Sword Dancers are elite priests of Eilistraee, the Dark Maiden, blessed with the ability to channel Eilistraee's power in an unique way - through the so-called Spellsong. They are mostly female drow, elves and half-elves, although males are allowed to become Darksong Knights too. While there is no official hierarchy amongst the followers of Eilistraee, Sword Dancers often are considered to be the most powerful ones, especially when it comes to combat.

Becoming a Sword Dancer is a difficult endeavour, as it requires both rigid following of rules such as having been on the surface for long enough, regularly performing rituals, singing and dancing each night in the moon's light to receive Eilistraee's blessings, and a great amount of training, far more than what is required for other orders of followers of Eilistraee.  A Sword Dancer is not just a master of combat, they are masters of the arts of song and dance too, they are fit acrobats and skilled diplomats.

Unlike the fairly narrowly specialiced orders of Silverhair Knights and Darksong Knights, Sword Dancers perform a broad spectrum of activities. They fight as warriors for Eilistraee on missions both on the surface and in the underdark, they use their diplomatic skills to promote harmony between drow and other races and to generally improve the acceptance of surface drow, and they aid the local population by supplying them with food, water and by curing curses and diseases to establish friendships and a place where drow can live on the surface world.

Eilistraee's Front. Sword Dancers usually lead and fight at the frontline of missions to to free other drow from Lolth's web, to bring them out of the underdark, to the surface world. Sword Dancers usually fight in groups to make full use of their Spellsong, lone Sword Dancers usually avoid fighting until they can gather some allies - although even a lone Sword Dancer is a force to be reckoned with. On missions in the underdark, Sword Dancers usually are accompanied by Silverhair Knights and Darksong Knights, who are specialiced on redeeming drow and hunting down Lolth's demonic servants respectively.

Wielders of the Singing Swords. Each Sword Dancer wields a sword, which by itself gives off a faint singing while drawn, echoing the Sword Dancer's own song. These swords, known as singing swords, are blessed by Eilistraee and bear powerful magic within them. However, only a skilled Sword Dancer capable of properly combining swordplay, song and dance on the battlefield, which by itself requires countless of hours of training, can awaken the sword's magic: the Sword Dancer's mind becomes shielded from any spells and other effects that would negatively affect it and the accuracy of the Sword Dancer's strikes reaches levels beyond imagination, even the toughest armor is sliced through like butter and even the most elusive enemy is caught by the sword's blade.

Moonlight Missiles. The magic missile spell, bestowed upon them by Eilistraee in a version that creates missiles of pure, silvery moonlight, has a special value for Sword Dancers, as they have learned to incorporate it into their performances in various ways, making it a highly efficient tool in combat. When cast on their own sword, it causes white and blue flames to erupt from the blade empowering the strike, when cast in the sky, the missiles combine into a ray of moonlight, and when the missiles wave and twirl around a dancing Sword Dancer like little lights of moonfire, they protect the Sword Dancer from attacks.

Spellsong. Sword Dancers are capable of using a special kind of magic known as the Spellsong.  By singing, they can focus on their magic even in the midst of combat, being able to cast spells of up to 4th level and incorporate them seamlessly into their dance-like fighting style.

However, what truly makes the Spellsong unique is the fact that multiple Sword Dancers can sing together as a choir to cast spells of much greater power. Combining their voices does not only result in a beautiful piece of music, it also results in great feats of healing and resurrection - or in devastation on the battlefield.

Spellsong Choir Spells

If at least three Sword Dancers are within 60 feet of each other, they all have access to the following additional spells and spell slots. These spells do not require material components, but they always require verbal components when cast by Sword Dancers, even if they usually don't. The Sword Dancers share these spell slots amongst themselves and can also use them to upcast their own spells:

• 5th level (3 slots): circle of power, greater restoration, mass cure wounds, wall of light
• 6th level (2 slots): blade barrier, Fizban's platinum shield, heal, true seeing
• 7th level (2 slots): regenerate, resurrection, temple of the gods
• 8th level (1 slot): glibness, sunburst, holy aura
• 9th level (1 slot): blade of disaster, mass heal, true resurrection

If there are at least six Sword Dancers within 60 feet of each other, the number of spell slots shared between them is doubled.

The spell save DC for spells cast by a choir of spellsinging Sword Dancers increases by 1 for every three Sword Dancers that are part of the choir.

If at least three Sword Dancers are fighting together, they can, at initiative order 20, losing initiative ties, take one of the following lair actions, provided they are within 60 feet of each other and are not deafened or otherwise unable to hear each other. They cannot take the same action two times in a row:

• Choir of  Valour.  The Sword Dancers sing a song of war and victory and flourish their blades, intimidating their foes and bolstering their allies. All creatures of the Sword Dancers' choice within 30 feet of at least one Sword Dancer either are under the effect of a bless spell for the next minute if they are friendly, or must make a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for one minute if they are foes. A frightened creature can repeat its saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Once the effect ends or a creature saves against it, it cannot be affected again for 24 hours.
  
• Song of Magic. The Sword Dancers cast one of their spells with a casting time of one action.
  
• Ode of Moonlight. The Sword Dancers sing to the sky, calling down Eilistraee's moonlight. For the next minute, the area within 20 feet of each Sword Dancer is dimly lit, dispelling any magical darkness, the Sword Dancer gains 20 temporary hit points and a flying speed equal to its walking speed.
• Symphony of Swords. Each Sword Dancer summons a spectral sword carved of moonlight within 60 feet of them and makes a melee spell attack, +12 to hit, with it. The sword deals radiant damage, its damage is a number of d8s equal to the number of Sword Dancers taking part in this lair action, plus the Sword Dancer's Charisma modifier.