That's another thing that doesn't make sense. I have a drow fighter character who has been living on the surface full time for three years, and before that, she spent a lot of time on the surface running menial errands for the higher ups in the cult she was born in. Why she would have any sunlight sensitivity at all is beyond me. Assuming that the condition makes the assumption that you've just barely come up to the surface, it should probably be temporary.
Or maybe it is, and I just didn't read the rules closely enough.
That's another thing that doesn't make sense. I have a drow fighter character who has been living on the surface full time for three years, and before that, she spent a lot of time on the surface running menial errands for the higher ups in the cult she was born in. Why she would have any sunlight sensitivity at all is beyond me. Assuming that the condition makes the assumption that you've just barely come up to the surface, it should probably be temporary.
Or maybe it is, and I just didn't read the rules closely enough.
Drow get superior Darkvision in return for sunlight sensitivity. It's a trait they developed over many generations, adapting to living in the Underdark - it's genetic, not the result of circumstances in this lifetime.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
Half-elves are primarily a thing because of the Dragonlance novels, or so I hear. Its the reason we see half-elves far more frequently than half-dwarves, half-gnomes and half-halflings. Tieflings, half-orcs, genasi and goliath are pretty much already hybrids already.
Once you have half-elves, people naturally ask "which elf? what happens when you have half-high elf, or half-wood, or half-sea, half-dark, half-arderial, half-... etc"
Half-elves appeared in the AD&D PHB and MM in 1978 (the first Dragonlance novel was published in 1984). Gygax said he included them because Tolkien fans wanted them. Tanis Half-Elven is probably the most famous half-elf in D&D canon though.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
That's another thing that doesn't make sense. I have a drow fighter character who has been living on the surface full time for three years, and before that, she spent a lot of time on the surface running menial errands for the higher ups in the cult she was born in. Why she would have any sunlight sensitivity at all is beyond me. Assuming that the condition makes the assumption that you've just barely come up to the surface, it should probably be temporary.
Or maybe it is, and I just didn't read the rules closely enough.
It is considered a permanent medical condition like Albanism.
That's another thing that doesn't make sense. I have a drow fighter character who has been living on the surface full time for three years, and before that, she spent a lot of time on the surface running menial errands for the higher ups in the cult she was born in. Why she would have any sunlight sensitivity at all is beyond me. Assuming that the condition makes the assumption that you've just barely come up to the surface, it should probably be temporary.
Or maybe it is, and I just didn't read the rules closely enough.
It is considered a permanent medical condition like Albanism.
I know this is a highly unpopular opinion, but it would be far more realistic to have a DM flip a coin on whether the char gets Sunlight Sensitivity AFTER the player commits to playing the char. There is no reason to suggest that char automatically would NOT get a trait from one of their parents. One only has to look at the real world with kids from mixed race parents and see that some take after more the mother, some take after more the father, some are a 50/50 blend. It is strictly the vagaries of the genetic dice.
To suggest that players take this Half Human/ Half Drow combo for anything other than power-gaming reasons is ridiculous. In my games, this species mix is simply not allowed. Now, if a DM allows it, so be it, but the player should be aware that the DM is in on the game, and there are potential consequences to this gambit.
That's another thing that doesn't make sense. I have a drow fighter character who has been living on the surface full time for three years, and before that, she spent a lot of time on the surface running menial errands for the higher ups in the cult she was born in. Why she would have any sunlight sensitivity at all is beyond me. Assuming that the condition makes the assumption that you've just barely come up to the surface, it should probably be temporary.
Or maybe it is, and I just didn't read the rules closely enough.
It is considered a permanent medical condition like Albanism.
That's another thing that doesn't make sense. I have a drow fighter character who has been living on the surface full time for three years, and before that, she spent a lot of time on the surface running menial errands for the higher ups in the cult she was born in. Why she would have any sunlight sensitivity at all is beyond me. Assuming that the condition makes the assumption that you've just barely come up to the surface, it should probably be temporary.
Or maybe it is, and I just didn't read the rules closely enough.
It is considered a permanent medical condition like Albanism.
I know this is a highly unpopular opinion, but it would be far more realistic to have a DM flip a coin on whether the char gets Sunlight Sensitivity AFTER the player commits to playing the char. There is no reason to suggest that char automatically would NOT get a trait from one of their parents. One only has to look at the real world with kids from mixed race parents and see that some take after more the mother, some take after more the father, some are a 50/50 blend. It is strictly the vagaries of the genetic dice.
To suggest that players take this Half Human/ Half Drow combo for anything other than power-gaming reasons is ridiculous. In my games, this species mix is simply not allowed. Now, if a DM allows it, so be it, but the player should be aware that the DM is in on the game, and there are potential consequences to this gambit.
There's no reason that elves and humans should be able to successfully interbreed in the first place. Realism's got nothing to do with it.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Half-Elves were added to D&D to make Tolkien fans happy. Originally, the only “Half-Anything” race was Elves, not because a man and woman loved each other very much and one of them happened to be an Elf. The “Half-Elves” were like Arwen who chose to voluntarily give up a portion of their “Elfishnes” (or whatever) and become like the rest of us mortals. That was their original lore from AD&D and from Tolkien.
I know this is a highly unpopular opinion, but it would be far more realistic to have a DM flip a coin on whether the char gets Sunlight Sensitivity AFTER the player commits to playing the char. There is no reason to suggest that char automatically would NOT get a trait from one of their parents. One only has to look at the real world with kids from mixed race parents and see that some take after more the mother, some take after more the father, some are a 50/50 blend. It is strictly the vagaries of the genetic dice.
I wouldn't have a problem with somebody playing a Drow without the Sunlight Sensitivity, as long as they realise that their Darkvision would revert to the standard 60 ft.
Of course, if their background says that they were on their surface their entire life, then they wouldn't have learnt Dancing Lights, Faerie Fire or Darkness magic either.
That's another thing that doesn't make sense. I have a drow fighter character who has been living on the surface full time for three years, and before that, she spent a lot of time on the surface running menial errands for the higher ups in the cult she was born in. Why she would have any sunlight sensitivity at all is beyond me. Assuming that the condition makes the assumption that you've just barely come up to the surface, it should probably be temporary.
Or maybe it is, and I just didn't read the rules closely enough.
It is considered a permanent medical condition like Albanism.
I know this is a highly unpopular opinion, but it would be far more realistic to have a DM flip a coin on whether the char gets Sunlight Sensitivity AFTER the player commits to playing the char. There is no reason to suggest that char automatically would NOT get a trait from one of their parents. One only has to look at the real world with kids from mixed race parents and see that some take after more the mother, some take after more the father, some are a 50/50 blend. It is strictly the vagaries of the genetic dice.
To suggest that players take this Half Human/ Half Drow combo for anything other than power-gaming reasons is ridiculous. In my games, this species mix is simply not allowed. Now, if a DM allows it, so be it, but the player should be aware that the DM is in on the game, and there are potential consequences to this gambit.
There's no reason that elves and humans should be able to successfully interbreed in the first place. Realism's got nothing to do with it.
No reason why they shouldn't... both divinely created, so genetics does not apply...
What????? If genetics does not apply, then there is zero basis for ANY trait of either race to be attributed to this offspring, a half-elf. You might as well say that product of a human and elf has wings, 5 eyes, and 3 legs.
The overwhelming majority of Drow (like 99%) are debauched, effete and arrogant scum. Their society is built upon depravity, demon-worship and/or Elder Elemental God worship (depending upon the faction), enslavement of good races (and bad races, lets be honest) and capricious violence. However, there is a tiny minority that actually reject their society's evil nature. The fact its more prevalent among Half-Elves and Half-Drow (one parent was a surface Elf, probably a concubine/slave) is also a bit telling.
From D3: Vault of the Drow Rakes roaming the streets in Erelhei-Cinlu are bands of bitter youths, often outcasts. The band will be composed of either Drow, Drow-elves, and half-Drow (human cross) or Drow, half-Drow, and (1-2) half-orcs. The former sort of group is 40% likely, the latter 60%. Drow crosses will have magic resistance equal to their Dark Elven heritage but no spell ability. The bands withelven-Drow members will be hostile to all they perceive as part of the system which prevails in their world, and the Dark Elves with them are of the few who are neither totally degenerate nor wholly evil—they are haters of the society around them and see no good in it. If the party manages a friendly meeting with a group ofDrow/Drow-elves/half-Drow rakes the youths will tell them about the worship of the Demoness Lolth and the way to her "Egg." The rakes will accompany the party to the area in question if a plan which seems reasonable to them is put forth. They will also leave the Vault-Egg areas in the course of adventuring.
So, with smart and skillful diplomacy (as well as a good battle plan) the players could have enlisted armed allies to help them penetrate and overthrow Lolth's priesthood from their seat of power on Oerth (The Vault). Had the G-D-Q series not gone completely off the rails (due to the Blumes and Gygax being at odds over the running of TSR) there would have been a followup adventure that would have wrapped up the Elder Elemental God plot threads started in The Temple of Elemental Evil series and Against the Giants (since the Drow taking over the surface weren't even worshippers of Lolth!)
Humans in D&D are capable of crossbreeding with dragons and elementals, so no, genetics are obviously not involved because if there were, there's no way they'd be able to make babies with archosaurs or anthropomorphic campfires.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Humans in D&D are capable of crossbreeding with dragons and elementals, so no, genetics are obviously not involved because if there were, there's no way they'd be able to make babies with archosaurs or anthropomorphic campfires.
Tell me, all these cross-species hybrids, do they have traits that they acquired from their parents, or do they arbitrarily have traits that have nothing in common with their parents, or any of their ancestors (also known as genetic line)?
BTW, I also do find it utterly idiotic that humans, or ANYTHING can breed with an elemental. I did not even know any source book allowed for that. However, a dragon in humanoid form, still is a dragon. That at least, while stretching credulity, is something that can be envisioned. But no, humans don't have sex with Dragons when they are in Dragon form.
BTW, I also do find it utterly idiotic that humans, or ANYTHING can breed with an elemental.
I think they are referencing Genasi, but in this case they are wrong. The genasi nonhuman parent is genie, and they can assume a human form like dragons
BTW, I also do find it utterly idiotic that humans, or ANYTHING can breed with an elemental.
I think they are referencing Genasi, but in this case they are wrong. The genasi nonhuman parent is genie, and they can assume a human form like dragons
Genasi are also not necessarily the offspring of a human and a Genie, they also can be a humanoid touched by the elemental planes at birth.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A fool pulls the leaves. A brute chops the trunk. A sage digs the roots.
Humans in D&D are capable of crossbreeding with dragons and elementals, so no, genetics are obviously not involved because if there were, there's no way they'd be able to make babies with archosaurs or anthropomorphic campfires.
Tell me, all these cross-species hybrids, do they have traits that they acquired from their parents, or do they arbitrarily have traits that have nothing in common with their parents, or any of their ancestors (also known as genetic line)?
Well, a fire genasi always has the ability to cast Produce Flame and Burning Hands as racial abilities, regardless of whether their elemental parent was an Azer, Efreeti, Salamander, or an actual Fire Elemental. None of which have the ability to innately cast those spells. So it makes no sense that a half-drow character would have to roll to see whether or not they inherited sunlight sensitivity from their drow parent when literally no other hybrid race in the game has any such issue. Up through 3rd Edition, orcs had Sunlight Sensitivity as well but half-orcs never did.
BTW, I also do find it utterly idiotic that humans, or ANYTHING can breed with an elemental. I did not even know any source book allowed for that. However, a dragon in humanoid form, still is a dragon. That at least, while stretching credulity, is something that can be envisioned. But no, humans don't have sex with Dragons when they are in Dragon form.
Yeah, in other words, it's magic and not genetics.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Access to Elven Accuracy plus Drow Magic minus Sunlight Sensitivity is what sold it for me.
That's another thing that doesn't make sense. I have a drow fighter character who has been living on the surface full time for three years, and before that, she spent a lot of time on the surface running menial errands for the higher ups in the cult she was born in. Why she would have any sunlight sensitivity at all is beyond me. Assuming that the condition makes the assumption that you've just barely come up to the surface, it should probably be temporary.
Or maybe it is, and I just didn't read the rules closely enough.
Drow get superior Darkvision in return for sunlight sensitivity. It's a trait they developed over many generations, adapting to living in the Underdark - it's genetic, not the result of circumstances in this lifetime.
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
It's Drizzt's daughter, problem solved. Seriously, I've never even read any D&D books and I came up with that in 7 seconds.
Half-elves are primarily a thing because of the Dragonlance novels, or so I hear. Its the reason we see half-elves far more frequently than half-dwarves, half-gnomes and half-halflings. Tieflings, half-orcs, genasi and goliath are pretty much already hybrids already.
Once you have half-elves, people naturally ask "which elf? what happens when you have half-high elf, or half-wood, or half-sea, half-dark, half-arderial, half-... etc"
So... that's the point.
Half-elves appeared in the AD&D PHB and MM in 1978 (the first Dragonlance novel was published in 1984). Gygax said he included them because Tolkien fans wanted them. Tanis Half-Elven is probably the most famous half-elf in D&D canon though.
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
It is considered a permanent medical condition like Albanism.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
I know this is a highly unpopular opinion, but it would be far more realistic to have a DM flip a coin on whether the char gets Sunlight Sensitivity AFTER the player commits to playing the char. There is no reason to suggest that char automatically would NOT get a trait from one of their parents. One only has to look at the real world with kids from mixed race parents and see that some take after more the mother, some take after more the father, some are a 50/50 blend. It is strictly the vagaries of the genetic dice.
To suggest that players take this Half Human/ Half Drow combo for anything other than power-gaming reasons is ridiculous. In my games, this species mix is simply not allowed. Now, if a DM allows it, so be it, but the player should be aware that the DM is in on the game, and there are potential consequences to this gambit.
Poor Albanians:-(
There's no reason that elves and humans should be able to successfully interbreed in the first place. Realism's got nothing to do with it.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I think that just reinforces the point that realism's got nothing to do with it...
Half-Elves were added to D&D to make Tolkien fans happy. Originally, the only “Half-Anything” race was Elves, not because a man and woman loved each other very much and one of them happened to be an Elf. The “Half-Elves” were like Arwen who chose to voluntarily give up a portion of their “Elfishnes” (or whatever) and become like the rest of us mortals. That was their original lore from AD&D and from Tolkien.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
I wouldn't have a problem with somebody playing a Drow without the Sunlight Sensitivity, as long as they realise that their Darkvision would revert to the standard 60 ft.
Of course, if their background says that they were on their surface their entire life, then they wouldn't have learnt Dancing Lights, Faerie Fire or Darkness magic either.
What????? If genetics does not apply, then there is zero basis for ANY trait of either race to be attributed to this offspring, a half-elf. You might as well say that product of a human and elf has wings, 5 eyes, and 3 legs.
The overwhelming majority of Drow (like 99%) are debauched, effete and arrogant scum. Their society is built upon depravity, demon-worship and/or Elder Elemental God worship (depending upon the faction), enslavement of good races (and bad races, lets be honest) and capricious violence. However, there is a tiny minority that actually reject their society's evil nature. The fact its more prevalent among Half-Elves and Half-Drow (one parent was a surface Elf, probably a concubine/slave) is also a bit telling.
From D3: Vault of the Drow
Rakes roaming the streets in Erelhei-Cinlu are bands of bitter youths, often outcasts. The band will be composed of either Drow, Drow-elves, and half-Drow (human cross) or Drow, half-Drow, and (1-2) half-orcs. The former sort of group is 40% likely, the latter 60%. Drow crosses will have magic resistance equal to their Dark Elven heritage but no spell ability. The bands with elven-Drow members will be hostile to all they perceive as part of the system which prevails in their world, and the Dark Elves with them are of the few who are neither totally degenerate nor wholly evil—they are haters of the society around them and see no good in it.
If the party manages a friendly meeting with a group of Drow/Drow-elves/half-Drow rakes the youths will tell them about the worship of the Demoness Lolth and the way to her "Egg." The rakes will accompany the party to the area in question if a plan which seems reasonable to them is put forth. They will also leave the Vault-Egg areas in the course of adventuring.
So, with smart and skillful diplomacy (as well as a good battle plan) the players could have enlisted armed allies to help them penetrate and overthrow Lolth's priesthood from their seat of power on Oerth (The Vault). Had the G-D-Q series not gone completely off the rails (due to the Blumes and Gygax being at odds over the running of TSR) there would have been a followup adventure that would have wrapped up the Elder Elemental God plot threads started in The Temple of Elemental Evil series and Against the Giants (since the Drow taking over the surface weren't even worshippers of Lolth!)
Humans in D&D are capable of crossbreeding with dragons and elementals, so no, genetics are obviously not involved because if there were, there's no way they'd be able to make babies with archosaurs or anthropomorphic campfires.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Tell me, all these cross-species hybrids, do they have traits that they acquired from their parents, or do they arbitrarily have traits that have nothing in common with their parents, or any of their ancestors (also known as genetic line)?
BTW, I also do find it utterly idiotic that humans, or ANYTHING can breed with an elemental. I did not even know any source book allowed for that. However, a dragon in humanoid form, still is a dragon. That at least, while stretching credulity, is something that can be envisioned. But no, humans don't have sex with Dragons when they are in Dragon form.
I think they are referencing Genasi, but in this case they are wrong. The genasi nonhuman parent is genie, and they can assume a human form like dragons
Genasi are also not necessarily the offspring of a human and a Genie, they also can be a humanoid touched by the elemental planes at birth.
A fool pulls the leaves. A brute chops the trunk. A sage digs the roots.
My Improved Lineage System
Well, a fire genasi always has the ability to cast Produce Flame and Burning Hands as racial abilities, regardless of whether their elemental parent was an Azer, Efreeti, Salamander, or an actual Fire Elemental. None of which have the ability to innately cast those spells. So it makes no sense that a half-drow character would have to roll to see whether or not they inherited sunlight sensitivity from their drow parent when literally no other hybrid race in the game has any such issue. Up through 3rd Edition, orcs had Sunlight Sensitivity as well but half-orcs never did.
Yeah, in other words, it's magic and not genetics.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.