Why do drow have black skin?

[Mercurius]

Besides kewlness factor, that is. Has any book every explained this? I just don't get it. You're underground for thousands of years and your skin would likely lose pigment altogether and your eyes would turn darker, even without whites. Actually, that's how the "drow" look in my campaign world.

I do have a black-skinned variant of elves somewhat similar to the Ariane in Talislanta - mystics concerned with cosmic exploration who live in high mountain towers, contemplating the mysteries of the universe.

 

[Morrus]

I guess it's magic! I haven't heard of any explanations. Though I've often seem them depicted with blue skin, too.

 

[urLordy]

I guess someone had taken "dark elves" literally.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

And purple and brown...

German Unseelie appeared to have dark skin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dökkálfar_and_Ljósálfar

 

[HardcoreDandDGirl]

I don't know if it's cannon or not, but over the years I've been told by two different DMs who as far as I know did not know each other, Drow are subjected to some kind of magic radiation in the underdark. It is why so many things down there are purple and black and grey. It at the very least has been my head cannon since 3e came out.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Potential theories:

Camouflage.
Allergic reaction to faezress radiation.
Ground-in dirt because they never take baths.
Cursed by the gods to look different than their brothers.
Unconscious game designer racism.
That's the natural color of all elves -- the ones who live above ground have a genetic defect.
That's the price of "kewl powerz".
Got tired of being called "Pinky".
"Once you go black, you never go back." -- Literally.
Tanning beds in every drow household.
Felt silly calling themselves "dark elves" with pale pink skin.

 

[fjw70]

I always thought that it was early D&D team's lack of science knowledge that assumed anything that lived below ground would have dark skin.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I'm reacting way too seriously to Olgar's post, but drow bathe all the time. They're made of fanservice after all

 

[SkidAce]

[MENTION=1165](Psi)SeveredHead[/MENTION] is the closest from what I recall.

Svart alfar and all that. Or was it dokalfar...

 

[Tuft]

[MENTION=1165](Psi)SeveredHead[/MENTION] is the closest from what I recall.

Svart alfar and all that. Or was it dokalfar...

Wikipedia has a bunch of stuff.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dökkálfar_and_Ljósálfar

Note that "dark elves" originally was synonymous with "dwarves"...