224 page book on Drow yet...

[TarionzCousin]

Drow vs. Dwarves

This one will be a pass for me. All it will be is 200 pages of new prestige classes, spells, items, and feats, as well as several new drow subraces!!! And about 24 pages of "fluff".

We already have Plot & Poison from Green Ronin which did something cool and interesting with drow, though even it was prestige class, new item and spell happy.

I like "Plot and Poison." It's got some interesting ideas, like a new mythology, interesting feats, and cool equipment. Verminous items are a great flavor/crunch idea.

---oh yeah, and spells. It's got spells too.

I'd much rather see something done with the Gith races, Yuan-ti, Fey, or Goblinoids. Or Dwarves- you can't go wrong with a big book of dwarves (including deurgar and derro)! Enough with the drow (and elf) worship though- its really old and been done 1000 times!

Jesse Decker's Dwarf book, Hammer and Helm, is great. I think you could have an all-Dwarf campaign with that book plus core.

The book I'm waiting for is called "Of Gith and Gish." It will be about the gith races AND the gish combos that abound in the nooks and crannies of the boards.

 

[Dykstrav]

Bad form, WOTC. Drow were played out years ago.
Personally I want Chondriliths and Driders to hook up and go karate on Drow ass.
Seconded for a book about Ogres/Giants and Fey. Fey have been dying for a good 200+ page treatment for decades. Its more than just pastels and unicorns for God's sake, Fey are pretty hardcore. Lastly a book about Lizardfolk, Locaths, Yuan-Ti, Sahuagin, Kuo Toa stuff like that. Complete Reptile or something. That would rock.

I basically agree with all of this. Drow were cool for about 2 months in 1993, until everyone got tired of seeing parties of six drow rangers all armed with two scimitars. Whether individual players like them or not, I'm pretty indifferent to drow. Still, it kinda chars my grits to see a single race get a 224-page treatment (and a subrace that you can't play straight out of the PHB, for that matter). I'll be happy if there's a 224-page sourcebook done on Duergar too. There'd have to be some neat stuff to make me even check this book out. There's plenty of other splatbooks out there now on races that I actually like.

Now a sourcebook on fey is something that I'd be very interested in checking out. It's a part of D&D that's never been done before, it's begging for a closeup.

I also really dig the idea of the reptilian races sourcebook- maybe make it focused on the swamp. I personally find the idea of a tribe of lizardfolk fighting with a black dragon far more interesting than seeing another drow power struggle that spills over into civilized lands.

 

[Land Outcast]

A book on giants, their lands, kingdoms, society, and belief (this last one, important if you want to make them more than randomic raiders).

Yuan ti, their experiments with creatures and their webs in civilized lands

Fey, a darker view on them (after a compulsory in-depth general view).
Including hags.

Lizardfolk, Minotaurs, Centaurs, and some other.
A book focusing on four monstrous races, dedicating a section to each.

Illithid (Unveiled Masters is quite good, and there is The Illithiad from AD&D, we have Codex Anathema Lords of Madness... but still...)

*sigh*

 

[Shade]

I dunno; I'm holding out for a 224 page "Bwimb's Codex of Ooze."

I'll buy that one on title alone.

 

[Felon]

I basically agree with all of this. Drow were cool for about 2 months in 1993, until everyone got tired of seeing parties of six drow rangers all armed with two scimitars. Whether individual players like them or not, I'm pretty indifferent to drow.

Wow, I keep hearing all these nightmare stories about hordes of drow-enamored players showing up at the table. How have I managed to miss this? I have one player currently who came into the genre by Salvatore's novels. He's playing a drow rogue and it seems to me that if that's what piques his interest enough to keep showing up session after session, why should I begrudge him it any more than I'd begrudge the guy who loves playing dwarf fighters?

What's wrong with wanting to play a character that's thinner and better-looking than you? Or is a deadly opponent? Or has heavy angst written into hsi background? Drow don't have a monopoly on any of that.

 

[RangerWickett]

It's only when people start having imaginary drow girlfiends that you should really start to worry.

 

[megamania]

At 224 pages what is the cost?

I have gone almost entirely Eberron so unless this includes things on the Scorpion worshipping planar cousins I may be forced to skip this one.


and if you wonder about the popularity of Drow still-


The miniature set "Underdark" sold out in 6-9 months. Meanwhile sets two years old are still in the finishing up phase of becoming OP. Truely crazy.

I understand the appeal, especially with Salatore's treatment of them but I would like to see other humanoid books planned. Monstrous humanoids as a book would be great and Giant+ kin would work also.

Figure one of two things will happen first, a third Drow themed book to be released and / or 4e to come about.... meaning more Drow but with 4e rules....

 

[megamania]

It's only when people start having imaginary drow girlfiends that you should really start to worry.

and how many times do I have to say this- 1. Not imaginary and 2. You are just plain jealous of me.



PS Shes a hoot at halloween parties.

 

[Dykstrav]

Wow, I keep hearing all these nightmare stories about hordes of drow-enamored players showing up at the table. How have I managed to miss this? I have one player currently who came into the genre by Salvatore's novels. He's playing a drow rogue and it seems to me that if that's what piques his interest enough to keep showing up session after session, why should I begrudge him it any more than I'd begrudge the guy who loves playing dwarf fighters?

What's wrong with wanting to play a character that's thinner and better-looking than you? Or is a deadly opponent? Or has heavy angst written into hsi background? Drow don't have a monopoly on any of that.

It's not so much the uber-goth angle that the recent batch of players take to it, it's more the party-of-six-carbon-copy-characters syndrome that seems to happen. I do generally allow drow characters in my campaigns, I just haven't seen anyone that wants to play one lately.

'Clone syndrome' isn't limited to drow. When the Psionics Handbook came out, three out of five players wanted to play psions. When Complete Arcane came out, there were seven players I knew that wanted to play a warlock the next session. How many people came up with elf archer builds in December 2001? Cool, new material makes people want to play the game? Fine. If that's what they dig. But a party of identical characters (whether it's five drow rangers or five human rangers or five elf archery-focused fighters or whatever) is boring. Drow got this thing going on in the early 1990's and frankly, alot of players that were playing during that time are still tired of them.

I think alot of the general reaction this is getting is also due to the overall mediocrity of the Races books. I dig Races of Stone and some of Races of the Dragon, sure. But alot of people are feeling sucker-punched when their favorite race gets approximately 40-some pages in a splatbook with two other races whilst the drow get a 224-page sourcebook all to themselves.

I could be eating my words if this drow sourcebook presents some fresh, new material about the drow. I'm just not betting the farm on it.

 

[Dire Bare]

Drow-bashing seems to be a popular sport amongst some gamers!

I mean, you're not a really cool gamer unless you make it clear how much you are bored by dark elves. How Drizzt-clones make you yawn.

Suck it up boys! Drow will remain a hot seller and Tom Cruise will continue to make movies. Why? Cause the people, they likes 'em! I think WotC would be downright foolish and almost irresponsible NOT to give the gaming public what it wants.

On the other hand, making a cool sourcebook on Fey would be difficult at best, and probably not a hot seller. (course, done right it could be truly sublime!)

And I would so buy Drow Magic!