In 5e dark elves are now written into the Player’s Handbook as accessible to players. I think this is greatly due to the influence of RA Salvatore and the Drizzt saga. It wasn’t always like this though. Jim’s concept of Ayani is a more traditional fantasy world where drow are always evil (no matter how you pronounce it). I played under a DM once whose rule was that the party had to make “friendly contact” with a race before they were playable. I plan on addressing this in the future as one of Jim’s house rules. You can guarantee Jim won’t give Frank his friendly contact any time soon.
Seriously, if the DM wouldn’t let me play a dark elf, I just wouldn’t play.
In 5e dark elves are now written into the Player’s Handbook as accessible to players. I think this is greatly due to the influence of RA Salvatore and the Drizzt saga. It wasn’t always like this though. Jim’s concept of Ayani is a more traditional fantasy world where drow are always evil (no matter how you pronounce it). I played under a DM once whose rule was that the party had to make “friendly contact” with a race before they were playable. I plan on addressing this in the future as one of Jim’s house rules. You can guarantee Jim won’t give Frank his friendly contact any time soon.