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Feb 10, 2012 -- 3:52PM, Ashfar wrote:

Feb 10, 2012 -- 3:47PM, Salla wrote:

Feb 10, 2012 -- 3:45PM, Ashfar wrote:

I find that so hard to believe that Drizzt has not leveled in 100 years. 

He's an NPC.  His level is whatever the DM determines it to be.

True, but it is always good to get an idea of where to start if your a DM.    It's like watching a movie and seeing how a character came to be (origin) vs. just seeing the character kick-A*# the whole movie.  it adds depth, especially someone like Drizzt Do'Urden who so many people read his story.  Also this is D and D, it is all about numbers!

Well he's listed here in Hero Battle: Drizzt as a Level 21 Solo. Also, I think he had a level of 21 in the off-line Character Builder (but that's un-official). The Hero Battle one is what I'd consider "Official" since he's done up like an NPC as is Guenhwyvar (and they're pretty awesome too!).

I just looked at the stats from the original Bloodstone lands module (2nd ed.) and what was bizarre is Kane is actually one of the lowest level characters on the team. He's a 16th level monk, while Gareth (paladin), Olwen (ranger), Emlyn (wizard), Riordin (bard), Dugald (Cleric) are all 19th Level.

Now Paladins lagged by 2 levels on the experience table, while bards are a level ahead, so what you get is Gareth would be 21st Level, Riordin is 18th, Kane is 16th, and the rest are 19th.

How did Kane become the strongest in the party?

The next module was written by Salvatore, and Dugald went from 19th to 22nd. Gareth from 19th to 21st (essentially 23rd), Kane went from 16th to 17th. The rest of the party went from 19th to 21st.


tl;dr

Kane from the modules was the lowest level in the party! He lagged behind by 2 levels from the team average (monks level at the same rate as fighters/clerics).

Now in 3rd edition, he was turned into 20th level, and Gareth went to 25th. Kane is said to be the most dangerous man in the Bloodstone Lands, and implied to be ahead of the others. Yet in his adventuring prime, he certainly wasn't any stronger than Olwen, who lost to Artemis Entreri in Road of the Patriarch. Did Salvatore do a retcon here?

Rereading Road of the Patriarch, I am not convinced Kane is actually that strong at all:

1) Entreri managed to cut Kane, even though Kane was perfectly prepared for the attack

and

2) He has no real feats. When he faced Athrogate, he set a trap (loose tiles) so Athrogate missed all his attacks and fell, while against Entreri, asside from obviously losing the exchange against Entreri, his Quivering Palm attack was a spectral ranged touch attack from a magical ring, something only a mage would have the capable of countering.

Salvatore's own Bloodstone Lands has Kane as the lowest level character in his party (other than Celedon, who just sucks). Now why did Salvatore say Kane was the most dangerous man in the Bloodstone Lands?

I think its a rock-paper-scissors thing. Kimmuriel (the psionicist) easily put away Knellict of the Citadel of Assassin, who according to the Bloodstone Module is a 21st level archmage, the same level as Gareth in 2E! There's absolutely no way Kimmuriel is a mage on the level of Knellict, but he used an ability that human mages do not expect. The same goes for Kane--he has a unique ability that people need to find a direct counter for, but that by no means implies that they are in the top tier in other areas or overall.