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Drizzt Do'Urden Stats for 3rd Edition D&D Original
design by Dale Donovan, based on the character created
by R. A. Salvatore
Male
Drow (Dark Elf), 16th-Level Ranger Skills: Animal Empathy +6, Bluff +3, Climb +5, Handle Animal +5, Heal +4, Hide +12, Intuit Direction +9, Jump +5, Listen +6, Move Silently +12, Ride +8, Rope Use +4, Search +8, Spot +9, Track +12, Wilderness Lore +10 Feats: Ambidexterity (ranger bonus feat), Blind-Fight, Dodge, Expertise, Improved Initiative, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Lightning Reflexes, Two-Weapon Fighting (ranger bonus feat) Ranger Spells (3/3/2/1): Drizzt is a follower of Mielikki, the goddess of the forest. Ranger spells he typically has prepared include: 1st--animal friendship, entangle, pass without trace; 2nd--detect evil, hold animal, protection from elements; 3rd --control plants, neutralize poison; 4th--nondetection. Special: As a ranger, Drizzt gains a bonus to Bluff, Listen, Spot, and Track, as well as damage rolls against the following types of creatures: goblinoids (+4), magical beasts (+3), evil outsiders (+2), and vermin (+1). As a drow, he can use the following spell-like abilities, each once per day, as a sorcerer of his level: dancing lights, faerie fire, and darkness. He has darkvision and +2 to saving throws against spells and spell-like effects; he’s lost his normal spell resistance, as he’s been on the surface too long. Languages: Drizzt speaks Common, Elven, Dwarven, and Undercommon (the language of the Underdark). Possessions: mithral chain mail +4, a frostbrand +3 scimitar (named Icingdeath), a defender +5 scimitar (named Twinkle), and a figurine of wondrous power, an onyx panther named Guenhwyvar (see the end of this entry for more information). Drizzt carries a mix of adventuring gear, including some drow and dwarven equipment. Appearance: Somewhat larger than a typical dark elf, Drizzt stands 5’4" and weighs about 130 lbs. His handsome features are sharp and well proportioned; his white hair is long, flowing, and smooth. His violet eyes are windows to his passionate soul. He normally wears a fur-collared forest-green cloak and high black boots. It has been more than 70 years since he first ventured into the surface world and at present he is in the neighborhood of 140 years old—still a young adult by elven standards. Background: It would be impossible to recount all of Drizzt's legendary adventures (described in a series of novels by R. A. Salvatore, see Sources). The major events of his life are described here. Drizzt was born into the ninth house of Menzoberranzan, called Daermon N’a’shezbaernon, more commonly known as Do’Urden, on the night when that house wiped out one of its rivals. As a male in the matriarchal society of the drow, Drizzt was trained by his father, Zaknafein, to be a warrior. Drizzt was first dienchanted and then disgusted by the corrupt, vicious nature of drow culture. He sought some means of escape. In the meantime, his family came to realize his abhorrent (to them) principles, and his father, the house’s Weapons Master, gave his life to save his son when the family’s matriarch wanted Drizzt executed as a traitor. The path of Drizzt’s life took an irrevocable turn away from the evil ways of his kind when he killed Masoj Hun’ett, a drow who had been using a figurine of wondrous power for tawdry assassinations and other detestable work. In the magical panther named Guenhwyvar, Drizzt sensed a kindred spirit -- a fierce but brave and loyal warrior trapped in the drow’s dark world of deceit. Drizzt liberated Guen from Hun’ett, and later fled Menzoberranzan entirely. He and Guen wandered the Underdark for a decade, always moving, until they found a grotto tended by the fungus people known as the myconids. While there was life here, Drizzt was still profoundly lonely. His only companion was Guen, and the magic that brought her to this world also sent the cat away all too often. Not long thereafter, he discovered a city of svirfneblin, gnomes that live in the Underdark. This was what he had been seeking: a civilization that valued the same concepts of honor, loyalty, and goodness that he did. Careful not to reveal himself to the gnomes right away, Drizzt stealthily made his way into, around, and then back out of the city he learned was called Blingdenstone. Later, convinced that this was the life he was destined to have, Drizzt reentered the city -- only to be taken prisoner by the wary gnomes. Fortunately, he came into contact with a deep gnome he had met once before. Before Drizzt fled from drow society, he had been assigned to go on a patrol. This patrol encountered a group of deep gnomes and killed them all -- except for one warrior named Belwar Dissengulp. Drizzt, hoping to save at least one life from being massacred, pleaded with the other elves to spare this one’s life -- arguing that it would be better to allow him to return to his people and tell of drow ferocity than just leave another corpse. Drizzt’s brother Dinin did agree to let the gnome live, but chopped off both of Belwar’s hands first. When Drizzt again met Belwar, the gnome had two great metal hammers attached to his wrists in place of his hands. Belwar, remembering that Drizzt had saved his life, convinced the other gnomes to give him a chance. Drizzt proved himself soon thereafter when he, Belwar, and a pech named Clacker who had been polymorphed into a hook horror by a mad wizard worked together to defeat the wizard and the mind flayers that were in the area. During this time Drizzt also found himself facing his deceased father in combat. Zaknafen had been brought back as one of the undead by an unholy drow ritua. But, knowing that the creature was not truly his father, Drizzt spared no effort in destroying it. Feeling he needed to put yet more distance between himself and his drow past, Drizzt fled to the surfilce world, where he witnessed a sunrise for the first time in his life. He eventually met the blind ranger Montolio "Mooshie" DeBrouchee, who taught Drizzt the ways of the surface world and the concepts of being a ranger, and introduced him to the existence of the goddess Mielikki, the Lady of the Forest. With Mooshie’s help, Drizzt began his career as a ranger, defeated a large band of orcs, and vanquished a pair of barghests. After Mooshie passed away, Drizzt again took to wandering, this time on the surfac world. After a time he came to Icewind Dale and the region known as Ten Towns. Under the terms of a deal he made with Cassius, the region’s leader, Drizzt took up residence in the area in exchange for his regular patrolling of the region to watch out for incursions of barbarians. Before long, Drizzt met the dwarf who was to become one of his dearest friends: Bruenor Battlehammer, who busy battling a remorhaz at the time. By the time Drizzt arrived to help, the beast was dead. Drizzt also came to know the dwarf’s adopted human daughter Catti-brie and the halfling Regis. When Bruenor spared the life of one of the barbarians who later attacked Ten Towns, Drizzt became acquainted with Wulfgar. Over time, the young man matured, due in no little measure to Drizzt’s training him to use his brain as well as his brawn in battle. This training was put to good use when a power-mad mage attacked Ten Towns with a horde of humanoids. The townsfolk, barbarians, and heroes defeated the humanoids, and Drizzt overcame the tanar’ri Errtu. Drizzt and the other members of the band later accompanied Bruenor on his quest to retake his ancestral homeland, Mirthal Hall. It was here that Drizzt met for the first time the man who would become his nemesis. The human assassin Artemis Entreri was originally after Regis the halfling, but found his mirror image, and his real foe, in Drizzt. After a battle with Drizzt that proved inconclusive, Artemis kidnapped Regis, and the heroes followed him all the way to the distant southern city of Calimport to rescue their friend. Drizzt and Artemis met once more, but again there was no clear winner. After releasing Regis, the heroes returned north and did reconquer Mithral Hall. All seemed peaceful for a time, but then drow spies found a way into Mirthral Hall from below, and Artemis returned, magically disguised as Regis. Drizzt eventually found where Artemis was holding the real Regis, and the ranger and the assassin again did battle. They were both attacked by drow before any conclusion could be reached, however. They fought again later, and Artemis fell over a cliff. Wulfgar met his end at this time when, caught in the grasp of a handmaiden of Lolth, he used his magical hammer to collapse the ceiling onto them both. Drizzt soon decided that he had to return to Menzoberranzan to put an end to the drow meddling in his life, and Catti-brie followed him. The pair eventually discovered that Artemis was still alive and working for the drow -- though he suspected he was being used and would be killed as soon as he had done what the drow wanted of him. When the time came to flee back to the surface, the three of them worked together to defeat the drow. Artemis and Drizzt seemed to have come to an accord and parted without further violence. The same could not be said for Drizzt's other enemies. The drow, the fiend Errtu, and others all conspired in an attempt to bring down Drizzt and Mithral Hall. An army of drow and humanoid slaves invaded, and it took the combined forces of the dwarves, the deep gnomes, and the humans to defeat them. Deciding again it was time to move on, Drizzt and his dear friend Catti-brie rode away from Mithral Hall. At present that is where Drizzt's tale ends -- but what is yet to be told is likely to be as thrilling as what has come before. Sources: Homeland, Exile, Sojourn, The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, The Halfling’s Gem, The Legacy, Starless Night, Siege of Darkness, Passage to Dawn, The Silent Blade, Spine of the World, Servant of the Shard (October 2000) Guenhwyvar: Medium magical beast; HD 6d8+18; hp 45; Init +7 (Improved Initiative); Spd 30'; AC 16; Atk +11/+11/+6 melee (1d4 [x2] claws, 1d12 bite, 2d4 [x2] rake if both claws hit); SA spring; SD scent; AL N; SV Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +3; Str 22, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 10. Skills and Feats: Hide +8, Listen +6, Move Silently +10, Spot +8, Improved Initiative Special Attacks: Spring: If Guenhwyvar leaps on a foe during the first round of combat, she can make an all-out attack even if she has taken a move action, she can also make a grapple attack as a free action. Special Defenses: Scent: Guenhwyvar can detect other creatures within 30' by scent and gains +8 to tracking rolls. Drizzt’s closest companion is the animal that emerges from his figurine of wondrous power, the onyx panther called Guenhwyvar. The panther can be summoned forth from the figurine up to three times per week, for a total of 24 hours altogether during that time. If she is slain while activated, she reverts to the figurine form, and can be called forth again later. While Guen cannot speak, it is clear the panther dearly loves her master and his comrades. On occasions too many to number, Guen’s fighting prowess and sharp claws have been the difference between victory and defeat for Drizzt. Steve Kenson has been a freelance writer in the RPG industry for five years and a gamer for far longer than he'd care to admit. He's written for a number of games including Shadowrun, Marvel Super Heroes, and Dragonlance: Fifth Age. His work appears regularly in Dragon magazine. Steve maintains a website with his gaming articles and information about his current projects. You can email him at talonmail@aol.com. * The official version of this character in future printed products may vary from what is presented here. |
As
we usher in a new edition of the D&D game,
we’re giving some of its characters a bit of
a facelift. Let’s start with a new take on stats
for one of the Forgotten Realms all-stars:
the dark elf Drizzt Do’Urden. (A previous version
of this description appeared in The Heroes’
Lorebook sourcebook.) These updated stats let
you introduce Drizzt right away as an NPC in your
new Realms campaign.
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