Half-Eldar

"'Half-blooded.''Split-souled.''Stuck between two worlds.' You think I haven't heard it all, and worse? You think I don't notice those I live amongst staring? I know I live between two worlds, that of the eldar and humanity, I also know that amongst the vast stars it doesn't truly matter."

—A vagabond half-eldar wandering the galaxy.

If it's true that opposites attract, than eldar and humans are the best proof. Despite their general distrust of non-eldar, many eldar find humanity's passionate energy, dedication to living in the moment, and ability to accomplish so much in their short lives deeply appealing—a flame that burns all the brighter for its brevity. At the same time, many humans are eldars' lean bodies, elegant grace, and centuries of wisdom. Where the two populations interact, half-eldar occasionally result. They walk amongst two universes but truly belong to neither, these wanderers and outcasts combine what some say are the best qualities of their eldar and human parents: human curiosity, inventiveness, and ambition tempered by the refined senses, wisdom, and artistic tastes of the eldar. This species of hybrids is few and far between, and many half-eldar unable to fit into either society choose lives of solitary amongst the stars.

Half-Eldar Anatomy and Physiology

Half-eldar are the interracial children of human and elven parents or the descendants of such children. While they can often pass for human by hiding their modestly pointed ears, they nevertheless tend toward the tall, slim physiques of their eldar parents, with life spans twice as long as those of their human kin. Despite being seen as generally attractive by both races, half-eldar often feel like outsiders in both societies, always exoticized and never quite accepted as part of either group. This leads many half-eldar to band together with others of their kind, or else abandon both their parent races in favor of new friends and families among aliens who lack those preconceptions. Since half-eldar breed true, many second- or third-generation half-eldar have no firsthand knowledge of their parent cultures.

Half-Eldar Culture

As cultural chameleons, half-eldar slide easily into other societies, adapting smoothly to alien mind-sets. They have a particular affinity for cogs and any other groups treated as outsiders by mainstream society, as well as for alien races who are different enough biologically that it would never occur to them to focus on such minor racial differences as pointed ears or eye color. Many half-eldar are fond of wandering, with a strong desire to prove themselves, seeking out new worlds in the galaxy for fame and glory or in the hope of establishing new colonies. Though their often complicated relationship with their parent races makes them natural iconoclasts, they also tend toward kindness and understanding.
With their extreme versatility, half-eldar are a perfect fit for nearly any profession, though in recent years an unusually large number have become operatives or soldiers, perhaps seeing in the enforcement of the galactic laws a chance to foster understanding and build a single system-wide culture that no longer strands half-eldar children between two worlds.

Half-Eldar Information

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Eldar
• Human

Scientific Name

Semis Natus

Lifespan

200 years

Average Height

5-6 feet

Average Weight

100-200 lbs

Half-Eldar Traits

Default Ability Scores. You gain a +2 bonus to any one ability score.
Hit Points. Being a half-eldar grants you 4 hit points.
Size. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your mobility is 6'.
Low-Light Vision. You can see in dim light as if it were normal light.
Keen Senses. You gain a +2 racial bonus to your Reflex score and a +2 racial bonus to Perception skill checks.

Playing a Half-Eldar

You Likely...

• Keep to yourself and find it difficult to form close bonds with others.
• Strongly embrace or reject one side or the other of your parentage.
• Identify strongly with and relate to other outcast species and people.

Other races probably...

• Find you more attractive than humans and more approachable than eldar.
• Dismiss your human ethnicity and culture in light of your eldar heritage.
• Downplay the challenges of being caught between two cultures.