D&D 5E Drizzt as a LG 8th Level Champion

[Corpsetaker]

Why oh why do they let Perkins anywhere near D&D? He manages to put a stench on anything he gets near.

That write up is a joke and I'm not even a Drizzt fan. If you are going to stat him up then at least do a bit of research first.

First of all let's look at Drizzt's early stats.

Str: 13
Dex: 20
Con: 15
Int: 17
Wis: 17
Cha: 14

His stats were very impressive. Also he was always described as being very handsome, even by drow standards so I'm not sure what Perkins was thinking, obviously not. Drizzt stands 5'4 and weighs 130 perfectly toned pounds. Drizzt had attained 18th level as a Fighter under the tutelage of Zaknafein. Drizzt has become a ranger in the purest sense of the word. Where goblinoids and other evil humanoid creatures are concerned, no fight is unnecessary. He is a perfectionist, in combat and in everything he does, striving to attain the highest standards within his code of
morality and self-discipline. Yet Drizzt is careful not to impose his personal standards upon others. Not sure why he decided lawful good when he is clearly Chaotic Good.

I will say that his stats have always gone against the official rules because one write up actually has him with a Thief's backstab ability at x5 along with hide in shadows, move silently, climb walls, and hear noise. Even the going from 18th level fighter to a 16th level Ranger was not allowed unless he multi-classed.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Why oh why do they let Perkins anywhere near D&D? He manages to put a stench on anything he gets near.
.

Dude. Uncalled for. Why do you keep posting here when all you do is complain about anyone associated with the D&D team, and the game itself. Are you just trolling for kicks?

 

[Corpsetaker]

Dude. Uncalled for. Why do you keep posting here when all you do is complain about anyone associated with the D&D team, and the game itself. Are you just trolling for kicks?

Actually it's very much called for because it is my OPINION which I am entitled to. I post here because I can, I am a fan of D&D but there are key people in the organization that I do not like and key things in the organization that I also do not like. This is a forum, not a "all praise D&D" one.

This is a place where everyone can express their views and opinions on all things D&D whether they good or bad. I don't need your permission to post how I feel here. Do I come on here and start flaming you whenever you post things I don't like?

If you don't like what I write then either put me on ignore or don't read them. Now if you want to have a discussion then that's fine but you don't have the right to come in and harass me because of my opinions.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Sorry dude, but you're wrong. firstly, no one said this has to be an "all praise D&D". But there's a huge gap between legitimate criticisms of D&D and what you do, which is non-stop complaining. This isn't a question about whether or not you have the right (I'll get to that in a second), but more of a question of "If you hate it so much as evidenced by your behavior, why do you spend so much time hanging out and disparaging it?" I never liked 4e much. Not to my personal tastes. So you know what I didn't do? Hang out in 4e forums and complain about it incessantly with nothing good to say about it. That's what most people do--hang out with things they enjoy and not spend all their time voluntarily hanging out in areas they hate.

For the second thing, you are also mistaken about your rights. This is a private forum. I am not a mod, but I do know there are rules here. Personal attacks are one of them. So no, you don't have the right to insult people personally and say "I'm just expressing my opinion."

 

[DEFCON 1]

That write up is a joke...

You are actually completely correct. And it was on purpose. Because those stats were made purely for use in a D&D comedy sketch called 'Acquisitions Incorporated'.

Anyone who takes this Drizzt character write-up seriously is completely missing the point.

 

[ChrisCarlson]

Anyone who takes this Drizzt character write-up seriously is completely missing the point.

Nod. I'd go so far as to say, anyone who takes anything D&D-related too seriously is missing the point.

 

[Salamandyr]

I for one approve giving realistic stats to literary characters when I model them. The trick is to ask what stats a character absolutely need to have in order to portray them accurately in the game.

So let's see...Drizzt is athletic, but also very small and light. Average human strength (10) is actually a little above average for someone his size. 19 Dex (starting at 17) sounds right. His most notable quality is his balance, speed, and agility. Consitution 14--he's tough; that's puts him in about the 85th percentile of humans (judging the mass of humanity on the bell curve created by the 3d6). Sounds about right. Intelligence might be a little low for a guy described as a good potential wizard, but the Int score also covers education, so Int 12 can accurately describe a bright person who shirks academics in favor of physical pursuits, like our boy here. Wisdom 14...again, sounds right. Guy is intuitive, strong willed, and a good judge of character--but not superhumanly so. He's definitely above average (85th percentile), but you can easily imagine people better than him in this regard. Charisma 11--he's a good looking guy, well liked by friends who nevertheless cannot overcome most people's instinctive prejudice against his race, and winds up in a lot of unnecessary fights because of it (he fails a lot of diplomacy checks). Charisma 11 actually sounds a little generous.

So I think these stats do a really good job of accurately describing the character whose adventures we've followed all these years, with an eye toward playability. I think it does a better job of capturing Drizzt than the ridiculously high physical stats given to him back in 3rd edition (somewhat of a carryover from 1st & 2nd edition where stat bonuses didn't even begin until 15, so anyone who appeared even marginally competent in a fictional work got modelled with multiple 18's) Fictional characters don't need those unplayable stats. They shouldn't be better than the characters PC's can make. They ought to be reasonable representations of the stuff PC's ought to be doing.

I mean, after all, isn't that the reason we play fantasy RPG's; to do the cool things that Raistlin and Gandalf and Elric and Conan get up to?

 

[Sacrosanct]

RE: his stats, I'm sure he created them based on the rules of array, and not how he's been depicted in the past.

 

[Salamandyr]

Now, because I've got the bug...let's consider his 3rd edition stats..

Str: 13--this 5'4",120 pound guy is really as strong or stronger than the great mass of humanity? Uh-uh This is only where it is because you couldn't finesse scimitars in 3e.
Dex: 20--Ironically this is actually functionally lower than the 19 Dex in 15, since 20 is the highest possible stat in 5e, and the highest possible stat for a drow in 3e was 25 (18 rolled, +2 racial, +5 attribute bonus)
Con: 15--no argument, but it's functionally the same as a 14.
Int: 17--really? This guy is smarter than most wizards who've been studying all their lives?
Wis: 17--really? This guy could give lessons on insight and will to clerics and druids?
Cha: 14--Eh, this is really only this high because "his books are popular, he must have high charisma". He doesn't lead anyone, he only overcomes prejudice through actions. Compared to legitimately high charisma characters like Doctor Who or Danaerys Taraeryon, who people do all sorts of things for just because they asked (or demanded), often at great risk to themselves, he doesn't any charisma at all. We like him, so he must be likable.

So as you can see...I think Perkins did a better job modelling Drizzt than the superhero job the did before.

 

[Rottle]

I think playing iconic characters from books, or rather your take on them, can be great fun. And why not this is a game we should be having fun. But each persons take on these guys will be different, and that's just fine.