Editing Drow

{{Short description|Dungeons & Dragons fictional creature}}
{{About|the fictional race|the mythological creatures|Trow (folklore)}}
{{Infobox fictional race
| name      = Drow
| image     = [[Image:Drow.JPG|200px]]
| caption   = An illustration of a drow from the ''[[Fiend Folio]]'', 1981
| first     = [[Against the Giants|G3 ''Hall of the Fire Giant King'']] (1977)
| based_on  = [[Svartálfar|Dark elf]], Drow
| type      = Humanoid or fey humanoid
| alignment = Usually [[Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)#Chaotic evil|Chaotic Evil]] or [[Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)#Neutral evil|Neutral Evil]] (1st – 3rd Edition) <br> Any [[Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)|alignment]] (4th – 5th Edition)
}}
<!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE OR EDIT THE PRONUNCIATION OF DROW. These are the two most accepted forms of pronunciation, and any editing will most likely throw this back into an edit war. PLEASE DO NOT EDIT OR CHANGE THIS. -->
The '''drow''' ({{IPAc-en|d|r|aʊ}}<ref>[[Williams, Skip]]. "Sage Advice". ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #142 (TSR, 1989).</ref><ref name="D&Dfaq">{{cite web| url = http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_FAQ.asp| title = ''Dungeons & Dragons'' FAQ| access-date = 2008-10-03| publisher = [[Wizards of the Coast]]| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081002132129/http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_FAQ.asp| url-status = dead| archive-date = 2008-10-02}}</ref> or {{IPAc-en|d|r|oʊ}})<ref>[[Mentzer, Frank]]. "Ay pronunseeAYshun gyd". ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #93 (TSR, 1985)</ref> or '''dark elves''' are a dark-skinned and white-haired subrace of [[Elf (Dungeons & Dragons)|elves]] connected to the [[Subterranea (geography)|subterranean]] [[Underdark]] in the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' [[fantasy]] [[roleplaying game]].<ref name="MM2003" /> The drow have traditionally been portrayed as generally evil and connected to the evil spider goddess '''Lolth'''. However, later editions of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' have moved away from this portrayal and preassigned [[Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)|alignment]]. More recent publications have explored drow societies unconnected to Lolth.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite web|date=2020-04-15|title=Dungeons & Dragons' latest setting, Wildemount, helps solve the problem of 'evil' races|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/dungeons-dragons-critical-role-wildemount-matt-mercer-race|access-date=2022-02-07|website=SYFY Official Site|language=en-US|archive-date=2022-02-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207213119/https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/dungeons-dragons-critical-role-wildemount-matt-mercer-race|url-status=live}}</ref>
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== Creative origins ==
The word "drow" originates from the [[Orcadian dialect|Orcadian]] and [[Shetland dialect|Shetland]] dialects of [[Scots language|Scots]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dsl.ac.uk/dsl/getent4.php?plen%3D11075%26startset%3D44442733%26query%3DTROW%26fhit%3Dtrowe%26dregion%3Dentry%26dtext%3Dsnd#fhit |title=DSL-SND1: Trow |access-date=2009-11-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526192047/http://www.dsl.ac.uk/dsl/getent4.php?plen=11075&startset=44442733&query=TROW&fhit=trowe&dregion=entry&dtext=snd |archive-date=2011-05-26 }}</ref> an alternative form of "[[Trow (folklore)|trow]]",<ref name="Dark Warrior Rising" /> which is a cognate with "[[troll]]". The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' gives no entry for "drow", but two of the citations under "trow" name it as an alternative form of the word. Trow/drow was used to refer to a wide variety of evil sprites. Everything about the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' drow was invented by ''Dungeons & Dragons'' co-creator [[Gary Gygax]] except for the basic concept of "dark elves".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://geocities.com/rgfdfaq/sources.html|access-date=2023-02-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027151422/http://geocities.com/rgfdfaq/sources.html |archive-date=2009-10-27 | title=Literary Sources of D&D|editor= Aardy R DeVarque}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=December 2013}} However, in the [[Prose Edda]], [[Snorri Sturluson]] wrote about the [[Svartálfar|black elves]]: "... the dark elves however live down below the ground. ... [and] are blacker than pitch."<ref name="Krause">{{cite book|last=Krause|first=Arnulf|author-link=Arnulf Krause|title=Die wirkliche Mittelerde  Tolkiens Mythologie und ihre Wurzeln im Mittelalter (German)|publisher=Theiss|year=2012|isbn=978-3-8062-2478-8}}</ref>{{rp|103}}

Gygax stated that "Drow are mentioned in [[Thomas Keightley (historian)|Keightley]]'s ''The Fairy Mythology'', as I recall (it might have been ''The Secret Commonwealth''—neither book is before me, and it is not all that important anyway), and as Dark Elves of evil nature, they served as an ideal basis for the creation of a unique new mythos designed especially for the ''AD&D'' game."<ref>"Books Are Books, Games Are Games" in ''Dragon Magazine'', Nov. 1979, #31</ref> Gygax later stated that he took the term from a listing in the ''Funk & Wagnall's Unexpurgated Dictionary'', and no other source at all. "I wanted a most unusual race as the main power in the Underdark, so used the reference to 'dark elves' from the dictionary to create the Drow."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/3813928-post34.html|title=Gygaxian Monsters | page=4|website=Enworld.org|access-date=28 January 2018|archive-date=19 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319233123/http://www.enworld.org/forum/3813928-post34.html|url-status=live}}</ref> There seems to be no work with this title. However, the following entry can be found in abridged editions of Funk & Wagnall's ''Standard Dictionary of the English Language'', such as ''The Desk Standard Dictionary of the English Language'': "[Scot.] In folk-lore, one of a race of underground elves represented as skillful workers in metal. Compare TROLL. [Variant of TROLL.] trow " {{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

== Publication history ==

===''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 1st edition===
The drow were first mentioned in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game in the [[Editions of Dungeons & Dragons|1st Edition]] 1977 ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' ''[[Monster Manual]]'' under the "Elf" entry, where it is stated that "The 'Black Elves,' or drow, are only legend." No statistics are given for the drow in this book, apart from the statistics for normal elves. The drow are described as purportedly dwelling deep beneath the surface world, in strange subterranean realms. They are said to be evil, "as dark as faeries are bright", and pictured in tales as poor [[Fighter (Dungeons & Dragons)|fighters]] but strong [[Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)|magic-users]].<ref>[[Gary Gygax|Gygax, Gary]]. ''[[Monster Manual]]'' (TSR, 1977).</ref> From 1978 to 1980, the ''[[Greyhawk]]'' adventure module series explored the drow in depth, including statblocks for drow and an introduction to their Underdark society.<ref name="G3" /><ref name=":14" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-07-24|title=Old D&D Campaigns That Deserve 5e Reprints|url=https://screenrant.com/old-dnd-campaigns-5e-update-reprint-rerelease-original/|access-date=2022-02-08|website=Screen Rant|language=en-US|archive-date=2022-02-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220208012926/https://screenrant.com/old-dnd-campaigns-5e-update-reprint-rerelease-original/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The first hardcover ''D&D'' rulebook featuring statistical information on the drow was the original ''[[Fiend Folio#Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition|Fiend Folio]]'' (1981). Gygax wrote this entry, listed under "Elf, Drow", according to the book's credits section. The text is a slightly abridged version of the text originally found in modules G3 and D3. Likewise, Lolth's description from module D3 is reprinted in the ''Fiend Folio'' under the "Demon" heading.<ref>[[Don Turnbull (game designer)|Turnbull, Don]], ed. ''[[Fiend Folio#Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition|Fiend Folio]]'' ([[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], 1981)</ref>

The drow were first presented as a [[player character]] race in ''[[Unearthed Arcana]]'' (1985), also written by Gygax. Several elven sub-races are described in the book, including gray elves, wood elves, wild elves, and valley elves; the dark elves are described as the most divergent sub-race, and dark elf player characters are considered outcasts from their homeland, either by choice, differing from the standard chaotic evil alignment of the race, or having lost in some family-wide power struggle.<ref>[[Gary Gygax|Gygax, Gary]]. ''[[Unearthed Arcana]]'' (TSR, 1985)</ref>

==== ''Greyhawk'' module storyline ====
{{See also|Against the Giants|Descent into the Depths of the Earth|Queen of the Demonweb Pits}}
It is hinted in G1 ''Steading of the Hill Giant Chief'' (1978) that there is a "secret force, some motivational power behind this unusual banding of different races of giants." G2 ''The Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl'' (1978) mentions this guiding force again in its introduction. The third module in the series, G3 ''Hall of the Fire Giant King'' (1978) again mentions the party's need to find out whatever is behind the giants' alliance, and this time mentions the drow specifically by name. In the adventure, the [[player character]]s can discover the first hint of drow involvement in the fire giant king's council room, on a scroll which promises "powerful help from the Drow", signed by [[Eclavdra]]. Actual drow can be encountered starting on level #2 of the king's hall, beginning with a group of drow priests, and then other drow later.<ref name="G3">[[Gary Gygax|Gygax, Gary]]. ''[[Hall of the Fire Giant King]]'' (TSR, 1978)</ref><ref name=DME>{{cite book |first=David M. |last=Ewalt|author-link=David M. Ewalt |year=2013 |title=Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It |publisher=Scribner |pages=143–144 |isbn=978-1-4516-4052-6}}</ref>

Having discovered that the drow instigated the alliance between the races of giants and its warfare against mankind, in ''D1 Descent into the Depths of the Earth'' (1978) the party follows the fleeing drow into the tunnels leading northwest and deep into the earth, to eliminate the threat they pose. Examining a golden spider pin found on one of the drow priestesses, the party can discover runes in the drow language reading "[[Lolth]], Death Queen Mother".<ref>[[Gary Gygax|Gygax, Gary]]. ''[[Descent into the Depths of the Earth]]'' (TSR, 1978)</ref> The party continues to pursue the drow in D2 ''Shrine of the Kuo-Toa'' (1978).<ref>[[Gary Gygax|Gygax, Gary]]. ''[[Shrine of the Kuo-Toa]]'' (TSR, 1978)</ref> In ''D3 Vault of the Drow'' (1978), the adventurers eventually make it to Erelhei-Cinlu, the vast subterranean city of the drow, which is thoroughly described in the module. An extensive overview of the drow power structure is given for the purpose of creating any number of mini-campaigns or adventures taking place inside the drow capital.<ref name=":2" /> The characters travel on to the Egg of Lolth, where they must enter the dungeon level and fight the demoness herself. The statistics and information for drow are reprinted from ''Hall of the Fire Giant King'' in the back of this module, along with statistics for Lolth herself.<ref name=":2">[[Gary Gygax|Gygax, Gary]]. ''[[Vault of the Drow]]'' (TSR, 1978)</ref>

The story concludes in module ''Q1 Queen of the Demonweb Pits'' (1980). The astral gate from ''D3'' leads to the [[Abyss (Dungeons & Dragons)|Abyssal]] realm of Lolth, goddess of the drow elves and Demon Queen of Spiders; Lolth is the architect of the sinister plot described in the two previous series of modules. At the very end of the module, the players face a final confrontation with Lolth, an exceptionally difficult challenge.<ref name=":14">[[David C. Sutherland|Sutherland III, David C]], and [[Gary Gygax|Gygax, Gary]]. ''[[Queen of the Demonweb Pits]]'' (TSR, 1980)</ref> The G1-G3 modules were later published together in 1981 as a single combined module as ''G1-2-3 Against the Giants'',<ref>[[Gary Gygax|Gygax, Gary]]. ''[[Against the Giants]]'' (TSR, 1981)</ref> and the entire series of modules in which the drow originally appeared were later published together in ''[[Queen of the Spiders]]'' (1986).<ref name="Dark Warrior Rising">{{cite book|last=Greenwood|first=Ed|author-link=Ed Greenwood|title=Dark Warrior Rising: A Novel of Niflheim|publisher=Macmillan|year=2007|pages=[https://archive.org/details/darkwarriorrisin00gree/page/297 297]–298|chapter=Afterword|isbn=978-0-7653-1765-0|url=https://archive.org/details/darkwarriorrisin00gree|url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>[[Gary Gygax|Gygax, Gary]]. ''[[Queen of the Spiders]]'' (TSR, 1986)</ref><ref name=DME/>

===Novels===
[[Gary Gygax]]'s 1986 novel for [[TSR, Inc.|TSR]]'s "Greyhawk Adventures" series, ''[[Artifact of Evil]]'', was the first novel to feature the drow prominently. Gygax's subsequent ''[[Gord the Rogue]]'' novels, published by New Infinities, Inc., continued the story and the drow's involvement, in the novels ''Sea of Death'' (1987), ''Come Endless Darkness'' (1988), and ''Dance of Demons'' (1988).{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

[[R. A. Salvatore]]'s 1988–1990 ''[[The Icewind Dale Trilogy]]'' featured the unlikely hero [[Drizzt Do'Urden]] as one of the protagonists, and the 1990–1991 followup ''[[The Dark Elf Trilogy]]'' focused on Drizzt and the drow of the [[Forgotten Realms]] setting. Salvatore continued the story of Drizzt and the drow in his subsequent series ''[[Legacy of the Drow]]'' (1992–1996), ''[[Paths of Darkness]]'' (1998–2001), and ''[[The Hunter's Blades Trilogy]]'' (2002–2004). Other works continuing the story of the drow in the Forgotten Realms include [[Elaine Cunningham]]'s ''[[Starlight and Shadows]]'' series (1995–1996, 2003), the ''[[War of the Spider Queen]]'' series (2002–2005, various authors), and [[Lisa Smedman]]'s ''[[The Lady Penitent]]'' series (2007–2008).{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

[[Keith Baker (game designer)|Keith Baker]]'s ''The Dreaming Dark'' trilogy (2005–2006) featured the story of the drow in Baker's world of [[Eberron]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

===''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition''===
The drow appear first for this edition in the ''[[Monstrous Compendium|Monstrous Compendium Volume Two]]'' (1989), which expands the information on drow society. Also included in the entry for drow is a description and statistics for the [[drider]].<ref name="MC2">[[David "Zeb" Cook|Cook, David]], et al. ''[[Monstrous Compendium|Monstrous Compendium Volume Two]]'' ([[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], 1989)</ref> This entry is reprinted with some minor modifications in the ''[[Monstrous Manual]]'' (1993).<ref>[[Doug Stewart (game designer)|Stewart, Doug]], ed. ''[[Monstrous Manual]]'' (TSR, 1993)</ref>

Drow society, religion, history, magic, craftwork, and language for the [[Forgotten Realms]] [[campaign setting]] is detailed significantly in ''[[Drow of the Underdark#Second edition|The Drow of the Underdark]]'' (1991), by [[Ed Greenwood]]. Greenwood appears in the book's introduction as a narrator, explaining how he came across the information in the book: a discussion with [[Elminster]], and chance encounter with a former apprentice of Elminster—the drow lady, Susprina Arkhenneld—as the two explain the drow of the world to the narrator.<ref name="DotU2E">[[Ed Greenwood|Greenwood, Ed]]. ''[[Drow of the Underdark#Second edition|The Drow of the Underdark]]'' (TSR, 1991)</ref>

The drow are presented as a player character race for 2nd edition in ''The Complete Book of Elves'' (1992).<ref name="CBoE">[[Colin McComb|McComb, Colin]]. ''[[The Complete Book of Elves]]'' (TSR, 1992)</ref> Drow deities Lolth, [[Kiaransalee]], Vhaeraun, and [[Zinzerena]] are described in ''[[Monster Mythology]]'' (1992).<ref name="Sargent 1992">[[Carl Sargent|Sargent, Carl]]. ''[[Monster Mythology]]'' (TSR, 1992)</ref> The drow are later presented as a playable character race again in ''[[Player's Option: Skills & Powers]]'' (1995).<ref>[[Douglas Niles|Niles, Douglas]] and [[Dale Donovan]]. ''[[Player's Option: Skills & Powers]]'' (TSR, 1995)</ref>

===''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3rd edition===
The drow appears in the ''[[Monster Manual]]'' for this edition (2000).<ref>[[Monte Cook|Cook, Monte]], [[Jonathan Tweet]], and [[Skip Williams]]. ''[[Monster Manual]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2000)</ref> The drow of the [[Forgotten Realms]] setting appear in the hardcover ''[[Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting]]'' (2001),<ref name="FRCS">[[Ed Greenwood]], [[Sean K. Reynolds]], [[Skip Williams]], and [[Rob Heinsoo]]. ''[[Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2001).</ref> and in ''[[Races of Faerûn]]'' (2003).<ref name="Races" /> The drow also appears in the revised ''[[Monster Manual]]'' for the 3.5 edition (2003).<ref name="MM2003">[[Monte Cook|Cook, Monte]], [[Jonathan Tweet]], and [[Skip Williams]]. ''[[Monster Manual]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2003)</ref>

The ''Underdark'' hardcover for the [[Forgotten Realms]] setting (2003) features the drow yet again as a player character race,<ref name="Underdark">[[Bruce Cordell|Cordell, Bruce R]], [[Gwendolyn FM Kestrel]], and [[Jeff Quick]]. ''[[Underdark (supplement)|Underdark]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2003)</ref> as does the ''[[Player's Guide to Faerûn]]'' (2004).<ref>[[Richard Baker (game designer)|Baker, Richard]], [[Travis Stout]], [[James Wyatt (game designer)|James Wyatt]]. ''[[Player's Guide to Faerûn]]''; [[Wizards of the Coast]].</ref> ''[[Lost Empires of Faerûn (accessory)|Lost Empires of Faerûn]]'' describes the drow werebat (2005).<ref name="Lost" /> The drow paragon 3-level prestige class appears in ''[[Unearthed Arcana]]'' (2004).<ref>[[Andy Collins (game designer)|Collins, Andy]], [[Jesse Decker]], [[David Noonan (game designer)|David Noonan]], and [[Rich Redman]]. ''[[Unearthed Arcana]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2004).</ref>

In 2004, the new [[Eberron]] campaign setting introduced drow in a world where Lolth doesn't exist;<ref name=":19">{{Cite web|date=2021-12-19|title=How Dungeons & Dragons' New Update Changes Drow (& Why)|url=https://screenrant.com/dungeons-dragons-dark-elves-change-different-lore-offensive/|access-date=2022-02-07|website=Screen Rant|language=en-US|archive-date=2022-02-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207210817/https://screenrant.com/dungeons-dragons-dark-elves-change-different-lore-offensive/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Baker|first=Keith|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/55943911|title=Eberron Campaign Setting|date=2004|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|others=Bill Slavicsek, James Wyatt|isbn=978-0-7869-3274-0|location=Renton, WA|oclc=55943911|access-date=2022-02-07|archive-date=2022-05-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525061219/http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/55943911|url-status=live}}</ref> various drow societies were then explored in more detail in ''[[Secrets of Xen'drik]]'' (2006).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Baker|first=Keith|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/70851946|title=Eberron: Secrets of Xen'drik|date=2006|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|others=James Wyatt|isbn=0-7869-3916-8|location=Renton, WA|oclc=70851946}}</ref> Additionally, the umbragen for the setting appeared as a player character race in ''Dragon'' #330 (April 2005).

The arcane guard drow, the dark sniper drow, the drow priestess, the Lolth's sting, and the Lolth-touched drow ranger appear in ''[[Monster Manual IV]]'' (2006).<ref name="MM4">[[Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel|Kestrel, Gwendolyn F.M.]] ''[[Monster Manual IV]]'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2006)</ref> The deepwyrm drow is presented as a player character race in ''[[Dragon Magic]]'' (2006).<ref>[[Owen K.C. Stephens|Stephens, Own K.C.]] and [[Rodney Thompson]]; ''[[Dragon Magic]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2006).</ref>

The drow are presented as a player character race for the 3.5 edition in ''Expedition to the Demonweb Pits'' (2007)<ref>[[Wolfgang Baur]] and [[Gwendolyn Kestrel]]. ''[[Expedition to the Demonweb Pits]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2007).</ref> and ''Drow of the Underdark'' (2007).<ref name="DROW">[[Ari Marmell]], [[Anthony Pryor]], [[Robert J. Schwalb]], and [[Greg A. Vaughan]]. ''[[Drow of the Underdark]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2007).</ref> ''Drow of the Underdark'' also features the arcane guard, the drow assassin, the house captain, the house wizard, the drow inquisitor, the favored consort, the drow priestess, the drow slaver, the spider sentinel, the albino drow (szarkai), the szarkai fighters, the szarkai druids, and the drow warrior, along with numerous prestige classes and other monsters related to drow.<ref name="DROW" />

====Open gaming====
The release of the [[Open Game License]] and the [[System Reference Document]]'s inclusion of the drow race also led to a number of books related to drow being published by companies not affiliated with [[Wizards of the Coast]], such as ''The Quintessential Drow'',<ref>{{cite book|last=Witt|first=Sam|title=The Quintessential Drow|publisher=Mongoose Publishing|year=2003|series=Collector series|volume=18|isbn=978-1-904577-19-5}}</ref> ''The Complete Guide to Drow'',<ref>{{cite book|last=Quinn|first=Jeffrey|title=The Complete Guide to Drow|publisher=[[Goodman Games]]|date=2006|isbn=978-1-904577-19-5}}</ref> and ''Encyclopaedia Arcane: Drow Magic''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Younts|first=Patrick|title=Encyclopaedia Arcane: Drow Magic|publisher=Mongoose Publishing|date=2004|isbn=978-1-904854-01-2}}</ref>

===''Dungeons & Dragons'' 4th edition===
The drow appear in the ''Monster Manual'' for this edition (2008), including the drow warrior, the drow arachnomancer, the drow blademaster, and the drow priest.<ref name="MM2008">[[Mike Mearls|Mearls, Mike]], [[Stephen Schubert]], and [[James Wyatt (game designer)|James Wyatt]]. ''[[Monster Manual]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2008)</ref> The drow appear as a playable race in the ''[[Forgotten Realms Player's Guide]]'' (2008) and the ''Essentials'' rulebook ''[[Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms]]'' (2010).<ref>{{Cite web|date=28 July 2008|title=Living Forgotten Realms Character Creation|url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/lfrx/characters|access-date=2023-02-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913191244/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/lfrx/characters |archive-date=2008-09-13 | author1=Chris Tulach | work = Wizards of the Coast }}</ref><ref>[[Rob Heinsoo|Heinsoo, Rob]], [[Greg Bilsland]], [[Logan Bonner]], [[Eric L. Boyd]], and [[Robert J. Schwalb]]. ''[[Forgotten Realms Player's Guide]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2008).</ref><ref name=":3">''[[Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2010).</ref>

The drow feature in a pre-written playable module called ''[[Demon Queen's Enclave]]'' (2008) which takes adventurers from levels 14 through 17 into the Underdark to battle the forces of Orcus and possibly ally with members of the treacherous dark elves and/or their minions.<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 2008 |work=Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page | title= Product (P2 Demon Queen's Enclave)|url=http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/217827400|access-date=2023-02-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004065640/http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/217827400 |archive-date=2009-10-04 }}</ref> The drow of Xen'drik are also outlined in the 4E ''Eberron Campaign Guide'' (2009).<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/430318402|title=Eberron Campaign Guide|date=2009|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|first1=James |last1=Wyatt |authorlink1=James Wyatt (game designer)|first2= Keith |last2=Baker|authorlink2=Keith Baker (game designer)|isbn=978-0-7869-5099-7|location=Renton, WA|oclc=430318402|edition=4th }}</ref>

===''Dungeons & Dragons'' 5th edition===
The drow appear as a playable elf subrace in the ''[[Player's Handbook]]'' (2014) for this edition.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-16 |title=All DnD races and species explained |url=https://www.wargamer.com/dnd/races |access-date=2025-04-18 |website=Wargamer |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":19" /> They also appear in the ''[[Monster Manual]]'' (2014) for this edition. In the adventure module ''[[Out of the Abyss (Dungeons & Dragons)|Out of the Abyss]]'' (2015), the players are captured by the drow at the beginning of the adventure.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Charlie |date=2015-09-02 |title=Out of the Abyss: D&D’s next campaign goes deep into the Underdark |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2015/9/2/9242155/out-of-the-abyss-into-the-underdark |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref> The floodgate to the Abyss is opened by [[Gromph Baenre]], the Archmage of Menzoberranzan, when he tries to harnesses a specific form of power in the Underdark; designer [[Chris Perkins (game designer)|Chris Perkins]] commented that Gromph is "arguably the most powerful male drow spellcaster in the Forgotten Realms, yet he feels subjugated and betrayed by Lolth and her priestesses".<ref name=":17">{{Cite web |last=Grabianowski |first=Ed |date=2015-09-03 |title=Hell Comes to the Underdark in D&D's New Rage of Demons Campaign |url=https://gizmodo.com/hell-comes-to-the-underdark-in-d-ds-new-rage-of-demons-1728418174 |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Gizmodo |language=en-US}}</ref> Perkins also said the drow are "iconic D&D villains" with a matriarchal society that "is part of their core identity", adding they are "not looking to fundamentally change that" so there should not be expectations for "drow males to supplant their female superiors any time soon".<ref name=":17" /> The drow are also discussed in the ''[[Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide]]'' (2015)<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2015-11-05 |title=Review – Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide (Dungeons & Dragons) |url=https://www.strangeassembly.com/2015/review-sword-coast-adventurers-guide-dungeons-dragons |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Strange Assembly |language=en-US}}</ref> and in the ''[[Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes]]'' (2018) supplements.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-05-11 |title=Get an exclusive preview of elves and drow from D&D’s upcoming book Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes |url=https://www.tabletopgaming.co.uk/news/get-an-exclusive-preview-of-elves-and-drow-from-dds-upcoming-book/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Tabletop Gaming}}</ref>

The drow of Xen'drik are again outlined in ''[[Eberron: Rising from the Last War|Eberron: Rising From The Last War]]'' (2019).<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1127909424|title=Eberron: Rising From The Last War|date=2019|others=Inc Wizards of the Coast|isbn=978-0-7869-6689-9|location=[Renton, WA]|oclc=1127909424}}</ref> The new [[Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings#Exandria|Exandria]] campaign setting added a non-Lolth based society of drow which was introduced in the ''[[Explorer's Guide to Wildemount]]'' (2020).<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|last=Haeck|first=James|date=March 17, 2020|title=Welcome to Wildemount: The Regions of Wildemount|url=https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/746-welcome-to-wildemount-how-to-start-your-critical|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208204349/https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/746-welcome-to-wildemount-how-to-start-your-critical|archive-date=February 8, 2021|access-date=February 8, 2021|website=[[D&D Beyond]]}}</ref> Per Wizards of the Coast, the drow of these settings are presented as more "morally and culturally complex".<ref name=":0" /> On June 26, 2020, [[Netflix]] and [[Hulu]] removed the "[[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (Community)|Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]]" episode of the TV series ''[[Community (TV series)|Community]]'' from their platforms due to scenes with Chang playing a dark elf by wearing [[Elf (Dungeons & Dragons)|elf]] ears and makeup resembling [[blackface]]. A statement from [[Sony Pictures Television]] said that the studio supported the decision to remove the episode.<ref name="wrap">{{cite web |last=Maas |first=Jennifer |date=June 26, 2020 |title=Netflix Pulls 'Community' Episode 'Advanced Dungeons & Dragons' Due to Blackface Scenes (Exclusive) |url=https://www.thewrap.com/community-advanced-dungeons-and-dragons-episode-removed-netflix-blackface/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628060004/https://www.thewrap.com/community-advanced-dungeons-and-dragons-episode-removed-netflix-blackface/ |archive-date=June 28, 2020 |access-date=June 26, 2020 |website=[[TheWrap]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Thorne |first=Will |date=June 26, 2020 |title='The Office' Blackface Scene Edited Out, Netflix Pulls 'Community' Blackface Episode |url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/the-office-blackface-scene-edited-out-community-episode-pulled-netflix-1234691427/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630231520/https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/the-office-blackface-scene-edited-out-community-episode-pulled-netflix-1234691427/ |archive-date=June 30, 2020 |access-date=June 26, 2020 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>

Christian Hoffer, for ''[[ComicBook.com]]'', highlighted a May 2021 update on Drizzt Do'Urden by Wizards of the Coast and wrote, "it also notes one major change to D&D canon that relates to the drow culture that Drizzt ultimately abandoned. The website points out that while Drizzt grew up in a 'cult of Lolth' [...], there are two other entire cultures of drow who have no ties to Lolth whatsoever. [...] The reveal of the Lorendrow and Aevendrow seem to suggest that ''Dungeons & Dragons'' is officially moving past some long-held canon about the drow".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=May 20, 2021|title=Dungeons & Dragons Sets Up Big Changes to the Drow|url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-drow-changes-lolth/|access-date=2021-05-21|website=ComicBook.com|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520191929/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-drow-changes-lolth/|url-status=live}}</ref> Tika Viteri, for ''Book Riot'', commented that Salvatore's ''Starlight Enclave'' (2021) "contains a singular shift in the narrative of the story of the drow; Salvatore reveals that drow are not, in fact, the only dark-skinned elves in the Forgotten Realms".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Viteri|first=Tika|date=2021-08-27|title=Dungeons & Dragons and Racism, Oh My|url=https://bookriot.com/dungeons-dragons-racism/|access-date=2021-09-22|website=bookriot.com |language=en-US|archive-date=2021-09-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922010851/https://bookriot.com/dungeons-dragons-racism/|url-status=live}}</ref> In December 2021, Wizards of the Coast released an [[Erratum|errata]] for the ''Player's Handbook'' (2014) which updated the lore description of drow to emphasize their environmental connection to the Underdark and decouple them for Lolth.<ref name=":19" /><ref name=":20">{{Cite web |last=Crawford |first=Jeremy |author-link=Jeremy Crawford |date=December 13, 2021 |title=Sage Advice: Book Updates |url=https://dnd.wizards.com/dndstudioblog/sage-advice-book-updates |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220013226/https://dnd.wizards.com/dndstudioblog/sage-advice-book-updates |archive-date=December 20, 2021 |access-date=April 18, 2025 |website=Dungeons & Dragons}}</ref> Designer [[Jeremy Crawford]] explained that the errata clarifies a description which "confused the culture of [[Menzoberranzan]] [...] with drow themselves" and that "drow are united by an ancestral connection to the Underdark, not by worship of Lolth–a god some of them have never heard of".<ref name=":20" />

==== ''2024 revision'' ====
The [[Backward compatibility|backward compatible]] ''Player's Handbook'' (2024), as part of the [[One D&D|2024 revision]] to the 5th Edition ruleset, updates preexisting player options while introducing new content to the game; player races are now described as player species.<ref name="PC Gamer on PAX Unplugged 2023">{{Cite news |last=Macgregor |first=Jody |date=December 9, 2023 |title=D&D's Revised Player's Handbook 'will be the biggest Player's Handbook that D&D has ever had', and like all the Revised core books will be compatible with the current edition |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/dandds-revised-players-handbook-will-be-the-biggest-players-handbook-that-dandd-has-ever-had-and-like-all-the-revised-core-books-will-be-compatible-with-the-current-edition/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829030804/https://www.pcgamer.com/dandds-revised-players-handbook-will-be-the-biggest-players-handbook-that-dandd-has-ever-had-and-like-all-the-revised-core-books-will-be-compatible-with-the-current-edition/ |archive-date=August 29, 2024 |access-date=December 10, 2023 |work=PC Gamer |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":16">{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Samantha |date=2024-09-18 |title=Race becomes species in D&D, but that’s not the only change in the new Player’s Handbook |url=https://www.polygon.com/dnd-dungeons-dragons/452438/new-players-handbook-uses-species-not-race |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref> Drow appear as an Elven Lineage option in this sourcebook.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fiore |first=Marissa |date=2024-09-07 |title=Dungeons & Dragons: All Species In The 2024 Player's Handbook |url=https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-dnd-2024-players-handbook-species/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=TheGamer |language=en}}</ref> ''[[Screen Rant]]'' highlighted that mechanically drow are "largely unchanged, save for better spell selection and the removal of sunlight sensitivity".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lindsay |first=Connor |date=2024-09-19 |title=D&D’s Most Iconic Species Are Better Than Ever In The 2024 Player’s Handbook |url=https://screenrant.com/dnd-2024-players-handbook-elf-dwarf-species-improvements/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref> ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'' commented that the changes to the drow reflect a shift in design philosophy by Wizards of the Coast, noting that they were often "portrayed in the past as evil".<ref name=":16" /> ''Polygon'' highlighted that the 2024 sourcebook describes elves as impacted by their "environment in ways that imbue them with magic and change their appearance" with the drow "being marked by the Underdark without necessarily being aligned with the evil deity Lolth"; this sourcebook "also draws attention to the rainforest-dwelling drow found in the Eberron campaign setting".<ref name=":16" />

==Reception==
Made famous by [[R. A. Salvatore]]'s [[Drizzt]] novels, these dark elves from the game influenced subsequent works of fantasy.<ref name=Ash>{{cite book|author-first=Richard W.|author-last=Forest|editor1-first=Jeffrey|editor1-last=Weinstock|date=2014|title=The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters|publisher=[[Ashgate Publishing]]|chapter=Dungeons & Dragons, Monsters in}}</ref> Drow have a gender-based caste system that one author claims says "a great deal about attitudes towards gender roles in the real world".<ref name=PJC>{{Cite thesis |last=Clements |first=Philip J. |date=December 2019 |title=Dungeons & Discourse: Intersectional Identities in Dungeons & Dragons |type=PhD |url=http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1573729920432102 |location=Bowling Green, Ohio |publisher=[[Bowling Green State University]] |access-date=September 22, 2020}}</ref>{{rp|34}}

The drow originally created by [[Gary Gygax]] are now "essentially the drow of fantasy fiction today", according to [[Ed Greenwood]], who believes them to be "arguably Gary Gygax's greatest, most influential fantasy creation" after the D&D game itself.<ref name="Dark Warrior Rising" /> Designer [[James Jacobs (game designer)|James Jacobs]] considers the drow to be a rare example of a D&D-invented monster becoming mainstream, with even non-gamers recognizing them.<ref name="PF13intro" /> Rob Bricken, for ''[[Io9]]'', named the drow as the eighth most memorable ''D&D'' monster.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-10-most-memorable-dungeons-dragons-monsters-1326074030/|title=The 10 Most Memorable Dungeons & Dragons Monsters|journal=Io9|last=Bricken|first=Rob|date=September 16, 2013|access-date=January 20, 2016|archive-date=January 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131172448/http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-10-most-memorable-dungeons-dragons-monsters-1326074030|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 1990s, products which featured drow produced higher sales.<ref name="PF13intro" /><ref name="Holmes on drow negative estrangement">{{Cite journal |last=Holmes |first=Steven |date=2023 |title=Negative Estrangement: Fantasy and Race in the Drow and Drizzt Do'Urden |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/48747482 |journal=Mythlore |volume=42 |issue=1(143) |pages=121–146 |jstor=48747482 |issn=0146-9339}}</ref>{{rp|123}} While [[Paizo Publishing]] was printing ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' and ''[[Dungeon (magazine)|Dungeon]]'', covers featuring drow often sold better than other issues in the same year.<ref name="PF13intro" /> Academic Steven Holmes noted that drow "remain highly visible in successful media projects".<ref name="Holmes on drow negative estrangement" />{{rp|123}}

Holmes highlighted that Gygax created drow as "perfect villains—endpoints on a divide of good and evil".<ref name="Holmes on drow negative estrangement" />{{rp|page=129}} However, Holmes thought [[R. A. Salvatore]]'s depiction was more complicated than Gygax's and Salvatore's work "in many ways" ended up as the definitive portrayal of the drow.<ref name="Holmes on drow negative estrangement" />{{rp|page=128}} In the ''Io9'' series revisiting older ''Dungeons & Dragons'' novels, in his review of ''[[Homeland (Forgotten Realms novel)|Homeland]]'' by Salvatore, Bricken says that "its greatest strength is how it explores drow society, which up to that point was best summarized as 'very evil.' Prior to Drizzt, in the vein of orcs, trolls, and primary-colored dragons, the Drow were essentially categorized as more monsters for players to battle and defeat. Their skin was obsidian black, earning them the alternate name of dark elves, and marking them as the evil counterpart to the good and heroic lighter-skinned elves of the surface."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bricken |first=Rob |date=November 15, 2022 |title=Dungeons & Dragons & Novels: Revisiting Homeland |url=https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-novels-drizzt-homeland-rasalvatore-1849785575 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201202951/https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-novels-drizzt-homeland-rasalvatore-1849785575 |archive-date=2022-12-01 |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=io9 |language=en-us}}</ref>

=== As player characters ===
The drow, especially when used as [[player character]]s, are surrounded by much controversy, especially after the release of Salvatore's novel, ''[[The Crystal Shard]]''.<ref name="PF13intro">{{cite book|last1=Vaughan|first1=Greg A.|first2=James|last2=Jacobs|author-link2=James Jacobs (game designer)|title=Pathfinder #13: Shadow in the Sky|publisher=[[Paizo Publishing]]|location=[[Bellevue, Washington]], United States|year=2008|series=Pathfinder Adventure Path|pages=4–5|chapter=Foreword: ... And I Feel Fine|isbn=978-1-60125-115-2}}</ref> Game designer James Jacobs has said that the drow player characters often spark arguments, with some players refusing to play in a campaign that allows drow PCs. Jacobs says that "even the name" is controversial, having at least two pronunciations.<ref name="PF13intro" /> Rob Bricken, for ''[[Kotaku]]'', wrote that there "has been one good Drow in the history of D&D, and that's Drizzt Do'Urden, who is one of the [[Mary Sue]]-iest characters in all of fiction—and he's been the star of countless novels and is the only reason any D&D player has even been interested in the Drow, of which now there is a terrifying amount of material".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-03-28|title=The 13 Strangest Deities In Dungeons & Dragons|url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2016/03/the-13-strangest-deities-in-dungeons-dragons/|access-date=2021-05-21|website=Kotaku Australia|language=en-AU|archive-date=2021-05-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521165919/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2016/03/the-13-strangest-deities-in-dungeons-dragons/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Matthew Beilman, for [[Comic Book Resources|''CBR'']], highlighted multiple reasons to play as a drow character: <blockquote>You will love playing a drow if you enjoy making others uncomfortable. In most ''D&D'' settings, the drow civilization is evil. [...] This makes them excellent campaign villains but also gives them great potential as antiheroes who lack traditional heroic attributes [...]. Playing a drow can also present an opportunity to play against traditional gender norms. [...] The drow are outsiders, even in settings that do not include Lolth and her corruptive influence. These campaigns might not have evil societies of dark elves, but they still tend to make them into foreigners with strange customs [...]. Playing a misunderstood, feared yet potentially heroic character can be great fun.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-03-30|title=Queens of Darkness: Why Your Next D&D Character Should Be a Drow|url=https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-next-character-drow/|access-date=2021-05-21|website=CBR|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-05-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521171153/https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-next-character-drow/|url-status=live}}</ref> </blockquote>In contrast, in his review of ''[[Menzoberranzan: City of Intrigue]]'' for ''[[DieHard GameFan]]'', Alex Lucard wrote, "I'll be honest: I've never understood the appeal of the Drow at all. They just seemed overly angsty and dark for the sake of being dark. I've been bored by the novels where they are the featured race and I've generally avoided them unless someone is making fun of them".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lucard|first=Alex|date=August 29, 2012|title=Tabletop Review: Menzoberranzan: City of Intrigue (Dungeons & Dragons)|url=http://diehardgamefan.com/2012/08/27/tabletop-review-menzoberranzan-city-of-intrigue-dungeons-dragons/|access-date=2021-05-21|website=Diehard GameFAN|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-05-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521165917/http://diehardgamefan.com/2012/08/27/tabletop-review-menzoberranzan-city-of-intrigue-dungeons-dragons/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Inherent characteristics ===
{{See also|Dungeons & Dragons controversies#Humanoids and monsters}}
Some critics have highlighted that the drow<ref name=":18">{{Cite web|last=Parrish|first=Ash|date=June 23, 2020|title=Wizards Of The Coast Will Finally Address Racist Stereotypes In Dungeons And Dragons|url=https://kotaku.com/wizards-of-the-coast-will-finally-address-racist-stereo-1844133956|access-date=2020-07-26|website=Kotaku|language=en-us|archive-date=2020-08-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806005513/https://kotaku.com/wizards-of-the-coast-will-finally-address-racist-stereo-1844133956|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Marshall|first=Cass|date=2020-06-23|title=Wizards of the Coast is addressing racist stereotypes in Dungeons & Dragons|url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/6/23/21300653/dungeons-dragons-racial-stereotypes-wizards-of-the-coast-drow-orcs-curse-of-strahd|access-date=2021-05-21|website=Polygon|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518175228/https://www.polygon.com/2020/6/23/21300653/dungeons-dragons-racial-stereotypes-wizards-of-the-coast-drow-orcs-curse-of-strahd|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Blum|first=Jeremy|date=2020-06-28|title='Dungeons & Dragons' Race Issues Have Deep Roots In The World Of Fantasy|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dungeons-and-dragons-diversity-evil-races_n_5ef3b7cac5b643f5b22eb22a|access-date=2021-05-21|website=HuffPost|language=en|archive-date=2022-09-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904031940/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dungeons-and-dragons-diversity-evil-races_n_5ef3b7cac5b643f5b22eb22a|url-status=live}}</ref> are "dark skinned and inherently evil"<ref>{{Cite news|title='Dungeons & Dragons' Tries To Banish Racist Stereotypes|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/06/29/884824236/dungeons-dragons-tries-to-banish-racist-stereotypes|access-date=2021-05-21|website=NPR.org|language=en|archive-date=2020-07-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730061246/https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/06/29/884824236/dungeons-dragons-tries-to-banish-racist-stereotypes|url-status=live}}</ref> and are connected to the "racist idea that non-white people are inherently bad".<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Kaufman|first1=Amy S.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1137372767|title=The devil's historians : how modern extremists abuse the medieval past|last2=Sturtevant|first2=Paul B.|date= 2020|isbn=978-1-4875-8785-7|location=Toronto|page=157|oclc=1137372767|access-date=May 21, 2021|archive-date=September 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904032020/https://www.worldcat.org/title/1137372767|url-status=live}}</ref> In the academic journal ''[[Mythlore]]'', Holmes argued that the depiction of drow was an example of various creators using "negative estrangement" within the narrative "to create a 'more evil' antagonist to serve as a foil for narrative protagonists"<ref name="Holmes on drow negative estrangement" />{{rp|page=121}} and this narrative process "warps" and "strips" stereotypes "of their context in order to use them like ingredients in a recipe for a compelling villain".<ref name="Holmes on drow negative estrangement" />{{rp|page=129}} Holmes also highlighted the inconsistent artistic portrayal over time as "the black skin of the drow is not" consistently used across all products—this meant that when "some saw the drow as a fantastical race of spider-themed elves, others saw them as one of the very few depictions of black-skinned people in ''Dungeons & Dragons''" and the inconsistent "visual representation" then "further compounds the complexity of discussing the relationship of the drow to real world race, given that some players may see the drow as obviously modeled on real world black bodies, and others seeing them as a fantasy race with no realworld analogue".<ref name="Holmes on drow negative estrangement" />{{rp||page=126}}

In 2010, scholar Cory Lowell Grewell found that in the ''[[Baldur's Gate]]'' video game series, "issues of contemporary race relations are brought to the fore in the player-Character's interactions with the dark-skinned Drow Elves."<ref>{{cite book |last=Grewell |first=Cory Lowell |editor-last=Fugelso |editor-first=Karl |date=2010 |title=Studies in Medievalism XIX: Defining Neomedievalism(s) |location=Cambridge |publisher=[[D. S. Brewer]] |page=39 |chapter=Neomedivealims: An Eleventh Little Middle Ages? |isbn=978-1-84384-228-6}}</ref> In the book ''Dungeons and Dragons and Philosophy'' (2012), author James Rocha states that the difference between drow and dark elves in the Forgotten Realms setting is rooted in racist stereotypes: "an acceptable lighter skinned dark race side by side with only the most rare exceptions in the darker race, which is thought to be inherently evil, mirrors American history in a very uncomfortable fashion".<ref name=":25">{{Cite book|last1=Rocha|first1=James|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/781678837|title=Dungeons and Dragons and Philosophy: Raiding the Temple of Wisdom|last2=Rocha|first2=Mona|date=2012|publisher=Open Court Pub|isbn=978-0-8126-9796-4|location=Chicago|chapter=Elf Stereotypes|oclc=781678837|access-date=2021-05-21|archive-date=2022-09-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904032026/https://www.worldcat.org/title/781678837|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|98}} In a retrospective on the legacy of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', academic Daniel Heath Justice also commented that the "''Forgotten Realms'' was explicitly based on the civilized-versus-savage binary and leaned in hard on [[racial essentialism]] in its sadistic black-skinned drow led by vicious matriarchs and their terrible spider goddess, firmly melding anti-Blackness with misogyny, a once-civilized people gone feral under the debased rule of women".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Justice |first=Daniel Heath |title=Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons |publisher=[[MIT Press]] |year=2024 |isbn=9780262547604 |publication-date=May 10, 2024 |chapter=Hack The Orcs, Loot The Tomb, And Take The Land |chapter-url=https://www.rascal.news/hack-the-orcs-loot-the-tomb-and-take-the-land/}}</ref> 

In response to this criticism in 2020, Wizards of the Coast stated: "we present orcs and drow in a new light in two of our most recent books, ''[[Eberron: Rising from the Last War]]'' and ''[[Explorer's Guide to Wildemount]]''. In those books, orcs and drow are just as morally and culturally complex as other peoples. We will continue that approach in future books, portraying all the peoples of D&D in relatable ways and making it clear that they are as free as humans to decide who they are and what they do".<ref name=":0" /> Christian Hoffer, for ''ComicBook.com'', highlighted a 2021 ''Forgotten Realms'' lore update on the Wizards of the Coast website: <blockquote>While Drizzt himself is proof that all drow aren't inherently evil, many fans still think that ''Dungeons & Dragons'' lore needs major updates when it comes to the drow. The main issue is that the drow (like other 'evil' races) are presented as a large monolithic society dedicated to evil instead of a group with multiple competing interests and beliefs. It's not that some drow, or even a city or country of drow, are seen as evil—it's that ''Dungeons & Dragons'' lore has traditionally considered evil drow to be the default. [...] By bringing in two entirely new cultures of drow that have rejected Lolth, it seems that the lore will show that drow are just as complex and multi-faceted as the many other elven subraces in the game.<ref name=":1" /> </blockquote>Holmes commented that "to some extent, the current revisions being applied to race, half races, and the drow specifically reflect longstanding tensions in gaming spaces" and how audience views around "narrative subjects change over time".<ref name="Holmes on drow negative estrangement" />{{rp|124}} Holmes thought Wizards of the Coast appears to be aiming for a "middle ground" where "drow are not intrinsically evil" by allowing players to decide if they want to play as an evil drow who adheres to Lolth or play as a "good drow" who deals with "overcoming the racism of the world based on the violence of Lolth-sworn drow. This allows Wizards of the Coast to retain the brand identity of the drow that drove sales of drow-related products for thirty years, while shifting emphasis away from an implied endorsement of naturalized racism".<ref name="Holmes on drow negative estrangement" />{{rp|143}}

==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" />

== Fictional ecology ==
{{See also|Underdark}}
{{More citations needed section|date=February 2022}}

=== Abilities ===
<!--This SHOULD NOT become a game guide. It should describe the in-game abilities of the drow from a real-world perspective and without getting into actual game mechanics. Everything should be sourced, naturally-->
With the ability to resist magic and powerful darkvision, drow are more powerful than many of ''Dungeons & Dragons''{{'}} races.<ref name="PF16intro">{{cite book|last1=Schneider|first1=F. Wesley|title=Pathfinder #16: Endless Night|last2=Jacobs|first2=James|publisher=[[Paizo Publishing]]|year=2008|isbn=978-1-60125-129-9|series=Pathfinder Adventure Path|location=[[Bellevue, Washington]], United States|pages=4–5|chapter=Foreword: To Serve the Matron|author-link2=James Jacobs (game designer)}}</ref> Drow possess natural magical abilities which enables them to summon globes of darkness, outline targets in faerie fire which causes no harm but makes the target brightly visible to everyone who sees them, and create magical balls of light. They can also levitate for short periods of time. They live to extraordinarily long ages if not killed by violence first, over a thousand years in some cases. Their hearing and vision are better than that of a human being and they are difficult to sneak up on because of this. They naturally excel at moving silently. Drow also employ the unusual hand [[crossbow]], firing small, though very lethal, darts.

In Lolth based societies, noble drow males are commonly [[Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)|wizards]] or [[Fighter (Dungeons & Dragons)|fighters]]. Female nobles are almost always [[Cleric (Dungeons & Dragons)|clerics]] and almost never wizards.

===Alignment===
As a race, drow were traditionally portrayed [[alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)|evil]].<ref name="G3" /> There were unusual exceptions, the most notable being [[Drizzt Do'Urden]], [[Jarlaxle|Jarlaxle Baenre]], and [[Liriel Baenre]]. Originally, drow were chaotic evil in alignment.  Beginning with 3rd edition ''D&D'', drow were usually neutral evil. There have been encounters with non-evil drow, but these are distrusted as much as their brethren, due to their reputation. In the ''Forgotten Realms'' setting, the Drow followers of [[Eilistraee]] were originally the largest group of good Drow, as Eilistraee is the patron goddess of all Drow that have a good alignment.

The 4th Edition ''[[Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms]]'' (2010) does not suggest any typical alignment for drow player characters; however, it highlights the drow that break away from the evil Lolth based societies.<ref name=":3" /> The 5th Edition ''Player's Handbook'' (2014) described drow as "more often evil than not".<ref>{{Cite web|title=With D&D's Next Rulebook, Character Creation Will Never Be the Same|url=https://gizmodo.com/with-d-ds-next-rulebook-character-creation-will-never-1844807934|access-date=2022-02-07|website=Gizmodo|date=24 August 2020|language=en-us|archive-date=2022-02-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207235937/https://gizmodo.com/with-d-ds-next-rulebook-character-creation-will-never-1844807934|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2021, official [[Erratum|errata]] removed the suggested alignments for playable races, including drow, in all 5th Edition sourcebooks.<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 27, 2021|title=The changes to D&D races are right – but for the wrong reason|url=https://www.wargamer.com/dnd/race-changes-wrong-reasons|access-date=February 1, 2022|website=Wargamer|language=en-US|archive-date=February 1, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201174740/https://www.wargamer.com/dnd/race-changes-wrong-reasons|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-12-14|title=D&D: WotC's New Batch of Errata Removes Racial Alignments, Retcons Drow|url=https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2021/12/dd-wotc-removes-racial-alignments-retcons-drow-in-new-batch-of-errata.html|access-date=2022-02-01|website=Bell of Lost Souls|language=en-US|archive-date=2022-02-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201174739/https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2021/12/dd-wotc-removes-racial-alignments-retcons-drow-in-new-batch-of-errata.html|url-status=live}}</ref> As of ''[[Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse]]'' (2022), creature stat blocks that also have playable races "now state that they can be any alignment".<ref name=":12">{{Cite web|date=2022-01-31|title=Dungeons & Dragons: Everything You Need To Know About Monsters Of The Multiverse|url=https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-monsters-of-the-multiverse-explained-guide/|access-date=2022-02-01|website=TheGamer|language=en-US|archive-date=2022-01-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131150447/https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-monsters-of-the-multiverse-explained-guide/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Environment===
Within the context of many ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' campaign settings, the drow were forced underground in what is now known as the Underdark after the great war amongst the elves, a vast system of caverns and tunnels spanning much of the continent.<ref name="Races">Eric L. Boyd, Matt Forbeck and James Jacobs—''Races of Faerûn''; [[Wizards of the Coast]], 2003 {{ISBN|0-7869-2875-1}}</ref><ref name="Lost">Richard Baker, Ed Bonny, Travis Stout—''[[Lost Empires of Faerûn (accessory)|Lost Empires of Faerûn]]''; [[Wizards of the Coast]], 2005 {{ISBN|0-7869-3654-1}}</ref> The drow live in city-states in the Underdark,<ref name="Underdark" /> becoming one of the most powerful races therein.<ref name="Underdark" />

The drow are well adapted to seeing in the dark, and they loathe, are terrified of, and are easily blinded by the light of the surface.<ref name="MM4" /> Some magic weapons, armor, and various other items of the drow disintegrate or lose their magical properties if exposed to the sun.<ref name="Underdark" />

===Typical physical characteristics===
Drow characters are extremely intelligent, charismatic and dexterous, but share surface elves' comparative frailty and slight frames. Females tend to be bigger and stronger than males.<ref name="DotU2E" /> Drow are characterized by white or silver hair and obsidian black skin. Their eyes are red (or rarely gray, violet, or yellow) in darkness and can be many different colors in normal light.<ref>From the book ''Homeland'' by [[R.A. Salvatore]].</ref> In 5th Edition, drow typically have "white hair and grayish skin of many hues" along with better darkvision and a sensitivity to sunlight.<ref name=":7" />

Drow have several kinds of innate spell powers and spell resistance. This is balanced by their weakness in daylight. Half-drow are the result of crossbreeding between another race and a drow, and share characteristics of both.

=== Society ===
Lolth based drow society is primarily [[matriarchy|matriarchal]], with priestesses of their evil spider goddess Lolth in the highest seats of power.<ref name="Dark Warrior Rising" /> This society is based upon violence, murder, cunning, and the philosophy that only the strong survive. Hence, most drow plot endlessly to murder or otherwise incapacitate their rivals and enemy drow using deceit and betrayal. Drow, particularly in higher positions, are constantly wary of assassins and the like. One of the quirks of this constant infighting is the relatively short lifespan of the average drow. While being just as long lived as their surface cousins, living as long as a thousand years, elderly drow are rarely encountered. Consequently, they are the only race of elves that matches the fertility of 'lesser' races, such as humans. Their society, as a whole, is seemingly nonviable. The only reason they do not murder themselves to extinction is by the will of Lolth, working primarily through her clergy. Lolth does not tolerate any drow that threaten to bring down her society, and the clergy make certain that perpetrators cease their destructive actions by either threatening or killing them. Matron mothers lead the various noble houses and act as "high priestesses of Lolth".<ref name=":10">{{Cite web|date=2020-04-19|title=Dungeons & Dragons: These Are The Fiercest Underdark Monsters in 5e|url=https://www.cbr.com/dungons-dragons-underdark-monsters-5e/|access-date=2022-02-08|website=CBR|language=en-US|archive-date=2022-02-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220208003050/https://www.cbr.com/dungons-dragons-underdark-monsters-5e/|url-status=live}}</ref> Matthew Beilman, for [[Comic Book Resources|''CBR'']], highlighted that Lolth based "drow society is a lethal cloak-and-dagger affair—like a constant ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' but if every character were playing by Lannister/Bolton rules. That is to say, playing dirty and playing to ''win''".<ref name=":10" />

There are exceptions to the rule, of course. Some communities of drow worship other gods (like Vhaeraun or Eilistraee), and thus, their hierarchy changes, reverses the roles of males and females, or (such as in the case of Eilastree) even approaching something like a workable, progressive society. Drow societies can also vary vastly depending on the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' campaign setting.

==In various campaign settings==
{{More citations needed section|date=February 2022}}Different [[campaign setting]]s portray drow in various ways.

===In ''Eberron''===
Inhabiting the jungles and Underdark in the continental isle of [[Xen'drik]], the drow in [[Eberron]] have a much more tribalistic culture than their other ''Dungeons & Dragons'' counterparts. They are not an offshoot of the elven race like in many other worlds but rather a separate, if similar, race. Instead of the spider goddess Lolth, most tribes worship a male scorpion deity known as Vulkoor, though exceptions are common. It is believed that Vulkoor is actually one of the forms of the Mockery (a member of the Dark Six). The tribes are often [[xenophobia|xenophobic]], and the social structure varies from tribe to tribe. It is known that the drow mastered elemental binding before gnomes did – including a cultural group of fire-elemental binders called the Sulatar. There is also a subgroup called the ''umbragen'', or shadow elves, who worship the Mockery in the form of a scorpion god and Khyber or the Umbra, the Consuming Shadow, for whom the umbragen are named; the umbragen dwell underground beneath Xen'drik and are noted for producing many [[Warlock (Dungeons & Dragons)|warlocks]] and soulknives.

Drow in Eberron run the gamut from almost feral in nature to being fully civilized and on par with the cultural level of [[Khorvaire]], varying from tribe to tribe.

=== In ''Exandria'' ===
The region of Xhorhas, the eastern side of the Wildemount continent in the [[Exandria]] setting, is governed by the Kryn Dynasty and ruled by the Bright Queen Leylas Kryn. The Dynasty was founded by drow who escaped to surface after rejecting Lolth for a god of light known as the [[List of Dungeons & Dragons deities#Luxon|Luxon]]. The nation is now home to many creatures others in Wildemount would see as [[Dungeons & Dragons controversies#Humanoids and monsters|monstrous]] or evil. Due to the Luxon, the Kryn Dynasty also established a new source of magic called [[Magic in Dungeons & Dragons#Other forms of magic|Dunamancy]]<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":13">{{Cite book|last=Mercer|first=Matthew|title=Explorer's Guide to Wildemount|publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|others=Haeck, James., Introcaso, James., Lockey, Chris., Amundsen, Even.|year=2020|isbn=978-0-7869-6691-2|location=Renton, WA|pages=35–158|chapter=2: Factions and Societies, Ch. 3: Wildemount Gazetteer|oclc=1139657849}}</ref> which "involves the manipulation of entropy, gravity, and time".<ref name=":6" /> Known as dunamancers, people accessing this power draw it "from alternate timelines and unseen realities, subtly affect the flow of time, and even tighten or loosen the grip of gravity".<ref name=":11">{{cite web|last=Haeck|first=James|date=April 1, 2020|title=Spell Spotlight: Dunamancy|url=http://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/757-spell-spotlight-dunamancy|access-date=2020-05-31|website=D&D Beyond|language=en-us|archive-date=2020-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427203410/https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/757-spell-spotlight-dunamancy|url-status=live}}</ref> Compared to their neighboring country, the human-run monarchy of the Dwendalian Empire, "the Dynasty is freer, both politically and culturally. They accept anyone and everyone while the Empire is restrictive and nearly inaccessible to outsiders".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-10-21|title=D&D: Explorer's Guide To Wildemount Explained|url=https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-explorers-guide-to-wildemount-explained-guide-tips/|access-date=2022-02-07|website=TheGamer|language=en-US|archive-date=2022-02-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207230241/https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-explorers-guide-to-wildemount-explained-guide-tips/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Kryn Dynasty was first explored in depth in the [[Critical Role (campaign two)|second campaign]] of the web series ''[[Critical Role]]'' before being added to the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' [[Canon (fiction)|canon]] in the ''[[Explorer's Guide to Wildemount]]'' (2020).<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web|last=Plante|first=Corey|title=D&D 'Explorer's Guide to Wildemount' makes Critical Role & dunamancy canon|url=https://www.inverse.com/article/62252-d-d-explorer-s-guide-to-wildemount-critical-role-sourcebook-dunamancy|access-date=2022-02-07|website=Inverse|date=13 January 2020 |language=en|archive-date=2021-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201082110/https://www.inverse.com/article/62252-d-d-explorer-s-guide-to-wildemount-critical-role-sourcebook-dunamancy|url-status=live}}</ref>

Critics have highlighted that this setting breaks from traditional fantasy tropes especially around evil races.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Hall|first=Charlie|date=2020-03-19|title=Dungeons & Dragons' Critical Role book is one of the best campaign guides published for 5th edition|url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/3/19/21186669/dungeons-dragons-critical-role-book-explorers-guide-to-wildemount-review|access-date=2020-03-30|website=Polygon|language=en|archive-date=2020-11-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110174609/https://www.polygon.com/2020/3/19/21186669/dungeons-dragons-critical-role-book-explorers-guide-to-wildemount-review|url-status=live}}</ref> James Grebey, for ''[[Syfy#Syfy Wire|Syfy Wire]]'', highlighted "it's a country of cast-offs and scrappy upstarts who are simply trying to thrive in a world that's prejudiced toward them. Due in no small part to a religion that allows for souls to be reborn in another body, the Kryn society is race-neutral in a way that's rarely seen in fantasy lore. It's borderline progressive, even. Crucially, while there are bad actors among the Kryn, they're not evil solely because of their race".<ref name=":5" /> Academics Lisa Horton and David Beard, in the book ''The Routledge Handbook of Remix Studies and Digital Humanities'', viewed the Kryn Dynasty and Xhorhasian culture as "a departure and significant extension of ''D&D'' lore surrounding drow" and highlighted that their religion is centered on "the physical manifestation of light itself, the Luxon, and the pursuit off immortality".<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Horton |first1=Lisa |url=https://conservancy.umn.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/ff9f191b-e952-4a81-aa86-177e6758a181/content |title=The Routledge Handbook of Remix Studies and Digital Humanities |last2=Beard |first2=David |date=2021 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-367-36142-6 |series=Routledge handbooks |location=New York |pages=325–341 |chapter=The Critical Role of New Media in Transforming Gamers into Remixers}}</ref> In contrast, Dan Arndt of ''The Fandomentals'' opined that the setting's attempt at subverting the evil drow trope was not "the biggest step up" since he viewed the Wildemount drow as "religious nutjobs with suicidal tendencies".<ref name=":15">{{Cite web |last=Arndt |first=Dan |date=2020-03-18 |title=Do You Want To Do This?: A Review Of The 'Explorer's Guide To Wildemount' (By Someone Who's Never Watched Critical Role) |url=https://www.thefandomentals.com/explorers-guide-to-wildemount/ |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=The Fandomentals |language=en-us}}</ref>

===In the ''Forgotten Realms''===
{{See also|Menzoberranzan|Drizzt Do'Urden}}
1991's ''[[Drow of the Underdark#Second edition|The Drow of the Underdark]]'', a 128-page sourcebook all about the drow, expanded the drow significantly for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons second edition version of the ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'' setting.<ref name="DotU2E" /> In the ''Forgotten Realms'', the dark elves were once ancient tribes of Ilythiir and Miyeritar. They were transformed into drow by the Seldarine and were cast down and driven underground by the light-skinned elves because of the Ilythiirian's savagery during the [[Crown Wars]]. The drow had fallen under the influence of Araushnee, who was transformed into Lolth and was cast down into the Demonweb Pits along with her son Vhaeraun by the elven god [[Corellon Larethian]] because of Lolth's and Vhaeraun's attempt to take control of the elven pantheon (which included Araushnee's seduction of Corellon Larethian). Drow society, being strongly matriarchal, allows the females to hold all positions of power in the government, and to choose and discard mates freely. Social station is the most important thing in drow society, making ascension to greater power a drow's ultimate goal. Drow have a strong affinity for arachnids, as most worship the spider goddess Lolth, and spiders dwell freely among drow communities.<ref name="DotU2E" /> The largest drow civilization is the subterranean city of Llurth Dreier. However, [[Menzoberranzan]] is featured most prominently in the novels.

Prior to the Spellplague descendants of the Miyeritar, dark elves later succeed in reversing their transformation and are recreated as a distinct dark elf race.<ref name="ascend">Lisa Smedman—"Ascendancy of the Last"; [[Wizards of the Coast]], 2008 {{ISBN|978-0-7869-4864-2}}</ref>{{page needed|date=February 2017}} According to ''The Complete Book of Elves'', drow are not welcome in Evermeet and are turned away.<ref name="CBoE" /> Drow could also worship Ghaunadaur, Kiaransalee, Selvetarm or Vhaeraun. A special case is [[Eilistraee]], the only drow goddess who is chaotic good instead of chaotic evil; she wants the drow to return to the light. However, all of these alternative deities (except perhaps Ghaunadaur) were killed or forgotten in the last years before the Spellplague,<ref name="ascend" />{{page needed|date=February 2017}}<ref name="sacrifice">Lisa Smedman—''Sacrifice of the Widow''; [[Wizards of the Coast]], 2007 {{ISBN|978-0-7869-4250-3}}</ref><ref name="storm">Lisa Smedman—''Storm of the Dead''; [[Wizards of the Coast]], 2007 {{ISBN|978-0-7869-4701-0}}</ref> but they managed to return to life and regain their followers, about a century later, during the [[The Sundering|Sundering]].<ref name="SCAG">Kim Mohan ed. (2015) ''[[Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide]]''. ([[Wizards of the Coast]]), pp. 23, 108. {{ISBN|978-0786965809}}.</ref><ref name="Death Masks">[[Ed Greenwood]] (June 2016) ''[[Death Masks (Forgotten Realms)|Death Masks]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]])</ref><ref name="forum.candlekeep.com">{{cite web|url=http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19841&whichpage=13#468322|title=Candlekeep Forum – Questions for Ed Greenwood (2015)|website=Forum.candlekeep.com|access-date=28 January 2018|archive-date=3 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103011716/http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19841&whichpage=13#468322|url-status=live}}</ref>

Amongst the most infamous of drow are the members of House Baenre, while [[Abeir-Toril]] is also home to some famous benevolent drow including Drizzt Do'Urden and his deceased father Zaknafein (both of House Do' Urden), Liriel Baenre (formerly of Menzoberranzan's aforementioned House Baenre), and Qilué of the Seven Sisters. The drow [[Jarlaxle]] is also well-known, as he is one of the few males in Menzoberranzan to obtain a position of great power. He is the founder and leader of the mercenary band [[Bregan D'aerthe]]. These characters are from ''[[The Dark Elf Trilogy]]'' (1990–1991), a series of books by [[R. A. Salvatore]] (except for Liriel Baenre and Qilue). The six drow in the ''[[War of the Spider Queen]]'' series have also gained some renown since the novels have been published.

In 2021, two new Underdark based drow societies, the Lorendrow and the Aevendrow, were introduced; both of these societies have rejected Lolth and are not evil. The Lolth based society of Menzoberranzan is now referred to as Unadrow.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|date=2021-05-24|title=D&D: WotC Adds Three New Types Of Drow, Retcons Drow Lore|url=https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2021/05/dd-wotc-adds-three-new-types-of-drow-retcons-drow-lore.html|access-date=2022-02-07|website=Bell of Lost Souls|language=en-US|archive-date=2022-02-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207084658/https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2021/05/dd-wotc-adds-three-new-types-of-drow-retcons-drow-lore.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This [[retcon]]<ref name=":4" /> "suggests that the beliefs and evil practices once seen as common to all drow are specifically related to the 'Unadrow,' the culture of drow who have become corrupted by the evil spider goddess".<ref name=":1" />

=== In ''Dragonlance'' ===
In the ''[[Dragonlance]]'' setting, Drow are not a native race. However, a colony of them exists in a connected pocket dimension called the Valley of Perfect Silence. These arrived by means of a crashed Spelljammer vessel, and are now worshippers of Jiathuli, an evil daughter of Takhisis.<ref>AD&D DLS4: Wild Elves by Scott Bennie</ref> "Dark Elves" is a separate term in Dragonlance, referencing elves who have been cast out by the other elves for various crimes, such as worship of the evil deities. [[Dalamar]], a student of [[Raistlin Majere]], is the most notable of [[Krynn]]'s dark elves. However, over the years Drow have accidentally appeared in a few ''Dragonlance'' modules and novels. Similar mistakes have occurred with other standard AD&D races, such as orcs and [[lycanthropes]], which are not part of the ''Dragonlance'' setting. Some theories say that these rare Drow may have accidentally been sent there during a plane shifting spell or related magic, a misfire as like as not that is corrected before the respective timelines are tampered with too drastically.

===In ''Greyhawk''===
In the world of ''[[Greyhawk]]'', the drow were driven underground by their surface-dwelling relatives because of ideological differences. There they eventually adapted to their surroundings, especially by attracting the attention of the goddess [[Lolth]], "Queen of [[Spider]]s". The center of drow civilization is the subterranean city [[Erelhei-Cinlu]], and its surrounding Vault, commonly called the [[Vault of the Drow]]. Drow rank structure was based much more on personal experience level and proven personal abilities rather than on gender. Males were just as likely to have positions of authority over both males and females, and the tradition of matriarchy, where the highest-ranking member was always a female, was not a special directive of the Demon Queen Lolth. The vast majority of Drow Elves both male and female in the original campaign setting of Greyhawk have no authority or ranking at all and live an idle and degenerate life in the great city of the Drow.

Known drow of Greyhawk include Clannair Blackshadow, Derken Gale, Jawal Severnain, and Landis Bree of [[Greyhawk City]]; [[Eclavdra]] of House Eilserv; and [[Edralve]] of the [[Slave Lords]]. In the drow city Erelhei-Cinlu, player characters may freely enter the city and spend time there, unless they attempt to organize any escaped slave groups for open warfare against the drow; the threat of a slave uprising will bring the chaotic drow into full cooperation.<ref name=":2" />

Some drow worship a nameless [[Elder Elemental God]] (said to have ties to [[Tharizdun]]) instead of Lolth. The module ''[[Vault of the Drow]]'' showcases that the House of Eilservs, led by Eclavdra in Erelhei-Cinlu, turned from worship of Lolth to the [[Tharizdun|Elder Elemental God]] when the city's other noble houses allied against them after proclaiming that their mistress should be the Queen of All Drow. Eilservs attempted to establish a power base through a puppet kingdom in the surface world dedicated to the worship of their new deity, so that their demands of supreme power in the Vault can no longer be denied, but this scheme was ruined.

===In other campaign settings===
* In the ''[[Mystara]]'' / "Known World" setting, shadow elves are a race of subterranean elves who have been mutated via magic. Aside from living underground, they have nothing in common with Drow and are not known as Dark elves.
* In [[Mongoose Publishing]]'s ''Drow War'' trilogy, the drow are recast as lawful evil villains and likened to the [[Nazis]]. The author of the series has stated that this was a deliberate reaction to the prevalence of renegade, non-evil drow characters.
* Drow appear as a playable race in ''[[Urban Arcana]]'', which is a [[d20 Modern]] setting based on ''Dungeons & Dragons''. They are shown as very fashionable, often setting new trends. The symbol for most drow is a spider, and they often take the mage or acolyte classes.
* A supplement book about the drow was produced by [[Green Ronin Publishing]] called ''Plot & Poison: A Guidebook to the Drow'' in 2002 and is based on the [[d20 System]]. It introduces several drow subtypes including aquatic drow and vupdrax (or winged drow) plus fleshes out drow life, such as how they treat [[slave]]s of the various fantasy types like [[Elf|elves]] and [[human]]s. [[Wizards of the Coast]], seeing the heavy sales of the GRP supplement, released their own supplement book called ''[[Drow of the Underdark]]'' in May 2007.
* Drow in the ''[[Pathfinder (periodicals)|Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting]]'' used to be elves but stayed on [[Golarion]] when the other elves left the world. Over time, the remaining elves turned into drow by powerful magic, and at this time any elf who is evil enough can spontaneously turn into a drow. The existence of drow in Golarion is virtually unknown to non-elves. Drow are also the main antagonists in the ''[[Pathfinder (periodicals)#Adventure Paths|Second Darkness Adventure Path]]'' and the ''Rise of the Drow Trilogy''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Collins |first=Ashe |date=April 8, 2013 |title=Tabletop Review: Rise of the Drow Trilogy Bundle (Pathfinder) |url=https://diehardgamefan.com/2013/04/08/tabletop-review-rise-of-the-drow-trilogy-bundle-pathfinderdd-3-5/ |access-date=May 30, 2023 |website=[[Diehard GameFAN]] |language=en-US |archive-date=September 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928015757/https://diehardgamefan.com/2013/04/08/tabletop-review-rise-of-the-drow-trilogy-bundle-pathfinderdd-3-5/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2023, [[Paizo]] announced that drow would be [[retconned]] out of Golarion's lore and replaced by serpentfolk as the publisher transitions away from Wizard of the Coast's [[Open Game License]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 29, 2023 |title=Pathfinder Retcons Drow Out of Game Lore Due to Move Away From OGL |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/pathfinder-remaster-drow-ogl-retcon/ |access-date=May 30, 2023 |website=[[ComicBook.com]] |language=en |archive-date=May 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529154638/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/pathfinder-remaster-drow-ogl-retcon/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Chase |date=June 1, 2023 |title=Pathfinder ejects Drow from official lore, says too "deeply enmeshed" in D&D identity |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/news/pathfinder-2e-no-more-drow-remaster-project |access-date=June 1, 2023 |website=[[Dicebreaker]] |language=en}}</ref>

==Fictional gods==
===Lolth===
{{Infobox character
| name = Lolth
| image = [[Image:Lolth.JPG|200px]]
| caption =
| first = ''[[Descent into the Depths of the Earth]]'' (1978)
| creator = [[Gary Gygax]]
| alias = (''Forgotten Realms'' only): Araushnee, Lloth (Menzoberranzan and Uluitur), Megwandir, Moander, Zinzerena
| race = Deity
| gender = Female
| title = The Spider Queen, Queen of Spiders, Demon Queen of Spiders,<ref name=AA>{{cite book |title=Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana: a visual history |last1=Witwer |first1=Michael |last2=Newman |first2=Kyle |last3=Peterson |first3=Jonathan |last4=Witwer |first4=Sam |last5=Manganiello |first5=Joe |date= 2018 |isbn=9780399580949 |publisher=[[Ten Speed Press]] |oclc=1033548473}}</ref>{{rp|103}} Demon Queen of the Abyss, Spider Bitch,<ref>[[Richard Lee Byers]] (2003). ''[[War of the Spider Queen#Dissolution|Dissolution]]''. ([[Wizards of the Coast]]), p. 200. {{ISBN|0-7869-2944-8}}.</ref> Queen of the Demonweb Pits, Weaver of Chaos, the Hunted, the Mother of Lusts, Dark Mother of All Drow, Lady of Spiders
| alignment = [[Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)#Chaotic evil|Chaotic Evil]]
| home = [[Demonweb Pits]]
| series = [[Dungeons & Dragons]]
| lbl21 = [[List of Dungeons & Dragons deities#Ranks of divine power|Power level]]
| data21 = Intermediate/Greater
| lbl22 = [[List of Dungeons & Dragons deities#Portfolios|Portfolio]]
| data22 = Spiders, evil, darkness, chaos, assassins, drow
| lbl23 = [[List of Dungeons & Dragons deities#Domains|Domains]]
| data23 = Chaos, Darkness, Drow, Evil, Destruction, Spider, Trickery
| lbl24 = [[List of Dungeons & Dragons deities#Divine hierarchy|Superior]]
| data24 =
}}

Lolth is a fictional [[goddess]] in ''Dungeons & Dragons''. Lolth (''Lloth'' in the Drow language), the Demon Queen of Spiders, is the chief goddess of the Drow. She is also known as the ''Spider Queen'' and the ''Queen of the Demonweb Pits''; her realm in the [[Abyss (Dungeons & Dragons)|Abyss]] is referred to as the Demonweb Pits.<ref name="QotDP">{{cite book |author1=Sutherland III, David C |author2=Gygax, Gary | year=1980 | title=Queen of the Demonweb Pits| publisher=TSR, Inc. | isbn=0-935696-20-2|author1-link=David C. Sutherland III }}</ref> Lolth usually appears in two forms: drow and arachnid. In drow form, the Spider Queen appears as an "exquisitely beautiful" female dark elf, sometimes covered in clinging spiders. In her arachnid form, Lolth takes the appearance of a giant black widow spider with the head of a female drow or human peering from between the eight spider-eyes. Sometimes, the two foremost pair of her spider-legs are actually humanoid arms. In third edition, her arachnid form has taken more of a drider-like appearance, due to the events of the ''[[War of the Spider Queen]]'' novel series.

====Conception and creation====
Lolth was created by [[Gary Gygax]] for the ''[[Greyhawk|World of Greyhawk]]'' [[campaign setting]], later appeared in the ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'' setting, and in the 3rd edition became a member of the [[list of Dungeons & Dragons deities|default pantheon]] of ''D&D'' gods. In those various settings, the drow pantheon of gods consists of the leader Lolth, as well as Kiaransalee, Vhaeraun, and Zinzerena and also the one good goddess Eilistraee. Other drow gods may be present in different campaign settings.

According to the [[Forgotten Realms]] storyline, Lolth began as an intermediary goddess abiding in the sixty-sixth layer of the Abyss, the Demonweb Pits. Through the events that transpired in ''War of the Spider Queen series'', she transformed herself into a greater goddess as depicted in 4th Edition, the Demonweb Pits becoming its own plane.

====Publication history====
Lolth was first mentioned in the modules ''[[Descent into the Depths of the Earth]]'' (1978) and more fully described in ''[[Vault of the Drow]]'' (1978), and was the main antagonist of the module ''[[Queen of the Demonweb Pits]]'' (1980).<ref name="QotDP" /> These modules were later reprinted as part of the ''[[Queen of the Spiders]]'' collection in 1986. Lolth's role as a deity was first explored in ''[[Deities & Demigods]]'' (1980).<ref name=AA/>{{rp|111}} Her game statistics were reprinted in the ''[[Fiend Folio]]'' (1981).

Lolth's role in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting was first detailed in [[Ed Greenwood]]'s second edition ''AD&D'' sourcebook, ''[[Drow of the Underdark]]'' (1991).<ref>[[Ed Greenwood|Greenwood, Ed]]. ''[[Drow of the Underdark]]'' (TSR, 1991)</ref> Lolth was detailed as a deity in the book ''[[Monster Mythology]]'' (1992), including details about her priesthood.<ref name="Sargent 1992"/> Her role in the cosmology of the [[Planescape]] campaign setting was described in ''[[On Hallowed Ground]]'' (1996).<ref>[[Colin McComb|McComb, Colin]]. ''[[On Hallowed Ground]]'' ([[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], 1996)</ref> Lolth received a very detailed description of her role in the Forgotten Realms in ''[[Demihuman Deities]]'' (1998).<ref>[[Eric L. Boyd|Boyd, Eric L.]] ''[[Demihuman Deities]]'' ([[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], 1998)</ref>

Lolth is detailed in ''[[Defenders of the Faith (Dungeons & Dragons)|Defenders of the Faith]]'' (2000),<ref>Redman, Rich and [[James Wyatt (game designer)|James Wyatt]]. ''[[Defenders of the Faith (Dungeons & Dragons)|Defenders of the Faith]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2000)</ref> and ''[[Deities & Demigods]]'' (2002),<ref>Redman, Rich, [[Skip Williams]], and [[James Wyatt (game designer)|James Wyatt]]. ''[[Deities & Demigods]]'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2002)</ref> and her role in the Forgotten Realms is revisited in ''[[Faiths and Pantheons]]'' (2002).<ref>[[Eric L. Boyd|Boyd, Eric L]], and [[Erik Mona]]. ''[[Faiths and Pantheons]]'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2002).</ref> Lolth's priesthood is detailed for this edition in ''[[Complete Divine]]'' (2004),<ref>[[David Noonan (game designer)|Noonan, David]]. ''[[Complete Divine]]'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2004)</ref> and her role in the [[Abyss (Dungeons & Dragons)|Abyss]] is detailed in the ''[[Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss]]'' (2006).<ref>[[James Jacobs (game designer)|Jacobs, James]], [[Erik Mona]], and [[Ed Stark]]. ''[[Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2006)</ref> Lolth and the Drow are further detailed in both ''[[Drow of the Underdark]]'' (2007),<ref>[[Ari Marmell|Marmell, Ari]], [[Anthony Pryor]], [[Robert J. Schwalb]], and [[Greg A. Vaughan]]. ''[[Drow of the Underdark]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2007)</ref> and the adventure ''[[Expedition to the Demonweb Pits]]'' (2007).<ref>[[Wolfgang Baur|Baur, Wolfgang]], and Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel. ''[[Expedition to the Demonweb Pits]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2007)</ref>

Lolth appears as one of the evil deities described in the ''[[Dungeon Master's Guide]]'' (2008) for the 4th Edition of ''Dungeons & Dragons''.<ref>[[James Wyatt (game designer)|James Wyatt]]. ''[[Dungeon Master's Guide]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2008).</ref>  The story of her dissent from and war against Corellon and Sehanine is fleshed out in the supplements ''Underdark'' and ''[[The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea]]''. A slightly different (and arguably more powerful) version of Lolth is presented in the ''[[Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide]].'' Lolth in the Forgotten Realms has a different appearance, dogma and personality than the core Lolth.<ref>[[Bruce Cordell|Cordell, Bruce R.]], [[Ed Greenwood]], and Chris Sims. ''[[Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide]]''. ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2008)</ref> Wizards of the Coast's D&D Compendium and D&D Character Builder record the core Lolth and the ''Realms'' Lolth as separate entities. Lolth (Demon Queen of Spiders) appears in the 4th Edition's ''[[Monster Manual 3]]'' (2010).<ref>[[Mike Mearls|Mearls, Mike]], Greg Bilsland, and [[Robert J. Schwalb]]. ''[[Monster Manual 3]]''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2010</ref> She is the mascot for this volume, which includes statistics for Lolth in both drow and spider form.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd%2Fproducts%2Fdndacc%2F253840000 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page – Product (Monster Manual 3) |access-date=9 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130905020130/http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd%2Fproducts%2Fdndacc%2F253840000 |archive-date=5 September 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2021, Lolth was featured on two cards as a "legendary planeswalker" in the ''Adventures in the Forgotten Realms'' line from the ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' collectible card game.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hall|first=Charlie|date=2021-05-20|title=D&D's Drizzt is coming to Magic: The Gathering, these are the first preview cards|url=https://www.polygon.com/22445601/dungeons-dragons-magic-the-gathering-crossover-drizzt-card-previews|access-date=2021-05-21|website=Polygon|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520210711/https://www.polygon.com/22445601/dungeons-dragons-magic-the-gathering-crossover-drizzt-card-previews|url-status=live}}</ref> Lolth was featured on the alternative cover edition of the 2024 Revised 5th Edition ''[[Dungeon Master's Guide]]'' with art by Olena Richards.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Abbott |first=Benjamin |date=May 30, 2024 |title=Exclusive: D&D Dungeon Master's Guide alt cover channels every DM's inner schemer' |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/tabletop-gaming/exclusive-dandd-dungeon-masters-guide-alt-cover-channels-every-dms-inner-schemer/ |access-date=May 30, 2024 |website=[[GamesRadar+]] |language=en}}</ref>

====Reception====
''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #359 (September 2007), the final print issue of the magazine, described Lolth as one of the 20 most memorable villains of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game.<ref name="Lolth">{{cite journal |last1=Bulmahn |first1=Jason |author-link=Jason Bulmahn |last2=Jacobs |first2=James |author-link2=James Jacobs (game designer) |last3=McArtor |first3=Mike |last4=Mona |first4=Erik |author-link4=Erik Mona |last5=Schneider |first5=F. Wesley |author-link5=F. Wesley Schneider |last6=Stewart |first6=Todd |author7=Jeremy Walker |date=September 2007 |title=1d20 Villains: D&D's Most Wanted; Preferably Dead |journal=[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]] |publisher=Paizo |volume=32 |issue=359 |pages=54–69}}</ref> Witwer ''et al.'', in the book ''Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana'', considered Lolth one of the "iconic D&D characters", present throughout the decades of the game.<ref name="AA" />{{rp|5, 110–111}}

Lolth was #10 on ''[[Screen Rant]]''{{'}}s 2018 "Dungeons & Dragons: The 15 Most Powerful Villains, Ranked" list—the article states "The ''War of the Spider Queen'' series would show Lolth's transformation into a greater goddess, making her one of the most powerful beings in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' multiverse. [...] Lolth can appear in the form of a monstrous spider, which many fans have mocked, due to the fact that it only has sixty-six hit points. You likely won't get a chance to get close enough to harm Lolth, due to the fact that you are battling her in her home dimension, which is filled with an army of demonic spiders. Lolth can also transform into the form of a high-level magic-user/cleric, which gives her access to a wide-range of powerful spells. This is to say nothing of her psionic abilities, though these are given to her at the discretion of the dungeon master".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-06-09|title=Dungeons & Dragons: The 15 Most Powerful Villains, Ranked|url=https://screenrant.com/dungeons-dragons-powerful-villains-ranked/|access-date=2021-05-21|website=Screen Rant|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-05-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521160642/https://screenrant.com/dungeons-dragons-powerful-villains-ranked/|url-status=live}}</ref> Lolth was #8 on [[Comic Book Resources|''CBR'']]{{'}}s 2020 "Dungeons & Dragons: 10 Endgame Bosses You Need To Use In Your Next Campaign" list—the article states "the DMs can even get rather creative with the stage; since Lolth is a creature of the Underdark, the fight leading up to her and the boss herself can take place in a dark and nightmarish cave that requires some spelunking and vertical maneuvers. Bonus points if the fight happens in a web network suspended midair with an abyssal drop".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-25|title=Dungeons & Dragons: 10 Endgame Bosses You Need To Use In Your Next Campaign|url=https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-endgame-bosses-use/|access-date=2021-05-21|website=CBR|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-07-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725032248/https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-endgame-bosses-use/|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Eilistraee===
{{Infobox character
| name = Eilistraee
| first = ''[[The Drow of the Underdark]]'' (1991)
| creator = [[Ed Greenwood]]
| alias = 
| race = Deity
| gender = Female
| title = The Dark Maiden, The Dark Dancer, Lady of the Dance, Lady Silverhair, Moon Maiden, Dancing Goddess, Dark Lady, The Masked Lady(<ref group="note">After the 1489 DR, Eilistraee no longer holds this last title, which she earned when she took over her brother [[Vhaeraun]]'s portfolio. As described in the [[Eilistraee#The Sundering and Rebirth|history section]], both of them are alive, but separate entities once again</ref>)
| alignment = Chaotic Good
| home = [[Arvandor]]
| series = [[Forgotten Realms]]
| lbl21 = [[List of Dungeons & Dragons deities#Ranks of divine power|Power level]]
| data21 = Lesser
| lbl22 = [[List of Dungeons & Dragons deities#Portfolios|Portfolio]]
| data22 = Song, beauty, dance, swordwork, hunting, moonlight
| lbl23 = [[List of Dungeons & Dragons deities#Domains|Domains]]
| data23 = 
| lbl24 = [[List of Dungeons & Dragons deities#Divine hierarchy|Superior]]
| data24 = [[Lolth]]
}}'''Eilistraee''', also referred to as "'''The Dark Maiden'''", is a fictional deity in the [[Forgotten Realms]] campaign setting. Eilistraee's name is pronounced as EEL-iss-TRAY-yee",<ref name="Demihuman">[[Eric L. Boyd|Boyd, Eric L.]] ''[[Demihuman Deities]]'' ([[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], 1998)</ref> "eel-ISS-tray-ee",<ref name="TDotU">[[Ed Greenwood|Greenwood, Ed]]. ''[[The Drow of the Underdark]]'' (TSR, 1991)</ref> "eel-iss-tray-yee"<ref name="FRCS3E">{{cite book |last=Greenwood |first=Ed |author-link=Ed Greenwood |title=[[Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting#3rd edition|Forgotten Realms: Campaign Setting]] |last2=Reynolds |first2=Sean K. |author-link2=Sean K. Reynolds |last3=Williams |first3=Skip |author-link3=Skip Williams |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |year=2001 |isbn=0-7869-1836-5}}</ref> or "eil-iss-tray-yee".<ref name="FAP">[[Eric L. Boyd|Boyd, Eric L.]], and [[Erik Mona]]. ''[[Faiths and Pantheons]]'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2002).</ref> In the game world, she is a goddess in the drow pantheon, and her portfolios are [[song]], [[dance]], [[Swordmanship|swordwork]], [[hunting]], [[moonlight]] and [[beauty]].<ref name="Demihuman" />

==== Creative origins and Forgotten Realms storylines ====
Eilistraee was first created for the original home campaign run by [[Ed Greenwood]] himself, appearing by manifestation, dream vision, and in person. At the behest of editor [[Newton Ewell]], who wanted a deity for good drow in the game, Greenwood used the opportunity to make the Dark Dancer official and added Eilistraee to ''[[The Drow of the Underdark]]'' (1991) and thus to the official Forgotten Realms.<ref name="EdVerse">{{cite web |title=Disqus - Edverse Home |url=https://disqus.com/home/discussion/edverse/hello_internet/ |access-date=2 January 2018 |website=Disqus.com}}</ref> He meant for Eilistraee to take the role of a nurturing and protecting mother-goddess for the whole drow race.<ref name="Greenwood 2006 I3">{{cite web |title=Candlekeep Forum - Questions for Ed Greenwood (2006) |url=http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5812&whichpage=27#129882 |access-date=2 January 2018 |website=Forum.candlekeep.com}}</ref> Greenwood denies a connection to [[Artemis]]/[[Diana (mythology)|Diana]] of [[Greek mythology|Greek]] and [[Roman mythology]].<ref name="Greenwood 2006 I2">{{cite web |title=Candlekeep Forum - Questions for Ed Greenwood (2006) |url=http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5812&whichpage=27#129882 |access-date=2 January 2018 |website=Forum.candlekeep.com}}</ref>

In the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, Eilistraee is the daughter of [[Corellon Larethian]] and of Araushnee (who later took the name Lolth after being punished by Corellon), a free-spirited and kind-hearted goddess, with a fiery streak in her personality.<ref name="Demihuman" /><ref name="Evermeet: Island of Elves">[[Elaine Cunningham]] (1998) ''[[Evermeet: Island of Elves]]'' ([[TSR, Inc.]] and [[Wizards of the Coast]]</ref> When, during her youth, a host of evil deities assaulted [[Arvandor]] (her home), Araushnee's treachery almost made her slay her own father. Even though she was cleared from any guilt, Eilistraee chose to share her mother's exile, because she knew that the drow would need her light and help in the dark times to come.<ref name="Demihuman" /><ref name="Evermeet: Island of Elves" /> Since after the descent of the drow, in the present era of the setting, Eilistraee tries her best to be a mother goddess to her people and bring them the hope of a new life: she fights to lead them back to the lands of light, helping them to flourish and prosper in harmony with all other races, free from Lolth's tyranny.<ref name="Demihuman" /><ref name="Evermeet: Island of Elves" /><ref name="Greenwood 2006 I">{{cite web |title=Candlekeep Forum - Questions for Ed Greenwood (2006) |url=http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5812&whichpage=27#129882 |access-date=2 January 2018 |website=Forum.candlekeep.com}}</ref> Hers is an uphill battle, however, as her power is little and she is opposed by all the gods of the [[Drow deities|Dark Seldarine]]. But, despite having to overcome many hardships and setbacks, Eilistraee has never given up fighting for her people.<ref name="Demihuman" /> In the 1370s [[Dalereckoning|DR]], her conflict with her mother over the souls of the drow race ultimately led to Eilistraee's defeat and disappearance.<ref name="AotL">[[Lisa Smedman]] (June 2008). [[The Lady Penitent|Ascendancy of the Last]]. (Wizards of the Coast)</ref> It lasted for about a century, until [[The Sundering (Dungeons & Dragons)|The Sundering]] (c. 1480s DR), when Eilistraee returned to life and to her followers.<ref name="forum.candlekeep.com2">{{cite web |title=Candlekeep Forum - Questions for Ed Greenwood (2015) |url=http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19841&whichpage=13#468322 |access-date=2 January 2018 |website=Forum.candlekeep.com}}</ref><ref name="SCAG2">Kim Mohan ed. (2015) ''[[Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide]]''. ([[Wizards of the Coast]]), pp. 23, 108. {{ISBN|978-0786965809}}.</ref><ref name="Death Masks2">[[Ed Greenwood]] (June 2016) ''[[Death Masks (Forgotten Realms)|Death Masks]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]])</ref><ref name="EG476639">{{cite web |title=Candlekeep Forum - Questions for Ed Greenwood (2015) |url=http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19841&whichpage=22#476639 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828103504/http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19841&whichpage=22#476639 |archive-date=28 August 2017 |access-date=2 January 2018 |website=Forum.candlekeep.com}}</ref><ref group="note">As said [http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19841&whichpage=22#476688 here] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828103504/http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19841&whichpage=22#476688|date=2017-08-28}}, in answer to [http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19841&whichpage=22#476640 this question] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828103504/http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19841&whichpage=22#476640|date=2017-08-28}}, only the following lines of text in the reference No. 11 are to be considered official: "After Flamerule 1489, Vhaeraun and Eilistraee are separate deities with the same powers and portfolios they had before 1375, but a new understanding, respect, and even friendship for each other. Some of their followers still war with each other, but the two deities do not. Thus far, Eilistraee’s teachings after the Sundering are the same as before the Sundering"</ref>

==== Publication history ====
Eilistraee was first detailed in ''The Drow of the Underdark'' (1991).<ref name="EdVerse" /> Her role in the cosmology of the [[Planescape]] campaign setting was described in ''[[On Hallowed Ground]]'' (1996).<ref name="Hallowed">[[Colin McComb|McComb, Colin]]. ''[[On Hallowed Ground]]'' ([[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], 1996)</ref> Eilistraee received a very detailed description in ''[[Demihuman Deities]]'' (1998).<ref name="Demihuman2">[[Eric L. Boyd|Boyd, Eric L.]] ''[[Demihuman Deities]]'' ([[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], 1998)</ref> She is described as one of the good deities that [[Celestial (Dungeons & Dragons)|celestials]] can serve in the supplement ''[[Warriors of Heaven (Dungeons & Dragons)|Warriors of Heaven]]'' (1999).<ref>[[Christopher Perkins (game designer)|Perkins, Christopher]]. ''[[Warriors of Heaven (Dungeons & Dragons)|Warriors of Heaven]]'' (TSR, 1999)</ref> Eilistraee then appears in 3rd edition in the ''[[Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting]]'' book (2001),<ref name="FRCS3E2">{{cite book |last=Greenwood |first=Ed |author-link=Ed Greenwood |title=[[Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting#3rd edition|Forgotten Realms: Campaign Setting]] |last2=Reynolds |first2=Sean K. |author-link2=Sean K. Reynolds |last3=Williams |first3=Skip |author-link3=Skip Williams |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |year=2001 |isbn=0-7869-1836-5}}</ref> and was further described in ''[[Faiths and Pantheons]]'' (2002).<ref name="FAP2">[[Eric L. Boyd|Boyd, Eric L.]], and [[Erik Mona]]. ''[[Faiths and Pantheons]]'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2002).</ref>

Eilistraee is one of the Forgotten Realms deities that made a reappearance during the event known as [[The Sundering (Dungeons & Dragons)|The Sundering]] which transitioned ''Dungeons & Dragons'' from [[Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition|4th Edition]] to [[Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition|5th Edition]].<ref name="forum.candlekeep.com3">{{cite web |title=Candlekeep Forum - Questions for Ed Greenwood (2015) |url=http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19841&whichpage=13#468322 |access-date=2 January 2018 |website=Forum.candlekeep.com}}</ref><ref name="SCAG3">Kim Mohan ed. (2015) ''[[Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide]]''. ([[Wizards of the Coast]]), pp. 23, 108. {{ISBN|978-0786965809}}.</ref><ref name="EG4766392">{{cite web |title=Candlekeep Forum - Questions for Ed Greenwood (2015) |url=http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19841&whichpage=22#476639 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828103504/http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19841&whichpage=22#476639 |archive-date=28 August 2017 |access-date=2 January 2018 |website=Forum.candlekeep.com}}</ref> She is mentioned as such in the novels ''Spellstorm'' (2015) and ''Death Masks'' (2016) by Greenwood.<ref name="Spellstorm">[[Ed Greenwood]] (June 2015) ''[[Spellstorm]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]])</ref><ref name="Death Masks3">[[Ed Greenwood]] (June 2016) ''[[Death Masks (Forgotten Realms)|Death Masks]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]])</ref> In the 5th Edition sourcebook ''[[Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide]]'' (2015), Eilistraee receives a brief description, and is listed as one of the deities active in the post-Sundering era of the Forgotten Realms.<ref name="SCAG3" /> ''[[Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes]]'' (2018) includes a full entry for Eilistraee.<ref name="MToF">[[Mike Mearls]], [[Jeremy Crawford]] (May 2018) ''[[Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]])</ref>

==== Reception ====
Scholar Michael Blume posited that the inclusion of Eilistraee as a benign counterpart to her evil mother Lolth in ''D&D''s mythology of the elves contributed to bringing a complexity to the fantasy drow, beyond racist and antifeminist stereotypes perceived in the writings of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] and [[Gary Gygax]].<ref>{{cite conference |last=Blume |first=Michael |date=2021 |title=Mitarbeit am Mythos – Fantasy-Rollenspiele in der Bewältigung von Antisemitismus und Klimakrise |trans-title=Collaboration on the myth - Fantasy role-playing games in coping with antisemitism and climate crisis |url=https://d-nb.info/1260578623/34#page=85 |conference=[[SPIEL]] |location=Essen |publisher=Boardgame Historian/[[WWU Münster]] |publication-date=2022 |page=89 |access-date=2025-04-01 |editor-last1=Boch |editor-first1=Lukas |editor-last2=Falke |editor-first2=Anna Klara |editor-last3=Krause |editor-first3=Toni Janosch |book-title=Mehr als nur Zeitvertreib? – Wissenschaftliche Perspektiven auf analoge Spiele |lang=de}}</ref> Rob Bricken of ''[[Kotaku]]'' identified Eilistraee as one of "The 13 Strangest Deities in Dungeons & Dragons", commenting: "To know Eilistraee, you have to know the Drow. The Drow are a race of evil elves who live underground and basically spend all their days murdering each other because they're so damn evil. There has been one good Drow in the history of D&D, and that's Drizzt Do'Urden, who is one of the Mary Sue-iest characters in all of fiction—and he's been the star of countless novels and is the only reason any D&D player has even been interested in the Drow, of which now there is a terrifying amount of material. Anyways, Eilistraee is apparently the goddess of good Drow, which means she has one worshipper on the planet. This is nonsense."<ref>{{cite web |date=28 March 2016 |title=The 13 Strangest Deities in Dungeons & Dragons |url=http://www.kotaku.com.au/2016/03/the-13-strangest-deities-in-dungeons-dragons/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331030901/http://www.kotaku.com.au/2016/03/the-13-strangest-deities-in-dungeons-dragons/ |archive-date=March 31, 2016 |access-date=2 January 2018 |work=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref>

=== Other deities ===
{{See also|List of Dungeons & Dragons deities}}
The drow deities Ghaunadaur, Kiaransalee, Selvetarm, Vhaeraun, and Zinzerena were primarily introduced during the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd Edition era. Ghaunadaur first appeared in ''The Drow of the Underdark'' (1991)<ref name="DROW" /> and was expanded upon in ''Demihuman Deities'' (1998)<ref name="Demihuman" /> and 3rd Edition's ''Faiths and Pantheons'' (2002).<ref name="FAP" /> Kiaransalee debuted in ''Monster Mythology'' (1992),<ref name="Sargent 1992" /> was further detailed in ''On Hallowed Ground'' (1996),<ref name="Hallowed" /> ''Demihuman Deities'' (1998),<ref name="Demihuman" /> and ''Faiths and Pantheons'' (2002);<ref name="FAP" /> she also appears in module ''[[City of the Spider Queen]]'' (2002) and Forgotten Realms novels. Selvetarm's lore was expanded in ''Faiths and Pantheons'' (2002)<ref name="FAP" /> and novels such as Lisa Smedman's ''[[The Lady Penitent|Sacrifice of the Widow]]'' (2007). Vhaeraun was also introduced in ''Monster Mythology'' (1992)<ref name="Sargent 1992" /> and was featured in ''On Hallowed Ground'' (1996),<ref name="Hallowed" /> ''Demihuman Deities'' (1998),<ref name="Demihuman" /> and ''Faiths and Pantheons'' (2002),<ref name="FAP" /> with additional narrative developments in Forgotten Realms novels. Zinzerena appeared in ''Monster Mythology'' (1992)<ref name="Sargent 1992" /> and ''On Hallowed Ground'' (1996),<ref name="Hallowed" /> but later lore relegated her to a minor or deceased status under Lolth's dominance. As part of the world restructuring of the [[Forgotten Realms]] in preparation for [[D&D 4th Edition]], many deities were removed from the game to simplify the pantheons.<ref>{{cite interview |last=Perkins |first=Chris |subject-link=Chris Perkins (game designer) |interviewer=GamerZer0 |title=Forgotten Realms Interview with: Chris Perkins |type= |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_OVG18__dQ |format=video |date=December 19, 2007 |accessdate=September 11, 2009}}</ref>

Ghaunadaur, also known as That Which Lurks and The Elder Eye, is a chaotic god of oozes, rebels, and outcasts, known for his capricious nature and ancient origins from primordial slimes. Kiaransalee, the vengeful Lady of the Dead, is a goddess of undead and retribution who rose from mortal royalty to godhood, only to later fall from power through epic magic. Selvetarm, the Spider that Waits, embodies mindless battle and bloodlust, having been corrupted and enslaved by Lolth after a tragic manipulation. Vhaeraun, the Masked Lord, champions drow males, surface raiding, and rebellion against Lolth's matriarchy; it is believed he was killed by Eilistraee during a failed assassination attempt. Zinzerena, a chaotic goddess of assassins and trickery, ascended through theft of divine power and embodies stealth, betrayal, and ruthless survival, though her influence waned under Lolth's supremacy.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}

==Related creatures==
{{See also|Monsters in Dungeons & Dragons}}
Like elves, drow have other creatures associated with them either by environment or by blood. The drider, a drow transformed into a half-drow half-spider creature as a punishment, is one of the most often cited examples.

===Drider===
Only high-level priestesses in good standing with Lolth are able to initiate the transformation of a dark elf into a drider. This transformation is very painful, and lasts at least 12 hours. Driders develop a poisonous bite. Their digestion changes and they must drink blood of living creatures for sustenance. Driders still maintain the spells and special abilities they had developed as a drow. There can exist any character class of drider. They retain intelligence and memories. This usually makes them bitter, spiteful creatures. Some hunt for magic powerful enough to undo the transformation.

In previous editions, driders appear sexless due to bloating, but able to magically reproduce. In ''Dungeons & Dragons'' edition 3.5, driders seem to retain their gender and characteristics after the transformation, but fertility is debatable.

Driders play many roles in drow society. The dark elves both fear and are revolted by driders. After transformation, they are usually pushed to the wild area around a drow city. Driders are usually found in company with tiny, huge and giant spiders. Driders speak Common, Elvish, and Undercommon. In the first and second editions of the game, Driders spoke Drow. Driders are almost always [[Chaotic Evil]].

In the Fourth Edition of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', becoming a drider is actually considered holy and a blessing from Lolth.

===Draegloths===
'''Draegloths''' are half-[[Demon (Dungeons & Dragons)|demon]], half drow monstrosities. Found in any campaign setting, they are particularly numerous in the ''Forgotten Realms''. They are created by the unholy union between an ascending high priestess of the drow goddess [[Lolth]] and a glabrezu.

Draegloths are about ten feet tall and have four arms, the upper pair being much larger than the lower. They have large claws on the upper arms and they use them for hand-to-hand combat, for they usually prefer the feeling of tearing flesh and sinew under their claws and fangs. Their face is stretched so it resembles that of a dog. Their flesh is as dark as a drow's, and they are covered in a fine coat of fur; they also have a white mane. They are sacred creatures to the Lolthites and are usually treated with respect.

[[Triel Baenre]] of [[Menzoberranzan]], in the ''Forgotten Realms'', had a draegloth son, [[List of Forgotten Realms characters#Other members of House Baenre|Jeggred]].

V3.5 statistics for the draegloth can be found in ''[[Drow of the Underdark]]''.<ref name="DROW" />

===Chitines and choldriths===
{{redirect|Chitine|the polymer compound|chitin}}
"The '''chitine''' and the '''choldrith''' are part-elf, part-spider abominations created by magic as servitors of the spider goddess Lolth"<ref name=KA>{{cite book|first=Keith|last=Ammann|date=2019|title=[[The Monsters Know What They're Doing]]|publisher=[[Saga Press]]|pages=180–183|isbn=978-1982122669}}</ref> appearing in the Forgotten Realms setting. Chitine resembles a sickly, white, four-foot tall humanoid with vaguely [[spider]]-like features.  They are depicted with wavy hair and sly faces with a set of spider's fangs protruding from their mouths. Chitines also have four arms which feature an additional joint (compared to a human), giving them great flexibility and dexterity. They were created inadvertently by the drow as a result of failed experiments on normal humanoids.

Chitines typically hate their former masters, the drow, but keep worshipping Lolth. The role of priests in their society is taken up by a closely related but completely separate race, the choldriths. Chitines strongly live up to their spider heritage; in their underground cities and villages, they build with webs in the same way that humans build with wood and stone. They build everything out of it, homes, traps, clothing, weapons, and more.

==See also==
* [[Dark elf (disambiguation)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|group=note}}

==Further reading==
; Game products
* {{Cite book |last=Sernett |first=Matthew |year=2002 |title=Plot and Poison: A Guidebook to Drow |location=Renton, Wash. |publisher=Green Ronin Publishing |isbn=9780972359924 |oclc=471536353}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Drow}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20021213103248/http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=fr/pg20021127x "Perilous Gateways: Dark Elf Portals"] at the official ''Forgotten Realms'' website.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070312004119/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/fr/darkseldarine,0 The Dark Seldarine of the War of the Spider Queen].
* [https://www.blackgate.com/2011/02/09/art-of-the-genre-the-drow/ Art of the Genre: The Drow] at ''[[Black Gate (magazine)|Black Gate]]''

{{D&D topics}}

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[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons humanoids]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons monsters]]
[[Category:Fictional elements introduced in 1977]]
[[Category:Fictional elves]]
[[Category:Race-related controversies]]

[[de:Vergessene Reiche#Drow (Dunkelelfen)]]