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"Treachery. Deceit. Death. This is the way of the drow."
The Drow are a race
of brutally savage elves who devote their lives to furthering the will
of the Spider Queen Lloth. Due to Lloth's nature the drow have developed
into a truly evil race, feared and despised by any surface dweller. Needless
to say, if ever you meet a drow on any of your journeys, you are probably
long dead before you know that they are there.
"Never underestimate
your enemies, never overestimate your friends."
General-
- Can be played as
a party of drow, with one or more member of each class, or solo.
- The drow will never
speak to a townsperson unless his or her head is covered.
- At least 2 points
per level must be allocated to energy and/or dexterity. Dexterity must
be 1.5 times higher than vitality before vitality can be raised, because
elves are swift, but are frailer than most other races.
- The drow will never
equip a bow except for a crossbow or a Spider's bow. Most drow are proficient
with the crossbow, and will choose to keep one (preferably with venom-tipped
bolts) in one of their weapon slots. A drow who finds a Spider Bow is
favored by Lloth, and will keep it equipped in the first or second slot
as soon as they are able to do so. The Spider's Bow must be found, and
can never be given as a gift.
- The drow avoid
"holy" sounding items and spells such as Holy Bolt and Angel's
Staves.
The drow cannot stand
the intense sunlight of the deserts around Lut Gholein. They will not
venture through these areas in the daylight except when it is necessary
to complete the quests in each difficulty. They will also drink profuse
amounts of liquids (all kinds of potions, antidotes, anything they can
drink) while exposed to desert sunlight (even when all globes are full).
They gladly take refuge in the shade of nearby bushes and architecture,
and do not have to drink when their bodies are shaded. While traversing
the desert, the drow will always return to town for more potions if he
or she does not have enough to fill every belt slot. In addition, the
drow's equipment will not hold up to desert sunlight. The items weaken,
and cannot be repaired (only ethereal items may be worn in desert sunlight).
The drow can move freely through the desert, without restrictions, when
the sun is not shining.
The
Spider Quest
A drow will never
slay a spider, unless attempting the Spider Quest! Without a second thought,
they will find an alternate route into the Durance of Hate. Single player
drow and adventurous multiplayer drow will attempt to open the chest containing
Khalim's Eye without damaging Sszark or any other spider in that area.
The drow will also not tolerate a spider being killed while she or he
is on the level. If the drow is not on the level, she figures it is none
of her business, but will warn the other character that their actions
invite Lloth's wrath. Drow are especially fond of popping Evil Urns, to
release the spiders that have been trapped within (but be careful- don't
step on them!).
If a drow does slay
a spider, she or he is cursed by Lloth, and may not continue to play as
usual until the Spider Quest has been completed successfully. The Spider
Quest is always a solo quest. Lloth demands that cursed drow test themselves
vs. the power of the spiders she controls. Although it is normally forbidden
to kill a spider, the drow who has slain one inadvertently must prove
to be stronger than the spiders. Paradoxically, "sacrificing"
more spiders is the only way to accomplish this, and Lloth certainly enjoys
demanding sacrifice!
The cursed drow must
remove all potions from her or his backpack, kill any mercenaries, and
enter the Spider Forest from Kurast. A full belt of potions may be worn.
The cursed drow may not return to town until all the monsters (including
the Spiders) have been slain in the Spider Forest, The Arachnid Lair,
and the Spider Cavern. Any magical items that are found during this quest
must be sacrificed to Lloth (left on the ground). In addition, upon completing
the quest, the drow must remove their most prized piece of equipment,
and sacrifice it by leaving it on the slain body of Sszark. If you fail,
you may attempt the quest again, but you cannot continue "normal"
adventuring until completing this quest.
If a drow becomes
cursed before reaching Kurast, she or he may play normally until defeating
Duriel. At that point, Lloth suddenly withdraws her favor and demands
the Spider Quest be completed.
If a team drow becomes cursed and must do the Spider Quest, the team may
not battle Mephisto until the cursed drow either completes the quest or
dies trying. If a cursed drow dies while on the Spider Quest, he or she
will be shunned by other drow thereafter.
Drow who are not cursed
may attempt the Spider Quest for glory or Lloth's favor, but they may
not go back to adventuring as normal until they succeed at this quest!
If you are not cursed, but choose to do the quest, you must begin the
quest as soon as you begin Act 3. Also, remember that all drow must sacrifice
their most prized piece of equipment on Sszark's body, even if they are
doing the quest just "for glory".
Stealth-
- The Drow come from
a world of darkness and extreme danger. They have survived by learning
to use stealth and secrecy to their advantage. Their dark vision is
far superior to that of humans, and they have mastered the art of moving
silently after living for countless generations in the underdark.
- Metal gloves, boots,
and armors make too much noise, and inhibit the natural dexterity of
the drow. These will not be used unless otherwise specified. The main
exception to this is the helm. Most drow who come to the surface choose
to conceal their identity by wearing a helm (of any material) that covers
their face (anything but circlets and crowns).
- The drow will never
wear an item that increases their light radius, and prefer items that
lower light radius.
- The drow will never
cast a spell that calls attention to their location- auras and energy
shield, for example. If partied, a drow may grudgingly accept a party
member who uses an aura, but the drow will stay close to the party and
not venture out while the aura is active, except to move outside of
aura range. The drow will never hire an act 2 mercenary.
- Likewise, the drow
will only use spells that do not draw a traceable line of fire, unless
in the presence of monsters or party members who use the same spells.
The intent here is to sow confusion amongst enemies, and confuse onlookers
as to the origin of the attack. So, skills that are not allowed because
they draw a traceable line of fire can be used while in the presence
of friends or foes that use the same skills
- The drow enjoys
remaining in darkness while illuminating the enemy, and enjoys curses,
inner sight, etc.
Multiclassing-
Some may choose to
multiclass, and other variants (excluding the obvious mismatches like
Angels) may be "of drow descent." In that case, you may choose
to follow only the "general", "spider quest", and
"stealth" rules for the drow. Drow characters who are not playing
another variant will usually choose a class- Drow Assassin,
Fighter, Mage,
or Cleric.
Drow Assassin (DA)- Assassin, Necromancer
"He who does not walk quietly does not walk for long."
Skills-
Assassin-
Martial Arts- None.
Traps- Blade Sentinel, Blade Fury, and Blade Shield are not used because
they may betray the DA's true location.
Shadow Disciplines- This is where the drow assassin truly "shines."
Cloak of Shadows is a favorite skill, and must be raised to minimum of
level 5, plus at least 1 point for every 5 levels thereafter. Shadow warrior
and Shadow master are not allowed.
Necromancer-
Curses- Curses are particularly effective because they call attention
to the opponents in addition to the effect of the curse. Dim vision is
required to be raised to a minimum of level 5, plus at least 1 point for
every 5 levels thereafter.
Poison and Bone Spells- The DA will not use Teeth, Bone Armor, Bone Wall,
Bone Spear, Poison Nova, and Bone Spirit because these draw a traceable
line of fire or surround the drow's body.
Summoning- Lloth does not grant the power of summoning to a mere assassin!
Items-
The DA find shields too cumbersome, and will not use them.
Drow Fighter- Barbarian, Assassin, Paladin
"If ever you see a drow smile, you are already dead."
Skills-
Barbarian-
Masteries- The drow fighter seeks to excel in one or two varieties of
weapons, and will choose no more than two types of weapon mastery. If
two weapons are chosen, the drow fighter will keep both weapon masteries
at the same level whenever possible.
The drow are dexterous, but not thick-skinned. Only one point will be
put into Iron Skin. Drow are much more resistant to magical attacks than
humans are. Natural resistance must be raised to level 5 by level 35,
and at least one point is added for every five levels thereafter.
Combat Skills- Leap and Leap Attack are only used when the sound of the
leap is not likely to be noticed above the din of battle, or when there
are no enemies within sight.
War Cries- The drow will not call attention to himself by uttering warcries,
but he may use Find Potion, Find Item, and Grim Ward.
Assassin-
Shadow Disciplines- While the DA prefers to slink around wrapped in a
Cloak of Shadows, the Drow Fighter prefers to enhance her own resistance
to attack with Fade. All shadow discipline skills are permitted, except
for Shadow Warrior, and Shadow Master.
Martial Arts- Fists of Fire, Claws of Thunder, Dragon Tail, and Phoenix
Strike are not used because they draw too much attention to the assassin's
attack.
Traps- This drow is a fighter, and prefers to use her own weapon's attack
instead of a trap. No traps are used.
Paladin-
Auras- None.
Combat Skills- All are allowed except for Holy Bolt, Blessed Hammer,
Holy Shield, and Fist of the Heavens.
Items-
After level 12, the Barbarian Fighter will only use weapon classes in
which he has at least 5 points of mastery.
The drow fighters can wear metal armors, but need 1.5 times the normal
strength requirement. Metal boots and gloves are not worn.
Shields require 1.5 times the normal strength requirement.
Drow favor fighting skill, elegance and speed above all else, thus a
faster weapon is better then one that does more damage, in most cases.
Drow Mage- Necromancer,
Sorceress
"To walk apart from House and Queen is to walk into the grave."
Skills-
Necromancer-
Summoning Tree- All summoning spells are allowed. A clay golem is called
a Mane, a lesser tana'ri force, and requires no golem mastery to be summoned.
A blood golem, or Marailith, requires 5 points of golem mastery in order
to be summoned. A Glabrezu (iron golem) requires 10 points of golem mastery,
and a Balor (fire golem) requires 15 points of golem mastery.
Poison and Bone Skills- The drow mage will not use Poison Dagger; he will
not lower himself to do an assassin's work! The mage will not use Teeth,
Bone Armor, Bone Wall, Bone Spear, Poison Nova, or Bone Spirit because
these draw a traceable line of fire or surround the drow's body, unless
in the presence of friends or foes who are using these spells.
Curses- Curses are particularly effective because they call attention
to the opponents in addition to the effect of the curse. Dim vision is
required to be raised to a minimum of level 5, plus at least 1 point for
every 5 levels thereafter.
Sorceress-
Ice Tree- Most of these spells draw a traceable line of fire; only Blizzard
and Cold Mastery are allowed, unless in the presence of friends or foes
who use the skills.
Lightning Tree- The mage will only use Charged Bolt, Static Field, Teleport,
Telekinesis, and Lightning Mastery. Other spells draw a traceable line
of fire or draw too much attention to the mage's body, unless in the presence
of friends or foes who use the skills.
Fire Tree- Hydra, the summoning of a Yochol, is revered for clerics; a
mage would be slain for attempting such an act of blasphemy. The mage
may use Warmth, Fire Wall, Meteor, or Fire Mastery. Other fire skills
(not hydra!) may be used in the presence of friends or foes who use these
skills.
Items-
After level 24, a drow mage will not use a weapon other then staff,
wand or orb. A drow mage will not use a shield.
Gloves hinder casting, and will not be used.
Drow Cleric- Sorceress,
Druid
"Lloth be praised! All victory is her doing!"
Only females are allowed
to be clerics, so all druid clerics are of course female (and get very
offended, possibly violent, if referred to as "he").
Skills-
Sorceress-
Lightning Tree- Static Field and Teleport only. Static field, the cleric's
faerie fire, can only be cast one time against a monster, unless that
monster is fire immune.
Cold Tree- Blizzard only (no mastery). After level 30, Blizzard will
only be cast against fire immune opponents. Prohibited "line of fire"
cold spells may be cast while in the presence of friends or foes that
use those spells (but only against fire immune opponents after level 30!).
Fire Tree- The summoning of a Hydra, or Yochol, is the ultimate power
in the hands of a cleric. The sorceress will always put at least one point
into fire mastery or hydra each level up that she is able to do so. All
other skills are secondary to her desire to reach maximum level in Hydra
and Fire Mastery. Warmth is also permitted. A priestess who is not of
high enough level to summon a Yochol may cast fire spells that a Drow
Mage can cast. After level 30, the Drow Cleric will never cast a fire
spell other than Hydra.
Druid-
Shape Shifting- None.
Summoning- The priestess will never cast Oak Sage, Heart of Wolverine,
or Spirit of Barbs.
Elemental Skills- Fissure, Twister, Volcano, Tornado, Hurricane, and
Armageddon are allowed. The chaos and confusion that is caused by these
spells negates any chance that they would cause attention to the caster.
When the priestess first learns Hurricane, she believes herself to be
invincible within the eye of her protective storm cloud. Only time and
experience will teach her how to effectively deal damage while protecting
herself.
Items-
Weapons- The cleric will only use a snake whip (flail); the power of
the whip shows the power of the cleric. If the cleric has not found a
whip, another weapon may be used if the cleric is under level 30.
Special thanks to
Morgane for creating the D1 elves, and also for the feedback on the D2
update. Also thanks to KingOfPain, Xandar, and Bolty for their patience
with Grizt while she was getting into her role.
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