In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, drow (Williams, Skip. "Sage Advice". Dragon #142 (TSR, 1989). or )Mentzer, Frank. "Ay pronunseeAYshun gyd". Dragon #93 (TSR, 1985). or dark elves are a dark-skinned and white-haired subrace of elves connected to the subterranean Underdark. The drow have traditionally been portrayed as generally evil and connected to the evil spider goddess Lolth. However, subsequent editions of Dungeons & Dragons have moved away from this portrayal and preassigned alignment, while later publications have explored drow societies unconnected to Lolth.
Creative origins
The word "drow" originates from the Orcadian and Shetland dialects of Scots, an alternative form of "trow", which are folklorical terms inherited from the Norn language. While interchangeable, drow ultimately derive from Old Norse draugr ("malevolent revenant"; older , modern , , ), with trow deriving from Old Norse troll – see . Stemming from draugrs and trolls, trow/drow was used to refer to a wide variety of evil sprites. Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax invented everything about the drow in the game except for the basic concept of "dark elves". However, in the Prose Edda, Snorri Sturluson wrote about the black elves: "... the dark elves however live down below the ground. ... [and] are blacker than pitch."
Gygax stated that "Drow are mentioned in 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.""Books Are Books, Games Are Games" in Dragon Magazine, Nov. 1979, #31 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." 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".
Publication history
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition The drow were first mentioned in the Dungeons & Dragons game in the 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 fighters but strong magic-users.Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual (TSR, 1977). 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.
The first hardcover D&D rulebook featuring statistical information on the drow was the original 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.Turnbull, Don, ed. Fiend Folio (TSR, 1981)
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.Gygax, Gary. Unearthed Arcana (TSR, 1985)
Greyhawk module storyline
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 characters 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.Gygax, Gary. Hall of the Fire Giant King (TSR, 1978)
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".Gygax, Gary. Descent into the Depths of the Earth (TSR, 1978) The party continues to pursue the drow in D2 Shrine of the Kuo-Toa (1978).Gygax, Gary. Shrine of the Kuo-Toa (TSR, 1978) 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. 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.Gygax, Gary. Vault of the Drow (TSR, 1978)
The story concludes in module Q1 Queen of the Demonweb Pits (1980). The astral gate from D3 leads to the 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.Sutherland III, David C, and Gygax, Gary. Queen of the Demonweb Pits (TSR, 1980) The G1-G3 modules were later published together in 1981 as a single combined module as G1-2-3 Against the Giants,Gygax, Gary. Against the Giants (TSR, 1981) and the entire series of modules in which the drow originally appeared were later published together in Queen of the Spiders (1986).Gygax, Gary. Queen of the Spiders (TSR, 1986)
Novels Gary Gygax's 1986 novel for 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 involvement of the drow, in the novels Sea of Death (1987), Come Endless Darkness (1988), and Dance of Demons (1988).
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).
Keith Baker's The Dreaming Dark trilogy (2005–2006) featured the drow of the Eberron campaign setting, particularly those of Xen'drik.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition The drow appear first for this edition in the 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.Cook, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (TSR, 1989) This entry is reprinted with some minor modifications in the Monstrous Manual (1993).Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual (TSR, 1993) The 1992 boxed set Menzoberranzan details the largest city of the drow and offers a detailed description of drow society.
Drow society, religion, history, magic, craftwork, and language for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting is detailed significantly in 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.Greenwood, Ed. The Drow of the Underdark (TSR, 1991)
The drow are presented as a player character race for 2nd edition in The Complete Book of Elves (1992).McComb, Colin. The Complete Book of Elves (TSR, 1992) Drow deities Lolth, Kiaransalee, Vhaeraun, and Zinzerena are described in Monster Mythology (1992).Sargent, Carl. Monster Mythology (TSR, 1992) The drow are later presented as a playable character race again in Player's Option: Skills & Powers (1995).Niles, Douglas and Dale Donovan. Player's Option: Skills & Powers (TSR, 1995)
Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition The drow appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).Cook, Monte, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2000) The drow of the Forgotten Realms setting appear in the hardcover Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (2001),Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, and Rob Heinsoo. Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (Wizards of the Coast, 2001). and in Races of Faerûn (2003). The drow also appears in the revised Monster Manual for the 3.5 edition (2003).Cook, Monte, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2003)
The Underdark hardcover for the Forgotten Realms setting (2003) features the drow yet again as a player character race,Cordell, Bruce R, Gwendolyn FM Kestrel, and Jeff Quick. Underdark (Wizards of the Coast, 2003) as does the Player's Guide to Faerûn (2004).Baker, Richard, Travis Stout, James Wyatt. Player's Guide to Faerûn; Wizards of the Coast. Lost Empires of Faerûn describes the drow werebat (2005). The drow paragon 3-level prestige class appears in Unearthed Arcana (2004).Collins, Andy, Jesse Decker, David Noonan, and Rich Redman. Unearthed Arcana (Wizards of the Coast, 2004).
In 2004, the new Eberron campaign setting introduced drow in a world where Lolth doesn't exist; various drow societies were then explored in more detail in Secrets of Xen'drik (2006). 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).Kestrel, Gwendolyn F.M. Monster Manual IV (Wizards of the Coast, 2006) The deepwyrm drow is presented as a player character race in Dragon Magic (2006).Stephens, Own K.C. and Rodney Thompson; Dragon Magic (Wizards of the Coast, 2006).