Want drow, don't want to be ranger, 2nd best build?

[Jemaniya]

I know this has been asked a 100 times. Also, I cannot post anywhere because I'm ftp so don't tell me post elsewhere (ddo doesn't let ftp post but here and in free section). That said,

I have a drow but I don't know how to class him. I hate ranger. Of all the classes I've tried sor, pld, and fighter were my favs.

Question is if you don't go ranger with a drow what do you do with him? What is 2nd best class for drow?

[hydra_ex]

Paladin is the only class in which drow are better than anything.
15 STR
16 DEX
12 CON
8 WIS
19 INT
16 CHA

Drow make a poor choice for ranger, except if you want a ranger/rogue who can disable, in which case the +2 INT and +2 CHA are useful, but Drow are seldom better than a 28-pt, even.

[Ota]

agree with Hydra - drow is actually a pretty bad choice for ranger but is excellent for paladin.

[cdemeritt]

Best classes for Drow are sorc or wizard (bonuses to int and cha mean best possible DC's, if built correctly) but I think you have this backwards... you should decide what class you want to play, and then pick a race that fits it.

Race rarely makes a huge difference longterm, (I.E. The halfling Barbarian, the drow fighter, the WF cleric, all of these have limitations that make them less than Ideal, but still viable) However, the class you play more directly affects how you play, and you enjoyment of the game.

[Jemaniya]

Best classes for Drow are sorc or wizard (bonuses to int and cha mean best possible DC's, if built correctly) but I think you have this backwards... you should decide what class you want to play, and then pick a race that fits it.

Race rarely makes a huge difference longterm, (I.E. The halfling Barbarian, the drow fighter, the WF cleric, all of these have limitations that make them less than Ideal, but still viable) However, the class you play more directly affects how you play, and you enjoyment of the game.

In other words, just play whatever class I want even if it's gimped, the gimp wont be that big a deal?

[Mithran]

Despite the naysayers, Drow Ranger with a small splash of Paladin (for the Charisma Bonus to Saves) is an outstanding combination. If you're looking for best all-around Drow, I'd suggest Rogue (Assassin).

[Talon_Moonshadow]

Pal, Brd, Sor, Wiz, Rog....some kinda high AC intimitank.

Maybe even Fvs.

Turning Clr. (or portable shrine for those who think turning is useless)

Any build that can gan an advantage from Dex, Int, and/or Cha.

[EazyWeazy]

I've seen a Drow build based on the Exploiter build that is pretty solid and works well. Uses Rapiers/SS and puts out nice DPS. Not completely min/maxed like some out there, but a very solid build.

Cleric and Paladin tend to be the easiest classes for Drow to min/max though if that's what you're looking for.

[PyrosianFelicity]

In other words, just play whatever class I want even if it's gimped, the gimp wont be that big a deal?

Pretty much. Usually you'll be missing out on a potential +2 to whatever your main attribute is, but that's not a big deal, and usually equates to +1 ab/damage.

For Example:
Play a Halfling Sorcerer, you can start with 18 Cha, the Sorc's main stat.
Play a Drow Sorcerer and you can start with 20 Cha instead.

That's a difference of +1 DC to your spells, and a little bit of SP (not sure exactly how much, I'm still kinda new).


Some races are naturally better for some classes than others because of their attribute bonuses and Enhancement lines, but it's not a huge deal.
For example, a Drow rogue can get enhancements for Rapiers, but a Warforged Rogue that also uses them can't. It's the little differences that make races suit classes, but it certainly won't kill your character if you build the rest of it in a competent manner.

[Carlll]

In other words, just play whatever class I want even if it's gimped, the gimp wont be that big a deal?

Race/Class combination doesnt gimp a build, it's not such a huge deal.
Except of course if it's a Drow or Elf, those suck by definition.

DPS-TWF-Paladin is the only build/class that comes to mind where a Drow will perform better than a 28 point Human. There you go.

[cdemeritt]

In other words, just play whatever class I want even if it's gimped, the gimp wont be that big a deal?

Not really what I ment.... at least the gimped part.

The word Gimped is used way too much. To the Elite Min/Max'ing Powergammer, who spends hours crunching number, grinding gear, aggonizing over every enhancement/buff/feat anything less than 100% optimal is gimped. however many of the builds they call gimped, are usually solid viable builds.

To me a "gimped" build is a sorc with 12 cha, a barbarian with a 10 str, a cleric with a 10 wisdom etc.

Each race has some bonus to a particular skill, and a drawback... Dwarfs get +2 to Con, but a -2 to Cha... This puts a Dwarf Sorc at a handicap to a drow sorc, but a dwarf sorc is less squishy than a drow, and by end game the couple SP and slightly lower DC is barely noticeable.

Now you have said that you don't want to play a ranger... yet one of the strongest drow builds I've seen is the Drow Tempest Ranger/Rogue... Seen it in action, and it is quite a sight to see. But if you don't want to play a ranger, you will not be happy with that build. The Class you play is far more important than the race. any race/class combo can be made to work, as long as you like what you are playing, even if they are not 100% optimal, in most cases 80% is good enough, and once you learn what you are doing 50% optimal will hardly be noticable.

[sephiroth1084]

Not sure why everyone is foisting Rangers on the guy who opened with the fact that he doesn't want to play a ranger.

Check out Junts' Guide to Creating Paladins for some solid advice on making a drow paladin (DPS, survivability).

You could also go with a sorcerer or wizard (I like my drow wiz); just make sure you max out your Con!

Those are probably the two best options, but you could go with, but honestly you could use drow for just about anything but a barbarian without really hurting yourself at all, and even a drow barbarian wouldn't be hugely disadvantaged.

In any case, it's best to choose what class you'd like to play (or combination of classes) and plot some of your build (stats you're aiming for, feats, skills), and then figure out which race works best within that plan. Ultimately, you should be playing what you enjoy.

[megathon]

Kind of funny. Here you have a supposedly "evil" race (drow) with a supposedly "good" class (paladin).

[Greydeath]

Drow make great TWF Paladins.

Pure or Rog/Monk splashes. Ftr less so...

(or portable shrine for those who think turning is useless)

It is useless

[sephiroth1084]

Kind of funny. Here you have a supposedly "evil" race (drow) with a supposedly "good" class (paladin).

Drow aren't necessarily evil in Eberron.

[tc12]

Paladin ...
15 STR
16 DEX
12 CON
8 WIS
19 INT
16 CHA

Anyone else see that 19 INT and go "Huh!?"

Perhaps that was supposed to be 8 INT and 19 WIS, that would be the "normal" (character sheet) ordering of the stats. But you can't start 19 WIS so no, that's not it either. 8 INT 16 WIS 19 CHA maybe?

Confused...

[sephiroth1084]

Anyone else see that 19 INT and go "Huh!?"

Perhaps that was supposed to be 8 INT and 19 WIS, that would be the "normal" (character sheet) ordering of the stats. But you can't start 19 WIS so no, that's not it either. 8 INT 16 WIS 19 CHA maybe?

Confused...

pretty sure it was just a mistake overall. If you look at the rest of the stats the only possible Int would be 12.
Str 15 (8 points)
Dex 16 (6 points)
Con 12 (6 points)
Int
Wis 8 (0 ppoints)
Cha 16 (6 points)
______
total points spent: 26 of 28. 12 Int seems about right, as that will yield enough skill points to invest in a few skills, and allow for the possibility of grabbing Combat Expertise (though this looks like more of a DPS paladin than a tank).

[Mithran]

Not sure why everyone is foisting Rangers on the guy who opened with the fact that he doesn't want to play a ranger.

I wasn't 'foisting' a Class that he specifically requested an alternative to. I defended my own build and suggested he opt for Rogue.

[sephiroth1084]

I wasn't 'foisting' a Class that he specifically requested an alternative to. I defended my own build and suggested he opt for Rogue.

Despite the naysayers, Drow Ranger with a small splash of Paladin (for the Charisma Bonus to Saves) is an outstanding combination.

If you were just defending your build, due to someone downplaying it here, that wasn't clear, but would be kind of off-topic anyway, but I wasn't just referring to your comment.