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In the captivating world ofDungeons & Dragons, Half-Elves enjoy a celebrated status as one of the strongest species, with their features blending the adaptability of their human lineage with the refined senses of their elven parentage. Yet, this mixed heritage often leaves them in a limbo of identity, caught in the balance between two cultures without fully belonging to either.
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This dichotomy is further intensified for Half-Drow, as they grapple with the weighty and dark legacy of their Drow ancestry. With some thoughtful character-building, however, playing a Half-Drow can yield a captivating narrative arc despite these challenges, all while capitalizing on the potent features of their heritage.
About The Drow And Half-Drow
History Of The Drow
TheDrow, also known asDark Elves, have afascinating yet brutal history. After theirancestors' transgressions, they werecast into the Underdark, an expansive network of subterranean caverns and tunnels, and since then, they have evolved independently of surface elves.
They are typically characterized bydark gray or purple skinandwhite hair, giving them a unique, striking appearance compared to surface elves.
TheDrowpredominantly reside in thecity of Menzoberranzanand lead amatriarchal and theocratic societythat worships Lolth, the Spider Queen, undera strict social hierarchy. Their culture emphasizes cunning and deceit, and they view thesurface world with contempt, believing their banishment unjustified.
This bitterness manifests infrequent surface raids, which often result in the ransacking of villages, loss of life, blood sacrifices, and the enslavement of survivors.
As a result, many surfacersfear and disdainthe Drow, leading to extremely high tensions between the two.
Naturally, there exists Drow who renounce Lolth,seeking paths of goodness—sometimes under the guidance of gods likeEilistraee and the Seldarine.
These escapees usually settle in forests or large cities like Waterdeep. Unfortunately, their attempts at integration areoften rebuffeddue toprevailing surfacer prejudicesagainst all Drow.
History Of The Half-Drow
The Half-Drow, offspring of a Drow and a human,often face extraordinary challenges.
Many come into the world under tragic circumstances. Some, however, are born from happy unions betweensurface-dwelling Drow escapeesand humans, allowing for awide rangeof possiblebackgrounds and backstories.
They wrestle with thesame identity issues as Half-Elves, finding itdifficult to fully assimilateinto either human or Drow societies. This sense of displacement is amplified by themutual animositybetween the two species, with both humans and Drow finding such unions reprehensible.
Though Half-Drowface societal prejudice, they also inherit anintriguing mix of traitsfrom their parent races. They possesshuman versatility, theFey Ancestry of the elves, and theDrow’s innate spellcasting abilities. Their dual heritage, as well as internal and external conflicts, set the stage for characters that areunique, both narratively and mechanically.
They usually bear thephysical characteristics of both races—human-like stature, skin tinged with purple or gray, and the typically white hair of the Drow.
Ability Scores
As a demonstration of the versatility from their human lineage, Half-Drow get+4 Ability Scoreincreases from their species, unlike the +2 or +3 that most other species get.
This is agreat featureall around and especially synergizes with any particularlyMulti-Attribute Dependent (MAD) classes or builds, such as the Paladin or Monk.
Darkvision
While the Drow possess superior darkvision, humans lack darkvision altogether—it makes sense, then, that Half-Drowhave normal darkvision.
Darkvision is not a particularly uncommon or flashy feature, but it can certainlygive your character an edge in low-light settings, like dungeons and caves.
Fey Ancestry
This feature grants Half-Drow the elvenadvantage against being charmedandimmunity to magical sleep.
This is, again, a solid feature that makes themespecially resilient against spellcasters and fey.
Skill Versatility.
You gain proficiency in two skills of your choice.
With this trait, Half-Drow can choosetwo additional proficiencies, again showcasing their human heritage.
This option is excellent in general, but especially for “skill-monkey” builds (such as a Rogue or Bard) and allows you to complement your party bycovering various skill gaps.
Drow Magic
As a vestige from your Drow blood, your species features boast some very useful spells.
Dancing Lightsnegates perception disadvantages from dim light and can greatly help party members without darkvision.Faerie Firecan turn the tide of combat bygranting advantageagainst several grouped enemies, and canreveal invisible creaturesthat may otherwise be deadly to lower-level parties.
Darknesscan be trickyto use, as it’ll blind both your allies and enemies, but can besituationally useful,such as to offer cover for an escaping party.
Half-Drow Class Options
The Half-Drow’sunique featuresgive them synergy with a handful of classes that greatlycomplement their versatilityandspell-casting abilities:
Paladin and Monk
Bard and Rogue
Sorcerer and Warlock
Designing a character with imperfections or unique quirkscan often be more fun and rewarding. The Half-Drow’s features are alsoversatile enoughthat no class would be completely useless for them.
Half-Drow Feat Options
Feats offer excellent opportunities toenhance your character’s flavor, and there are plenty of options thatcomplement the already-unique dispositionsof the Half-Drow.
