Just curious what you’d all think of a fully blooded Drow, as a character? The child of a high ranking family, and the former apprentice of high priestess of Lolth; who defines her family and her teacher, in order to look for her missing sister. She eventually picks up a promising trail that leads her into the Upperdark and then to the surface, where she finds evidence of a struggle and a broach that once belonged to her sister, indicating that whatever happened to her, she did not go willingly.
The character runs into other people, people from the surface, who are all there for their own reasons, and eventually she joins them. For a Drow to travel alone on the surface in sunlight, would be dangerous, and so she decides to use these people for now, to fulfil her purpose and find her sister.
Thats is it. She joins the party to find her sister.
i am not quite sure how to write it to make sense for a Drow to join a party that isn’t Drow, but that is my basic idea - a Drow apprentice who defines her family and her teacher, because she cares about her sister more than the rules and laws and practices and beliefs of her culture.
Can I have your thoughts?
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A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
why is no one else looking for the sister? If she is a missing high ranking POI then surely many would be looking.
what other physical evidence can she find? If you start with something like a broach, story telling wise you limit the DM to having to provide further physical evidence to create the trail.
how much of the story is about the missing sister? You don’t want to end up seeming like a lone wolf obsessed with one thing if you are always complaining about wanting to go and follow x clue when the party has just taken a job cleaning out sewer monsters.
what will your character do once they find the sister? Will they leave the party.
if the character dies does anyone rescue the sister?
What if the sister arc is already completed, like that’s what got you to level 1. Maybe you awoke with prophetic dreams of your sister in danger, but with no proof no one would search for her. Fed up with that response you took fate into your own hands, disobeyed your family, your teacher, your peoples rules and went after her. You found and rescued her, returned her home safe. However rather than be rewarded or praised for your actions you are ostracised and Banished for breaking your drow tribes most sacred rules. You are forbidden from returning to the under dark.
but you saved your sister and you regret nothing about your choice, you would make it again to keep your family safe just as you accept your banishment to bring them no Further shame.
so it’s a little different from your version but does side step the pitfalls
The whole culture of the Drow is based on reaching higher status within it's clerical worship of Lolth. The males are 2nd class citizens at best. The females turn on each other to reach a higher rank.
If your character has abandoned this for the love of their sister they can probably never return and must go to the surface anyway. Does your sister also abandon their culture? It might be better than clues led you to the surface in search of her and you found her murdered by other drow seeking to improve their position and you were sickened by the nature of the drow and decided to abandon you culture and seek a new life on the surface among this new group of people you found.
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"A rightful place awaits you in the Realms Above, in the Land of the Great Light. Come in peace, and live beneath the sun again, where trees and flowers grow."
— The message of Eilistraee to all decent drow.
"Run thy sword across my chains, Silver Lady, that I may join your dance.”
Practical thought: check with your DM whether they want you to include personal goals with your backstory. A lot of us would rather focus on the party’s story than any individual side goals, while others will welcome a side quest driving you to adventure. It’s up to them.
depends on the setting, if its forgotten realms it makes little sense unless your a surface drow in witch case get ready for everyone to hate you and to go back to your cave because drow are oppressive slaver people...unless your a male, people sympathies with male drow a bit more but not by much
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D&D is not a video game, you don't need a tank or a healer, for thar matter you can turn pretty much any class into a frontliner, heavy damage dealer or healer with the right feats and items.
OP: This is a really cool backstory. One of my players had a similar story except his character was a guy and he was only half-drow (his sister was a full drow). The other posters’ suggestions are pretty good too, but if I was your DM you could also just stick with your original idea and I’d be totally fine with it.
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Hi,
Just curious what you’d all think of a fully blooded Drow, as a character? The child of a high ranking family, and the former apprentice of high priestess of Lolth; who defines her family and her teacher, in order to look for her missing sister. She eventually picks up a promising trail that leads her into the Upperdark and then to the surface, where she finds evidence of a struggle and a broach that once belonged to her sister, indicating that whatever happened to her, she did not go willingly.
The character runs into other people, people from the surface, who are all there for their own reasons, and eventually she joins them. For a Drow to travel alone on the surface in sunlight, would be dangerous, and so she decides to use these people for now, to fulfil her purpose and find her sister.
Thats is it. She joins the party to find her sister.
i am not quite sure how to write it to make sense for a Drow to join a party that isn’t Drow, but that is my basic idea - a Drow apprentice who defines her family and her teacher, because she cares about her sister more than the rules and laws and practices and beliefs of her culture.
Can I have your thoughts?
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
Okay so questions I would ask
why is no one else looking for the sister? If she is a missing high ranking POI then surely many would be looking.
what other physical evidence can she find? If you start with something like a broach, story telling wise you limit the DM to having to provide further physical evidence to create the trail.
how much of the story is about the missing sister? You don’t want to end up seeming like a lone wolf obsessed with one thing if you are always complaining about wanting to go and follow x clue when the party has just taken a job cleaning out sewer monsters.
what will your character do once they find the sister? Will they leave the party.
if the character dies does anyone rescue the sister?
What if the sister arc is already completed, like that’s what got you to level 1. Maybe you awoke with prophetic dreams of your sister in danger, but with no proof no one would search for her. Fed up with that response you took fate into your own hands, disobeyed your family, your teacher, your peoples rules and went after her. You found and rescued her, returned her home safe. However rather than be rewarded or praised for your actions you are ostracised and Banished for breaking your drow tribes most sacred rules. You are forbidden from returning to the under dark.
but you saved your sister and you regret nothing about your choice, you would make it again to keep your family safe just as you accept your banishment to bring them no Further shame.
so it’s a little different from your version but does side step the pitfalls
The whole culture of the Drow is based on reaching higher status within it's clerical worship of Lolth. The males are 2nd class citizens at best. The females turn on each other to reach a higher rank.
If your character has abandoned this for the love of their sister they can probably never return and must go to the surface anyway. Does your sister also abandon their culture? It might be better than clues led you to the surface in search of her and you found her murdered by other drow seeking to improve their position and you were sickened by the nature of the drow and decided to abandon you culture and seek a new life on the surface among this new group of people you found.
Perhaps her sister joined Eilistraeens, followers of the benevolent drow goddess Eilistraee.
Practical thought: check with your DM whether they want you to include personal goals with your backstory. A lot of us would rather focus on the party’s story than any individual side goals, while others will welcome a side quest driving you to adventure. It’s up to them.
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
depends on the setting, if its forgotten realms it makes little sense unless your a surface drow in witch case get ready for everyone to hate you and to go back to your cave because drow are oppressive slaver people...unless your a male, people sympathies with male drow a bit more but not by much
D&D is not a video game, you don't need a tank or a healer, for thar matter you can turn pretty much any class into a frontliner, heavy damage dealer or healer with the right feats and items.
OP: This is a really cool backstory. One of my players had a similar story except his character was a guy and he was only half-drow (his sister was a full drow). The other posters’ suggestions are pretty good too, but if I was your DM you could also just stick with your original idea and I’d be totally fine with it.