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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Zardnaar" data-source="post: 6603915" data-attributes="member: 6716779">Once upon a time the Drow were a feared and dangerous opponent in D&D. They were rare, graceful, and deadly and they could slaughter the PCs if they were not careful. Successive versions of D&D have toned them down to where mechanically they are a bad joke compared to their former glory. The Drizzt books have not helped along with the push to make them a PC race and events like 3.0’s Drow come to the surface. Generally I do not allow Drow PCs as I want them rare and mysterious. Half the time my players are not even sure if Drow exist in my campaigns. You will never encounter one on the surface with the very very rare exception of an isolated elven settlement on a moonless night where the Drow raid perhaps once a decade or even century. For the greater glory of Lolth. What made Drow deadly in the good old days was a combination of their equipment, poison, spell like abilities and real magic resistance. AD&D has been dead now for 15 years but back then magic resistance was expressed as a % roll. Drow were 50% resistant to magic +2% per level. A level 10 Drow fighter had MR of 70%. If a spell caster failed that roll (71%+) their spell would ail to effect the Drow whatsoever and the Drow cloaks gave a +6 save bonus vs a fire based attacks. The early Drizzt books do a reasonable job at describing the way the Drow worked at the time. MR scaled in 1E but was a static number in 2E. At higher levels it meant having a fighter type around was useful due to things like Mind Flayers with 90% MR. For arguments sake to toughen up Drow to their former glory in the 5E rules I would add superior MR to the game and I would consider adding this for Dragons as well. I would have a tactic number and a d20 roll is used. Roll equal to or higher than the MR number your spell woks, roll lower and the creature is immune to the spell effects. For Drow this means a number of 11. If you wanted to scale it the number would rise by 1 at CR 3,5,7,9 etc. A CR9 Drow would have an MR number of 15 and in effect be 70% immune to magic. Drow equipment can more or less use the optional sidebar in the MM. Drow poison could use a higher DC perhaps in the good old days it was in effect DC20 but saves work a bit different now. A 2-4 point buff in poison DCs would work. Drow could also have +1 equipment for CR 1-5, 6-11 +2 and CR 12+ gets +3 equipment and each Drow has Drow cloak and boots as well which function as cloaks and boots of elven kind but use the table on page 126 of the MM. I will use the Gladiator(page 346) tweaked as a basis of an elite Drow warrior. I will swap the dex and strength scores around for example.Basic Gladiator stats.Medium Humanoid (any race) any alignmentArmor Class 16 (studded leather, shield,) Hit Points 112 (15d8+45)Speed 30 ft.   Saving Throws Str +7, Dex +5, Con +6   Str 18 (+4), Dex 15 (+2), Con 16 (+3), Int 10 (+0), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 15 (+2)Skills Athletics+10, Intimidation +5Senses passive Perception 11 Languages Any one language (usually commonChallenge 5 (1800 XP)  Brave. The Gladiator has advantage on saving throws against being frightened Brute. A melee weapon deals one extra dice of damage when the gladiator hits with it (included in the attack)Actions. Multiattack. The gladiator makes 3 melee attacks or two ranged attacks.Spear. Melee or ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5’, range 20/60ft, one target. Hit 11 (2d6+4) piercing damage, or 13 (2d8+4) piercing damage if used with 2 hands to make a melee attack.Shield Bash. Melee weapon attack, +7 to hit, reach 5’, one creature. Hit 9 (2d4+_4) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a medium or smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.  Drow Weaponmaster (gladiator reskin)Medium Humanoid (any race) any alignmentArmor Class 19 (chain shirt, buckler,) Hit Points 112 (15d8+45)Speed 30 ft.   Saving Throws Dex +7, Con +6, Wis +4   Str 15 (+4), Dex 18 (+2), Con 16 (+3), Int 10 (+0), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 15 (+2)Skills Intimidation +5,  Stealth +7,Senses passive Perception 11 Languages Any one language (usually commonChallenge Rating 6 (2300 XP) Superior Magic Resistance: 13 Skilled. A melee weapon deals one extra dice of damage when the drow hits with it (included in the attack)Equpment (all Drow), Boots of Elvenkinfd, Cloak of Elven Kind, +1 short sword, +1 chain shirt, +1 buckler, 4 dose drow poison.Actions. Multiattack. The gladiator makes 3 melee attacks or two ranged attacks.Shortsword. Melee or ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit,. Hit 11 (2d6+5) piercing damage + paralysis (DC13 con save)Hand Crossbow +8 to hit, 1d6+4+paralysis (DC 13)And it can use the Innate Spellcasting, Sunlight Sensitivity and Fey ancestry traits on page 128 of the 5E MM. I bumped its CR up to 6 as well. And that is basically it hopefully a somewhat faithful adaption of the Drow from the 1E Fiend Folio using 5E stats. I also have a personally house rule that should a Drow pick up 2 scimitars at the same time a DC100 con save must be made or the Drow is erased from reality.</blockquote>

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