Illus. by W. England
row employ a wide range of sinister items. From the insidious poisons with which they coat their weapons to the strange and unusual magic items they create, the dark elves demonstrate their ingenuity through their crafting skills.
Adventuring Gear Prompted by the hazardous nature of the Underdark, the drow have learned to fashion tools and special equipment to help them survive its perils. Resources are scarce, and crafters commonly face shortages of materials that surface dwellers take for granted. To compensate, the drow have access to rare materials. Many wield adamantine and mithral weapons, and the dark elves have found ways to extract workable materials from other strange ores. Additionally, drow have created a variety of innovative weapons, armor, and tools, all aimed at helping them to overcome their inhospitable environment.
EQUIPMENT
Although not everyone can afford magical solutions to the hazards and obstacles of the Underdark, several practical and inexpensive items help less affluent drow survive in the subterranean world. Breathing Hood: This hood composed of flexible lizard hide completely covers the head of the wearer and extends
down to the chest and upper back, creating a seal. Two glass lenses set into the front of the hood allow for vision; oftentimes, these lenses are replaced with sundark goggles (see Races of the Dragon) or cinnabar eye cusps (see below). Two long, flexible breathing tubes of the same leathery material extend down from the neck of the mask, wrap under the wearer’s arms, and drag on the ground just behind the wearer. The last foot of the tubes is filled with a fibrous filter. Though somewhat ungainly, breathing hoods come in handy when one must enter caverns or tunnels with questionable air quality. The tubes fit along the wearer’s body, draw air up from ground level, and filter it several times before it reaches the user. See page 159 of Chapter 6 for the effects of air quality and the use of a breathing hood. Furthermore, a breathing hood provides a +8 circumstance bonus on saves against all inhaled poisons, whether they originate from attacks, spells, or traps. Cinnabar Eye Cusps: These are pink lenses of polarized crystal that fit comfortably over your eyes. When worn in an area with an intense concentration of faerzress (in a FORGOTTEN R EALMS campaign; see page 154) or other magical radiations of the Underdark (such as in the Vault of the Drow; see page 154), the eye cusps enhance your vision. If you don’t already have
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