Homebrew Half-Elf Drow Species Details

To humans, half-elves look like elves, and to elves, they look human. In height, they’re on par with both parents, though they’re neither as slender as elves nor as broad as humans. They range from under 5 feet to about 6 feet tall, and from 100 to 180 pounds, with men only slightly taller and heavier than women. Half-elf men do have facial hair, and sometimes grow beards to mask their elven ancestry. Half-elven coloration and features lie somewhere between their human and elf parents and thus show a variety even more pronounced than that found among either race. They tend to have the eyes of their elven parents.

Even in the Undercommon Lands, Half-Drow are rare and generally seen as aberrant to society. Some will try to adopt affectations to pass more easily in Drow societies and others will go as far as to mutilate themselves to pass among humans. Some half-elves live among humans, set apart by their emotional and physical differences, watching friends and loved ones age while time barely touches them. Others live with the elves, growing restless as they reach adulthood in the timeless elven realms, while their peers continue to live as children. Many half-elves, unable to fit into either society, choose lives of solitary wandering or join with other misfits and outcasts in the adventuring life.

Half-elves use either human or Drowish naming conventions, depending on which society they are raised in.

Half-Elf Drow Traits

Your half-elf character has some qualities in common with elves and some that are unique to half-elves.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2, and two other ability scores of your choice increase by 1.

Age

Half-elves mature at the same rate humans do and reach adulthood around the age of 20. They live much longer than humans, however, often exceeding 180 years.

Alignment

Half-elves share the chaotic bent of their elven heritage. They value both personal freedom and creative expression, demonstrating neither love of leaders nor desire for followers. They chafe at rules, resent others’ demands, and sometimes prove unreliable, or at least unpredictable.

Size

Half-elves are about the same size as humans, ranging from 5 to 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Superior Darkvision

Thanks to your Drow blood, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness past 60 feet, only shades of gray.

Fey Ancestry

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Skill Versatility

You gain proficiency in two skills of your choice.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Elvish, and one extra language of your choice.

Sunlight Sensitivity

You have disadvantage on ranged attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when the target of your attack or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.

Drow Magic

You know the dancing lights cantrip. When you reach 4th level, you can cast the faerie fire spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 6th level, you can cast the darkness spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.