Drow

Cruel and cunning, drow are a dark reflection of the elven race. Also called dark elves, they dwell deep underground in elaborate cities shaped from the rock of cyclopean caverns. Drow seldom make themselves known to surface folk, preferring to remain legends while advancing their sinister agendas through proxies and agents. Drow have no love for anyone but themselves, and are adept at manipulating other creatures. While they are not born evil, malignancy is deep-rooted in their culture and society, and nonconformists rarely survive for long. Some stories tell that given the right circumstances, a particularly hateful elf might turn into a drow, though such a transformation would require a truly heinous individual.

Drow are similar in stature to humans, but share the slender build and features of elves, including the distinctive long, pointed ears. Their eyes lack pupils and are usually solid white or red. Drow skin ranges from coal black to a dusky purple. Their hair is typically white or silver, though some variation is not unknown.

Drow society is traditionally class-oriented and matriarchal. Male drow usually fulfill martial roles, defending the species from external threats, while female drow assume positions of leadership and authority. Reinforcing these gender roles, one in 20 drow are born with exceptional abilities and thus considered to be nobility, and the majority of these special drow are female. Noble houses define drow politics, with each house governed by a noble matriarch and composed of lesser families, business enterprises, and military companies. Each house is also associated with a demon lord patron. Drow are strongly driven by individual self-interest and advancement, which shapes their culture with seething intrigue and politics, as common drow jockey for favor of the nobility, and the nobility rise in power through a combination of assassination, seduction, and treachery.

Drow have a strong sense of racial superiority and divide non-drow into two groups: slaves, and those that are not yet slaves. In practice, however, races that may share similar inclinations (such as hobgoblins and orcs) and those who serve willingly may be treated as servitor races and granted a measure of trust and modest rank in drow society. Others, such as dwarves, gnomes, and halflings, are deemed fit only for the lash. Manipulative drow delight in exploiting the weak character of humans. While they claim no kinship with fetchlings, the drow harbor a curiosity toward the shadow race, as both are adaptations of races exposed to extreme and dangerous conditions. Finally, the drow’s hatred of elves sets these beings apart from all other races, and the dark elves desire nothing more than to ruin everything about their surface cousins.

• Ability Score Modifiers: Drow are nimble and manipulative, but somewhat fragile like their Elven kin. They gain a Racial Bonus to Dexterity and Charisma, and a penalty to Constitution.
• Size: Drow are Medium creautures.
• Base Speed: Drow have a base speed of 30 feet.
• Languages: Drow begin play speaking Elven and Undercommon. Drow with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following languages: Abyssal, Aklo, Aquan, Common, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Gnome, or Goblin.
• Weapon Familiarity: Drow are proficient with any weapon which possess the Elven Weapon Trait.
• Drow Immunities: Drow are immune to magic Sleep effects and gain a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.
• Adverse to Magic: Drow possess Spell Resistance equal to their Hit Die + 5.
• Keen Senses: Drow receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks.
• Drow Magic (Su): Drow may cast Dancing Lights and Faerie Fire at will. They may cast Darkness once per day.
• Eyes in the Dark (Ex): Drow have excellent Darkvision, allowing them to see perfectly in the dark up to 120 feet. Drow may also freely see through their own Darkness spells, but not those cast by non-Drow.
• Trained in Subterfuge: Drow are skilled in the use of poisons and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves.
• Fear the Surface: Drow suffer from light blindness; abrupt exposure to any bright light blinds Drow for 1 round. On subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area.