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My 14 son will be rolling up his very first D&D character and will be playing in his first D&D game with me in a few weeks. He is very intrigued by the Drow - not because of Drizzt ... he has never read any of the novels and knows nothing about the Forgotten Realms. He has read about them in the Gazetteer etc and finds them interesting.
So, of course, he wants to play a Drow of some kind for his first character. I don't want to discourage him, so are there any good ways to play a fun but balanced Drow, without getting involved with messy level adjustments?
Any help or thoughts on this would be great!!!
You could always just "reskin" the standard elf, perhaps turn the spell-likes into feats that can be taken if/when he wants them. It depends in part on what he likes about the Drow, but if it's primarily the look, then using a standard elf for the mechanics really couldn't hurt too much.
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Or just play it as-is. Nothing about the drow is really all that imbalanced. The SR will save him from some spells, and he'll have some tricks to pull here and there. But ultimately he won't outshine any other 1st level character more than once a game. You're at the mercy of the dice for the most part.
What world will you be using, and if it is Pathfinder's own Pathfinder Chronicles/Golarion, how far are you willing to stray from the path there (because before Second Darkness happens, they're basically unheard-of, and any drow who would want to travel around on the surface openly would probably have to fight off elite assassins left and right.)
May I suggest something less extreme for his very first D&D character? Gnomes, Elves, Dwarves, and even Humans can be very interesting to play, and you don't have to fight with social stigmata or constant attack.
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I posted a reply earlier, and then the boards went down, so it vanished. Grr.
Here is the short short version.
Use the Elf from the SRD with the following tweaks
Ability adjustments become +2 Dex, -2 Con, +2 Int (if male) or +2 Cha (if female).
Same size (Medium) and speed (30 ft.).
+2 racial saving throw vs enchantment spells or effects is replaced with a +2 racial bonus to *all* spells and spell-like abilities.
Retain the immunity to sleep spells and effects.
Low-Light Vision is replaced with 60 ft. Darkvision.
Weapon Proficiency is replaced with Weapon Proficiency (hand crossbow, rapier and shortsword).
Retain the +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search and Spot checks and the ability to spot secret / concealed doors automagically.
Add the Light Blindness feature from the Monster Manual Drow but also allow the character the option of a Daylight Adaptation feat to cancel it out.
Have the Spell-like Abilities of the MM Drow only available as a Feat that can be taken by the Drow.
Automatic Languages: Common, Elven, Undercommon. Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Aquan, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Gnome, Goblin.
Favored Class Wizard (if male) or Cleric (if female).
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Any help or thoughts on this would be great!!!
If iirc there was a break down of the LA for the Drow into a racial class that could be played from 1st level that worked nicely for a game I ran a while back.
Yup, here it is:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a
And from my favorite WotC article series ever produced, Savage Progressions!
In Drow of the Underdark by WotC, there is an option to play drow from 1st level.
I would like to second KaeYoss' point of view and ask you to think about it. Drow as PCs just don't fit the setting as it stands today. Sure, it is 'only' a child's PC, but think about the example you are setting with this. By allowing him to play whatever he wants, he will never be able to 'get' the setting. "Why is everyone mad at me?" Well, that only makes sense because there are no known drow living on the surface. And if you go by another route and just basically treat his char as if he were human even though he is a drow (mechanically), then the whole point of playing a drow is moot.
I would talk to him and see if there is any other of the 'standard' races that catches his fancy. Maybe a very dusky wild elf ;).
