Drow of the Underdark

Drow of the Underdark
Cover of Drow of the Underdark
Author(s)	Ari Marmell, Anthony Pryor, Robert J. Schwalb, and Greg A. Vaughan
Genre(s)	Role-playing game
Publisher	Wizards of the Coast
Publication date	May 2007
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	224
ISBN	978-0-7869-4151-3
OCLC Number	126839306
LC Classification	MLCM 2007/44945 (G)

Drow of the Underdark is the name of two supplemental rules books for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, providing supplementary game rules focusing on drow culture, equipment and folklore for both players and Dungeon Masters.

Second edition

The 2nd edition "The Drow of the Underdark" book was written by Ed Greenwood in 1991, and focuses primarily on the drow of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.^[1] The book features cover art by Jeff Easley, and interior art by Tim Bradstreet and Rick Harris.

This book details the nature of dark elves, dark elven society, drow religion (including Eilistraee, Ghuanadar/The Elder Elemental God, Lolth, and Vhaeraun), the high history of the drow, drow spells, drow magical items, drow craftwork, drow languages, drow nomenclature, and dark elven runes. This book also details the Underdark of the Forgotten Realms, as well as several monsters of the Underdark (including the myrlochar and the yochlol).

Third edition

The 3rd edition Drow of the Underdark is not tied to any specific campaign setting. The book's format and contents are similar to that of Draconomicon, Libris Mortis, and Lords of Madness.

Although primarily intended for DM use,^[2] players can use information from the book to play as a drow character or half-drow character, as well as to fight against drow, or to adventure in the Underdark in general.

This book was designed by Robert J. Schwalb, Ari Marmell, Anthony Pryor, and Greg A. Vaughan. It features cover art by Francis Tsai, and interior art by Steve Ellis, Wayne England, Lars Grant-West, Tomas Giorello, Jackoilrain, William O'Connor, Richard Sardinha, Beth Trott, Francis Tsai, Franz Vohwinkel, Eva Widermann, and James Zhang.^[3]

Contents

"All About Drow"

The first chapter contains general information about drow and contains few rules other than drow racial traits. A guide to drow names and their meanings is also included.

"Drow Options"

This chapter contains new uses for various skills, new feats (including general, metamagic, ambush, divine, vile, and weapon style feats), alternate class features for many classes, and new spells and invocations (some of which require the user to be a drow).

"Prestige Classes"

New prestige classes in this chapter include Arachnomancer, Cavestalker, Demonbinder, Dread Fang of Lolth Eye of Lolth, Insidious Corrupter, and Kinslayer. Each prestige class also contains a sample NPC ready for quick use.

"Drow Equipment"

This chapter contains new mundane, alchemical, and magic items, along with poisons, magic-infused poisons, and artifacts

"New Monsters and NPCs"

Numerous new monsters are presented in Drow of the Underdark, including the deep dragon, trolls, goblins, and draegloth. There are also numerous ready-to-use drow NPC statistics, both for "generic" NPCs (such as "drow slaver") and "specific" NPCs (like Xil'Etha Dhuvvaryl). Statistics for one monster, the vril, were accidentally left out of the book.^[4]

See also

• Plot and Poison: A Guidebook to Drow was released in 2002 by Green Ronin Publishing.
• Underdark is a supplement to the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, released in 2003 by Wizards of the Coast.
• The Second Darkness Adventure Path, an Adventure Path centered around drow by Paizo Publishing in 2008 and 2009.

References

1. ^ Greenwood, Ed. Drow of the Underdark (TSR, 1991)
2. ^ Drow of the Underdark, page 5.
3. ^ Schwalb, Robert J., Ari Marmell, Anthony Pryor, and Greg A. Vaughan. Drow of the Underdark (Wizards of the Coast, 2007)
4. ^ Drow of the Underdark Official Errata.