Drow

Drow Features

Source: The Players Handbook

As a drow, you are infused with the magic of the Underdark, an underground realm of wonders and horrors rarely seen on the surface above. You are at home in shadows and, thanks to your innate magic, learn to conjure forth both light and darkness. Your kin tend to have stark white hair and grayish skin of many hues.
Ability Scores Dex +2; Cha +1
Size Medium
Speed 30 ft.
Size Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.
Superior Darkvision Accustomed to the depths of the Underdark, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Keen Senses You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
Fey Ancestry You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.
Trance Elves don't need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is "trance.") While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep. If you meditate during a long rest, you finish the rest after only 4 hours. You otherwise obey all the rules for a long rest; only the duration is changed.
Languages You can speak, read, and write Common and Elvish. Elvish is fluid, with subtle intonations and intricate grammar. Elven literature is rich and varied, and their songs and poems are famous among other races. Many bards learn their language so they can add Elvish ballads to their repertoires.
Sunlight Sensitivity You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.
Drow Magic You know the dancing lights cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the faerie fire spell once with this trait; you regain the ability to cast it when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can also cast the darkness spell once per day with this trait; you regain the ability to cast it when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Drow Weapon Training You have proficiency with rapiers, shortswords, and hand crossbows.

Basic Information

Dietary Needs and Habits

Insects are a staple food in their culture.

Behaviour

Elves are more often amused than excited, and more likely to be curious than greedy. They tend to remain aloof and unfazed by petty happenstance. When pursuing a goal, however, whether adventuring on a mission or learning a new skill or art, elves can be focused and relentless. They are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them. They reply to petty insults with disdain and to serious insults with vengeance. Like the branches of a young tree, elves are flexible in the face of danger. They trust in diplomacy and compromise to resolve differences before they escalate to violence. They have been known to retreat from intrusions into their woodland homes, confident that they can simply wait the invaders out. But when the need arises, elves reveal a stern martial side, demonstrating skill with sword, bow, and strategy.
Elves take up adventuring out of wanderlust. Since they are so long-lived, they can enjoy centuries of exploration and discovery. They dislike the pace of human society, which is regimented from day to day but constantly changing over decades, so they find careers that let them travel freely and set their own pace. Elves also enjoy exercising their martial prowess or gaining greater magical power, and adventuring allows them to do so. Some might join with rebels fighting against oppression, and others might become champions of moral causes.
Although they can be haughty, elves are generally gracious - even to those who fall short of their high expectations - which is most non-elves. Still, they can find good in just about anyone.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

Elves have eyes like pools of liquid gold or silver.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Elves are considered children until they declare themselves adults, some time after the hundredth birthday, and before this period they are called by child names. On declaring adulthood, an elf selects an adult name, although those who knew him or her as a youngster might continue to use the child name. Each elf's adult name is a unique creation, though it might reflect the names of respected individuals or other family members. Little distinction exists between male names and female names; the groupings here reflect only general tendencies. In addition, every elf bears a family name, typically a combination of other Elvish words. Some elves traveling among humans translate their family names into Common, but others retain the Elvish version.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Elvish

Common Dress Code

They favor elegant clothing in bright colors, and they enjoy simple yet lovely jewelry.

History

The cult of the god Lolth, Queen of Spiders, has corrupted some of the oldest drow cities, especially in the worlds of Oerth and Toril. Eberron, Krynn, and other realms have escaped the cult's influence—for now. Wherever the cult lurks, drow heroes stand on the front lines in the war against it, seeking to sunder Lolth's web.

Notable Characters

• Kelor Willhollow 
• Phoebe Willhollow (Quarter)
• Nika Willhollow  (Half)
• Tess  (Half)
• Veskon Fractrem  (Half)
• Ambition (Half)
• Ra'mili  (Half)

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Elf

Scientific Name

Humanoid

Lifespan

Although elves reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, the elven understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An elf can live well over 700 years.

Average Height

They range from well under 5 feet tall to just over 6 feet.

Average Weight

They are more slender than humans, weighing only 100 to 145 pounds. Males typically weigh more than females.

Average Physique

They are very tall and slender.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Drow appear to have dark skintones, ranging from deep blues to purples.

Geographic Distribution

• The Underdark