Level adjustment

[WarlockLord]

As a GM, I would simply ask, why do you want to be a drow? Because they are cool and have a neat background? Or because you like the leet abilities they get?

If its the former, then take standard elf abilities and lose drow specials because you went to the surface. Still got the cool history and can be as powerful as the other players. If its the latter, take the LA hit and deal with it.

I was thinking maybe taking the drow racial class, but not actually taking any levels, just base. Still I really like the way they changed drow to only +1 LA. Heres how the abilties end up (in our campaign)

Abilities: Nice. Except for that little CON adjustment thing, causing low-level drow to have absolutly no hp.

Spell-like abilities: Kind of useful, except the darkness is kind of screwy.

Darkvision:120 feet. Can't see in the darkness spell, (w/o concelament for enemies), and no one else in my party has DV. Thus, I couldn't use it.

Light Blindness: Stinks.

SR: Useful in some situations, not in others.

Do not ever play a low-level drow shadowcaster. Lesson learned through painful experience.