What would you use to make the Ultimate Drow character?

[RavynsLand]

You're given 20 levels to create the perfect Drow warrior. But not just powerful -- exemplary. This character has to fully uphold the tactics and culture of drow society.

To prevent answers of "cleric20," we're assuming this character is male.

So, what does your drow look like? Obviously Drow Paragon3 is needed but where will he get his spells, his combat, his stealth? What feats will he take, what weapons will he use?

[Snowbluff]

Ranger 20. Pull out those dual scimmies. Seriously hide, curved weapons, and some spells.

[Grayson01]

CLeric 20 worships Loth's Son Vhaeraun.

[ryu]

Mystic ranger, sword of the arcane order, wildshape ranger. Also dual-wielding scimitars for no reason. Basic concept of that idea is to make Drizzt a legitimate threat in combat.

[Vrock_Summoner]

Before a single 'nother person references Drizz't, he is quite possibly as "opposite of drow culture" as you can get.

[Snowbluff]

Before a single 'nother person references Drizz't, he is quite possibly as "opposite of drow culture" as you can get.

His personality is, his other traits are not.

[Flickerdart]

There are basically two things about drow: spiders, and being terrible to everyone all of the time. Eberron also adds some nifty drow weapons. Due to the LA, you'll probably want to avoid spellcasting, but your SLAs are a pretty good place to start.

Useful drow feats:

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Drow Scorpion Warrior: Constitution damage on follow-up attacks after a critical hit, and an attack roll debuff when you hit with a special spiked chain after charging. Solid.
Vae School: The rogue's Knockdown.
Sting Strike: Cumulative +1 bonus for every extra iterative when using weapons off a list, but you can't combine it with feats that increase the number of attacks you get. TWF just lessens penalties, haste isn't a feat, natural attacks with Aptitude on a Necklace of Natural Attacks count...go wild here.
Shi'Quos School: Weird Dex-based pseudo-trip that activates on a charge. Nice if you fail to trip them, I guess.
Lolth's Caress: Expend turning to immediately force poisoned people to make the secondary save. Nasty stuff, makes poisons quite powerful.
Venomous Strike: Reduce Sneak Attack to increase DC of poison.
Master of Poisons: Swift-action poison application. Shiny.
Aleval School: Reduce SA to lower a save of your choice. Tip: Pick Fortitude, poison your blade.
Vermin Trainer/Arachnid Rider: Train vermin with Handle Animal. Great opportunity to milk them for venom.
Lolth's Boon: Buffing vermin by using turning. Nice if you're down with the spider thing.
Vow of the Spider Queen: Rebuke vermin, some nonsense.
Knight of Lolth: When you ride a spider, you don't fall off as much and can spend your actions to make it hit better.
Gift of the Spider Queen: Spend SLA uses to get cool effects. There are loads of ways to get extra SLA uses.
Blend Into Shadows: Combined with a level of Warlock, this is basically HiPS. Make sure you have At Home in the Deep so your own darkness doesn't affect your sight. Instinctive Darkness is also useful for you.

So the drowiest drow has a level of warlock, turning, a bunch of Sneak Attack dice, and a crowd of spiders (handled or rebuked). The spiders provide flanks and poison people so that the drow can land Sneak Attacks, dish out his own poison (which he milked from the spiders), and then drop Lolth's Caress to force everyone to save again against all the poison they've got going on, probably dropping their Strength to 0. Then you sacrifice them all to Lolth and sneak off into the shadows to find more guys to kill.

If you're feeling like going advanced drow, work in the scorpion chain tripping angle.

[CIDE]

Ranger 20. Pull out those dual scimmies. Seriously hide, curved weapons, and some spells.

....Most of our player charactes wouldn't have the artifact known as 'plot armor' that certain NPC's would have.

Mystic ranger, sword of the arcane order, wildshape ranger. Also dual-wielding scimitars for no reason. Basic concept of that idea is to make Drizzt a legitimate threat in combat.

You mean to get rid of TWF entirely since once you wildshape it no longer matters?

Before a single 'nother person references Drizz't, he is quite possibly as "opposite of drow culture" as you can get.

But it's the character everybody nobody loves!




Anyway, to the OP I'd have to second Flickerdart. Warlock.

[ryu]

....Most of our player charactes wouldn't have the artifact known as 'plot armor' that certain NPC's would have.




You mean to get rid of TWF entirely since once you wildshape it no longer matters?



But it's the character everybody nobody loves!




Anyway, to the OP I'd have to second Flickerdart. Warlock.

More like wizard casting while also a bear. Still less powerful than either of the two classes we're stapling on parts from, but still significantly more powerful than the vast majority of beings in that whole setting.

[Ellowryn]

Unfortunately, Warlock doesnt work as a Drow Exemplar. In the Drow of the Underdark book it talks about Warlock's under the alternative class features section, and describes them as not shunned but unable to rise to any sort of position of leadership which is THE example of Drow.

From what i can tell, a races favorite class tends to be what qualify as exemplars of the race. They are the most well known people of the race and are what many of the youth strive for, hence why it is considered core to the race.

So for a male Drow, a wizard would be the the best example. Although losing a caster level to Drow Paragon hurts.....

[Flickerdart]

Warlock is only necessary for infinite use of darkness. You can get along without it. The real key bits are poison use, spiders, and scorpion chains.

[Telonius]

Arachnomancer (from Forgotten Realms' "Underdark" book) might be worth looking into. It loses a few caster levels, but if you're going Drow Paragon already you're not going to be maximizing your caster levels anyway. Maybe combine it with Warshaper (for when you're in spider form)?

(EDIT: Just for clarity, "Underdark" is not the same book as "Drow of the Underdark.")

[dextercorvia]

Start with Grey Elf refluffed to be really dark grey.

[Thealtruistorc]

Scorpion Wraith prestige class from Secrets of Xendrik. It doesn't get more drow-tastic than that.

[Jurai]

I'd prefer a different race, but sticking with Drow, I'd use Shadowcaster 5/Swordsage 5/Shadowblade 10.

[Vortenger]

A Drow Noble from Pathfinder. Done.

[dextercorvia]

I like the Dread Witch PrC for drow.

[OverdrivePrime]

I don't see how wildshape exemplifies drow fighting style at all. Turning into a drider, maybe, but that's a different thing altogether.

Advanced drow combat seems to revolve around maneuverability, stealth and surprise, with various schools teaching two-weapon fighting and lateral thinking.
Extremely fortunate males could learn wizardry.

An exemplary male would probably be a gish of some sort, and would definitely have access to sneak attack and poison. What about the assassin prc? Rogue 3/ Ranger 2/ Assassin X/ Something Better X?

But it's the character everybody nobody loves!

>__>
I know it's not cool, but I love the bejezus out of Drizzt. Dude's been like an older brother to me since I was level 0.

[KorbeltheReader]

I'm much more interested in a drow Ultimate Warrior.

[Ravens_cry]

No mention of the Drow Paragon class?
While not the best thing in the world, it advances wizard or cleric spell casting, ups your dex, and makes it so you aren't completely pants in bright light.

[Snowbluff]

It was mentioned in the OP. Alt-F/cmd-F are your friends.

[Ravens_cry]

It was mentioned in the OP. Alt-F/cmd-F are your friends.

They are indeed. Let me follow that up with a resounding, d'oh! And again, d'oh!

[John Longarrow]

Envale of House Everhate

L1 Beguiler 1 Feat - Spell Focus(EVIL) - Fill Interpersonal Skills
L2 DuskBlade 1 Skills - Fill Know requirements for Ur-Priest/Mystic Theurge
L3 Beguiler 2 Feat - Iron Will - Fill Interpersonal Skills
L4 DuskBlade 2 Skills - Fill Know requirements for Ur-Priest/Mystic Theurge
L5 Beguiler 3
L6 Ur-Priest 1
L7 Ur-Priest 2
L8->17 Mystic Theurge 1-10
L18-20 Beguiler (lvls 4-6)

If you want to have a more skill points you can take only 8 levels of Mystic Theurge and two more of Beguiler.
This results in a character with a lot of skills, lots of casting, and a tendancy to take what they want.

First few levels play like a fighter/rogue but with a fair amount of magic.
Starting at 6th, you TAKE clerical spells from the Gods. You also keep adding to your beguiler spells as you go.

As far as total power, not as good as a straight wizard based build, but much more Drow feeling as you take what you want and you have lots of abilities to manipulate others. After all, who else gets to take what they want from those pretending to be as great as Lolth?

[Cog]

Without pinning down the details, I might go something like: Wizard 2, Ranger 2, Drow Paragon 3, Cavestalker 4, Exotic Weapon Master 2, Abjurant Champion 5; that leaves a few free levels to pick up more casting or another weapon trick or such. You're dual-wielding like That Other Guy (TM), but you're doing it with Spiked Chains, Power Attacking for 2handed returns with both of them and using Wraithstrike to make sure you hit. 9 levels of casting isn't much, but it lets you keep yourself well-buffed and supplements your other skills.

[Azoth]

Drow rogue1/Wizard5/Drow Paragon3/Unseen Seer9. Plot and scheme your way to glory while moving through the shadows. When it comes time to strike your final blow a massive sneak attack from the shadows should be enough to end it.

I also kind of like the idea of a Drow Hexblade with Necrotic Blood and Rebuke kind throwing hexes, curses, and death devotion around at his enemies.

[Warlocknthewind]

I find warlocks a great class for Drow.

They have many arachnid and darkness themed evocations, including conjuring swarms of them, climbing as a spider, infinite darkness (easily taken advantage of with a simple feat), and the ability to turn into a spider.

And with Lolth being a demon, there comes the class Demonbinder, not oft spoke of on these forums, which even further exemplifies the race's lust for power.

[gorfnab]

Slightly off topic but here is an E6 Drow build focused on utilizing the Drow SLAs.

[John Longarrow]

OK,
I just realized what the true Ultimate Male Drow character would be....
L1 - Rogue (survivability)
L2-4, Wizard. Starts pretending to be a female for all the social benefits (Change self, then Alter Self).
L5-9, Wizard. Keep up pretending while you start trying to find the greatest magic item any Male Drow could want...
L10- Wizard. Polymorph Any Object yourself into a female drow. Much less risk of being found out now, but you still need that ultimate item...

L11+ keep to wizard until you find a girdle of Masculinity/Femininity. Put it on...

Psychic Rebuild or Retraining Quest to Cleric...

[Sith_Happens]

Wizard 5/Dread Witch 5/Drow Paragon 3/Arachnomancer 4/Vermin Lord 3.

Any male Drow who's anybody is a Wizard, and no Drow who's nobody can possibly be the Ultimate Drow. This particular male Drow Wizard can strike fear into the hearts of anyone and everyone he wants, has just enough spider flavor to make other Drow pay attention, is literally Drowier than most other Drow, and still gets 9th level spells.

"What about [PrC X]?" you might ask. "You can enter Dread Witch at 4th level and Drow Paragon whenever you want, which means you only need a single Wizard level." Wrong. You need five Wizard levels, because you need Spontaneous Divination. In the end, the title of Ultimate Drow goes to whoever can outscheme every other Drow, and the best way to make sure you can outscheme every other Drow is to know everything.

[Deaxsa]

My favorite has got to be, although very feat intensive and not high tier(i'm not even sure how feasible it really is, this is more of a theorycraft)

swift hunter build, with dual-wielding ranger, with hand crossbows. and like, Elf favored enemy followed by whatever includes illithids, then beholders or something.

with dual wielding, some way to gain haste, and rapid shot, you have lots of attacks that always miss! But add in a dash of solitary hunter and woodland archer...