Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Argaud 10-19-07, 10:51 PM	There is no doubt drow are a popular race (even though sometimes it feels as if half the forumnites hate them with unholy zeal) but they are also, sadly, a very poor choice of a race for PCs, they are just not worth LA+2. Drow have a bunch of mismatched abilities that do not mesh well with the role they are supposed to fulfill (I mean ‘dark and powerful elves’ not ‘eternally brooding rangers’) and fail to make them strong at any particular class. Lets see, from the MM... +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma. Darkvision out to 120 feet. Spell resistance equal to 11 + class levels. +2 racial bonus on Will saves against spells and spell-like abilities. Immunity to sleep spells and effects, and a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells or effects. Spell-Like Abilities: Drow can use the following spell-like abilities once per day: dancing lights, darkness, faerie fire. Caster level equals the drow’s class levels. Weapon Proficiency: A drow is automatically proficient with the hand crossbow, the rapier, and the short sword. Automatic Languages: Common, Elven, Undercommon. Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Aquan, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Gnome, Goblin. Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or a daylight spell) blinds drow for 1 round. On subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area. +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. A drow who merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if she were actively looking for it. Favored Class: Wizard (male) or cleric (female). Level adjustment +2. No, the drow are not powerful. They have nice SR, yes, but their ability bonuses are mediocre, inferior to other LA+2 races (compare it with what a half-fey, half-vampire or half-ogre gets). Their spell-like abilities are a joke (again, compare with half-fey, for instance). And the rest of the stuff they have is not worth any LA. The very long range Darkvision is the nicer of the secondary abilities, but it comes with Light Blindness. Even the weapon proficiencies are worse than those normal elves receive! So here follows an attempt to fix the problem. Made in two playable versions respecting the LA calculations as designed by WotC. Version 1: Making the drow a LA +1 race that is balanced. +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution. Darkvision out to 120 feet. Low-light vision. Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or a daylight spell) blinds drow for 1 round. On subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area. Spell resistance equal to 11 + class levels. +2 racial bonus on Will saves against spells and spell-like abilities. Immunity to sleep spells and effects, and a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells or effects. Weapon Proficiency: A drow is automatically proficient with the hand crossbow, the rapier, and the short sword. Automatic Languages: Common, Elven, Undercommon. Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Aquan, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Gnome, Goblin. +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. A drow who merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if she were actively looking for it. Favored Class: Wizard (male) or cleric (female). Level adjustment +1. This one is pretty easy. Just remove those supposedly ‘uneven abilities’ (that overinflate the LA) and keep the good one: the SR. This version of drow keeps the SR and has other goodies comparable to what normal LA+0 races. The spell-like abilities could be given as a feat, but honestly, are Dancing Lights, Darkness and Faerie Fire worth even one feat? Version 2: Making the drow a LA +2 race that is balanced. +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma. Darkvision out to 120 feet. Low-light vision. Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or a daylight spell) blinds drow for 1 round. On subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area. Spell resistance equal to 11 + class levels. +2 racial bonus on Will saves against spells and spell-like abilities. Immunity to sleep spells and effects, and a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells or effects. Spell-Like Abilities: Drow can use the following spell-like abilities once per day at first level: dancing lights, darkness, faerie fire. At third level and each 3 levels afterwards the drow gain an additional use of each of those spell-like abilities. At third level drow also gain the ability of use levitation and detect magic as a spell-like ability (with additional uses at levels 9 and 15), at sixth level, they gain the ability to use detect good and suggestion as spell-like abilities once per day, and at level 9 the ability to cast deeper darkness and discern lies as spell-like abilities. Drow of level 12 or superior can use their darkness or faerie fire spell-like abilities as swift actions. At level 15 drow can use levitation as a swift action, and at level 18 they can use deeper darkness as a swift action. Caster level always equals the drow’s class levels. Weapon Proficiency: A drow is automatically proficient with the hand crossbow, the rapier, and the short sword. Automatic Languages: Common, Elven, Undercommon. Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Aquan, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Gnome, Goblin. +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. A drow who merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if she were actively looking for it. Bonus feat: Blind-fighting Blessing of Lolth: female drow clerics are considered to have a wisdom two points higher than normal for the purpose of spellcasting, including bonus spells and the DC of their spells. Female drow can choose to have cleric as their favored class instead of wizard. Favored Class: Wizard. Level adjustment +2. These drow are still LA+2, but they are far more formidable than the MM drow. They do not suffer from a constitution penalty (millennia of unnatural selection has made them tougher than the surface elves) and they have spell-like abilities that are useful and scale, without being overwhelming. Moreover, female drow now have some reason to be clerics and not be mocked badly at their weak abilities by the clerics of other races. Comments and criticism welcome.
thedarkchampion 10-20-07, 03:58 AM	I really like option 2 a lot, I have always believed that any physical weakness that the drow would have should just be part of the hit die you lose from your LA.
GreatOne 10-20-07, 10:54 AM	The options look good but I would add something to the male that makes them playable. Right now I see no reason why peeps would be a male drow when you can play a female drow with that +2 effective wis. Give them something comparable to the +2 effective ability score. Also I think male drow should have Rogue as a favoured class seeing that they are treating like crap in the society.
Argaud 10-20-07, 12:13 PM	The options look good but I would add something to the male that makes them playable. Right now I see no reason why peeps would be a male drow when you can play a female drow with that +2 effective wis. Give them something comparable to the +2 effective ability score. Also I think male drow should have Rogue as a favoured class seeing that they are treating like crap in the society. Ah, but the females are supposed to be more powerful, they rule the drow cities after all. Which was astonishing considering there was nothing in the drow that makes them good clerics. At least as wizards they have +2 int, which is okay for NPCs, but does not really makes up for the LA +2 the PCs have to suffer. They do make decent rogues, though, or even bards, and drow being sneaky and backstabbing an argument could be done that rogue should be the favored class. However, they are still elves, and elves have favored class wizard even though only the grey ones make good wizards.
1 ton ghost 10-20-07, 02:13 PM	i know i know, the game designers have made this their brainchild. however, there are provisions for Lesser Drow (player's guide to faerun) w/out the LA. the SA, ability buffs, darkvision, etc. are simply a byproduct of forced breeding and culling of the "weak". they are well adapted to subterranean life, better than the duergar, however, they have had more time & magic on their side to reach this end. being so reviled, it was a necessity. w/out all the buffs and advantages, they surely would've been wiped out. their CE align keeps them infighting alot and inadvertantly causes the cream to rise to the top. not so much respect in society, as fear. and power usually makes one fearful. the only real path in life for most drow. this is namely the reason so many males fled to the surface under Vhaerun's aegis. if they were to actually consolidate their forces and stop dicking around so much, they would have much larger holdings than the Underdark. that is, they could have overwhelm the planet easilly if given enough time, but...
Shadowfax7 10-20-07, 09:34 PM	I would like to offer my suggestions . . . 1) Normally Drow lose low-light vision when they get darkvision 120' since it replaces it (see MM1). They shouldn't have both. 2) Rather than Blindfight as a bonus feat give them 2 wp fighting, this was a free ability Drow had when originally created in 1st ed. AD&D. They used to be known for fighting with shortsword and dagger if a Fighter/Wizard, or mace if a Cleric. 3) I would not give all Drow a +2 Wis, just give it to the female drow clerics through the Blessing of Lolth. This would replace: female drow clerics are considered to have a wisdom two points higher than normal for the purpose of spellcasting, including bonus spells and the DC of their spells.
Operation_Shoestring 10-21-07, 05:51 AM	Drow having wizard as a favored class is a leftover from older editions. Given what more recent fluff and DotU say about drow society, drow males having wizard as a favored class makes no sense whatsoever. Drow males should have fighter as favored class.
Argaud 10-21-07, 12:46 PM	I would like to offer my suggestions . . . They are very welcome :) 1) Normally Drow lose low-light vision when they get darkvision 120' since it replaces it (see MM1). They shouldn't have both. The loss of low-light vision is something that has bothered me for years. Why do they lose it? They are abnormally sensitive to light, fluff and mechanics says they have very keen senses (they keep the +2 to spot) so it makes no sense they do not have low-light vision. Plenty creatures have both, darkvision and low-light vision. 2) Rather than Blindfight as a bonus feat give them 2 wp fighting, this was a free ability Drow had when originally created in 1st ed. AD&D. They used to be known for fighting with shortsword and dagger if a Fighter/Wizard, or mace if a Cleric. The reason is the 2wf is an horribly ineffective way of fighting. And the drow are already crappy as warriors when compared with their underground rivals. Blind-fighting is actually useful and goes well if their favorite tactic (fluff here) of tossing darkness left and right. 3) I would not give all Drow a +2 Wis, just give it to the female drow clerics through the Blessing of Lolth. This would replace: female drow clerics are considered to have a wisdom two points higher than normal for the purpose of spellcasting, including bonus spells and the DC of their spells. The drow are mentioned to be extremely strong-willed as a race, and they are also relatively patient. Maybe not when compared with surface elves, but they do wait decades for conspiracies to mature and for such a chaotic people, they manage to not to kill each other all the time (they still kill each other very often, but not so much they are in danger of dying off). Mechanically a simple +2 to Wisdom for females is not enough to make the drow clerics fearsome, particularly not when compared with drow wizards or sorcerers, which also get +2 to Int and Cha. I think the blessing is a little extra that makes female clerics superior spellcasters to their male rivals and gives them the edge they need to control drow society. The options look good but I would add something to the male that makes them playable. Right now I see no reason why peeps would be a male drow when you can play a female drow with that +2 effective wis. The +2 effective wisdom applies only to clerical spellcasting. This means the PC is playing a primary spellcaster with a +2 LA, which is a pain in the butt. With that little boost least they will have a DC in the spells slightly superior to their LA+0 party companions. There is no advantage in playing a female drow unless you are playing a cleric. Notice druids, Favored Souls, Archivists, etc, do not get the boost. And it also gives the PCs (and NPCs) a reason to fear the clerics of Lolth. Right now if the party faces a group of drow, they try to hit the wizards first, because they are empirically, mathematically, better casters than the clerics, and probably better casters than the party casters. Not anymore. If you are playing those LA+2 drow the party has a good reason to feat the clerics of Lolth, which is in accordance with the fluff. Drow having wizard as a favored class is a leftover from older editions. Given what more recent fluff and DotU say about drow society, drow males having wizard as a favored class makes no sense whatsoever. Drow males should have fighter as favored class. I think you might mean swashbucklers :D Because as straight out warriors or fighters normal drow are pretty bad, having no strength advantage and a constitution hit. Moreover, by the fluff they like hit-and-run and acrobatic tactics, and go into the fray with light armor and finesse weapons. It is still a terribly ineffective way of fighting in the cramped tunnels and caverns of the Underdark, where they are going to be cornered all the time. Which means the drow suck as warriors and they only survive because they have so much caster support covering for the stupid tactics. Otherwise the dwarves would have exterminated them long ago. Dwarves know how to fight underground. They use good tactics. Which means that it makes sense their favored classes are casters, after all.
Operation_Shoestring 10-21-07, 03:29 PM	I think you might mean swashbucklers :D Because as straight out warriors or fighters normal drow are pretty bad, having no strength advantage and a constitution hit. Moreover, by the fluff they like hit-and-run and acrobatic tactics, and go into the fray with light armor and finesse weapons. It is still a terribly ineffective way of fighting in the cramped tunnels and caverns of the Underdark, where they are going to be cornered all the time. Which means the drow suck as warriors and they only survive because they have so much caster support covering for the stupid tactics. Otherwise the dwarves would have exterminated them long ago. Dwarves know how to fight underground. They use good tactics. Which means that it makes sense their favored classes are casters, after all. NO i mean fighters, because: 1) Swashies, as much as I love them, are non-core, and thus probably shouldn't be a favored class. 2) Drow Fighters have an ACF that loses heavy armor and tower shields and gets Dex to damage against flatfooted foes, reflecting their preferred hit and run tactics.
lord_xarallon 10-21-07, 05:34 PM	You made the right by removing the -2 con at version 2. It just hurts to much with level adjustment. I think it should be removed at version 1 as well... (maybe along with one racial ability to even it out)
deathbane 10-22-07, 02:34 AM	I would let them keep the -2 con. The boost to all mental stats is good. I would give them an improved version of faerie fire that works in magical darkness. It greatly improves their ambush abilities. They should also get levitate back. As a one on one encounter they are not that powerful even with these adjustment, but when you are fighting a group which is the only way they should be ran anyone opposing them should have problems.
Argaud 10-22-07, 02:58 AM	I would let them keep the -2 con. The boost to all mental stats is good. I would give them an improved version of faerie fire that works in magical darkness. It greatly improves their ambush abilities. They should also get levitate back. On the new LA+2 version they have levitate back.