Drow and level adjustment

[frankthedm]

Play a PHB elf with pitch black skin. There is your +0 ECL

 

[Nifft]

Awesome SR: +1
Darkvision that makes everyone else's Darkvision look like teh suk: +.5
+6/-2 ability scores: +1 or +.5, depending on size of point buy

Total: +2

 

[Klaus]

Awesome SR: +1
Darkvision that makes everyone else's Darkvision look like teh suk: +.5
+6/-2 ability scores: +1 or +.5, depending on size of point buy

Total: +2

Quite right.

That being said, I'd allow a LA +0 Drow that had all the racial features of the High Elf, trading in Low-light vision for Darkvision and Light Sensitivity.

'Cause Todd Lockwood's illustration of the female drow in the MM is just too good to pass up. My favorite drow image ever.

 

[jmucchiello]

Level adjustment is broken. As Odhanan said, LA should disappear as you gain experience. In my Character Customization book, I replace LA with experience point penalties that last for X number of level. I think the drow progression was a 20% penalty over levels 1-4 which works out to a 2,500 xp penalty. (It takes 12,500 xp to earn 10,000 xp under a 20% penalty.) But that was 3.0 and before the 3.5 advancement rules for characters of varying levels allowed a player of lower level to easily catch up.

 

[Aus_Snow]

+2 is pretty much on the money - and I think Nifft has a good breakdown of why - but I prefer racial levels rather than LA, for my campaigns (in general, and for major figures in particular).

 

[Fishbone]

Mechanically they should be +2, but they way they are they are a totally suckworthy +2. Just take of SR and they become a lot more worthy and LA buyoff becomes attractive.
The scaled back Drow, on the other hand, makes a much better Wizard than the +2 LA drow. Sure, no SR and the Darkvision isn't as good but it still has some nice proficiencies, darkvision 60 feet, no level hit, +2 to stats with the +2 being in Intelligence. Basically lay down 10 GP for Sundark goggles and away you go.

 

[Land Outcast]

Just make it a Compulsory Racial class (i.e. Give them 2 HD and LA +0).

That, if anything, solves the hp problem, and allows spellcasters to take Practiced Spellcaster.

 

[prosfilaes]

Level adjustment is broken. As Odhanan said, LA should disappear as you gain experience.

There's always the Unearthed Arcana rules for that. But the problem is, while an Fire Resistance 5 is no big deal at the levels when even the mage has 100 hit points, a +4 to an attribute is still a huge advantage, since it stacks with all the attribute boosters.

 

[Uder]

+3 or higher, just to keep them out of the game (but keep them at CR+1). They're a part of the DM's toolbox, not a PC race.

They're a vile matriarchal chaotic evil society. Why is it that every one you meet is a chaotic good male (with two swords, natch)?

 

[Sarellion]

Perhaps because your setting´s drow aren´t a race of chaotic evil elves, ruled by women?