What Color Are Drow?

[Andrew D. Gable]

What do you think?

(Ignore previous, doublepost)

 

[EricNoah]

A gray so dark it looks black in some lights, but with a little bit of a sheen to it.

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

I personally think they're pitch black.

And in response to the question posed by darkbard on my previous (misposted) thread: I'm not trying to start any kind of controversy. I've just seen many different versions and conceptions of dark elves, and as I'm going to be painting a mini of one soon I just wanted to get board feedback.

 

[darkbard]

andrew, thank goodness yours is a sincere inquiry and not a nasty troll. i wonder though at the possibility of a range of skin hues as there are among realworld peoples.

 

[rounser]

Drow end up being painted with dark purple/blue/grey/brown tones because black is very difficult for painters to shade and highlight realistically (for obvious reasons).

That goes for miniature painters too, but there is some good advice on shading and highlighting black (whilst still keeping an overall illusion of black appearance to it) out there on the web if you bother to find it.

 

[CRG]

I thought all significant drow characters were albino anyway...certainly a high percentage of them...they must have more albinos as a race (per capita) than just about any other ...

 

[Darraketh]

I always considered the "Dark" to mean their sinister nature. Living underground they'd probably lack any skin pigmentation at all, sort of like an albino.

 

[NiTessine]

I always considered the "Dark" to mean their sinister nature. Living underground they'd probably lack any skin pigmentation at all, sort of like an albino.

Well, the background material defines that when Corellon Larethian cast them down into the Underdark, he changed the color of their skin to match their dark hearts...

 

[Darraketh]

Well, the background material defines that when Corellon Larethian cast them down into the Underdark, he changed the color of their skin to match their dark hearts...

Ahh... good point.

From MM1:

The "Black Elves," or drow, are only legend.

MM3e:

They have jet-black skin and pale hair, with white being common.

 

[Buttercup]

Charcoal gray.