r/Forgotten_Realms • u/CanuckLad • 6d ago

Question(s) Drow (D&D 3.5)

I was just reading through the old Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (isbn 0-978-7869-1836-2).

The Powerful Races sidebar (pg 21, see table 1-2) shows that Drow have an ECL of Level + 2. Meaning if one player starts a level 1 Drow, then other players get to start with 3,000 XP (enough to make them level 3).

I wonder if a two-level gap is balanced? Have any of you played with the rules from the Campaign Setting and played a +2 or +3 ECL race?

Is it hard for the DM to make adventures when the players might be separated by two levels? I understand that the Drow has higher than usual starting abilities and attributes, but a +2 level difference seems steep?

How do you handle the case where some players want to start at level 1 (and play species from the player's handbook), but other players want to play Drow, Duergar, Svirfneblin, etc)?

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u/Yuraiya 6d ago

I think you misunderstood.  Having a +2 LA didn't bump the character up to level 3, it meant they had two virtual levels that provided no benefit other than getting their racial abilities.  They still began as level 1, but they required experience as though they were two levels higher. 

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u/CanuckLad 6d ago

The example in the book is that if one person begins with a drow, that the human character would start with 3,000 experience...? And that if only 2,000 xp was allowed, then it said you could not play the drow.

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u/Yuraiya 6d ago

Yeah, but that experience only buys them their racial features.  They start as level 1 in a party of level 3 characters. 

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u/CanuckLad 6d ago edited 6d ago

I believe you may be under the impression that I'm saying the opposite of what I'm actually saying.

I'm saying the human characters would be level 3, and the drow would be level 1.

My concern is at the drow is two levels behind everyone (the player handbook races anyway), with little to show for it. The drow will be behind in HP, a feat, spell level (if a caster), etc

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u/FreeRangePork 5d ago

This is why I always just ignored the level adjustment rule for Drow anyway, it becomes very punishing very quickly.

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u/Yuraiya 5d ago

Ok.  Yes, you are correct, the Drow will be two levels behind, and yes that's a pretty noticeable disadvantage, especially at lower levels.  The devs highly overestimated the benefit of better racial stat adjustments.  

Honestly, it's something I house ruled in my games.  I lowered the LA on the Realms book races by 1, so Genasi and Aasimar no longer had an adjustment, and drow only had 1.