Drow

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Drow Bio

Descended from the original dark-skinned Elven subrace called the Illythiiri, the Drow were cursed into their present appearance by the good Elven deities for following the goddess Lolth down the path to evil and corruption. Also called Dark Elves, the Drow have black skin that resembles polished obsidian and stark white or pale yellow hair. They commonly have very pale eyes in shades of lilac, silver, pink, and blue.

• Favored Class: Cleric for female / Wizard for male
• +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution
• Darkvision
• Spell Resistance of 5 +1/lvl
• +2 to all Will saving throws
• Drow Aura: Gives the Drow and all his allies within the Aura 20% concealment, and any Aasamir that enter it are blinded by it. However, it makes the drow vulnerable to sneak attacks from all opponents, unless the drow has ultravision.
• Light Sensitivity: -2 to all attack rolls, saves, and checks in brightly lit areas. Exposure to bright light, natural or magical, blinds the Drow for one round.
• Level Adjustment +3

Note: Drow is a Subrace of Elves. To choose it you must pick Elf at creation and choose Drow at first login.

Choosing the Elf race will include Elf adjustments already, therefore your stats will be adjusted from those selected at character creation as follows:

+2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma

Drow Guide

Pros: This subrace is by far one of the most versatile in nature offering a slew of bonuses as well as penalties. To begin with, a Drow gets +2 to both Intelligence and Charisma. This gives arcane spellcasters such as Wizards, Sorcerers, and Bards to have better spell dcs as well as extra spellslots. Aside from that, the +2 to Intelligence gives extra skillpoints to use. Clerics, Paladins, and Blackguards also benefit from the Charisma bonus especially when using Divine Might and Divine Shield. A +2 to Dexterity is a generous bonus since it not only give +1 to a character's AC but also +1 AB to characters who engage combat using weapon-finesse as well as bows.

Spell Resistance is a big aid to any character. Being able to resist various spells makes Drow characters more defensive against spells. Although the Spell Resistance will only max out to 45 at the last level, it is still a big boost to any class. For example, a Drow wizard battling another wizard (with no Spell Resistance) has a higher probability of winning because of their tolerence against spells. Characters that rely less on magic and more on physical damage such as Fighters and Barbarians can last longer in battles against spellcasters.

Aside from these, a +2 to all Will saving throws gives Drow a little slice of advantage over other classes who have less will saves. Again, it also gives Fighters and Barbarians a higher chance of saving against spells and other will-based attacks.

The Drow aura is a perfect ability to give a player 20% concealment. Although spellcasters can give themselves higher concealment, it's the Drow's ability to share such a concealment that makes it helpful especially in parties.

Cons: A Drow's penalties tends to balance of this character's bonuses. First of all, he gets a -2 to Constitution. This makes a Drow more sensitive to damage since he has less hitpoints, but is no worse than any elf.

Aside from this, having light sensitivity counters the bonuses we mentioned earlier. Thus, it's always best to play a Drow in dark areas and during the night. This reflects his character as a subrace that shuns the light. When brought up against an Aasamir, the Drow suffers due to its blinding capability. Being beaten by an ECL 2 character afterall is an embarassment.

Drow can also be blinded by fire and light spells and this tends to lend to his downfall. Once he is struck blind, he is quite vulnerable since he has to run around or rely on his party to protect him until the blindness duration expires.

The biggest pain to a Drow of course is his level adjustment. Being +3, this subrace is by far the one of the most difficult to level and takes patience and hardwork to use.

Conclusion: A drow is a versatile character to use and needs to be played by more advanced players. To maximize his abilities, he should travel with a party to make better use of his Drow aura as well as so that he can be protected during vulnerable encounters. Any class is suitable to play with a Drow as long as the player operates cooperatively with his party members. Note that using your darkness aura in a party with an Aasamir will make you unpopular.

Rating: 3.5/5