D&D 5E Drow "Sunlight Sensitivity" workarounds?

[thomkt]

I'd offer the ritual solution, in-game, but have it effectively reincarnate or polymorph the Drow into a regular Elf. Maybe have it suggested by a sly, Elf Druid who is looking to rid the world of Drow, one at a time through conversion

I like this, this is how it works in the Krondor books by Raymond Feist

 

[Uchawi]

Elton John had a pair of platinum-framed, (lab-grown) purple sapphire lensed sunglasses. That is tech well within the D&D world's capability...though it would be pricey. On the one hand, sapphire (corundum) has a Moh's hardness of 9, one of the strongest natural materials there is, and is singly refractive. On the other, platinum is among the softer metals.

Now, natural blue orange and pink sapphire (as well as ruby- which is another form of corundum) is a LOT more common than natural purple, but there is no reason why sapphire couldn't be created/summoned/obtained via magical means.

Another mineral that would work work be one of the forms of optically clean quartz. Like corundum, quartz is singly refractive. It also comes in colors like golden/amber (citrine), brown-grey (smokey quartz) and purple (amethyst) that would help block sunlight.

As for frames? Brass & leather like motorcycle goggles should work just fine.

If the Drow knew some roguish types then he or she could probably get some sapphires from the gem shopping network. Overall, I despise the disadvantage mechanic build into the race. It may be easier to change it to a -2 modifier.

 

[TheLastLawman]

Lucky break to avoid the penalty

I used to play a 2E campaign with all drow characters in it in the Underdark setting. My character was a drow necromancer wizard, and he was eventually stricken blind by a powerful god level artifact book that he found during an adventure. Even his own god could not cure him of this affliction. The DM ruled that this curse was permanent, so I had to get creative to continue to use this character, since most spells are line of sight. At first he used things like Wizard Eye spells and a familiar in order to "see". Eventually he found a Staff of the Magi that had a spirit living inside of it. He was able to use the staff's own sight ability to "see", and a Robe of Eyes that he later found throughout his adventuring. But he eventually left the Underdark, and as a result of his blindness and magical ways of seeing, he is immune to the "direct sunlight" penalty, since he has no drow eyes to perceive bright light. Not the best solution to the "direct sunlight penalty" but I thought I would share this. Perhaps a Robe of Eyes, combined with a blindfold during the day would get around this.

 

[korog11]

Jarlaxle's Eyepatch the Knave's eyepatch is an official solution,

 

[Atroposbolt]

So, a little late to the party, but wanted to put in my two cents as I just had to deal with this issue in my game.
As a DM, I like to say “yes”, but I also like “all magic comes with a cost.” I went through the thought process that many have here as well. But I like to keep things simple, so I don’t want to have to track duration or vulnerability, nor have permanent changes. It is a game and “fun” is supposed to be part of it, but the rules present the challenge that must be puzzled through.
So, the player wants to get rid of an attack handicap. Fine, but they will need to replace the handicap with another. The gold mechanic isn’t very strong in the game, so expense isn’t really a viable “cost.”
I love the Inuit slot goggles. It works in the story as they reduce the amount of light turning Superior Darkvision into just Darkvision. But, since they make sight a little more difficult, I’ll drop the user’s movement to Human. The player then decides when it is worth to take an action to switch between a movement disadvantage or an attack disadvantage. The delay in making the switch between states will keep them from just flipping the goggles on and off.
In all, the player gets an additional strategy component, without getting anything for free.

 

[jasper]

If you don't like the penalty, don't play the race. I had this view way back when Drow PC became a thing back in 1 E.

 

[humble minion]

I haven’t statted out a character build or anything, but especially with Tasha’s coming out soon and likely to bring a bunch more spells when it arrives, is Sunlight Sensitivity even a major problem for drow sorcerers any more? Load up on area effect damage spells, mind controls, utility spells, and buffs, and grab a couple of attack cantrips that attack different saves (frostbite is a good one). Play your cards right and you need never even make an attack roll, and surely even if you’re taking a purely char-op view of things, disadvantage on Perception in bright sunlight is a relatively small mechanical price to pay?

Shield, web, fireball, haste, suggestion, misty step, hypnotic pattern, dispel magic, etc etc etc, there’s plenty of worthwhile options.

Sunlight sensitivity is a big hamstring for combat-based classes and warlocks, but if you’re a bit careful you can probably run a perfectly good spellcaster and hardly ever even notice it...

 

[Lord Twig]

I haven’t statted out a character build or anything, but especially with Tasha’s coming out soon and likely to bring a bunch more spells when it arrives, is Sunlight Sensitivity even a major problem for drow sorcerers any more? Load up on area effect damage spells, mind controls, utility spells, and buffs, and grab a couple of attack cantrips that attack different saves (frostbite is a good one). Play your cards right and you need never even make an attack roll, and surely even if you’re taking a purely char-op view of things, disadvantage on Perception in bright sunlight is a relatively small mechanical price to pay?

Shield, web, fireball, haste, suggestion, misty step, hypnotic pattern, dispel magic, etc etc etc, there’s plenty of worthwhile options.

Sunlight sensitivity is a big hamstring for combat-based classes and warlocks, but if you’re a bit careful you can probably run a perfectly good spellcaster and hardly ever even notice it...

I read through this entire thread to say almost this exact thing. So I'm going to go ahead and say it anyway.

As it happens I have a Drow Wild Sorcerer and the Sunlight Sensitivity is hardly an issue at all. The vast majority of spells do not require an attack roll and having disadvantage on Perception usually only matters if no one else makes the roll. Plus how often are you in "direct sunlight"? Cloudy day? Not direct sunlight. In a forest? Not direct sunlight. In the shadow of a mountain? Not direct sunlight. Attacked while camping for the night? Not direct sunlight. In building/dungeon/lost temple/any thing with a roof? Not direct sunlight. Honestly we are almost never in direct sunlight.

Did I miss this being a desert campaign? Because then, sure, that's a problem. But even then not much really. I mean, here are the list of spells I would have for my character at level 20. (Not that level yet, but I like to plan ahead.)

Cantrips: Acid Splash, Chill Touch, Dancing Lights, Light, Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, Prestidigitation
Level 1 (4 slots): Magic Missile, Shield
Level 2 (3 slots): Invisibility, Misty Step
Level 3 (3 slots): Counterspell, Fireball, Haste
Level 4 (3 slots): Banishment, Polymorph
Level 5 (3 slots): Hold Monster, Wall of Stone
Level 6 (2 slot): Disintegrate
Level 7 (2 slot): Plane Shift
Level 8 (1 slot): Dominate Monster
Level 9 (1 slot): Wish

The only spell on here that would get disadvantage is Chill Touch, and I wouldn't use that in direct sunlight anyway. I chose Acid Splash first, and Frostbite is an even better spell. I just chose Acid Splash to be different.

Oh, just remember that Plane Shift, if used offensively, requires an attack roll. But again, how often am I going to need it and the target will actually be in direct sunlight?

Final thought. One of the BEST things about Drow is that they have a disadvantage. What really makes heroes interesting is their flaws, and they have one built in. (Well, there are other ones as well, but I will leave those out so as to not derail the thread.)

 

[Weiley31]

In the Rise of The Drow book from AAW Games, there is an uncommon Wonderous item called the Umbrasilk Cloak. It takes up an attunement slot and you can only see to a range of 30 feet. But you completely ignore the Disadvantage from Sunlight Sensitivity.

It does require an Attunement slot though, so unless your a Lineage System Drow Artificer, your gonna be stuck to a max of two attunement slots. Now if you don't mind using the Armaments of Legacy Guild Adept supplement on DMguilds, you can make said cloak into an Legacy item and have it gain upgrades.

But really, I don't see any issues with a Drow pulling a Squirtle Squad and wearing Magitek Shades/Goggles/Contact Lenses to avoid Sunlight Sensitivity.

 

[auburn2]

I have a house rule feat - Daylight Adaptation, available for Drow and Duergar: You have spent years above ground training in a sunlit environment. You no longer suffer penalties typical for members of your race when in sunlight. Add +1 to constitution.

This way they can get rid of the crippling effects of sunlight using a "half-feat". I think this approach is balanced.