The Quintessential Drow

Author	Sam Witt
Publisher	Mongoose Publishing
Publish date	2003
OGL Section 15	qdrow

Note: This entry may contain Mature Content
The material below is open game content

Liberated Slave

You and your siblings were all enslaved as punishment for the crimes of the preceding generation. Whether your father was found with a wood elf lover or your mother discovered sharing secrets with the flayers, the punishment was the same – the children of your generation were enslaved by the city of your birth and sold to the highest bidder. The years of harsh labour and brutal punishment shaped your body, making you stronger and more resilient than other drow, but you never received the type of specialized arcane or divine training to call upon the magical side of your heritage.

When the last guilty members of your family perished, you were released and allowed to make whatever life you could for yourself. Stronger in some ways than other drow, but much weaker in others, you must constantly struggle to adapt your vision of the world as a slave with your newfound freedom.

Adventuring: You are strong and tough and generally good at taking orders, which means you are quite well cut out for adventuring. The adventuring lifestyle also lets you escape from drow culture for a while, giving you a chance to explore your freedom without violating social conventions and landing yourself in even more hot water. Because adventurers tend to be a bit more rough-and-tumble than the typical drow noble, you are also given more latitude in your personal interactions with your partners, who may be willing to help you re-integrate with drow society.

Even more importantly, adventuring is a good way to increase wealth and personal ability, two things highly prized by all drow. In order to return to a state of grace in the city of your birth, you will need enough money to rebuild the shattered estates of your family and enough power to cement your hold over whatever territory you choose to take as your own. Though it will be a long and difficult road, adventuring offers the shortest path to redeeming your family name.

Roleplaying: The world is a confusing place to you. Slaves are expected to do only what they are told within drow culture, some have even gone so far as to starve themselves to death if not specifically commanded to eat. While you never fell to such depths of self-destruction, you are clearly not used to being master of your own destiny yet. You are likely to follow any order barked in your direction, without question or concern for the consequences, though you fight against this instinct with every fibre of your being.

Living up to the drow cultural ideals is also quite difficult without the aid of magic.

Disconnected from this important facet of drow life, you do your best to minimize it when the topic rises in conversation or to emphasize your strengths in other areas. Martial training is a favourite study amongst liberated slaves, because it relies so much on their physical skills and does not require magical ability.
Bonuses: You receive Toughness as a bonus feat at 1st level as a result of your increased physical resilience and resistance to damage. Life as a slave did not have many perks, but no one can deny your ability to take a beating.

Penalties: Your will is weak and you have no aptitude for magic, whatsoever. You may never multiclass into a class with the ability to cast spells of any type. In addition, the punishments and abuse you received while a slave greatly eroded your willpower; you suffer a –1 natural penalty to all Will saves you make.