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Teflon
Seeker
60 Posts |
 Posted - 16 Feb 2004 : 21:06:21
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How is that Halisstra can use her house insignia powers to levitate on the surface, when drizzt cant? Just a question I was pondering while I was reading through Extinction.
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In any battle, the mightiest weapon is one that strikes unseen.
A Warrior or Wizard may be invincible in open battle, with their foes before them, but even they must sleep sometime, and cannot parry the knife that comes from behind.
-The life of a assassin. |
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Thomas M. Reid
Forgotten Realms Designer & Author
334 Posts |
Posted - 16 Feb 2004 : 23:40:30
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quote:
Originally posted by Teflon
How is that Halisstra can use her house insignia powers to levitate on the surface, when drizzt cant? Just a question I was pondering while I was reading through Extinction.
The short answer: because it depends on what powers the insignia is imbued with. Having a House insignia that grants the levitation ability isn't automatic; some drow lower on the totem pole don't get to have them. By the same token, some House insignias grant other special abilities in addition to (or instead of) levitation.
Long answer: The changes in game mechanics between older editions and newer ones of the D&D game have caused some "continuity" problems. So a novel that was written a decade ago (under the old rules) seems "wrong" now to someone who only knows the 3E ruleset and reads the older book for the first time. But many authors are (rightfully) reluctant to suddenly change the way things work for a character just because a new paradigm is in place--that would seem even more bizarre to the longtime reader who is already intimately familiar with favorite characters and their abilities. It's a delicate issue with few easy answers.
Thomas |
"A knight is not truly virtuous, only truly resolved to be so."
www.thomasmreid.com |
Edited by - Thomas M. Reid on 16 Feb 2004 23:42:37 |
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Daron
Acolyte
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2004 : 03:20:33
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Another good explination would be
Windwalker spoilers
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When Liriel uses the Windwalker to grant her the use of her Drow Magic on the surface she fails to realize that the artifact is so powerful that it allows all drow magic to properly funtion on the surface. This one is commonly use to explain the 3rd Ed changes. |
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Malaug
Acolyte
Australia
20 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2004 : 18:25:48
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| I find this all a bit strange, because one minute Drizt is bereft of his magic, and then next he's dropping Globes of Darkness like nothing ever happened. |
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Freakboy
Seeker
USA
63 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2004 : 18:42:30
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| The other thing to remember is that in Homeland and Exile, Drizzt's drow magic abilities including levitation were innate. When he came to the surface they stopped working, because in the old AD&D rules, drow magic didn't work on the surface. Hence the entire reason for the plot to Elaine Cunninghams Starlight and Shadows trilogy from Liriel's perspective. When the 3rd edition D&D came out, drow were made more PC friendly because so many folks were clamoring for them. To solve that quandry, drow spell like abilitys were nerfed so that they couldn't innately levitate anymore, but their powers still worked on the surface. To explain how most drow levitated, in WotSQ most drow nobles of influence had house insignia that allowed it. Later when Underdark sourcebook was written, a feat was added that allowed a drow to use levitation innately again. It was called highborn drow. Personally, I like the house insignia idea, and like the idea that common drow can't all just levitate whenever they want to. Just my 0.02 worth, but I think the authors in WotSQ have done a FANTASTIC job of maitaining continuity with RAS's vision and at the same time tell an amazing story with protagonists that are primarily evil. Just outstanding and amazing work. If you don't have these books yet, you have to go get all of them. They are a MUST have for anyone who loves the drow in FR. |
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Feiht
Acolyte
USA
36 Posts |
Posted - 18 Feb 2004 : 01:54:47
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| I had always believed that as they came to the surface, the powers didn't automatically disappear, that it happened over time, they slowly waned until they were gone. But now after windwalker, it all doesn't matter anymore. |
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Halisstra house insignia (minor spoilers)
