Evil Drow Statblocks to Return in Forgotten Realms Rulebooks Later This Year

Drow-specific NPC statblocks will be included in the upcoming Forgotten Realms Adventurer's Guide set for release later this year. Over the past several weeks, much hullabaloo has been made over the Monster Manual, specifically that the D&D design team replaced specific drow and orc statblocks with generic NPC statblocks that can be used for any kind of humanoids. In a video released today, D&D lead designer Jeremy Crawford confirmed that more specific statblocks tied to specific humanoid sects or characters would return in future rulebooks, with evil drow given as an example.

"Also for anyone who's eager to see more species-tailored humanoid statblocks, people are going to see more of that in our setting books," Crawford said. "You're going to see that in our Forgotten Realms products, for example. The malevolent drow of Menzoberranzan are an important part of that setting and so they get their own statblocks. This is really true of all the creatures in the Monster Manual. This is your massive starting toy box of monsters that are usable anywhere in the multiverse. The bestiaries in our setting products, that's where we can provide you versions of things tailored to the cultures and histories of our different worlds."

 

[Divine2021]

One way to get me to buy this book, for sure.

 

[Maxperson]

Well f*** they're going to make me buy a Forgotten Realms book now. Well played, Jeremy, well played.

Wow. This just makes the omission from the MM worse.

 

[pukunui]

Where are the ice drow from that I see folk mentioning? Jungle drow I know from Eberron.

These are different to the jungle drow of Eberron.

Back in 2021, WotC retconned the drow so they aren't all part of one monolithic evil matriarchal society. The classic Lolth-worshipping, Underdark-dwelling FR drow are now "Udadrow". They then introduced two groups of drow who rejected Lolth and didn't descend into the Underdark. One group, called Aevendrow (or "starlight elves"), live in a hidden polar city called Callidae. They were featured in some recent Drizzt novel by RA Salvatore.

There's also a group called Lorendrow (or "greenshadow elves"), who dwell in a city called Saekolath, which is hidden somewhere in the jungles of Chult. They were referenced in the same Drizzt novel but haven't made an actual appearance in any media yet.

Neither of these groups of drow have featured in any official RPG books yet.

There was a little bit about each of these new drow societies on the old D&D website, which no longer exists. You can still find it via the Wayback Machine: Legend of Drizzt | Dungeons & Dragons

In case you have trouble finding it:

Far to the North lies Callidae; an Aevendrow enclave built of glittering ice. Few recall its location and even fewer know the secrets long guarded at its heart.

Even as some of their kin followed Lolth down to the Underdark, many drow elves rejected her, remaining true to their innate integrity. One band ventured north, vanishing from history behind curtains of snow, aurora, and illusion. They became the Aevendrow—or Starlight Elves—a highly secretive clan steeped in powerful magic.

The Aevendrow remain untainted by Lolth’s influence, and life in Callidae is radically different from that of oppressive Menzoberranzan. Yet, though many would rejoice to see it, almost no one—including the longest-lived elves—can quite remember its existence.

The teeming southern jungles conceal the drow elf city of Saekolath, populated by the Lorendrow—dwellers in the endless green.

Head far enough south and one enters the territory of the Lorendrow, or “Greenshadow Elves.” Far from the Spider Queen and her terrors, the Lorendrow draw their wisdom from their environment: the generosity of earth; the mystery of sky; and the complex harmony of forest.

Their verdant city is Saekolath—“Place of Shade”—and it wends between towering trees and chattering rivers. Even the most knowledgeable bard would be hard-pressed to sing its histories, and few northern adventurers have ever reached its borders.

Wow. This just makes the omission from the MM worse.

How so? They retconned the drow back in 2021. If you didn't see this coming, then you haven't been paying attention for a while now.

 

[Chaltab]

Wow. This just makes the omission from the MM worse.

It's four statblocks with more than adequate replacements in the 2025 MM.

I wonder if they’ll reprint the Drow Gunslinger stat block that was in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist.

Those bastards nearly killed my PC in that campaign. In fact she only survived because Jarlaxle of all people saved her life.

 

[Zardnaar]

These are different to the jungle drow of Eberron.

Back in 2021, WotC retconned the drow so they aren't all part of one monolithic evil matriarchal society. The classic Lolth-worshipping, Underdark-dwelling FR drow are now "Udadrow". They then introduced two groups of drow who rejected Lolth and didn't descend into the Underdark. One group, called Aevendrow (or "starlight elves"), live in a hidden polar city called Callidae. They were featured in some recent Drizzt novel by RA Salvatore.

There's also a group called Lorendrow (or "greenshadow elves"), who dwell in a city called Saekolath, which is hidden somewhere in the jungles of Chult. They were referenced in the same Drizzt novel but haven't made an actual appearance in any media yet.

Neither of these groups of drow have featured in any official RPG books yet.

There was a little bit about each of these new drow societies on the old D&D website, which no longer exists. You can still find it via the Wayback Machine: Legend of Drizzt | Dungeons & Dragons

In case you have trouble finding it:






How so? They retconned the drow back in 2021. If you didn't see this coming, then you haven't been paying attention for a while now.

Do they deserve different stats than drow? Also moar elf subraces are about the last thing we need.

 

[Maxperson]

It's four statblocks with more than adequate replacements in the 2025 MM.

The 5.5e MM has no drow statblocks, because none of the NPCs include the drow racial abilities. MM encounters should be full in and of themselves. You shouldn't have to go to other books to find out what a race in the MM does.

Those bastards nearly killed my PC in that campaign. In fact she only survived because Jarlaxle of all people saved her life.

Jarlaxle is hands down my favorite Drow in D&D media.

 

[TiQuinn]

A fair number of people insist that if you want to add a new species to your game that you can always come up with justification for them, that it should never be a big deal to introduce any species under the sun. A splinter group of drow should therefore be no problem!

On the other hand, it's FR. It's not like the setting has all that much coherence or logic behind it. In my own game I have my own lore and explanations, including drow that reject their societal morals but I did that years and years ago because of issues with their depiction.

I mean, for me they had saurials. Then they had Dragonborn. That wasn’t a huge leap for me.

 

[Maxperson]

Honestly, that thread needs to be closed; it long stopped being about Orcs

This attitude drives me crazy. If you don't want to talk about it, don't participate in the thread. Wanting to stop other people who are enjoying where the thread has gone from talking seems very petty to me. All threads deviate from the topic at some point.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Those bastards nearly killed my PC in that campaign. In fact she only survived because Jarlaxle of all people saved her life.

The Conquest Paladin in my Dragon Heist campaign did almost die to them, but then looted their pistols and continued to use those every now and then for the rest of the campaign. We thought a terrifying knight in full plane with a gun was both funny and cool.

 

[pukunui]

The 5.5e MM has no drow statblocks, because none of the NPCs include the drow racial abilities. MM encounters should be full in and of themselves. You shouldn't have to go to other books to find out what a race in the MM does.

Were you upset that the 2014 MM had no dwarf or dragonborn stat blocks?

To quote Jeremy from the video, "just as we mentioned in the 2014 books ... you can always take traits from the Player's Handbook and apply them to [the humanoid NPC] stat blocks".