Drow have had a LONG history in D&D.
This is a good one for me to review now. In my Forgotten Realms (even if AD&D 1st Ed) campaign has a Drow priestess of Eilistraee. I know a bit about her, but this is a good book for me now.
While I know a lot of Realms lore Drow, I would never say I am an expert. Admittedly I learned of Drow via Greyhawk lore and the Epic GDQ series from Gygax. So my first experiences with Drow were in Erelhei-Cinlu and not Menzoberranzan.
It is time I changed that.
FOR2: The Drow of the Underdark (2e)
1991. Ed Greenwood. Artists: Jeff Easley (cover), Tim Bradstreet, Rick Harris (interiors). 96 pages. Color cover, gold, black & white interiors. Some full-color plates.
For this review, I am considering my PDF and Print on Demand versions from DriveThruRPG.
There’s a certain mystique that comes with any Ed Greenwood-penned Forgotten Realms book, but The Drow of the Underdark lands in that very specific early-'90s TSR sweet spot: prestige-format, Realms-focused, lore-dense, and just weird enough to feel like it snuck out of Elminster’s bottom drawer.
I read Greenwood's articles fondly in Dragon Magazine, even if I was not interested in the Realms at the time. These days, not with more years of appreciation for Ed, the Realms, and these products I feel like I get a lot more out of these books than I would have say back in 91.
This was the second entry in the "FOR" series, following Draconomicon, and it leans hard into that same idea: go deep on a singular part of the Realms and pull no punches. Where Draconomicon scattered its gaze across multiple dragon types, this one drills straight down into drow culture, religion, and society—and stays there.
And yes, this is very much a Greenwood book. That means: flavor over stats, dense Realmslore, and the occasional asides from Elminster. Honestly, I would not want it any other way.
Note, the table of contents does not have the Chapter numbers, but the Chapters do as do the bookmarks in the PDF.
The book feels like the AD&D 2nd Ed splat books of the time.
Overview
This isn't just "Vault of the Drow in the Forgotten Realms." It's a deliberate reimagining of the drow as a functioning, if cruel and fractured, civilization with its own logic and diversity. Greenwood expands far beyond the Lolth-worshipping archetype that had become the default by 1991 and proposes alternative drow following other deities, traditions, and magical philosophies.
It's still evil, make no mistake. But this book provides a scaffold for playing, plotting, or writing about drow from the inside out. It dares to humanize them, not to redeem them, but to make them usable. And it succeeds.
Introduction
Classic Greenwood here. An interview between him and Elminster and a naked drow woman named Susprina Arkhenneld. She is finally detailed in one of Ed's more famous videos. In my head-canon, Simon Aumar is the distant offspring of Elminster and Suprina. Great, great grand-son according to the Realms wiki. Not sure how that works in "real" Realms lore, but it works fine for me.
Chapter 1: The Nature of Dark Elves
The opening sections dive into drow history, physiology, life cycle, customs, language, and, most of all, their society. We start with how Drow are similar and different from standard elves. This includes their intelligence and magic.
We also get a bit on driders, which are different in later versions of the game. Here, in their original form, they are the misfits and rejects of the Drow society.
Chapter 2: Dark Elven Society
Covers a lot of what we know about Drow.
The "House" system is here in all its backstabbing glory, with clear inspiration from both earlier Gygaxian sources and Greenwood's own campaigns. You get descriptions of how drow children are raised (answer: with cruelty and indoctrination), gender roles (strictly matriarchal), and the political maneuverings that dominate their lives.
We are introduced to Menzoberranzan, but many details are left out. Of course, I only know this because of future knowledge. Still, what is here is tantalizing. I am purposefully looking for differences between this and Erelhei-Cinlu. It is like comparing New York or LA (Menzoberranzan) to Chicago (Erelhei-Cinlu).
This part reads less like a rulebook and more like a cultural ethnography written by a half-mad sage. And I mean that as praise.
Chapter 3: Religion and Deities
Lolth looms large, of course, but this book’s standout contribution is the introduction of three other drow deities:
- Eilistraee, the Dark Maiden, the Dancer, goddess of good-aligned drow
- Ghaunadaur, an oozy, mad god of slimes and the Realmsified version of the Elder Elemental God
- Lolth of course.
- Vhaeraun, the male drow god of stealth and thievery, and Drow aims on the Surface world.
Generally speaking, I like these gods. Eilistraee is interesting and makes "Good" Drow make sense to me. Vhaeraun seems like a god Drow should have. Ghaundaur, though I see less of a "version" of the Elder Elemental God and more of an aspect, or even a fragment.
This section expands the theological spectrum of drow society and sets the groundwork for future Realms books and characters (like Qilué Veladorn and the Eilistraeean sects).
Chapter 4: History of the Drow
Similar to what we know from Greyhawk, but greatly expanded.
Chapters 5 , 6 & 7: Magic, Spells, and Magic and Craftwork Items
A wide selection of new spells and magic items are detailed here, many built specifically for the Underdark environment. Drow necromancy, priestly magic, and magic item crafting are all treated with a specific cultural lens—these are not just elves with different spellbooks.
The book also explains why drow magic and weapons degrade in sunlight, a now-classic bit of Realms justification that threads game mechanics and worldbuilding nicely.
Chapters 8, 9, 10, & 11: Drow Language, Nomenclature, Glossary, and Symbols
Chapter 8 is just a page, but a lot of potential here. Chapter 9 covers some nomenclature and Chapter 10 has a Glossary of "Deep Drow." Chapter 11 covers various symbols.
I do wonder why these chapters were not combined into one, more comprehensive chapter.
Chapter 13: The Underdark
It only has a page here, but the Underdark gets its "Forever Home" here in the Realms.
Chapter 14: Monsters and Allies
The book introduces new monsters, mostly arachnid or Underdark-themed. Standouts include:
Deep dragons, later seen in Monstrous Compendium: Forgotten Realms Appendix II
Yochlol, handmaidens of Lolth, finally updated for 2e
Several new giant spider and insect variants
And my favorite from Dragon Magazine, the Deep Bats.
These are presented in Monstrous Compendium format, ready to slot into your binder, a nice touch from the era. For me, the value here is to print them out and stick them all into my Forgotten Realms binder.
Jeff Easley’s cover, with its webbed motif and brooding drow, sets the tone perfectly. The interior art is black-and-white linework typical of the time, functional and flavorful, if not always consistent. The layout is dense, with minimal whitespace, a product of both the printing economics of the time and Greenwood’s maximalist style.
The PDF on DriveThruRPG is a clean scan and includes the full content in a readable, printable format. The PoD version has the common fuzziness to the text, but still pretty sharp. Better than most of the PoDs from the same era.
Compatibility and Use at the Table
Though it’s firmly written for AD&D 2nd Edition, most of this book is system-light and easily adapted. I've pulled material from it for 1st Edition games, OSR campaigns, and even 5e adventures. The gods, monsters, and magical quirks are timeless.
Want to run a Drow-centric campaign? This is your bible.
Want to add depth to Drow NPCs or create political plotlines among rival Houses? It’s all here.
Even just dropping in Eilistraee or Vhaeraun as rare cults in your game world adds immediate nuance to the usual "Lolth or nothing" trope.
Highlights & Favorites
Debut of Eilistraee, Vhaeraun, and Ghaunadaur as active drow deities.
Deep dive into matriarchal House structure and political intrigue. Though not everything we will need or read about this, but this is where it starts.
New Drow-only spells and Underdark items.
Monstrous Compendium pages ready for use (my favorite).
Elminster flavor text. Indulgent, but charming, and honestly, I enjoy them more now than I would have back then.
A Few Quibbles
Some of Greenwood’s prose is thick, and it assumes some Realms knowledge going in. It is one of the reasons I avoided the Realms for as long as I did, which, of course, just makes the problem worse. I figured I had to dive in somewhere. I read this and I understand it, but there are still two things that I wonder about. 1. How would this have read to me back in 1991 without everything I know now? And 2. I always feel like there is some bit of Realms lore that it is assumed everyone knows, and I don't.
There's also less about specific locations than you might expect. Menzoberranzan, for example, is barely touched on, later books like Menzoberranzan (1992) and Drizzt Do’Urden’s Guide to the Underdark (1999) pick up that slack.
And while the book teases alternative Drow cultures, it still feels like 90% of them worship Lolth. The other sects are intriguing, but underdeveloped. Is this good or bad? I mean, I am more than happy to do more heavy lifting here. And in the end, that may be the real point.
Final Thoughts
The Drow of the Underdark is a foundational text for Drow in the Realms and beyond. It takes what was once a one-note villain race and gives them depth, diversity, and terrifying credibility. I have to admit, after reading this, I see how Drizzt Do’Urden was not a fluke but an inevitability.
The book holds up remarkably well. It’s a snapshot of the Realms before Drow culture became mainstream through novels and video games, offering a more alien and nuanced portrayal. Greenwood’s love of the setting shines, and his approach—dense, layered, a little chaotic—is as compelling now as it was in 1991.
More than just a monster book, this is a cultural document. And it’s one of the few early Realms supplements that still feels fresh and useful today, even across multiple editions. I am using it for AD&D 1st Ed now. I know I would get just as much use out of it if I were running 3e or 5e. I also printed out the spells for my son to use with his 1st ed Drow cleric.
Though written for AD&D 2e, its focus on lore over mechanics makes it evergreen.
Buy this if:
- You're running Underdark adventures in any edition of D&D
- You want to add Drow politics, religion, or flavor to your campaign
- You collect foundational Realms lore
Personally, I am happy to have it in my small, but growing Realms collection.
