And as far as clones go, I hate clones of any characters, from books, movies, TV, comics, whatever. It's one thing to take inspiration for a character's combat style from a character, or even to lift an interesting backstory or look. But actually playing a character invariably leads to situations where the player gets PO'd because his clone can't do all the uber stuff the character can do in the show/book/etc.
On the other hand, if you happen to think that fighting with two curved swords sounds fun, and you want to make a Dervish who TWFs with scimitars (because the class treats them as Light Weapons and thus you only take the -2 attk penalty), then by all means do so. Book/movie characters do not have the exclusive rights to cool combat styles.
Mor
And clones.. well.. never saw one yet, there are so many more interesting things to play.
In short: meh. Not worthy of fawning over, but not deserving any hate over. I kinda feel the same way about Entreri, otoh. Now, Jarlaxle and Zak - these characters, I admit, I have a small soft spot for.
BTW, shouldn't this be in the one of the Realmsian threads?
as for the DnD clone thing, myself and another player both really like the Drow (he's usually a drow wizard actually). where as i'm more combat oriented (ranger is my fav. class but i play swashbucklers alot too, i prefer the whole quicker moving/lighter armored as oppose to 'walking tank' of alotta fighters).
the only problem w/the clone thing is technically ANY good drow can be seen as a drizzt clone the whole 'i'm good but come from an evil race so im an outcast' yea if ur a good drow (or good orc or whatever of a typically evil race) you ARE an outcast and probably shunned ALOT. thats ur lot in life.
or you can do what one of my pc's did (he's an idiot) play an evil drow, insult the party/betray us, and then get mad when as a group they all turn around and kick the **** outta his character lol.
oh yea i dont always play drow fighting types (or even the majority of the time) currently playing cat-folk ranger, and next character is gonna be a halfling fighter/rogue.
I do like the sound of some of the changes coming to FR in 4e, though the first thing I'm going to do if I run it is kill the 'starring cast' so the PCs can be something other than extras.
Clones are ok, I guess. But I explain to the player, "you are not drizzit, you don't have his abilities, you are a character in an RPG, not a novel things do not auto work/auto fail. You are playing a character -but drizzit did it- is not an ok excuse to be a prick at the table"
Only drizzit clone ive ever had was a tounge in cheek clone. Had flaming death, and scorcher or somesuch, with a stone lion token. Quite funny.
Practically all of his clones are lame.
I haven't read a single Salvatore's book. Should I? If so, which is the first? All those "War of the Spider Queen vol. I" or "Legend of Driz'zt vol. I" titles confuse me.
Me too. I'm pretty sure Homeland was the first, and the Exile... but afterwards I'm kinda lost.
I haven't read a single Salvatore's book. Should I? If so, which is the first? All those "War of the Spider Queen vol. I" or "Legend of Driz'zt vol. I" titles confuse me.
Me too. I'm pretty sure Homeland was the first, and the Exile... but afterwards I'm kinda lost.
The six volume War of the Spider Queen was (as I understand it) plotted out by Salvatore, but written by other authors.
As for which book is first... His first published Drizzt book was The Crystal Shard (part of the Icewind Dale Trilogy). The Dark Elf Trilogy was done as a prequel, and therefore comes first chronologically. The first book was Homeland.
The Legend of Drizzt Vol. fill-in-the-blank books are compilations of older Drizzt novels.
I don't like FR, so pretty much by extension I don't like its poster boys ... Drizzt, Elminster, and all the rest of that lot.
+1
Drizzt cried way too much. Also, what kind of moron carries a single handed weapon in their off hand, instead of a light weapon? You've got to be completely retarded to take a -4/-4 when you could reduce it to -2/-2.
The kind of moron who was made in 1e, when drow could do such a thing at no penalty at all? The kind of moron who has never been stat'ed up by the author, who feels that stat'ing his characters would cause him to limit them?
The kind of moron who, if built properly in 3.5, would have Over-Sized Two Weapon Fighting, and thus only take -2/-2?
Well.. it's better than having too many Orlando Bloom clones, right?
Fixed for accuracy.
As far as I am concerned, there are three types of elves.
- Drizz't Clones
- Pansie-assed, with no discernible gender, and your choice of either tree hugger or psychopathic murderer
- Mutant Crickets
My view on Drizz't is the same as my view on all elves: I hate the bastard with a fiery passion it almost isn't funny.
And yes, i am Elfist.
Salvatore is a serviceable author, but not great in any respect.
The six volume War of the Spider Queen was (as I understand it) plotted out by Salvatore, but written by other authors.
I wouldn't bother reading it were I you. It is an extreme example of Stephen Kingism: a short idea needlessly padded out. That entirely of that "sextology" could have been done in one volume…two at most. A huge volume of wasted pages in that thing.
I wouldn't bother reading it were I you.
Too late. It was ok. I liked some of the characters. Too bad they were the ones who got killed or royally screwed in the end. But I do agree there were a lot of pointless sections to the story. I swear, it was like 3 times a book someone rolled on a random encounter table and wrote three chapters on it.
I read the first few novels way back when they 1st came out & then a few more over the years. 1st 3 were ok. Others? Meh.
As for players making clones or things "inspired by"? I don't care. If it's happening in someone elses game it doesn't affect me at all. If it's at my table the player will quickly learn the difference between novel & game. (oh & since I dissallow Drow PCs 99.99999% of the time they'll almost certainly not be a Drizz't clone
)The kind of moron who was made in 1e, when drow could do such a thing at no penalty at all?
Hear, hear! Ever heard of the drow female cavaliers dual-wielding lances? Neither had I, until Rich Burlew mentioned them ;)
What are your opinions on Driz'zt? And while we are at it how are you with Driz'zt inspirered characters (not clones, clones are bad)?
What is "Driz'zt?" Is that some sort of twisted lovechild between Drizzt Do'Urden and Demon Prince Graz'zt?
What is "Driz'zt?" Is that some sort of twisted lovechild between Drizzt Do'Urden and Demon Prince Graz'zt?
Sir, your sig is at least twenty times longer than this post.
Just letting you know.
Whoops, my mistake. Now back on subject. I wonder what R.A Salvator would post in this thread? Hmmmm.
I've met him in person before. Nice guy, down to earth fellow. I get the impression that he thinks the fanboy-ism is flattering, but he doesn't bask in it.
Sir, your sig is at least twenty times longer than this post.
Just letting you know.
OH NOES!
This is me caring. :whatsthis Watch me care.
I had a player want to be a drow cleric. I couldn't understand why. All the other PCs would either try to kill him on sight or I would have to make appropriate amendments to the campaign history and mythology. I chose the latter. But such a change in the campaign subverts the maverick aspect of the character.
A player choosing to make a Driz'zt clone is a sign of an uncooperative player. And party cooperation is what a good D&D campaign is all about.
Whoops, my mistake. Now back on subject. I wonder what R.A Salvator would post in this thread? Hmmmm.
He'd post "Suck it, *****es! I sleep on a pile of money and I'm knee-deep in emo-chick fangirl pelt! Yee haw!!!!"
So, to sum up: I don't get what people see in him, but the fanboys are sometimes amusing (just mostly annoying).
OH NOES!
This is me caring. :whatsthis Watch me care.
Yay for apathy and not giving a crap about other people, yay!
Enjoy
On topic, I am a reader of the Drizzt Books, but I am not a crazy fan boy, even though I have a Drizzt inspired guy in all my campains.
What are your opinions on Driz'zt? And while we are at it how are you with Driz'zt inspirered characters (not clones, clones are bad)?
I am only dimly aware of who Driz'zt is, and couldn't care less. Never played FR, never really cared about the Drow, specially a good Drow. Never read any Driz'zt stories either.
So, what do I think of the guy? Nothing. So long as I don't come across clones(which I abhor, regardless of who is cloned), I am on the fence.
He'd post "Suck it, *****es! I sleep on a pile of money and I'm knee-deep in emo-chick fangirl pelt! Yee haw!!!!"
Take a cookie.
You made me laugh. If I had beverages here, you'd owe me a new monitor. ;)As for "Drizzt Clones", I can understand a few, (in fact I was even guilty of creating one myself a long time ago), but sometimes it gets a bit ridiculous.
As for clones, I've never particularly cared for clones and as far as I know I have never played one. But, who says that you have to NOT have a clone in order to enjoy the game? D&D is about having fun, and if someone wants to run a clone and will enjoy that clone, then so be it. So long as their character is not a detriment to anyone else's enjoyment of the game, let them play the character. I have gamed with a few clones over the years and none of them ever stayed a true clone very long. The players always added their own quirks and mannerisms and development to the character.
Now what I don't like is when someone makes a clone of said drow character and use the whole "I'm evil but I not" line and then are shocked when there drow is killed by a bunch of commoners for being a drow at level one for walking into the local vilage.
And -please- if your going to make a good aligned member of a usealy evil race make his/her character acturly ring as plusable.
Drizzt clones are part of my main objection to 4th edition tieflings, There all dark and evil.. but there not! And no bad missuderstanding of your character morality surpose to happan...
A player choosing to make a Driz'zt clone is a sign of an uncooperative player. And party cooperation is what a good D&D campaign is all about.
Not necessarily. A player wanting to get all the benefits/cool abilities/whatever of their favourite character, especially at level one, can be a nuissance. A player basing his character on another can only lead to a problem if the other players/DM object, and in such situations it is they that are uncooperative.
though the first thing I'm going to do if I run it is kill the 'starring cast' so the PCs can be something other than extras.
Hmmmm.... novice DM I see
Anyways, I like Drizzt and company, like supermman though I wish Wulfgar's death had been more meaningful rather than him coming back, but it is what it is. As for thier place in an FR Campaign, I find them to be middling in power, nothing to write home about and certainly well down in power compared to say Elminster, the Seven Sisters and any of thier various enemies and contemperaries.
The name is DRIZZT, people. No random apostrophes.
-Hey, you beat me to it.
litteralyAs for "Drizzt Clones", I can understand a few, (in fact I was even guilty of creating one myself a long time ago), but sometimes it gets a bit ridiculous.
One bad thing about the backlash against "Drizzt clones"--some people think that any good-aligned drow (or at least, drow who is no longer a part of Underdark culture) is a "Drizzt clone."
PS: Love the Drizzt poster--love it, love it, love it! :D
The name is DRIZZT, people. No random apostrophes.
D'R'I'Z'Z'T
, anyways I find it silly some one would consider merely a good aligned drow to be a clone. Now a good aligned drow ranger dual wielding scimitars with a great cat as a pet does narrow it down a bit. Seems like they prefer a rather black and white game with one dimensional characters.
Then again my other favorite peeve are the homicidal lynch mob DMs,
"Your party approaches the town gate, as you do a bell sounds and an angry mob of townsfolk gathers, ignoring the vampire with an overbite, the balor and his flaming sword, the mindlfayer with his sentry snack, and the troll ranger with his death dog cohort they wrestle the drow wizard to the ground tie him up and take him to the center of town to be burnt to the stake while admonishing the rest of the group for having such a patently evil and dangerous monster among their ranks".
I think of Drizzt as a staple character in Salvatore's writing for Forgotten Realms as a somewhat unique idea, without criticism to the actual D&D application of it (which could easily be extinguished with some work, citing from complete books, campaign setting and other 3.5 works). I like the books, they do not transfer into my character build, though I find myself using such characters as an example for which a DM can create pleasant plot-hooks to add to the intimacy of a campaign. The more you get involved with your character, the more you want to see him barely survive and over-come the challenges he faces...
Just my views.
The fact that he's "stuck" on the surface (for fear of running into old enemies who still bear a grudge) galls him like a sore wound and makes him into a very grumpy character.
One bad thing about the backlash against "Drizzt clones"--some people think that any good-aligned drow (or at least, drow who is no longer a part of Underdark culture) is a "Drizzt clone."
That's a bid part of the problem, Rin. What do you yourself consider a Drizzt clone, by the way?
What do you yourself consider a Drizzt clone, by the way?
-Driiztt Do'Urden, created using the hand that Drizzt lost at Cloud City, would certainly be a Drizzt Clone.
-Driiztt Do'Urden, created using the hand that Drizzt lost at Cloud City, would certainly be a Drizzt Clone.
Hmm, good point. I guess mages around the Realms might have started making clones of him, but that many? Mystra forbid ;)
That's a bid part of the problem, Rin. What do you yourself consider a Drizzt clone, by the way?
Interesting question.
It's not a term I use often or have thought much about (because as I said before, I don't consider just any drow outcast to be a "Drizzt clone"). I think someone touched on it before, though: imagine a drow who had a history that pretty closely mirrored Drizzt's--noble drow (could be male or female, but I'll use the male pronoun) who was oppressed in his own home but was really good at the martial arts, had a father or some other mentor who was inclined to help him, and also was goodhearted even though realistically there was little if anything in his life to foster such morals. Such a drow would be a dual-wielder and would happen to have a magical animal companion just like Drizzt.
Does that sort of answer your question?
Are they really that alike? Besides I don't think its possible, after Vector Prime (IIRC) the midichlorians would prevent something like that from happening, not until balance is achieved by squashing Guenhyvar with one of Selune's tears. :P
OK, that was funny. And "Driiztt".
Hmm, good point. I guess mages around the Realms might have started making clones of him, but that many? Mystra forbid ;)
-Hopefully, none. Maybe the Harpells, because they're just weird...