Drow and Innate Magical Abilities

[Erwyth]

I was wondering if the drow race did not have their innate magical abilities in the game due to balancing?

[Nysan]

Once upon a time, all drow were created equal and faerie fire was given freely among the happy little drow children. Then one day, the earth started to shake and the sky burned with fire as the code changed and drow of non-spellcasting classes were striped of their fire and magics in the name of progress and a new spellcasting system. The tears of these fireless drow were drowned out in the sea of cheering surface folks happy about the new world order.

In other words, coding prevents it these days.

[Caelnai]

Hmm...I admit its been awhile since I tried to survive down in the Underdark, but I remember it being tough even then. I had always wondered why my drow needed to carry around bright glowing torches (very un-IC, I thought) rather than use their innate infravision.

Was it an abuse problem? Perhaps certain abilities could be linked to area files so they would only work in the Underdark? (Heck, that even follow canon. ) I volunteer to do the re-coding if needed.

I'd like to get back down there if only I could move more than one room without being insta-slayed.

[Erwyth]

Yes I am having a lot of difficulties with my drow character. He either gets destroyed in one or two hits by a mob, or is attacked because I have a light on. I am actually afraid of leaving Menzo due to the fact that he will die!

I have been immensly curious of drow, since the original game of Menzobarranzan and have looked into them extensively. I believe the PHB does not offer abilities to the drow, though the books created by Lisa Smiedman (sp?) and R.A. Salvatore (sp?) does.

The way I understood infravision, which is unfortunately given to elves of all races; why this is I don't know, is that the drow can actually see the heat in air currents, the walls, all living creatures, even footprints left behind. At least thats what I got from the books.

On top of that, most drow had faerie fire, globes of darkness, and a form of fly, which only went vertical; not horizontal, as well as their adamantine armour, which was considered light armour for all intensive purposes.

[Nedylene]

Some of those abilities are not coded. Some are simulated for the nobles in something they get. Currently there is alot more to be done on the mud besides the drow. Drow are an option you can play but they are a HARD HARD HARD option which is on the backburner before they will be addressed. Unfortunately surface takes presidence for the time being. There are some hardcore drow players in game who have made a successful go at it but you may need to find them in character to get a little bit of help.

[Selveem]

In the PHB, Drow do not get Infravision.

Neither do Dwarves.

In FK, they do, for some reason.

Both of them get Darkvision.

Per the PHB, Darkvision works as below:

"See in the dark of up to X amount of feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight. Can function just fine with no light at all."

(Though, from what I understand, this does not work in areas affected by 'Deeper Darkness.')

In the PHB, Elves, Half-Elves, Gnomes, and Half-Orcs get _lowlight_ vision. Very different. Just "see 2x the distance of a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions. Retain ability to see in color in those instances, as well."

[Balek]

I always thought that a good way to do darkvision would be to simply allow characters with darkvision to see everything as if there was a light in the room, but strip all of the color codes from equipment and room descriptions and replace them with a uniform gray whenever you're looking at them in a room without a light.

[Moloch]

Like they do with the clairvoyance or arcane eye spell.

[Duranamir]

Speaking as a 'Hard core' drow player i would be very happy to educate new Drow and do in fact try to catch any newish Drow i spot to give them an approriate introduction to the wonders that are the underdark, dangerous though they are.

It is possible to survive in the dark dominion outside Menzo but carrying a light is not a great survival strategy. The Darkvision that Drow have in game is quite sufficent to spot exits and even mobs at a distance which is a great advantage. The only thing you can not see is items, which is no great loss. Though the black and white version would be nice it is not exactly priority one.

Oddly the underdark is an enviroment that encourages cooperation, even though populated by the most uncooperative race of the lot . So the more Drow around the better it is, not mention the more Fun RP ! hint hint.....

As far as the things from the PHB, faerie fire was unfortunatly lost with the other spell like abilities in the code change, nobles can do some of the other abilities via an item. Adamantine armour is certainly in the game and is among the best you can get.

So go be Drow you know you want to

Duranamir

[Erwyth]

In the PHB, Drow do not get Infravision.

Neither do Dwarves.

Selveem

The PHB severely restricts the Drow. From what I've read in the books, its quite different. I've often wondered how other people actually play their Drow.

As far as the things from the PHB, faerie fire was unfortunatly lost with the other spell like abilities in the code change, nobles can do some of the other abilities via an item. Adamantine armour is certainly in the game and is among the best you can get.

Duranamir

That is one thing I've noticed which is in the game, yet it does not deteriorate with sunlight. Its cool that Adamantine armour is within the game, though I wish they also added in the elven chainmail, which is like +5 light armour or something.

[Larethiel]

Actually...there is elven chainmail in game

[Kregor]

Adamantine, as of 3rd edition D&D, doesn't deteriorate in sunlight anymore. It is also not a drow-exclusive metal anymore. Though it is still reserved for mostly underdark items in FK.

Elven chain, is in fact in-game, but it is reserved for quest rewards and special items, rather than an open market item. ICly, it is closely guarded metal on FK by the elves, in much the same way that the dwarves guard mithril. If you're not an elf, you best be darn special to the elves to be wearing it.

[Erwyth]

They changed the rules on Adamantine? I thought the armour was imbued with magical properties and blessed by Lloth herself, thus the reason for its deterioration in the sunlight? Perhaps also something to do with that substance, the name of it escapes me, that is radioactive?

[Nedylene]

Wasn't blessed by Lloth unless it was holy armour. Was altered by the radiation of the underdark. Kregor knows 3ed more then I but I thought it changed to just losing magical properties instead of crumbling?

[Caelnai]

It is possible to survive in the dark dominion outside Menzo but carrying a light is not a great survival strategy. The Darkvision that Drow have in game is quite sufficent to spot exits and even mobs at a distance which is a great advantage.

Sure this is all drow? A friend & I finally got around to testing ours again and all we saw was...

It is pitch black ...

With regards to elven mail, that stuff really needs to come with instructions. 'Nuff said.

[Selveem]

The PHB severely restricts the Drow. From what I've read in the books, its quite different. I've often wondered how other people actually play their Drow.

What in the PHB severely restricts Drow?

The only thing I know of (off the top of my head) is that they suffer from Light Blindness on the surface during daytime. This is not such a horrible thing, either, when you consider they can take 'Daylight Adaptation.'

[Erwyth]

Maybe I said it backwards or wrong? I was commenting on the differences between the PHB drow and the novels that have drow in them. The PHB version of the drow is nothing to be fearful of.... The version of drow in say... R.A. Salvatore, thats a scary drow.

[Glim]

The PHB severely restricts the Drow. From what I've read in the books, its quite different. I've often wondered how other people actually play their Drow.

What in the PHB severely restricts Drow?

Level adjustment +2. Which makes the exp required to gain the next level as two levels higher. Quite the restriction when all your party members are two levels above you.

Also, when R.A. Salvatore first started writing about the drow (most if not all canon about drow and the underdark comes from him), adamantine was the work of many layers of spells and prayers upon what would otherwise be a normal metal. It wasn't around until fairly recently that they changed it and that it was the emanations from the underdark that imbued the metal with such strengths. Both ways either the sunlight disrupted the enchantment (as well as drow mages spells) or being so far away from the underdark emanations destroyed the metal.