D&D General Drow in early D&D

[Morrus]

This was shared on Twitter by HOW I RUN IT. It's fascinating how that short paragraph evolved into an entire culture, and how it's still evolving into multiple cultures.

 

[Alzrius]

For those wondering, that description comes from the Monster Manual for AD&D 1st Edition, published in December of 1977.

Of course, further information was quickly forthcoming, as we saw more of the drow just over six months later, when G3 Hall of the Fire Giant King was published in July of 1978.

Please note my use of affiliate links in this post.

 

[The Glen]

They just haven't been the same since they lost the awesome mustaches

 

[Sacrosanct]

DnD is funny that way, with seemingly random monsters taking off in popularity. Same with beholders and mind flayers.

 

[Orius]

Simply wearing one of their mythological sources on their sleeve as it were, that's just a translation of svartalfr. And in Norse Mythology there was some degree of overlap between black elves and dwarves, if they weren't the same beings entirely.

But we've been down this road before haven't we?

 

[Wolf72]

Their "weak fighter" status kinda fell with the 1e UA ...maybe when compared to Humans, but they blew other elves out of the water until other elves' strength increased significantly.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

What the heck is a "Grey Elf"?

 

[Wolf72]

Back in the day ... there were High Elves, Grey Elves (haughtier), Wood Elves (the rustic ones), Aquatic Elves, and Dark Elves (the evil ones). I think there's a correlation between the types of Elves from Middle Earth (but I butcher the names all the time). Grey Elves where the like the nobler-noble type elf.

Grey Elves are Faeries -- Orc Vandalism

 

[The Glen]

What the heck is a "Grey Elf"?

Haughty jerk type elf mostly found in Celene in Greyhawk

 

[Omand]

What the heck is a "Grey Elf"?

Well, a bit of the Tolkien influence on D&D, not that there is any you know.

I don't have my old books with me for the exact description, but basically a second type of "high" elf.

Tolkien had High Elves, Grey Elves, and Green/Wood Elves in his works, the terms were pulled pretty closely into D&D.

Cheers

<And ninja'd twice>