Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General Anti-edgelord Drow support thread

So Drows and tieflings seem to get a bad rap from the D&D community... essentially it seems every Drow player is the equivalent of a weeb?
So much so that despite knowing about this little issue as someone who is somewhat aware of D&D subculture.
I still made a character that fits this meme.




How the heck do you create a Drow without becoming Faerûn's resident weeb?
All the proficiencies push me towards a rogue or ranger!

Embrace the rogueness. I know I did, ironically, I also embraced the Rangerness...

you dont, this was a problem with 5e that is only now being addressed. The stat distribution of races sort of pidgeon holes them into different classes for players that are concerned with min-maxing (which is quite a few). Season 10 D&D lets the players put the state points in whatever stats they want. So your Drow could straightup have +2int +1con if you wanted to just be a wizard drow with ideal stats.


this game will not be that way, so expect to play a Ranger, Rogue, Monk, Warlock, Sorc or Paladin if you want to pick Drow as your race and reach 16 in your main stat

I play Half-Drow a lot. It is my favorite race. I generally play them as chill, generally affable, reliably helpful, quietly mischievous spell-casters or hybrid monks. No traumatic past, no dark brooding. 😁

Well, and I'm not trying to be insulting here, you could not try to min/max everything and just play the class/race you want. Just because you get +2 to dex doesn't automatically mean you have to play a sneak or sling arrows. This game (so far) doesn't necessitate having the perfect character build and really, what fun is it to roflstomp every single encounter anyway?

Its not hard. Just a do a drow that isn't basicallly Drizz't do Urden or Artemis Entreri.

They are a tons of examples and possibilities in Jarlaxles party and D&D book. But basically just do a Drow that isn't like the typical drow .

Believe it or not, 5e is actually balanced around the hit chance that players have when their main stat is 16. This is because every player can start with a 16 in their main stat and generally does. You can pick Drow for something other than a Dex or Cha but you will absolutely notice the handicap over time

Stats are so mutable though. My elf wizard has the headpiece from the ogre mage that gives you 18 int. There are Potions of Hill Giant Strength in the game. Who's to say there won't be Girdles of X Giant Strength as well? And again, if you're slightly less effective in combat but you are able to make combat easier or not happen at all because you have high charisma, that's fine with me. It's an RPG and I'm ok with not having a 'perfect' character.

I never killed that super smart ogre... thats actually hilarious, he is wearing a Headband of Intellect? That's good news for wizards... you officially can just pick any race you want for the wizard

Once you know where those items are you can pretty much plan around them. If it turns out that they are incredibly common, then you can even plan for OP builds by dumping the stats that will be subsidized by items. I have a
Wizard I play in Adventure league that is a Bladesinger/Druid of the moon. He has a headband that raises his int so that when he turns into a Bear/Wolf... he still has a high int that can then be used with the Bladesong to add his int bonus to his AC as a Wolf... I fully understand the things you can do with mutable stats (as well as headband of intellect/gauntlets of ogre strength). Thing is, I planned around it... I dumped stats knowing theyd be subsidized later.


Doesnt change that the game was balanced around a +5 chance to hit. without that plus 5, you will be gimped until you obtain the stat subsidy items... however if they put some of these items in the first act then for the most part you will be right, stats wont be as important for Str or Int based classes knowing where to locate the items that will put you at a +4 from your stat modifier

I’m the sort of player who often will pump up a prime stat and level everything else out to at least 12, so I’m not a min/maxer, but I still get not wanting to play a gimped build. As much as I love aberrant builds, if the stat of the race don’t synchronize well with the class then the option is less appealing to me.

I’m super excited about Tasha’s cauldron, as it will give players the freedom to work around this and be able to play half-orc bards and gnome paladins without feeling like they are setting themselves up to underperform against the rest of their party.

It's a well-known fact that all Drow are piloted by weebs and all Tieflings are piloted by SJWs. It's an unspoken law.

Someone pointed out to me that in 5E that they changed the point buy cap to 15. Now in previous BG games as well as NWN you could get that 18, but it was at a major cost to three other stats. This was back in the day when races came with negatives as well so you could rightly have I think a 3 in a stat, because I think in NWN you could lower other stats, but maybe I'm misremembering. Suffice to say, I am rather disappointed you can't at least purchase to a 16 stat. After all that would allow you to get that 18 if your race starts with a +2 stat bonus or be at a 17 for the +1. It also doesn't completely screw over a drow or another race from playing another class or force them into a class or race choice to get maximum benefit. I don't think one can truly completely move away from min/maxing just a little in order to be effective at the class you want to be in. I still think though that your race solely shouldn't be the thing holding you back from picking a class option. As far as people making fun of those that like to play Drow or Tieflings, as one that did play a drow ranger, rogue, and barbarian play who and what you like. If the GM allows it, let them balk. Drow are kickass and I daresay more interesting to play then most of the standard races. They have a deck stacked against them if they want to splinter off from Lloth regardless of reasons.

I mean can you fault drow for wanting to leave the worship of a society that literally promotes WEEDING OUT THE WEAK! And by weak I mean those that show ANY compassion at all. They are in the Underdark for a reason and it isn't because they were nice. That said that doesn't mean that all that are drow are inherently evil or even chaotic. The society in general that follows Lloth though is very much that though. The people with the power. Hence why for better or worse they are viewed as blood thirsty and with suspicion of their motives by the surface dwellers and other Underdark races. However, Drow are by far the least of your worries in the Underdark. Are they a threat? - Definitely. However, I do like how Faerun at large now doesn't just see all of the drow as the bad guys and gives them at least a chance to speak first outside of the normal evil haunts of Faerun like Westgate or other locales.

That said I am pro-drow! The only thing I am irked about is that Drow don't get the elven Perception skill at the moment. I get they get better darkvision, but that is very limited boon even with the racial unlocks. They really should have Keen Sense perk like all the other elves. That is really my only complaint about them at the moment.

Yes, I want my Perception as well
I usually play Half Elf or Drow (of the non Drizzt type) because I prefer them to other elves. I also find neutral or evil easier to play, tired of being forced into a hero role in almost all games. I also don't bother with min max, I add points and skills according to the road the game takes me, for rpgs anyway. I can't bring myself to play certain races usually because of stupid reasons, even if they are better for the chosen class.

Maybe toning it down with the edginess and the shitty fluorescent face tattoos would be a good place to start.
You have just to enter the "screenshot of your character" thread to witness countless clown-looking abortions being praised as "very cool".

I hate to say it, but that was a pretty edgy post.

Sounds like an asspull to me.
Unless we are going for "Today edgy means whatever I want it to mean".

I guess today I want edgy to mean making juvenile remarks like calling other people’s characters “clown-looking abortions.” That sounds like the kind of shit edgy teenagers say to me. I personally don’t think it looks great either, but you don’t need to broadcast it out like that. Be better than this.

The rogueness, yes I did. The rangerness, I'm still not edgy enough I think :P

The thing with Drow is that the only good way to play a drow is to play a LE Drow who worships lolth.
The problem isnt drow beeing evil.
The "Edgelord" part of Drow is usually the fact that they are drizzt knockoffs who lament their cliche backstory or "I totaly escaped the underdark now i have no ties" CE.

The good way to play a drow is one that works with surfacers out of convenience, isnt a complete murderhobo but still decisiveley evil and not a subversion of the evil drow trope.
In other words, the good way to play a drow is not to play an atypical drow. Its to play a very typical one.
As in, the kind of drow an NPC drow would be.
Leaning into the tropes is good. Thats why they are there. Theres nothing wrong with playing a Dwarf that likes to drink ale and compliment Dwarven building techniques when he sees it in dungeons.
Subversion is destructive.
It is only suitable as commentary, but it isnt suitable as a character trait.

In a simmilar way, i dont see players picking Drow as a Red flag. I do however seeing people pick a male drow, or a dex focused character as a red flag.

I think the story line on the surface level in act 1 allows you to play a typical drow if you want to. The goblins will be inclined to side with you from the get go and in most tension scenes, you can use a good amount of intimidation or deception to get what you want.

The problem I have is more on the underdark side. When I arrive in the underdark, it doesn't feel like I am a native of the place as drow. There should be more emphasis on the fact I know how things work here, "we drow run the place" sort of thing. It lacks in dialogues a lot. Hope they will add some DROW and DRUEGAR tag lines for more flavor. As well, the drow raiders shouldn't automatically attack you if you are a Lolth sworn drow. There should at least be a dialogue scene.