Okay so to start things off, Hasini, my paladin, had died and I was in character limbo until the rescue via the sorcerer (necromancer) with the undead bloodline and his 10+ Shadows. (Let me say this, I know there has to be an errata for that ability to not allow THAT many shadows to be controlled by JUST one shadow. )

So after defeating a juvenile Green Dragon thanks to said dragon, Kyran Lifebranch, (my Oracle of Life) cast true resurrection on Hasini's remains. (Mostly because the only other fighter types, two Elf NPCs had been tortured badly and had lost more than half their Str and Con because of it.) (That and I planned for Hasini to fight...but STILL!)

Anyway after a few slightly tough fights, the party (consisting of Hasini, the new elected Gunslinger half Elf [Yes you read it right. The player who had been our summoner decided to go gunslinger instead of Ninja...Go figure.], Jamir (now Jaime thanks to the cursed belt of Physical Might (+2 Con and Dex AND gender changer!), and....Elebon, the necromancer. We took the fight to a drow Illusionist. Let's just say it wasn't all fun and whistles...

After that we had a NEW player join us and his elf barbarian joined us as the 'renowned' necromancer elf cast a spell that basically peeled the flesh from some dead drow and put it on top/over us. So we now all wearing drow SKIN! (Except Hasini. She decided the Worldwound was calling...)

Now what comes next, I FREELY admit was part roleplay but also because of the curse I chose. Open Design (some of you might know them for the fact they publish Kobold Quarterly), had this book of feats and listings for best builds for Oracles. I took a little of that but no actual feats. Just used it as my guide post. HOWEVER I also took Super Genius Games (also known Otherworld Games) option for oracle CURSES. Curses folks. Not feats. Not spells, not even just a skill. Curses. It was called peacebond (or something like that.) Did it make me as over powered as say Oracle of Peace and Vow of Poverty? No. For one thing I COULDN'T take any action to attack anyone unless I made a will save. Secondly it only granted me a few bonuses at certain levels and only ONE spell like ability at 15th level. (Sanctuary at will). Penalties for me meant I couldn't take ANY AoO and I got a -1 to all attack rolls. I dunno about you folks but that, coupled with being a LIFE Oracle, meant to me he was kind of a coward. Meaning he would save others sure, but fighting wasn't in his blood.

Now comes the party I kind of wonder about. Said drow (us) are sent down to do investigating the drow city via a magic elf portal. We are also attacked by our allies (the elves) to make it look more legitimate as to why we turned back. My character just kept running. The DM looked stunned that my character would do that. I tried to explain to him....but he's like "You're DROW! You're supposed to be dicks!"

I just don't see that with this character. Being a dick if you're fighter or a wizard, yes. But an oracle? I don't see that...especially a LIFE Oracle. I know we're undercover but come on. THERE SHOULD be Cowardly drow. Especially when we have a lead female in our group.

Maybe I'm reading this wrong...

Whadda you think? Can I not play a coward in the sense he doesn't like to fight NOR does he wish to kill anyone IF he can help it.

Oh and FYI I changed my curse to Haunted even though it's kind of more powerful curse than I'm wanting...

It is kind of a little unsavoury that class and race force you into conforming to stereotypes if you think about it. I mean I know it is kind of essential for proper ruless flow in a class/ race based system but unless you are outright taking the piss like me it can be rather odd.

Anyway I believe that whatever the system if you want to break your archetype please feel free to do so. You'll start at a disadavantage but that is half the fun!

Uhm honestly that's not what's bothering me...

What is bothering me is this idea that drow HAVE to act as dicks IF they want to survive/advance in their society.

Race and class restrictions aren't a huge issue for me. Mostly because they generate good RP. But you'd think that ONE drow running away from a rather significant force of elves WOULDN'T automatically mean other drow attack him for running off and NOT fighting.

I would generally expect Drow to be quite cowardly and often run away if they felt overmatched, male Drow especially.  But female Lolth Clerics probably act like Soviet commissars, with orders to kill any males who break and run.  So you'd probably get a situation where the drow males fight until the priestess goes down, then they bug out.  Or in some case they might even frag the priestess and *then* run (or surrender, if flight is impossible).

S'mon,

THANK YOU!! That's exactly how I'd expect a drow that ran to a nearby elf portal to act. It's one thing if my guy was running away and no one was chasing him. But to see a fairly large platoon of elves come out and end up being on the receiving end of their wrath...I'd expect the drow on the other side to NOT attack one of their own who ran back aways.

I agree just because a Character Archetype is something doesn't mean the individual is.

Look at Warhammer 40K

Inquisitors and later Grey Knights were orginally portrayed as shining pure warriors of virtue. Now they are just as coruppt as the rest of the mess of the Imperium.

Then look at Ciaphas Caine. Commisarrs are supposed to be badass bastards. Caine is a sympathetic, unfortunate, coward in a job he doesn't want but does anyway.

Did you read any of the Drizzt books?

I think most drow are cowards, as a rule.  That's expressly why they are the way they are.

Ian,

I'm okay with "this how a race tends to act" like dwarves enjoy drinking ale rather than wine. I feel that my main problem is the DM is trying to get me to play my character not in the way I envisioned him. That and I don't see why a drow can't be a coward. Cowards can be ambitious. They just wait longer than most.

Black,

Yes I did. And I still feel I'm not playing THAT much against drow archetype.

Yeah, I'd have a problem with a GM trying to force me into streotyped behaviors... it's happened, but always got settled with some polite discussion.

I'm guessing your GM really likes Drow and you messed with his image of them...
I'm not a fan of Dwarves but on occassion I've played one as a cowardly blowhard who couldn't hold his liquor... which was always fine till this one Dwarf-loving guy joined the group.

Sim,

Thank you. I don't have a problem with CE. I think CE people can be dicks. But drow aren't stupid and they shouldn't attack a guy that runs past them when CLEARLY a bigger threat appears behind him and a few other drow.

Quote from: Nightfall;449921I don't have a problem with CE. I think CE people can be dicks.

Sorry I'm stupid, what is/are 'CE'?
I'm guessing the 'C' is for Character...
'E' is for Expert?
'E' is for Enthusiast?
'E' is for Enema?

No... CE = Chaotic EVIL.

Which is what most drow are.

Did I beat the undead horse then?

Quote from: Nightfall;450085Did I beat the undead horse then?

Not as far as I'm concerned... I think it's an interesting issue in a larger context of setting vs. character concept... GM's vs. player's concept.  
In our current Earthdawn campaign I've had several moments of... abrasion with the group over their ideas of what a 'hero' is... and terms like 'honor' and 'loyalty'. My background is somewhat different than theirs and we have some assumptions that don't gel.
When I was making my character I told the GM I wanted to play something of a zealot... so he suggested I play a 'Lightbearer', which in Earthdawn is a member of a secret society out to investigate and take down the big bad alien invaders. At one point I decided my PC would be 'tempted by the dark side'... thinking he could use some evil juju to fight the good fight. The GM didn't really get what I was up to... kept wanting to explain my character to me, about why he wouldn't go there. Eventually we sorted it out, but it isn't the first time we've had words because of my character concept rubbing his setting concept the wrong way.
I don't think I've been a dick... I'm just seeing the game in shades of gray where he sees it in black and white.

Sim,

I think for him, he sees drow as ultra competitive, always on the move, willing to backstab anyone and everyone to achieve power. My goal, with this character, is to get in, get out of a drow city WITHOUT dying OR killing anyone. That might mean I do more cringing than some drow, but it's STILL within their character, especially given that most common drow are at the mercy of noble drow.