Elves combine otherworldly grace, sharp intellect, and mysterious charm in a way that is practically magnetic to members of other ancestries. They are often voraciously intellectual, though their studies delve into a level of detail that most shorter-lived peoples find excessive or inefficient. Valuing kindness and beauty, elves ever strive to improve their manners, appearance, and culture.
Elves are often rather private people, steeped in the secrets of their groves and kinship groups. They’re slow to build friendships outside their kinsfolk, but for a specific reason: they subtly and deeply attune to their environment and their companions. There’s a physical element to this attunement, but it isn’t only superficial.
Physical Description
While generally taller than humans, elves possess a fragile grace, accentuated by long features and sharply pointed ears. Their eyes are wide and almond-shaped, featuring large and vibrant-colored pupils that make up the entire visible portion of the eye. These pupils give them an alien look and allow them to see sharply even in very little light.
Elves gradually adapt to their environment and their companions, and they often take on physical traits reflecting their surroundings. An elf who has dwelled in primeval forests for centuries, for example, might exhibit verdant hair and gnarled fingers, while one who’s lived in a desert might have golden pupils and skin. Elven fashion, like the elves themselves, tends to reflect their surroundings. Elves living in the forests and other wilderness locales wear clothing that plays off the terrain and flora of their homes, while those who live in cities tend to wear the latest fashions.
Elves reach physical adulthood around the age of 20, though they aren’t considered to be fully emotionally mature by other elves until closer to the passing of their first century, once they’ve experienced more, and held several occupations. A typical elf can live to around 250 years old.
Society
Elven culture is deep, rich, and on the decline. Their society peaked millennia ago, long before they fled the world to escape a great calamity. They've since returned, but rebuilding is no easy task. Their inborn patience and intellectual curiosity make elves excellent sages, philosophers, and wizards, and their societies are built upon their inherent sense of wonder and knowledge. Elven architecture displays their deep appreciation of beauty, and elven cities are wondrous works of art.
Elves hold deeply seated ideals of individualism, allowing each elf to explore multiple occupations before alighting on a particular pursuit or passion that suits her best. Elves bear notorious grudges against rivals, which the elves call ilduliel, but these antagonistic relationships can sometimes blossom into friendships over time.
Religion
The dualistic gods of The Hunter and The Dread Wolf are the primary elven deities.
Adventurers
Many elves adventure to find beauty and discover new things. Typical backgrounds for an elf include emissary, hunter, noble, scholar, or scout. Elves often become rangers or rogues, taking advantage of their dexterity, or alchemists or wizards, exploring their intellectual curiosity.
Names
An elf keeps their personal name secret among their family, while giving a nickname when meeting other people. This nickname can change over time, due to events in the elf’s life or even on a whim. A single elf might be known by many names by associates of different ages and regions. Elven names consist of multiple syllables and are meant to flow lyrically—at least in the Elven tongue. They so commonly end in “-el” or “-ara” that other cultures sometimes avoid names ending in these syllables to avoid sounding too elven.
Sample Names
Aerel, Amrunelara, Caladrel, Dardlara, Faunra, Heldalel, Jathal, Lanliss, Oparal, Seldlon, Soumral, Talathel, Tessara, Variel, Yalandlara, Zordlon.
Elf Mechanics
Traits
Elf, Humanoid
Hit Points
6
Size
Medium
Speed
30 feet
Ability Boosts
Dexterity, Intelligence, Free
Ability Flaw(s)
Constitution
Languages
Common, Sylvan
Additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (if it's positive). Choose from Arcane, Elemental, Enochian, Ranger Signs, Runic, and any other languages to which you have access (such as the languages prevalent in your region).
Low-Light Vision
You can see in dim light as though it were bright light, so you ignore the concealed condition due to dim light.
Elf Heritages
Versatile Heritages
You select a heritage at 1st level to reflect abilities passed down to you from your ancestors or common among those of your ancestry in the environment where you were born or grew up. You have only one heritage and can’t change it later. A heritage is not the same as a culture or ethnicity, though some cultures or ethnicities might have more or fewer members from a particular heritage.
Arctic Elf
You dwell deep in the frozen north and have gained incredible resilience against cold environments, granting you cold resistance equal to half your level (minimum 1). You treat environmental cold effects as if they were one step less extreme (incredible cold becomes extreme, extreme cold becomes severe, and so on).
Cavern Elf
You were born or spent many years in underground tunnels or caverns where light is scarce. You gain darkvision.
Desert Elf
You live under the desert’s blazing heat, gaining incredible resilience to warm environments. You gain fire resistance equal to half your level (minimum 1), and environmental heat effects are one step less extreme for you (incredible heat becomes extreme, extreme heat becomes severe, and so on).
Seer Elf
You have an inborn ability to detect and understand magical phenomena. You can cast the detect magic cantrip as an arcane innate spell at will. A cantrip is heightened to a spell level equal to half your level rounded up.
In addition, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to checks to Identify Magic and to Decipher Writing of a magical nature. These skill actions typically use the Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion skill.
Whisper Elf
Your ears are finely tuned, able to detect even the slightest whispers of sound. As long as you can hear normally, you can use the Seek action to sense undetected creatures in a 60-foot cone instead of a 30-foot cone. You also gain a +2 circumstance bonus to locate undetected creatures that you could hear within 30 feet with a Seek action.
Woodland Elf
You're adapted to life in the forest or the deep jungle, and you know how to climb trees and use foliage to your advantage. When Climbing trees, vines, and other foliage, you move at half your Speed on a success and at full Speed on a critical success (and you move at full Speed on a success if you have Quick Climb). This doesn't affect you if you're using a climb Speed.
You can always use the Take Cover action when you are within forest terrain to gain cover, even if you're not next to an obstacle you can Take Cover behind.
Elf Feats
At 1st level, you gain one ancestry feat.
Elven Aloofness (Feat 1)
Elf |
As much as you might care for them, you've come to terms with the ephemeral nature of non-elves, and it makes their threats feel less troublesome. If a non-elf rolls a failure on a check to Coerce you using Intimidation, it gets a critical failure instead (and thus can't try to Coerce you again for 1 week). When a non-elf attempts to Demoralize you, you become temporarily immune for 1 day, instead of 10 minutes.
Elven Lore (Feat 1)
Elf |
You've studied in traditional elven arts, learning about arcane magic and the world around you. You gain the trained proficiency rank in Arcana and Nature. If you would automatically become trained in one of those skills (from your background or class, for example), you instead become trained in a skill of your choice. You also become trained in Elven Lore.
Elven Verve (Feat 1)
Elf |
While all elves are immune to the paralyzing touch of ghouls, you can shake off flesh-numbing magic of all kinds. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to saves against effects that would impose the immobilized, paralyzed, or slowed conditions. When you would be immobilized, paralyzed, or slowed for at least 2 rounds, reduce that duration by 1 round.
Elven Weapon Familiarity (Feat 1)
Elf |
You favor bows and other elegant weapons. You are trained with longbows, composite longbows, longswords, rapiers, shortbows, and composite shortbows. In addition, you gain access to all uncommon elf weapons. For the purpose of determining your proficiency, martial elf weapons are simple weapons and advanced elf weapons are martial weapons.
Whenever you gain a class feature that grants you expert or greater proficiency in certain weapons, you also gain that proficiency for longbows, composite longbows, longswords, rapiers, shortbows, composite shortbows and elf weapons in which you are trained.
At 5th level, whenever you critically hit using a longbow, composite longbow, longsword, rapier, shortbow, composite shortbow, or a elf weapon, you apply the weapon's critical specialization effect.
Nimble Elf (Feat 1)
Elf |
Your muscles are tightly honed. Your Speed increases by 5 feet.
Otherworldly Magic (Feat 1)
Elf |
Your elven magic manifests as a simple arcane spell, even if you aren’t formally trained in magic. Choose one cantrip from the arcane spell list. You can cast this cantrip as an arcane innate spell at will. A cantrip is heightened to a spell level equal to half your level rounded up.
Share Thoughts (Feat 1)
Elf |
You have an uncanny knack of communicating with other elves without speaking, though this habit that is often uncomfortable to observers. You can cast mindlink as an innate occult spell once per day, but you can target only other elves.
Unwavering Mien (Feat 1)
Elf |
Your mystic control and meditations allow you to resist external influences upon your consciousness. Whenever you are affected by a mental effect that lasts at least 2 rounds, you can reduce the duration by 1 round.
You still require natural sleep, but you treat your saving throws against effects that would cause you to fall asleep as one degree of success better. This protects only against sleep effects, not against other forms of falling unconscious.
Wildborn Magic (Feat 1)
Uncommon | Elf |
Access Mualijae ethnicity
You have learned to access the old magic of wild places. Choose one cantrip from the primal spell list. You can cast this cantrip as an innate primal spell at will. A cantrip is heightened to a spell level equal to half your level rounded up.
Woodcraft (Feat 1)
Elf |
You have an innate familiarity with forested areas. When in a forest or jungle environment, if you roll a critical failure on a Survival skill check to Sense Direction, Subsist, or Cover Tracks, you get a failure instead, and if you roll a success, you get a critical success instead.
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