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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Set" data-source="post: 3454286" data-attributes="member: 41584">This is an April Fool's thing right?Anywho, I'll be over here celebrating the 30th anniversary of Eclavdra, an actual Drow who lives with other Drow and does Drow stuff, without being a poor man's Elric of Melnibone, bemoaning her outcast fate like something that should have little boxes on her character sheet marking Angst and Pathos.Also the 22nd anniversary of the death of Sturm Brightblade, a character who actually meant something to the world he lived in.Sometimes, people don't like a character not because it's 'trendy' to not like the character, but because *they don't like the darn character!*  I think my favorite FR novel character is Elaith Craulnobur.  He's pretty classy, and, while not a common type (elf who isn't CG), he isn't a freakishly rare one-of-a-kind Emo Elf either.Coloring outside the lines with special classes, races, powers, artifacts and / or other exceptions to what D&D is actually about is a fun way to liven up a stale game, *after* you've spent years coloring *within* the lines.Starting out with a 'gimmick' character who breaks all the rules or is more-special-er than anybody elses characters just makes it look like you think the actual game itself is boring, since you can't be bothered to make a character who fits within that setting (or lack the talent to make a compelling character who isn't a speshul exception, last of her race, Chosen by Bob, from a planet of sentient dinosaur Paladins).Drizz't, like so many 'gimmick' characters is about as 'iconic' a D&D character as Jean Grey or James Bond.  Sure, neat character, and a vehicle for some truly *awesome* stories about Menzoberranzan, but special exception characters who don't follow the rules is not actually what D&D is about...A *human* (or elven, dwarven, halfling, gnome, 1/2 orc, 1/2 elven) Fighter, Ranger or Paladin, like Sturm, Kitiara, Caramon, Tanis, etc. should be able to be a heroic (or tragic) figure.  Written well, they should be compelling in and of themselves, not because they are the only member of a race not normally seen, or have special powers, or unique magic items, or the ability to spin really fast while holding two swords and cut down a hundred orcs a round.Core races, classes, feats, etc. *aren't* boring, if they were, nobody would bother to buy the PHB, they'd all be playing Thri-Kreen Warmind / Duskblade Gestalts.  If the writer thinks the races and classes that are the *core* of the game are too boring to use, then perhaps D&D isn't his game, and he should be playing Gamma World or Mutants & Masterminds or something, where unusual abilities and unique circumstances are the order of the day.</blockquote>

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