Half-Drow (4e Race)

Half-Drow
Summary::The unfortunate offspring of the drow.

Half-drow are the unlucky descendants of Drow|drow]] and other races, combining the strengths of both drow and another race.

Play a half-drow if you want...
 * To be an unlikely hero trying to escape her origins.
 * To be a character with the strengths of the drow and another race.
 * To be a member of a race that favours the warlock, arachnomancer, and cleric classes.

Physical Qualities


Half-drow are more like their Drow|drow]] parent than their non-drow parent in appearence, although they may have the features of their non-drow parent, so a half-drow, half dwarf might be shorter than a drow would usually be.

Half-drow among Lolth-worshipping societies try to disguise themselves as Drow|drow]] so they can hold power, while elsewhere, they try to put as much distance between them and their drow heritage.

Half-drow mature at a variable rate depending on the non-drow parent. Generally, half-drow mature faster than Elf|elves]] and then at the same rate once mature, but this can vary greatly. Like drow, half-drow are noticeably more fertile than elves, with a shorter gestation period. Half-drow are known to have both a higher birth and death rate than elves (although due to the lower population, the actual number of births is much less).

Playing a Half-Drow
As the offspring of a drow and one of another race, half drow find it hard to fit in. As they belong neither to the drow nor to those of their other parent's race they have no home in a hostile world. To the drow, half-drow are the weak children of an "inferior" race, and to those on the surface they may as well be drow. Most cannot tell the difference between a drow and a half drow, and half-drow are simply considered to be too much like drow to be trusted.

Half-drow who live in the underdark can, if they are skilled, pass themselves off as drow. Such half-drow can hold status and power within drow society. Those that are discovered are destroyed by the priestesses of Lolth in punishment of their weakness, but Lolth allows those that succeed in their deceit to survive, for it is a sign of strength.

Half-drow are rarely accepted on the surface. A half-drow can, however, prove with their skill, bravery and determination that they are not like the drow, and thus can win acceptance on the surface. Many half-drow adventure for just this purpose; to prove their worth.

Half-drow, contrary to their drow heritage, are more often good than evil. They are not accepted among the drow people of their parent, and their non-drow heritage helps them to realise that the tennets the drow follow are lies, which, in turn, leads them to abandon the ways of drow.

Half-Drow Characteristics: Wild, agile, adaptable, resented, mysterious, self-reliant.

Names: Either typical drow names or typical names of their non-drow parent.

Half-Drow Adventurers
Three sample half-drow are described below.

Alek is a half-drow half-human warlock. Alek was born in a drow city, his mother being a drow. Alek did not realise his heritage until he was fully grown, when his mother noticed his inability to use darkfire, an innate drow ability. Disgusted at his weakness, she attempted to have him assassinated. Alek escaped and fled to the surface. Now he leads adventuring parties into the underdark, and one day hopes to have his revenge against his mother.

Lualeth is a female half-drow cleric of Lolth. She grew up fully knowing her heritage. Her mother only allowed her to survive in because she was a useful asset. Lualeth was, however, discontent; her mother used the truth to force Lualeth to do what she wished, and Lualeth did not enjoy following orders, so she murdered her mother and took her place, and her power. Now she is contunuing her path through the curch of lolth, and she will not stop until she reaches the top.

Xira, a half-drow arachnomancer, has never been welcome among anyone; she is hated for her ancestry among both drow and non-drow. Seeking a home, she introduced herself into a colony of monstrous spiders, and has, through much struggling, imposed herself as the colony’s leader. Now she leads her colony in a covert attack to destroy the drow who cast her out of their society.