Halp!

[fallenvicious]

I just bought the drow race. and i really want to make something fun and not all that squishy. kinda bored of rogue but seem to be the only person w/ the skills so i suppose i need those.

Open to anything please help!

[Arianrhod]

Well....drow isn't the best race for "not squishy", hehe

A paladin or ranger (make sure you put enough points into con!) might work well - drow get extra CHA which helps the paladin, and enhancements for shortswords which can work with a Tempest ranger.

If you want the rogue skills, take first level rogue, then the rest ranger (easy way) or then 3 paladin, another rogue, and rest paladin (hard way - skill points get stretched very thin).

[KingOfCheese]

If you like the rogue skills, but are tired of rogue, consider making another class that takes one level of rogue (to open up the skills). Great combos are ranger/rogue and wizard/rogue. Either of these will give a very different flavor: ranger gives you a pure dps build; wizard, a spell caster. Both can be made to have full rogue abilities, particularly if you take your first level as rogue.

[Arnya]

Drow get a -2 to Con. Putting more than 14 Con on a drow is asking for gimpage.

They will always be less crunchy than other races

[fallenvicious]

well i really appreciate all the help i guess my main question now is if you have any good builds i can mimic

Normally i prefer to make my own but college is killing me and i just dont have enough time to do the research

I really like the idea of the pally/rogue/ranger but i cant seem to find a build.

[KingOfCheese]

well i really appreciate all the help i guess my main question now is if you have any good builds i can mimic

Normally i prefer to make my own but college is killing me and i just dont have enough time to do the research

I really like the idea of the pally/rogue/ranger but i cant seem to find a build.

Consider this build--lots of fun and VERY effective:

http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php...ight=exploiter

But follow all of the advice given by Warwolf42 a few posts down.

[fallenvicious]

**** sounds awesome but i dont have monk

[KingOfCheese]

**** sounds awesome but i dont have monk

Ah.

Of course, I should have thought of that.

A couple options:

1) go with this build--but save the monk level for now. You can wait to take it for a very long time. Once you get this up fairly high, you might want to acquire monk later on and add the level at that time.

or

2) You'll lose some AC, but this build also works well if you put fighter in place of the monk. Except don't invest any points in Wisdom if you go this route. Put those extra points in str, con, dex, or chr (any of them will be advantageous).

[fallenvicious]

i like the fighter idea, however what should i take w/ my fighter feat also what instead of weapon expertise?

I was thinking kohesh everyone seems to love those mabey weapon focus as well?

[KingOfCheese]

Kopesh is an excellent choice.

With the speed you'll get from ranger tempest and rogue attack speed boost; and the damage you will put out from being high STR with some backstab--kopeshes will make you a whirling ball of death--with rogue skills and the ability to UMD heal scrolls (eventually) to heal yourself. And you'll still have a decent AC.

[KingOfCheese]

I should note though--if you want to save the feat for something else, a drow using rapiers can do a lot of damage. Rapiers don't come close to kopeshes normally--but drow get damage boosts to rapiers that bridge the gap somewhat.

[fallenvicious]

Hey could i be super needy?

Would u either be able to run this through a char generator or could you link me to one. i just want to have it all layed out so i dont get confused when im playing this drunk at 3am as i often do lol

[fallenvicious]

what about ranger spells?

cuz im alittle confused on how those work.

i played alot of 3.5 dnd in my day but never a ranger

[KingOfCheese]

For feats, I would go as follows:

Dodge
Mobility
Spring Attack (the above enable you to get Tempest enhancement)
Khopesh
IC Slashing (if you go with kopesh--otherwise pierce, if you go with rapier)
Toughness
Combat Expertise (extra AC for defensive mode)
Power Attack (extra damage for DPS mode)

[fallenvicious]

well i just made her. and i got a wonderfully terrible name to go with it

[Therigar]

I cannot believe that you have been getting such bad advice.

Drow are competative with every other race, better at some things and worse at others. Their biggest advantage is that, even tho they only get 28 build points, they are equivalent to a 32 point or higher build.

When people talk about Drow being squishy it is generally a reference to the low CON. Note, however, that elves have the same low CON but that does not stop people from playing them. The message here is that people who prefer other races will talk bad about Drow but you should dismiss them as ignorant.

Drow are good choices for characters that will not be in the front lines. This makes them good choices for rogues, clerics, favored soul, wizards and sorcerers. Their naturally high DEX and INT is a bonus to multiclassed wizard/rogues. Their naturally high CHA is a bonus to a healing focused favored soul and makes them a good choice for a sorcerer.

While cleric is not usually a front line character class (this in spite of my personally using one in such a role) it is important to note that there is nothing that makes Drow a better choice for this class than any other race. In fact, dwarf, halfling and human all are more natural choices.

So, let's limit ourselves to the three builds that Drow are well suited for: favored soul, wizard/rogue multiclass and sorcerer. Each has its appeal.

Favored Soul -- the flavor of the moment so you'll fit right in. More spell points than a standard cleric. With a healing focus the potential to be more powerful and effective than a cleric. The downside: you have to buy them from the DDO store or have a zillion favor points. I'm going to assume that this isn't the choice but, if you were to stick to a strictly non-combat role you could get by with 16 CON and 18 CHA putting the last 2 build points into any other stat (probably STR or DEX). Avoidance would be the build's main defensive tool.

Wizard/Rogue -- a wizard 18/ rogue 2 is a very versatile build. It can disable most traps and will have evasion (a plus) while still being a formidable arcane caster able to tailor its spell selection to the quest. The downside: you need to focus on 3 stats to be effective, INT, CON and DEX. Stats might be DEX 17, CON 14, INT 18 with the rest left at their starting values.

Sorcerer -- these are the true powerhouses in the game. Once you've determined the direction you want to go there really isn't anything else that compares to them in terms of raw power. Sorcerers really only need to focus on CHA and CON so they don't have many challenges during character creation in deciding where to put their build points. The downside: it takes a while for all that potential to come out so it helps to have a group around to do the heavy lifting for the first few levels. Stats could be something like STR 10, CON 14, CHA 20 while leaving the other stats alone.

Note that STR 10, CON 16, CHA 18 or STR 10, CON 14, CHA 20 would work for either favored soul or sorcerer. I've simply shown a couple of different options.

My personal take on your original post is that you are tired of the rogue life. I also have the idea that favored soul isn't an option for you. That is alright because my recommendation to you would be to play a sorcerer in any case.

My own advice would be to build a fire/ice specialized sorcerer that also focuses on the instant kill spells like Phantasmal Killer or Finger of Death. By taking some personal defense spells like Acid Fog, Blur, Fire Shield and Displacement you can become a formidable killing machine without ever using a weapon.

[Therigar]

Hey could i be super needy?

Would u either be able to run this through a char generator or could you link me to one. i just want to have it all layed out so i dont get confused when im playing this drunk at 3am as i often do lol

The best character planner out there is located here.

[Junts]

I cannot believe that you have been getting such bad advice.

Drow are competative with every other race, better at some things and worse at others. Their biggest advantage is that, even tho they only get 28 build points, they are equivalent to a 32 point or higher build.

When people talk about Drow being squishy it is generally a reference to the low CON. Note, however, that elves have the same low CON but that does not stop people from playing them. The message here is that people who prefer other races will talk bad about Drow but you should dismiss them as ignorant.

Yeah, elf, the least-played and worst race on DDO, good argument.

[KingOfCheese]

Lot's of options, but here is a suggestion

STR 16 (all level ups in STR)
DEX 16
CON 14
INT 12
WIS 8
CHR 10

Level 1 rogue

Feat: dodge
skills: max balance, disable, hide, move silently, open lock, search, spot, UMD, add one to tumble, remaining points to jump (should be 3 points) (you won't need any more jump than this--you'll be able to cast the spell and with your STR bonus you will hit max jump without any more ranks)

Level 2 ranger

skills: search, disable (2), UMD (2), open lock (2)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Undead


Level 3 ranger

skills: search, disable (2), UMD (2), open lock (2)
Feat: (Selected) Mobility


Level 4 fighter

skills: UMD (2), disable (2),
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Toughness


Level 5 ranger

skills: search, disable (2), UMD (2), open lock (2)

Level 6 ranger

skills: search, disable (2), UMD (2), open lock (2)
Feat: Mobility


Level 7 ranger

skills: search, disable (2), UMD (2), hide, move silently (you should have enough open lock skill now with items to not need to take any more--so I'd swap to adding hide and move silently every level from here out--you'll end up with very effective rogue skills--you'll just be missing spot).

All other levels: Ranger

skills: search, disable (2), UMD (2), add 1 more search somewhere (to max it out), hide, move silently

Follow the feat list from above. That should do the trick. You'll be able to find and disable all meaningful traps, sneak around very effectively, and UMD scrolls.

[KingOfCheese]

I cannot believe that you have been getting such bad advice.

Drow are competative with every other race, better at some things and worse at others. Their biggest advantage is that, even tho they only get 28 build points, they are equivalent to a 32 point or higher build.

When people talk about Drow being squishy it is generally a reference to the low CON. Note, however, that elves have the same low CON but that does not stop people from playing them. The message here is that people who prefer other races will talk bad about Drow but you should dismiss them as ignorant.

Drow are good choices for characters that will not be in the front lines. This makes them good choices for rogues, clerics, favored soul, wizards and sorcerers. Their naturally high DEX and INT is a bonus to multiclassed wizard/rogues. Their naturally high CHA is a bonus to a healing focused favored soul and makes them a good choice for a sorcerer.

While cleric is not usually a front line character class (this in spite of my personally using one in such a role) it is important to note that there is nothing that makes Drow a better choice for this class than any other race. In fact, dwarf, halfling and human all are more natural choices.

So, let's limit ourselves to the three builds that Drow are well suited for: favored soul, wizard/rogue multiclass and sorcerer. Each has its appeal.

Favored Soul -- the flavor of the moment so you'll fit right in. More spell points than a standard cleric. With a healing focus the potential to be more powerful and effective than a cleric. The downside: you have to buy them from the DDO store or have a zillion favor points. I'm going to assume that this isn't the choice but, if you were to stick to a strictly non-combat role you could get by with 16 CON and 18 CHA putting the last 2 build points into any other stat (probably STR or DEX). Avoidance would be the build's main defensive tool.

Wizard/Rogue -- a wizard 18/ rogue 2 is a very versatile build. It can disable most traps and will have evasion (a plus) while still being a formidable arcane caster able to tailor its spell selection to the quest. The downside: you need to focus on 3 stats to be effective, INT, CON and DEX. Stats might be DEX 17, CON 14, INT 18 with the rest left at their starting values.

Sorcerer -- these are the true powerhouses in the game. Once you've determined the direction you want to go there really isn't anything else that compares to them in terms of raw power. Sorcerers really only need to focus on CHA and CON so they don't have many challenges during character creation in deciding where to put their build points. The downside: it takes a while for all that potential to come out so it helps to have a group around to do the heavy lifting for the first few levels. Stats could be something like STR 10, CON 14, CHA 20 while leaving the other stats alone.

Note that STR 10, CON 16, CHA 18 or STR 10, CON 14, CHA 20 would work for either favored soul or sorcerer. I've simply shown a couple of different options.

My personal take on your original post is that you are tired of the rogue life. I also have the idea that favored soul isn't an option for you. That is alright because my recommendation to you would be to play a sorcerer in any case.

My own advice would be to build a fire/ice specialized sorcerer that also focuses on the instant kill spells like Phantasmal Killer or Finger of Death. By taking some personal defense spells like Acid Fog, Blur, Fire Shield and Displacement you can become a formidable killing machine without ever using a weapon.

Bah. From a min-max perspective, a drow isn't the absolute best front line melee--but they work just fine. For someone that doesn't have 32 point builds yet--Drow is an excellent choice. Those other classes are great options--but ruling out a melee is not prudent.