In my homebrew campaign setting of Moonsea (See the Campaign Journal if you’re interested; I just added our most recent session and figured out how the dropdown menus work), Drow aren’t really all that bad. They’re just another subrace of Elves, one that lives in the deep jungles of Dhathan. Perhaps they were something else, once, but if so that was long ago.
Wood Elves are fairly similar to the Wood Elves described in the PHB, but there are a few key differences, including a greater affinity with animals.
Wild Elves are even more closely entwined with the animals of the forest, even being able to speak their language. However, they do have a few… cultural values that more civilized races have difficulty understanding. Yes, I know I’ve posted them before, but this time I’ve added a picture.
Drow
Drow are wild elves, akin to sylvan or wood elves, but descended from an earlier subrace of dark-skinned elves. More primitive than other elves, they lead lives apart from civilized beings, deep in wild jungles.
Also called dark elves, the drow have black skin that resembles polished obsidian and stark white or pale yellow hair. They commonly have very pale eyes (so pale as to be mistaken for white) in shades of lilac, silver, pink, red, and blue. They tend to be smaller and thinner than most elves- they rarely top 5’4″-, letting them easily slip through tangles of underbrush that would stop or slow down larger beings. Their small size and light weight also make climbing trees easy for them.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Drow Magic. You know the dancing lights cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the faerie fire spell once per day. When you reach 5th level you can also cast the invisibility spell once per day. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for the spell.
Life in the Trees. Climbing doesn’t halve your speed.
Bestowed by Silvanus. The drow have great knowledge of the jungles that they call home. You have proficiency in Nature.
Drow Weapon Training. You are proficient with shortbows, longbows, daggers and blowguns.
Wood Elves
As a wood elf, you have keen senses and intuition, and your feet carry you swiftly and silently through your native forests. You are just as quick-witted as you are quick-limbed.
Wood elves are shorter than most other elves and men- about 5’ on average-, and have a frail, delicate build, but they are quite agile, and have an affinity of sorts with wild animals.
Wood elves’ skin tends to be coppery in hue, sometimes with traces of green. Their hair tends toward browns and blacks, but it is occasionally blond or copper-colored. Their eyes are green, brown, or hazel.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the dagger, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.
Fleet of Foot. Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet.
Mask of the Wild. You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena.
Nature’s Gift. You gain proficiency with Animal Handling. In addition, animals of the natural world are friendly towards you and your companions, so long as you do not threaten them and they are not overly hungry. They are willing to do small tasks for you, though nothing that would endanger them or their offspring.
Wild Elves
Wild elves are a far older race than Wood Elves, for the Wild Elves are descended from the first of the ancient Fae to emerge into the mortal world. The Wild Elves live deep in untamed jungles, and have a simple lifestyle, in tune with nature. However, some younger Wild Elves, wishing to know more about the world, emerge into the outer world and are often mistaken for Halflings or Venthel. They have spiky, wild hair in shades of green, blond, silver, or red; large almond-shaped eyes in turquoise, hazel, or emerald-green; and skin with a faint greenish cast. They are adventurous and mischievous, and can’t abide the sight of caged animals. They’re also ritual cannibals, and believe the soul is housed in the throat (if you can’t talk, you must be dead), but hey; nobody’s perfect.
Size: Small. They max out at 3’ 6 in height.
Ability Score Adjustment: Your Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma scores increase by 1, but your Intelligence and Wisdom scores decrease by 1.
Forest Bond: You gain a +2 bonus to AC in forest and jungle environments (due to ability to dodge behind trees, etc.)
Bite: You have an unarmed bite attack that deals 1d4 piercing damage.
Languages: You can speak Elven, Animal, and Sylvan.
Per Anpw 