JARLAXLE’S BAG OF EVERYTHING 2021
Drow Lineages
By G. Simpson and Nathan Turley, with inspiration from the D&D design team
This is Playtest Material Ability Score Increases
The D&D material in this article is presented for When you determine your ability scores,
playtesting and to spark your imagination. These game increase one of those scores by 2, and increase a
mechanics are in draft form, usable in your D&D different one by 1. These increases cannot raise a
campaign but not refined by full game design and score above 20. You follow this rule regardless of
editing. They are not officially part of the game and are the method you use to determine the scores,
not permitted in D&D Adventurers League events. such as rolling or point buy. If you are replacing
Feedback. The best way for you to give us feedback is your race with a lineage, replace any Ability
in comments and posts where you found this material. If
Score Increases you previously had with these.
we decide to make this material available, it will be
refined based on your feedback, and then it will appear
in the upcoming book Jarlaxle’s Bag of Everything. Languages
Power Level. The character options you read here Your character can speak, read, and write
might be more or less powerful than options in the Common and one other language that you and
Player’s Handbook. If a design survives playtesting, we your DM agree is appropriate for the character.
adjust its power to the desirable level before official The Player’s Handbook offers a list of widespread
publication. This means an option could be more or less languages to choose from. The DM is free to add
powerful in its final form. or remove languages from that list for a
This playtest document features three new race particular campaign. If you are replacing your
options to playtest for player characters in D&D: race with a lineage, you retain any languages you
had and gain no new languages.
Udadrow
Lorendrow Creature Type
Aevendrow Every creature in D&D, including every player
character, has a special tag in the rules that
These options are special; you can choose one at identifies the type of creature they are. Most
character creation or at an appropriate time player characters are of the Humanoid type. A
later in a campaign, transforming your character. race option presented here tells you what your
character’s creature type is.
Creating Your Character List of Types. Here’s a list of the game’s
creature types in alphabetical order: Aberration,
At 1st level, you choose whether your character Beast, Celestial, Construct, Dragon, Elemental,
is a member of the human race or of one of the Fey, Fiend, Giant, Humanoid, Monstrosity, Ooze,
game’s fantastical races. Alternatively, you can Plant, Undead. These types do not have rules
choose one of the following lineages. If you themselves, but some rules in the game affect
choose a lineage, you might have once been a creatures of certain types in different ways. For
member of another race, but you are not any example, the text of the cure wounds spell
longer. You now possess only your lineage’s specifies that the spell does not work on a
racial traits. creature that has the Construct or Undead type.
When you create a character using a lineage Having More Than One Type. Some creatures
option here, follow these additional rules during are of more than one creature type. If an effect
character creation. works on at least one of a creature’s types, that
effect can work on that creature. For example, if
you are both a Humanoid and an Undead, cure
wounds works on you, since the spell works on a
Humanoid.
Design Note: Changes to Racial Traits struggle, said by Lolth to make them more
In 2020, the book Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything capable and resilient in the face of hardship.
introduced the option to customize several of your
character’s racial traits, specifically the Ability Score Tenets of Lolth
Increase trait, the Language trait, and traits that give Udadrow are brought up in an intensely zealous
skill, armor, weapon, or tool proficiencies. society, fully devoted to the Spider Queen and
Following in that book’s footsteps, the race options in her tenets.
this article and in future D&D books lack the Ability At a young age, each Udadrow chooses one of
Score Increase trait, the Language trait, the Alignment Lolth’s ten Tenets, devoting themselves to a life
trait, and any other trait that is purely cultural. Racial in service to this ideal. Even those Udadrow who
traits henceforth reflect only the physical or magical eventually leave their own society find their
realities of being a player character who’s a member of long-standing and intensely trained devotion to
a particular lineage. Such traits include things like
these tenets to be a particularly strong motivator
darkvision, a breath weapon (as in the dragonborn), or
over the course of their lives.
innate magical ability (as in the forest gnome). Such
traits do not include cultural characteristics, like
Whether your character holds staunchly firm
language or training with a weapon or a tool, and the in defense of their tenet, or strives, with
traits also do not include an alignment suggestion, since marginal success, to overcome its longstanding
alignment is a choice for each individual, not a influence, it will always be a part of their life.
characteristic shared by a lineage. Roll on or choose an option from the Lolthian
Finally, going forward, the term “race” in D&D refers Tenet table to determine what tenet your
only to the suite of game features used by player character is most devoted to.
characters. Said features do not have any bearing on
monsters and NPCs who are members of the same Lolthian Tenets
species or lineage, since monsters and NPCs in D&D do d10 Tenet
not rely on race or class to function. Moreover, DMs are 1 Strength
empowered to customize the features of the creatures 2 Pride
in their game as they wish. 3 Cruelty
4 Apathy
Udadrow 5 Power
6 Beauty
Udadrow are, by far, the most common form of 7 Skill
Drow, and are often simply called Drow, as no 8 Pain
differentiation is necessary where they are 9 Intelligence
concerned. These are the Lolth-worshipping 10 Vengeance
denizens of the Underdark that serve as villains
in many an Elvish storybook, coming to the
surface only to steal away precious loved ones Death to the Weak
for their own evil designs, building their Showing any form of weakness in Udadrow
kingdom on the backs of slaves taken from above. society is often a death-sentence. The race’s
focus on strength and prowess lends itself to the
Lovers of Lolth idea that weakness is a trait to be culled,
To the Udadrow, Lolth’s authority is absolute eliminated as early and as quickly as possible. To
and unchallenged. She is the central unifying Udadrow, weaknesses that should be snuffed out
deity that defines the lives and actions of include tendencies such as compassion, self-
Udadrow far and wide, the founder and matron sacrifice, strong relationships, and other such
of their entire civilization. faults that lead their possessors to shy away
Udadrow follow Lolth’s tenets to every from what needs to be done.
extreme possible, and are consistently becoming For a good or neutral aligned Udadrow,
more corrupted by her influence. Their primary surviving in this culture means suppressing their
goals often align with her rhetoric: The own emotional attachments and putting on a
extermination of elvenkind and domination over mask of emotionless devotion to Lolth. Even if
all other Underdark races. To accomplish these these rare Udadrow manage to break away from
tasks, their society is built around constant their homes later in life, their ability to express
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emotion and to act as their conscience directs is and as such, Lorendrow are often treated with
severely hindered from a lifetime of hiding these suspicion and hatred.
feelings away.
Lovers of the Natural World
Udadrow Traits At the beginning of the Lorendrow’s society, they
Type: Humanoid found themselves shunned by Corellon,
Size: Medium abandoned by Lolth, and left alone in the world.
Speed: 30 feet Finding themselves so exceptionally alone, the
Superior Darkvision. You have darkvision out Lorendrow lost faith in deity, and instead turned
to a range of 120 feet. to nature itself, reveling in the untainted and
Lolth-trained Magic. You know the infestation constant beauty and ferocity of the world around
cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast them.
the Spider Climb spell once using this trait and As Lorendrow society has progressed, their
regain the ability to do so when you finish a long respect for and oneness with nature has only
rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the increased. Many druidic circles have arisen in
Web spell once using this trait and regain the Lorendrow culture, along with a number of
ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Ranger orders who are dedicated to protecting
Trained Superiority. You gain proficiency the wilds that they call home.
with an additional instrument, game, tool, Even after these many years, the Lorendrow
language, or skill of your choice. have yet to forgive Corellon for abandoning them
Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage following Lolth’s descent to evil. They typically
on attack rolls and perception checks that rely consider deities to be powerful beings, worthy of
on sight when you, the target of your attack, or respect, but not of worship.
whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct
sunlight. Lorendrow Familiars
Most Lorendrow have a strong enough
Lorendrow connection to the natural world that each has, at
some point, attracted the attention of an animal
Lorendrow are one of the small subgroups of or fey spirit, which becomes a familiar to them. A
former Drow who rejected Lolth’s path of evil, Lorendrow may have a different familiar
refusing to follow her into the depths of the depending on where they originate. Roll on or
Underdark. choose an option from the Lorendrow familiar
table to determine what familiar is bonded to
Strict Isolationists your character.
Though the Lorendrow did not follow their
Udadrow brethren into the Underdark, they did Lorendrow Familiars
similarly retreat into exile from the rest of the d10 Familiar
world. 1 Frog
Lorendrow make their homes in dense Jungles, 2 Cat
with settlements that have, for years, escaped 3 Dog
4 Raven
the notice of all but a few who venture beneath
5 Parrot
the canopy. Though the initial group that
6 Rat
separated themselves from the Udadrow was 7 Monkey
relatively small, their numbers have grown 8 Ferret
greatly, in large part due to their harmony one 9 Moth
with another and lack of outside influences. 10 Lizard
Their sense of isolation has been reinforced
again and again as Lorendrow travelers have
faced discrimination in the outside world, Lorendrow Traits
courtesy of the actions of their Udadrow cousins. Type: Humanoid
Most people find it difficult, if not impossible, to Size: Medium
distinguish between Lorendrow and Udadrow,
Speed: 30 feet
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Darkvision. You have darkvision out to a hopes and dreams for their child, and to serve as
range of 60 feet. a blessing to them throughout their life. Roll on
Familiar. You may cast the find familiar spell or choose an option from the Aevendrow
once without expending a spell slot, and regain Starsong table below to determine what song
the ability to do so after a long rest. your character was blessed by. Your character
Jungle Tracker. You gain proficiency in nature gains an additional proficiency based on their
and survival. Additionally, you gain a climbing Starsong, as listed in the table.
speed equal to your walking speed.
Aevendrow Starsongs
Aevendrow d10
1
Starsong
The Song of the Hidden (stealth)
Aevendrow, also known as “Starlight Elves” are 2 The Song of the Muse (Performance)
an exceptionally rare group of Drow who, like 3 The Song of the Worker (One tool or vehicle)
4 The Song of the Hero (Athletics)
the Lorendrow, refused to follow in Lolth’s path.
5 The Song of the Lover (Persuasion)
They are typically found in the frigid north in
6 The Song of the Mage (Arcana)
large ice-built cities, if they are found at all. 7 The Song of the Scholar (Investigation)
8 The Song of the Mediator (Insight)
Isolated Cities 9 The Song of the Ambassador (one additional
The Aevendrow are masterful mages, capable of language)
interacting on a deep level with their native icy 10 The Song of the Priestess (Religion)
home. Their cities are typically located under
thick sheets of ice, built within natural walls that
not only serve to keep intruders out, but that Aevendrow Traits
also disguise their settlements, ensuring that Type: Humanoid
they remain almost wholly undetected by those Size: Medium
who do not know what to look for. Speed: 30 feet
The icy caverns crafted to host Aevendrow Darkvision. You have darkvision out to a
cities are bolstered by their magic, and retain range of 60 feet.
their solid state of matter in spite of the warmth Starsong Blessing. You gain an additional
found in the cities themselves. Those few proficiency based on your Starsong. Additionally,
travelers who are welcomed into an Aevendrow once per long rest, you may choose to
citadel often bring back shards of “Starlit Ice”, automatically succeed on one skill check that
which is warm to the touch and never melts, as a uses the proficiency you gain from your Starsong.
testament to their journey. Aevendrow Spellcasting. You know the
dancing lights cantrip. When you reach 3rd level,
Reconciled Worshippers you can cast the chromatic orb spell once using
Despite the hardships faced by the Aevendrow this trait and regain the ability to do so when you
when their race lost Corellon’s favor, and they finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you
elected to abandon the worship of Lolth, the can cast the mirror image spell once using this
Aevendrow remained devoted followers of trait and regain the ability to do so when you
Corellon, seeking reconciliation for years, until finish a long rest.
they finally received it due in no small part to the
intervention of Eilistraee. They now worship her
as their primary goddess, as well as Corellon
More Info
himself. Jarlaxle’s Bag of Everything is the next big player
option book that brings the dangerous dwellers
Aevendrow Starsongs of the Underdark to fifth edition for the first
The Aevendrow’s powerful magics, along with time. Release Date: August 2021.
their fascination with the cosmic anomalies
demonstrated in the frigid north have, over time,
culminated in a ritual naming of their children
using magical melodies known as “Starsongs”.
Each Starsong is meant to channel the parents’
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