Drow Cloud of Darkness and Darkfire, one or both?

[Reaper Steve]

My understanding of the RAW for drow PCs in FRPG is that they all have both cloud of darkness and darkfire, but can only use one or the other each encounter.

But then I read the 'Children of Darkness' article just posted to Dragon. In it, three of the new feats specifically call out cloud of darkness* as a prerequisite. But that strikes me as redundant since--as I understand it--all drow PCs have it.

*(The Flickering Shroud entry in the table on p.69 incorrectly lists cloud of darkness as a prereq. The full entry on p.70 correctly states darkfire instead.)

I'm inclined to think that the article's author made a mistake in making these racial powers prereqs as a couple feats in the FRPG read like the PC has both powers.

So... am I misunderstanding the RAW? Does a drow PC have to choose one or the other?

 

[chaotix42]

I don't think you're missing anything. If you check out the gnoll article one of the feats has gnoll as a prereq as well as the gnoll racial power. This seems similarly unnecessary in that, as a gnoll, you have the gnoll racial power by default.

Perhaps supplements in the future will expand upon racial powers, and there will be new powers that you can decide to take instead of the default ones?

Oh, and have some XP, since I haven't used this cool new feature yet. : )

 

[Reaper Steve]

Oh, and have some XP, since I haven't used this cool new feature yet. : )

What feature is that?

I just logged in at home for the first time after returning from my deployment to A-stan, so I'm a little behind.

 

[Kordeth]

So... am I misunderstanding the RAW? Does a drow PC have to choose one or the other?

It's not an error (and you're not misreading), it's forward compatability. Notice that, for example, there are elf racial feats in the PHB that require that you be an elf, and also have elven accuracy. By explicitly listing as a prerequisite the racial power a feat modifies, it leaves the door open for WotC to later introduce additional racial powers you can choose from (e.g. a new elf power that lets you ignore difficult terrain for the duration of a move action, or a levitate power for drow instead of cloud of darkness).

 

[chaotix42]

Check out Announcement: Experience Points at the top of the thread list, it has all the info.

Congratulations on returning home safe btw!

 

[inati]

It might also prevent people from, in the future, Polymorphing into a Drow just to gain Drow racial feats or other similar shenanigans.

 

[Kordeth]

It might also prevent people from, in the future, Polymorphing into a Drow just to gain Drow racial feats or other similar shenanigans.

Quoth Morbo the News Monster:

"POLYMORPH DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY! GOOD-NIGHT!"

 

[Reaper Steve]

Check out Announcement: Experience Points at the top of the thread list, it has all the info.

Congratulations on returning home safe btw!

Thanks and thanks!
I award you XP for 'aiding the oblivious to notice the obvious.'

 

[Danceofmasks]

It's not an error (and you're not misreading), it's forward compatability. Notice that, for example, there are elf racial feats in the PHB that require that you be an elf, and also have elven accuracy. By explicitly listing as a prerequisite the racial power a feat modifies, it leaves the door open for WotC to later introduce additional racial powers you can choose from (e.g. a new elf power that lets you ignore difficult terrain for the duration of a move action, or a levitate power for drow instead of cloud of darkness).

Well, half-elves can normally take elf feats, so the PHB elf ones make sense.
Likewise, I reckon there might be different "tribes" of gnolls with different powers who can't take the feat due to the requirement.

Eww .. bad grammar. You know what I mean, though.

 

[Kordeth]

Well, half-elves can normally take elf feats, so the PHB elf ones make sense.
Likewise, I reckon there might be different "tribes" of gnolls with different powers who can't take the feat due to the requirement.

Eww .. bad grammar. You know what I mean, though.

Okay, then substitute the dragonborn feats that require the dragon breath racial power or the eladrin feats that require fey step. The point still stands, it's not an error in the feat, it's a buffer against potential rules incompatibilities later on.