquisitive’s dream. It sharpens powers of observation and intuition, allowing the bearer to draw connections and interpret clues others might miss. By actively drawing on its powers, the bearer can detect poisons and study the energies of magic.
House Medani
Leader: Baron Trelib d’Medani
Headquarters: Tower of Inquisition (Wroat, Breland)
Represented by the basilisk’s eye, the Warning Guild of House Medani brokers the services of bodyguards and inquisitives. Medani advisors specialize in risk assessment and management, protecting clients from both physical and social threats. While Medani overlaps with the inquisitives of House Tharashk and the bodyguards of House Deneith, the Warning Guild specializes in subtle threats and complex mysteries. Baron Trelib manages the guild’s affairs from the Tower of Inquisition in Wroat, where the house also interrogates prisoners for King Boranel of Breland.
The members of House Medani are half-elves with deep roots in Breland. Medani has little interest in the power struggles that sometimes break out between the other dragonmarked houses. Many Medani heirs are more interested in helping their communities than in raw profit, and Medani heirs often work with local law enforcement or help those who can’t afford their services.
Ability Score Increase
Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Deductive Intuition
When you make an Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Insight) check, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check.
Magical Detection
You can cast the detect magic and detect poison and disease spells with this trait. Starting at 3rd level, you can also cast the see invisibility spell with it. Once you cast any of these spells with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells, and you don’t require material components for them.
Spells of the Mark
If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Detection Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.
Sovereigns and Firstborn, grant me the four blessings promised to our people: dominion over the air, dominion over the water, fortune for my family, and fortune for my future.
—From the Oath of Lyrandar
Wind and water welcome the half-elves who carry the Mark of Storm, and some learn to call on the power of the storm itself.
House Lyrandar
Leader: Esravash d’Lyrandar
Headquarters: Stormhome (Aundair)
House Lyrandar has long ruled the seas. Their kraken-marked galleons harness air and water elementals and are faster than any mundane vessel. Control of sea and river trade gave Lyrandar considerable power. Now they reach out to the skies. Merely a decade old, Lyrandar airships have undermined the lightning rail’s domination of overland travel.
House Lyrandar also controls the air in a literal way. The Raincallers’ Guild can use the Mark of Storms to control the weather for its clients.
For many of the house’s members, the house is more than a family or business—its private island enclave, Stormhome, is the closest thing they have to a homeland. Baron Esravash is ambitious and often steers the house to act in what he sees as the interests of all half-elves. Lyrandar heirs help the Valenar elves run their young kingdom, and some believe that Valenar could become a true homeland for the Khoravar.
Ability Score Increase
Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Windwright’s Intuition
When you make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check or any ability check involving navigator's tools, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check.
Storm’s Boon
You have resistance to lightning damage.
Headwinds
You know the gust cantrip. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the gust of wind spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to cast it when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Spells of the Mark
If you have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature, the spells on the Mark of Storm Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.
Some half-elves in Faerûn have a racial trait in place of the Skill Versatility trait. If your DM allows it, your half-elf character can forgo Skill Versatility and instead take a trait based on your elf parentage.
Wood Elf Descent
A half-elf of wood elf descent can forgo Skill Versatility and instead choose the wood elf’s Elf Weapon Training, Fleet of Foot, or Mask of the Wild.
"Just because our societies hate each other, that does not mean we have to follow suit." "My kin do not control who i cherish" "I left that way of thinking in the middens where they belong when i left Menzoberranzan Behind me." and "I have chosen not to judge on race, but on action and heart." are all responses that a character might give.
You don't even need a deep lore justification for characters to work together. The character could have just said ' i chose not to be racist' in whatever fashion they would say it.
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He/Him. Loooooooooong time Player. The Dark days of the THAC0 system are behind us.
"Hope is a fire that burns in us all If only an ember, awaiting your call To rise up in triumph should we all unite The spark for change is yours to ignite." Kalandra - The State of the World
As others have said, PC's are sentient and free thinking. They are not bound by their in world cultural norms. They are the exceptions, which is also the reason they are the ones out solving (or perhaps causing, depending on the nature of the campaign) the world's problems, whether the world agrees with them or not.
We have a DND party of 6 and I am a Drow Rogue. We also have a half-elf and a high-elf in the party. In our last session, some players pointed out that we would never get along and be in the same party so I am looking for some advice to bring back next week where we can all get along and work together. Any suggestions? Creativity is encouraged!
Thanks!
Note: we also have a Paladin and she refuses to let me use poison or kill anything sneakily without engaging first or verifying target(s) are pure evil, lol. I'm fine with this and negotiated that I can use poison if we agree the enemy is evil.
I don't want to bring conflict, and am trying to find common ground to work together and minimize the internal conflict in the party.
Greetings HighTechG33k,
There are many ways to approach your situation.
For me, I would handle it through character development within the game.
Not knowing what your character's backstory is, here are some suggestions:
-If you knew your parents, maybe their Drow lifestyle didn't suit you and that is why you went topside to become an adventurer.
-If you didn't know your parents, maybe you were abandoned and know nothing of Drow customs and lifestyle, as you were raised away from their influence.
For either of those basic outlines, you can have your character talk to the other elves and help them see that you are not a 'Drow-Drow', and maybe you will all get along.
Just a suggestion :)
Breathe, dragons; sing of the First World, forged out of chaos and painted with beauty.
Sing of Bahamut, the Platinum, molding the shape of the mountains and rivers;
Sing too of Chromatic Tiamat, painting all over the infinite canvas.
Partnered, they woke in the darkness; partnered, they labored in acts of creation.
time to do the big lore dump, "Seldarine Drow", as long as you are a Seldarine then no issues here. The basics is a Seldarine Drow is not a worshipper of Loth, and generally follows the Wider Seldarine Pantheon, who Loth is a part of but not the only deity. Loth Drow do not recognize any deity other than Loth.
While most of the Seldarine Pantheon fell to Loth long ago, several members are still active, and who's followers still exist.
Eilistraee - Chaotic Good - Life, Nature, Light - She is the creator of Magic Missiles, and Bladedancers. In my opinion the single best deity in D&D.
The rest of these Deities are not good aligned but still can work.
Zinzerena - Chaotic Neutral - Assassination, illusion, lies - She's a Trickster Goddess, she has a huge issue with Loth because Loth Killed her and took some of her portfolio, when she came back she no longer supports Loth. She is a good fit for Rogues and Thieves who want to throw off their oppressors, ie Male Drow who escape Menzoberranzan.
Vhaeraun - Chaotic Evil - Arrogance, Assassins, Drow Males, Surface Raids, Thievery - While he is less a good Choice for a Player Character being as he still supports Loth, he is the Semi-Officially Allowed Male God of the Drow. I can see a Male Rogue player who still worships him after escaping Menzoberranzan.
Now a huge key, and a bit on the Open Society of the Surface Seldarine Drow, who most player characters would be a part of. Eilistraee has Cleric Missionaries helping people across Toril trying to save Drow reputation, and to help free Drow still being oppressed in Menzoberranzan. (Seriously cool deep dive on this lore) but the main take away Elves and Half-Elves would be aware of the Seldarine reputation, as they brought Magic Missiles to Wizards and casters everywhere. They taught other Elves to be Bladesingers, they have a huge reputation of helping people in need.
So even if this is not your backstory, it's a story your character can lean on to help gain good will.
Note Most of these clerics were Woman, not all were born women. (One of the reasons I love Eilistraee as she is also a patron of Trans Women.) Recently Eilistraee has opened up to having Male Clerics when she realized that Women only was because of her mother, and she rejects all things Loth.
Assuming you're in the Forgotten Realms, the fact that you were getting along in a party is a strong indicator that you can, in fact, get along.
Lore does not control how individual characters behave. You may want to chat with the other players and discuss your shared history/goals, but you can also just agree that you have reached an understanding, even if you never bother to figure out exactly what.
(If you're not in the FR, the lore may be completely different.)
But, ultimately, if your character isn't behaving like "stereotypical evil drow", there's no reason they can't get along. (And if you are, it's your behavior that's the source of any problems that come up.)
You can go with you are working towards the same goal somehow - the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Good morning, HighTech!
Without knowing much about the world you are playing in, character/party backstories, reasons for your party to have come together, etc, here are my two cents:
It is not required for players to play racist characters. Pretty simple, right? But that is really what it boils down to. There isn't really a reason that the other characters should have a problem with your character simply because they are a Drow. If they had an issue with you being a follower of a particular deity, like Lolth for example, then that is where you address the issue. You could either hide your chosen deity from the others (in general your deity might not come up a lot as a Rogue, unless you make it a point to worship them), or you could discuss your chosen religion with the party in an attempt to find common ground.
If they have an issue with the particular culture you grew up in (say the harsh matriarchal structure of Drow society as depicted in Baldur's Gate 3), then those are things that can be addressed. Did you try to escape from that culture? Maybe your character is born male and doesn't want to be treated as a second-class citizen so they left. Or they are a female and didn't like the cut-throat nature of society so they left. Etc. In either of these cases, your character might be seen as sympathetic by the other members of the party, in which there would be no problem. If instead you lean into a harsh matriarchal outlook on life and express that to the party, then you all would need to compromise and find middle-ground with which to work with each other.
If nothing about Drow culture or your upbringing, etc come up in the campaign, then what reasons would the other party members have to not work with your character because they are Drow. As a DM I don't generally allow my players to portray racist characters, especially against other party members. That is simply a dynamic I don't want at my table (this is not true at all tables, so YMMV). Personally I find the "my character wouldn't work with your character because our races are at odds with each other" to be very lazy. If their characters have a problem with a specific aspect of Drow culture you are portraying, then that is the point of discussion/growth. If it is just "I'm a high elf and you are Drow and we hate each other because racism" then honestly unless they want their character to work to overcome their racism, there isn't much to be done.
Everyone has this same obligation. Every player should be looking for reasons/excuses/justification FOR working with your Drow instead of "well, my character wouldn't ever" reasoning.
How you can get along is by getting cooperative and respectful to each others, like any other Species would.
Bringing up issues where there's none means it's a forced interpretation. Even if the DM say in his campaign such people don't usually get along, nothing should prevent player characters from being. In the end, they chose to play such characters and unless they decide to not get along for whatever reasons, nothing should force them to.
Well first of all there are no Half Elves anymore, in the core PHB. Second, you are not your character. Just because natively/culturally species may not get along, doesn't mean it applies to PC's, nor should it be a requirement. Besides, there's nothing in the Elven Bestiary that says there is any strife among Elven types.
They're probably just playing 2014 rules.
Great ideas. I don't currently have a backstory so I guess I can go down any path! Thanks
Love it! I think I just became a Seldarine, follower of Eilistraee! Thanks! Also, I'm a female Drow!
The high elf and half-elf are new to the party, so we don't have a history yet of "getting along", per se. I don't know if we're in the FR. We are in the DM's world. They may have ties to the FR or not? I'm not super familiar with lore and deities and existing histories. My behavior is one of cooperation and not being evil even though I like to sneak and kill my enemies as a Rogue.
True, hehe!
I'm a lvl 4 (almost 5) female Drow rogue with no defined backstory or chosen deity... yet - the comments here will help me create one though, hehe! But I play her to be cooperative and helpful with the group, while sneak attacking and trying to stealth and hide. The elf and half-elf are new to this campaign and I think we do share a goal to explore and discover, but that will be discussed. I told them my alignment is not evil. I fall in the neutral chaotic good quadrant. But I can see their perspective. It's like wanting a lion and lamb to work together. Or an alligator and a dog. I like your directive to talk it out and grow. Thanks
I hope so. But I also see the perspective that it would be hard for a lion to work with a lamb, or an alligator with a dog, or whatever. I think I can try to earn their trust with positive helpful behavior and discussion.
Yeah, but the campaign won't really work if they choose to not get along. Or maybe it would and I just need to watch my back and try to earn their trust. ;-)
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Thanks everyone!
Just to recap, I'm a female Drow rogue and I don't currently have a backstory or declared deity yet. But there are some good ideas here for me to adopt and discuss with the party as we try to work through any issues they may have. I did it with the Paladin and my poisons, so now I can do it with the elves.
Keep the ideas coming, if you've got 'em! Thx!
We are playing 2024 rules, but I'm not versed enough in the history to know about the half-species. I thought 2024 was supposed to be fully backwards compatible?
I did just see this though after a quick Google search:
anyhow... I don't know the details about how this person made their character.
Oh, well you can still play as a half elf IIRC, it's just mechanically identical to either a human, or an elf. Also, about backwards compatibility, you could technically use an old species, but I don't think it would be very well balanced.
Just as an example. I played a very close-minded Sorcerer who hadn't been around other races generally. At the start of the campaign my sorcerer was very distrustful of some other party members, but grew to call them comrades. If your players don't do something like this, they are the problem NOT their characters.
Have them face the Elf Eater from Moonshae Islands (FR). Let them escape and that should get them to stick together
If you need to get along for the campaign to work, then, you have your answer, you must get along. Distrust and conflict run the risk of compromising the campaign if not be constant source of distraction.
Now there's some table that thrives with that, but it's not for everyone is all i can say.
Actually easy not problems or Balance issues at all.
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the next part is where things get spicy, which type of elf heritage?
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"Just because our societies hate each other, that does not mean we have to follow suit." "My kin do not control who i cherish" "I left that way of thinking in the middens where they belong when i left Menzoberranzan Behind me." and "I have chosen not to judge on race, but on action and heart." are all responses that a character might give.
You don't even need a deep lore justification for characters to work together. The character could have just said ' i chose not to be racist' in whatever fashion they would say it.
He/Him. Loooooooooong time Player.
The Dark days of the THAC0 system are behind us.
"Hope is a fire that burns in us all If only an ember, awaiting your call
To rise up in triumph should we all unite
The spark for change is yours to ignite."
Kalandra - The State of the World
As others have said, PC's are sentient and free thinking. They are not bound by their in world cultural norms. They are the exceptions, which is also the reason they are the ones out solving (or perhaps causing, depending on the nature of the campaign) the world's problems, whether the world agrees with them or not.
I guess not for half elves in specific, but mountain dwarves, for example, get medium armor proficiency.