INTEREST CHECK: City of the Drow (reboot) 3.5 DnD [14/?? spots filled]

[Zaer Darkwail]

So far as I recall we had to rework one char because it had flaws where rest of players had no flaws. So no flaws are allowed so far as I know (for balance reasons). Anyways indeed diamond mind has bastard sword (katana more precisely) as style prefered weapon :).

[Xerial]

Roger, no flaws it is. Means I have to check my feat loadout, see if I should bother with going towards Imp disarm, but he'll be handy enough regardless.

Despite the long focus on the Bastard Sword, Elim is a bit of a Jack-of-All Trades type character. If it didn't seem like cheese, I'd one level dip Factotum into the mix. 

[Zaer Darkwail]

I do not know what Factotum is exactly but have heard it's kinda jack of all trades char from some source.

[Xerial]

They're a one man dungeon delver, from the Dungeonscape book. My alternative idea was pure Factotum, actually. Their core mechanic is an Inspiration pool that allows them to supplement skill checks, physical checks, and eventually attacks and such. Throughout their development they get access to a small handfull of spells, some healing/turning, and a few other tricks. Where they shine are as skill monkeys.

[Zaer Darkwail]

Ahaa, I see. Well I would prefer not use factotum but if you want build overall skill monkey (specializing being generalist) I do allow Chameleon PrC. Altough you need be human, changeling or doppleganger to enter it.

[TheGlyphstone]

Damn, your working fast Kunoichi . Anyways Dreadful Wrath is okay.

TheGlyphstone: Druids are fine, some may be even respected for ability take form of spiders (check drows of underdark note about druids and druid variant class feature). However some clerics may feel class-racist towards druids divine spellcasting but you could be belong druid sect which reveres Lolth as 'mistress of the caverns'.

And the early-entry trick? What about that? With PA, I can go full-drow Wiz 1/Druid 3/AH 8, and just barely scrape by with 11th/11th casting and Tiny Wild Shape (I'd rather burn two feats on Child of WinterLolth and Vermin Shape than be restricted to only Spider shapes by the ACF) - on the flip side, I can get a Spider Companion via the Cityscape web enhancement rather than burning two useless feats for Vermin Trainer and Spider Companion, so I end up at a net zero balance.

Without Precocious Apprentice, I'll have to be a half-Drow instead, which takes the character's story in a slightly different direction than my first plan.

[LordLuck]

Hello there, Zaer and all players!

The thread really picked my interest. Is there a spot for another roleplayer?  If so, I'd like to apply for a male, non-drow role. Let me explain, although I love the drow and I'm well aware that the story focus over them, I'd love to try and roleplay a different race character that would come to be a piece of their current political games.

At first, I was thinking about a duergar slaver. Perhaps even the thane/lord of a Duergar city nearby, too strong to be envelloped by Erelhei-Cinlu and too weak to expell the Drow. A master of slaving expeditions, he could be a contact from the other places of the Underdark, bringing both news and good to trade with the Drow. Perhaps even someone that they'd contact to get rid rather discreetly of defeated foes, selling them to him... or finding a good income into selling a hated, disgraced Matron.
Or if possible, although I don't really count on that... what about an Illithid? Those are well known consorts amongst the Drow Houses, powerful allies with their own otherwordly agenda. And consider the lewd scenes one of those could participate into... 

Anyways, great idea! Really look forward to a reply here!

[Zaer Darkwail]

I allow the feat help qualify for the PrC for 'able cast 2th level' spells. Also LordLuck we do have one dragon char but I prefer keep this game focused on drows only (not each and every critter in Underdark). Half-drows (or half-drow + XX inherited template like half-vampire or half-fiend or half-dragon) are optional choice or roll draegloth.

However I do allow roll slave chars which can be any race but they follow standard format to be naked (no starting gold nor gear) and they are either sold or already slaves to someone. Drow slaves can have got their gears confiscated.

[LordLuck]

I understand it completely. A draegloth role could be very interesting, considering the unusual loyalty those nourish for the one that spawned them. But aww... a Duergar could be fun! 

But say, any spot free for another Favoured Consort? 

[TheGlyphstone]

Excellent. TIme to start cracking...


EDIT: If you're panning for being Kunoichi's consort, you'd best get in line...and I'm not going to be one to cuckold a hex dragon, are you?

[LordLuck]

Excellent. TIme to start cracking...


EDIT: If you're panning for being Kunoichi's consort, you'd best get in line...and I'm not going to be one to cuckold a hex dragon, are you?

Crack that whip! 

That sounds dangerous and awfully risky, Glyph. I kinda like it! I'll take it! (with approval...)

[TheGlyphstone]

Might have to fight me for it as well, actually - thinking it through, I might be able to take a hex dragon in a fight if I know it's coming.


EDIT: Do you allow retraining of feats?
EDIT 2: Can I benefit from [Companion] feats if my Familiar Companion takes them, like Natural Bond or Companion Spellbond? I'm trying to get the biggest, meanest, toughest spider buddy I can - for Lolth's glory, of course.

[Snake]

Wow Kunoichi does work fast. *Impressed*

[TheGlyphstone]

Preliminary character sheet: Jhan'il'im and Xa'Maran

[Kunoichi]

Oh yeah, I still need to do my regular cohort from the Matron feat, as well. ^^; Since I'm taking over the Ghetto of Savages and it's looking like I'll have a PC consort, I suppose I'll follow along with the general flavor of the district and make my second cohort a Yugoloth.

And LordLuck, if you'd like to be a Draegloth character, then perhaps you could be one of my character's children? You could have the position of First Son or Daughter...

Edit: ...And there are no Yugoloths with a low enough ECL to have as a cohort. ><; Which is a pity, since there were some interesting character options, there.

Oh well.  Guess I'll have to find some other fitting cohort...

[Zaer Darkwail]

EDIT: Do you allow retraining of feats?
EDIT 2: Can I benefit from [Companion] feats if my Familiar Companion takes them, like Natural Bond or Companion Spellbond? I'm trying to get the biggest, meanest, toughest spider buddy I can - for Lolth's glory, of course.

I allow retrain feats so long they are not requirements for some other feat or to PrC and retrain sounding logical. Also your familiar does not count towards Companion feats because you and familiar share too close connection to each other.

[TheGlyphstone]

I don't have a familiar (in fact, I'm specifically required to dismiss it and I can't get a new one) - my existing Animal Companion gains the Intelligence and special abilities that my Familiar would have.

Besides, wouldn't it just be easier to say 'No, you can't do that', than "Yes, but your character specifically can't benefit from it'? That kinda wasn't even my question either...my Familiar Companion has 3 feat slots, I was asking if it could take, say, Companion Spellbond and benefit from Share Spells out to 30ft, or take Natural Bond as one of its feat slots and be counted as 3 levels higher for what it got from being my druid companion.

[Zaer Darkwail]

It's easier but I feel compelled explain reason behind my decision (it's polite for my opinion at least). Either way familiar or animal companion or whatever entity you share bond which shares emotions like with telepathy or somesort you cannot benefit companion feats with just two of you. But if you take the feat the familiar counts to know it also.

[Kunoichi]

Perhaps you could make it deadlier by optimizing its innate poison? ^^; Up the save DC, up the damage, cast Venomfire on it in combat...  That sort of thing.

[Snake]

I honestly think Flaws DO NOT fit into a Drow society RP. They're ruthlessly bred not to have any really and most that do have them are simply left to die in an orphanage or something. You could be a noble born drow but you're born blind or deaf you're just going to be abandoned.

[TheGlyphstone]

It's easier but I feel compelled explain reason behind my decision (it's polite for my opinion at least). Either way familiar or animal companion or whatever entity you share bond which shares emotions like with telepathy or somesort you cannot benefit companion feats with just two of you. But if you take the feat the familiar counts to know it also.

Now I'm just confused.

you cannot benefit companion feats with just two of you.

But if you take the feat the familiar counts to know it also.

So I can take the feat, but it does nothing? What does it (the feat) do for a normal druid, who has exactly the same bond as a wizard does with their familiar or a Heirophant with their FC?

Reference:

NATURAL BOND
Your bond with your animal companion is exceptionally
strong.
Prerequisite: Animal companion.
Benefit: Add three to your effective druid level for
the purpose of determining the bonus Hit Dice, extra
tricks, special abilities, and other bonuses that your
animal companion receives (see page 36 of the Player’s
Handbook). This bonus can never make your effective
druid level exceed your character level.

Really hoping for clarification, because I've belatedly realized I made an error in my prerequisites...I need a few Mystic Theurge levels to get the skill points to qualify for AH, so I need Natural Bond to keep my pet at the level it's at rather than become weaker than it already is.

I honestly think Flaws DO NOT fit into a Drow society RP. They're ruthlessly bred not to have any really and most that do have them are simply left to die in an orphanage or something. You could be a noble born drow but you're born blind or deaf you're just going to be abandoned.

I'd agree with you on blatant physical flaws, but there's a lot of flaws out there...-1 AC, for example, is just slightly less likely to dodge someone's attack. That's not something anyone would notice as a baby, and might not even matter in the long run. Or the mental flaws printed in Dragon, of which there are many and flavorful.

TLDR: I support banning flaws on a balance perspective, but I disagree that 'drow can't have flaws, or Flaws'.

[Kunoichi]

Hmm.  I'm having difficulty coming up with a character concept for the last cohort. ^^; Anyone got any ideas?  I was thinking some sort of monstrous character might work, presumably hand-picked from the gladiators in the Ghetto of Savages' arenas, but I haven't been able to come to a decision on what sort of monstrous character to make.

Maybe I could use the Tauric template to combine some sort of humanoid with a Chimera, or something like that...

[Zaer Darkwail]

Well, what companion feats do exactly? I have never heard of them really but I assume they are teamwork/coordination feats somekind.

Anyways I allow the Nature's Bond usage to animal/familiar hybrid for mystic theurge levels before entering Arcane Hierophant PrC.

Also what comes to flaws; indeed physical flaws would be killed off but with any flaws which you pick up as adult will be noticed and ruthlessly exploited by enemies. So drows usually train away from any flaws which they recognize.

[TheGlyphstone]

Well, what companion feats do exactly? I have never heard of them really but I assume they are teamwork/coordination feats somekind.

Anyways I allow the Nature's Bond usage to animal/familiar hybrid for mystic theurge levels before entering Arcane Hierophant PrC.

Also what comes to flaws; indeed physical flaws would be killed off but with any flaws which you pick up as adult will be noticed and ruthlessly exploited by enemies. So drows usually train away from any flaws which they recognize.

Feats that require an animal companion - stuff like Natural Bond (+3 effective druid level), Companion Spellbond (Share Spells works out to 30ft. instead of 5ft), Coordinated Strike (gain +1 to attack if you attack the same target as your animal companion). I just shorthand them as [companion] feats because they share that prerequisite.


I'm considering changing it to Half-Drow at this point anyways, because of the prerequisite mixup - how are Half-Drow treated in the city? Are they universally lesser than drow, but superior to total non-drow, or is it full drow blood or go home? Do female halfkin get treated better than males, or does the gender dichotomy again only apply to fullblooded drow? Would parentage matter (if the mother was Drow compared to the Father)?

[Zaer Darkwail]

Half-drow are dirt but above non-drow blooded dirt usually. But dirt none the less.

Anyways ok, I allow companion feat that case. I just mixed them up with teamwork feats . My bad. Anyways half-drows can elevate themselves to higher status by gaining favors from full blood drows.

In general any full blood drow parent abandons half-drow offspring, usually to orphanage with sadistic bitter old drow women working as matron mother for kids and kick them out once they can hunt for food, kill and walk and talk few words. Expections do occur but not often. Often males breed can render slave pregnant and birth half-drow which is discarded after birth but some may keep them as potentially disposed tools for their plots.