Appendix: For Player Characters
DROW AS FOES
The dangers to a party of adventurers in the Underdark come from all quarters and in every size and shape imaginable, but never far from the mind is the omnipresent threat of the drow. Nothing brings forth loathing and fear like the thought of an encounter with the dark elves in the cold tunnels of the earth, and it is well known that in their own environment an unexpected encounter with drow is likely to end badly for adventurers. Nevertheless, although most adventurers say a prayer to their respective gods for avoidance of the drow before plunging into the endless night, those wishing to trust to more than luck or the whim of a deity have given long thought and used battle-tested experience to come up with countermeasures against this implacable foe of all surface dwellers. From the deep halls of fire giant kings to mountain passes of dwarf kingdoms to great cities hidden in cysts below the earth, the drow can be found in just about any setting at any time and always represent a terrible danger. However, it is widely known that as formidable as they are if encountered on the surface, the drow are much more to be feared when in their natural environment of lightless caverns and constrictive stone passages. Therefore, this appendix will primarily deal with methods for countering the drow in an Underdark environment where they are at their greatest advantage. These methods can largely be transferred for use in surface encounters as well, where the light of sun or moon and the great wide-open expanses unknown in the Underdark further reduce the dark elves’ effectiveness. First and foremost in combating the drow is the need for sight. Unless a party is full of characters who have the BlindFight feat and are ready and willing to miss on a significant portion of their attacks due to concealment, then they are going to want to be able to see in the dark. That said, BlindFight is an excellent feat to have as a backup in case things
APPENDIX
The drow make for a frustrating and deadly foe for player characters with their gamut of magical abilities, twisted plots and manipulations honed and refined by their own society, and tricks and traps that have had centuries to be developed and perfected. In addition, they are typically found in one of the most hostile environments in a campaign world—the Underdark. The dark elves have been the bogeymen of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game since their first appearance in 1978’s Dungeon Module G3: Hall of the Fire Giant King. Since that time they have consistently both captivated and terrorized players ranging from the vilest of villains to the noblest of heroes. Unlike the majority of this book’s material, this appendix is for the players. Its purpose is to help players handle encounters with hostile drow and live to tell of it as well as help them to successfully roleplay drow as player characters.
don’t go according to plan and a character does find himself fighting in the dark. To counter the effects of darkness, the party should come equipped with darkvision, either naturally or through use of magic. Low-light vision is useful but probably will not cut it in the lightless environment of the Underdark. A must for all adventurers who are or might be facing drow is the daylight spell. It provides an incomparable advantage against the dark elves, rendering them blinded for the first round and dazzled every round thereafter that they remain within its area. Every ambush on drow should begin with a daylight spell, and even if the party finds itself on the receiving end of a drow ambush (a much more likely prospect), the first thought even before taking cover should be the use of daylight, because it buys time and reduces the ambushers’ effectiveness. However, a single daylight spell is probably not enough, since it can be countered by deeper darkness or by a single ambusher with a readied action to disrupt spellcasters. Therefore, preparation of multiple daylight spells is a must. The inexpensive daylight pellets (see page 101) are especially useful in this regard.
THE UNPREPARED PARTY When battle with drow begins, tactics differ depending on whether the PCs were prepared for the encounter. If they are in the Underdark, they should be prepared and at the very least have a daylight spell available. If a party has not prepared, then an organized retreat is usually the best option unless the characters are able to quickly discern that they are facing an inferior force that is easily dealt with. And with drow, if it looks like you’re facing an inferior force that is easily dealt with, then that’s probably just what they want you to think, and they actually are not. Retreat, preferably covered by a daylight spell, is probably the best option. If the party is able tell where the leader of the drow force is, then some sort of ranged area effect just to keep her busy might be in order as a parting shot. A spell such as cloudkill is ideal in that it does not allow spell resistance, it forces the target(s) to move to get out of its way, and it provides concealment to retreat under. In conjunction with a daylight spell, this attack can be particularly effective against a temporarily blinded drow who is unaware of its approach. Its Constitution damage might likewise prevent the drow from pursuing while instead seeking out a restoration spell. To cover the retreat, spells such as fog cloud and obscuring mist are good because they are unaffected by spell resistance. In addition, if the drow have just encountered a cloudkill, they are much less likely to charge into another roiling cloud of mist. The retreat is an excellent time to summon any expendable monsters or allies to send back along the trail and hamper any pursuit. Once again, spell resistance doesn’t help against a hungry fiendish dire wolverine. And it goes without saying that the versatility of spells such as fly, expeditious retreat, and pass without trace is valuable in such endeavors. The party should stay together, however. One heroic soul who intends to hold the tunnel behind his retreating comrades is asking for trouble. First, the party should assume that character is lost and make plans to defend without him, since there is a good chance he will never be seen again. To
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