Editing Drow (section)

==Fictional description==
[[File:Female Drow and Iced Bow by David Revoy.jpg|thumb|A drow, illustrated by [[David Revoy]]]]
{{Update|section|date=February 2022}}The drow made their first statistical appearance in the Greyhawk adventure module ''Hall of the Fire Giant King'' (1978) at the end of the module, and received a lengthy writeup. The history of the drow within the game is revealed; in ages past, the [[Elf (Dungeons & Dragons)|elves]] were torn by discord and warfare, driving out from their surface lands their selfish and cruel members, who sought safety in the [[Underdark|underworld]]. These creatures, later known as the "dark elvenfolk" or drow, grew strong in the arcane arts over the centuries and content with their gloomy fairyland beneath the earth, though they still bear enmity towards and seek revenge against their distant kin, the elves and faeries who drove them down. They are described as [[Chaotic Evil|chaotic evil]] in [[Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)|alignment]], and highly intelligent. They are described as black-skinned and pale haired in appearance, around 5-feet tall and slight of build with somewhat sharp features, with large eyes and large pointed ears. Drow are difficult to surprise as they are able to see very well in the dark, have an intuitive sense about their underground world similar to that of [[Dwarf (Dungeons & Dragons)|dwarves]], and can detect hidden or secret doors as easily as other elves do. Drow are highly resistant to [[Magic of Dungeons & Dragons|magic]], while all drow have the ability to use some inherent magical abilities even if they are not strictly spellcasters. The module also reveals that there are rumors of vast caverns housing whole cities of drow which exist somewhere deep beneath the earth, and now that the drow have dwelled in these dark labyrinthe places they dislike daylight and other forms of bright light as it hampers their abilities. They are able to communicate using a silent language composed of hand movements, and when coupled with facial and body expression, movement, and posture, this form of communication is the equal of any spoken language.<ref name="G3" />

The ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' game's second edition product ''Monstrous Compendium Volume Two'' (1989) describes the world of the drow, where violent conflict is part of everyday life, so much so that most drow encountered are ready for a fight. Their inherent magic use comes from training in magic, which all drow receive. Not long after the creation of the elves, they were torn into rival factions, one evil and one good; after a great civil war, those who followed the path of evil and chaos were driven far from the world's forests and into the bleak, lightless caverns and tunnels of the underworld. Drow society is fragmented into opposing noble houses and merchant families, and they base their rigid class system on the belief that the strongest should rule. Female drow tend to fill many positions of great importance, with priests of the dark goddess Lolth holding a very high place in society. Drow fighters are required to go through rigorous training in their youth, and those who fail are put to death. Drow constantly war with other underground neighbors such as dwarves and deep gnomes (svirfneblin), and keep slaves of all types—including allies who fail to live up to drow expectations.<ref name="MC2" />

''The Complete Book of Elves'' (1993) by [[Colin McComb]] focuses some of its attention on the drow. The ''Elfwar'' is presented, an elven myth in which the elves were one people until the Spider Queen Lolth used the dissent among the elves to gain a foothold; the elves of Lolth took the name Drow to signify their new allegiance, but as they massed to conquer the other elves, [[Corellon Larethian]] and his followers drove Lolth and her people deep into the earth, where they chose to remain. The dark elves who became the drow were originally simply elves who held more with the tenets of might than those of justice, and as they quested for power they became corrupted and turned against their fairer brethren. Any elf character of good or neutral alignment, even drow, is allowed into the realm of Arvanaith where elves go upon reaching old age. The book notes that drow [[player character]]s have a large number of benefits while suffering few disadvantages, but that "the major disadvantage to being a drow ''is'' being a drow." Drow characters are extraordinarily dexterous and intelligent, but have the typically low elf constitution; also, their personalities are described as grating at best, and all other elves ''hate'' the drow which affects their reactions to a drow character.<ref name="CBoE" />

In the 5th Edition Basic Rules, drow are described as a subrace of elves with a connection to Underdark magic.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|title=The Elf Race for Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) Fifth Edition (5e)|url=https://www.dndbeyond.com/races/elf|access-date=2022-02-07|website=D&D Beyond|language=en-us|archive-date=2022-02-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206022653/https://www.dndbeyond.com/races/elf|url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, it states, "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".<ref name=":7" /> ''[[Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes]]'' (2018) retells the story of Corellon and Lolth; the elves who supported Lolth were cast "into darkness. They became a people wholly dedicated to Lolth and her scheming and for many, many centuries were viewed in the multi-verse as a people of evil".<ref name=":8">{{Cite web|last=Crawford|first=Jeremy|author-link=Jeremy Crawford|date=March 13, 2018|title=Learn More about the Drow in D&D's Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes|url=http://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/174-learn-more-about-the-drow-in-d-ds-mordenkainens|access-date=2022-02-07|website=D&D Beyond|language=en-us|archive-date=2022-02-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220208005302/https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/174-learn-more-about-the-drow-in-d-ds-mordenkainens|url-status=live}}</ref> However, since all elves are descended from Corellon, the drow have the ability to "break free of Lolth's influence" and turn to "the light within themselves".<ref name=":8" />