All elves, save one elvish racial group, is trying to turn Lemurias into their version of Arvandor. This group, however, want nothing to do with terraforming Lemurias into a new forest planet. Instead, they wish to turn all of Lemurias into a mockery of Arvandor, a planet in eternal twilight. This group of Elves, more civilized than the Pelagasiri, more enterprising than the Massalians, and certainly more pragmatic than the High Elves; are the Drow.
They worship both demons and the Queen of the Night, Nott. Once, as fair as the Arcasians, they turned to the worship of the Night and their priesthood encouraged them to breed with Demons and goblins known as Blues. They willingly did so, polluting the Elven Genetic Strain with demon and blue goblin DNA. The results of these breedings are a group of brown-Black Drow and a group of Blue-Black Drow. And a penchant for wickedness and evil. They have become a dark reflection of the other Elven races.
Alexander never fought the Drow, which is a good thing because it would pollute his ideas of Equal Opportunity for Women if he encountered them before the Amazons. For the drow women took over the Drow society and power structure and created a society that is even more fanatically based around the rule of women than the Amazons ever could be. Inspite of this, Drow women still need the drow men to procreate the species -- although Drow women look on with lust and desire when they see two drow men sodomizing each other.
Throne of the Night (by Paizo Publishing, added due to Community Guidelines).
Drow 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 skin ranges from coal black to a dusky purple. Their hair is typically white or silver, though some variation is not unknown.
Society[]
Drow society is traditionally class-oriented and matriarchal. Male drow usually fulfill martial roles, defending the species from external threats, while female drow assume positions of leadership and authority. Reinforcing these gender roles, one in 20 drow are born with exceptional abilities and thus considered to be nobility, and the majority of these special drow are female. Noble houses define drow 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 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.
Adventurers[]
Conquerors and slavers, drow 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 favor martial or stealth classes that put them close to their enemies and their homes, as either soldiers or spies. Female drow 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 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.
Drow Racial Traits[]
+2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, –2 Constitution: Drow are nimble and manipulative.
Elf: Drow are humanoids with the elf subtype.
Medium: Drow are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Drow have a base speed of 30 feet.
Darkvision: Drow can see in the dark up to 120 feet.
Drow Immunities: Drow are immune to magic sleep effects and gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells and effects.
Keen Senses: Drow gain a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks.
Poison Use: Drow are skilled in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves.
Spell Resistance: Drow possess spell resistance equal to 6 plus their class levels.
Spell-Like Abilities: A drow can cast dancing lights, darkness, and faerie fire, once each per day, using her total character level as her caster level.
Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light blinds drow for 1 round; on subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area.
Weapon Familiarity: Drow are proficient with the hand crossbow, rapier, and short sword.
Languages: Drow begin play speaking Elven and Undercommon. Drow with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following languages: Abyssal, Aklo, Aquan, Common, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Gnome, or Goblin.
Alternate Racial Traits[]
Nott, Drow goddess of the Night, by Elton Robb (again, that's me, folks!)
The following racial traits may be selected instead of existing drow racial traits. Consult your GM before selecting any of these new options.
Ambitious Schemer: Seduction and treachery are tools for advancement in drow society, even for the martially inclined. Drow with this racial trait may choose either Bluff or Diplomacy as a class skill, and gain a +2 bonus on such skill checks. This racial trait replaces keen sight.
Ancestral Grudge: The enmity between the drow and elves and dwarves is long-standing and deeply entrenched. Drow with this racial trait gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls against humanoids with the dwarf or elf subtypes (with the exception of drow) because of their special training against these reviled foes. This racial trait replaces poison use.
Blasphemous Covenant: Since their twisted beginnings, the drow have consorted with demons. Some drow have strong ties with these creatures and may call upon ancient and obscene associations to sway demonic cooperation. Drow with this racial trait gain a +2 bonus on Diplomacy checks made against unbound creatures with the demon subtype. Furthermore, demons conjured with any summon spell gain +2 hit points per Hit Die. Lastly, the cost of bribes or offerings for any planar ally spell cast by these drow to summon a demon is reduced by 20%. This racial trait replaces keen senses and poison use.
Darklands Stalker: The lands outside of drow cities, from rough-hewn tunnels to rocky caverns, are treacherous to navigate. Drow with this racial trait may move through difficult terrain without penalty while underground. In addition, drow with a Dexterity of 13 or higher gain Nimble Moves as a bonus feat. This racial trait replaces the spell-like abilities racial trait.
Seducer: Certain drow possess an innate understanding of the darkest desires that lurk in every heart. Drow with this racial trait add +1 to the saving throw DCs for spells and spell-like abilities of the enchantment school. In addition, drow with a Wisdom score of 15 or higher may use charm person once per day as a spell-like ability (caster level equal to the drow's character level). This racial trait replaces drow immunities.
Surface Infiltrator: Some drow dwell close to the surface lands, either because they serve drow causes or they were exiled. Drow with this racial trait gain low-light vision, allowing them to see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light. This racial trait replaces the darkvision and light blindness racial traits.
The Dark Elves of Volcania[]
The Dark Elves of the Island of Volcania are a complete departure from the usual culture of the Drow of Nott. These Dark Elves left Arvandor also with the other dark elves, but as a tribe gave up the worship of Nott and Larenthas and immigrated to a land where they could worship their own god or gods in freedom from their own people. They eventually reached Volcania where they built their society around religious freedom and the right to worship their own gods away from Nott and Larenthas. For their betrayal, the gods turned their skin ashen grey and their eyes, red.
Physical Description[]
Dark Elf character by amoeba.
They have red, glowing eyes and their skin tones vary from green to gray, and even light blue. They are known to be extremely strong, intelligent, and very quick, but are said to be ill favored by fate. They are slightly taller than the Pelagasiri, but the High Elves tower over them.
Culture[]
Three major cultural groupings have settled Volcania, Great House group, the Ashlanders and the Hellenized dark elves. The smallest settlements are the Ashlander nomadic camps, compromised of small, portable huts. Recent Hellenistic colonies like Sicyon display the same styled homes and fortifications as might be found in Phaeselis or any other Hellenic land. But the dominant culture is the Great House culture.
They are grim, aloof, and reserved, keeping to themselves as much as possible. They are just as distrusting and disdainful of other races as they are to other Dark Elves. These crow and their national character embrace these various connotations with enthusiastic behaviors. "Dark Elf" is the common used term used by any humanoid race, but in their homeland and among their brethren, they are known as the Volcanisiri.
Racial Traits[]
These drow have the following traits:
+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, –2 Constitution: The
Another dark elf of this type.
Volcanian Drow are nimble and smart.
Elf: Volcanian Elves are humanoids with the elf subtype.
Medium: Volcanian elves are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Volcanian elves have a base speed of 30 feet.
Darkvision: Volcanian elves can see in the dark up to 120 feet.
Elf Immunities:Volcanian elves are immune to magic sleep effects and gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells and effects.
Keen Senses: Volcanian elves gain a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks.
Desert Runner: The Volcanians live on a volcanic island that has a lot of ash and igneous rock from former eruptions. These drow receive a +4 racial bonus on Constitution checks and Fortitude saves to avoid fatigue, exhaustion, or ill effects from running, forced marches, starvation, thirst, or hot or cold environments. This racial trait replaces elven magic.
Arcane Focus: Some elven families have such long traditions of producing wizards (and other arcane spellcasters) that they raise their children with the assumption each is destined to be a powerful magic-user, with little need for mundane concerns such as skill with weapons. Elves with this racial trait gain a +2 racial bonus on concentration checks made to cast arcane spells defensively. This racial trait replaces weapon familiarity.
Lightbringer: Many elves revere the sun, moon, and stars, but some are literally infused with the radiant power of the heavens. Elves with this racial trait are immune to light-based blindness and dazzle effects, and are treated as one level higher when determining the effects of any light-based spell or effect they cast (including spell-like and supernatural abilities). Elves with Intelligence scores of 10 or higher may use light at will as a spell-like ability. This racial trait replaces the elven immunities and elven magic racial traits.
Weapon Familiarity: Drow are proficient with the hand crossbow, rapier, and short sword.
Languages: Drow begin play speaking Elven and Undercommon. Drow with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following languages: Abyssal, Aklo, Aquan, Common, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Gnome, or Goblin.
