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Drow - good for anything?
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<blockquote data-quote="Felix" data-source="post: 3298226" data-attributes="member: 3929"><p>I disagree: I'm digging the foundation to my manor home. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>Here's the breakdown of why a +2 LA would be appropriate for the drow:</p><p></p><p><strong>SR 11+ class level. +1 LA. </strong></p><p></p><p>A lot of people don't seem to think that this is worth the LA; I disagree and there's really not much more to be said about it. "Value" is not an objective measure, it's subjective to the "buyer", and SR seems a reasonable purchase for +1 LA. It means that a full caster of equal ECL is going to have a 60% chance of forcing a saving throw for every spell that allows SR.</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">This ability will be more effective if casters don't know the difference between a successful save and ineffectiveness due to SR. I don't believe there is a clear ruling in the core books about this, although I may very well be wrong, and if I'm right, this will descend upon the DM to make a ruling.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>This ability will be less effective if casters do know the difference between a successful save and ineffectiveness due to SR.</em></p></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">This ability will be more effective against more lower-ECL foes.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>This ability will be less effective against few higher-ECL foes.</em></p></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">This ability will be more effective against multiclass casters and partial casters.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>This ability will be less effective against dedicated casters, and casters with bonuses to Caster Level, Spell Penetration, and other similar abilities.</em></p></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">This abiilty will be more effective against wands, assuming minimum caster level at wand creation, which all wands are priced at.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>This ability will be as effective against staves as they are against the caster himself.</em></p></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">This ability will be more effective if it is not widely and automatically known that drow possess SR.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>This ability will be less effective if drow's possession of SR is taught in elemenary school, and other in-game reasons for having it widely known.</em></p></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">This ability will be more effective if the character employs magical or mundane means to conceal his race, limiting the ability of those who are aware that drow possess SR to recognize that what they are facing is indeed, a drow.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>This ability will be less effective if the drow in question does not make any efforts to conceal his race.</em></p></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">This ability will be more effective if access to Conjuration spells is restricted, Conjuration specialists are few, or non-core Conjuration spells such as the <em>Orb</em> suite of spells are not allowed in-game.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>This ability will be less effective if the reverse of any of those three things is true.</em></p></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">This ability will be more effective if you run into casters more often, because it will come into play more often.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>This ability will be less effective if you rarely run into casters, because the ability will be seldom used.</em></p> </p><p></p><p>As every single one of those is entirely campaign dependent, you can have SR worth from less than +1 LA to more. The prospective player of the drow should understand what the campaign will be like before he chooses this race.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Dex +2, Con -2, Int +2, Cha +2. +1 LA.</strong></p><p></p><p>These ability bonuses are quite valuable. Yes, it hurts to have a -2 Con; elves are saddled with this as it is. A nice comparison is with the Aasimar, who gets +2 Wis and +2 Cha; if you manage the Dex anc Con so they cancel out, you're effectively getting Aasimar stat bonuses, a race which is +1 LA. So there is consistency here.</p><p></p><p>Of course, unless there are other benefits with the +2 Int and +2 Cha, I would not pay +1 LA for the privilidge of being smarter and better spoken. Fortunately, the drow's perquisites do not end here.</p><p></p><p>(The following are all the other Drow benefits not derived from higher stats, as they would be included in the "Value" of the Ability Stat bonus LA.)</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Darkvision 120'</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">+2 racial Will save vs spells and SLAs and enchantment effects</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>Dancing Lights, Darkness, Faerie Fire</em>: 1/day</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">Weapon Proficiencies: Hand Crossbow, Rapier, Shortsword.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">Immunity to <em>Sleep</em> and magical sleep effects.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">+2 racial bonus to Search, Listen, and Spot.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">Automatic Search check if passes within 5' of a secret or concealed door.</p><p></p><p>If your character build takes advantage of these abilities.</p><p>If your character functions well while acting at a distance from enemy melee combatants.</p><p>If the campaign operates such that SR is effective.</p><p></p><p>Then your Drow will be worth the +2 LA cost associated with it. As levels increase, the LA will be less and less of a burden, and the drow will become more effective for any given state of the 3 "Ifs" provided.</p><p></p><p>Naturally, if in your campaign, SR is not of any benefit to you (perhaps because every enemy caster you encounter is a higher level Conjurer) and you play a Melee character (including some class combinations) the drow will not be worth +2 LA.</p><p></p><p>---</p><p></p><p>To answer the Original Poster's question, yes, the drow can be very good at a few things (much like other races). However, that effectiveness is highly dependent upon what you choose to specialize in, and the encounter characteristics of your game.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Felix, post: 3298226, member: 3929"] I disagree: I'm digging the foundation to my manor home. :) Here's the breakdown of why a +2 LA would be appropriate for the drow: [b]SR 11+ class level. +1 LA. [/b] A lot of people don't seem to think that this is worth the LA; I disagree and there's really not much more to be said about it. "Value" is not an objective measure, it's subjective to the "buyer", and SR seems a reasonable purchase for +1 LA. It means that a full caster of equal ECL is going to have a 60% chance of forcing a saving throw for every spell that allows SR. [indent]This ability will be more effective if casters don't know the difference between a successful save and ineffectiveness due to SR. I don't believe there is a clear ruling in the core books about this, although I may very well be wrong, and if I'm right, this will descend upon the DM to make a ruling. [indent][i]This ability will be less effective if casters do know the difference between a successful save and ineffectiveness due to SR.[/i][/indent] This ability will be more effective against more lower-ECL foes. [indent][i]This ability will be less effective against few higher-ECL foes.[/i][/indent] This ability will be more effective against multiclass casters and partial casters. [indent][i]This ability will be less effective against dedicated casters, and casters with bonuses to Caster Level, Spell Penetration, and other similar abilities.[/i][/indent] This abiilty will be more effective against wands, assuming minimum caster level at wand creation, which all wands are priced at. [indent][i]This ability will be as effective against staves as they are against the caster himself.[/i][/indent] This ability will be more effective if it is not widely and automatically known that drow possess SR. [indent][i]This ability will be less effective if drow's possession of SR is taught in elemenary school, and other in-game reasons for having it widely known.[/i][/indent] This ability will be more effective if the character employs magical or mundane means to conceal his race, limiting the ability of those who are aware that drow possess SR to recognize that what they are facing is indeed, a drow. [indent][i]This ability will be less effective if the drow in question does not make any efforts to conceal his race.[/i][/indent] This ability will be more effective if access to Conjuration spells is restricted, Conjuration specialists are few, or non-core Conjuration spells such as the [i]Orb[/i] suite of spells are not allowed in-game. [indent][i]This ability will be less effective if the reverse of any of those three things is true.[/i][/indent] This ability will be more effective if you run into casters more often, because it will come into play more often. [indent][i]This ability will be less effective if you rarely run into casters, because the ability will be seldom used.[/i][/indent] [/indent] As every single one of those is entirely campaign dependent, you can have SR worth from less than +1 LA to more. The prospective player of the drow should understand what the campaign will be like before he chooses this race. [b]Dex +2, Con -2, Int +2, Cha +2. +1 LA.[/b] These ability bonuses are quite valuable. Yes, it hurts to have a -2 Con; elves are saddled with this as it is. A nice comparison is with the Aasimar, who gets +2 Wis and +2 Cha; if you manage the Dex anc Con so they cancel out, you're effectively getting Aasimar stat bonuses, a race which is +1 LA. So there is consistency here. Of course, unless there are other benefits with the +2 Int and +2 Cha, I would not pay +1 LA for the privilidge of being smarter and better spoken. Fortunately, the drow's perquisites do not end here. (The following are all the other Drow benefits not derived from higher stats, as they would be included in the "Value" of the Ability Stat bonus LA.) [indent]Darkvision 120' +2 racial Will save vs spells and SLAs and enchantment effects [i]Dancing Lights, Darkness, Faerie Fire[/i]: 1/day Weapon Proficiencies: Hand Crossbow, Rapier, Shortsword. Immunity to [i]Sleep[/i] and magical sleep effects. +2 racial bonus to Search, Listen, and Spot. Automatic Search check if passes within 5' of a secret or concealed door.[/indent] If your character build takes advantage of these abilities. If your character functions well while acting at a distance from enemy melee combatants. If the campaign operates such that SR is effective. Then your Drow will be worth the +2 LA cost associated with it. As levels increase, the LA will be less and less of a burden, and the drow will become more effective for any given state of the 3 "Ifs" provided. Naturally, if in your campaign, SR is not of any benefit to you (perhaps because every enemy caster you encounter is a higher level Conjurer) and you play a Melee character (including some class combinations) the drow will not be worth +2 LA. --- To answer the Original Poster's question, yes, the drow can be very good at a few things (much like other races). However, that effectiveness is highly dependent upon what you choose to specialize in, and the encounter characteristics of your game. [/QUOTE]
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