Since I first discovered the Drow in my AD&D Second Edition days I have always felt like they are just dripping with role play opportunities, had a rich society, and there was all kinds of room for shenanigans. Regardless of how I felt there is three main problems that have always plagued the Drow.
One was the fact that they became the default monster that lurks in the underdark and one of the earliest campaigns ended in the climax if killing their Goddess Lolth and all of the Forgotten Realms meta didnt help this situation. This in turn became how they were used across the board by GMs, the whole ye olde evil for evils sake axiom. Their fluff is amazing but felt flat in execution according to RAW.
The second issue is that part of their society (as rich as it is with their history, etc) simply does not make sense. How can a powerful and socially advanced society survive with constant civil war, assassinations, cold wars, betrayals, and games of thrones? The truth is it can't and the Sith (even the suffer from some of the same problems) showed us why which led to The Rule of Two.
The third issue is they have always been a bit of a mess mechanically. They were either to powerful compared to baseline races (balance is an illusion) or handicapped by sensitivity to light and the means to help compensate for this were priced so high that they were out of reach for beginning characters (which didnt make sense because they would have developed a easy way to protect their eyes (like Riddick) that didnt require an obscene magical item). This reminds me, the whole light sensitivity weakness never set well with me becuase the Drow do not exist in a vacuum - they arnt the creatures from The Decent. If you must, then reread above.
I have watched each edition of DnD, various indie game, and third party publishers fail the Drow. Pathfinder and 5th Edition where my last hope but once again, they let the Drow and me down. R.A. Salvatore's work regarding The Dark Elf That Shall Not be Named addressed some problems and have given the general public the hope that the Drow can be viable PC options. True to history, R.A. Salvatore's work did not go far enough and fell into the same problems.
So, after DnD 5th edition, I went to work putting together all of the good stuff, reading between the lines, and a fair amount of social studies.
Here is how I have fixed the main problems and how envision/run them. I think it really brings then up to their true potential.
The problems of the monster that lurks in the Underdark and the problems of their society are solved treating/using/making them like The Romulan Empire.
Finally, for the Mechanics:
Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition*
Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma Score increases by 1.
Darkvision: Your darkvision has a range of 60ft.
Innate Magic: You know the dancing lights cantrip. At 3rd level you can cast Farie Fire once per day and at 5th level you can cast Darkness once per day. Charisma is your spellcasting ability.
Drow Weapon Training: You have proficiency with rapiers, short swords, and hand crossbows.
*I reduced their darkvision to 60ft and eliminated their light sensitivity.
Pathfinder*
+2 Dexterity, –2 Constitution: Drow are nimble.
*I get rid of the +2 bonus to Charisma and light sensitivity. If your GM won't allow this, there is a racial trait that gets rid of dark vision and light sensitivity which it replaces with low light vision. A Drow without darkvision really starts messing with some of the core themes but salt to taste.
Basic Fantasy*
Restrictions: They can be Clerics, Fighters, Magic Users, or Thieves (and Rangers if that option is used). They can also muti-class to fighter/Magic User or Fighter/Thief. Their Intelligence must be 9. May not have a Constitution higher then 17 and their Hit Dice can never be higher then a d6.
Special Abilities: Darkvision 60ft, find secret doots on 1-2 with a d6 roll, they are immune to the paralyzing effect of ghouls, are trained in poison use, and are only surprised on a 1 in d6 chance. They can cast the following spells once per day and the spells are gained at the listed levels:
1-3: A variation of the light spell that can only be used to cast light and dark. It can can be used to create an small lights can be moved around to attach to an outline of an invisible creature.
4: Detect Magic
6: ESP
8: Levitate, Clairvoyance
10: Dispel Magic
Light Sensitivity: If exposed to bright daylight or an related spell they are blinded unless they have a day to adjust. If they were fighting within torchlight or a similar light effect they suffer a -2 penalty to hit unless they have 30 minutes to adjust to it. Spending time in the Underdark without said light resets the adjustment.
Equipment (Mostly for GM info in regards to Encounters): Their metallic items are crafted with a dark strange metal that is non magical but grants a +1 bonus non magical (high levels can have a +2 or +3). If they Elves are away from their homeland for more then a month then the metal starts to erode and lose its effectiveness at on point per week and once the bonus is gone the weapon or armor becomes a useless pile of rusted scrap metal. If they are exposed to sunlight, the bonus loss happens every week.
They are also known to use a two limb crossbow that are treated as a light crossbow but can fire both shots in the same round or one each round before needed to be reloaded. A small hand cross bow (20/40/60) that fires small darts that deal 2 points of damage, but these are usually coated in poison. Some even posses a hand cranked (cranked one handed) one handed crossbow that allow a high rate of fire (40/60/80) of 2 shots per round until the 6 shot magazine is spent (which takes a round to reload).
They are also known to possess boots and cloaks of Elvenkind. Ther coals also grant a +1 protection bonus to armor class. If these are exposed to sunlight, within a day they become faded whisps of white cloth and are useless.
*Credit where credit is due. This takes the Elf race found from Basic Fantasy and includes the information presented about Drow/Dark Elves in The Saga of the Giants adventure. I kept the light sensitivity because of theme and the fact that there is a way to negate the effects that is clever and does not require some obscene magic item or get rid their ability to see in the dark entirely.
This leaves us with a "Player Handbook" that looks something like this:
Drow are extremely loyal and civilized to other Drow. They believe that they are the master race destined to rule over all others, and this instills them with an innate sense of cold-hearted camaraderie. Their true darkness comes out in their treatment of lesser races (i.e, everyone who is not a Drow, including other elves). That is not to say that there is not political infighting amongst Drow families/noble houses. There is a great deal of that. However, it is mainly through alliance building and gaining and losing influence through successful (or unsuccessful) hegemonic ventures. Drow rarely murder one another, or order assassinations of their rivals. It is so much more satisfying and delicious to watch a rival be humiliated amongst her peers in the political arena through failure than it is to murder her. After all, if you kill her, the fun ends.
That is not to say that Drow do not kill one another. But those Drow who have been found to have committed crimes within Drow society (such as killing a fellow Drow, betraying the location of Drow fortifications in the Darklands, etc.) are punished with brutal finality. They are either transformed into Driders, to forever mark them as the shameful beasts that they are, or they are tortured and killed. But generally, the Drow view the lives of other Drow as being far too valuable to just throw away.
Even though they think of themselves above other races and their society may seem cruel and twisted to outsiders they know and understand the importance of allies and treaties that wax and wane with below and above world organizations. There is even some established trade...
Thus, they are a culture of cruel and ruthless pragmatists. They see the value of order, stability and discipline, but they frown upon rigidity and the idea of "honor" makes absolutely no sense to them. They appreciate flexibility of thought and action, but despise disorder and capriciousness, because that can lead to strategic losses that the Drow cannot afford. Giving in to one's passions is just as weak and stupid to a Drow as standing by one's word of honor when there is no reason to. As a result of their pragmatic views, Drow happily worship Lolth and all manner of dark Gods, Devils, Demons and Daemons. Whatever being can help advance the cause of the Drow by making the correct propitiations, that is the being the Drow will worship. They are many Drow that forge their own paths but never enough to help fix their dark reputation.
That is not to say that Drow do not kill one another. But those Drow who have been found to have committed crimes within Drow society (such as killing a fellow Drow, betraying the location of Drow fortifications in the Darklands, etc.) are punished with brutal finality. They are either transformed into Driders, to forever mark them as the shameful beasts that they are, or they are tortured and killed. But generally, the Drow view the lives of other Drow as being far too valuable to just throw away.
Even though they think of themselves above other races and their society may seem cruel and twisted to outsiders they know and understand the importance of allies and treaties that wax and wane with below and above world organizations. There is even some established trade...
Thus, they are a culture of cruel and ruthless pragmatists. They see the value of order, stability and discipline, but they frown upon rigidity and the idea of "honor" makes absolutely no sense to them. They appreciate flexibility of thought and action, but despise disorder and capriciousness, because that can lead to strategic losses that the Drow cannot afford. Giving in to one's passions is just as weak and stupid to a Drow as standing by one's word of honor when there is no reason to. As a result of their pragmatic views, Drow happily worship Lolth and all manner of dark Gods, Devils, Demons and Daemons. Whatever being can help advance the cause of the Drow by making the correct propitiations, that is the being the Drow will worship. They are many Drow that forge their own paths but never enough to help fix their dark reputation.
Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition*
Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma Score increases by 1.
Darkvision: Your darkvision has a range of 60ft.
Innate Magic: You know the dancing lights cantrip. At 3rd level you can cast Farie Fire once per day and at 5th level you can cast Darkness once per day. Charisma is your spellcasting ability.
Drow Weapon Training: You have proficiency with rapiers, short swords, and hand crossbows.
*I reduced their darkvision to 60ft and eliminated their light sensitivity.
Pathfinder*
+2 Dexterity, –2 Constitution: Drow are nimble.
Elf: Drow are humanoids with the elf subtype.
Medium: Drow are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Drow have a base speed of 30 feet.
Darkvision: Drow can see in the dark up to 120 feet.
Drow Immunities: Drow are immune to magic sleep effects and gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells and effects.
Keen Senses: Drow gain a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks.
Poison Use: Drow are skilled in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves.
Spell Resistance: Drow possess spell resistance equal to 6 plus their class levels.
Spell-Like Abilities: A drow can cast dancing lights, darkness, and faerie fire, once each per day, using her total character level as her caster level.
Weapon Familiarity: Drow are proficient with the hand crossbow, rapier, and short sword.
Languages: Drow begin play speaking Elven and Undercommon. Drow with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following languages: Abyssal, Aklo, Aquan, Common, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Gnome, or Goblin.*I get rid of the +2 bonus to Charisma and light sensitivity. If your GM won't allow this, there is a racial trait that gets rid of dark vision and light sensitivity which it replaces with low light vision. A Drow without darkvision really starts messing with some of the core themes but salt to taste.
Basic Fantasy*
Restrictions: They can be Clerics, Fighters, Magic Users, or Thieves (and Rangers if that option is used). They can also muti-class to fighter/Magic User or Fighter/Thief. Their Intelligence must be 9. May not have a Constitution higher then 17 and their Hit Dice can never be higher then a d6.
Special Abilities: Darkvision 60ft, find secret doots on 1-2 with a d6 roll, they are immune to the paralyzing effect of ghouls, are trained in poison use, and are only surprised on a 1 in d6 chance. They can cast the following spells once per day and the spells are gained at the listed levels:
1-3: A variation of the light spell that can only be used to cast light and dark. It can can be used to create an small lights can be moved around to attach to an outline of an invisible creature.
4: Detect Magic
6: ESP
8: Levitate, Clairvoyance
10: Dispel Magic
Light Sensitivity: If exposed to bright daylight or an related spell they are blinded unless they have a day to adjust. If they were fighting within torchlight or a similar light effect they suffer a -2 penalty to hit unless they have 30 minutes to adjust to it. Spending time in the Underdark without said light resets the adjustment.
Equipment (Mostly for GM info in regards to Encounters): Their metallic items are crafted with a dark strange metal that is non magical but grants a +1 bonus non magical (high levels can have a +2 or +3). If they Elves are away from their homeland for more then a month then the metal starts to erode and lose its effectiveness at on point per week and once the bonus is gone the weapon or armor becomes a useless pile of rusted scrap metal. If they are exposed to sunlight, the bonus loss happens every week.
They are also known to use a two limb crossbow that are treated as a light crossbow but can fire both shots in the same round or one each round before needed to be reloaded. A small hand cross bow (20/40/60) that fires small darts that deal 2 points of damage, but these are usually coated in poison. Some even posses a hand cranked (cranked one handed) one handed crossbow that allow a high rate of fire (40/60/80) of 2 shots per round until the 6 shot magazine is spent (which takes a round to reload).
They are also known to possess boots and cloaks of Elvenkind. Ther coals also grant a +1 protection bonus to armor class. If these are exposed to sunlight, within a day they become faded whisps of white cloth and are useless.
*Credit where credit is due. This takes the Elf race found from Basic Fantasy and includes the information presented about Drow/Dark Elves in The Saga of the Giants adventure. I kept the light sensitivity because of theme and the fact that there is a way to negate the effects that is clever and does not require some obscene magic item or get rid their ability to see in the dark entirely.
One final and important note that I want to make about all PC and NPC Drow in regards to the knowledge about their cruel society and their dark reputation is that generic social interaction should be difficult. They should be treated with mistrust and some fear. I would suggest such things as NPCs charging them extra for goods and services, taverns making them sleep out in the stables or refusing to serve them entirely (think how droids are treated in Star Wars), refuse to talk or to do business with them, and make them work harder in social interactions. But whatever you do, do not impose strict mechanics regarding this and make in a blanket situation a 100% of the time as people will also react to them depending on how the Drow is acting ad well. Also remember that they have waxing and waning alliances and trade in some areas etc.
Funny that you bring up the Star Trek analogy. One thing I see editions of D&D after 1e doing was turning lots of formerly "evil" races into playable PC races and cultures just like later versions of Star Trek rehabilitated Romulans, etc. For me personally, this was just "too PC," pun intended. I generally like to keep my evil races evil. But you do make some good points about inconsistencies in both fluff and mechanics.
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