Are Drow considered "Fey".....? Why or why not?

[Tuzenbach]

I always assumed that Drow were "Fey" simply because they possessed innate magical abilities (Darkness & Faerie Fire). However, this list of "Fey" creatures omits the Drow......


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fey_(Dungeons_&_Dragons)


Is this merely an oversight, or am I the only one here who believes Drow should be "Fey".....?






PS: On a side note, it's intriguing to me that the Kenku, clearly derived from "Tengu", have simply been described & statted as "Crow people". Meanwhile, the creature from which the Kenku originated (Tengu) are CLEARLY "Fey", yet nobody in all the years of D&D has bothered to give the Tengu a proper write-up. Shame.....

 

[Celebrim]

I always assumed that Drow were "Fey" simply because they possessed innate magical abilities (Darkness & Faerie Fire).[/URL]

Tolkien desired to divorce the notion of an elf, from the Victorian notions of diminutive and comical creatures and return to the idea something of the stature of a mythic being. The elves of D&D (and virtually every RGP) follow on the Tolkien conception of elves as a mystical humanoid race, kindred to and peer of humanity. Since Drow are conceived as being an alternate form of such an elf, they are also not described as being 'fey'. The 'fey' in the game do draw their notions from post-medieval fairy tales and various modern stories and conceits, and are thus generally the small mischievous figures associated with being 'fairy'.

Plenty things in the game have natural spell abilities without being 'fey'.

 

[Celebrim]

...yet nobody in all the years of D&D has bothered to give the Tengu a proper write-up. Shame.....

"Ecology of the Tengu" from Kobold Quarterly #14.

 

[Zinnger]

As I understand it, all types of elves are humanoid and none are Fey. In 5e they have "Fey Ancestry" which is how they resist charm and sleep so they do have a Fey connection but are not themselves a Fey creature. Drow are simply a type of elf, much like Moon, High, Wood, etc. All of them are simply Humanoid (elf).

 

[CapnZapp]

As an aside, I would not consider Wikipedia authorative on D&D matters.

If you can't find an actual official source (as something published by TSR or Wotc etc), go for specialized wikis like the Forgotten Realms wiki.

 

[Wik]

Well, in my own games, I've based the elves more off the elves of Tad Williams' style of "Sidhe". In short, the drow are definitely "fey".

Basically, when the elves screwed up and destroyed the land, they decided to flee to the feywild. Those that remained on the material plane were elves, but those who fled became "Seelie" or "Unseelie", based on their political leanings in the Twilight Court. So, there were two political factions, and depending on your faction, you became either an Eladrin ("Seelie"), or Drow ("Unseelie"). The Eladrin sought to grow the empire through trade and military assistance with the non-feywild races, while the drow sought to become pure isolationists and to destroy any who dare intruded (and occasionally go forth into the material plane to hunt mortals for sport, because it'd foster fear). Eladrin who didn't act appropriately would become Drow, and vice versa.

Of course, PCs came along, and things have changed. There are now SIX political factions in the court, each with its own seperate "race". The drow are now more fierce isolationists without all the violence, and the eladrin are more scholars as well as merchants and diplomats. Then there's the Zahariim (named after a PC, the first of the "race") who act as tinkerers and alchemists, the Luscarites (named after a bad guy mercenary Eladrin NPC) who are money-crazed mercenaries who believe "might makes right", the Selvarine - druids who seek to destroy the "unnatural" feywild and return to the material plane, and the Aquatic Elves, who are similar to the Selvarine crossed with the drow.

In short, the feywild elves are unpredictable and completely fey-like in manner, and a LOT more fun to my players over the usual D&D style "I'm better than you" elves.

 

[Tuzenbach]

"Ecology of the Tengu" from Kobold Quarterly #14.

I'll attempt to find this & read it. However, it it goes on about "crow people" with no discernible innate, magical ability, I'll not consider it a proper write-up of the Tengu. I've recently read too many legend/lore thingies from Japanese mythology to believe the Tengu are only silly bird-men without inborn magic.....

 

[pemerton]

I always assumed that Drow were "Fey" simply because they possessed innate magical abilities (Darkness & Faerie Fire). However, this list of "Fey" creatures omits the Drow......


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fey_(Dungeons_&_Dragons)


Is this merely an oversight, or am I the only one here who believes Drow should be "Fey".....?

Drow in 4e are fey, just as other elves are.

 

[Tuzenbach]

As an aside, I would not consider Wikipedia authorative on D&D matters.

If you can't find an actual official source (as something published by TSR or Wotc etc), go for specialized wikis like the Forgotten Realms wiki.

I see. If you could, could you please provide me with an "official" definition of what D&D considers to be "Fey"....???


Thank You!!!!

 

[Tuzenbach]

Drow in 4e are fey, just as other elves are.

Now I'm just confused. I'm thinking "Fey" have to be 1) Humanoidish, and 2) possess innate magical ability ........I mean, at birth.