Need class idea for escaped drow slave

[moonfly7]

I'm working on my backup character for my game, where my characters get knocked out and/or killed in every boss fight. Just mine, so far, I've lost one character in game, and retired the other. The DM and the party were surprised at my last characters death, as we've never lost anyone before.

I have a new character now, but hes one of our two only front line fighters, and he only has A 1d8 hitdice. So I've been encouraged toroll a backup just incase. Irs a practice i do amyways.

Now, I have a great backstory for the character already; he is a Yuan-ti pureblood who was captured by drow slavers at a young age and hauled to the underdark. Being a slave down their opened my characters eyes to how terrible slavery was, making him ashamed of his people even as his spirit was broken. Eventually, he manages to escape, albeit emotionally and physically scarred. He is heavily terrified of physical contact now, and will not speak unless directly spoken to first.

Amyways, he's a great character concept, but I need a class for him. I just played a paladin, and am playing a warlock, so I wpuld rather not play those. Same reasons for monk and ranger.

The DM allows multiclassing and homebrew classes as long as he oks them first. He also allows all uac classes except for the mystic. Thanks for any advice given, and feel free to ask any questions you need too.

[moonfly7]

I'm thinking classes tgat make sense for drow slaves to be forced to learn, specifically male slaves, but I don't know what those would be.

[Particle_Man]

A cleric of a god of Freedom makes sense. I don’t know what pantheon your world uses but some change god like Kord or Trithereon might work.

[Aett_Thorn]

Do you roll for stats, or use Standard Array/Point Buy?

Also, what are the other players in the party? That might help us make sure we don’t duplicate someone else in the group.

First thoughts, especially if you can roll for stats and might get some better than average scores:

1) Barbarian. You’ve been in chains your whole life, and won’t be going back into them. Advantage on strength checks while raging sure helps to break out of bonds! Also, as a Yuan-ti, you’re resistant to a lot of the issues that can be a problem for Barbarians.

2) A Light Cleric. You were chosen by a deity of freedom, who helped you escape. Now you’ve sworn fealty to him as you hope to lead others to the light of freedom.

[Sigreid]

I'd go rogue. He's just using all those skills that kept him alive while he was a slave.

[Trickery]

I was going to say warlock until I read your post. With that in mind...


Males are second-class citizens in Drow society. Males may not become clerics (priestesses), and the Drow god Lolth (The Spider Queen) considers males to be inferior. Their society is one of subtlety, slavery, deception, and cruelty. The only things that hold Drow together are a superiority complex and a mutual hatred of all other races. They consider other races to be iblith - inferior, non-Drow filth.

These things may change soon, based on recent R.A. Salvatore books. But this is how Drow have been for at least the past thirty years.

With those factors in mind, Warlock made the most sense to me. Your male character would be denied any shred of dignity or power in a Drow society and thus would be quite tempted by a promise of power from another entity. However, if you don't want warlock, then here are some other ideas:

Rogue - you escaped by sneaking away and have kept to the shadows ever since, watching over your shoulder for pursuers. Gloomstalker Ranger would also work for the same reasons.
Whisper Bard - works well with Yuan-ti stats, but there's a particular spin you could put on this. Suppose your character was meant to be a spy but was caught and enslaved as punishment. It would make sense that you were once trained as by the College of Whispers, but have not used that training in a very long time.
Sorcerer - x-men mutant style. Your magical powers awakened in a time of distress, and you used them to escape. Your journey has been internal as much as external, learning the nature of your powers and searching for information about the powerful lineage you did not know you had.

Anything will work depending on what kind of character you want to play.


A cleric of a god of Freedom makes sense. I don’t know what pantheon your world uses but some change god like Kord or Trithereon might work.

This is a good idea.

[moonfly7]

Do you roll for stats, or use Standard Array/Point Buy?

Also, what are the other players in the party? That might help us make sure we don’t duplicate someone else in the group.

First thoughts, especially if you can roll for stats and might get some better than average scores:

1) Barbarian. You’ve been in chains your whole life, and won’t be going back into them. Advantage on strength checks while raging sure helps to break out of bonds! Also, as a Yuan-ti, you’re resistant to a lot of the issues that can be a problem for Barbarians.

2) A Light Cleric. You were chosen by a deity of freedom, who helped you escape. Now you’ve sworn fealty to him as you hope to lead others to the light of freedom.
We roll for stats using a six by six grid, we can theb choose any row, column, or diagonal as a stat block. As for party, we have a bard of the pun homebrew subclass, arcane archer fighter, bloodhunter with the warlock pact subclass (also yuanti), and sometimes a divination wizard.
Heres the issue with both of those class choices: this guy isn't very super "freedom for all, I'll never be a slave again!" Kinda person.
Hes been a slave for all of his teenage years, and basically all of his young adult years. Hes been put through every drow slave breaking technique there is, and it worked. Just deciding he had a right to freedom was hard for him, I don't think he could go full on light cleric, especialy since I get the feeling hes terrified of all gods at this point becaise hes convinced their all like lolth. And I just can't see him as a barbarian. Great suggestions though! Thanks! Hope all of the above info helps.

[moonfly7]

I was going to say warlock until I read your post. With that in mind...


Males are second-class citizens in Drow society. Males may not become clerics (priestesses), and the Drow god Lolth (The Spider Queen) considers males to be inferior. Their society is one of subtlety, slavery, deception, and cruelty. The only things that hold Drow together are a superiority complex and a mutual hatred of all other races. They consider other races to be iblith - inferior, non-Drow filth.

These things may change soon, based on recent R.A. Salvatore books. But this is how Drow have been for at least the past thirty years.

With those factors in mind, Warlock made the most sense to me. Your male character would be denied any shred of dignity or power in a Drow society and thus would be quite tempted by a promise of power from another entity. However, if you don't want warlock, then here are some other ideas:

Rogue - you escaped by sneaking away and have kept to the shadows ever since, watching over your shoulder for pursuers. Gloomstalker Ranger would also work for the same reasons.
Whisper Bard - works well with Yuan-ti stats, but there's a particular spin you could put on this. Suppose your character was meant to be a spy but was caught and enslaved as punishment. It would make sense that you were once trained as by the College of Whispers, but have not used that training in a very long time.
Sorcerer - x-men mutant style. Your magical powers awakened in a time of distress, and you used them to escape. Your journey has been internal as much as external, learning the nature of your powers and searching for information about the powerful lineage you did not know you had.

Anything will work depending on what kind of character you want to play.



This is a good idea.

So, I do know the basic drow stuff, thanks though. What I meant, but I didn't explain well, is I need more complex knowledge of drow society.
Rogue is definetly a good suggestion, but so you have a good frame of refference, this character is probably lawful good. Even after the crap he's been through. His alignment before being a slave was probably neutral evil or something, but being a slave actually changed him for the better. Rogue and Sorcerer are great ideas, Thanks!

[Trickery]

We roll for stats using a six by six grid, we can theb choose any row, column, or diagonal as a stat block. As for party, we have a bard of the pun homebrew subclass, arcane archer fighter, bloodhunter with the warlock pact subclass (also yuanti), and sometimes a divination wizard.
Heres the issue with both of those class choices: this guy isn't very super "freedom for all, I'll never be a slave again!" Kinda person.
Hes been a slave for all of his teenage years, and basically all of his young adult years. Hes been put through every drow slave breaking technique there is, and it worked. Just deciding he had a right to freedom was hard for him, I don't think he could go full on light cleric, especialy since I get the feeling hes terrified of all gods at this point becaise hes convinced their all like lolth. And I just can't see him as a barbarian. Great suggestions though! Thanks! Hope all of the above info helps.

Then what about a wizard or sorcerer?

Wizard: has been secretly reading his master's tomes. Finally accepted that he deserved freedom when he realized his knowledge had eclipsed his master's.

Sorcerer: his powers awakened within him, giving him a new identity and making him feel as though he was born again. He's now seeking out others of his lineage to learn who he is (recall: sorcerers get their powers by being descended from powerful beings).

[Segev]

How about a divine soul sorcerer, with his heritage and alignment shift making his yuan-ti scales take on exotic rainbow hues due to a couatl bloodline? Delicate and beautiful after being broken to slavery, he was a desirable bauble to display or accessory to take places. His magic - healing and utility and combative - made him a good general-purpose bodyguard/eye-candy/servant.

Take Unseen Servant for general service needs, and Guidance to be moderately skilled at anything his master or mistress required.

[Laserlight]

Light cleric should be a definite "I reject everything about drow-iness" statement. The god selected you and there you are.

[moonfly7]

With help from you and my DM, I'm going with sorcerer, dragon heritage that were going to flavor in a cool way. Thanks for your help!

[Mikaleus]

I was going to suggest oath of the ancients Paladin.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eilistraee

A good drow goddess who perhaps your slave had heard of or secretly worships.

That said I see you picked Draconic Sorcerer :)

[Reevh]

A Fiend Warlock with a Levistus patron might be interesting. "As part of Levistus’s punishment, Asmodeus decreed that he must offer escape and safety to the desperate, especially those who fear for their lives." If your character was particularly desperate in slavery to the drow, he might have reached out for aid to whomever was willing to offer it, and took help from Levistus. Now he's trapped in a pact with a devil lord (or one of Levistus's lieutenants, more likely), and may not be happy with hit. This would fit well with the theme of the haunted character you seem to be going with.

Edit: Oh, I see you've made a choice. Have fun!

[Draconi Redfir]

maybe some time after escaping, your yuan-ti joined up with a circus or something and learned how to play music, becoming a bard

[djreynolds]

How long were you a slave?

Breaking rocks, fighting, what were you doing?

What about a mystic?

Are you angry? And you apathetic? What has being a slave done to you?

Answer these questions, and you'll have a good idea.

[Mercurias]

How long were you a slave?

Breaking rocks, fighting, what were you doing?

What about a mystic?

Are you angry? And you apathetic? What has being a slave done to you?

Answer these questions, and you'll have a good idea.

The OP answered all of those questions and already has their idea, yeah.

[Daghoulish]

Maybe a Gloomstalker Ranger/Rogue multi class? Getting expertise with stealth and being invisible to darkvision would make for a character that could escape from drow. Only take Gloomstalker to 3, then go all Rogue. Using gloomstalker levels to explain his escape and his natural affinity for the environment over people. Rogue also makes him a more reactive team based class with needing someone else near his target to do real damage. You could even go scout to emphasis that you had to survive in one of the worst places alone with only your wits, the underdark.

[djreynolds]

The OP answered all of those questions and already has their idea, yeah.

Not really, not very good answers.

Emotionally and physically scarred from what? Slavery is bit vague. He doesn't like physical contact, why? He only speaks unless spoken to, why?

I see a soldier in armor, chainmail and disciplined.

Its tough to be ashamed of his people, if he was young and never really knew them. He only knows of yuanti from drow elf slavers, a culture of liars.

I do like the idea of scales though as a manifestation of not being touched.

Edit: the treatment of yuanti slave vs a simple goblin is vastly different. Was perhaps a "prized" slave, or a slave to be experimented with or tested. A goblin might be beaten or used a cannon fodder.

[Man_Over_Game]

Moon Druid would fit well, as Yuan Ti have a lot of magic, and their natural resistances work wonders with a beast form. You also need a frontliner, and the Moon Druid fits that role and more.

As for homebrew options to spice things up:

Option 1: Superior Fighter-

Rather than gaining Action Surge at level 2, you gain one Superiority Die and can choose 2 maneuvers from the Battle Master subclass. Your Superiority Die is a 1d8, and you regain it after a Short or Long Rest. You gain an additional Superiority Die at levels 5, 11, 17 and 20 and can change one of your maneuvers at those levels.

At level 17, you gain 2 more maneuvers and your Superiority Die is a 1d10.

[Designed to be a less generic, less bland Fighter that has signature moves. It's balanced around the fact that Action Surge doubles your number of attacks, and each Superiority Die is roughly as effective as a single attack.]

Option 2: Dex-based Barbarian-

You can take the Barbarian, using Dexterity in place of Strength for your Barbarian features.
Requirement: The only Barbarian subclass available to you is the Path of the Berserker. Additionally, at least half of your character levels (rounded up) must be in Barbarian.

[Designed to be a new style of Barbarian, one that uses adrenaline and instincts to move fast, balanced by the fact that Dexterity is best with ranged weapons and Two-weapon fighting, but neither synergize well with the Berserker's Frenzy so you'll have to use it less often. Your Barbarian Subclass feature is now effectively having a Dexterity-based Rage, more info in the Prestige Options link in the Signature]

[Yakmala]

My initial thought is Rogue Scout, representing the survival and stealth skills he was forced to learn to survive and escape the Underdark.

[Segev]

Moon Druid would fit well, as Yuan Ti have a lot of magic, and their natural resistances work wonders with a beast form. You also need a frontliner, and the Moon Druid fits that role and more.

If you go Moon Druid, you could have been passed off as your drow master's snake familiar on occasion, too.

[moonfly7]

Not really, not very good answers.

Emotionally and physically scarred from what? Slavery is bit vague. He doesn't like physical contact, why? He only speaks unless spoken to, why?

I see a soldier in armor, chainmail and disciplined.

Its tough to be ashamed of his people, if he was young and never really knew them. He only knows of yuanti from drow elf slavers, a culture of liars.

I do like the idea of scales though as a manifestation of not being touched.

Edit: the treatment of yuanti slave vs a simple goblin is vastly different. Was perhaps a "prized" slave, or a slave to be experimented with or tested. A goblin might be beaten or used a cannon fodder.
So, I have my class, sorcerer. And I wasn't gonna post, but I hate leaving questions unanswered.
I feel like slavery, in general, especially as a male foreigner in drow society, especially one of a species that probably competes with drow in the slave trade, is a good enough reason for him being scarred emotionally and figuratively. Yes, there are specifics there, but personally, trying to think about them disgusts me and makes me feel like crying. If they do that to you, you know if they actually happened you'd be scarred.
He doesn't like physical contact because the only times anyone ever really tries to touch a slave in a culture like the drows is to hurt them, or somwthing worse. You'd flinch too. As for the speaking unless spoken to thing, its something I think drow slaves would be taught, it enforces the "were superior" attitude of the drow.
Finally, he's been out from the ubderdark roughly half a year now. He's seen the yuanti, anything he's heard about them have long since been confirmed as true. That probably messed with him a bit more too. Finding out that the home he sought was as bad as the prison he left. Hope that answers ypur questions.

Also, in case anyobe is wandering, yes, I did decide on sorcerer, but feel free to keep suggesting, nothings set in stone till my current character dies!

[djreynolds]

Now that is an awesome answer.

Awesome.

You have a cool concept. A yuanti slave of drow.

How would they treat someone like you?

Are they scared to give you any training, because you could be a Spartacus leading a slave revolt?

But does some wizard find you fascinating.

This could be an incredible character.

I like the sorcerer idea, because perhaps they feared you and kept you isolated. The only attention you received was at the hands of some sick wizard.

Feels like the relationship between Magneto and Sebastian Shaw, in First Class.

I'm excited to see more.

Characters like this end up in novels.

[moonfly7]

Now that is an awesome answer.

Awesome.

You have a cool concept. A yuanti slave of drow.

How would they treat someone like you?

Are they scared to give you any training, because you could be a Spartacus leading a slave revolt?

But does some wizard find you fascinating.

This could be an incredible character.

I like the sorcerer idea, because perhaps they feared you and kept you isolated. The only attention you received was at the hands of some sick wizard.

Feels like the relationship between Magneto and Sebastian Shaw, in First Class.

I'm excited to see more.

Characters like this end up in novels.
Well, he's not actually aware of his sorcerer status until he accidently uses it to escape. He's had it all of his life, and he knew he had it, but he was captured when he was around 8 or so, maybe a little younger, so he didn't really understand what sorcerer meant. And since he was constantly weak from malnutrition, and was never taught how to cast spells, regardless of the fact he doesn't know he can, he never used magic until later on. I'm not 100% certain, but I think a task master decides to kill him to show an example when he falls down or something, and his magic finally reacts defensively to protect him. In that moment, with his magic pumping in his veins, and adrenaline roaring in his ears, he escapes.

Over the 6 month period of freedom he slowly learns what he is, and begins to hone his long to suppressed skills. Meanwhile, his old owner now actually sees him as a prize worth keeping, and starts to send people after him.

Also, to answer your inevitable question about him being an exotic specimen and it not making sense to have him do menial work, in my DMs world yuanti are fairly common. Maybe he'd stand out as a work slave, but he wouldn't be considered highly valuable or anything. That wpuld be something like assimar or tieflings, who are very rare in this world.

[Nagog]

Depending on your stats, you could go Barbarian that uses a weighted chain (perhaps dual wield reskined whips)? Being a barbarian should allow you a bit more survivability, however you may suffer some utility out of combat unless you use things like Background and Feats to strengthen them there (Prodigy and Magic Initiate are both great feats for that).

You could also play a Cleric of a God of Freedom, as previously stated

You could play a Sorcerer with spells focusing on giving you movement based buffs (Longstrider, Freedom of Movement, Jump, etc.) for a freedom theme.

Conjuration Wizards for teleportation spells and such



I have a character I'm going to be playing soon that was a Drow High Priestess's favored servant, which expanded his experience beyond typical slavery by having him repeatedly engage in Gladiatorial combat, where he would regularly be slaughtered and then revived later when she needed him to do something again. He's a Warlock with a homebrew patron, but he has Mask of Many Faces as his first Invocation to prevent himself from being found and returned to the High Priestess, and he escaped using deception and stealth rather than brute force, so there are quite a few story elements that may feed into his class and abilities, depending on how you feel this individual is no longer a slave.

[moonfly7]

Depending on your stats, you could go Barbarian that uses a weighted chain (perhaps dual wield reskined whips)? Being a barbarian should allow you a bit more survivability, however you may suffer some utility out of combat unless you use things like Background and Feats to strengthen them there (Prodigy and Magic Initiate are both great feats for that).

You could also play a Cleric of a God of Freedom, as previously stated

You could play a Sorcerer with spells focusing on giving you movement based buffs (Longstrider, Freedom of Movement, Jump, etc.) for a freedom theme.

Conjuration Wizards for teleportation spells and such



I have a character I'm going to be playing soon that was a Drow High Priestess's favored servant, which expanded his experience beyond typical slavery by having him repeatedly engage in Gladiatorial combat, where he would regularly be slaughtered and then revived later when she needed him to do something again. He's a Warlock with a homebrew patron, but he has Mask of Many Faces as his first Invocation to prevent himself from being found and returned to the High Priestess, and he escaped using deception and stealth rather than brute force, so there are quite a few story elements that may feed into his class and abilities, depending on how you feel this individual is no longer a slave.

Honestly, I cant answer the question about how he feels hes no longer a slave. I think he's trying to answer that. He's been a slabe his whole life, he is glad he isnt anymore, but what is he? Sure he's a sorcerer, but thats not something he chose, he was that long before he was a slave. I think that the biggest things about this character like where to go from here in class, feats, or whatever, are going to be determined by the story. Maybe he finds a god that gives him a purpose, maybe he decides if he's going to have magic, he's going to prove he desserves it. Or maybe he'll find solace in the arts, and follow the path od the bard in the party. I believe that a lot of his most important moments are ahead of him, not behind him. And what defines him, what will make him truly memorable, is the effects the other players have on him, and vice versa.

[moonfly7]

Ok, slight change to the character, I'm not sure if he'll be a sorcerer or a druid. I am seriously considering druid. If I made him a druid, tge only changes would be how he escaped. Yuanti can already speak with snakes, which probably love the underdark, especially in the winter. Through the few snakes that made there way to his cell and the courtyard over the years, he developed a love of all animals. So he began studing them, and sketching on scrap sheets of paper he found with a piece of charcoal. Over time, his study of animals lead him to discovering their secrets, and ultimately, how to become them. Using this knowledge, he would escape. Once on the surface, his story is mostly the same, accept hes in awe of tge simplest surface animals, and painstakingly sketches each one, often times afyer becoming them. He prefers smaller animals like mice or other generally igmored creatures, which he uses to avoid both the drow and peoples attention, as he hates being noticed, people looking at him makes him fidgety.

[djreynolds]

See very cool.
Though he may not know. Someone else, a drow slayer, saw his potential.

Like the gladiator movie, some are good for fighting and some for dying.

So perhaps there is a guard who knew or whatever.

And you don't have to be lawful good or Spartacus and lead a revolt.

You may or may not care what happened to others

Sorcerer and druids have that hermit feel.

It's why I liked DMing Out of the Abyss. The NPCs were so diversified about their imprisonment.

[Bloodyshadow1]

I would have suggested barbarian if you're party is going to lose you as a frontline fighter and pretty good with a Yuan-ti's magic resistance, but since you seem opposed to that, any charisma or wisdom caster would make sense. A slave is likely to be less educated which means it would make sense for them to have low int, but possibly have good wisdom or charisma, depending on their position

Why was your character a slave, and what did they do as a slave?

I'm sorry if you answered that already but it could help you make a decision since being captured for a reason, even if your character
doesn't know it could make them lean into a sorcerer, hidden lineage that they didn't know about being the reason they were abducted.
If they were a menial labor slave than I would say that could affect the physical ability scores and lean towards a martial class.
If they were a house slave then they would need to be pretty and witty enough to be mocked by their masters but still be entertaining
If they were an assistant to a powerful wizard drow than they might be smart actually and have a decent int score, or maybe a good wis
to keep their master on track

[moonfly7]

I would have suggested barbarian if you're party is going to lose you as a frontline fighter and pretty good with a Yuan-ti's magic resistance, but since you seem opposed to that, any charisma or wisdom caster would make sense. A slave is likely to be less educated which means it would make sense for them to have low int, but possibly have good wisdom or charisma, depending on their position

Why was your character a slave, and what did they do as a slave?

I'm sorry if you answered that already but it could help you make a decision since being captured for a reason, even if your character
doesn't know it could make them lean into a sorcerer, hidden lineage that they didn't know about being the reason they were abducted.
If they were a menial labor slave than I would say that could affect the physical ability scores and lean towards a martial class.
If they were a house slave then they would need to be pretty and witty enough to be mocked by their masters but still be entertaining
If they were an assistant to a powerful wizard drow than they might be smart actually and have a decent int score, or maybe a good wis
to keep their master on track
So, he was a menial work slave, but he was never taught to actually fight. For the most part, he survived by being mundane. You know what kind of slaves get the most punishment? The weak, for being weak, And the strong, to make an example of them. Be neither, and you survived. So thats what he did. He survived. So, hes not particularly strong, medium amounts of strength I think, wisdom and int are high though. As for intelegence being low for lack of education, int mostly represents natural intelect, in my opinion, schooling can only teach you facts, things like reading, history, science, and math. Intelegence is the ability to comprehend and process facts.

As for his capture, it was a standard drow slaving party to the surface. They probably hit either a town where he lived, or he wandered off and was captured. Or he was traveling, and was captured that way.

As for class, I'm really thinking druid, but he wouldn't be a typical worshipper of the old faith, he's a lover of nature, and he loves studying it. His mind is naturally inquisitive, and, once he escapes, he can finally feed that dessire.

Finally, I am not particularly interested ib someone helping him escape, I think he somehow manages it on his own. If he is a druid, he'll use his newly aquired ability to wildshape to sneak as far as possible, before reverting back after about an hour, and using his druid magic to escape.

[Bloodyshadow1]

So, he was a menial work slave, but he was never taught to actually fight. For the most part, he survived by being mundane. You know what kind of slaves get the most punishment? The weak, for being weak, And the strong, to make an example of them. Be neither, and you survived. So thats what he did. He survived. So, hes not particularly strong, medium amounts of strength I think, wisdom and int are high though. As for intelegence being low for lack of education, int mostly represents natural intelect, in my opinion, schooling can only teach you facts, things like reading, history, science, and math. Intelegence is the ability to comprehend and process facts.

As for his capture, it was a standard drow slaving party to the surface. They probably hit either a town where he lived, or he wandered off and was captured. Or he was traveling, and was captured that way.

As for class, I'm really thinking druid, but he wouldn't be a typical worshipper of the old faith, he's a lover of nature, and he loves studying it. His mind is naturally inquisitive, and, once he escapes, he can finally feed that dessire.

Finally, I am not particularly interested ib someone helping him escape, I think he somehow manages it on his own. If he is a druid, he'll use his newly aquired ability to wildshape to sneak as far as possible, before reverting back after about an hour, and using his druid magic to escape.

I always saw it the opposite for intelligence, it's what you were taught and how you remember information to identify facts that you need to recall, whereas wisdom is how you use the information you have and apply it to real world situations. That's why skills like medicine, insight, perception, and survival are all wisdom skills, while skills that were all formally knowledge (x) skills in old editions are still int skills because they're still what you can recall from what you were taught. But to each their own.
It does sound like you have everything set though so I hope you don't have to use this character too quickly, but have fun playing if when you do need him

[Irennan]

Divine Soul sorcerer, chosen by Eilistraee--a drow goddess who actively seeks to help "her children" escape Lolth's clutches and build a bright future for them on the surface world. Despite being focised on drow, she strives to promote harmony among all races; looks kindly on outcasts, and gladly welcomes anyone willing to walk a path that revels in life and its celebration. She firmly believes in the possibility of redemption for people from any race (in fact, IIRC, Ed Greenwood said that she even has a couple chromatic dragons as followers), including the wish of your Yuan-ti to fight slavery. In 5e, she's a goddess of freedom (aside from beauty, dance, music, moonlight, and swordplay) and both she and her followers have a hatred of slavery and are known to fight it when they can (while also sheltering slaves). IMO, it fits the concept to a T.

The awakening of the PC's power as sorcerer could also be part of what helped him escape.

[moonfly7]

Divine Soul sorcerer, chosen by Eilistraee--a drow goddess who actively seeks to help "her children" escape Lolth's clutches and build a bright future for them on the surface world. Despite being focised on drow, she strives to promote harmony among all races; looks kindly on outcasts, and gladly welcomes anyone willing to walk a path that revels in life and its celebration. She firmly believes in the possibility of redemption for people from any race (in fact, IIRC, Ed Greenwood said that she even has a couple chromatic dragons as followers), including the wish of your Yuan-ti to fight slavery. In 5e, she's a goddess of freedom (aside from beauty, dance, music, moonlight, and swordplay) and both she and her followers have a hatred of slavery and are known to fight it when they can (while also sheltering slaves). IMO, it fits the concept to a T.

The awakening of the PC's power as sorcerer could also be part of what helped him escape.
Good stuff, accept he isn't driven by a desire to free slaves. If he runs into them, he'll do it, and yes, he will help current and former slaves he meets at great risk to himself, however, he doesn't actively seek them out. he would be a terrible choice for this goddess, yes, he was a slave, he loves being free, he's greatful. But now that he finally has a choice, as difficult as that is to comprehend for him, he wants to find out what he wants to do with it.
Also, you litterally could not do anything ever to get him back into the underdark. He has claustrophobia from his time there, and if he even sees drow he has a brief fit where his mind siezes up, amd he stares blankly forward for several seconds, then he either casts a vision obscuring spell, tramsforms into a small shape, or uses a movememt spell to keep tge drow away from him. Then he proceeds to hide, and rock back and forth gently in a ball.
Thanks for the help!

[Irennan]

Good stuff, accept he isn't driven by a desire to free slaves. If he runs into them, he'll do it, and yes, he will help current and former slaves he meets at great risk to himself, however, he doesn't actively seek them out. he would be a terrible choice for this goddess, yes, he was a slave, he loves being free, he's greatful. But now that he finally has a choice, as difficult as that is to comprehend for him, he wants to find out what he wants to do with it.
Also, you litterally could not do anything ever to get him back into the underdark. He has claustrophobia from his time there, and if he even sees drow he has a brief fit where his mind siezes up, amd he stares blankly forward for several seconds, then he either casts a vision obscuring spell, tramsforms into a small shape, or uses a movememt spell to keep tge drow away from him. Then he proceeds to hide, and rock back and forth gently in a ball.
Thanks for the help!

Ah, well, I was way off tracks then. I mean, Eilistraee would be fine with him not actively seeking out slavery, and helping him out of compassion would be 100% in-character for her, but if he essentially has PTSD triggered by drow, then it would be impossible for him to find a home in one of her communities. She could also wish for him to overcome the fear of drow--it would be in line with her goal--but it doesn't seem that it's relevant for what you're going for.

[moonfly7]

Ah, well, I was way off tracks then. I mean, Eilistraee would be fine with him not actively seeking out slavery, and helping him out of compassion would be 100% in-character for her, but if he essentially has PTSD triggered by drow, then it would be impossible for him to find a home in one of her communities. She could also wish for him to overcome the fear of drow--it would be in line with her goal--but it doesn't seem that it's relevant for what you're going for.
He will eventually get over the drow stuff, in game we have a soft spoken, nerdy, magic shop owner who sells us minor magic items, and health potions at a slight bargain. He's an escaped male drow, and a chill bro who we genuinely like. He's also the only place so far the archer can by arrows from, so if I bring this character in, I have a feeling he will be able to work past his issues. Given enough time.