# What do Drow look like?



## Yaarel (Apr 4, 2014)

What do Drow look like?

Choose all of the physical appearances of the Drow that you feel are possible in settings that you want to use.


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## Yaarel (Apr 4, 2014)

If I could modify the poll, I would add the following options:

VARIATION: Drow appearances can vary by setting (Eberron, Forgotten Realms, Nerath, etc.)
VARIATION: Drow appearances can vary by region (underdark, surface, arctic, tropic, etc.)
VARIATION: Drow appearances never vary (use Monster Manual description only, etc.)

EYE COLOR: yellowish-orangish (amber), orangish (brown), reddish-orangish (fiery), or reddish (crimson)
EYE COLOR: reddish-purplish (pink, magenta), purplish (lavender, amethyst), bluish-purplish, or bluish
EYE COLOR: bluish-greenish (aqua), greenish (emerald), yellowish-greenish (leaf, hazel), or yellowish
EYE COLOR: intense color - brilliant (such as vermilion)
EYE COLOR: subtle color - dusky (such as shadow ruddy brown, grayish copper, or dusty light flesh)
EYE COLOR: blackish (black or very dark)
EYE COLOR: whitish (white or very light)

EYE GLOW: glowing in the dark
EYE GLOW: hidden in the dark

SKIN COLOR: yellowish-orangish (gold), orangish (bronze, brown), reddish-orangish (copper), or reddish
SKIN COLOR: reddish-purplish (magenta), purplish, bluish-purplish (indigo), or bluish
SKIN COLOR: bluish-greenish (cyan), greenish, yellowish-greenish (leaf), or yellowish
SKIN COLOR: blackish (black or very dark)
SKIN COLOR: whitish (white or very light)



SIZE: females and males are the same height, on average

PHYSIQUE: slim, athletically fit, and sexy
PHYSIQUE: bony, gaunt, and alien
PHYSIQUE: human-like

(Likely, these three Physique options represent a normal bell-curve distribution, with most Drow appearing slim, fit and sexy, but ranging from relatively robust like an average human, to gaunt and alien)

PHYSIQUE: stocky, curvacious

FACIAL HAIR, MALE: full beard


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## GX.Sigma (Apr 4, 2014)

It always bugged me that the Drow are described as having skin the color and texture of polished obsidian, but in the art they're always grey or purple. I don't care which one they choose, as long as they choose one!


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## The Human Target (Apr 4, 2014)

GX.Sigma said:


> It always bugged me that the Drow are described as having skin the color and texture of polished obsidian, but in the art they're always grey or purple. I don't care which one they choose, as long as they choose one!




Solid black is really hard to do in print.


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## GX.Sigma (Apr 4, 2014)

The Human Target said:


> Solid black is really hard to do in print.


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## The Human Target (Apr 4, 2014)

Are either of those solid black?


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## Lanefan (Apr 4, 2014)

Another series of options to throw in if a similar poll is ever done again:

USUAL PHYSIQUE (keeping in mind there will be variance between individuals)
 - very thin and bony, almost starved-looking (thinner than elves)
 - slender but not starved (much like elves)
 - much like humans, some flesh on the bones but not overweight
 - heavy-set and-or curvaceous (sort of like tall dark hobbits)
 - very solid and heavy, or fat (similar to dwarves)

An option missing from current poll: there is no choice for "females and males average about the same height", which would have got my vote.

Lan-"but do they taste good with ketchup?"-efan


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## Yaarel (Apr 5, 2014)

Your votes are helping the Drow take shape.

So far...

The essential features of the Drow are:
• Skin is pure black or dark color
• Hair is pure white or pale color
• Ears are pointed but subtle
• Males have no facial hair
• Height is about 5 feet tall on average
• And females are taller than males on average



The shape of the hands and feet seems variable. This is possibly a bell-curve distribution corresponding to physique, with most Drow being slim, fit and sexy but with extremes ranging from human-like robustness to very slim, gaunt, and alien:
• Fingers and toes tend to be long and delicate
• Fingers and toes can be human-like

The luster of the skin seems variable:
• Skin may be matte, soft, and dull, thus blending into the darkness
• Skin may be glossy and polished, thus gleaming like black glass near lightsources

The shape of the eyes seems variable:
• About half of the Drow have eyes that tend toward human-like with iris and pupil
• Eyes may be a solid color with a large iris-sized pupil, adapting to the dark
• Eyes may be a solid color without iris or pupil, exhibiting an otherworldly trait



Optional features may represent setting or regional variants:
• Eye color is purplish, bluish, or greenish
• Eye color is reddish, orangish, or yellowish
• Eye color is pure white or pale color
• Hair color is gray or silvery

Optional features may represent individual variants:
• Eye color is pure black or dark color
• Height reaches about 6 feet tall
• Male grows sideburns
• Pale color hair may have a bluish, purplish, or greenish hue, sometimes the same hue as the eye color



Your votes matter.


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## Yaarel (Apr 5, 2014)

@_*Lanefan*_ . I updated the poll modifications. ‘Gaunt’ should cover the ‘starving’ look.



*DROW SKIN*

Here is a picture of obsidian (volcanic black glass). I suspect digital 3D images can accurately depict what a Drow looks like, who appears as if a statue made out of glossy black glass.




Note, here the warm highlights are a grayish red-purple (magenta).


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## (Psi)SeveredHead (Apr 5, 2014)

For gender size differences, I figured that varies by setting. In FR, the females tend to be larger, but the physically strongest one, Uthegental, is male. (Most male drow are basically "skirmishers", so being really strong isn't favored.)


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## Yaarel (Apr 5, 2014)

*DROW HEIGHT*

Drow are 5 feet 4 inches tall on average, but can reach 6 feet tall. Females are slightly taller on average.

*Average Height:* 5 feet 4 inches
*Range:* 4 feet 7 inches to 6 feet 1 inch

*Random Height:* Base height 4 feet 5 inches + 2d10 inches
*Female:* +1 inch
*Male:* −1 inch



DERIVATION

about 4½ to 5½ feet (12 votes)
about 5½ to 6½ feet (7 votes)

Average height of Drow
= [(5 feet × 12 votes) + (6 feet × 7 votes)] ÷ 19 votes
= [(60 inches × 12 votes) + (72 inches × 7 votes)] ÷ 19 votes
= [(720 inches × votes) + (504 inches × votes)] ÷ 19 votes
= [1224 inches × votes] ÷ 19 votes
≈ 64 inches
≈ 5 feet 4 inches

≈ 164 cm

@(Psi). Gender adjustments are easy to modify per region or setting. The adjustments here allow both genders to be 6 feet at the upper limits.



Many features of the Drow are still blurry. Your votes help bring the Drow more clearly into view.


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## Yaarel (Apr 5, 2014)

*DROW HANDS AND FEET*

The hands of the Drow are about the same size as Human hands. However, the palm of the Drow tends to be smaller, making the fingers seem longer - and more delicate - giving the Drow hand a more ‘spidery’ appearance in comparison. Similarly for Drow feet, the sole tends to be smaller while the toes seem longer and more delicate.



Compare an X-ray of a Human hand. The bone structure of the Drow hand is similar, but the knuckles are closer to the wrist, allowing the finger segments to be longer though the overall hand is the same size. Moreover, the smaller palm starts below the knuckles. So the Drow knuckle joints are separate from each other, adding knuckle joint to length of the finger, and making finger seem extra long.


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## Yaarel (Apr 6, 2014)

*DROW SKIN*

When artists represent a dark surface, it is imperative to define the facial features by the luminous reflections (the highlights and the gleams) - NOT by the shadows.


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## Yaarel (Apr 6, 2014)

*DROW VARIATION*

The precise appearance of the Drow differs depending on the setting. Some settings portray the Drow with a diversity of appearances depending on region, while other settings portray all Drow as homogenous without regional variations.

Among the different official settings - such as Eberron, Forgotten Realms, Nerath, Planescape, Greyhawk, and Dragonlance - the Dark Elf exhibits a diversity of physical appearances. For example, in Forgotten Realms, the Drow generally have human-like eyes with iris and pupil. By contrast, in the Nerath setting, Drow have eyes of a solid color without iris or pupil, a trait that derives from their otherworldy origin, the magical plane of Feywild.

According to some settings, the Drow exhibit different characteristics depending on the ethnicity and region where they are from. For example, in the Forgotten Realms setting, the Dark Elf includes three subraces: Drow, Miyetari, and Ilythiiri. The Drow dwell in the region of the subterranean Underdark and have glossy black skin and pale hair. The other two subraces live in separate regions on the surface. The Miyetari have matte brownish (dark orangish) skin and black hair, while the Ilythiiri have gray bluish skin and pale hair. In the Dragonlance setting, the Dark Elf comprises the outcasts from any of the Elf subraces, thus can appear as any of these, yet as persons who have been ‘cast from the light’ seems to typically appear with pale sunless skin and black hair.

According to other settings, the Drow are homogenous without regional variations. In the Greyhawk setting, all Drow have black skin and white or lustrous silver hair. In the Mystara setting, the comparable Shadow Elf, all, have albino-like pale bluish skin and white hair.

Generally among the settings, those ‘Dark Elf’ variations that lack black skin also tend to avoid or downplay the name ‘Drow’. Thus the term Drow seems to persistently emphasize black skin, at least primarily. The term Dark Elf seems more inclusive.



DERIVATION

Drow appearances can vary by setting (12/24 votes).
Drow appearances can vary by region (6/24 votes).
Drow always look the same (6/24 votes).



What do you feel Drow *should* look like?



Check out my picture of a Drow hand with ‘long and delicate’ fingers, in Post #12.


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## Yaarel (Apr 7, 2014)

*DROW VARIATION
*
I tracked down some of the descriptions of Drow from the conflictive D&D traditions.



*1e Monster Manual
Elf, Drow, Black Elf*

Drow Average Height: Over 5 feet. Same as Elf, ‘5 feet + tall’.
Drow Appearance: Unspecified. They are called ‘Black’ Elf and ‘dark’. But the ‘Faerie’ is called ‘Gray’ Elf and ‘bright’ yet apparently is neither the color of gray nor the luminosity of bright. Originally these descriptions might refer to their regions, in the dark subterranean or the bright daylight of meadowlands, respectively. The name ‘Gray’ is perplexing yet lacks explanation. (Note: The Forgotten Realms term ‘Sun Elf’ makes more sense for a ‘bright’ Faerie, and the term ‘Moon Elf’ makes more sense for a ‘bright’ Elf. The Bright Elves are opposite the Dark Elf.)

Even so, precisely this description of the Drow in the Monster Manual appears to be the jumping off point for a brainstorm of free associations that coalesce to inspire the concepts of the Drow for the adventure, Vault of the Drow. These concepts continue to change, evolve, radiate, regroup, and change again, into the multivalent traditions of the Drow in D&D today.



*1e Fiend Folio
Elf, Drow, Dark Elf*

Drow Skin: Black. Luster: Unspecified. But stylized illustration might be glossy. ‘Drow are black-skinned’.
Drow Eyes: Unspecified. But stylized illustration might be solid white without iris or pupils.
Drow Hair: Pale. ‘And pale-haired’.
Note: The adventure, Hall of the Fire Giant King, which first introduces the Drow, says the male has ‘white’ hair while female has ‘silver’ hair. However these variations become nongendered and summarize as ‘pale’.
Drow Physique: Slim. Fingers: Long. ‘They are slight of build and have long delicate fingers and toes.’
Drow Average Height: 5 feet.



*1e Unearthed Arcana
Character Races, Elves, Dark Elves, Drow*

Drow Skin: Black. Luster: Matte. ‘Their skin color is the inky black of a moonless night.’
Drow Eyes: Unspecified.
Drow Hair: White. Pale Gray (silver). ‘Their hair is normally pure white or silver.’
Drow Average Height: Unspecified. But description mentions Fiend Folio, implying 5 feet.
Drow Physique: Unspecified. But mention of Fiend Folio implies ‘slight of build with long fingers’.



*2e Complete Book of Elves
Variations on a Theme, Dark Elves, Drow*

Drow Skin: Dark. ‘Their skin darkened’.
Drow Eyes: Bright Red. Glowing in the dark. ‘Their eyes glowed red further evidencing the fires burning within their breasts’.
Drow Hair: White. ‘And their hair turned white’.
Drow Height: Female is taller. Same height as High Elf, except the female is the one who is the taller.
Drow Average Height: 5 feet. 
Drow Height Range: 4 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 5 inches.
Drow Random Height: 55 inches + 1d10.
Note, male-centeredness: Despite the fact Drow and High Elf are the exact same height, both averaging 60.5 inches, the Drow is called ‘shorter’ because the male is shorter than the males of other Elf subraces. For these other races the male is taller. Nevertheless, the female Drow is just as tall as the males of the other Elf subraces. This is erroneous male-centeredness *causes* the misunderstanding of Drow ‘smallness’. ‘Drow [males] are typically shorter than [the males of] other elves’.



*2e Monstrous Manual
(Not to be confused with 1e Monster Manual or 2e Planescape Monstrous Compendium)
Elf, Drow, Dark Elf
*
Drow Skin: Black. Luster: Unspecified. But stylized illustration looks Matte Pale Gray. ‘Drow have black skin’.
Drow Eyes: Unspecified. But stylized illustration looks Pale Color, possibly Reddish (pink).
Drow Eye Shape: Unspecified. But stylized illustration has human-like iris and pupil.
Drow Hair: White, Pale Color.  ‘Drow have ... pale, usually white, hair.’
Drow Physique: Slim. Fingers: Long. ‘They are ... more slender than humans. ... They have finely chiseled features, and their fingers and toes are long and delicate.’
Drow Average Height: ‘5 feet’. ‘Shorter ... than humans, seldom reaching more than 5 feet in height’.
Contrast the misrepresentation of High Elf as taller, ‘5 feet +’, despite the male High Elf is the same height as the female Drow.


*
3e Monster Manual
Elf, Drow, Dark Elves*

Drow Skin: Black. Luster: Unspecified. But realistic illustration looks Glossy Grayish Purple. ‘Jet black skin.’
Drow Eyes: Bright Red. Uncommon Unspecified. But realistic illustration looks White. ‘Their eyes are often a vivid red’.
Drow Eye Shape: Unspecified. But realistic illustration looks Solid White without iris or pupil.
Drow Hair: White, Pale Color. ‘White is the most common color of hair, but almost any pale color is possible.’
Drow Physique: Slim. ‘Drow tend to be ... thinner than other sorts of elves’.
Contrast High Elf that is already ‘slender’ compared to Human.
Note: Abilities now include Charisma bonus, since 1e Fiend Folio has high Charisma, but increasingly connotes the sexual themes of Drow culture, whence beauty.
Drow Average Height: Seemingly less than 5 feet, but unclear because of male-centeredness. ‘Drow tend to be smaller ... than other sorts of elves’.
Contrast High Elf that is already ‘slightly shorter than a human’. 
Note: The 3e Players Handbook lists the High Elf with an average height of 5 feet, ranging 4 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 6 inches. Possibly, the female Drow is this same size, averaging 5 feet, while the male is 5 inches ‘smaller’, averaging 4 feet 7 inches. If so, all Elf subraces are the same size, except the Gray Elf is ‘taller and grander in physical appearance’ and ‘nearly as tall as a human’. Yet the impression is, all Drow, both male and female, are ‘smaller’.



*4e Monster Manual
Drow*

Drow Appearance: Unspecified. But the entry reuses the realistic illustration from the 3e Monster Manual, that looks like Glossy Grayish Purple Skin, White Eyes with Eye Shape being Solid without iris or pupil, plus White Hair.



*4e Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms
Races, Drow
(Nerath Setting)
(Same as 4e Forgotten Realms Setting Guide, Races, Drow)
*


*3e Forgotten Realms Setting Guide
Characters, Races of Faerun, Elves, Drow*

Drow Skin: Black. Luster: Glossy. ‘Black skin that resembles polished obsidian’.
Drow Eyes: White, Pale Color of Reddish (pink), Purplish (lilac), Bluish (pale blue), Gray (silver). Uncommon colors are Unspecified. ‘They commonly have very pale color eyes, so pale as to be mistaken for white, in shades of pale lilac, silver, pink, and blue’.
Drow Hair: White, Pale Yellowish. ‘Stark white hair or pale yellow hair’.
Drow Physique: Slim. ‘They tend to be thinner than most elves’.
Drow Height: Unspecified. ‘Tend to be smaller than most elves’.



*3e Races of Faerun
Elves, Drow, Dark Elves
(Same as Forgotten Realms Setting Guide but elaborates, also specifies height)*

Drow Height: Both female and male are the same height. 
Drow Average Height: 5 feet.
Drow Height Range: 4 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 5 inches. 
Drow Random Height: 4 feet 5 inches + 2d6. Same as 3e Players Handbook High Elf. However, in Forgotten Realms, the High Elf corresponds instead to the Moon Elf that is the same height as a Human. Thus in comparison, the Drow is smaller than the other subraces. Even so, the Drow is the same height as a female Human. ‘Tend to be smaller than most elves’.



*3e Forgotten Realms Novels*

Drow Skin: Black. Dark Orangish (brown). Bluish.
Note: The ancestral Dark Elf subrace is called the Ssri-tel-quessir, who exhibits brown skin, dark eyes, and black hair. Two of these Dark Elf factions are the ancient Ilythiiri and the Miyetari. In the Forgotten Realms setting, all Ilythiiri corrupted themselves with demonic blood, apparently becoming bluish. Miyetari did not. But both factions were ‘cursed’ with obsidian black skin when they descendend into the Underdark. Later, about a fifth of the Drow population had this curse removed. Thus many Drow reverted to their ancestral traits. Thus the Drow split into three ‘Dark Elf’ subraces: Drow, Ilythiiri, and Miyetari. The Drow retain their black-skin curse. The Ilythiiri revert to a demonic grayish blue skin. The Miyetari revert to the untainted purity of the ancestral Dark Elf, the Ssri-tel-quessir, namely brown skin, dark eyes, and black hair.

Drow Eyes: Reddish (red, pink, rose), Orangish (amber, brown), Yellowish (amber), Greenish (green), Bluish (pale blue), Purplish (lavender, lilac), White. Black. Gray (silver).
Note: In various Forgotten Realms novels, the Drow commonly have Bright Red eyes. Pale eyes are less common. In the House of Baenre, Gromph, Dantrag, and Lirial Vandree have Yellowish Orangish (amber) eyes. In the House Do’urden, Malice has Green eyes, and Drizzt has Pale Purplish (lavender, lilac) eyes that, however, are said to be unique among the Drow, despite the Setting Guide seeming as if Pale Purplish is common. The Ssri-tel-quessir and Miyetari have dark eyes including black and brown.
In sum: Forgotten Realms exemplifies every color of the spectrum for eye colors: Reddish, Orangish, Yellowish, Greenish, Bluish, and Purplish.

Drow Hair: White, Pale Color of Yellowish, Orangish, Reddish, Gray. Black.
Generally, Drow hair is white, occasionally silver. With aging, male hair is sometimes said to gray, while female hair to yellow. Meanwhile, other pale colors are mentioned on occasion, including hints of coppery grayish reddish orangish. The Ssri-tel-quessir and Miyetari have black hair.



*4e Forgotten Realms Setting Guide
Races, Drow*

Drow Skin. Bluish Black. Luster: Unspecified. ‘Midnight black skin with a blue cast’.
Drow Eyes. Bright Red, Pale Purplish (lavender), Blue. ‘Their eyes are fiery red, lavender,or blue.’
Drow Eye Shape: Unspecifed.
Note: Illustrations for the 4e Nerath setting tend to depict Drow with Solid eyes without iris or pupil, thus the same as the Eladrin that is specified as Solid, and unlike the Elf specified as human-like with iris and pupil. However, illustrations for the 4e Forgotten Realms setting tend to depict Drow with human-like eyes. There is some confusion.
Drow Hair: White. ‘All Drow have white hair.’
Drow Facial Hair, Male: None, Sideburns, Thin Mustache, Goatee. ‘Drow have little facial hair, although sometimes grow long sideburns or tufts of wispy hair on their cheeks and chins’.
Drow Physique: Slim, Fit, Sexy. ‘Slender athletic builds, ... with wiry builds, pleasing features’.
Drow Average Height: 5 feet 8 inches.
Drow Height Range: 5 feet 4 inches to 6 feet. ‘Drow stand just shy of human height’. Same height as Elf. But Eladrin is slightly taller.



*3e Eberron Novels*

Drow Skin: Black (Vulkoori tribe). Dark Gray, Pale Grayish Purple (Sulatar tribe). Grayish Black (Umbragen tribe).
Drow Eyes: Dark Purple (Vulkoori). Bright, Reddish, Yellowish (Sulatar). Bluish Black (Umbragen).
Drow Hair: Grayish White (Vulkoori). Grayish (Sulatar). White (Umbragen).



*3e Pathfinder Reference Document
Featured Races, Drow
(Golarion Setting)*

Drow Skin: Grayish Black, Grayish Purple. Luster: Matte. ‘Drow skin ranges from coal black to a dusky purple’.
Note, Paizo creative director, James Jacob, confirms in Paizo forum, Drow Skin: Black, Purple, plus Dark Blue.
Drow Eyes: White, Red. Uncommon colors Unspecified. ‘Their eyes ... are often solid white or red’.
Drow Eye Shape: Solid Color without iris or pupil. ‘Their eyes lack pupils and are ... solid’.
Drow Hair: White, Gray (silver). Uncommon colors Unspecified. ‘Their hair is typically white or silver, though some variation is not unknown.’
Drow Ears: Pointed and Prominent. ‘Distinctive long, pointed ears’. Same as Elf.
Drow Physique: Slim. ‘Drow ... share the slender build and features of elves’. Same as Elf with ‘graceful, slender physique’.
Drow Height: Same as Human. But Elf is slightly taller than Human. ‘Drow are similar in stature to humans’.


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## Yaarel (Apr 8, 2014)

*DROW HEIGHT*

Even while more votes continue to come in, this Drow Average Height remains precise and robust.

The Drow are 5 feet 4 inches tall on average.

Collectively - at the aggregate - the ENWorld community seems to have this height in mind when thinking about the Drow.



The female (average + 1 inch) is slightly taller than the male (average − 1 inch).

This acknowledges both the D&D traditions where the female is taller, and the D&D traditions where both are about the same height by keeping the difference small.



The Drow have a wide bell-curve of heights, and individuals can be significantly shorter or taller than the average. (Base 4 feet 5 inches + 2d10.)

This distribution covers both the D&D traditions where the Drow is as short as 4 feet 7 inches, and the D&D traditions where Drow are as tall as 6 feet.

Because of the small difference in female and male height on average, both genders can include individuals who reach 6 feet tall.



Finally, this average height of 5 feet 4 inches squeezes in within the voting option that receives the majority of votes: 4½ to 5½.



In sum, the following height and formula cover the entire spectrum of D&D traditions comprehensively, and represents well the desires of the voters.



*Drow Average Height:* 5 feet 4 inches
*Range:* 4 feet 7 inches to 6 feet 1 inch

*Drow Random Height:* Base height 4 feet 5 inches + 2d10 inches
*Female:* +1 inch
*Male:* −1 inch





Below is the determination of average height from the most recent poll results, followed by one from the earlier results for comparison. In both cases, the average Drow height is 64 inches, equivalent to 5 feet 4 inches. (164 cm.)

Average height of Drow
= [(5 feet × 21 votes) + (6 feet × 11 votes)] ÷ 32 votes
= [(60 inches × 21 votes) + (72 inches × 11 votes)] ÷ 32 votes
= [(1260 inches × votes) + (792 inches × votes)] ÷ 32 votes
= [2052 inches × votes] ÷ 32 votes
= 64.125 inches
≈ 64 inches
≈ 5 feet 4 inches

≈ 164 cm



Yaarel said:


> *DROW HEIGHT*
> 
> Drow are 5 feet 4 inches tall on average, but can reach 6 feet tall. Females are slightly taller on average.
> 
> ...


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## Yaarel (Apr 8, 2014)

This poll focuses on what the Drow look like.



There is a sibling poll that focuses on what abilities and powers the Drow should have.

What are the most important features of the Drow?


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## GMforPowergamers (Apr 8, 2014)

I always picture purple skin instead of black, and describe my drow as such...

When I want to paint drow minis I paint them black, then put a purple coat over it, and a wash of dark red.


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## Yaarel (Apr 8, 2014)

*DROW EYE SHAPE: SAY YES TO PUPILS
*


The poll has a certain option that enjoys strong official support - and yet there seems little support for this option from the community.

A surprising result is the weak enthusiasm for Drow eyes that are solid without iris or pupil.

The result surprises me because both WotC and their ‘rival’ Paizo feature Drow with solid eyes.

Why doesnt the ENWorld community find these eyes interesting for the Drow?



I suspect the answer is simple:

The solid eyes connote an otherworldy origin. But the Drow are part of this world.



The Drow might have had an otherworldy origin. However the archetype of the Drow is a ‘fallen’ creature. The Drow have fallen into this world. The Drow have flesh and blood, and are deeply part of the earth that the Human walks on.

In settings where the Faerie, Alfheimr, Feywild, or so on, are a significant spirit world, the Drow no longer have a strong connection to it. There is still a hint of the magic of that otherworld among the Drow. But it is like the poem by Wordsworth, the Drow are ‘trailing clouds of glory’. The Drow have become part of the physicality of Nature, of the Prime Material Plane. But there is still a feeling of the marvel from where they came.



Somehow to lack pupils is to lack physicality. Whether Greek statues or bogeys whose eyes glow in the forest night, these solid eyes belong to spirits, who are alien to this world. These spirits can see without needing physical eyes to see. But the Drow have pupils. They see physically. It is a fantasy version of infrared radiation. It isnt a psychic clairvoyance. The Drow see body heat, or whatever, not souls.



Really, any color or shape for Drow eyes seems possible, and the community seems comfortable with any possibility. The majority dont seem to have strong feelings one way or an other. That said, among those that do voice feelings about the shape of Drow eyes, most see the eyes as human-like, with iris and pupil. Physical.

EYE SHAPE:
• iris and pupil are human-like (16/24 votes)
• solid without iris or pupil (3/24 votes)
• solid with large iris-sized pupil (5/24 votes)

A defining majority of two thirds (16/24) pictures human-like eyes as making sense for the Drow archetype. Only an eighth (3/24) pictures the Drow with otherworldly solid eyes.

The lesser support for Drow solid eyes seems noteworthy because both WotC and Paizo support it. It seems to go beyond the artifact of an edition war and to ‘cross party lines’. The Drow in both the Nerath setting and the Golarion setting have solid eyes. Additionally the Nerath setting attributes to the Drow otherworldliness via ‘Fey’ origin, with similar anemic response. The ‘fallen’ Drow might have been Fey spirits once, but they are in this world now.



Notice the third option: Drow eyes are solid with a large iris-sized pupil. It achieves roughly a fifth of how voters picture the Drow. Now I must thank everyone for voting for this option. I created this look for the Drow for one of my settings. I am sure there are others who have done the eyes this way too. But as far as know, I dont know of anyone else that does, nor do I recall anything in the D&D tradition that does the eyes this way. I appreciate your support.

It is telling. This relatively obscure option (iris-sized pupils) is gaining slightly more traction than the option (solid eyes) that has full-on official support.

I suspect a reason for the relative appeal is: physicality. Drow can see in the dark because their eyes are somehow more sensitive to tiny amounts of light. So, big pupils make sense because they let more light in. Moreover, with big pupils like that, bright light seems like it would blind or even hurt. Perfect. The big pupils cohere to some degree with the archetype of Drow physicality.

I like the big pupils because they look ‘normal’ but have an exotic feel. The pupils look like a dark-color iris, so when drawing Drow eyes, they ‘look right’. But when the rest of the eye is some iris-like color, instead of white sclera, it is the telltale that says, ‘Not Human’. Like the pointy ears are a telltale. These ‘strange’ eyes say, ‘all the better to see you’. Living in utter darkness except for a Faerie Fire here or there? Bigger pupils. ‘Makes sense’. Of course, ‘fantasy sense’, but still.



Ultimately, the Drow archetype seems to have room for various kinds of eyes, including these three possibilities.

The human-like eyes make sense to Drow communities who interact with the surface world and its humans.

The big pupils make sense for deep hard-core Drow who adapted to the Underdark to the point of dependence.

Using the standard distances in the Playtest, maybe some Drow communities have normal darkvision upto 50 feet without penalty in bright light, while others have darkvision upto 100 feet but suffer the penalty. Pupil size can signify the difference.



The solid eyes have nothing to do with seeing in the dark. Theres no pupil. They cant see at all. The solid eyes depict spiritual vision. Drow with solid eyes are otherworldly. There are contexts where this might make sense.

Some Drow might be ‘redeemed’ and now inhabit the Feywild alongside their Bright Elf companions. These Drow dont return to the surface to live alongside the physicality of the Human. They return to the otherworld whence they came. The ‘restored’ Drow are fully Fey.

Some Drow might be demonologists, whose eyes see into the realm of spiritual darkness and see out from such darkness.

Note, Drow with solid eyes that are understood as dark semi-reflective spider eyes of myriad microscopic lenses - seem ‘naturalistic’ enough to work with the archetype. (Naturalistic in the dreamy sense of a fantasy trope, of course.) It would be creepily nonhuman and physical. Drow are too human for this to work. But a couple of freaks in the mix might sense.

All in all, one can imagine certain Drow individuals who have solid eyes - whether eyes of spirit or eyes of spider - in a way that might work.



For the sake of the typical Drow - the type - the archetype - say yes to pupils.


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## Yaarel (Apr 8, 2014)

GMforPowergamers said:


> I always picture purple skin instead of black, and describe my drow as such...
> 
> When I want to paint drow minis I paint them black, then put a purple coat over it, and a wash of dark red.




Any pics?


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## GMforPowergamers (Apr 8, 2014)

Yaarel said:


> Any pics?




I'm not sure if I can post my driders from bones 1 becuse she is topless but when I get home I will check


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## Sunseeker (Apr 8, 2014)

Drow can vary with the settings.  I've made wild, amazonian, tribal drow, I've made civilized, cultured (if kinda creepy) drow, I've made all sorts of drow.  I generally try to keep them in line with the usual tropes, dark skin colors (with the player and very rare NPC being able to break from this), usually violent (though not always directly) and always holding to elvish traits (slender, fit but not ripped, pointy ears, etc.).  

I totally support drow variation, but I think there's some necessary common core needed for the average player to be able to say "yes I accept this as a valid type of drow".  If that means worship evil spider-goddes, dark skin, live in darkness, violent or whatever, as long as we're not using "drow" to cover "black skinned dwarves", I think I'm okay with whatever you do with them.


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## Halivar (Apr 9, 2014)

GMforPowergamers said:


> I'm not sure if I can post my driders from bones 1 becuse she is topless but when I get home I will check



I guess a mod will need to tell us if Eric's grandma objects to tasteful, artistic nudity.


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## Yaarel (Apr 10, 2014)

We want to see your Drow figures!


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## Yaarel (Apr 10, 2014)

*DROW HEIGHT*

Regarding height in 3e Pathfinder, in the Golarion setting, the Drow is squarely the option of 5½ to 6½ feet.

*Average Height:* 6 feet.
*Female:* +1 inch.
*Male:* −1 inch.

*Range, Female:* 5 feet 6 inches to 6 feet 8 inches. (Average 6 feet 1 inch.)
*Range, Male:* 5 feet 6 inches to 6 feet 4 inches. (Average 5 feet 11 inches.)

*Random Height:* base 5 feet 4 inches + 2d8 (female) or 2d6 (male).

Note, the Drow (6 feet) is taller than the Pathfinder Human (about 5 feet 7 inches) on average.



Compare the average height deriving from this poll, 5 feet 4 inches on average. This Drow is significantly shorter than the Pathfinder Drow. But with a wider bell-curve, 2d10, the random height can cover both the traditions of shorter Drow as well as the traditions of taller Drow, which reach 6 feet.

The poll leans toward the shorter side of the traditions, so the shortest around 4 feet 7 inches and the tallest around 6 feet 1 inch seems satisfactory. If for some reason even taller Drow are in demand, an even wider bell-curve 2d12 might be necessary. But so far the current 2d10 represents the D&D traditions well.


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## Yaarel (Apr 10, 2014)

shidaku said:


> Drow can vary with the settings. I've made wild, amazonian, tribal drow, I've made civilized, cultured (if kinda creepy) drow, I've made all sorts of drow. I generally try to keep them in line with the usual tropes, dark skin colors (with the player and very rare NPC being able to break from this), usually violent (though not always directly) and always holding to elvish traits (slender, fit but not ripped, pointy ears, etc.).
> 
> I totally support drow variation, but I think there's some necessary common core needed for the average player to be able to say "yes I accept this as a valid type of drow". If that means worship evil spider-goddes, dark skin, live in darkness, violent or whatever, as long as we're not using "drow" to cover "black skinned dwarves", I think I'm okay with whatever you do with them.



Yeah, according to poll, the Drow has certain essential characteristics.
• Blackish skin
• Whitish hair
• Pointed but subtle ears
• No facial hair

Heh, the Drow is so necessarily slim in my mind, it didnt even occur to me to question it in the poll.
• Slim physique

To go against any of the four or five essential features is to play against type.

For example, Drow with light skin and-or dark hair are known, but are in contrast to the more typical expectations, usually an individual within the diversity of a community, or else a special group in a diversity of separate communities. The Eberron setting has generally dark skin and light hair, however one of the three tribes, has a greater variation of skin color and individuals can even be pale purplish. In the Forgotten Realms, one of the Dark Elf subraces is dark brown with black hair.

A ‘drowish’ way to handle a variant is to link it to a particular house. For example, in Forgotten Realms, the House Baenre is known for its strange amber eyes that occasionally shows up among its family members.



In the other poll, it turns out the Spider theme is essential, but the Demon theme is nonessential. So Lolth is unnecessary, but the spiders need to stay. Eberron has the Scorpion but I am unsure if this works as a substitute.

It turns out, Matriarchy is essential. So even ‘Good’ Drow must remain matriarchal.


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## mach1.9pants (Apr 10, 2014)

The first real description (beyond the hints in 1E MM1) that I saw was this:

"Drow are black skinned and pale haired. They are
slight of build and have delicate fingers and toes. Their features
are somewhat sharp and ears are pointed and large, but this
does not make them unhandsome. Their eyes are very large,
being all iris and pupil. Male drow are of thin build, about 5’ tall,
have dead black skin and dead white hair, and the irises of their
eyes are orange to orange-yellow. Females are slender and
shapely, about 5.5' tall, and have glossy black skin and shining
silvery hair. The eyes of female Drow are amber, though a few
are said to possess irises of lambent violet."

From Descent into the Depths module. I am pretty sure that is the first full description given? So that is how they are to me.

So although I voted "always the same" because there is gender difference I had to vote for two different things in some sections.

(EDIT Guess I should have voted varies by campaign setting)

However I am more than happy in other campaign worlds (ie not Greyhawk and not one I have created) for them to look as the author of that world says. Except for stupid WoW ears, that never flies with me


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## Yaarel (Apr 10, 2014)

Heh, to be fair, this particular description of the ears seems somewhat ‘WoW-ish’, ‘pointed and large’.

Dont forget, ENWorld lets voters ‘Unvote’, and then revote to change their vote if they want to.



I appreciate you posting this seminal description. It contains a number of significant elements. Especially cool is, the eyes that are ‘all iris and pupil’. Thus the option, ‘solid with large iris-sized pupil’, seems to be part of the pioneering concept, and enjoys some canon in the Greyhawk setting.



mach1.9pants said:


> "Drow are black skinned and pale haired. They are
> slight of build and have delicate fingers and toes. Their features
> are somewhat sharp and ears are pointed and large, but this
> does not make them unhandsome. Their eyes are very large,
> ...



This description entails the following polling options.

Drow, Female
Skin: black, glossy.
Eyes: yellowish orangish (amber), purplish (violent) color. Shape as solid with large iris-sized pupil.
Hair: pale gray (silver).
Height: 5½ feet on average. Therefore both options apply, ‘4½ to 5½ feet’ and ‘5½ to 5½ feet’. (Since the Drow will be on the tall-side almost half of the time.)
Ears: pointed and prominent.
Physique: slim, fit, and sexy. Fingers and toes are long and delicate.

Male
Skin: black, matte.
Eyes: yellowish orangish color. Shape as solid with large iris-sized pupil.
Hair: white.
Height: 5 feet on average. Therefore ‘4½ to 5½ feet’.
Physique: slim, fit, and sexy. ‘Slight of build’, ‘not unhandsome’. Fingers and toes are long and delicate.

Note the phrase ‘lambent violet’. ‘Lambent’ (great word!) means effortlessly glowing and softly flickering. Like soft ambient candlelight or a gentle campfire. In context, it describes the ‘irridescent’ quality of the dark but deeply intense purple. However, it could reinterpret to have purple eyes that actually glow in the dark.



In later 1e publications, these features become nongendered moreorless immediately. So males might have silver hair, females white hair, males might have purple eyes, and so on.

So, there is a conflict in the texts that the Greyhawk setting would treat as canon. Some Drow have gender-divided hair color, but other Drow have variations in hair color regardless of gender. So the Greyhawk has a choice. The setting might be forced to rejects certain descriptions. Or else it can accept both descriptions as true, but then treat them as separate Drow communities that ‘vary by region’.

This seminal Drow is the same size as the Greyhawk High Elf, who is also 5½ feet on average.



All in all, much of this seminal description seems to shine thru the many settings. Very tall Drow exist, but the average leans toward the shorter side in about the same proportion that the poll suggests.


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## Yaarel (Apr 11, 2014)

*THE ESSENCE OF THE APPEARANCE OF THE DROW
*
Currently the poll has over 50 votes, so the results are probably stabilizing and representative. The essential characteristics of Drow appearance are:

SKIN: pure black or dark color.
HAIR: pure white or pale color.
MALE FACIAL HAIR: none.
EARS: pointed but subtle (compare Tolkien).



Absent from the poll but probably essential:

PHYSIQUE: slim, physically fit, and sexy.



Alongside these four or five physical characteristics, the Drow allow a wide variety of possible appearances. Even the essential characteristics allow for some leeway.




*VARIATION
*
Drow appearances can vary depending on the setting. (24/51). In some settings, appearances vary depending on the region. (15/51). But in other settings, Drow are homogenous regardless of location. (12/51). Variations of Drow characteristics might correspond to individuals, family houses, subcultures, ethnicity, regions, planar contacts, or separate subraces.






*SKIN*

Drow overwhelmingly exhibit skin that is blackish, pure black or a dark color. (45/68). Even so, as much as one third of the Drow in a particular setting might exhibit paler shades of colors. But even a lighter Drow tends to approximate a darker Human.


Interpreting the votes, consider. The defining majority of Drow have black skin with gray red-purple highlights. This particular picture of the obsidian seems to represent the typical skin coloring and texture of a Drow.




Now these softer reddish-purplish highlights can range into warmer hues or cooler hues, or colorless grays. This grayish red-purple obsidian is somewhere in the middle of the possibilities. The cooler highlights are bluer hues, such as grayish blue-purple shades of indigo. The warmer highlights are oranger hues, such as grayish red-orange shades of copper. The coloring can be less intense reaching into grays with fainter hints of red-purple, even colorless black-and-white.


As much as a 20% of the Drow in a setting may exhibit a lighter skin color, mostly like darker Human pigmentations, but also as much as 10% may be like lighter Human pigmentations, and rare albinos may exist. Together, these 30% with lighter shades can range from gray to a dusky red-purple, with cooler or warmer possibilities.


Settings might emphasize grayer and cooler Drow skins because these are Non-Human. But some settings might use the warmer coppery skin to emphasize the Human-like quality. For example, Forgotten Realms appears to assign the warmer Drow tones to the Drow ancestral subrace that is usually Good, in order to subvert the unintentional trope that dark skin equates to evil. In this case, the Human-like dark skin is inherently Good.


Interestingly, the luster of the Drow skin can range from glossy and gemmy to matte and soft. The range leans toward matte, 54% But for the sake of illustrations, the darker skin might tend to be glossier so soft highlights and sharp gleams can help articulate facial shapes. Lighter shades can be glossy as well, resembling ‘glowing’ dancers and perspiring athletes. Originally, skin luster appeared gender-divided, but came to be equally likely for either gender.

Note, the mythologically accurate ‘Dark Elf’ has pale sunless skin and black hair. A setting can describe a ‘Dark Elf’ (or ‘Black Elf’, ‘Night Elf’, etcetera) with almost any complexion and remain within recognizable tropes. However, a ‘Drow’ must have typically blackish skin and whitish hair, or else ceases to be recognizable as a ‘Drow’.


A setting can portray the Drow with a significant degree of skin variation. Nevertheless, the blackish skin needs to remain the majority even for groups that can have lighter shades.





*HAIR*


Drow hair is whitish, either pure white or a pale color, 62%. (49/79). Even so, as much as one fourth of the Drow in a setting might have somewhat darker shades of hair. Mostly these darker shades are paler shades of gray, such as silver, 18%. However hair can sometimes be very dark or even black, 9%.


Surprisingly, the essence of Drow hair is whitish, but also colorless. It is shades of gray. Despite strong official support for warm colors, including yellowish (blond) and reddish, the voter response to colorful hair is unenthusiastic. Currently the possibility of dark hair, which has little support, is only about 9% (6/73). But this appears more acceptable than either a cooler blue-purple color 6% (5/73) or a warmer red-orange color 5% (4/73).

In other words, Drow hair is commonly white, uncommonly gray, and rarely black. But the hair generally lacks color regardless of the shade of gray. Consider about 11% of hair can show some color. But even this tends toward paler hints of color. Drow is about 89% colorless.


The player expectations for white hair colorless hair is so strong, settings should probably always assume it. For example in the Forgotten Realms setting, the ancestral subrace has Human-like warm dark skin with black hair. Because of expectations, this subrace feels dissonant and is difficult to perceive it as relating to the Drow. Of course, this is the point, the ‘curse’ of the Drow has been removed. Nevertheless, the subrace as an ‘ancestor’ would be more recognizable as Drow, and perhaps more relevant and interesting, if more typically exhibiting whitish hair with the Human-like warm dark skin. If so, the warm dark skin of this ‘Good Drow’ might connote white-hair elders among darker skin. It is possible to have a separate Dark Elf subraces, where one has light skin and dark hair, but then it lacks a direct link to the ‘Drow’.

Relatedly, expectations for colorless hair suggest discontinuing official descriptions of Drow with blond or reddish hair. Such colors may exist among rare individuals, but they dont typify the Drow.


Since Drow hair tends toward colorless, the presence of any intense color might evidence a Non-Drow bloodline.


Likely, the luster of the whitish hair is glossy with a pearly or silvery sheen, or matte and dull. The probability leans slightly toward matte, like skin luster does. Descriptions imply glossy hair is more prestigious.


Drow males typically lack any facial hair, 71%. (40/59). As much as a third of males might grow some facial hair, ranging from pale peach fuzz to wisps of sideburns, a soft thin mustache, or goatee, with a full beard becoming increasingly impossible. It is unclear if facial hair might be prestigious or embarassing with Drow known to shave - or prestidigitate.


In sum, Drow hair is white. Less than a fourth have non-white hair. Even the non-white hair tends to be pale gray silver, and is uncommon. Dark shades of gray hair are unusual. Black hair seems rare. Regardless of shade, Drow hair tends strongly toward colorless shades of gray. Generally, any coloring tends to appears as hints of color in the highlights of white or silvery gray.






*EYE COLOR
*
The Drow has eyes, of course. But a setting has freedom to portray the eyes in a diversity of ways. Even so, Drow eyes are typically colorful.


Eye color can be any hue of the spectrum: the warm hues of red, orange, or yellow, and the cool hues of purple, blue, and green. Which hues are common and which ones are uncommon depend on the setting. For example, in old-school Greyhawk, yellow-orange eyes are typical. But in Forgotten Realms, yellow-orange eyes are rare. Even descriptions for the same setting can conflict, thus encouraging the interpretation of house or regional tendencies.


Drow eyes are twice as likely to be pure white (21%) as pure black (11%), while the defining majority somewhere in between. Eyes are unlikely to be grayish (6%). Thus Drow eyes tend strongly toward colorful. (62%). The color is vivid but less likely to be unnaturally bright. The color may be ‘exotic’ but feels natural, and tends to lean toward paler and softer (such as lavender), in contrast to the blackish skin. There is an interesting contrast between colorful eyes, colorless hair, and skin tending toward highlights somewhere in between.


The defining majority of Drow have colorful eyes. Some prominant official settings describe the eyes warm and fiery (red or yellow-orange) or else whitish (white or pale). If these two are the only options, player expectation leans toward the vivid warm color at about 58%. So this possibility too corroberates the presence of a strong color at roughly 62%.


In sum, the Drow features an impressive variety of possible eye colors. Which ones are common and which ones are rare depend on the setting, but even the rare possibilities are likely to exist. Typically, it is a vivid color that feels natural, probably leaning toward lighter shades. Less commonly the eye color can reach pure white, less often pure black, or even less often pure gray. The poll results allow flexibility in proportions because of the possibility of overlaps. Still, the player expectations seems to approximate something like the following in the aggregate.

*Drow Eye Colors*
• Vivid color - leaning toward lighter shades in contrast to blackish skin (62%)
• Whitish (21%)
• Blackish (11%)
• Grayish (6%)





*EYE SHAPE*


The defining majority pictures the shape of a Drow eye as Human-like with a pupil and an iris, 69%. (26/40). However, Drow eyes can also be ‘all pupil and iris’, according to their old-school seminal description, with a large iris-size pupil, and the remainder of the eye being the solid color of an iris, without any white sclera at all, 21%. (9/40).


These two options seem to coexist. The large pupil without sclera might be a recessive trait that shows up among individuals. (Compare the probability of Human blue eyes.) The trait might correlate to regional differences. Alternatively, the two traits are a continuum, ranging from Human-like eyes to larger pupils and less sclera, until very large pupils and no sclera at all in 23% of the population.


In any case, voters overwhelming expect the presence of pupils. The Drow are this-worldly, physical, and natural creatures. Even if they originate from a spirit world, they are ‘fallen’ creatures who are now part of this world.


At the same time, about 10% of Drow have unnatural eyes of a solid color, without any pupil or iris. These eyes suggest individuals, houses, regions, or ethnicities with strange ties to a spirit world. Possibilities include intimate ties with the Plane of Faerie or Ether, or an Infernal Plane.


Note, a similar percentage of the Drow has eyes that glow in the Dark. It may well be, these otherworldly solid eyes are the ones that glow in the dark.


Some of the Drow solid eyes, if grayish black and nonglowing, might be insectoid, imitating the eyes of a spider that are solid with a fuzzy semi-reflective highlight and a hint of color.


In sum, the Drow tends strongly to have a natural-looking eye shape with pupil and iris. However it may or may not have a white sclera. Any presence of a solid eye derives from magical causes, especially contact with a spirit world or spider-like alteration.






*HEIGHT*


In the conflictive D&D traditions, the averege height of the Drow can be shorter than the Human or taller than the Human.


The votes show the player expectations in the aggregate, tend to picture the Drow around 5 feet 4 inches on average. Females appear taller than the average by +1 inch, and males shorter than the average by −1 inch.

Short individuals can be about 4 feet 7 inches and tall individuals can reach about 6 feet 1 inch.


[(34/53) × 5 feet] + [(19/53) ×6 feet]
= [3.21 feet] + [2.15 feet]
= 5.36 feet
= 5 feet 4.32 inches
≈ 5 feet 4 inches


With females +1 inch taller, the 5 feet 5 inches compares to the seminal description of the Drow female as 5½ feet.


At the same time, a wide bell-curve (+2d10) allows the average height to cover both the shortest and some of the tallest traditions. For random height, a base of 4 feet 5 inches + 2d10 reaches up to 6 feet 1 inch.




Even taller formulations are also possible. The Golarion setting of 3e Pathfinder, describes the Drow as typically taller than the Human, and upto 6 feet 8 inches tall. If player expectations feel it important to accommodate these taller Drow individuals, then an even wider bell-curve can help (+2d12). If the base is 4 feet 5 inches + 2d12, then the shortest is still 4 feet 7 inches. But the tallest can reach 6 feet 5 inches. Meanwhile the average height is a convenient 5 feet 6 inches, exactly 5½ feet.






*EARS*


Drow ears are pointy but subtle. This is one of the essential Drow characteristics.



An overwhelming 79% have subtly pointed ears. Compare Tolkien. Compare Spock. Not human but still human-like. From modern folklore such ears hint at wolf ears, and the concept ultimately derives from them to convey a nature spirit. Tolkien characterizes them as leaf-shaped connoting a vegetative nature spirit.


A minority 19% have prominant pointed ears. Compare goblinish exaggerated ears or WoW-ish ears. Such ears emphasize the animalistic quality more dramatically. Thus the nonhuman identity is more readily recognizable. The Goblin-like connotation might connote a more malevolent kind of ‘elf’. Any fully Human-like ears likely derive from Non-Drow origin.

Perhaps the ears reflect the overall concept of a Drow. The Drow are exotic, even malevolent, but still visually attractive to a Human. The Drow tends to express the ‘evil is sexy’ trope - or perhaps be a byproduct of the ‘sex is evil’ trope. Moreover, the Drow is an Elf and personifies the enchanting superhuman beauty and charm. The ears need be exotic, but remain Human enough for a Human to find appealing.




*FINGERS*

A slim majority picture the Drow with long delicate fingers and toes, 56%. (27/48). But more robust Human-like fingers and toes are almost as possible. These like represent a continuum, from Human-like to longer and more delicate. Note, the fingers are ‘longer’ in *proportion* to the hand. Actually, it is the size of the palm that is becoming smaller across the continuum. A smaller palm reaveals longer fingers.

Again, the Drow is exotic but appealing.



*PHYSIQUE*

The poll doesnt question the Drow physique. Official descriptions consistently describe the Drow as ‘slight of built’, ‘slender’, and so on, even when the Drow is taller than the Human. Similarly, the facial features tend to be ‘fine’ or ‘sharp’. Likewise the long delicate fingers correspond to overall slimness. At the same time, this leanness is described as appealing to Humans, ‘pleasant’, ‘shapely’, and so on. Especially, in the context of sexual tropes and high Charisma, the Drow is sexually appealing - to Humans.

The defining majority of the Drow appears to be slim, physically fit, and sexy.

Probability has a minority on each side of a bell-curve. The most robust Drow might resemble the physique of an average Human. The most gracile Drow might be skeletal, guant, and alien. The thin extreme may be more like an almond-eyed UFO alien and less like a grotesque goblin. Yet in between the Human versus skeletal extremes, the majority of the Drow exhibits a range of physiques that the Human considers attractive.


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## Sunseeker (Apr 11, 2014)

Yaarel said:


> In the other poll, it turns out the Spider theme is essential, but the Demon theme is nonessential. So Lolth is unnecessary, but the spiders need to stay. Eberron has the Scorpion but I am unsure if this works as a substitute.
> 
> It turns out, Matriarchy is essential. So even ‘Good’ Drow must remain matriarchal.




Have to agree with matriarchy.  Though honestly I see elves as more enlightened in general and thus less prone to worrying if there is an X or Y on the throne.  Meaning non-Drow elves can be matriarchal, but that is non-essential; however a Drow society must have a woman on the throne, though there may be powerful men at her side, but they are still _men_, and thus, lacking the necessary Drow status to rule.

I _like_ the scorpion theme, but I don't think it fits the *traditional* Drow concept.  I've worked up a concept Drow-like race that is deserty fantasy-Persian themed that keeps some of the Drow tropes, but combines them with a more middle-eastern styling and replaced spiders with scorpions (and driders with scorpion-taurs of course).  They're most certainly not Drow, and I think the use of the scorpion in _my_ creation does a suitable job of helping to connect them to Drow, but also distinguish them from them.


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## Tovec (Apr 11, 2014)

*Random thoughts (after looking at Spock)*

I don't mind something longer than Tolkien or Star Trek (for D&D universe elves and drow), but the WoW model bugs the heck out of me. In fact, thinking back I can think of very few depictions (let alone ones I preferred) where the ears DID look like the Tolkien or Star Trek movies. On the other hand, I long ago found pictures online that I absolutely adore. They're pretty and detailed and show curvatures that I don't usually consider and over all resemble something I can actually consider to look _real_ if that makes any sense. And those are the ears I think of for all elven-kind now, regardless what "canon" pictures would say.

That's the same reason I abstained from the height discussion. I think classic D&D elves and drow are supposed to be short. But I personally prefer them to be tall. Actually houseruling in my game they are BOTH - with a broader common range of height that extends both above and below the human height range. So in my games if humans are 5-6 feet then elves are 4.5-6.5 feet, so that I can have my tall elves and my players can pick short ones and everybody is happy.

*shrugs and wanders off*


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## GMforPowergamers (Apr 11, 2014)

GMforPowergamers said:


> I'm not sure if I can post my driders from bones 1 becuse she is topless but when I get home I will check




Please let this be ok

this is a link to all my minis that I have pics of. (I did do a whole bunch of drow this way but I don't have pics and the minis were for my ex girlfrinds brother so I don't have them anymore)

[sblock=a link]

http://s997.photobucket.com/user/Gmforpowergamers/media/IMG_1703_zpsb68f85a5.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

[/sblock]


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## Yaarel (Apr 13, 2014)

GMforPowergamers said:


> Please let this be ok
> 
> this is a link to all my minis that I have pics of. (I did do a whole bunch of drow this way but I don't have pics and the minis were for my ex girlfrinds brother so I don't have them anymore)
> 
> ...



I am impressed you can make a 1-inch metal figure look controversial.

Your minis have a great sense of color and look fun.

It seems Drow and reddish purple work well together.


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## Yaarel (Apr 13, 2014)

I had fun Drowizing the image of Spock.

The hair is whitish and lustrous with a ‘pearly’ sheen (with light shadows whereas ‘silvery’ has darker shadows). The eyebrows are probably too bright here than might be realistic, and in need of shadowing, but I would need an original model with black skin and white hair to see how the lighting would fall exactly.

The skin is not black. Rather it is a dark dusky magenta (black-gray-red-purple), whose luster is matte, non-glossy and soft.

If the skin would be black in color there would be less shading information around the cheeks. There would be almost no shading information on a black surface. Black surfaces are plays of light, especially drawing whitish gleaming lines to conture the essence of the shape of a glossy surface. (Compare the image of the not-black but dark glossy surface of the statue in Post #13, especially eyelids and lips.) It is difficult to reconstruct the plays of light when using an original image with light skin as a model. Sometimes it is difficult to know where the gleams would be, exactly. It is important to use a model with very dark skin, ideally in pure black make-up, or a photo-realistic 3D image that can accurately predict surface reflections.

Here the eyes are ‘all pupil and iris’ without any white sclera, with large iris-size pupils, and with the iris itself forming a solid color across the whole eye. Only about a fifth of Drow are expected to have such eyes. The majority of Drow have Human-like eyes. If that would be the case here, the dark large pupil would instead be a vivid yellow-orange iris with Human-size pupil, and the current color forming the white sclera.

Besides altering the shade of the hair and skin (which is a complex difficult process), the eyes are slightly larger, partly because one of the official descriptions mentions relatively large eyes, and partly to emphasize the unusual form and color of the eyes.

The facial shapes of the nose and cheeks are narrowed and edged to appear ‘sharper’ and more gaunt. I didnt notice the skeletal shape of the eye socket in the original image of Spock until the shading process brought it out. But it seems an appropriate look for a Drow to hint at the leanness and deathliness.

The ears are the same as in the image of Spock. This small ‘subtle’ size of ears occurs in most of the Drow, about four fifths. About one fifth have prominent ears, perhaps most of the prominant ears are probably goblinish, just under twice the height of a Human ear including the point. I played around with ear sizes and shapes and felt a strong correlation. In the image of Spock and the Drow in this post, the small subtle ears evoke the tall serious Elf of mythology. By palpable contrast, the larger ears evoke the small silly goblin of folklore. Generally, the Drow is a serious villain, in the sense the extreme antihuman behavior have explanation and plausibility, which makes them more disturbing and interesting. Generally, the Drow have subtle ears.


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