
Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

All Creatures
Abilities | Monsters | NPCs
All | Families | Templates
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Drow Shootist

The rare few drow who specialize in the repeating hand crossbow command respect not only for their skills but for their luck and swagger.

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 26
Unspecific Lore: DC 24
Specific Lore: DC 21

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Changes from being Weak are marked in red below.
NOTE: The -2 damage penalty to non-strike offensive abilities (-4 if the ability is limited, such as spells) is NOT factored in.

Weak Drow ShootistCreature 7

Legacy Content

Uncommon CN Medium Drow Elf Humanoid 
Source Pathfinder #165: Eyes of Empty Death pg. 83
Perception +16; darkvision
Languages Elven, Undercommon
Skills Acrobatics +17, Athletics +14, Deception +14, Intimidation +12, Stealth +15, Thievery +15
Str +2, Dex +5, Con +1, Int +0, Wis +4, Cha +2
Light Blindness
Items rapier, shootist bandolier, studded leather armor, stupor poison (4), +1 repeating hand crossbow (4 magazines)
AC 25; Fort +13, Ref +15, Will +14; +1 status to all saves vs. magic, +2 status to all saves vs. mental
HP 100; Immunities sleep
Shootist's Luck [reaction] (fortune) Trigger The shootist fails a save; Frequency once per day; Effect The shootist rerolls the save and uses the better result.
Speed 30 feet
Melee [one-action] rapier + 16 [+11/+6] (deadly d8, disarm, finesse), Damage 1d6-2+9 piercingRanged [one-action] repeating hand crossbow +18 [+13/+8] (range increment 60 feet, reload 0 [3 to reload magazine], repeating), Damage 1d6-2+9 piercing plus stupor poisonDivine Innate Spells DC 22 (-4 dmg); 2nd darkness (at will), faerie fire (at will); Cantrips (4th) dancing lights
Distracting Shot [two-actions] The shootist takes aim and makes a ranged Strike. If the attack hits and deals damage, the target is flat-footed until the end of the shootist's turn, or until the end of the shootist's next turn on a critical hit.Reloading Trick [two-actions] Requirements The shootist is holding an unloaded repeating hand crossbow; Effect The shootist Interacts to reload the repeating hand crossbow and Strikes with it.Shootist's Draw [one-action] Frequency once per round; Effect The shootist Interacts to draw a repeating hand crossbow and Strikes with it, or Strikes with a loaded repeating hand crossbow they're holding then Interacts to stow it.Sneak Attack The shootist deals an extra 2d6 precision damage to flat-footed creatures.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Shootist Entourages

Many drow shootists have a magnetic bravado that draws others to follow and learn from them. Few shootists are as skilled at teaching as they are at fighting, however, and their followers aren't much more than an entourage. These hangers-on are rarely as lucky or quick as the shootist, so shootists lose their followers to monsters or mischance with startling frequency.

All Monsters in "Drow"

NameLevel
Drow Fighter1
Drow Hunter7
Drow Priestess3
Drow Rogue2
Drow Shootist8
Drow Warden4

Drow

Source Bestiary pg. 136
The first drow were elves who fled into the depths of the world from a devastating cataclysm thousands of years ago. In their journey below, they fell to bickering and in-fighting, drawing the attention of sinister intelligences beyond their own. Whether it was the influence of a specific demon lord, the Rough Beast Rovagug, or some other fell force is unknown, but in that time the elves transformed both spiritually and physically, tainting their hearts with desires for cruelty, sadism, and violence. The hues of their eyes became sinister red or bleached white, and their flesh adopted an unearthly lavender sheen that made the drow instantly recognizable. The drow also developed potent magical abilities and resistances that further empowered them, if at the cost of their souls.

Over the centuries to follow, the drow developed into a powerful, if violently dysfunctional society, influenced by the worship of demon lords and focused on providing power and glory to a relatively small collection of noble houses. Many of these noble houses are matriarchal in nature and all hold allegiance to a specific demon lord patron—but traditions of worship, warfare, and wizardry help to bind the oft-bickering houses together enough that drow society doesn’t simply consume itself from within. Fear of earning the wrath of one’s superior—be it a teacher, a parent, a commander, or the demon one worships—is the real bond holding drow society together, and this system is held in esteem by the lowliest drow servant and by the most powerful drow priestess alike.

The drow are infamous throughout the world, but until recently most assumed stories of demon-worshipping, underground-dwelling elves were spooky legends crafted to share around a campfire. Today, the existence of drow is an understood truth, and while their presence in the dark caverns deep below is unsettling, they seem content to leave the surface world alone for now.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Adherents of Chaos

Away from the larger drow cities where worship of demon lords is instilled into all citizens from a young age, drow might adopt the worship of other entities. Many drow feel the call of the protean lords and embrace chaos, art, and freedom to set themselves apart from their demon-worshipping kin. These communities often have proteans living among them, instructing drow proteges in the power of disorder.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Becoming a Drow

Rarely, when a surface elf commits an act of cruelty heinous enough to draw the attention of a demon lord, transformation into a drow can happen spontaneously—but these transformations are rare enough to be legends in their own right. No known instance of a drow reverting to an elf has ever been recorded.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Drow Exiles

While drow society is evil, not all drow are bound to these norms. Those who seek something better in life are invariably exiles and often flee to the surface to escape their sinister kin. These drow often live as hermits, or they seek out societies where others have yet to hear the legends regarding their kind.