3.5 KiB
Drow are a variant of the elf lineage—descendants of elves who magically altered themselves to settle in the sunless world underground.
As one of the oldest humanoid species to walk the earth, elves are intrinsically tied to the natural world. Long ago, elves hotly debated which region of the land would most benefit from their stewardship. One faction wanted to settle amongst the forests, to live in harmony with the verdant flora and fauna of the wood. The second wished to build cities atop cloud-touched peaks, to better watch over the world from above. The third group insisted that their place was inside the earth itself, amongst the insects, worms, and fungi upon which all life depended at beginning and end. Unable to reach an agreement, the groups fractured into distinct societies. Those that belonged to the last group, the elves who chose to look after all that lay underground, became the drow.
Following the schism, the drow left the sunlit surface for the cool, welcoming darkness of the underworld. To survive in such an environment, the drow magically altered themselves to suit their cavernous homes, and over generations, these alterations began to manifest naturally at birth.
One of the more curious results of the gradual transformation is an innate affinity with certain arthropods, namely beetles, centipedes, scorpions, and especially spiders. Even drow raised among other lineages feel a supernatural kinship with arachnids, and this fascination leads most to view the number eight as lucky or sacred, regardless of cultural background.
The cavernous underworld is a dangerous place, filled with all manner of hazards and horrors that stalk the dark. To survive, drow societies often embrace customs outsiders view as calculating or cruel. The drow, however, consider them born of necessity. Regardless of whatever ancestral legacy they carry, drow are masters of their own destinies, free to embrace, reject, or ignore the traditions of their elders.
While drow share the general characteristics of their surface counterparts, they typically have pale gray to purple skin. Their eyes are commonly a burning, radiant yellow, and they have thin white hair that many weave into elaborate plaits or other shapes. Some drow are born with eight-sided birthmarks. Drow communities typically view such marks as either a blessing or a curse, depending on the region.
Drow Lineage Traits
Your drow character has the following hereditary traits.
Age
Although drow reach physical maturity around age 20, mental and emotional faculties reach full maturity around the age of 100. Drow can live to be 750 years old.
Size
Your size is Medium. Drow range from under 5 feet to over 6 feet tall and tend toward slender builds, averaging around 110 pounds.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Arachnid Kismet
You have advantage on checks made to interact with spiders, scorpions, and similar eight-legged Beasts. In addition, when you make an attack roll or save and the final result includes the number 8 (such as 8, 18, 28), you can choose to gain 1 Luck (in addition to any Luck you would normally get).
Superior Darkvision
You have darkvision to a range of 120 feet. While you are in an area of sunlight, you have disadvantage on WIS (Perception) checks made to perceive via sight.
Trance
Drow don’t need to sleep. Instead, they enter a meditative trance state, remaining semiconscious for 4 hours a day. You choose whether you can dream while meditating. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that other creatures do from 8 hours of sleep.