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The drow are a specific subspecies of elves in theDungeons & Dragonsuniverse. Though their purposes and general location vary between D&D settings, most of the time, drow are considered ‘evil’ versions of regular elves, and sometimes can be found to worship maligned deities and magics, often doing so from the Underdark itself.
However, this is not always the case, and players themselves can freely play drow in the world above as well. But, you might be struggling to come up with a good drow name. That’s why we’ve created this guide, which has everything you need to know to generate drow names in D&D.
How Drow Names Work
Drow naming conventions are verysimilar to typical elven naming conventions.
First,most elves have a childhood name, typically a vowel-heavy nickname that plays off an existing elven or fey word.
When it comes to elven names, drow or otherwise,there is often very little distinction between genders; most names can work for any gender presentation.
When elves reach adulthood, they grant themselves a new nameand adopt the family name as well.Adult elven names are always unique creations; these names are never shared with other elves.
Once again, these names tend to be vowel-heavyand are very melodic.
However, when it comes to drow names, it is worth adding inslightly harsher consonants and more staccato melodies, as opposed to light-hearted ones.
This adds a more malevolent connotationto the sound of your character’s name, which is perfect for drow.
Tips And Tricks To Create Drow Names
When creating an adult drow name for yourself, you’ll have tocreate both a first name and a family nameto go along with it. Here are a few tips and tricks to create unique-sounding drow names.
Details
Add Consonants
When it comes to drow, they tend to haveslightly harsher-sounding names.
One great way to do this is totake an existing elf namefrom the Player’s Handbook and replace softer consonants with harsher ones.
Borrow From Infernal
Infernal and demonic namesoften lend themselves well to drow names.
Consider looking up demonic names from the D&D multiverse, and tweaking them slightly to sound more fey-like or elven.
Combine Elven Words
Elven family names are oftencombinations of two elvish words.
For example,the elven family name Galanodel, which comes from the 2014 Player’s Handbook,is a combination of the elven words for Moon and Whisper.
Consider using an elven-english translator. Or,many elves translate their family names into common, meaning your drow’s family name could simply be Moonwhisper rather than Galanodel.
Both the 2014 Player’s Handbook and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything havelists of sample elven names, as well as namesfor each speciesfor additional inspiration.
Examples Of Drow Names
Taking the above tips, tricks, and naming conventions,here are some sample names for drow elves.
Nantataar (Caster of Destiny)
