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Among the factions ofDungeons & Dragons, the Drow are mostly known as an evil group of dark elves with white hair. But what makes them evil in the first place is something to wonder about, since, unlike other fiendish creatures like Demons or Devils, they’re not born into the world as evildoers.
It all ends up being about their culture and upbringing rather than a trait that they were born with, since the harsh outlook their people have on the world can shape them into cruel beings. To get to know this dark variant of elves, you’ll have to know about their noble houses, the Underdark, and their worship of Lolth.
Elven Heritage
The Drow are similar to most other elves, at least physically speaking. Their main biological difference is their dark skin and pale hair, although, beyond that, they aren’t so different from a Wood or a High elf.
As such,they share many of the benefits of their fey heritage, like their Darkvision or their advantage in perception.They can even sire half-elves with humans, like all other elves, although it’s frowned upon in Drow culture to do so.
Compared to humans, all elves live far longer lives, reaching social maturity at 100 years old, and the oldest among them being well over 700. And Elves put every moment of those hundreds of years to use sincethey don’t sleep, instead entering a state of Trance for 4 hours, which to them counts as a good night’s sleep.
Since Elves don’t go to sleep, they’re immune to effects that would force someone to do so, like spells or potions.
There are, however, a few areas where Drow Elves are differentfrom other Elves, mostly due to how used they are to living underground.They have a superior version of the regular Darkvision, letting them see further in dim light. They have a disadvantage to hit foes in direct sunlight due to theirsunlight sensitivity.
Religion
Most creation myths for the Drow have them as dark elves even before the fall of Lolth.Whentheir patron goddess was known as Araushnee, they were just part of the Elven people, albeit with darker skin, but were treated like any other Elf.
Araushnee wanted absolute power over the Elven kind, andtried repeatedly to kill her husband(and leader of the Elven pantheon),Corellon. She was known for dealing with Demons, and onceCorellon had enough, he banished her to the Abyss, turning her into a spider-like Demon in the process.
Corellon didn’t kill Araushnee because, even after all the assassination attempts, he still loved her.
Now a Demonic deity,Araushnee changed her name to Lolth, and guided her children to act in her name.Lolth worship means individualistic strength and showing that you have what it takes to gain absolute power, no matter who lies in your way.
For the Drow, religion is not a choice but a mandate, and those who do not show proper respect are quickly sacrificed to the Spider Queen. So heavy-handed is their culture, thatnearly all Drow are evil, mostly due to not knowing any other way to be.
Politics
The Drow are, in essence, Neutral Evil, something that might be hard to fathom since their patron goddess is a Demon. Yet they’re far too organized to be considered chaotic, and they often look for ways to cheat their way to the top, meaning that Lawful is also not an option.
While a player could create a Drow character of the Noble Houses and have them be Good, they would need to somehow be exiled or risk being hunted for their status, their heresy, or for sport.
Their entire society revolves around the Noble Housesand their constant fights for power. These fights can happen among the Houses, or within them as well since it’s expected thatthe young among them will climb up the social ladder by any means necessary, the most often taken being assassination.
The Underdark
The savagery of the Underdark fits Drow society perfectly,since not many groups can survive its dangers and remain civil in the process. Drow cities tend to be the most advanced settlements for miles around,letting them execute their views with complete freedom from meddling surface kingdoms.
The most well-known of these cities was Menzoberranzan, which had nothing to envy other capital cities like Baldur’s Gate. It has trade markets, noble quarters, and large Palaces for the rich and powerful, where most of the political murders take place.
Even the most well-meaning among the Drow might come across as mean-spirited when encountered on the surface; it isn’t a place where they feel at ease, much less under the sun that hurts their eyes.
The Underdark is also the place within the Material Plane that most resembles Lolth’s domainwithin the Abyss, making communion with their goddess easier. There are areas of the Underdark that can connect to the Demonic plane directly, even when unrelated to Lolth, like the timethe Demogorgon was imprisonedin the underground realm.
Good Drow
As mentioned before,Drow aren’t born evil;it’s their upbringing that makes them so. This means that it’s entirely possible for “Good” Drow to appear in the world, but they don’t survive long within the average Drow society since, if they’re discovered, they’re quickly sacrificed to Lolth.
Even if these Drow managed to escape their city, they would still have to contend with the dangers of the Underdark. This makes most Drow that have second thoughts about their morality quickly dismiss them, since there’s little way out from their communities.
If any Drow makes it out, they often try to make a living on the surface, but the dangers remain:they’ll be either hunted by their former community as deserters or by surface dwellersthat, often for good reason, don’t trust a Drow to be running about.
For players looking to play as a Drow, they have ample choice to make them Good or Evil, but the challenges don’t end there.Social situations will be hardas such a species, and with most other players being surface dwellers,the sun might end up as their biggest enemy.
