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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6351 Posts |
 Posted - 26 Apr 2023 : 09:24:56
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Just my take based upon various things but it seems that the drow magic (according to the liriel baenre arc) is derived from faerzress, in particular from areas high in concentration of this "radiation".
Now we have had a concept of nodes introduced in 3e, which allowed for pockets of fields that people and items could become attuned to and provided additional abilities.
We also have had a concept of Weave Anchors introduced which allows people to access the weave and gain access to spells which is not disimilar to the concept of nodes, but on a much larger scale that encompasses much of the planet, but with multiple nodes linked to provide a blanket of sorts.
Now if we imagine faerzress as being a set of nodes that the drow have crowded around, because they were denied access to the much smaller weave at the time which likely did not extend underground.
All drow get a basic set of abilities due to their exposure and attunement (from birth). Drow nobles get additional abilities due to various rituals they perform (this benefit is likely unknown to the participants as it has become part of cultural and religious beliefs, etc).
Drow that go to the surface begin to lose these abilities as they are expended and they cannot recoup them from a node. However, if the drow were to attune themselves in the same manner to the weave, they would likely be able to use those abilities again because they were probably all originally derived from the weave anyway and then replicated and preserved in faerzress nodes when the drow were driven underground (we know that elves originally had more magical abilities and a stronger connection to the weave in the past, but this has been lost over time - according to some passages in Cormanthyr empire of elves).
Items work in the same way as the drow.
Further to the idea of faerzress being nodes, is the story arc of the demon weave which could be explained by Lolth trying to create new faerzress nodes and link them all together into her own weave / web of nodes.
Liriel used a magic artefact to instantly attune herself powerfully to the normal weave and store all her spells and abilities within a Weave Anchor, and this would undoubtedly allow all other drow to access those same abilities when away from faerzress and within the weave. Prior to that it would likely have required years of dedication and experimentation for individuals to find ways to attune themselves to the weave so they could continue to use their own abilities.
Just a theory though |
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TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
954 Posts |
Posted - 26 Apr 2023 : 21:33:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Athreeren
I understand that the status of levitation is weird, due to some seemingly random changes between editions. But my question is specifically about faerie fire and darkness in second edition, as Salvatore's and Cunningham's novels, both published in that era, seem to disagree on these. It seems particularly strange, since in Sojourn, Salvatore insists on Drizzt progressively losing his levitation, so he was aware that the rules stated that drow powers faded on the surface. But for some reason, he didn't make it be the case for faerie fire and darkness. On the other hand, Liriel loses all of her powers at once when she loses the Windwalker amulet, including darkness and faerie fire. That's why I would like to know what second edition rules stated, so I have a better idea on how the difference of effect can be explained. If both powers are supposed to survive the lack of faezress on the surface, it's easy to say that Liriel's rune did something that changed the status of those two powers for herself. But if it's Salvatore's book that is in disagreement with 2E rules, and all other drows living on the surface lose their powers, it's harder to justify why that would not be the case for Drizzt. So has anyone put forth a theory that would explain the apparent discrepancy, where faerie fire and darkness are maintained for Drizzt, but lost to Liriel?
Honestly, like Byers noted above, the rules were shifting under their feet as they wrote, but IMO Salvatore tried very hard to be consistent in the beginning and then almost completely gave up on trying. If you go to Ed's 2E Drow of the Underdark it suggests that not every drow's control of their innate powers is identical and can vary based on a number of factors, so Drizzt and Liriel don't have to have the same experience, though it also says that the spell-like abilities "fade with time on the surface world." Again, given individual differences, this doesn't necessarily have to happen consistently for each drow. |
Edited by - TomCosta on 26 Apr 2023 21:35:25 |
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Athreeren
Learned Scribe
129 Posts |
Posted - 27 Apr 2023 : 11:50:31
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quote:
Originally posted by TomCosta
If you go to Ed's 2E Drow of the Underdark it suggests that not every drow's control of their innate powers is identical and can vary based on a number of factors, so Drizzt and Liriel don't have to have the same experience, though it also says that the spell-like abilities "fade with time on the surface world." Again, given individual differences, this doesn't necessarily have to happen consistently for each drow.
Well, that certainly is a convenient solution! It's really like Ed to to do everything to make things simple for the DM to tell the story they want! |
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Drow, Nobles, and Innate Magic
