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Drizzt Do’Urden returns to video games in Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance, a co-op action RPG. The iconic hero of the Forgotten Realms will be a playable character in the video game. But after you’ve played the game, you might be hungry for more ways to encounter the renegade drow. In this article, we’ll discuss what makes Drizzt such a beloved hero of Dungeons & Dragons- and how you can bring him to life in your fifth edition D&D campaign. I’ve put together monster stat blocks for both Drizzt and his devoted companion, Guenhwyvar, as well. So, let’s dive in!
Why we love Drizzt
I first encountered Drizzt at Meltdown Comics in Los Angeles. I was caught up on Conan the Barbarian and hungry for more sword-and-sorcery when I discovered the Devil’s Due Comics adaptation of R.A. Salvatore’s Homeland. Artist Tim Seeley’s depiction of the drow in glowing purple caverns brought the Underdark to life for me. And, like the superheroes with whom he shared shelves at Meltdown Comics, Drizzt was visually unmistakable with his green cape, long white hair, charcoal skin, and violet eyes.
The dark elves of Norse mythology are nothing like the ones Gary Gygax invented for Greyhawk. Writer Edgar Rice Burroughs had a clear influence on D&D’s co-creator. It’s easy to picture 1930s magazine copy introducing the drow: “An underground world! Amazons rule! A treacherous society where evil is good!”
Like the creators of Superman and Wonder Woman, Gygax twisted pulp concepts into something new. The drow were a remote matriarchal society, but where Princess Diana’s sisters lived on Paradise Island, Gygax’s murderous Romulans plotted in caves surrounded by monstrously large tunnels. Even cooler for all of our inner 12-year-olds: one among the drow was good. And he fought with two swords and a magical panther.
A brief history lesson
Created in 1990 by Salvatore as a sidekick for the more traditional barbarian hero Wulfgar, Drizzt has more than equaled the popularity of his fellow Companions of the Hall. At five-foot-four and with a slight build, Drizzt is a sympathetic physical underdog in a world of hook horrors. Despite the fact that drow don’t quite resemble real-world humans, Drizzt is a relatable character who makes for a good tale.
He is an outcast and a good person who has arisen from a spider-obsessed cult. He is judged unfairly by his appearance and must tirelessly work to prove himself a trustworthy ally to those who dwell on the surface world. He isn’t always successful, yet he continues to battle against evils others might have accepted. And through his struggles, he has established a new family in the Companions.
Drizzt in media
The famed drow adventurer doesn’t just appear in books and comics. He appears in video games such as Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance — and its sequel — and is a playable character in 2021’s Dark Alliance. He will also appear in his own trading card in Magic: The Gathering’s Adventures in the Forgotten Realms set.
Bringing Drizzt to your D&D campaign
Drizzt is alive and well in the fifth edition timeline, and he has frequented numerous locations found in this edition’s Forgotten Realms adventures. So, inserting him into your campaign is easy.
Drizzt as an ally
Introducing an iconic character from D&D lore can give a jolt to your campaign, too. If the players are familiar with Drizzt, spread rumors that a dark elf and his enormous black cat were recently spotted entering the same dungeon the player characters are bound to explore. Bodies felled by scimitars and the cat could litter the dungeon entrance. Then, when initiative is rolled against a powerful enemy group, Drizzt could jump into the fray, splitting the enemies’ attention. Alternatively, a distressed Guenhwyvar could lead the party to a badly wounded Drizzt.
Drizzt as a villain
Drizzt could also be a great antagonist. Players might enjoy testing their mettle against a legendary character. A mind flayer might be controlling the drow. The party might be forced to fight him off long enough to break the illithid’s grasp on his mind.
The Companions of the Hall as a group patron
Drizzt and other members of the Companions of the Hall could make for an excellent group patron, especially for renegade drow following in Drizzt’s footsteps. Drizzt, Cattie-Brie, and the Companions might be taking a step back as adventurers in order to let a new generation step forward — though make sure not to cast your player characters as some kind of B-Team. The Companions should be leaning on the player characters and respect them. They might even serve as trainers for player characters during downtime.
Speaking and acting as Drizzt
As for roleplaying this iconic drow, a careful actor goes back to the source. In an interview about “Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Vector Prime,” Salvatore calls Drizzt “the classic romantic hero, misunderstood, holding to a code of ideals even when the going gets tough though he never sees much appreciation for it,” and lists Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings as an inspiration. This might finally be the moment for your Viggo Mortensen impression. But as long as Drizzt’s speech pattern is in line with children of wealthy families and any other drow in your campaign, you are good.
Drizzt and Guenhwyvar stat blocks
I built monster stat blocks for Drizzt and Guenhwyvar using D&D Beyond’s homebrew monster creator. Their statistics can be found below:
‘That’s not Drizzt!’
Monster stat blocks are simpler to build than a character sheet, as they aren’t meant to depict the subject’s every facet, just their basic essence. Drizzt has been envisioned by fans in so many different ways, we likely could never reach a consensus on the perfect stat block- in other words, this is a massively unofficial build for the icon.
For example, D&D developer Chris Perkins had a character sheet for Drizzt that pinned him as an 8th-level Champion fighter. But fans on Salvatore’s message board analyzed combat in the novels and put him at 10th level. A third edition version of Drizzt had him with 10 levels in fighter, five in ranger, and one in barbarian (to represent the feral Hunter). Some fans feel the current 1480s incarnation of Drizzt should be more powerful than he was two editions ago. After all, his contemporary Jarlaxle Baenre is now a Challenge Rating (CR) 15 adversary with legendary actions.
if my Drizzt sends you into a rage, the homebrew monster creator is easy enough to use to create your own version!
How I approached Drizzt’s stat block
I wanted to provide a non-player character who might meaningfully interact with a good percentage of the player base and who might not spell certain death for parties who oppose him. Thus, I settled on a CR 9 Drizzt and CR 2 Guenhwyvar — a hard encounter for a party of four 8th-level adventurers. I decided against giving Drizzt legendary actions out of concern over his power level.
I used the drow elite warrior stat block as a template. I first removed Sunlight Sensitivity to reflect Drizzt’s decades in the sun before envisioning how I might translate his fighting style to fifth edition. I wanted to emphasize the whirling swordsman who first caught my eye years ago in comic book panels. I gave Drizzt three attacks per round and proficiency in Dexterity (Acrobatics). To reflect Drizzt’s epic finishing moves in video games, I gave him the Improved Critical feature from the Champion fighter subclass.
For his magic items, I boiled down his most iconic items and transcribed them just as Perkins did. I did take the 16 Hit Dice that his third edition had and adjusted Perkins’ stats accordingly.
Drizzt at higher levels
If the characters in your campaign are 12th level or higher, and a greater challenge is necessary, make the following adjustments to Drizzt’s stat block:
- Bump his number of Hit Dice up to 20
- Add an additional attack per round
- Include Andahar, Drizzt’s unicorn, and/or other Companions as allies
Fighting as Drizzt
This iteration of Drizzt should be hard to hit and able to dish out a lot of damage between his attacks. Don’t overlook the drow’s signature spells, darkness and faerie fire, or his ability to Parry, which can make for some flashy roleplay in the heat of combat.
Building Guenhwyvar
I first looked at the panther statistics provided in the basic rules. But the description for that creature fell short of the 10-foot long, 600-pound beast Drizzt summons using his magical figurine. So, I looked elsewhere for inspiration.
Perkins’s character sheet for Drizzt suggested using the statistics of a saber-toothed tiger for Guenhwyvar. I used them as my template but wanted to represent the panther’s fierce loyalty to Drizzt in game terms. I settled on the lion’s Pack Tactics feature.
How to add homebrew creations to your collection
Drizzt’s unforgettable appearance, appeal to outsiders, and incorruptible morals have made him an iconic character in Dungeons & Dragons lore. Depending on your campaign, Drizzt can be an easy and exciting inclusion — whether he makes a passing appearance or sticks around as an ally or enemy to the party.
If you would like to use my version of this drow and panther combo in your game, you will first need to subscribe to D&D Beyond. Then, go to the monster statistics pages I made for them (here and here), scroll down, and click “Add to Collection.” They will appear in the My Homebrew Collection page and be available to use in the Encounter Builder. And don’t forget to band together with friends and fight against vicious monsters in Dark Alliance, the new co-op action brawler from Dungeons & Dragons.
The Wild Beyond the Witchlight is D&D’s next big adventure storyline and is now available for preorder on D&D Beyond! It brings the wicked whimsy of the Feywild to fifth edition for the first time and offers new characters, monsters, mechanics, and story hooks suitable for players of all ages and experience levels! Master-tier subscribers can share their books and other compendium content with friends in their campaigns!
Comedian and writer John Roy (@johnroycomic) has appeared on Conan and The Tonight Show and written for Vulture and Dragon Plus. He is the co-host of the comedy/war gaming podcast Legends of the Painty Men. His albums can be found on Apple Music and Spotify. He splits his time between Los Angeles and the Free City of Greyhawk.
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