The answer is that the ideal illumination for a creature with darkvision isn’t total darkness but rather dim light (if it really preferred total darkness, it’d have blindsight). The combination of double-range darkvision and Sunlight Sensitivity implies a creature that not only gets around well in darkness but is averse to light, so why on earth would a drow want to cast dancing lights or faerie fire? They also have the innate ability to cast dancing lights at will and darkness and faerie fire once per day each.
They have proficiency in Stealth, marking them as ambush fighters. Drow are armed with both shortswords (thrusting weapons akin to a Greek xiphos) and hand crossbows, but their lower Constitution relative to their Dexterity strongly suggests a preference for the ranged weapon over the melee weapon. Its Strength and Constitution are average, its Intelligence and Wisdom only marginally higher (not enough even to get a plus to their modifiers). The contour of its ability scores is the same: Dexterity is the drow’s highest stat, followed by Charisma. So let’s say that the MM drow is something more akin to a drow guard-a trained, regular fighter or scout.
And the basic drow is stronger, across the board, than my hypothetical drow commoner.
#DND 5E DROW RACR MANUAL#
But the fifth-edition Monster Manual has an entire listing for drow, including three variants: the drow elite warrior, the drow mage and the drow priestess of Lolth. In my article on commoners, I touched superficially on how a drow commoner might fight, based solely on racial modifiers: they’d seek safety in numbers snipe at range, using hand crossbows and be nocturnal and/or subterranean.