Are you using point-buy? If so, put 18 in Int (with 28 points, let's say Str 8, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 8; with drow racial adjustments that's Str 8, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 20, Wis 10, Cha 10). With drow racial adjustment, that means two bonus 1st-level spells right there at 1st level. Increased Int will also raise your spell DCs and modifiers to Int-based skills (and most wizard skill are Int-based). That will help reduce the gap between you and the +0 LA characters.
If you don't use
Unearthed Arcana's LA buy-off rules, take (Greater) Spell Penetration feats -- remember you'll be lagging two levels behind other party members. Or, alternatively, concentrate on non-SR spells (like the various orbs from
Complete Arcane and
Spell Compendium).
If you're faced with the anti-drow prejudice in the campaign (most FR campaigns will be like that) invest in
hat of disguise as soon as possible, and until then stack up on
disguise self spells. Use them to disguise as a moon (or any other surface) elf -- that way, even if you're touched, the illusion will stay in effect, since drow are physicaly identical to other elves (well, apart from colouring). If the character's paranoid about being dicovered, also take a couple of ranks in disguise. A non-magical disguise coupled with the spell will be nigh-impenetrable (well, at least at lower levels
).
