The material below is Open Game Content from a 3PP Source
Drow
Cruel and cunning, drow are a dark ref lection of the elven race. Also called dark elves, they dwell deep underground in elaborate cities shaped from the rock of cyclopean caverns. Drow seldom make themselves known to surface folk, preferring to remain legends while advancing their sinister agendas through proxies and agents. Drow have no love for anyone but themselves, and are adept at manipulating other creatures. While they are not born evil, malignancy is deep-rooted in their culture and society, and nonconformists rarely survive for long. Some stories tell that given the right circumstances, a particularly hateful elf might turn into a drow, though such a transformation would require a truly heinous individual.
Physical Description: Drow are similar in stature to humans, but share the slender build and features of elves, including the distinctive long, pointed ears. Their eyes lack pupils and are usually solid white or red. Drow skin ranges from coal black to a dusky purple. Their hair is typically white or silver, though some variation is not unknown.
Society: Drow society is traditionally class-oriented and matriarchal. Male drow usually fulfill martial roles, defending the species from external threats, while female drow assume positions of leadership and authority. Reinforcing these gender roles, one in 20 drow are born with exceptional abilities and thus considered to be nobility, and the majority of these special drow are female. Noble houses define drow politics, with each house governed by a noble matriarch and composed of lesser families, business enterprises, and military companies.
Each house is also associated with a demon lord patron. Drow are strongly driven by individual self-interest and advancement, which shapes their culture with seething intrigue and politics, as common drow jockey for favor of the nobility, and the nobility rise in power through a combination of assassination, seduction, and treachery.
Relations: Drow have a strong sense of racial superiority and divide non-drow into two groups: slaves, and those that are not yet slaves. In practice, however, races that may share similar inclinations (such as hobgoblins and orcs) and those who serve willingly may be treated as servitor races and granted a measure of trust and modest rank in drow society. Others, such as dwarves, gnomes, and half lings, are deemed fit only for the lash. Manipulative drow delight in exploiting the weak character of humans. While they claim no kinship with fetchlings, the drow harbor a curiosity toward the shadow race, as both are adaptations of races exposed to extreme and dangerous conditions. Finally, the drow’s hatred of elves sets these beings apart from all other races, and the dark elves desire nothing more than to ruin everything about their surface cousins.
Alignment and Religion: Drow place a premium on power and survival, and are unapologetic about any vile choices they might make to ensure their survival. After all, they do not just survive adversity—they conquer it. They have no use for compassion, and are unforgiving of their enemies, both ancient and contemporary. Drow retain the elven traits of strong emotion and passion, but channel it through negative outlets, such as hatred, vengeance, lust for power, and raw carnal sensation. Consequently, most drow are chaotic evil. Demon lords are their chosen patrons, sharing their inclination toward power and destruction.
Adventurers: Conquerors and slavers, drow are driven to expand their territory, and many seek to settle ancient grudges upon elven and dwarven nations in ruinous and dreary sites of contested power on the surface. Male drow favor martial or stealth classes that put them close to their enemies and their homes, as either soldiers or spies. Female drow typically assume classes that lend themselves to leadership, such as bards and especially clerics. Both genders have an innate talent for the arcane arts, and may be wizards or summoners. Drow make natural antipaladins, but males are often discouraged from this path, as the feminine nobility feel discomforted by the idea of strong-willed males with autonomous instincts and a direct relationship with a demon lord.
Male Names: Arcavato, Drovic, Firyin, Kaelmourn, Mirrendier, Pharnox, Syrendross, Zov.
Female Names: Belmarniss, Cylellinth, Ilvaria, Johysis, Loscivia, Tyvorhan, Ulumbralya, Volundeil.
Drow Racial Characteristics
+2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, –2 Constitution: Drow are nimble and manipulative.
Elf: Drow are humanoids with the elf subtype.
Medium: Drow are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Drow have a base speed of 30 feet.
Darkvision: Drow can see in the dark up to 120 feet.
Drow Immunities: Drow are immune to magic sleep effects and gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells and effects.
Keen Senses: Drow gain a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks.
Poison Use: Drow are skilled in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves.
Spell Resistance: Drow possess spell resistance equal to 6 plus their class levels.
Spell-Like Abilities: A drow can cast dancing lights, darkness, and faerie fire, once each per day, using her total character level as her caster level.
Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light blinds drow for 1 round; on subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area.
Weapon Familiarity: Drow are proficient with the hand crossbow, rapier, and short sword.
Languages: Drow begin play speaking Elven and Undercommon. Drow with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following languages: Abyssal, Aklo, Aquan, Common, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Gnome, or Goblin.
ALTERNATE RACIAL Characteristics
The following racial traits may be selected instead of existing drow racial traits. Consult your GM before selecting any of these new options.
FAVORED CLASS OPTIONS
The following options are available to all drow who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the favored class reward.
Alchemist: Add +10 minutes to the duration of the alchemist’s mutagens.
Antipaladin: The antipaladin adds +1/4 to the number of cruelties he can inflict.
Cleric: Select one domain power granted at 1st level that is normally usable a number of times per day equal to 3 + the cleric’s Wisdom modifier. The cleric adds +1/2 to the number of uses per day of that domain power.
Fighter: Choose the disarm or reposition combat maneuver. Add +1/3 to the fighter’s CMB when attempting this maneuver (maximum bonus of +4).
Rogue: Add a +1/2 bonus on Bluff checks to feint and pass secret messages.
Sorcerer: Add one spell known from the sorcerer spell list. This spell must have the curse, evil, or pain descriptor, and be at least one level below the highest spell level the sorcerer can cast.
Wizard: Select one arcane school power at 1st level that is normally usable a number of times per day equal to 3 + the wizard’s Intelligence modif ier. The wizard adds +1/2 to the number of uses per day of that arcane school power.
RACIAL ARCHETYPES
The following racial archetypes are available to drow.
Sample Drow1
This dark-skinned elf stands in a battle-ready pose, her hair silver and eyes white and pupilless.
Drow CR 1/3 (XP 135)
Drow warrior 1
CE Medium humanoid (elf)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 120 ft.; Perception +2
Defense
AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 13 (+2 armor, +2 Dex, +1 shield)
hp 4 (1d8)
Fort +2, Ref +2, Will –1; +2 vs. enchantment
Immune sleep; SR 7
Weaknesses light blindness
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee rapier +2 (1d6/18–20)
Ranged hand crossbow +3 (1d4/19–20 plus poison)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st)
1/day—dancing lights, darkness, faerie fire
Statistics
Abl Str 11, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 10
Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 13
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Perception +2, Stealth +2; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception
Languages Elven, Undercommon
SQ poison use
Ecology
Environment underground
Organization pair, squad (3–4), patrol (5–8), or war party (10–40)
Treasure NPC Gear (leather armor, light steel shield, rapier, hand crossbow with 20 bolts, drow poison [2 doses], 3d6 gp, other treasure)
Special Abilities
Poison Use (Ex) Drow are skilled in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves. Drow favor an insidious toxin that causes its victims to lapse into unconsciousness—this poison allows drow to capture slaves with great ease.Drow Poison—injury; save Fort DC 13; frequency 1/minute for 2 minutes; initial effect unconsciousness for 1 minute; secondary effect unconsciousness for 2d4 hours; cure 1 save.
Although related to the elves, the drow are a vile and evil cousin at best. Sometimes called dark elves, these cunning creatures prowl the caves and tunnels of the world below, ruling vast subterranean cities through fear and might. Worshiping demons and enslaving most races they encounter, the drow are among the underworld's most feared and hated denizens.
Drow are shorter and a bit more slender than their surface-dwelling kin, but they are otherwise physically similar. Drow have dark skin, ranging from black to a hazy purple hue. Most drow have white or silver hair and white or red eyes, but other colors are not unheard of.
Drow society is ruled over by powerful nobility, themselves governed by sadistic and dangerous matriarchs who constantly plot and scheme against rival houses and lesser kin within their own families. The majority of drow are the common soldiers and decadent citizenry, with base stats as presented here—drow nobles are more powerful and dangerous, and are detailed below.
In combat, drow are thoroughly ruthless, with little regard for fairness or mercy. They prefer to attack from ambush or to lure enemies into situations where they clearly have the upper hand. If things turn against them, drow are quick to flee, leaving slaves and minions to cover their escape.
