Neutral Drow

[ArcanaFTW]

So, I was recently told that Drow could be neutral, and now I'm plotting to create a character. I just need to be clear on some things.

1. Can Drow worship deities such as Lurue, and still be considered acceptable?
2. Are Drow slaves canon, and playable in Arelith?
3. When playing a CN Drow, would you be allowed to assist Surfacers directly in going against Andunor and other UDers?
4: Can said Drow still have minorly cruel, and innately selfish aspects eg. Letting an unknown surfacer die in the Underdark without assisting, an unfriendly and unwelcoming personality without becoming evil in a sense?
5: Can AA be selected for Drow, and are you allowed to treat it much like FS, a gift from a certain deity?

[DreamOfCream]

1. Mechanically you can. Drow worshiping fey or surface deities are uncommon however.

2. Don't know.

3. This is case by case. I could see using a surfacer assassin to take out an enemy. But keep in mind Andunor is your home. There are few other places to live. The surface is not your home. Everyone on the surface is out to flay you because of your race. Thus you have an inherent distrust for surfacers.

4. Definitely and this is very common.

5. Don't know.

[The Rambling Midget]

2. I believe that they exist within canon. It certainly makes sense that certain less successful Drow might become slaves. They're pretty conniving folks.

5. Drow are still mechanically Elves, so there should be no problem taking AA.

[Maragaram]

Not a DM, but...

1. I think that would be okay. I had a drow character who converted to Kossuth, and there were no problems with that. And Elistraeen drow are allowed to exist, just not on the surface or as good-aligned without the Major Reward. So it should be alright for them to worship other good deities, I assume.Lurue is probably not the best choice though since A) you'll be spending most of your time in the Underdark, and she is primarily concerned with surface creatures and B) her dogma of "Adventures and quests should be taken on a whim and life should be filled with good times and laughter" is not very fitting for a Drow, nor for the Underdark itself. And if other Drow or even other Underdarkers find out, you're probably dead.

2. Drow slaves are very much canon, and have existed on Arelith in the past. They are also very rare, in comparison to other slave races, so you'll need a good reason for it. And of course, Drow can't start as slaves, so you'll need to do something to get your character enslaved I assume, and there would probably be a lot of backlash against the owner for doing so.

3. As far as I know, neutral Underdarkers are still expected to have somewhat hostile relations with Surfacers. But any Drow could presumably have reasons for aligning with Surfacers - they just need to be getting something out of it for themselves, or at least be planning a double-cross. Helping Surfacers purely out of selflessness would be a good-aligned act, and therefore not allowed. And don't forget that it is just as possible that the Surfacers will turn on you - your Drow would likely be aware of the dangers and ready for things to turn violent.

4. Yes. I think this would even be encouraged for a neutral Drow, since it acknowledges the character's upbringing and culture, and helps keep them from appearing too "Good." Your character will probably be expected to show this kind of behavior from time to time, in order to survive among the other Drow.

5. Arcane Archer is always selectable for Drow - they are still elves, after all. I think there's even a mirror organization to the Black Archers among the Drow, dedicated to hunting down surface elves (though I suspect as a CN character, your Drow wouldn't be into that). As far as I know, the Devs/DMs have okay RPing the bonuses from Arcane Archer however you want, within reason, since the PRC was opened up to arcane-less characters with levels in Ranger.

[Preacher]

friendly note:
"Good" aligned drow are a normal reward rather then a greater reward.

[DestroyerOTN]

1. Can Drow worship deities such as Lurue, and still be considered acceptable?

Drow are capable to the same diety selection as anyone. As long as my human can take a gift and worship grummsh, you're probably not going to find too many issues. The usual guideline is if it's mechanically doable, then you can do it beyond doubt. If you ask about dogmatic sensibility? Yes, any race could have their own twisted view of her tennants, but you may want to look further for what I see here.

2. Are Drow slaves canon, and playable in Arelith?

Entirely and fully confirmed, any races of any status are capable of being enslaved. Remember that it's not just drow that slave here, and it helps explain it. Thing is, even by cannon drow, Menzo itself is confirmed to house a populus of a set number of drow slaves

3. When playing a CN Drow, would you be allowed to assist Surfacers directly in going against Andunor and other UDers?

Given an IC cause? -Any- underdarker could, in fact, and would be perfectly able. I await the day a Vhaerunite cult attempts overthrow of the political system by baiting others to do their work and backstabbing them when they've carved the ranks.

4: Can said Drow still have minorly cruel, and innately selfish aspects eg. Letting an unknown surfacer die in the Underdark without assisting, an unfriendly and unwelcoming personality without becoming evil in a sense?

The hound did it. Abrasive brashness is able to manifest in anyone. Even Lawful Good isn't Lawful Nice.

You aren't evil for not helping the dying, either. You'll never see documentaries of a shark randomly approaching a dying whale and sealing it's eyelids with a flipper whilst muttering prayers for it's goodwill. It's only evil by FR morality if:
1. They -themselves- killed it nonreluctant, beyond neccessity, and the surfacer did nothing to incite such.
2. They revel in it's suffering or try to worsen it. (Take note of this: It'd even be acceptable if they came upon hypothetical surface almost-corpse and put them -out- of their misery... and probably not look suspicious). They don't need to pity, though they can; they just can't enjoy it.
3. The surfacer was known, and/or you didn't aid them out of sheer spite (to them or the fact that they are a sunlander (This one's not for debate. Mortality of spite is an act of selfishness.)).
4. They rob it prior to it's end for profit alone, and they -were- fully capable otherwise of aiding it. This falls to robbery, and that's terrible.

It is perfectly neutral to simply leave them with dignity and respect. As a chaotic neutral, you may even get away with simple acknowledgement.

5: Can AA be selected for Drow, and are you allowed to treat it much like FS, a gift from a certain deity?

I've been playing a dragonkin backed only by roleplay and a weavemastery class (with convenient statistical lineup and gifts to support) for months. The rule on this is traditionally lenience from the DMs, so long as it remains within rule confines.

This -does- include, mind you, the "No breaking of immersion" rule. This interprets with variation, but the baseline obvious ones are blatant and not to overlook. I would, as a DM, personally smite the first person doing that to be the not-so-proverbial Jesus of the Seldarine. (no god children, descendants, or the like here please. Chosen? We've got FS for that, fine. But just don't.)

In fact, I could see a concept thus, particularly paired with FS itself/Divine Champion (possibly cleric?), as a rather interesting approach. A blessing of faith, or the harnessing of it.

[DestroyerOTN]

And of course, Drow can't start as slaves

Actually false (I think): All underdark races, as well as humans and half orcs, are able to take the slave background.

... besides, walking to the clamper (if not) shouldn't take long, and simply roleplaying it as belatedly applied when you get off the boat is reasonable if anyone asks.