Drow - Spider Knight stream

[Cagus]

Hi,
I would like to know your opinion on this.

Add Spider stream for Epic Dragon Knight only for drow casters.
Spider Knight could have the same stats and abilities as dragon streams already implemented, only model would be changed.

This change wouldn't affect balance, only gave very nice niche for drow casters following the drow fascination with spiders in their culture (especially priestesses).

Also place where this would be obtainable would perfectly fit temple in Udos, which would make obtaining this harder and gave nice reward for those who would visit this old and historically rich place.

[Richørd]

This is a suggestion.

[CosmicOrderV]

This also basically exists already. Dip ranger, go spider totem. Now most of your summons, including EDK, appear as a spider. Congrats.

[Cagus]

Well, this option exist, but I don't feel every drow caster with EDK should be dipping ranger against RP concept just for this.

[CosmicOrderV]

Au contraire! I'd argue ranger is a great fit for the general drow. Especially on arelith. Harsh environ, struggling to survive against hated foes, with a penchant for subtlety. The loose nature theme of rangers is the only potential concept you might have to stretch, but even just recently rangers were decoupled from requiring a nature deity. You might know a few natural secrets related to living in the underdark as a habitat, but that doesnt mean you have to respect/revere it! Ranger fits great.

[Cagus]

Recent changes doesn't effect already made characters, nor should be pressed on pure casters.

As for RP side of the coin, spider adoration and obsession doesn't come from training/class but from dogma.


I would like to see drow priestesses bringing in Yochlols one day, but I am not shooting that high (also would be Gate thing).

[CosmicOrderV]

If you dont mind a little derailing (I'll relate it back to the topic at hand, in the end, but this one's for you Cagus) i'd like to debunk that notion of differentiating mechanics from role play.

First, the unspoken value you've placed on "pure casters" is misplaced. This game is designed around multi-classing. There are several threads you can find where others have brought this up.

Then you mention it being more about dogma and less about mechanical class or training. But those two things are inherently linked. Clerics are the literally epitome of dogma given power. In the same way that Fighters represent martial mastery. Ideas have power in the d&d universe, and in fantasy genres at large.

By attempting to dissociate them, or by ignoring this relationship, it creates inconsistency. It's a case of wanting a cake and eating it too. You cant have a flavor without dedicating your characters path to that flavor. Flippabtly ascribing powers or abilities undermines the integrity of the setting. Which is to say, the classes one picks for their character (along with skills and feats) are meant to be relfections of the choices and direction that character has gone in life.

Not all drow (and on arelith, this is most of them) strictly adhere to Lolth. The focus on spiders is not intrinsic. If it is the path that character has taken then so be it, but it absolutely stands to reason that if spiders are your thing, you ought to make mechanical choices that reflect this.

Consider this as well, if such a stream went into effect, would it be limited to drow only? If you answer yes, why?

[Aelryn Bloodmoon]

The inherent, unchangeable value of a pure caster is about caster level, damage output, range (in PnP, ranges tend to be multiples of your caster level) duration, number of uses, hit points preserved, etc.

Define it as ego, vanity of the character, or just a player's desire to produce the absolute highest number possible in that character's epic specialization, because being a specialist is okay. But pure casters can be and are a thing, PvE or otherwise. I'm no ace, but I think I've managed to do okay for myself. I believe I have 1 death in the last year... maybe none?

But I took MoD on my first character before I realized other characters would actually get attached to it, so that might have colored my playstyle drastically.

Speaking of vanity - if the thing you're asking for is only an RP-enhancing cosmetics change, I'm all for it! It may wind up on the backburner in comparison to some more mechanically oriented things, unfortunately - limited Dev Time and all that.

I do agree that the ranger class fits most male drow, however, as "urban rangers" are a thing, in the first place, and in the second place, most male drow learn to fight with two weapons. While you can achieve this with fighter levels, instead, ranger levels are much more beneficial to a drow (any drow) and their typical kits (and IC inclinations).