Drow items and Sunlight

[hobbitkniver]

In one of my games of DnD, we play in a card shop and anyone is welcome to join at any time. Because of this, we have many people who play only once or who come in without knowing anyone else. So anyway, a few different people have come in with drow characters and armed with "drow-made" items including weapons, armor, backpacks and pretty much everything else. I have no idea what book these are in, but the main questions is about sunlight. I was pretty sure from past experiences that drow items turned to dust when exposed to sunlight. Other than that, whay book these items are in would be nice too.

PS: Is it pronounced drow as in throw or drow as in cow. Personally, I've always heard cow.

[Crow]

The only place I've heard of drow items turning to dust is in Baldur's Gate 2.

I think it's pronounced like plow.

[agahii]

May be wrong but I think in some book

Some drow female fixed the problem by binding drow magic to the surface somehow

[hobbitkniver]

The only place I've heard of drow items turning to dust is in Baldur's Gate 2.

I think it's pronounced like plow.

The person who told me this played pre-3.0 DnD and never played Baldur's Gate as far as I know.

[Luminescence]

The only place I've heard of drow items turning to dust is in Baldur's Gate 2.

I think it's pronounced like plow.

My 2nd Edition AD&D Monstrous Manual says that exposure to direct sunlight leads to the irreversible decay of drow cloth, weapons, and armor. I do think this was carried over from earlier editions.

[Big Fau]

The ability you are looking for is in Drow of the Underdark.

[Drelua]

I think I have the book drow made items are from. I can't be bothered to find it, but I'm pretty sure they just lose the bonuses permanently after exposure to sunlight.

[Reluctance]

2e and earlier, drow items were meant to be cool items for the NPC opponents that, for once, didn't necessarily go straight into the PC coffers. Thus, they disintegrated in sunlight, AKA places the adventurers went after they wrapped up the drow adventure. Drow items were specially nonmagically magical, so that they had bonuses but couldn't be detected or dispelled, for similar reasons.

In 3e onwards, there might be some throwaway line to that effect, but since the assumption is that NPC opponents are going to have gear anyways, it's silly and screwy to have certain NPCs gear evaporate after the PCs win. It would be a totally cool and flavorful flaw (as in, actually worth -10% cost flaw) if drow items had -1 to whatever respective statistics in sunlight, but that's not actually mentioned or stipulated anywhere.

[Milo v3]

In Neverwinter Nights I heard it was pronouced Dra-Ow. So like Cow.

And I also think I saw it in Drow Of the Underdark.

[kardar233]

It's also in Underdark, if I remember correctly. Along with an oil to slow the effect.

[Starwulf]

The books in question that Agahii referenced, are the Starlight & Shadows trilogy by Elaine Cunningham, about Liriel Baenre. There is one point(I don't remember which book, I don't think it's the last though) where she performs some ritual/rite that allows all Drow Items to no longer be affected by Sunlight. I'd say sometime around 3e. The novels were released in 2003.

[Psyren]

I knew about something like this in previous editions, but 3.5 dispensed with it. From Drow of the Underdark:


For generations, the drow utilized a process that caused their magic items to disintegrate when exposed to sunlight, in the hope of making them less attractive to potential thieves and invaders. This practice has all but died out in modern times, partially because it didn't function as a deterrent, and also because many drow found their campaigns against the surface races hampered by the time limits such items placed on their activities.

Add to that the fact that a lot of their gear - especially that of their underlings/combat slaves - isn't really "special drow equipment" anymore, and you can see why they let that particular bit of fluff blow away on the wind.

There are other fluff changes from previous editions too, such as increasing male presence in Drow society.

For the pronunciation question, Drow rhymes with cow and wow. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/pod/20070608e11)

[Cieyrin]

I knew about something like this in previous editions, but 3.5 dispensed with it. From Drow of the Underdark:



Add to that the fact that a lot of their gear - especially that of their underlings/combat slaves - isn't really "special drow equipment" anymore, and you can see why they let that particular bit of fluff blow away on the wind.

There are other fluff changes from previous editions too, such as increasing male presence in Drow society.

For the pronunciation question, Drow rhymes with cow and wow. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/pod/20070608e11)

On the other hand, Underdark gave a decent reason for it via the Drowcraft weapon and armor special quality. They do note that they were common but have fallen out of favor in some places. Basically, it's a cheaper method of getting a higher bonus as long as you're in an area of faezress or by an earth node. +2 luck or deflection bonus for +1 ain't bad. Plus, the sunlight dissolution is a low Fort save (DC 8!) which any meleer can deal with via Steadfast Determination, since at minimum a Drowcraft weapon or armor has a Fort save of +8 and thus auto-makes the save when attended by such a wielder.

Basically, if a certain Drow Ranger had had the forethought to pick up Steadfast Determination while he was out in the wilds of the Underdark, he could have kept his drowcrafted weapons and armor when he came to the surface. :smalltongue:

[agahii]

The books in question that Agahii referenced, are the Starlight & Shadows trilogy by Elaine Cunningham, about Liriel Baenre. There is one point(I don't remember which book, I don't think it's the last though) where she performs some ritual/rite that allows all Drow Items to no longer be affected by Sunlight. I'd say sometime around 3e. The novels were released in 2003.

Ah those are the books. Thank you I was pulling out hair trying to remember :)

[Psyren]

On the other hand, Underdark gave a decent reason for it via the Drowcraft weapon and armor special quality. They do note that they were common but have fallen out of favor in some places.

Underdark is 3.0; what was common back then had fallen even more out of favor by the time 3.5 (and DotU) rolled around.

[Cieyrin]

Underdark is 3.0; what was common back then had fallen even more out of favor by the time 3.5 (and DotU) rolled around.

You're sure? DotU came out later and is more recent but I'm pretty sure Underdark is actually 3.5. There's no mention of Wilderness Lore or Intuit Direction or any of the other tell-tale signs of 3.0. At least checking Wikipedia (dubious a source as that is), it claims it came out for 3.5 and in 2003, so there's a good chance it came out post 3.5 release.

Also, I looked at DotU for their talking about drowcrafted items and I can only find a small sidebar that makes a brief mention of the material from Underdark, which doesn't actually say anything about them falling further out of favor. I did just briefly skim so perhaps I missed it, so could you point out where they talk about that?

[Zaq]

As far as pronunciation is concerned, "drow" rhymes with "bow."

[Big Fau]

As far as pronunciation is concerned, "drow" rhymes with "bow."

THAT ANSWERS NOTHING!


But good answer.

[Artemis97]

If you're keeping the sunlight disintegrating thing, I believe I recall a particular oil that can be applied to drow weapons to keep them from falling apart. I don't remember a specific name, but I think it's in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. I'd check it myself, but I am very far away from my books at the moment.

[Cieyrin]

If you're keeping the sunlight disintegrating thing, I believe I recall a particular oil that can be applied to drow weapons to keep them from falling apart. I don't remember a specific name, but I think it's in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. I'd check it myself, but I am very far away from my books at the moment.

It's in Underdark, alongside the Drowcraft qualities. Darkoil, protects Drowcraft weapons for 3 days, armor for 1 day an application.

[ffone]

It was also in the Drizzt novels (which were written starting in like 1988, i.e. way pre 3e.) But yeah, seems to've been phased out for 3e...I like how they couple it with some fluff explanation of the drow changing their crafting habits. Forgotten Realms, at least, tends to have year ranges corresponding to each edition, often with cataclysmic events at the breakpoints (like Time of Troubles or Spellplague) to help explain the shift of rules in a persistent world.

[Cieyrin]

It was also in the Drizzt novels (which were written starting in like 1988, i.e. way pre 3e.) But yeah, seems to've been phased out for 3e...I like how they couple it with some fluff explanation of the drow changing their crafting habits. Forgotten Realms, at least, tends to have year ranges corresponding to each edition, often with cataclysmic events at the breakpoints (like Time of Troubles or Spellplague) to help explain the shift of rules in a persistent world.

It still exists, just not every weapon and armor (READ: not crafted with the Drowcrafted quality) has it like they used to. Drow figuring out that it's not all that it's cracked up to be and so on.