Drow Elf

Cruel and cunning, drow elves 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 elves seldom make themselves known to surface folk, preferring to remain legends while advancing their sinister agendas through proxies and agents. Drow elves 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 elf, though such a transformation would require a truly heinous individual.

Physical Description
Drow elves 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 elves' skin ranges from coal black to a dusky purple. Their hair is typically white or silver, though some variation is not unknown.

Society
Drow elven society is traditionally class-oriented and matriarchal. Male drow elves usually fulfill martial roles, defending the species from external threats, while female drow elves assume positions of leadership and authority. Reinforcing these gender roles, one in 20 drow elves are born with exceptional abilities and thus considered to be nobility, and the majority of these special drow elves are female. Noble houses define drow elven 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 elves 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.

Relations
Drow elves have a strong sense of racial superiority and divide non-drow elves 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 elven society. Others, such as dwarves, gnomes, and halflings, are deemed fit only for the lash. Manipulative drow elves delight in exploiting the weak character of humans. While they claim no kinship with fetchlings, the drows 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.

Alignment and Religion
Drow elves place a premium on power and survival, and are unapologetic about any vile choices they might make to ensure their survival. After all, they do not just survive adversity—they conquer it. They have no use for compassion, and are unforgiving of their enemies, both ancient and contemporary. Drow elves retain the elven traits of strong emotion and passion, but channel it through negative outlets, such as hatred, vengeance, lust for power, and raw carnal sensation. Consequently, most drow elves are chaotic evil. Demon lords are their chosen patrons, sharing their inclination toward power and destruction.

Adventurers
Conquerors and slavers, drow elves are driven to expand their territory, and many seek to settle ancient grudges upon elven and dwarven nations in ruinous and dreary sites of contested power on the surface. Male drow elves favor martial or stealth classes that put them close to their enemies and their homes, as either soldiers or spies. Female drow elves typically assume classes that lend themselves to leadership, such as bards and especially clerics. Both genders have an innate talent for the arcane arts, and may be wizards or summoners. Drow elves make natural antipaladins, but males are often discouraged from this path, as the feminine nobility feel discomforted by the idea of strong-willed males with autonomous instincts and a direct relationship with a demon lord.

Common Names

 * Male Names
 * Arcavato, Drovic, Firyin, Kaelmourn, Mirrendier, Pharnox, Syrendross, Zov.


 * Female Names
 * Belmarniss, Cylellinth, Ilvaria, Johysis, Loscivia, Tyvorhan, Ulumbralya, Volundeil.

Racial Traits

 * Ability Score Increase
 * Drow elves are manipulative. They gain +2 Dexterity and +1 Charisma.


 * Darkvision
 * Accustomed to caves and caverns, you have superior vision underground. 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. However, daylight reduces your vision by half, and bright light completely blinds you.


 * Elf Weapon Traning
 * Drow elves are proficient with the hand crossbow, rapier, and shortsword.


 * Intimidators
 * Drow elves are always proficient in the Intimidation skill.


 * Languages
 * Drow elves can also speak Undercommon. Drow elves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following languages: Abyssal, Draconic, Gnome, or Goblin. See the Languages page for more information about these languages.


 * Size
 * Drow elves are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.