(Spoilers) How many Drow are in this game?

[No' Name]

I'm curious now, made a second character/playthrough and picked Drow/Dark Elf, and I've made it to act 3, yet never beat the game yet, however, the only Drow I recall seeing, are Minthara, Some Random Merchant in a Firework Shop in Baldurs Gate, and the two Dark Elf twins (whatever their names are again) from the DnD Campaign Avernus.

I don't recall seeing any other Drow at all, actually maybe one more controlling gnomes or Dwarves in act 2.

Point is, there's so very few Drow in this campaign/game. What gives? You'd think they'd be thriving in the Underdark, but they're not.

[seeker1]

There's a drow hireling ranger you can recruit. Veryll Wenkir. (may have that mis-spelled.)

There's a drow gear pack mod out there on Nexus that has some really nifty stuff for both him and Minthara. Though most of it is drow themed but not actually "race locked" to drow so other characters can use it.

I agree with you I'm surprised we run into duergar and deep gnomes in the Underdark, but not very many drow.

[Murgen]

Baldurs Gate 1 had only two drow in it: Drizzt and Viconia.

Baldurs Gate 2 had tons of drow in it, but that was only because an entire chapter was devoted to exploring one of their cities.

The Underdark is a big place, and BG3 doesn't take us to one of their cities, so it makes sense that there are few drow.

[id795078477]

Of the back of my mind:

-- Minthara
-- Araj Oblodra
-- True Soul Nere
-- Dhourn and other drow in his squad (to talk/interact: either use basilisk oil or let the beholder free them)
-- Twins
-- Viconia DeVir (though Larian messed up this NPC severely: drow don't age but they made her a granny which makes me believe she should be a half-drow)
-- Veryll Wenkiir (hireling, so he doesn't have much to say)

There are also dead drow, like the headless one in the hag's lair or the one dead in the myconid colony. Also some dead drow raiders at the Waukeen's Rest inn. Yeah, drow are a very rare race - even if we include "random nameless" ones, it's barely enough for fingers on two hands.

You could probably include the drider? But that's stretching it. Now that I think about it .. the goblins were going on about "are you from Moonrise, drow?", the cultists were going on about it, the whole duke Ravengard's kidnapping was "it's the drow" - and on and on and on.. But after reaching the Moonrise we find .. exactly one drow there, a trader who wants nothing to do with the cult and is there just for some research and profits.

[Duetzefix]

In the Underdark you're missing Nere and the three guys looking for the Grymforge. Granted, one is dead (behind the vine curtain in the Myconid village), one is petrified by a Spectator (he's the first de-petrified in the fight) and one is insane (living with Hook Horrors), but they're still Drow. :D The other people petrified by the Spectator might count as well, there's like four or five of them. They don't have much to say, though.

Araj Oblodra in Moonrise Towers. You can meet her again in Baldur's Gate when her house explodes.

There's also Viconia DeVir in Act 3, in the House of Grief.

[E]

Originally posted by Duetzefix:

In the Underdark you're missing Nere and the three guys looking for the Grymforge. Granted, one is dead (behind the vine curtain in the Myconid village), one is petrified by a Spectator (he's the first de-petrified in the fight) and one is insane (living with Hook Horrors), but they're still Drow. :D The other people petrified by the Spectator might count as well, there's like four or five of them. They don't have much to say, though.

Araj Oblodra in Moonrise Towers. You can meet her again in Baldur's Gate when her house explodes.

There's also Viconia DeVir in Act 3, in the House of Grief.

When I saw your avatar, I thought "I don't remember posting this" for like a full 3 seconds

[War Maiden]

Originally posted by id795078477:

Of the back of my mind:

-- Minthara
-- Araj Oblodra
-- True Soul Nere
-- Dhourn and other drow in his squad (to talk/interact: either use basilisk oil or let the beholder free them)
-- Twins

All those turned to stone outside the Selune Temple.

Originally posted by id795078477:

-- Viconia DeVir (though Larian messed up this NPC severely: drow don't age but they made her a granny which makes me believe she should be a half-drow)

Drow, and Elves in general do age just not like Humans do.
Drow and most Elves live for hundreds of years, as long as they can keep from getting into malicious trouble. Drow Matriarchs last for centuries, if their House is in order. Viconia, has been around for at least 300 years, so no she isn't a 'granny' or anything of the sort. How anyone could come up with that is odd. YES Time, Stress and environmental issues can invoke different miasmas upon the body, psychologically speaking. However, Viconia does not seem to suffer from such things.

Originally posted by id795078477:

- Veryll Wenkiir (hireling, so he doesn't have much to say)

Sadly.

[FloatingToadThing]

There's a fair few drow footsoldiers of the absolute in moonrise. There's even a document that explains how the cult managed to convert them.

[War Maiden]

Originally posted by INTERPLANETARYNINJAASSASSIN:

There's a fair few drow footsoldiers of the absolute in moonrise. There's even a document that explains how the cult managed to convert them.

Are we sharing such a document...?

[cire87]

tons of drow enemies

[Hellsteeth30]

Drow have got more "surfacey" over the editions. Even more accepted over the century since BG2.

Quite a few in the game, there's a couple in the gobbo camp, loads of dead ones at Waukeen's Rest, Nere at Grymforge. Twilight fangirl in Moonrise and the twins at the brothel. Of course you run across Viconia, who let herself go it seems.

Oh and the petrified ones in the underdark too.

Problem with Drow is they still have the sunlight issue (sans tadpole), and it's never night time in BG3.

[Murgen]

Originally posted by War Maiden:

Are we sharing such a document...?

The document says the Absolutists sent a missionary group to the drow city of Menzoberranzan to proselytize, knowing that this would enrage the drow, result in the slaughter of their missionaries, and that the drow would send out a task force to destroy the upstart proselytizers. Minthara was the leader of that attack force (she will tell you the story too). Upon arrival at Moonrise, Minthara's drow were ambushed and tadpoled.

[id795078477]

Originally posted by War Maiden:

Originally posted by id795078477:

Of the back of my mind:

-- Minthara
-- Araj Oblodra
-- True Soul Nere
-- Dhourn and other drow in his squad (to talk/interact: either use basilisk oil or let the beholder free them)
-- Twins

All those turned to stone outside the Selune Temple.

Ehm, what? The only petrified drow are Dhourn's squad?

Originally posted by War Maiden:

Drow, and Elves in general do age just not like Humans do.
Drow and most Elves live for hundreds of years, as long as they can keep from getting into malicious trouble. Drow Matriarchs last for centuries, if their House is in order. Viconia, has been around for at least 300 years, so no she isn't a 'granny' or anything of the sort. How anyone could come up with that is odd. YES Time, Stress and environmental issues can invoke different miasmas upon the body, psychologically speaking. However, Viconia does not seem to suffer from such things.

No, they don't. There are multiple sources saying that they do not. Mental aging is not the one I've meant. And 300 y.o. Viconia would be an equivalent of a 30 y.o. human. To attribute her aged look to some "stress" is just shoehorning it. Further read (direct quotations there):
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Elf#Lifespan
https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/6pyn14/how_do_elves_age/?rdt=53025

So no, elves will not display any signs of age apart from maybe hair color. To human and other short-lived races their age is not perceivable at all - because even if their hair color changes, that happens so slowly that a human simply wouldn't live long enough to notice.

Viconia's treatment was a pointless screw-up in order to nod to some inclusion nonsense. She (and any other elves btw) should be looking as young as they are at roughly 110 y.o. The "maturity" slider for elven races in the character creator is a spit into established lore. But then again - I wouldn't be surprised if WotC bends that lore to fit the new agendas.

[Wokelander]

Originally posted by seeker1:

There's a drow hireling ranger you can recruit. Veryll Wenkir. (may have that mis-spelled.)

There's a drow gear pack mod out there on Nexus that has some really nifty stuff for both him and Minthara. Though most of it is drow themed but not actually "race locked" to drow so other characters can use it.

I agree with you I'm surprised we run into duergar and deep gnomes in the Underdark, but not very many drow.

There's a bunch of Drow in the first Underdark area, they're just all petrified or dead

[seeker1]

BTW, Araj is obviously only loosely affiliated with the Absolute. She doesn't take part in your assault on the towers, (with or against you) and is rather happy to see you when you run into her again in the city. Presumably, she just left the towers before the assault began. "I'm done with these folks".

Some of the "experimental" potions she offers you at Moonrise are interesting ... I do not take her up on her offer to make your blood explosive in Act 3. What she offers to do with Astarion's vampire blood can affect his approval and/or romance depending on how you handle it.

Minthara has a lot to tell you about drow society and her relationship with her House (Baenre) if you talk to her about it.

[War Maiden]

Originally posted by War Maiden:

All those turned to stone outside the Selune Temple.

Originally posted by id795078477:

Ehm, what? The only petrified drow are Dhourn's squad?

Yes, they are still drow, and count.

Originally posted by War Maiden:

Drow, and Elves in general do age just not like Humans do.
Drow and most Elves live for hundreds of years, as long as they can keep from getting into malicious trouble. Drow Matriarchs last for centuries, if their House is in order. Viconia, has been around for at least 300 years, so no she isn't a 'granny' or anything of the sort. How anyone could come up with that is odd. YES Time, Stress and environmental issues can invoke different miasmas upon the body, psychologically speaking. However, Viconia does not seem to suffer from such things.

Originally posted by id795078477:

No, they don't. There are multiple sources saying that they do not. Mental aging is not the one I've meant. And 300 y.o. Viconia would be an equivalent of a 30 y.o. human. To attribute her aged look to some "stress" is just shoehorning it. Further read (direct quotations there):
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Elf#Lifespan
https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/6pyn14/how_do_elves_age/?rdt=53025

So no, elves will not display any signs of age apart from maybe hair color. To human and other short-lived races their age is not perceivable at all - because even if their hair color changes, that happens so slowly that a human simply wouldn't live long enough to notice.

The first one you quoted says thus:
"Elves were universally long-lived, achieving what they consider adulthood at 110 years of age and living for up to 700 and more years thereafter.

However, wood and wild elves matured at roughly the same rate as humans, but did not display many signs of ageing past adulthood, with the most obvious changes being a change in hair color, alternatively graying or darkening. Most of these elves remained healthy and full of life up until their death, which was usually well over two centuries."

Meaning most Elves could live up to 700 years, while the Wood and Wild Elves could live a bit more than 200. Probably due to their chosen environment.

Originally posted by id795078477:

Viconia's treatment was a pointless screw-up in order to nod to some inclusion nonsense. She (and any other elves btw) should be looking as young as they are at roughly 110 y.o. The "maturity" slider for elven races in the character creator is a spit into established lore. But then again - I wouldn't be surprised if WotC bends that lore to fit the new agendas.

The above quoted (using actual quotes) nullifies your 'argument'.