CHARACTER RACES

On Alara, all sentient species are considered player races. However, there are only a handful of sentient species on Alara. There are the aggressive Drow, the mysterious Gnomes, the clannish Orcs, rugged Dwarves, and adaptable Freemen. There are also Half-Orcs and Half-Elves.

DROW

The Drow Elves that first escaped to Alara resemble their long parted ancestors from The Forgotten World. There are some small, subtle differences though. Drow hair color is sometimes (about 1 in 10) a color other then white. Skin tones are usually ebony black. Occasionaly light shades of grey, blue, and violet skin tones can be found. With average heights of 5'6" or 5'7" and weights around 130-150 Drow also are physically larger, but are still smaller then the typical Freeman. Female Drow are usually an inch or two taller and weigh a few pounds more. Demographics put females more numerous then males on a 60 : 40 ratio, but in older communities numbers are much more neutral.

Drow society is usually matriarchal, but there are frequent exceptions - particularly when powerful sorcery is involved. While many male Drow attain positions of power with wizardry, most do so with cunning mercantile minds or expert skills. Drow society is run by a collection of Houses which operate roughly as an open forum council. Success and recognition are based on the right combination of ambition, personal power, wits, and political aptitude. It takes a great deal of luck, too. There are many Houses, all of whom claim some measure of respect by their peers, but only a small handful have any real authority in overall society.

Most sentient creatures on Alara have strained relations (at best) with the dark elves, and often accuse them of being evil, conniving, power hungry smooth talkers with no regard for anyone except themselves. For the most part, this is true. However, it's not so much a conscience choice where the Drow are concerned. The Drow have a long history of violence and magical might that dates back almost to the creation of the race. Only the toughest, smartest, and most capable survive. Morals and weak wills have long since left the hearts and minds of the typical dark elf. However that is not to say Drow don't have a code of ethics. It's just that the average Drow doesn't see the point in moral behavior when common sense and utility dictate otherwise.

Would a peasant be denied a plow to til the earth when it is more efficient and effective to give him one? So then to the Drow (even the rare ones that have kinder hearts), why should they not use a dose of poison, or a knife in the back when clearly it's more advantageous to do so? Needless to say this is indeed, one of the many reasons others despise them.

The thoughts of other species aside, Dark Elves are often aloof. They are known for their sense of style, often having extremely refined tastes in art, literature, and music. Drow artisians are some of the most specialized, rivaled only by dwarves, with whom they often compete for the status and glory that comes with being the best.

Oddly enough, Drow celebrations are fairly common. In spite of the fact there are few light hearted Drow, or large scale social events outside of particular House's customs, dark elves tend to be overindulgant when they do let their guard down long enough to have a moment of joy. When questioned about it, the typical Drow response is that surviving the entire day is reason enough to celebrate. It should be noted that typical Drow celebrations are usually scary to outsiders, due to the Dark Elves predisposition towards cunning and violence.

The Drow Houses play an important role in dark elf society because they control the influence and wealth, sure, but also because the offer what passes as protection. The Drow Houses are the backbone of their personal power and the opportunities they present to the rest of their "family" members. Like most individual Drow, the Houses are rife with backstabbing, treachary, and closed door politics, each rivaling the other for supremecy. In spite of the fact belonging to a Drow House is considered to be an important part of their culture, only 35-40% of Drow actually belong to a House. Many dark elves, especially from the younger generations, have begun to lose interest in the archaic form of leadership. The following eight Houses are widely accepted as the most dominant and most nortorious.

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Drow names on Alara often flow off of the tongue, and consist of a one or two syllable first or primary name followed by a surname, and then a House name. Leaders of Houses are addressed as Patriarch or Matriarch, while aristocrats and highly influential Drow are addressed as Lord or Lady. In the case where there is no House name, many Drow have adopted the Freemen idea of adding their home region. Most Drow deal with outsiders only by using their primary name, and sometimes they choose to use a nickname given to them by their non-dark elf peers.

RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS:
- +2 Attribute bonus to Dexterity, Intelligence, & Charisma
- -2 Attribute penalty to Constitution
- +2 Will save vs. all Sleep & Charm related spells
- 120' Darkvision
- Spell Resistance equal to 11 + Character Level
- Spell Like Ability once per day - Dancing Lights, Faerie Fire, &
- Light Blindness (-2 penalty to Will Saves in bright light. -1 Penalty to all Attack and Skill checks)
- Favored Class - Wizard or Hexblade
- Bonus Racial FEAT - Courteous Magocracy, Highborn Drow, Smooth Talk, Swift & Silent, Twin Sword Style

HALF ELF
-Description
-Adjustments
-Bonus Racial FEAT - Agile Athlete, Cosmopolitan, Courteous Magocracy, Goad, Street Smart, Trivial Knowledge
-Favored Class

FREEMAN
-Description
-Adjustments
-Bonus Racial FEAT - Blooded, Education, Iron Will, Luck of Heroes, Militia, Toughness
-Favored Class

DWARF
-Description
-Adjustments
-Bonus Racial FEAT - Axeshield, Clan Prestige, Dauntless, Silver Palm, Strong Soul
-Favored Class

GNOME
-Description
-Adjustments
-Bonus Racial FEAT - Earth Sense, Jungle Mystic, Natural Trickster, Tree Topper, Tunnel Runner
-Favored Class

ORC
-Description
-Adjustments
-Bonus Racial FEAT - Clan Prestige, Earth Sense, Elf Hunter, Mountaineer, Sure Footed, Thug
-Favored Class

HALF-ORC
-Description
-Adjustments
-Bonus Racial FEAT - Fearless, Forester, Primitive Caster, Survivor, Thug
-Favored Class