Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Odin 02-05-04, 04:53 PM	Hi all, I am new to the boards but am preparing to do some DMing in, of course, Forgotten realms. My adventure is going to be loosely based off of a Neverwinter nights player created mod called, A Hunt through the Darkness. My PCs are only being allowed to be Drow, no if ands or buts. I am starting them off at 3rd lvl, and have decided because they are all drow I will not penalize them on the lvl adjustment for powerful races. I have also thrown out the favored class for drows. This reason is 2 fold, one again because they are all drow no matter what, and because I feel that because in Drow society wizards are so GREATLY distrusted that wizard would not be the accepted norm for a favored class. That females would pour out praises and encourage warriors instead. Anyways, I am just posting looking for some interesting plot twists other players and DM's might have.:angel:
Cunning Linguist 02-05-04, 05:04 PM	If you don't use penalty for strong races, they will gain XP much to fast, and the CR for all monsters will be wrong. As for not having favored class. It's only for multiclassing, I don't see what great advantage you get from tossing it out. The most powerful characters are pureclass anyways. As for plot ideas.. The Underdark book is full of them, depends where you start in the realms this is going to happen, and if you are going to use the silence of Lolth or not, and all kind of things, need more info.
Odin 02-05-04, 05:25 PM	Here's the deal though, as a former Dark Sun dm. My characters know that my adventures are very tough. I am familiar with toning up and down encounters as the adventure goes on because of PC strength or weaknesses. I feel that by taking away the lvl 2 adjustment to my players and having them encounter things as though they were 2lvls higher I will not be hurting them. I feel as thoughI will still be using it, but on paper it looks as though I am trying to cut them a break even though at 3rd lvl they still will be encountering 5thlvl mobs led by 7th-8th lvl mobs with some peon 3rd lvls thrown in. Anyways just an idea. Thanks for your imput, I am hoping for more!!:smirk:
Autosponge 02-05-04, 08:20 PM	House wars often result in Drow capturing Drow. They can do the escape from the Underdark thing just like everyone else only they have more challenges when they hit the surface.
Alisttair 02-06-04, 01:36 AM	Originally posted by Cunning Linguist If you don't use penalty for strong races, they will gain XP much to fast, and the CR for all monsters will be wrong. As for not having favored class. It's only for multiclassing, I don't see what great advantage you get from tossing it out. The most powerful characters are pureclass anyways. Except when it comes to some very cool Prestige Classes which are impossible to be pureclass ;)
Ssussunriyh 02-06-04, 11:21 AM	Originally posted by Odin ...My PCs are only being allowed to be Drow, no if ands or buts... I have also thrown out the favored class for drow. This reason is 2 fold, one again because they are all drow no matter what, and because I feel that because in Drow society wizards are so GREATLY distrusted that wizard would not be the accepted norm for a favored class. That females would pour out praises and encourage warriors instead. It depends where the characters are from. In a traditional drow city like Menzoberranzen, I agree that favored class would be Fighter for males, Cleric for females. But if some drow character hails from a city like Sshamath, favored class would be Wizard regardless of gender.
Imruphel 02-09-04, 08:08 PM	Are you playing with the canon history? If so, consider the effect that Lolth's Silence is having on the drow. If you're using this backstory, you could have your party searching for clues as to why they have lost Lolth's favour. Perhaps they're required to find some lost relics in an ancient drow city overwhelmed by a lava flow or similar because some insane priestess believes that they are the key to Lolth's favour returning? If you prefer to ignore the Silence of Lolth and your campaign is set in the North, perhaps these drow are tasked with the subjugation of Mantol-Derith (the trading city) as the profits there, plus access to surface slaves and magic, could make a house very powerful in a short space of time. If you're going with the Unapproachable East, there is the segmented city of Undrek-Thoz which could conceivably be threatened by forces of Shar "peddling" the Shadow Weave to the city's wizards or by the forces of Orcus who have established a base in the Boneyard. Actually, there are stacks of hooks. Basically, drow life revolves around clashes in religions and beliefs, clashes between and among noble and merchant houses plus various external threats (like the forces of Orcus mentioned above). Why not combine all of these and have some real fun? ;)
Odin 02-09-04, 08:49 PM	Cool thanks all for the information. I am hoping for more to come. I do like your ideas, Imruphel. I am hoping to start when Lolth isnt silent yet, and as my PC's advance then her silence will become known and in full effect. I have been considering making my PC's be from a house, as yet decided, whos house history will be that at one time they were ruled by the males in the family. This will make it so that when Lolth goes silent I have reason to have an almost all out war on their house, as all the female clerics fear that their house will rise again to a place of Patriarchal status. :smirk: I am considering make them go to the surface at about 6-8th lvl as part of a raiding party, this is where and when their cleric's with them will loose their powers, and hopfully when I can really crank up the intrueges. (Well I cant spell, maybe my PC's will help me with that.) Once they return there will be great unrest as Lolth's silence will be in full swing with minor power struggles taking place leading to a darn near full blown war. I have considered having at later levels that my PC's will hear of and be tempted to join a couple higher status' houses as they reach deep into their "allies" and call on the Illithid to help secure a new power structure. Hopfully my PC's will not agree, and will take well to being forced into the Astral Plane to call on help from the Githyanki. I have considered making a house of Gith that at one time were drow, or other elves and these will be the major help to them to fight back the tides of the Illithid over lords ripe to take power from a dietyless race.!:smirk: :smirk: Anyways thanks for all the help, if any one has suggestions relating or in counter point to what I have wrote please let me know.
wingGodzilla 02-10-04, 02:02 PM	I know this may be a day late and a dollor short, but I found the best ideas for DMing drow come with the waring of the houses. Think in a almost romen way. The plots and foes that are made are the heart of any undercity. I hope this will give you some good ideas. Good Luck!
Odin 02-18-04, 09:03 AM	Any feelings on a search and retrieve mission delving into a "forgotten" Gnome mine. Here the PC's will be searching for adamantium to replace their mother's left arm lost in a previous house to house conflict. Here I am considering having them go up against a gnomish tinkeror. This tinker gnome will have clock work miners, clock work guardians, and steam powered mine wagons, thats right almost a trian. After all he is a tinker gnome. I havnt decided whether or not he is an undead gnome or just a very strange and reclusive living gnome.
conanb1 02-25-04, 03:24 PM	This was an idea I had for an underdark campaign. This also involved some evil Pc's, but more varied than just Drow. The main artifact though that the Players are concerned with is an ancient arch. The players are brought together because each of their family lines was involved with the original loss of the gate key that activates the arch, but the players won't know this at first. The head priestess of Lolth, an ancient drow, knows that the arch is actually a gate, one that connects to the surface. The gate was designed as the means for invasion of a very wealthy section of Faerun (you can set this in any major city, I had it targeted on Cormanthor before the elves left for Evermeet.) The gate had a single key. The key was wielded by the mightiest of the families, the player's great ancestors. But those ancestors were defeated in the underdark by a passing group of heroes. The heroes slew them and supposedly took the key. The scattered surviving drow from that rout returned or fled into the underdark. The ones that returned were killed for their failure. The ancient priestess though still wants the key. She has waited till all have forgotten the purpose of the great arch. She knows that the arch still leads to cormanthor, but no one else does. She plans to use it to lure her rival's house through the gate, then seal it behind them leaving them trapped on the surface. To do this she needs the gate key. The players are then sent out on various missions to track down rumors of lone survivors, not knowing why they are tracking down these old rogue Drow and bringing them back. Or trying to retrieve the lost diaries of these deceased drow, hoping to gain clues of where the key is. They would piece together the location of that ancient battle, but also get clues that what they're looking for is actually a gate key and not some magical treasure that the old Drow told them. They would also slowly piece together the fact that each of them is there because each of their ancenstors was involved in that great battle. Eventually, they would have to track down those old heroes, who have now retired and living above ground to get the key. The old heroes though wouldn't know what they had is a key, just some trinket they keep as a keepsake from their times in the underdark.