Brown skin color introduced for Drow in 4th Edition D&D!?

eternella

All Drow I see in Neverwinter Online have brown skin color, but when looking on the Forgotten Realms Wikia it clearly say (I quote):

Skin Color: Black, dark blue, gray, violet

Did the Wizards of the coast finally change the 4th Edition D&D skin color of brown to be in line with the "Dark Skin" definition with that of the Human Wikipedia???

I am so happy for it, becouse it is a fantasy world after all! Since I dont have access to the 4th Edition D&D Drow book I would love any official word on this before I make my own brown Drow. I would also like to know if any change did happen for hair color to since the Drow wikia still only list WHITE as the one-and-only hair color.

Happy happy, joy, joy...

chuckwolf

Wait... so they changed the classic grey skinned Drow to brown skinned ones? So we have african american drow. Hope nobody confuses them for Tuvok from Star Trek: Voyager

Come on Cryptic get this right, Drow have skin that's shades of gray, not brown.

eternella

My intention is NOT to have this post deleted, banned, locked, hanged or burned... Lets avoid any and all discussion on "why" and be 100% politically correct, thanks! With that said: I search with torch and light after any OFFICIAL mention of the brown skin color Drow before I can make my own since I am an extreme D&D traditionalist that never play "outside the box" of the rules.

If the Drow brown skin color is an un-official change by Cryptic without permission I would never ever dare to make a Drow with brown skin color since Cryptic can be forced to "get-back-in-line" or face 1. loss of licence 2. a heavy fee for breaking the D&D rules.

The consequences could for "us the players" in any best case scenario be:
1. Special permission to keep the un-official brown Cryptic Drow skin color.
2. Free (non-ZEN) change of our Drow to any official supported non-brown skin color.

I don't want to make a brown Drow only to have her skin color be changed on a later date, so if any developer (or official spokesperson) in Cryptic could confirm that I can make a brown Drow that never will be changed and that it is OFFICIALY SUPPORTED in the 4th Edition D&D I'll be such a happy Panda!

Thanks for making such a great game!

chuckwolf

Well I'd guess that all character races have variations on skintone .. I mean half-orcs skin can vary from pink to green and humans are are various shades of pink and brown, and so are half-elves. so I'm guessing halflings, dwarves etc. all have various skintones.

eternella

But don't we need to at least have some official word on *IF* the new 4th Edition D&D rules support brown skin color Drow or if it's only un-officially supported by Cryptic!?

darkstarmjp

I want a white drow, he could be albino or have vitiligo? it's possible.

inexist

I'm not exactly sure what to take from this. I have a Drow currently and his skin is a dark gray. When you say "All drow I see have brown skin" I'm not sure if your being serious or maybe the color on your monitor is off. It's actually very rare I see a drow with any skin even remotely brown. If you mean that drow have the OPTION of having brown skin, that makes sense. I'm looking at the drow skin color choices right now and the majority of it is a shade of purple or gray.

I also find it disheartening that you mention "hanging and burned" and the word brown is colored so throughout your post. And yet you say you want to keep it "politically correct". Do you even know the meaning of that phrase?

zhaocore86

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_elf

The "brown" skin came as a gift from Eilistraee.

Later, Eilistraee managed (through her death) to redeem those drow that were not tainted with Wendonai's blood (the Miyeritari). Those who were tainted with Wendonai's blood (the Ilythiir) but took up Elistraee's dance were redeemed and reverted back to their ancestral physiology. They physically reverted to their brown-skinned dark elf form, and their fate was from that point on their own to make. Drizzt was not among those "redeemed dark elves," and his skin is still ebony and runs with the taint of Wendonai's blood because he didn't receive the miracle that Elistraee bestowed to her followers before her death, the miracle that removed Wendonai's taint from her faithful. This was the telling sign that dark elves are not "the good drow," rather they were whichever good drow happened to follow Eilistraee.

quorforged

Can't Drow that have had their curse lifted have brown skin?

eternella wrote: »

But don't we need to at least have some official word on *IF* the new 4th Edition D&D rules support brown skin color Drow or if it's only un-officially supported by Cryptic!?

I'm pretty sure skin color isn't codified in 4E's rules. Is it in any editions rules?

ambisinisterr

zhaocore86 wrote: »

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_elf

The "brown" skin came as a gift from Eilistraee.

In short there is now an actual difference between a "Dark Elf" and "Drow Elf."
Drow still don't normally have brown skin but Dark Elves do.

Even before, though, there were various skin shades to drow just as any other race. There were both "light" and dark skinned drow with different hues to their black skin.

glannigan

Well...back in my day!!!

Drow wasn't even a playable character. Then, when it did become a player character it have -2 and such negatives to hit anything in daylight and so much of the game was played during the "day" it really wasn't worth the bad math to have a Drow regardless of the cool RP angle you could do with it.

AND THAT'S THE WAY WE LIKED IT!!!!!


I think Drow has become so popular that to me it is the cheese ball Race to be...and I still adamant be, Ive they should have negatives to hit during the day or in bright areas!!!! Dangit!!!!!

mightyqu1nn

eternella wrote: »

My intention is NOT to have this post deleted, banned, locked, hanged or burned... Lets avoid any and all discussion on "why" and be 100% politically correct, thanks! With that said: I search with torch and light after any OFFICIAL mention of the brown skin color Drow before I can make my own since I am an extreme D&D traditionalist that never play "outside the box" of the rules.

If the Drow brown skin color is an un-official change by Cryptic without permission I would never ever dare to make a Drow with brown skin color since Cryptic can be forced to "get-back-in-line" or face 1. loss of licence 2. a heavy fee for breaking the D&D rules.

The consequences could for "us the players" in any best case scenario be:
1. Special permission to keep the un-official brown Cryptic Drow skin color.
2. Free (non-ZEN) change of our Drow to any official supported non-brown skin color.

I don't want to make a brown Drow only to have her skin color be changed on a later date, so if any developer (or official spokesperson) in Cryptic could confirm that I can make a brown Drow that never will be changed and that it is OFFICIALY SUPPORTED in the 4th Edition D&D I'll be such a happy Panda!

Thanks for making such a great game!

So wow... umm If you are truly concerned with this and not just being a troll, you should know that this game is only very loosely based on 4th ed. This game uses the D&D IP only for its name recognition, and while some character development mechanics are using labels similar to 4th ed. the actual gameplay mechanics are not really rooted in the D&D system at all. If your looking for a D&D game that sticks to "canon" this aint it. Not to mention the fact that the sheer multitude of hardware differences among users sort of renders your "black vs Brown" skin tone argument largely mute.

eternella

Regarding Albino (white Drow), yes, the lore about it exist. They are very very VERY rare.

eternella

inexist wrote: »

I'm not exactly sure what to take from this. I have a Drow currently and his skin is a dark gray. When you say "All drow I see have brown skin" I'm not sure if your being serious or maybe the color on your monitor is off. It's actually very rare I see a drow with any skin even remotely brown. If you mean that drow have the OPTION of having brown skin, that makes sense. I'm looking at the drow skin color choices right now and the majority of it is a shade of purple or gray.

I also find it disheartening that you mention "hanging and burned" and the word brown is colored so throughout your post. And yet you say you want to keep it "politically correct". Do you even know the meaning of that phrase?

I speak about a game, not the RL world. Thats why I want it to *stay* on topic, so avoid flame-baiting and trolling and we'll hopefully get an answer too my Drow-skin-questions instead of any off-topic analytical brainstorming that will have the thread locked. Thanks!

eternella

mightyqu1nn wrote: »

So wow... umm If you are truly concerned with this and not just being a troll, you should know that this game is only very loosely based on 4th ed. This game uses the D&D IP only for its name recognition, and while some character development mechanics are using labels similar to 4th ed. the actual gameplay mechanics are not really rooted in the D&D system at all. If your looking for a D&D game that sticks to "canon" this aint it. Not to mention the fact that the sheer multitude of hardware differences among users sort of renders your "black vs Brown" skin tone argument largely mute.

Might be something there! But unlike CRT monitors, are not the modern TFT LCD practically digitally shoing us the image exact as it is? I guess I'll have to make some SS and in PSP look on the the color-mixture to have a 100% answer.

But if Neverwinter Online (Cryptic) does not have to abide by the D&D 4 rules then I guess I am fine with Brown Drows... it's just I'll never make a non-canon brown Drow myself, but of course respect any and all who do, its a free game and free world after all is it not, and respect goes a long way.

calamintha

bones8197

eternella wrote: »

I speak about a game, not the RL world. Thats why I want it to *stay* on topic, so avoid flame-baiting and trolling and we'll hopefully get an answer too my Drow-skin-questions instead of any off-topic analytical brainstorming that will have the thread locked. Thanks!

You realize of course that your question has already been answered? Per one person's post and a Mod's post the Drow still have the normal skin tone. Whereas Dark Elves that had the curse lifted by Eilistreea are now the original brown skinned Dark Elves that they were.

aftershafter

chuckwolf wrote: »

Wait... so they changed the classic grey skinned Drow to brown skinned ones? So we have african american drow. Hope nobody confuses them for Tuvok from Star Trek: Voyager

Come on Cryptic get this right, Drow have skin that's shades of gray, not brown.

Didn't realize all people with brown/black skin lived in America and were of African descent... :rolleyes:

eternella

bones8197 wrote: »

You realize of course that your question has already been answered? Per one person's post and a Mod's post the Drow still have the normal skin tone. Whereas Dark Elves that had the curse lifted by Eilistreea are now the original brown skinned Dark Elves that they were.

Eilistrae - http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Eilistraee

Eilistraee appeared as an unclad, glossy-skinned drow woman of great height with ankle-length, sweeping hair of glowing silver.

glossy-skinned - http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/glossy+skin

One thing of note: in the World of Warcraft lore the natural Orcs are brown skinned, but the corrupted are "Green". So, I find it very interesting that the orginal Drow was brown skinned.

So in the loose D&D 4 lore Cryptic uses all Drow have had their curse "lifted" by Eilistreea? But then, why are they still fighting for Lolth while having brown redeemed skin instead of the "black" evil Lolth-skin!? Can a redeemed Drow who get back the un-cursed brown skin turn back to Lolth and keep it!? Or is the Drow skin-change from brown to black like an on/off switch depending on Eilistreea's and Lolth's mood swings???

This is really turning out to be like very complicated, and so interesting at the same time. So much lore...!!!

Drow as I was thinking how they looked:

bones8197

*facepalm*. Can you please at least go back and read what is posted??? It states that Drow that followed Eilistraee had there curse lifted and reverted back to the brown skin that they had before the curse. That is why there is the ability to create a drow with brown skin. Cryptic cannot however force people to only use the brown skin if they are going to portray a Dark Elf instead of a Drow. It all boils down to what that person wants to do. If they choose to follow the rule set great. But there is no way that Cryptic can force it upon people.

Secondly what does it matter what Eilistraee looked like? This has nothing to do with her looks... She reverted the curse for the Drow that were her followers, reverting them back to Dark Elves instead of the black/purple skinned Drow.

Thirdly I would love to know where all these supposed tons of people are that use the brown skin. I personally do not recall seeing anyone running around with the brown skin. Have seen some Elves with dark brown skin, but no Drow.

In conclusion, please go back and actually read what people took the time to post on your thread instead of dragging it on pointlessly and arguing moot points with people trying to answer your question. The answers are here in the thread if you just took the time to read them. And again Cryptic CANNOT force people to play a race the way it is meant to be following the rule set. They can only put all the tools there for the players to do so. Rant over.

eternella

bones8197 wrote: »

*facepalm*. Can you please at least go back and read what is posted??? It states that Drow that followed Eilistraee had there curse lifted and reverted back to the brown skin that they had before the curse [...]

But... Why are the Lolth drow having brown skin that follow Lolth? Can the Drow in the D&D 4 rules worship both Lolth and Eilistrae? Then that can explain the brown/black skin mixture sort-of...

kiralyn

as a side note, not every brown-skinned player elf you see running around is a Drow. The regular Elf and Half-elf skin tones range all the way from pale to dark brown.

bones8197

eternella wrote: »

But... Why are the Lolth drow having brown skin that follow Lolth? Can the Drow in the D&D 4 rules worship both Lolth and Eilistrae? Then that can explain the brown/black skin mixture sort-of...

OMG person.... are you purposely trolling or something??? As I said... for the love of god go back and read EVERYTHING that people have posted... If you had even took the time to read everything in the post you JUST quoted you would have your question answered....