Guide to Drow

[hong]

Followed the thread here from the d20 Publishers forum....

The Shur. It has a demonic parent. Demons are immune to electricity. The Shur has energy resistance 20 to cold, fire and acid. But not to electricity? Demons are immune to poison, too, but the Shur has no special resistance to this either. Well, a few details like this can be changed if a DM wants more verisimilitude.

Nitpick: _tanar'ri_ are immune to electricity. Demons as a whole need not be.

 

[Black Knight]

Quick clarifications from the author

Just a few quick clarifications:

1) The term illithid is NOT used in the book.
2) The drow radiation depletion rules for magic items are optional rules designed for use when items are created using the underdark radiation.
3) Why aren't there notes on teleportation in the underdark? Because this is a book about drow, not a book about magic use in the underdark.
4) The shur is partially demonic/devilish. However, these are more than just "natural" mating crossbreeds, but also magical.
5) On the note of consistant mythologies, when WotC releases the drow's full flavored history into the SRD, I will update the book with everything I can lay my hands on from the FRCS. Until then I have to take another route.
6) The shaturug has a -4 Charisma penalty, but is still considered to be a "strong and intelligent leader". Orcs rule by Strength and drow rule by treachery and fear. Not many shaturug leaders sit down to tea with their underlings and discuss politics and democracy.

I am more than happy to help anyone else if they have constructive questions. I greatly appreciate the time and effort put in by Cheiromancer and others, your comments help me to see what exactly you would like to see in the products you buy.

 

[Krug]

Frankly I don't really need to see why drow need to follow WotC's "consistent mythology". Another book about spider-loving drow? Gah.. give me a break. D&D is no longer defined by WotC, and there are a wealth of products put out there by d20 companies that are more interesting because they don't go 'by convention'.

 

[Cheiromancer]

The book is starting to grow on me. Some of the feats and classes that I was highly doubtful about make perfect sense for NPC's, though they may be too strong for PC characters. After all, it takes a very skilled DM and good players to successfully incorporate PC drow into a campaign and then, with good will and talent, problems with particular feats or abilities easily resolve themselves.

A couple of clarifications: do rings and bracers and such work when placed on artificial limbs? And why is there a limit to three limbs providing magical power?

The blood druid gets "earth resistance" 20 at 20th level. I'm not familiar with the term- how does it work?

Harvest the soul- am I correct to assume that the demon in question is bound into some item, which becomes a focus for the spell? If a spell's damage is fire and unholy damage, is it half and half (like Flame Strike)? Or will a creature immune to fire also be immune to a burning hands used in conjunction with Harvest the Soul?

I'm liking this book a lot. I shall post a "rave" one of these days to serve as a counterpoint to the "rant" above.

 

[Black Knight]

A couple of clarifications: do rings and bracers and such work when placed on artificial limbs? And why is there a limit to three limbs providing magical power?

The blood druid gets "earth resistance" 20 at 20th level. I'm not familiar with the term- how does it work?

Harvest the soul- am I correct to assume that the demon in question is bound into some item, which becomes a focus for the spell? If a spell's damage is fire and unholy damage, is it half and half (like Flame Strike)? Or will a creature immune to fire also be immune to a burning hands used in conjunction with Harvest the Soul?

I'm liking this book a lot. I shall post a "rave" one of these days to serve as a counterpoint to the "rant" above.

Artificial limbs are treated the same as normal limbs. They can wear bracers, rings, bracelets, boots (for artificial legs) etc. with the same restrictions as normal limbs. The reason for the three limb maximum is due to the social stigma that goes with a "lame" drow. This was left from the description. More than 3 missing limbs would make the drow fodder for his house. Also, more than three would cause a retributive strike to occur on the unfortunate creature.

Earth resistance is much like the other elemental resistances. All spells from the Earth domain and those that are related to earth and stone (ex - move earth, transmute rock to mud, transmute mud to rock, plant growth, in my opinion would be related), plus attacks from creatures from the elemental plane of earth (ex - an earth elemental) would be included as part of earth-based attacks that this ability would protect against.

Harvest the Soul is a powerful ability. In the example of burning hands, a creature (such as a salamander or a fire elemental) faced by such a spell would still take normal damage from a burning hands that is combined with the soul of a type I to III demon. This damage is considered to be evil/unholy as well as fire. It is up to your GM if this is treated like flame strike, though I believe it should be.

Thank you for opening your mind to the book and allowing it to grow on you. IF this book does well as a pdf, I hope to add a great deal more to it by either creating a supporting product (like "The Complete Guide to Drow Magic") or by persuading Goodman Games into allowing it out in a print format with additional material.

For those of you who enjoy this book and want to see it in print with additional material (and possibly a mini-adventure in the back), please contact Goodman Games and let them know how you feel. You can get in touch with them here or by way of their website.

Thanks, as always, for the comments and questions.

Writer of The Complete Guide to Drow,

 

[Krug]

I'm liking this book a lot. I shall post a "rave" one of these days to serve as a counterpoint to the "rant" above.

And post it on the review site as well.

 

[Cheiromancer]

And post it on the review site as well.

It isn't listed under Natural 20. Is it somewhere else, or is the November release date messing it up?

I have a review all ready to post, but nowhere to post it.