Drow Elf

"Station: In all the world of the drow, there is no more important word. It is the calling of their—of our—religion, the incessant pulling of hungering heartstrings. Ambition overrides good sense and compassion is thrown away in its face, all in the name of Lloth, the Spider Queen."

• Drizzt Do'Urden

 

 

Drow, also known as dark elves, deep elves, night elves, under-elves, and the Dark Ones among orcs, are a dark-skinned sub-race of elves that predominantly live in the Underdark. They are hated and feared for their cruelty, though some non-evil drow and an even smaller number of good drow exist.

In many ways, the drow resemble other elves or eladrin. Their bodies are wiry and athletic, while their faces are chiseled and attractive, though they are shorter and thinner than other elven sub-races. Due to a process of selective breeding that lasted for several generations, the drow (especially nobles) look attractive even in comparison to other elven subraces. Though their alluring appearance could be used for seduction, it is more often utilized to instill fear. According to the goblin Nojheim, the beauty standards of the surface races made them prone to turn a blind eye to the deeds of the drow, showing them greater leniency and acceptance.

Reports vary on the physical differences between the drow sexes. Some purport that females are generally bigger and stronger than males, while others claim that males have superior strength. Both sexes vary in height from 4 feet ​7 inches to 5 feet 5 inches, with an average of 5 feet. Males weigh between 87​ and ​157 pounds, averaging 109.5 pounds, while females are a bit lighter, weighing between 82​ and ​152 pounds and averaging 104.5 pounds.

For a race so chaotic in a society focused on individual advancement at the expense of others, the majority of drow strangely lean towards being neutral evil in alignment. The drow are, in many ways, contradictory in outlook, cooperating to some degree almost in spite of their very nature. They simultaneously encourage personal ambition and innovative problem-solving (creativity is needed to outpace older elites) while paradoxically prioritizing the good of the many over the good of the individual and reinforcing staunch traditionalism.

Unlike creatures such as orcs, drow have no innate inclination towards evil, and their morality has been shaped by their society. "Good drow" make up about 15% of the entire race, although most of them aren’t actually of the good alignment, being merely chaotic neutral or lawful neutral. Within Lolthite societies, even drow with a disposition towards what was considered good generally have problems developing a strong personal sense of morality. They generally behave the same way as evil drow due to social pressure, as being soft in any way is lethal in drow society and often results in the death of such drow.

Only truly exceptional "good drow", such as Drizzt Do'Urden, are capable of freeing themselves from a Lolthite society. The majority are found out and sacrificed to Lolth, and those who manage to leave their settlements often die in the dangerous wilderness of the Underdark. Furthermore, even those who escape the cruelties of the Underdark find it more difficult to form long-term friendships than most races do and have to constantly be on the lookout for pursuers who could kill them.