In the captivating world of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dungeons & Dragons, Half-Elves enjoy a celebrated status as one of the strongesꩵt species, with their features blending the adaptability of their human lineage with the refined senses of their elven parentage. Yet, this mixed heritage often leaves them in a limbo of identity, caught in the balance between two cultures without fully belonging to either.

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This dichotomy is further intensified for Half-Drow, as they grapple with the weighty and dark legacy of their Drow ancestry. With some thoughtful character-building, however, playing a Half-Drow can yield a captivating narrative arc despi🎐te these challenges, all while capitalizing on the potent features of their heritage.

About The Drow And Half-Drow

Dungeons & Dragons - Three drow sneak down the docks at night
Bregan D’aerthe by Sidharth Chaturvedi

History Of The Drow

The Drow, also known as Dark Elves, have a fascinating yet brutal history. After their ancestors' transgressions, they were cast into the Underdark, an expansive network of subterranean caverns and tunnels, and ওsince then, they have evolved independently of surface elves.

They are typically characterized by dark gray or purple skin and white hair, ♏giving them a unique, striking appearance compared to surface elves.

The Drow predominantly reside in the city of Menzoberranzan and lead a matriarchal and theocratic society that worships Lolth, the Spider Queen, under a strict social hierarchy. Their culture emphasizes cunning and deceit, and they view the surface world with contempt, believing their banishment unjustified.

This bitterness manifests in frequent surface raids, which often result in the ransacking of village༒s, loss of life, blood sacrifices, and the enslavement of survivors.

As a result, many surfacers fear and disdain the Drow, leading to extrem🍸ely high tensions between the two.

Naturally, there exists Drow who renounce Lolth, seeking paths of goodness—sometimes under the guidance of gods like Eilistraee and the Seldarine.

These escapees usually settle in forests or large cities like Waterdeep. Unfortunately, their attempts at integration are often rebuffed due to prevailing surfacer prejudices against all Drow.

Elves and Drow Fighting
Elves and Drow Fighting via Wizards of the Coast

History Of The Half-Drow

The Half-Drow, offspring of a Drow and a human, often face extraordinary challenges.

Many come into the world under tragic circumstances. Some, however, are born from happy unions between surface-dwelling Drow escapees and humans, allowing for a wide range of possible backgrounds and backstories.

They wrestle with the same identity issues as Half-Elves, finding it difficult to fully assimilate into either human or Drow societies. This sense of displacement is amplified by the mutual animosity between the twཧo species, with both humans and ꦇDrow finding such unions reprehensible.

Though Half-Drow face societal prejudice, they also inherit an intriguing mix of traits from their parent races. They possess human versatility, the Fey Ancestry of the elves, and the Drow's innate spellcasting abilities. Their dual heritage, as well as internal and external conflicts, set the stage for characters that are unique, both narratively and mechanically.

They usually bear the physical characteristics of both races—human-like stature, skin tinged with purple or gray, and the typically white hai♌r of the Drow.

Half-Drow Species Features

D&D creatures including drow kenku goblin and mindflayer
Dungeons and Dragons: Campaign Case Creatures, via Wizards Of The Coast
  • Ability Scores

    • Cha +2; Choose any other two unique +1

As a demonstration of the versatility from their human lineage, Half-Drow get +4 Ability Score increases from their species, unlike the +ꩵ2 or 🐟+3 that most other species get.

This is a great feature all around and especially synergizes with any particularly Multi-Attribute Dependent (MAD) classes or builds, such as the Paladin or Monk.

  • Darkvision

    • Thanks to your elf blood, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions.

    • You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

While the Drow possess superior darkvision, humans lack darkvision altogether—it makes sense, then, that Half-Drow have normal darkvision.

Darkvision is not a particularly uncommon or flashy feature, but it can certainly give your character an edge in low-light settings, like dungeons and caves.

  • Fey Ancestry

    • You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.

This feature grants Half-Drow the elven advantage against being charmed and immunity to magical sleep.

This is, again, a solid feature that makes them especially resilient against spellcasters and fey.

Half-Elf (Drow Descent) Variant Features

  • Skill Versatility.

  • You gain proficiency i🎃n two skills of your choice.

With this trait, Half-Drow can choose two additional proficiencies, again showcasing their human heritage.

This option is excellent in general, but especially for "skill-monkey" builds (such as a Rogue or Bard) and allows you to complement your party by covering various skill gaps.

  • Drow Magic

    • You know the Dancing Lights cantrip.

    • When you reach third level, you can cast the Faerie Fire spell once per day; you must finish a long rest in order to cast the spell again using this trait.

    • When you reach fifth level, you can also cast the Darkness spell once per day; you must finish a long rest in order to cast the spell again using this trait.

    • Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

As a vestige from your Drow blood, your species features boast some very usefu⭕l spel🅘ls.

Dancing Lights negates perception disadvantages from dim light and can greatly help party members without darkvision. Faerie Fire can turn the tide of combat by granting advantage against several grouped enemies, and can reveal invisible creatures that may otherwise be deadly to lower🌼-level pa🅰rties.

Darkness can be tricky to use, as it'll blind both your allies and enemies, but can be situationally useful, such as to offer cover for an escaping party.

Half-Drow Class Options

Dungeons & Dragons - Drow Avoids Chair Swung By Tiefling during a tavern brawl
Brawl At The Yawning Portal Tavern by Scott Murphy

The Half-Drow's unique features give them synergy with a handful of classes that greatly complement their versatility and spell-casting abilities:

Classes

Benefit

Paladin and Monk

  • These classes are notoriously multi-attribute dependent (Charisma / Strength for Paladins, and Dexterity / Wisdom for Monks), and the extra ability scores from Half-Drow help compensate for their requirements.

  • Paladins especially benefit from the extra Charisma.

Bard and Rogue

  • Both of these classes often become skill-monkeys or faces of the party, which are both roles complemented by the extra skill proficiencies provided by Half-Drow.

  • Bards particularly benefit from the extra Charisma, and they can take advantage of the support spell Faerie Fire.

Sorcerer and Warlock

  • Half-Drow's additional Charisma is highly valuable for charisma-based spellcasters like Sorcerers and Warlocks.

  • The innate spellcasting ability also scale with their primary spellcasting ability.

  • The advantage from Faerie Fire is an excellent asset for a blaster or striker spellcasting build, such as an Eldritch Blast Warlock.

Designing a character with imperfections or unique quirks can often be more fun and rewarding. The Half-Drow's features are also versatile enough that no class would be completely useless for thဣem.

Half-Drow Feat Options

Drow jumps into battle
Drizzt Do'Urden by Tyler Jacobson 

Feats offer excellent opportunities to enhance your character's flavor, and there are plenty of options that complement the already-unique dispositions of the Half-Drow.

Feat

Benefit

Skilled / Skill Expert

  • Extra proficiencies and expertise complement the Half Drow's versatility in ability scores and skills.

War Caster

  • Advantage on concentration checks helps maintain the spells from your innate spellcasting— all of which are concentration.

Eldritch Invocation - Devil's Sight

  • A powerful—albeit slightly selfish—feat for building around your Darkness spell, enabling you to see on the battlefield while no one else can.

Alert

  • The boost to initiative ensures you set up on the battlefield with Faerie Fire (and any other supportive spells) before your melee allies get caught up in the area of effect.

Elven Accuracy

  • Exclusive to elves and half-elves, provides the infamous "triple advantage" if you can reliably grant advantage to yourself, such as with spells like Faerie Fire.

Prodigy

  • Only available to species with human lineage, expertise guarantees higher-than-usual rolls and is especially useful for martial PCs who employ grapple or shove builds (Athletics).

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